Building a computer? Need advice/suggestions? Come here!

[Xetsuei]

This is a continuation of the original thread by legionaire45, but I don't think most of us really want to play H2V.

This thread is for anyone that needs help with purchasing or building a desktop computer, or if you need help upgrading your current computer. Below I have put a list of parts for computers that fit mostly any price range and suit almost anyone's needs.

If you are debating whether to buy a prebuilt or build one yourself, the answer is incredibly simple; build one yourself. Building your own computer can save you hundreds of dollars, for instance if you build the low end computer on the list below a prebuilt version of that would cost as much or more as the mid range version. Do not be scared off by the prospect of building your computer, it is very easy and if needed I or some other techie person on this forum (here's a few: legionaire45, innergoat, warsaw) should be able to assist you.

PC Barebones

~$250-$350 (with MiR) YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY BUT I STILL LOVE YOU (Updated as of 9/2/09)
$60.00 - CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 240 2.8GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103688)
$54.99 - Motherboard: ASRock GeForce 8100 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157160)
$51.99 - Memory (RAM): OCZ 2x2GB DDR2 800 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227269)
$49.99 - Graphics: Sapphire Radeon HD4650 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102838)
$39.99() - Power Supply: Corsair CMPSU 400W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008)
$39.49 - Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 160GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075)
$31.99 - DVD Burner: LITE-ON DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106291)

~$450-$550 (with MiRs) Dirt poor (Updated as of 9/2/09)
$114.99 - CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 2.8GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115206)
$79.99 - Motherboard: Asus Intel P43 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131393)
$51.99 - Memory (RAM): OCZ 2x2GB DDR2 800 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227269)
$129.99() - Graphics: EVGA GeForce GTS 250 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130468)
$39.99() - Power Supply: Corsair CMPSU 450W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003)
$49.99 - Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098)
$31.99 - DVD Burner: LITE-ON DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106291)

~$650-$750 (with MiR) Low End (Updated as of 9/2/09)
$189.00 - CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 B.E. 3.2GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674)
$124.99 - Motherboard: Foxconn AMD 790GX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186168)
$79.99 - Memory (RAM): G.Skill 2x2GB DDR3 1333 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231189)
$144.99 - Graphics: XFX Radeon HD4870 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150394)
$89.99() - Power Supply: Corsair CMPSU 650W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005)
$69.99 - Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 640GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218)
$31.99 - DVD Burner: LITE-ON DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106291)

~$950-$1050 (with MiRs) Mid Range (Updated as of 9/2/09)
$279.99 - CPU: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202)
$173.99() - Motherboard: Gigabyte Intel X58 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375)
$140.99 - Memory (RAM): Crucial Ballistix Tracer 3x2GB DDR3 1333 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148282)
$224.99() - Graphics: EVGA GeForce GTX 275 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130475)
$89.99() - Power Supply: Corsair CMPSU 650W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005)
$69.99 - Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 640GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218)
$31.99 - DVD Burner: LITE-ON DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106291)

~$1450-$1550 (with MiRs) High End (Updated as of 9/2/09)
$279.99 - CPU: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202)
$279.99() - Motherboard: EVGA Intel X58 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039)
$193.00 - Memory (RAM): Corsair Dominator 3x2GB DDR3 1600 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224)
$499.99 - Graphics: EVGA GeForce GTX 295 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130504)
$119.99() - Power Supply: Corsair 850W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009)
$94.99 - Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284)
$31.99 - DVD Burner: LITE-ON DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106291)

~$4500+ (with MiRs) Ultimate End? (Updated as of 9/2/09)
$999.99 - CPU: Intel Core i7 975 Extreme (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115212)
$369.99() - Motherboard: EVGA E760 Intel X58 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188048)
$264.99 - Memory (RAM): Corsair XMS3 6x2GB DDR3 1600 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145235)
$999.98(NV) or $739.98(ATI) - Graphics:
2x EVGA GeForce GTX 295 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130504) or 2x XFX Radeon HD4870 X2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150349)
Speed or Image Quality
$349.99 - Power Supply: Silverstone ZM1200M 1200W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256038)
$485.00 - OS Solid State Disk: Intel X25-M 160GB SSD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167015)
$459.98 - Fast Hard Drives: 2x Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB 10000RPM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136322)
$319.98 - Large Cap. Hard Drives: 2x Western Digital RE3 1TB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136313)
$359.98 - Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Burners: 2x LG Super Multi Blu-Ray/HD-DVD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136137)
$144.99() - Sound Card: AuzenTech X-Fi Prelude (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829156005)

Note with the computers up there: I am not good at naming. The low end computer will easily be able to run Crysis on very high at 1680x1050.

~$650-$750 (with MiR) Poor man's Workstation (Updated as of 9/2/09)
$174.99 - CPU: Intel Xeon E3110 3.0GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117165)
$154.99 - Motherboard: Asus Intel 3200 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131242)
$33.49 - Memory (RAM): Kingston 2x1GB DDR2 800 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134113)
$184.99 - Graphics: PNY Quadro FX580 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133273)
$89.99() - Power Supply: Corsair 650W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005)
$69.99 - Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 640GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218)
$31.99 - DVD Burner: LITE-ON DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106291)
$12.99 - Card Reader: Sabrent 68 in 1 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820300608)

~$1500 (with MiR) Workstation (Updated as of 9/2/09)
$205.99 - CPU: Intel Xeon X3220 2.4GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117127)
$154.99 - Motherboard: Asus Intel 3200 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131242)
$63.49 - Memory (RAM): Kingston 2x2GB DDR2 800 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134936)
$789.99 - Graphics: PNY Quadro FX3700 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133218)
$109.99() - Power Supply: Corsair 750W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006)
$94.99 - Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284)
$31.99 - DVD Burner: LITE-ON DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106291)
$12.99 - Card Reader: Sabrent 68 in 1 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820300608)

~$20000+ (with MiR) Workstation Ultimate LOL YOU CAN'T AFFORD THIS (Updated as of 9/2/09)
$3339.98 - CPU: 2x Intel Xeon W5590 3.33GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117214)
$529.99 - Motherboard: Asus Intel 5520 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131379)
$9959.94 - Memory (RAM): 6x Super Talent 3x8GB DDR3 1333 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609486)
$6299.98 - Graphics: 2x PNY Quadro FX5800 4GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133253)
$349.99 - Power Supply: Silverstone ZM1200M 1200W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256038)
$379.96 - Hard Drives: 4x Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284)
$359.98 - Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Burners: 2x LG Super Multi Blu-Ray/HD-DVD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136137)
$149.99() - Sound Card: Asus Xonar (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132001)
$25.98 - Card Reader: 2x Sabrent 68 in 1 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820300608)

Note: To anyone that want's to buy a workstation know that they are not (mainly) for gaming purposes. They are for things like modeling,video/image editing/processing, batch processing, etc.

Peripherals/Cases

Dirt Poor (Updated as of 9/2/09)
$54.95 - Case: Antec Three Hundred Mid Tower (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042)
$9.99 - Mouse: Microsoft N71 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826105026)
$9.99 - Keyboard: KeyTronic KT400U2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823131131)
$99.99 - Monitor: Hanns·G 17" 1440x900 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254032)
$27.99 - Speakers: Logitech LS21 2.1 7W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121019&Tpk=Logitech%20LS21)
$5.99 - Headset: Sonic HP-259 Circumaural (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106502)

Low End (Updated as of 9/3/09)
$54.95 - Case: Antec Three Hundred Mid Tower (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042)
$24.99 - Mouse: Logitech MX310 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104136)
$24.99 - Keyboard: Logitech Internet 350 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126018)
$119.99 - Monitor: Acer 19" 1680x1050 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009127)
$48.99 - Speakers: Logitech X240 2.1 25W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121010)
$17.99 - Headset: Labtec Elite 835B (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826149018)

Mid Range (Updated as of 9/2/09)
$104.99 - Case: Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021)
$39.99 - Mouse: Logitech MX518 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104178)
$37.99 - Keyboard: Saitek PZ30AU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823175103)
$169.99 - Monitor: Acer 21.5" 1920x1080 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009157)
$78.99 - Speakers: Logitech X540 5.1 70W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121006&Tpk=Logitech%20X-540)
$39.99 - Headset: ABS FX-7 Circumaural (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826279003)

High End (Updated as of 9/2/09)
$169.99 - Case: Antec Twelve Hundred Full Tower (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043&Tpk=Antec%20Twelve%20Hundred)
$72.99 - Mouse: Logitech G7 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104203)
$58.99 - Keyboard: Logitech G11 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126009)
$299.99 - Monitor: Samsung 24" 1920x1200 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001309)
$124.99 - Speakers: Logitech G-51 5.1 155W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121012)
$63.99 - Headset: steelseries Siberia Circumaural (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826249007)

Ultimate (Updated as of 9/3/09)
$219.99 or $599.99 - Case:
Cooler Master Stacker 830 nVidia Edition (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119146&Tpk=cooler%20master%20nvidia) or Lian Li PC-P80R (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112174)
nVidia or ATI
$89.99 - Mouse: Logitech G9 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104079&Tpk=Logitech%20G9)
$89.99 - Keyboard: Logitech G15 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126034&Tpk=Logitech%20G15)
$1159.99 - Monitor: LG 30" 2560x1600 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005115)
$349.99 - Speakers: Logitech Z5500 5.1 505W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120&Tpk=Logitech%20Z5500)
$179.95 - Headset: Sennheiser PC350 Circumaural (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106219)

Legend:
MiR = Mail in Rebate
MiRs = Mail in Rebates
() = Price with Mail in Rebate

Notice: Some of these products become cheaper when you add them to your cart, and some prices may not be up to date all of the time because Newegg likes to change prices ever hour.

