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Computer Build Thead: AMD joins NVidia, Intel in confusing name club

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Posts

  • JustinSane07JustinSane07 Really, stupid? Brockton__BANNED USERS regular
    edited February 2011
    Pirusu wrote: »
    Only thing that I'd change would be your PSU, honestly. (Not to say OCZ is bad, I'd just spring for something more efficient.)

    I found two that are cheaper (lower wattage, as well, but you don't have any particularly demanding components), are 80plus Bronze. One is modular and has 2 12v rails, the other is not modular, but has a single 12v rail.

    Modular Seasonic

    Non-Modular

    What do you think the load of that PC will be? I know my current PC is around 350 and it uses the aformentioned Q6600, two HDDs and a Radeon 5770. I'm using a 700 now.

    And I'd definitely want modular. The less extra wires inside the case, the happier I am. I don't buy anything but modular PSUs.

    As for the processor, yeah, I'll get the K version then. I'm probably not going to overclock it out of the box but I want the option.

    JustinSane07 on
  • PirusuPirusu Pierce Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    People tend to overestimate for PSUs. For example, I'm currently running a Seasonic X-750, and it is way more power than I'll ever need, and I will end up running Crossfire'd 6870s.

    With the 32nm manufacturing process/low TDP of the i5, and the excellent performance/power ratio of the Radeon cards, you'd be fine.

    Using the list of parts you gave me, I used this PSU calculator, and added in 4 external USB devices attached and 4 120mm fans, for a little bit of a buffer. (I used an i5 760 as my cpu choice, since it gives the same TDP as the 2600) It gives a minimum of 400w for your PSU, and a recommended wattage of 450.

    This is a rough, but pretty good estimate.

    Edit: That being said, you probably don't want a shitty no-name brand PSU. I haven't used anything OCZ other than RAM, but Seasonic has been in the business for a long while (And here's a HardOCP review for good measure)

    Pirusu on
  • initiatefailureinitiatefailure Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    So should I talk to newegg or ECS about my p67? Newegg emailed me saying they where extending return times by 90 days or until replacements became available. Should I still contact my board maker to see what they're doing about it?

    Also I've been looking at a new monitor and it seems like all the talk is about them being "Full HD 1080p" but I swear monitors used to go higher than that.

    initiatefailure on
  • JustinSane07JustinSane07 Really, stupid? Brockton__BANNED USERS regular
    edited February 2011
    Pirusu wrote: »
    People tend to overestimate for PSUs. For example, I'm currently running a Seasonic X-750, and it is way more power than I'll ever need, and I will end up running Crossfire'd 6870s.

    With the 32nm manufacturing process/low TDP of the i5, and the excellent performance/power ratio of the Radeon cards, you'd be fine.

    Using the list of parts you gave me, I used this PSU calculator, and added in 4 external USB devices attached and 4 120mm fans, for a little bit of a buffer. (I used an i5 760 as my cpu choice, since it gives the same TDP as the 2600) It gives a minimum of 400w for your PSU, and a recommended wattage of 450.

    This is a rough, but pretty good estimate.

    Edit: That being said, you probably don't want a shitty no-name brand PSU. I haven't used anything OCZ other than RAM, but Seasonic has been in the business for a long while (And here's a HardOCP review for good measure)

    Okay well I'll swap for the Seasonic then.

    But if it fails!

    I know where you live.

    JustinSane07 on
  • IcemopperIcemopper Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Malkor wrote: »
    lol

    That'd be awesome if he installed Windows 98.

    Oh man I hope he doesn't.

    His XP upgrades might even be expired. Then he'd have to start the whole process over again anyway.

    Icemopper on
  • DjeetDjeet Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Also I've been looking at a new monitor and it seems like all the talk is about them being "Full HD 1080p" but I swear monitors used to go higher than that.

    1080P seems to have killed the market for higher resolution monitors. You can get a 2048 x 1536 or 2560 x 1600 monitor, but they're significantly more than equivalently sized 1080P monitors (most 2560/1600's I've seen are 30"). 1920 x 1200 monitors don't carry much of a premium over 1080P.

    Djeet on
  • SoulGateSoulGate Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Hey gents. I figure this'll be the best place to ask.

    Well, my GPU is on the way out. Overheats like a mug, and will shut off my PC when running graphic-intense games. Well, got my money worth out of this Geforce 8800.