I'll update these if something new comes out. I will also completely redo everything every month, and update prices every week. If needed I can add more prices (~$300, ~$600, ~1200, etc). I am open to any suggestions/corrections.

[Atty]

how i build sweet pc that will run cryiss in 9205x3052 resolution with 1000 fps


Also, looking at these set ups, I've been out of the game for far too long, I don't recognize half the product families. ;_;

[Xetsuei]

The Ultimate should do...

[Heathen]

This is actually VURY helpful.

[Atty]

I'm sticking this.

Hopefully this can be a one stop thread for all PC building questions and what-not.

[paladin]

Except all the GPUs are Nvidia.

[Xetsuei]

If you can find a better one for a better price then I'll replace it.

[Amit]

This is a very useful thread but I think the names of the categories are one step lower than they actually are. A Q6600 with 2GB of RAM and a 900GTX would be more of a mid-range set-up. It's only my opinion though. And a 2.1Ghz Phenom with 2GB of half-decent RAM and an 8800GTS isn't too bad either, that'd be low end.

[FluffyDucky™]

Wow, nice effort. I assume your going to update when new things come out in the market?

E: lol saw the end bit :)

[Sel]

I like how your low end pc is enough to play Crysis on Highest, or really close to it.

[flibitijibibo]

Interesting to see that Xet's comp specs are those in the ultimate rig, ha. Done any experimenting with that audio console yet? /cough

Also, if anyone intends to buy 5.1 speakers, I'll make the decision easy for you: Logitech Z-5500.

[Xetsuei]

Just added section for peripherals/cases.

[flibitijibibo]

Speakers!
Dirt Poor: Logitech LS21 2.1 System (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/4251&cl=us,en) $29.99
Low End: Logitech X-240 2.1 System (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/232&cl=us,en) $49.99
Mid Range: Logitech X-540 5.1 System (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/234&cl=us,en) $99.99
High End: Logitech G-51 5.1 System (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/3549&cl=us,en) $199.99
Ultimate: Logitech Z-5500 5.1 System (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/224&cl=us,en) $399.95

I have worked with all 5 of these systems, and I can say that even low end sounds really good. Dirt poor is, well, a bit fuzzy, bit they're not bad for the price. I would suggest saving the extra $20.

Edit- The S-220 is one system I've always had trouble with. After very little use, the woofer hums. And it gets louder.... and louder... and louder. Save an extra $7 for the LS21.
Edit2- I probably should have looked at NewEgg, huh? XD Thanks for the catch, Xet.

[Xetsuei]

The LS21 doesn't cost an extra $7, but I did switch them. Thanks for the input.

[InnerGoat]

The Ultimate should do...How would that work :confused2:

[Xetsuei]

How would that work :confused2:

What do you mean?

Peripherals/case section is done.

[Huero]

you have to be fucking rich to make anything above low-to-mid range ;_;

[Xetsuei]

you have to be fucking rich to make anything above dirt poor-to-mid range ;_;

:eng101:

[flibitijibibo]

What happened with the sound card switch? The Auzuntech X-Fi? Who here has that card?

[Xetsuei]

It's better than the Creative one, not to mention cheaper.

[flibitijibibo]

Oh, it's an X-Fi card more geared toward gaming? Okay, that makes more sense. I suppose the audio console isn't all that necessary to play L4D, eh?

[343guiltymc]

Which would be better, the refurbished 8800 GTS 320MB or a 9600 GT?

[Xetsuei]

The recertified 8800 GTS.

But recertified is not the same as refurbished. Recertified is pre-owned but back up to the spec of a new card.

[Hotrod]

Shit Xet, how much did your computer cost?

And for a low end, that rig that you have there isn't all that bad, same goes with the "dirt poor" machine.

[Xetsuei]

Haven't bought it, but once I make my mind up about everything it should be around $7000.

[Hotrod]

Damn...and I thought that my cousin's 4000$ computer was expensive...

[InnerGoat]

Haven't bought it, but once I make my mind up about everything it should be around $7000.

d-damn...

Hope that thing's got three 30" or else it's not extreme!

[Bodzilla]

30 inch's are too big tbh.

you have to look around the screen to see everything :/
http://www.modacity.net/forums/styles/smilies/trillian/eyesroll.gif

what you do want though is the Curved alien ware peripheral screen.
oh baby.

[Xetsuei]

d-damn...

Hope that thing's got three 30" or else it's not extreme!

Too big, look in computer specs for size and other stuff I'm going to get. I might even go down to the 19" 1680x1050.


30 inch's are too big tbh.

you have to look around the screen to see everything :/
:eyesroll:

what you do want though is the Curved alien ware peripheral screen.
oh baby.

I really would like that, but the resolution is much too low.

[InnerGoat]

Are you planning on running games over the 3 screens?

[Xetsuei]

Hell yes.

[Bodzilla]

Too big, look in computer specs for size and other stuff I'm going to get. I might even go down to the 19" 1680x1050.



I really would like that, but the resolution is much too low.
really?

what is it rear projection or some shit?
i havnt seen anytihng on it for along time i forgot the specs.

also whats quad X-Fire like for the ATI cards these days? is it still shit?
what about tri-SLI?

[Xetsuei]

really?

what is it rear projection or some shit?
i havnt seen anytihng on it for along time i forgot the specs.

also whats quad X-Fire like for the ATI cards these days? is it still shit?
what about tri-SLI?

The resolution is 1440x900x2 (2880x900).

I'm not sure on Crossfire or SLI, you should ask Innergoat for that.

[Bodzilla]

but isn't a 19" native rez 1440x900? seeing as 21" is 1600x1200

which you said you wouldnt mind having :S? just checked it back out, and the response rate for the screen is insane.... to say the least.

[InnerGoat]

Hell yes.

You're in for a shitload of fail as SLI doesn't work right with SoftTH :fail:, but it will for triplehead2go. It's max is 3x 1680x1050 @ 57hz I believe.



really?

what is it rear projection or some shit?
i havnt seen anytihng on it for along time i forgot the specs.

also whats quad X-Fire like for the ATI cards these days? is it still shit?
what about tri-SLI?Yeah it was rear projection iirc. Also, I'd stay away from anything over 2 cards just because the 3rd and 4th cards don't scale as well.

[flibitijibibo]

Tri-SLI, with good drivers, does some pretty awesome stuff. Quad-SLI has only been on 2 cards so far (excluding GTX295), so it never got too much attention and thus didn't work out too well. No idea about crossfire though.

[Xetsuei]

but isn't a 19" native rez 1440x900? seeing as 22" is 1680x1050

which you said you wouldnt mind having :S? just checked it back out, and the response rate for the screen is insane.... to say the least.

17" and 19" can be 1440x900, and 19" and 22" can be 1680x1050. I prefer the smaller of the two.

Goat, could I use SoftTH if I didn't have the GTX 295's in SLI? Or because of the fact that is a double card mean it's always in SLI?

[InnerGoat]

You can disable SLI on each card. It would probably work if you did so, but i'm not positive you won't run into problems with 4 GPUs.

[Bodzilla]

i was thinking about non widescreens... seeing as i thought the alienware screen wasnt 2 wide screens

my mistake.
:/

[343guiltymc]

Does the 8800 GTS 320mb consume more power than a 9600 GT? I don't know if my PC's crappy PSU can handle the card.

[Xetsuei]

Minimum of a 400 Watt power supply.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 26 Amps.)

[Reaper Man]

When I build my next computer, I wanna make something that's optimized for graphics processing, not gaming. I can't decide whether or not to go SLI or get a Quadro card. Or is a decent Quadro card still more expensive than SLI cards?

E: It seems so.

Anyway, it seems most of the hardware you recommended is more directed at gamers - any suggestions for what I do (batch processing, photography etc)? I plan to go 64-bit as I regularly get out of memory errors with my 2 gigs of RAM - I want at least 4 gigs. I guess my single core processor doesn't help with that much either. I don't think that I can afford anything above the high-end rig you posted, we'll just have to see..

[Xetsuei]

What price are you going for? Oh, so lower than high end. Ok, I'll give it a shot.

[Reaper Man]

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure.

[Xetsuei]

Well, from our conversation on MSN I guess the High End one without the DVD drive is perfect.

[Xetsuei]

Just added three workstation PCs, but the two expensive one's I'm still working with. Beware anyone that want's to buy a workstation that they are not (mainly) for gaming purposes. They are for things like modeling, video/image editing/processing, batch processing, etc.

E: Ultimate workstation is lulz.

[RickYng]

The workstations are not for graphical purposes either. Xeon processor missing Nvidia's multimedia instruction set.

[Xetsuei]

The workstations are not for graphical purposes either. Xeon processor missing Nvidia's multimedia instruction set.

That's exactly why those graphics cards are called workstation graphics cards.

:raise:

E: I don't see what multimedia instructions they're missing.

[RickYng]

Compare to Opteron. If I'm not missing something (except maybe the larger cache) they should be better suited.

[Xetsuei]

Compare to Opteron. If I'm not missing something (except maybe the larger cache) they should be better suited.

What does that have to do with the multimedia instructions?

Also, no. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010340727&bop=And&CompareItemList=N82E16819117127%2CN82E16819105159)

E: And no again. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010340727%201652941697&bop=And&CompareItemList=N82E16819105211%2CN82E16819117127% 2CN82E16819105187)

[Reaper Man]

Yay, workstations. Thanks Xet.

[Needles]

~$650 (with MiRs) Poor man's Workstation
$174.99 - CPU: Intel Xeon E3110 3.0GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117165)
$144.99 - Motherboard: Asus Intel 3200 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131242)
$24.99() - Memory (RAM): Corsair 2x2GB DDR2 800 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184)
$119.99 - Graphics: PNY Quadro FX370 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133209)
$79.99() - Power Supply: Corsair 650W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005)
$69.99 - Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar 640GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218)
$22.99 - DVD Burner: LG DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152)
$13.99 - Card Reader: Sabrent 68 in 1 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820300608)

The 'dirt poor' one is about 3 times nice than this $1000 one I got at dell, to bad my dad is to much of a fucking hard head to let me or even my mom buy the parts to build it.


There's no need to quote the entire post to comment on one part of it ~Timo
Timo, I meant to quote the "dirt poor' PC setup, but not the workstation.

[Lex1337]

Ignore.

[Xetsuei]

Not really. The CPU will bottleneck the fuck out of that GPU. You shouldn't of gotten such a high end GPU and such a low end CPU. Not to mention the power supply is underpowered especially for the GPU "450 Watt or greater power supply with 75 Watt 6-pin PCI Express power connector recommended". One last thing, you're picked out the wrong RAM. It needs to be DDR2 1066, not DDR2 800.

In short: There are many problems with it, you should just go with my dirt poor rig even though it costs a little more.

E: madkiller92 please do not quote the whole post, just quote the dirt poor rig. Thanks

[Lex1337]

Oh, I didn't know that thing about the Ram. Thanks for telling me. I don't really know much about computers, but I tried to give it a shot.

[343guiltymc]

So if I use a Radeon 4830 card with a Pentium D, it will severely bottlenecked? Cause I've seen people who have a Pentium 4 and a 8800 GTX.

[InnerGoat]

Yeah. You can run whatever you want with your Pentium D, it'll just have a lot more slowdowns in games when a bunch of stuff is on screen (as an example, 32 man TF2 servers will play like shit for you).

[Xetsuei]

Cause I've seen people who have a Pentium 4 and a 8800 GTX.

Are you serious? Fucking retards.

[Lex1337]

Are you serious? Fucking retards.
Since I read that I have a question. I have a AMD Athlon X2 64 4450 CPU. What is the best video card I can support? I have a 160 Watt power supply(Don't make fun of me. I know it sucks.)

[Xetsuei]

What are you aiming for? Direct X9/10? Manufacturer? Also, I barely believe that you have a 160W PSU, and I REALLY hope that 9800GTX in your specs was a joke, because I don't think the PSU would even run it. The best GPU your CPU could support would need MUCH more power then that thing can put out.

[Lex1337]

What are you aiming for? Direct X9/10? Manufacturer? Also, I barely believe that you have a 160W PSU, and I REALLY hope that 9800GTX in your specs was a joke, because I don't think the PSU would even run it. The best GPU your CPU could support would need MUCH more power then that thing can put out.
Direct x10. I have a 160W PSU because I bought a HP Slimline(My mom picked it). Also the 9800 GTX is for my future comp.I understand that much about computers that it wouldn't work with my current PSU. My current video card is a 9500 GS. I'm planning on building a computer slowly starting with the parts I have now.

I'm planning on buying the case that was in my other post and put in the the parts from my Slimline so I can have a bigger PSU.

Edit: Hows my future specs looking now?

[Warsaw]

You might be able to get away with putting a Galaxy GeForce 9600GT in your current HP. It's low profile, works with low wattage PSUs, and is respectably powerful.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162016

There are also mATX PSUs that could fit your Slimline should you desire. This is probably the cheapest way to upgrade performance if you want a stopgap until you build a new PC.

[343guiltymc]

You might be able to get away with putting a Galaxy GeForce 9600GT in your current HP. It's low profile, works with low wattage PSUs, and is respectably powerful.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162016

There are also mATX PSUs that could fit your Slimline should you desire. This is probably the cheapest way to upgrade performance if you want a stopgap until you build a new PC.

Would any 9600 GT work with a low PSU? I don't use a slimline case so I don't think need to worry about size as much.

[spikes15]

msi motherboard am2+ 90
AMD 9950 quadcore 2.6 ghz 138
2 times ati graphics cards (crossfire) 2*71= 142
850 watt psu 60 or 30
4 times ddr2 800 mhz 2 gb 4*18=72
samsung spinpoint sata 2 300gb 40

hows that? pc im gonna build under 500 pounds which is about under 800$

8gigs ram
2.6 ghz
850 watt psu
reasonable 300 gb hard drive
i think its pretty awesome :) tell me what u guys think
ty :)

[InnerGoat]

2 times ati graphics cards (crossfire) 2*71= 142Get a single fast video card, not two cheap ones.

[Xetsuei]

msi motherboard am2+ 90
AMD 9950 quadcore 2.6 ghz 138
2 times ati graphics cards (crossfire) 2*71= 142
850 watt psu 60 or 30
4 times ddr2 800 mhz 2 gb 4*18=72
samsung spinpoint sata 2 300gb 40

hows that? pc im gonna build under 500 pounds which is about under 800$

8gigs ram
2.6 ghz
850 watt psu
reasonable 300 gb hard drive
i think its pretty awesome :) tell me what u guys think
ty :)



~$700 (with MiRs) Low End
$189.99 - CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017)
$134.99 - Motherboard: ASUS P5N-5 nForce 750i SLI (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131232)
$36.99() - Memory (RAM): OCZ Reaper HPC 2x2GB DDR2 1066 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289)
$149.99() - Graphics: EVGA GeForce 9800GTX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339)
$64.99() - Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream 600W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017)
$49.99 - Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 250GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148261)
$22.99 - DVD Burner: LG DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152)

That ^ would be MUCH better. Better processor, CPU, and GPU. Let me tell you right now, you wont need near 8GB of RAM. 4GB is more than perfect, and unless you're doing some serious shit, future proofing, or just want to show off you won't need that much. 850W is also pretty overboard. I'd say 550W-600W is just fine. If you would like me to add some better parts and subtract the DVD burner to bring the price up to $800, I can do it. But for now that Low End rig is much better than the one you currently have configured.

[Lex1337]

My Future poor dirt Rig. A little under 600$

Chassis w/ Power Supply(430 Watts): http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1122&ID=1456

MoBo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186141

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103244

Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127333

Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104062

HDD:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822135106
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098)
CD/DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152)
OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Without the OS and Chassis this will be a little under 400$.

Is this good?

[Saggy]

What if I just got this computer? (http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10113809&catid=24137&logon=&langid=EN) Would I be able to play Crysis on Medium-High?

Specs:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6700
RAM: 6144MB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive: 750GB 7200RPM SATA
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9500GS (I have an 8800 GT in my PC atm, which one is better?)
Price: $749.99 (Canadian)

[Xetsuei]

My Future poor dirt Rig. A little under 600$

Chassis w/ Power Supply(430 Watts): http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1122&ID=1456

MoBo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186141

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103244

Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127333

Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104062

HDD:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822135106
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098)
CD/DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152)
OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Without the OS and Chassis this will be a little under 400$.

Is this good?

The GPU, GPU, and HDD are still better in my dirt poor rig. Go with the dirt poor rig dude, seriously.


What if I just got this computer? (http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10113809&catid=24137&logon=&langid=EN) Would I be able to play Crysis on Medium-High?

Specs:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6700
RAM: 6144MB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive: 750GB 7200RPM SATA
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9500GS (I have an 8800 GT in my PC atm, which one is better?)
Price: $749.99 (Canadian)

You know newegg now has a Canadian site?

http://www.newegg.ca/

I'm pretty sure the prices should be the same or a little higher. The 8800GT is MUCH better than the 9500GS. Go with my Low End rig. If you don't know how to assemble a computer you can find tons of guides on Google.

[Saggy]

Ok, I found all the parts from your Low End rig on the Canadian Newegg and it came out to around $800, and that's without shipping. The computer I posted has more RAM, a 64-bit OS, more hard drive space, and a slightly better processor. I can also replace that 9500GS with my 8800GT. Should I save some money and buy the one from Futureshop, or should I spend the extra money and order off of Newegg?

[Xetsuei]

Once again, I guarantee you won't need more than 4GB. Plus the RAM on the Low End is faster. The Mobo is better, and the GFX is also better. You also have to remember that a 64bit OS is not always better. If you wanted you could just go for the Low End rig without the GPU (and DVD burner of course) and save a lot. If you really want the HP rig though go for it.

[Saggy]

If I really wanted to save money, could I just buy the mobo and the processor of Newegg and put it in the case I have now? Then could I just use the RAM, Hard Drives, GPU etc. I already have or will there be compatibility issues? I know pretty much nothing when it comes to computer parts, so sorry for all the questions.

[Xetsuei]

Yeah, but I need to know what RAM you have (Speed, DDR2/3, how many Pins). Everything else should be fine.

[StankBacon]

according to his specs his mobo is a Asus P5LP-LE

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00864946&lc=en&cc=us





Four 240-pin DDR2 DIMM sockets
Supports PC2 3200 (400 MHz), PC 4200 (533 MHz) and PC2 5300 (667 MHz) DDR2 DIMMs

[paladin]

Finished upgrades for now

Intell Q6600 @2.6
ASUS Maximus II mb
8gb Corsair XMS2
2x Radeon HD 4870x2
Bluray/HDDVD disc
2x raptors 320gb each
Cool master HAF case
26" Viewsonic full HD

ive spent ~$2000 in two years. pretty much 2 computers worth of parts.

[Xetsuei]

Yeah Saggy you're also going to need to buy some DDR2 1066 RAM.

[InnerGoat]

Why does he need ddr2 1066

[legionaire45]

Why does he need ddr2 1066
Eh, imo Ram is dirt cheap enough right now that it makes sense to go from 800 to 1066.

Lol, I think one of these days imma splurge and get 8 gigs of DDR2. I'm hardly using 4, but why the fuck not.

[Saggy]

Yeah Saggy you're also going to need to buy some DDR2 1066 RAM.
All right, thanks for the help!