    Okay, so after browsing Newegg for a while, and doing some comparing on there, I've narrowed it down between two cards. This Sparkle card and this EVGA brand card. the EVGA has higher clock and processor speed, but the Sparkle has higher RAM, and close to same clock and processor speeds.

    Which to choose?

    SoulGate on
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  • PirusuPirusu Pierce Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    I couldn't remember if it was Sparkle I'd heard sucky things about or not.


    That being said, with todays games the 768mb of memory can be limiting. Clock speeds are almost meaningless, as you could probably overclock the Sparkle card to at least the same speeds. The Sparkle card also comes with a lifetime warranty, sooooo...that's what I'd choose.

    There's a good EVGA card, that ends up being slightly cheaper with MIR, but if you don't wanna mess with that, go for the Sparkle card, definitely.

    Pirusu on
  • AnteCantelopeAnteCantelope Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Is anyone familiar with Corsair Vengeance RAM? It's meant to have aluminium heatspreaders, but mine is sort of rubbery on top. Am I meant to remove that rubbery stuff? I couldn't find any mention of it on google.

    AnteCantelope on
  • GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Maybe I'm a silly goose but I just can't take the name "Sparkle" seriously.

    Gaslight on
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Fishman wrote: »
    Yeah, you're probably right.

    My build, if anyone's interested:
    Intel Core i5 2500K Sandy Bridge 3.30GHz 6MB LGA1155
    Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3R Intel P67 DDR3 USB3+SATA3 LGA1155
    Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3-1600 (8GB Kit)
    Prolimatech Megahalems CPU Cooler w/ Fan
    Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200RPM SATA II
    Sapphire ATi Radeon HD6850
    Seasonic M12II Bronze 620W 80 Plus Power Supply
    Samsung SH-B123A 12x Blu-Ray Combo Drive LightScribe
    Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64Bit OEM
    Logitech Z523 Speaker System 2.1 with Subwoofer

    I'll probably grab a new keyboard as well.

    I am going to buy this keyboard soon. I am excited about buying a fucking keyboard...

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • PirusuPirusu Pierce Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Fishman wrote: »
    Yeah, you're probably right.

    My build, if anyone's interested:
    Intel Core i5 2500K Sandy Bridge 3.30GHz 6MB LGA1155
    Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3R Intel P67 DDR3 USB3+SATA3 LGA1155
    Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3-1600 (8GB Kit)
    Prolimatech Megahalems CPU Cooler w/ Fan
    Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200RPM SATA II
    Sapphire ATi Radeon HD6850
    Seasonic M12II Bronze 620W 80 Plus Power Supply
    Samsung SH-B123A 12x Blu-Ray Combo Drive LightScribe
    Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64Bit OEM
    Logitech Z523 Speaker System 2.1 with Subwoofer

    I'll probably grab a new keyboard as well.

    I am going to buy this keyboard soon. I am excited about buying a fucking keyboard...

    I am typing from that very keyboard. The low-profile was hard to get used to, but it's decent. As soon as I have some more disposable income, I'll end up getting a Razer Black Widow.

    Pirusu on
  • saltinesssaltiness Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Okay, quick and dirty:

    What's the best video card I can get for less than $75 (preferably no rebates)?

    I'm currently using a 7600 GT. I play TF2 and I plan on playing Battlefield 3.

    saltiness on
    XBL: heavenkils
  • Macro9Macro9 Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Do you have a PCI-E X16 slot?

    Also how powerful is you PSU?

    Macro9 on
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  • PirusuPirusu Pierce Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    XFX 5670 is $80 without a rebate, drops to 60 with a rebate.

    If 75 is a super hard limit, probably this 5570.

    Pirusu on
  • saltinesssaltiness Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Macro9 wrote: »
    Do you have a PCI-E X16 slot?

    Also how powerful is you PSU?

    Sorry, forgot to list that stuff. Yes, I have PCI-E X16 and my PSU is a 450W Antec.

    That 5670 looks like a good deal. I'll probably go with that.

    saltiness on
    XBL: heavenkils
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Pirusu wrote: »
    Fishman wrote: »
    Yeah, you're probably right.