[Xetsuei]

Eh, imo Ram is dirt cheap enough right now that it makes sense to go from 800 to 1066.

Lol, I think one of these days imma splurge and get 8 gigs of DDR2. I'm hardly using 4, but why the fuck not.

Hooray for splurging! o/

@Dr, the motherboard for the Low End rig uses DDR2 1066, which he is going to get.

[Warsaw]

Would any 9600 GT work with a low PSU? I don't use a slimline case so I don't think need to worry about size as much.

I'm not sure. I should think so, since they are all based on the same chip. The only things I can think of that might guzzle watts are fans and overclocking. Buy a reference-clocked card with passive cooling, and you can eliminate that problem.

[Huero]

QUESTION
Radeon 3840
what settings on average can it run Left4Dead

[Xetsuei]

Not familiar with Left4Dead. Since it runs on source and that graphics card is fairly good, I'd imagine you'd be able to run it on high pretty smoothly.

E: Wait, what? Do you mean the 3850? In that case yes I'm 99% sure you'd be able to run it on high smoothly.

[Huero]

fuck i meant 4830
apologies, i'm an idiot

[Jelly]

fuck i meant 4830
apologies, i'm an idiot
4830 is a 4850 with a few bits removed, it should run fine on max settings, looking at your processor.

[Huero]

Actually I'm building an entirely new computer :B
Case: Centurion 5 Cooler Master
HDD: Seagate 320 GB
Motherboard: MSI K9A2 Platinum
CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition
RAM: 4 Gigs DDR2
Power Supply: OCZ Stealth X Stream 600w
Graphics Card: Asus EAH4830 512MB DDR3

also got vista 64bit and NOD32 antivirus :)

[343guiltymc]

I'm not sure. I should think so, since they are all based on the same chip. The only things I can think of that might guzzle watts are fans and overclocking. Buy a reference-clocked card with passive cooling, and you can eliminate that problem.

By fans do you mean those cards with huge assed fans that take up two slots? :confused2:

[Huero]

Ok, so we started building the computer, have some issues with the screws and eventually get the mboard in. We put in the CPU, everything's going relatively smooth so far (though all I've done so far is hold cables). Dad starts applying the thermal paste to the CPU, and here's the problem. He didn't apply a BB-sized amount of paste on, he applied like 8 BBs. I've looked at quite a few many guides, and they really aren't clear. I come to you with this question: What do we use to remove the paste off of the CPU? (and yes, its Arctic Silver)

Oh also the grey square on the bottom of the heatsink is the thermal pad right :E

[Xetsuei]

Not to be an ass but

http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=thermal+paste+removal

[Amit]

Not to be an ass but

http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=thermal+paste+removal

That's awesome.

[Cojafoji]

what kind of processor should i buy for my new compy. budget = 250 dollars.

LOL.

[Cortexian]

I'm just going to upgrade what I'm running right now (see PC specs). I've already upgraded my RAM (I only get 5.7 WEI score with that RAM on Windows Vista 32-bit, is it because of the memory limitations?) and I'm going to be getting a GeForce GTX 295 once they hit their first price drop.

[Xetsuei]

Thanks for sharing?

[paladin]

what kind of processor should i buy for my new compy. budget = 250 dollars.

LOL.

For what GPU?

Any Phenom would be good for AMD/ATi configs. If you go with intel, the Q9400 for quad, or the E8600 for dual. IF you want to spend some money on other parts like motherbord, ect... the i920 is a little more than $250 but is fucking sweet.

edit, wait... 250 for CPU or WHOLE computer?

[Xetsuei]

Need much more info Coja.

[Rook]

I don't know if this has been pointed out yet or not but if you're building a new system and don't want to buy an OS... The windows 7 beta lasts until Aug and is stable.

[paladin]

Vista is 25$ Id pick up a copy

[Cortexian]

Vista is 25$ Id pick up a copy
What? I want to see this $25 Vista, and only if it's Ultimate because OS restrictions are ubergay.

E: I'm looking to buy a modular PSU to power what I've got now but have the ability to add up to two GTX 295 graphics cards in the future... I've looked at the ABS Tagan BZ series (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000058+1297819680&Configurator=&Subcategory=58&description=Tagan&Ntk=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=) PSU's and really like what they have to offer... I'm just wondering it the 900 Watt version (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817814013) would be suffiecent, or would I need to grab the 1100 Watt one (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817814012)?

[Xetsuei]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256038

[Cortexian]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256038
Why not the ABS Tagan? All of it's reviews seem to be good. Except for the odd lemon unit.

[Warsaw]

Holy fuckshit, I spent $70 on my 580W which can run anything from the lowest card all the way up to an HD4870 X2 with the right CPU...that, is overkill. $400 on a friggin' PSU is nuts.

[Xetsuei]

Why not the ABS Tagan? All of it's reviews seem to be good. Except for the odd lemon unit.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=104

[Cortexian]

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=104
I don't doubt the SilverStone PSU is a good PSU, but why it over the ABS Tagan? I'm a fan of shiny glowing things in my PC, and the Tagan has that as well as a very nice modular setup. Nothing in the review you posted swayed me over the reviews that I've read of the ABS Tagan PSUs... All I really need to know is iff 900 Watts will be sufficent for my current hardward, and two GeForce GTX 295 when I get them...

[InnerGoat]

Corsair's 1KW unit would do just as well.

[paladin]

Ive seen decent 1000watt psu at fry's for ~$259.99

[Cortexian]

Okay fine, I'll make the question easier.

I am buying an ABS Tagan series PSU. All I need to know is if the 900 watt version will be powerful enough to power my current hardware, as well as two GeForce GTX 295 graphics cards in the future. I'm currently using an OCZ GameXStream 850 watt and it works well, so all I need to know is if the 900 watt will have enough power for what I have now but with two GTX 295 cards instead of my single 8800 GTX.

[paladin]

your 850 is more than enough

[StankBacon]

yah, why would you even bother getting a psu for 50 more watts?

your current one should do fine.

[InnerGoat]

You could get away with quad SLI on a good 700 watt unit if you took care to not overload any rails :rolleyes:

[Terror(NO)More]

More laptop builds nowww!

[paladin]

Laptops are harder to guide on simply because they should tailored to you and not a general good.

[Cortexian]

yah, why would you even bother getting a psu for 50 more watts?

your current one should do fine.
My current PSU isn't modular.

[Xetsuei]

So?

[Cortexian]

So?
Well, generally people who appreciate modular power supplies are neat freak wire management whores or something along those lines. So I figured my previous post would be enough for you to grasp. Since it wasn't I'll elaborate...

I'm turning into a wire management whore, and I want a modular PSU to upgrade my system. Since I'm going to be upgrading to a modular PSU I figured that I'd up the wattage as well for any future expansion.

[343guiltymc]

+5V = 22A
+3.3V = 17A
+12VA = 18A
+12VB = 18A
-12V = 1A
+5Vfp = 2A
So my Dell's 305 watt PSU can't handle a hefty upgrade like a 9800 GT or HD 4830, so should I get this: http://www.pcpower.com/products/description/Silencer_500_Dell/index.html

[Heathen]

Not to be an ass but

http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=thermal+paste+removal
remind me to +rep you.

[Amit]

+5V = 22A
+3.3V = 17A
+12VA = 18A
+12VB = 18A
-12V = 1A
+5Vfp = 2A
So my Dell's 305 watt PSU can't handle a hefty upgrade like a 9800 GT or HD 4830, so should I get this: http://www.pcpower.com/products/description/Silencer_500_Dell/index.html

It's only got one +12V rail...but decent wattage on it without going overboard. $80 is a bit much, though. Is the brand known to be reliable?

[Xetsuei]

One 12V rail is fine if there's lots of amperage on it, and in this case it is.

PC Power & Cooling is a good brand.

[343guiltymc]

Well it's made for Dell cases so it's going to be more expensive than standard ATX PSUs. Is there any standard PSUs that might be small enough for my Dell?

[Llama Juice]

I've been considering a new video card for a while, and so I was looking at the cards you suggested to update my ancient card.

But... i guess there's PCIE2.0 now?.. I've never been too deep in this stuff, but I'm pretty sure I have just an older PCIE 1.0 or 1.1 (my mobo is like 4 years old now)

do PCIE2.0 cards work in a PCIE1.0 slot? or would I have to upgrade my mobo too?

My current video card is a Nvidia GeForce 6200 SE or somethin like that... 64MB.... and I was looking at the EVGA GeForce 9800 GTX that you listed up there.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339

If I get that, will the difference between 1.1 and 2.0 be that big of a difference? Or will I still be happy because it will make my current card look like crap compared to this... if it works?

[343guiltymc]

2.0 and PCI-E are compatible, but you get performance boost with 2.0 I believe. Does your current PC meet the system requirements of the card?

[Llama Juice]

.... what other system requirements are there other than Power?

I'd assume it'd just be that you have the slot and you have enough power to run it... I haven't looked at my PSU yet, but I'm assuming I'll probably have to get a new one.

This is my "current" computer.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00585745&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=1818343

Something to note... look at the memory spot on that stat sheet... they fail at math (available DIMM ports)

[Xetsuei]

Do you know how powerful your current PSU is?

E: I'd also recommend you upgrade your RAM and CPU. The kind of RAM your mobo uses is now pretty cheap.

4GB 42.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145195

2GB 24.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145098

Pretty much any LGA775 CPU will work with your mobo. Give me a price and I'll find one.

[343guiltymc]

I doubt a 9800 GTX would run on whatever shitty PSU that HP puts on their non-HP Blackbird series. Hell, depending on how big the card is it might not even fit in the case.

[Llama Juice]

I was considering upgrading my RAM, but I dunno if I wanna throw down that much cash right now. I'm going to be buying a new monitor to replace my 8 year old CRT, (was looking at that "midrange" Acer monitor you listed which is down $10 from what you have listed now btw)

But if you can find me a good, cheap processor I'll consider it. (like around $100)

I'm not sure of my PSU right now... but what would you recommend if I do need to upgrade, assuming I get that video card.

[Xetsuei]

PSU: $64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

On the CPU, if all you can spend is $100 I'd recommend waiting for a while until you have more money. With $100 you can't really get an LGA775 CPU that's better than the one you currently have.

[343guiltymc]

Open your case and check it yourself, the sticker on the PSU should tell you the stuff. Frankly, the best GPU you can probably get is a 9600 GT.

[Xetsuei]

Frankly, the best GPU you can probably get is a 9600 GT.

What the fuck are you talking about?

@ Llama: All you really need for the 9800GTX is a better PSU, but a better CPU and RAM would make the FPS much more consistent, and a little bit higher. I REALLY recommend getting them.

[Llama Juice]

Is my CPU really that horrid? It's a duel core 2.8 GHz processor... I have money, I just... it's weird to throw this much cash at a machine all at once ya know? haha I'm not one to spend tons of cash, so I'll probably see how it all sits when I get my video card in there... see if I wanna upgrade again after that right away.

And about my PSU, I'm at school right now, I'll open it up when I get home later.

[Xetsuei]

It's a Pentium Dual Core, which is about the worst dual core that's ever been made. So yes, it is very horrid. I guess you can see if you want to upgrade after you get the GPU and PSU; you most likely will. The frame rates will be all over the place.

E: Updated all the prices and replaced the stuff that was deactivated.

[Llama Juice]

Oh... well that's shitty.

'cause right now if I get that RAM and PSU that already brings me up to about $400...

It's kinda sad realizing just how bad my machine is. :( hahaha

If I install a new CPU I'll prolly need to format my HDD, won't I?... That'd probably mess up my OEM installer disks wouldn't it? *sigh*

[Xetsuei]

No you won't have to format the HD, I believe that is only if you install a completely new motherboard.

[Llama Juice]

Oh shibby

EDIT:
I looked at my PSU, and yea.. only 300W like I figured.

If I were to get a new CPU Xet, what would you suggest if I brought the price up to $200 (ish)?

[343guiltymc]

Should I upgrade to a new PSU or just get a 9600 GT? Installing a PSU looks a little complicated.

[Llama Juice]

Just look at what your PSU plugs into on your current PC... not all that complicated.

To actually replace one it's just unplug, and replug honestly.

Then if you're all OMG WIRE MANAGEMENT then you can deal with that as well, but otherwise it's not that bad.

[Xetsuei]

Oh shibby

EDIT:
I looked at my PSU, and yea.. only 300W like I figured.

If I were to get a new CPU Xet, what would you suggest if I brought the price up to $200 (ish)?

That gives me a lot more to work with.
$189.99 Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115207)

Plus PSU
$64.99() OCZ ModXStream 600W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017)

And 2 or 4GB of RAM
$24.99 Corsair 2x1GB DDR2 667 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145098)
$42.99 Corsair 2x2GB DDR2 667 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145195)

And lastly the GPU
$134.99() MSI Radeon HD4850 512MB GDDR3 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127370)
(And another, if you want to spend a little more)
$189.99 Sapphire Radeon HD4870 512MB GDDR5 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810)

But again all you need is the GPU and PSU first. The rest you can get later if you wish, but I highly recommend it.

E: Llama I'm gonna change the GPU from the 9800GTX to the HD4850. Just now looking at the 3dmark06 scores and it performs a little better than the 9800GTX, and since it's ATi image quality will also be better. I recommend you get the $134.99 one I put above (or unless you want to spend a little more and get the HD4870). Uses less power too, but you're still gonna need a new PSU.

[Llama Juice]

"scores a little better"

Yea, but does it score $50 better?

I think I'll stick with the cheaper one :P

Also.. I have 4 DIMM slots... having my old RAM in there along with the new stuff couldn't possibly hurt could it? I know you were saying it's cheap stuff... but it shouldn't have any negative influence on it should it?

E: And that 600W PSU isn't available to purchase yet :P

[Xetsuei]

"scores a little better"

Yea, but does it score $50 better?

I think I'll stick with the cheaper one :P

Also.. I have 4 DIMM slots... having my old RAM in there along with the new stuff couldn't possibly hurt could it? I know you were saying it's cheap stuff... but it shouldn't have any negative influence on it should it?

E: And that 600W PSU isn't available to purchase yet :P

I meant the HD4850 ($134.99()) when I said all that, and it's cheaper than the 9800GTX. No, don't use your current RAM with the new stuff, motherboards are pretty picky about that kind of stuff. By cheap I meant the RAM has gotten really cheap, not that it's bad. Also, just wait for the PSU to become available, it's a great bang for the buck.

[Llama Juice]

So if I have both my two 2GB cards, and my two 1GB cards I will have lower performance than if I just had the two 2GB cards? Really?

That's weak...

Oh, and you'd still get that HD4850 over the 9800 even though the 9800 comes with COD:WaW?

[Xetsuei]

Ok, you just completely lost me. If I'm reading correctly, you think that one 2GB stick of DDR2 667 RAM will not perform as well as two 1GB sticks of DDR2 667 RAM, which is not true.

If you mean that it will decrease your performance if you use the new ram with your old ram, no. The computer won't even turn on.

[Llama Juice]

I was talking about the 2nd line... and why wouldn't it turn on?

[Xetsuei]

Still don't know what you're talking about.

It wouldn't turn on because motherboards can be very picky about RAM.

[InnerGoat]

lol, PC2-3200? Ouch :-3

Go with the whole new set of ram and run it alone...

[Xetsuei]

His motherboard can use PC-5300. But yes that was what I was telling him, get a new set of RAM.

[Llama Juice]

haha alright.

I heard something about some OEM motherboards not allowing CPU upgrades? Have you heard anything about that? Or is the person I heard it from just a silly little child?

[Timo]

I know i've asked before, but would my processor bottleneck my computer to the point that buying an HD4850 (http://pricespy.co.nz/pno_13215.html) wouldn't make a significant increase in performance over what I already have (7600GS)? And, is there any point in spending $50 more on a card from a different company?

[343guiltymc]

haha alright.

I heard something about some OEM motherboards not allowing CPU upgrades? Have you heard anything about that? Or is the person I heard it from just a silly little child?

No, they just make it pain in the ass. Dell for example, puts a hugeassed heatsink covering where the CPU is. To replace it you need to bolt open the damn thing and then put it back in after your done.

[InnerGoat]

I know i've asked before, but would my processor bottleneck my computer to the point that buying an HD4850 (http://pricespy.co.nz/pno_13215.html) wouldn't make a significant increase in performance over what I already have (7600GS)? And, is there any point in spending $50 more on a card from a different company?It'll be much faster, and you can max out all of your games at native resolution, most with AA.

[343guiltymc]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2227141&SRCCODE=PRICEGRABBER&cm_mmc_o=2mHCjCVybgwTyz__wyCjCVqHCjCdwwp
Is this RAM compatible with my Dell dimension E520?

[InnerGoat]

It should, but it would opperate at a lower clock speed..


Up to 4GB Dual-Channel DDR2 SDRAM (533MHz)

[343guiltymc]

Would it be able to used with my current 2x512 MB RAM or do I have to remove those?

[InnerGoat]

You should be able to leave them in

[343guiltymc]

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144199
Ah the link I've posted in the other post was U.S prices. Would the RAM above suffice?
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703016
If I were to upgrade to this PSU, which videocard should I get? Trying to stay below the $150 (in Canada not U.S prices) range.

[Warsaw]

Currencies are close enough to where it doesn't matter. HD4850 for that price, or if you are a strictly NVidia person, go with the 9800 GTX+. Next best is either the HD4830 or 9800GT.

[343guiltymc]

Currencies are close enough to where it doesn't matter. HD4850 for that price, or if you are a strictly NVidia person, go with the 9800 GTX+. Next best is either the HD4830 or 9800GT.
Urh I can't get 4850 or 9800 GTX, low on cash. I would get a 4830 but I don't know if those big dual slot coolers will fit in my case.

[Warsaw]

Ok, my turn to join the fray.

I need to build a new rig, plain and simple. This current one is crashing too often these days, no matter what part I upgrade/swap, and how many times I reformat. Besides, it's old anyways, time for an upgrade. Here's the catch: I want a slim computer so that LAN parties are not so much of a hassle, and I do attend LANs very frequently.

So, here's my plan A:

Slim Gaming Rig-Intel

Motherboard: DFI LP JR P45-T2RS LGA 775 Intel P45 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard-$149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136055

CPU: Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor-$229.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115131 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017)

GPU: 2x Galaxy 96GFF6VIFCXX GeForce 9600 GT 512MB SFF video cards-$94.99 each
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162016

RAM: G.SKILL HK 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)-$49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231219

Sound Card: ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channels PCI Express Interface Sound Card-$89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006

Cooler: MASSCOOL 8W553B1M3 90mm Ball CPU Cooler-$14.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150083

PSU: Thermaltake W0157RU 450W 5.25 Drive Bay Video Card Power Supply-$71.99
http://www.xpcgear.com/w0157ru.html

Case: IN WIN IW-BT611T.300SL Silver/Black-$55.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108060

External Media: LITE-ON Black& Beige External Slim 8X DVD Drive-$75.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106271

Total: $928.90

All prices are from Newegg with the exception of the PSU, which is from xpcgear.com. I could get a low-profile 9800GT and SLI that, but the performance gain over two 9600GTs in SLI is all but nonexistent, and it costs $248 as opposed to $188 when all is said and done. I already have hard drives I can use in this build.

So, thoughts, comments, suggestions?