    My build, if anyone's interested:
    Intel Core i5 2500K Sandy Bridge 3.30GHz 6MB LGA1155
    Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3R Intel P67 DDR3 USB3+SATA3 LGA1155
    Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3-1600 (8GB Kit)
    Prolimatech Megahalems CPU Cooler w/ Fan
    Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200RPM SATA II
    Sapphire ATi Radeon HD6850
    Seasonic M12II Bronze 620W 80 Plus Power Supply
    Samsung SH-B123A 12x Blu-Ray Combo Drive LightScribe
    Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64Bit OEM
    Logitech Z523 Speaker System 2.1 with Subwoofer

    I'll probably grab a new keyboard as well.

    I am going to buy this keyboard soon. I am excited about buying a fucking keyboard...

    I am typing from that very keyboard. The low-profile was hard to get used to, but it's decent. As soon as I have some more disposable income, I'll end up getting a Razer Black Widow.

    That sounds good, I'm sick of my current keyboard being at least an inch high, closer to two actually. Fuck that shit. I haven't even had a go on the new keyboard yet, but a friend has used one and said it's halfway between a decent desktop keyboard and a quality laptop keyboard in typing feel. He also said it was really easy to type super-fast with it. And the illuminated keys will be good seeing as I primarily use the computer at night, and have the lights and screen turned down quite a bit to avoid waking the girlfriend...

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • FatsFats Corvallis, ORRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    If you have to look at the keyboard, something is wrong.

    Still, that keyboard looks nice. I got the Apple wired keyboard, which seems similar in button design, and it is pleasant to use.

    Fats on
  • FishmanFishman Put your goddamned hand in the goddamned Box of Pain. Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Iolo wrote: »
    That's a handsome build, Sajattack.

    Did you consider an SSD boot drive, Fishman? Not necessary, of course, but nice.

    I looked at an SSD, but in the end I decided that I didn't have a budget for it. Or at least, I had to choose between it and a Blu-ray + Speakers. SSD might lift the performance levels, but Blu-ray and speakers actually gives me the possibility of sitting in a beanbag watching Band of Brothers on the 40" Bravia TV I have next to my desk while Jen monopolises the big 46" inch in the lounge.

    Which she does a lot.

    So I chose variety of lifestyle over increased performance, and I'm okay with that.

    Fishman on
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  • JustinSane07JustinSane07 Really, stupid? Brockton__BANNED USERS regular
    edited February 2011
    Fats wrote: »
    If you have to look at the keyboard, something is wrong.

    Still, that keyboard looks nice. I got the Apple wired keyboard, which seems similar in button design, and it is pleasant to use.

    I'm the silly mother fucker that owns a G15 and has it under in a keyboard tray where I can't see it's fancy screen.

    JustinSane07 on
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Fats wrote: »
    If you have to look at the keyboard, something is wrong.

    Still, that keyboard looks nice. I got the Apple wired keyboard, which seems similar in button design, and it is pleasant to use.

    I type about 45 wpm with four fingers, whilst looking at the keyboard...

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • RizziRizzi Sydney, Australia.Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    So I'm starting to feel the age of my 5750, and I'm thinking about grabbing a new gpu.
    I was thinking about grabbing the 6850, since I don't have a huge monitor, and it's pretty cheap. I can get a HIS 6850 for $187.

    My pc;
    AMD AM3x4 640 3.0Ghz Athlon II Quad Core.
    ASUS M4A78LT-M-LE 760G AM3 DDR3 Motherboard.
    Kingstone 4GB DDR 1333.
    Hitatchi 3.5" Deskstar 1TB SATA HDD.
    PowerColor 1GB HD 5750
    Antec 500W Earthwatts psu.

    Is 500W enough for this particular card? Or will I need an upgrade? Should I look at an Nvidia card instead?

    Rizzi on
  • PirusuPirusu Pierce Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    500w is plenty to run a 6850. If you want, you could also look at a GTX 460 1GB. Just don't get an "SE" edition card, as that has less processing cores. In some applications, it will outperform the 6850, and vice versa.

    Pirusu on
  • RizziRizzi Sydney, Australia.Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Interesting. The 460 seems a tad more expensive though. :?

    Rizzi on
  • PirusuPirusu Pierce Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Rizzi wrote: »
    Interesting. The 460 seems a tad more expensive though. :?

    Without rebates, absolutely. You can get them for $170 though, with rebates.