Edit: Added links, also I had an alternate case in mind:

-Rosewill R379-SM Black/ Silver 0.8mm SGCC Steel MicroATX Slim Case-$49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147098

[343guiltymc]

That looks nice, didn't know they make low profile 9800 GT.....

[Warsaw]

It just came out literally three days ago. I myself was shocked to see it.

[343guiltymc]

Where? Need link, is it made by Sparkle? I googled it and saw it being made, but never knew it came out.

[Warsaw]

Yes, it is Sparkle:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187061

Just sold out today...and went up $5. Honestly though, if you want to SLi, there is no sense in dropping cash on two of these when two of the 9600GTs will do just as well, which I find surprising considering that the 9600GT has just under half as many stream processors.

[343guiltymc]

I can't go SLI, the geniuses known as Dell only put 1 PCI-E X16 slot for the motherboard. I was intrested since I want a small card to fit in my case with the same performance.

[Warsaw]

Well, there you go. One 9800GT is still better than the 9600GT, but the 9600GT scales EXTREMELY well, and as such can run just about on par with two 9800GTs; the biggest fps margin I saw was 4, which is not enough to warrant paying more for the two 9800GTs.

Here's a chart with benches and performances compared:
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-charts-q3-2008/compare,794.html?prod[2071]=on&prod[2066]=on

Note that the 8800GT and 9800GT perform identically, which is why there is no separate option for the 9800GT.

[shookon3]

is the 9800GT Better than any GTX 200 series?

[Xetsuei]

No.

[Mr Buckshot]

I can't go SLI, the geniuses known as Dell only put 1 PCI-E X16 slot for the motherboard. I was intrested since I want a small card to fit in my case with the same performance.

lol there's always the Geforce 7950 GX2, but it's a little dated now XD

[Xetsuei]

Someone used to own one of those on here, and said it's not even worth it because of the awful driver support.

[Warsaw]

Only the highest end graphics chips will be bottlenecked by a PCI-e 1.0 slot. Also for the record, two 9600GTs in SLi configuration are better than one GTX-260 Core 198, so don't let the lower price tag on the Core 98 get you unless you intend to SLi those.

[itszutak]

Is it worth it to buy 4gigs of RAM for my setup? I'm getting really crappy stuttering problems in Crysis and was wondering if more ram would help.

[ICEE]

I'm totally computer inept, I don't know shit about them. I need a new pc for undisclosed reasons. I went to best buy to look at prices, and it was looking like I would end up spending about 1200 dollars. So I come to you guys, what should I be looking for?



I am looking for a desktop
I found the monitor I want, its going to cost about $250 so count that out
I want to be able to run higher end games, I'm tired of getting a bsod playing even old games like UT2K4 and Halo CE. I can't even install orange box or anything newer than that. I want to be able to run new games.
I want to make sure I can still use my old games, plus my outdated version of max and mudbox. Their too frickin expensive to buy again
I need basically everything except the fuckin mouse, and the monitor which I found and have not bought yet.


Help me please. The tech talk on the front page is greek to me. I'm looking to either build my own or buy it built, I don't care as long as I can afford it and it WORKS.

[Xetsuei]

Is it worth it to buy 4gigs of RAM for my setup? I'm getting really crappy stuttering problems in Crysis and was wondering if more ram would help.

How fast is your current RAM? And it sounds like you need a better video card, not more RAM.

E: Oh wait, the card is fine. I honestly have no idea unless you're RAM is really slow. It's possibly the drivers. Update the drivers for your video card.


I'm totally computer inept, I don't know shit about them. I need a new pc for undisclosed reasons. I went to best buy to look at prices, and it was looking like I would end up spending about 1200 dollars. So I come to you guys, what should I be looking for?



I am looking for a desktop
I found the monitor I want, its going to cost about $250 so count that out
I want to be able to run higher end games, I'm tired of getting a bsod playing even old games like UT2K4 and Halo CE. I can't even install orange box or anything newer than that. I want to be able to run new games.
I want to make sure I can still use my old games, plus my outdated version of max and mudbox. Their too frickin expensive to buy again
I need basically everything except the fuckin mouse, and the monitor which I found and have not bought yet.


Help me please. The tech talk on the front page is greek to me. I'm looking to either build my own or buy it built, I don't care as long as I can afford it and it WORKS.

The Low End ($700) or the Mid Range ($1000) and the peripherals for them lower down the page. Also, what monitor are you getting?

[Warsaw]

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130220

CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Graphics Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231229

Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320

Media Drive (CD/DVD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152

Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001

Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119106

Price: $1039

The case is up to you really. And you can mitigate some of the cost by scavenging parts (like hard drives, floppy disk drives, and media drives) from your current rig. Hell, if your current case is a mid tower, you could probably reuse that too.

[itszutak]

E: Oh wait, the card is fine. I honestly have no idea unless you're RAM is really slow. It's possibly the drivers. Update the drivers for your video card.
Drivers are the ones released just 3 days ago :v:

I think it's the ram. Can DDR2 667 ram be fast?

Specifically, this ram?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820178164
E: Forgot to mention. This is on the Crysis demo v1.0.0.1

[Warsaw]

I'm assuming you have the driver hotfix for your card, yes? My guess is that it's either your RAM or your sound card. Try disabling hardware sound. As for RAM, perhaps the voltages are not high enough, thus causing memory issues?

[Lex1337]

Hi I have a question on updating my current comp.

I currently have: (HP Slimline)(160 watts)
-Motherboard (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01321559&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=3829353&lang=en)
-3GB Ram
-AMD Athlon 64X2 4450e
-Nvidia 9500GS

I'm having thoughts on whether these upgrades are compatible or should I just build a new one.

Upgrades:
-Same MoBo
-Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133044)
-PSU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817189005)
-AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103228)
-4GB Ram (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231207)
-GPU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161268)



Also whats the difference between a PCI Express x16 and a PCI Express x16 2.0?

EDIT: I just recently overclocked my current GPU. My gaming score thing in Vista went from a 5.4 to a 5.5. Is this a big difference or a small one.

[343guiltymc]

I don't see how you can fit that PSU and graphics card into a slimline.....

[Lex1337]

Which is why I posted another Case for the upgrade.

[Mr Buckshot]

Also whats the difference between a PCI Express x16 and a PCI Express x16 2.0?

Increased bandwidth transfer I believe. PCI-e 2.0 cards can be used in old PCI-e 1.0 slots provided they're 16x, they just run slower.

[343guiltymc]

How much better is the 4850 compared to the 9800 GT? I wanted to get a 4850 but I don't know if any of the dual slot versions can fit in my case. I could get the ones with reference coolers but I heard they get really hot.

[InnerGoat]

Quite a bit faster. It's competition is the 9800GTX+

[Warsaw]

How much better is the 4850 compared to the 9800 GT? I wanted to get a 4850 but I don't know if any of the dual slot versions can fit in my case. I could get the ones with reference coolers but I heard they get really hot.

You can fix that by modifying the fan speed up from 28% to 40%.

[343guiltymc]

You can fix that by modifying the fan speed up from 28% to 40%.

Wouldn't the fan get extremely loud if I do that? :confused2: I'm pretty sure I asked this before but if I were to upgrade to a new supply for my Dimension E520, would I need to buy those Dell compatible PSU, or would I be good with a regular ATX PSU?

[Warsaw]

At 40%, the fans aren't terrible. Any higher though, and they get exponentially more audible.

As for the PSU question, it looks to me from pictures that the e520 uses a proprietary PSU, just by looking at the screw placement. You'll have to look for a PSU that specifically says it will work in that system. You should check your PSU to see what wattage it is...my guess is that it is in the 300W ballpark, in which casethe best you can do is a 9600GT without a new PSU.

[Cortexian]

Picked up a CM 690 (http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX19307%28ME%29.aspx) and a 140mm Scythe case fan (http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/038/sy1425sl12_detail.html) to improve my airflow and decrease noise, now I just want to add a side window to the panel that it came with. Hopefully while retaining the ability to have a side panel fan (it's fine if the fan is mounted on the window). So I need some advice on cutting a custom window, if anyone's done it before or knows of some great guides it would help a lot.

[InnerGoat]

CM 690 buddy :downs:

[343guiltymc]

At 40%, the fans aren't terrible. Any higher though, and they get exponentially more audible.

As for the PSU question, it looks to me from pictures that the e520 uses a proprietary PSU, just by looking at the screw placement. You'll have to look for a PSU that specifically says it will work in that system. You should check your PSU to see what wattage it is...my guess is that it is in the 300W ballpark, in which casethe best you can do is a 9600GT without a new PSU.

Yeah that was what I thought, this PC uses a 308 watt PSU from what I can tell so I don't know if using even a 9600 GT is a good idea.
For the 4850, which of the two brands should I get:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4185301&CatId=3670
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4088232&CatId=3670
For the PSU, the only thing I can find was this:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703016

[Cortexian]

CM 690 buddy :downs:
Uh... What?

[InnerGoat]

It's a great case is what I'm saying. Well worth the money. :downs:

[Cortexian]

It's a great case is what I'm saying. Well worth the money. :downs:
Oh, yea I know that :p especially now that I've got most of my cable management done... I kinda want to cutout a small "channel" on the backside of the motherboard tray, on the side near the drive bays so that my side panel doesn't have all the pressure of those cables against it...

Also, no one knows of any good side panel window tutorials?

[paladin]

Best, Case, Ever. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160)

[Cortexian]

Best, Case, Ever. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160)
I don't see why people like the HAF so much, it looks disgusting to me. It's way to boxxy (I see what I did thar) and, well, old looking... I can't deny that it has some really good performance reviews though.

[343guiltymc]

Is there a performance difference between the 1GB VRAM and Toxic 4850's over the 512 MB 4850?

[InnerGoat]

You can fill up that 512MB real fast in some games, so it can become a big difference. If you're running at 1680x1050 or up with AA the 1GB will come in handy.

[343guiltymc]

http://img13.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc05410cf0.jpg
Would a 4850 fit in there, with that CPU heatsink get in the way?

[Warsaw]

Yeah that was what I thought, this PC uses a 308 watt PSU from what I can tell so I don't know if using even a 9600 GT is a good idea.
For the 4850, which of the two brands should I get:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4185301&CatId=3670
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4088232&CatId=3670
For the PSU, the only thing I can find was this:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703016

Damn son, at those prices you could get a GTX260, which trumps the 4850. ALternatively, if you are willing to actually spend that $250 on a graphics card, you could get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102813

That PSU will not fit a slim case.

And this 9600GT:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162016
...can work off of a 300W PSU

Better than that single 4850. For $35 more, you can get the 2GB version...

[Limited]

Wow, this thread just confirms my pc is utter shit lol.

I'm running PC133 SDRAM :O.

Okay, so xet I see your recommending all AMD chipsets, I'm thinking of a complete new build as this computer has pretty much had it.

About mobos, would you recommend Intel or AMD?

[Lex1337]

Is it possible to fit any MoBo into any Case?

[Cortexian]

Is it possible to fit any MoBo into any Case?
No, you have to check what form factor the MoBo is and buy a case to match. You need to look at the "form factor", usually it's a variation of ATX nowadays.

[Lex1337]

It's hard finding a cheap micro-itx case that can hold a normal sized PSU.

[343guiltymc]

Damn son, at those prices you could get a GTX260, which trumps the 4850. ALternatively, if you are willing to actually spend that $250 on a graphics card, you could get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102813

That PSU will not fit a slim case.

And this 9600GT:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162016
...can work off of a 300W PSU

Better than that single 4850. For $35 more, you can get the 2GB version...

What? those links are to U.S site, prices are lower what I pay here.....And why won't that PSU fit in my case? I went on the site for the PSU and it said the Dimension E520 is compatible. :confused2:

[Lex1337]

Hey 343guiltymc, do you know what kind of MoBo a Dimension E520 has? Also what specs do you have for it? I have the same comp., and I plan on upgrading it aswell but I need more info. than what the dell website tells me.

After doing a little investigating, I found upgrades for our comp.

4GB Ram (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820141241)

700 watt PSU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817159089)

Intel Core Duo E7400 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115206)

250 GB HDD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262)

HIS Radeon HD 4870 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161268)(I'm not sure if it can fit.)

[Cortexian]

Since upgrading my 8800 GTX to the GTX 285, my PC has been emitting a high pitched squeal or whine when running intensive 3D applications. Crysis and 3DMark Vantage are the worst, though the issues is almost non-existant in older games (see: Halo). By listening to the PC, it seems that the whine is actually coming from my PSU and not the graphics card (the sound was louder near the PSU than the card) and I'm just wondering if anyone knows what this is? From what I've read via Google it has something to do with "capacitor whine", though that means dick all to me, since I just want to fix it. Should I invest in a new, quality, PSU to see if it is indeed the PSU? Or should I RMA my graphics card?

What would you all recommend for a quality modular PSU? I was looking at the ABS Tagan series for it's bling factor, but from what I've read they also whine under pressure. I also looked into the reviews of the Silverstone PSU that Xet recommended, and it looks like the reviews are split when it comes to mentioning PSU whine.

Willing to spend up to $300 to make this annoying sound go away.

[343guiltymc]

Hey 343guiltymc, do you know what kind of MoBo a Dimension E520 has? Also what specs do you have for it? I have the same comp., and I plan on upgrading it aswell but I need more info. than what the dell website tells me.

After doing a little investigating, I found upgrades for our comp.

4GB Ram (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820141241)

700 watt PSU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817159089)

Intel Core Duo E7400 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115206)

250 GB HDD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262)

HIS Radeon HD 4870 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161268)(I'm not sure if it can fit.)
Why do you need PC2 4200 RAM? The E520 supports PC2 5300 AND 6400.

[Warsaw]

Maybe he wants really good timings?

Also Freelancer, PSUs are always emitting a high pitched frequency. Under load or due to age, it tends to get louder (as it approaches audible range of humans). A better quality PSU can fix this though. I would swap the PSU, since the GTX285 uses a lot more power than the 8800GTX did. Hearing a whine in a PSU to me is a sign that it is getting old and needs replacing, since system crashes usually follow not to long after you start hearing the whining.

[Lex1337]

Because on the dell website, it says that the E520 supports DDR2 533 Ram.

[343guiltymc]

Because on the dell website, it says that the E520 supports DDR2 533 Ram.

That PSU is going to work with the Dell motherboard?

[Cortexian]

Also Freelancer, PSUs are always emitting a high pitched frequency. Under load or due to age, it tends to get louder (as it approaches audible range of humans). A better quality PSU can fix this though. I would swap the PSU, since the GTX285 uses a lot more power than the 8800GTX did. Hearing a whine in a PSU to me is a sign that it is getting old and needs replacing, since system crashes usually follow not to long after you start hearing the whining.
Darn, the PSU is only three years old... I was kinda hoping that the GameXStream wouldn't start going until 5+ years... Oh well... Suggestions for a GREAT quality modular PSU?

[Warsaw]

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139002 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139002)

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153038

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817814015

That cover it?

[343guiltymc]

Would the 4850 or 9800 GTX plus be able to run under the PSU I posted earlier? I went into the Tigerdirect store and they told me both video cards need a 600 watt power supply, I can't find any PSU at that wattage that would be Dell compatible. Also what are the differences between all the brands that sell the video cards? I've seen a lot of builds that uses the ASUS 4850 but looking at the reviews people seem to get a lot of issues with the card.

[Warsaw]

You know, as long as you have enough amps on the 12V rail, have a good efficiency rating, and you aren't doing SLi or Crossfire, 450W is enough to cover the 4850 or 9800GTX+.

As for the brand difference, scrutinize the specifications closely. There are often small clock alterations, etc., though the biggest differences are what comes in the box along with the card, i.e. PCIe 6-pin power adapters, drivers, screwdrivers, etc. For ATi, I recommend Sapphire or XFX. For nVidia, I recommend eVGA or XFX. XFX is good because, even though prices are usually higher than the others, they give you a lifetime warranty.

[343guiltymc]

You know, as long as you have enough amps on the 12V rail, have a good efficiency rating, and you aren't doing SLi or Crossfire, 450W is enough to cover the 4850 or 9800GTX+.

As for the brand difference, scrutinize the specifications closely. There are often small clock alterations, etc., though the biggest differences are what comes in the box along with the card, i.e. PCIe 6-pin power adapters, drivers, screwdrivers, etc. For ATi, I recommend Sapphire or XFX. For nVidia, I recommend eVGA or XFX. XFX is good because, even though prices are usually higher than the others, they give you a lifetime warranty.

35 amps is enough? The 4850/70 don't seem to tell me what amperage it needs, only the wattage.....What if I try to OC it?

[Cortexian]

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817814015

That cover it?
How about this (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817814014) instead? I have an 850 Watt PSU right now, so I don't really want to downgrade the wattage. There's no quality difference in the different wattage models to my knowledge...

Also, I love the ABS Tagan BZ series, was really hoping they would work for this.

[Warsaw]

Yes it will, though even 700W is more than enough to SLi two GTX285s...you are honestly going overkill with 800W. If you are going to do Tri-SLi/Dual GTX295s, then I'd consider something with 800+ watts.

[Mr Buckshot]

Newegg's Canadian catalog is better than brick-and-mortar stores, yes, but it's pretty darn limited compared to their American one.

Canadians have more choices with NCIX, also at competitive prices. I built my last desktop computer using parts ordered from there.

[Warsaw]

The PSUs listed were the same ones listed under the American one...:confused:

[Cortexian]

Yes it will, though even 700W is more than enough to SLi two GTX285s...you are honestly going overkill with 800W. If you are going to do Tri-SLi/Dual GTX295s, then I'd consider something with 800+ watts.
In the future I'll be upgrading my cards again. I plan to get an additional two monitors, so I was going to get another graphics card or two (and a Tri-SLI motherboard, if I do go Tri-SLI) to power those eventually.

[Rook]

In the future I'll be upgrading my cards again. I plan to get an additional two monitors, so I was going to get another graphics card or two (and a Tri-SLI motherboard, if I do go Tri-SLI) to power those eventually.
Overkill much?

[343guiltymc]

Newegg's Canadian catalog is better than brick-and-mortar stores, yes, but it's pretty darn limited compared to their American one.

Canadians have more choices with NCIX, also at competitive prices. I built my last desktop computer using parts ordered from there.

NCIX's prices seem to be higher than Newegg Canada's.

[Lex1337]

That PSU is going to work with the Dell motherboard?
It should.

[Cortexian]

Overkill much?
No?

[InnerGoat]

What would you do with 3 monitor with SLI? Run on one screen?

[Cortexian]

What would you do with 3 monitor with SLI? Run on one screen?
One card per monitor... I'm pretty sure you can set that up, so that each card is processing for a single monitor. I'm also going to be getting a 40" Samsung 550 series for all the TV and movies that I watch.

[Xetsuei]

One card per monitor... I'm pretty sure you can set that up, so that each card is processing for a single monitor.

Hah, that's funny.

[Warsaw]

I thought SLi wasn't capable of multi-monitor setups...or did they fix that in a recent driver update?

[Cortexian]

Hah, that's funny.


I thought SLi wasn't capable of multi-monitor setups...or did they fix that in a recent driver update?
If you can't do it, then the fuck is the point of SLI besides extending your e-peen? It only increases performance at higher resolutions... If you're outputting on multiple monitors, that's obviously a higher resolution than a single monitor.

Edit: Oh, now I see where I was mistaken... You can use three graphics cards and use a single port on each card for each monitor, but they can't be in SLI... I could do 6 displays with three cards actually... However you're right, when SLI is enabled it will only let you output to a single monitor because multi-monitor support isn't currently supported. I'm sure it will be in future drivers though...

Edit Edit: Wait... I just saw a thread on the Nvidia forums (http://forums.slizone.com/index.php?showtopic=23744) where I saw a Tri-SLI setup running three monitors... What gives...

Edit Edit Edit: The Forceware 180.XX+ drivers have SLI Multi-Monitor Spanning supported from what I've read, gawd you guys, you're confusing me.

Edit Edit Edit Edit: Nevermind, all this SLI information is contradictory and retarded... I give give up trying to find a solution online.

[Warsaw]

Get one really big monitor :haw:.

Tri-SLI is almost pointless, but traditional dual-card SLI actually does give some real benefits. Quad Crossfire is a different story....it tears Crysis apart, and can even run maxxed at 2560x1600.

[Cortexian]

Get one really big monitor :haw:.

Tri-SLI is almost pointless, but traditional dual-card SLI actually does give some real benefits. Quad Crossfire is a different story....it tears Crysis apart, and can even run maxxed at 2560x1600.
Had a PC at work that was from Gateway, Core i7 920, 9GB RAM, 2xHD 4870's running on a 30" LCD at 2560x1600. It couldn't run on anything higher than Medium settings... I spent half a shift trying to get it working properly, but all the bloatware was bogging the system down to much...

Also, I don't want one really big monitor, it's cheaper to get three 24"'s here than it is to get a 30" (even with my discount at work). Plus, larger monitors GENERALLY have higher response times.

Also, I can run Crysis maxed at 1920x1200 with 2xAA now and get an average of 26 FPS... Yehs!

[Warsaw]

I said Quad Crossfire. Two HD 4870s are not Quadfire, that's just regular Crossfire; you need two HD4870 X2s or two HD4850 X2s for Quadfire. The only thing capable of beating out two HD 4870 X2s are two GTX295s, and i7 scales better with ATi cards than with nVidia (with nVidia, it bottlenecks).

[InnerGoat]

If you want to SLI / Tri-SLI on 3 monitors then you should look into a TH2go digital. They max out at 3x 1680x1050 at 57Hz I believe.

Otherwise you keep your one strong card, and get a cheap POS to drive the 3rd screen like I do and let SoftTH do the rest.

[Lex1337]

Anyone know if it's a bad idea to mount a PSU on TOP of the case?

[Cortexian]

Anyone know if it's a bad idea to mount a PSU on TOP of the case?
As long as it's a self-grounding PSU (most are) then I don't really see any problems... Why?

[Varmint260]

Hey, guys. Planning on ordering some parts to upgrade the desktop; I'm thinking of a 2gb stick of RAM to bring it up to 3gb and a PCIex16 GPU that runs for under $70CAN. Now, I've looked on the Newegg.ca website and I can see a bunch of graphics cards that are that price or lower, but I really can't tell the difference between them. In addition, I've found several 2gb sticks of RAM, but I also don't really know enough about those to make an informed decision. Also, I have just a 250W peak PSU, so can I get a PCIex16 card in that price range that shouldn't require a new PSU, or should I upgrade that as well? In which case, what's a decently cheap PSU that would do the trick?

[Warsaw]

To get a better graphics card, you will need a new PSU. 300W is the bare minimum to even start getting decent graphics cards (9600GT comes to mind here).

As for RAM, you want the one with the best reviews, lowest CAS latency, and fastest speed (that your motherboard can support, my guess is 1066). Find the balance between those three.


Some good PSUs (I'm assuming you use standard ATX):

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182016

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153023

[343guiltymc]

Hey, guys. Planning on ordering some parts to upgrade the desktop; I'm thinking of a 2gb stick of RAM to bring it up to 3gb and a PCIex16 GPU that runs for under $70CAN. Now, I've looked on the Newegg.ca website and I can see a bunch of graphics cards that are that price or lower, but I really can't tell the difference between them. In addition, I've found several 2gb sticks of RAM, but I also don't really know enough about those to make an informed decision. Also, I have just a 250W peak PSU, so can I get a PCIex16 card in that price range that shouldn't require a new PSU, or should I upgrade that as well? In which case, what's a decently cheap PSU that would do the trick?

You're not going to get much for under 70 bucks......Damn you just missed the Newegg deal: http://www.newegg.ca/Special/ShellShocker.aspx

[Varmint260]

I realize that for under $70 I can't expect much, but remember that I've been using integrated chipsets or PCI cards of similar performance forever. It doesn't take much to impress me. Now, as for PSUs, I don't exactly know what kind of PSU is in my desktop; only that it says peak wattage is 250W. What other information should I get from it before I replace it?

[Lex1337]

As long as it's a self-grounding PSU (most are) then I don't really see any problems... Why?
Because I want to know if I can just mount a PSU on top of my Slimline instead of buying a new case. Then get the best low profile GPU out.

[343guiltymc]

I realize that for under $70 I can't expect much, but remember that I've been using integrated chipsets or PCI cards of similar performance forever. It doesn't take much to impress me. Now, as for PSUs, I don't exactly know what kind of PSU is in my desktop; only that it says peak wattage is 250W. What other information should I get from it before I replace it?
Definably get a new PSU, there is practically nothing right now that would run on a 250 W power supply. Are you using a slimline desktop?

[Varmint260]

Nah, it's a full-size. And remember how I said it doesn't take much to impress me? It's running Vista on 1gb of ram, a single-core processor (though a decently nice one) and integrated graphics, and it runs HaloPC at 1024x768 and full graphical settings. To most of you, this is totally and completely laughable, and it really is. However, since 2001 I've been running a computer that at best, would chug while running HaloPC at 640x480, and that was with XP running. So, it doesn't take much to impress me.

[343guiltymc]

Nah, it's a full-size. And remember how I said it doesn't take much to impress me? It's running Vista on 1gb of ram, a single-core processor (though a decently nice one) and integrated graphics, and it runs HaloPC at 1024x768 and full graphical settings. To most of you, this is totally and completely laughable, and it really is. However, since 2001 I've been running a computer that at best, would chug while running HaloPC at 640x480, and that was with XP running. So, it doesn't take much to impress me.

What vendor did you buy it from?

[Varmint260]

The computer itself originally came from the Source. A family member bought it, but now they don't need it. Now, it says it's running PC2-6400 RAM. Does that mean the RAM I get for it has to be PC2-6400, or can I get any old RAM assuming I remove the PC2-6400 RAM that's in it already?

[Warsaw]

It means you can run any DDR2 type RAM up to and including PC-6400. Don't know if your motherboard will accept faster RAM without a BIOS flash. And if your case is full size, that means you can use standard ATX-type power supplies. As for a good card for $70, might want to consider raising that to $100. There are some seriously good cards for just under $100.

For $70, the best you can do are:

ATiHD4670
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814140095

ATi HD3850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102794

nVidia GeForce 9600GT (Open Box)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127382R

[343guiltymc]

He's asking for a card for under 70 dollars CAN, the cheapest card he could get is a 4650. Honestly, that's not much of a "upgrade".

[Warsaw]

Oops? I forgot to switch Newegg over to Canadian.

[343guiltymc]

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102805
Probably the best thing you can get at that price range.

[Lex1337]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058

Good case? Yes? No?

What PSU will fit in this and will work with a min-itx board?

[343guiltymc]

What are the dimensions for a reference radeon 4850? I don't know if the gap between the PCI-E slot, the fan shroud and the hard drive bay is enough to one.

[Warsaw]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058

Good case? Yes? No?

What PSU will fit in this and will work with a min-itx board?

Good case, yes. A standard ATX PSU will work with it no problem. As for the motherboard, check to see how many pins are on the main power connector, and then get a PSU that fits that requirement (any 20+4 pin is normally enough to fit). I don't know that a Mini-ITX motherboard can be secured inside that case though, I think it's too small.

[Lex1337]

Good case, yes. A standard ATX PSU will work with it no problem. As for the motherboard, check to see how many pins are on the main power connector, and then get a PSU that fits that requirement (any 20+4 pin is normally enough to fit). I don't know that a Mini-ITX motherboard can be secured inside that case though, I think it's too small.
I need a PSU that has a small 24 Pin. The specs say a Mini_ITX MoBo will fit. I hope it does.

I'll just get this (http://www.atxpowersupplies.com/20-pin-to-24-pin-hp-slimline-atx-converter.htm) with this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152037).

Whats the best GPU I can get with that Wattage?

[Warsaw]

With 700W? You can use either a GeForce GTX295 or a Radeon HD4870 X2, which are the two best cards on the market, period. Basically, with 700W you can use any card you so desire, as long as it fits in your motherboard. I don't like that PSU though, seems a little on the cheap side to me. Don't skimp on power supplies, because that can bite you in the ass later.

[ThePlague]

So, I have an old Dell Optiplex GX 240, and I wanted to know what kind of upgrades I can do to it.

Mostly the gfx card, which is a ATI Rage 128 Ultra, and can't even play Halo :/

Slap some upgrades for it on me, but i'm not rich so...

E: So far the only thing I did was take out the floppy drive and add another (80 gig) HDD that I had lying around.

[Warsaw]

Is your RAGE a PCI or AGP model?

GeForce 9400GT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187057

GeForce 8500GT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187059

Radeon HD2400 Pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131082

Personally, I'd go with the 8500GT. It is about equal with a GeForce 7800 GT in power. All of the ones I listed are PCI. I don't know what AGP bus you have (if any), and if it is less than 4x, you are out of luck unless you want to search eBay.