    This is the card I recently recommended to someone.

    If you don't wanna mess with rebates, then yeah, just go with the 6850.

    Pirusu on
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    We don't get Newegg.

    Our video card prices look like this: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=193_687&vk_sort=1

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • FishmanFishman Put your goddamned hand in the goddamned Box of Pain. Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    I've heard the GTX 460 overclocks better, the 6850 is better for HDTV & Blu-ray (if you're a hi-def AV freak who notices that kinda thing), and everything else between the two is a bit of a wash.

    Fishman on
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  • PirusuPirusu Pierce Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    We don't get Newegg.

    Our video card prices look like this: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=193_687&vk_sort=1

    Yeah, sorry. The location is there on the side and everything, and I'm just like "hurf durf everyone lives in america right"

    Don't get a 460 SE. It only has 280 processing cores as opposed to the normal 336. The 336 versions are what is used to compare to the 6850, so avoid the SE versions like the plague, and just get the good deal on the 6850.

    Pirusu on
  • RenzoRenzo Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Hi computer thread. I have a problem and I would appreciate it if you would give this a read and offer any help.

    I'm in the process of building a computer. This is the fourth time I've built a computer, and the second one in about three months, this time for a family member. Here is a list of the original parts:

    Case: Lian Li PC-7B plus II - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112099
    Motherboard: Asus M4A77TD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131603
    Processor: AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W - Can't find the link for it on newegg.
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102873
    Power Supply: OCZ 500W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016
    Memory: 2x G.Skill 2x2GB DDR3 1333 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253
    Hard Drive: Samsung 500GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
    Optical: Reused a DVD drive from an old computer.

    After I put it together and turned it on, I saw no image on the monitor. The fans all spun, but every few seconds, it sounded like the whole machine would spin into a lower power setting for just a second, but then spin back up. I could also hear a very faint beep at about the same interval. It would behave like this no matter how long I left it on. Blank screen, fluctuating fan speed, faint beep.

    I hastily deduced it was the video card. It sounded like the video card had the fluctuating fan, and besides, no image. So we RMA'd the video card and got this Geforce GTX460: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130568

    After replacing the video card, there was no change. No image, fluctuating fan speed, faint beep. So my relative reasoned that maybe we didn't have enough power. That makes sense to me. If the fan speed is fluctuating, maybe there isn't enough power. Especially with this new hungry video card. So we bought this Corsair 650W power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

    After replacing the power and turning the machine on again for the first time, we finally saw the motherboard's logo screen. But we couldn't go into the BIOS or otherwise do anything. So I shut it off, checked to make sure all the cables were seated correctly, and turned it back on. Again I had no image, fluctuating fans, and a faint beep. I couldn't get back to the motherboard logo screen. We thought about it for a while and decided it was probably the motherboard. So we bought this Gigabyte Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128431

    And again we had a repeat performance. The first time I turned it on, we heard a few loud beeps that don't match any of the error messages in the manual. Then we saw the motherboard logo screen. We couldn't go to the BIOS or do anything. I shut it off and turned it back on. No image, fluctuating fan speed, faint beep.

    And that's where I am now. I am completely at a loss. How can I see the same results over and over with different parts? Am I missing something obvious? Did I not match up some of the specs correctly?

    Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

    Renzo on
  • splashsplash Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    So, Newegg is doing 20% off case fans.

    I found out an important difference between fan types. Sleeve is cheapo and okay for vertical orientation. Ball-bearing can be used for horizontal orientation. Fluid bearing is more expensive because it can be quieter.

    Are motherboard fan connectors always the 3-pin type?

    splash on
  • IcemopperIcemopper Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Update on my dad's computer:

    He figured it all out finally. Up and running very smoothly and yes, he installed Windows XP, not Windows '98, so hooray!

    Icemopper on
  • bobmyknobbobmyknob 3DS Friend Code 4553-9974-2186 Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Does anyone have specific advice on PCI wireless cards? My current one seems to be on the verge of death.

    I'm currently looking at these:
    Linksys WMP600N
    Rosewill RNX-N300
    ASUS PCI-G31
    EDIMAX EW-7128G
    Rosewill RNX-N150PCx
    Rosewill RNX-N250PC

    Any thoughts/experience would be appreciated.

    Unfortunately, connecting it via ethernet isn't an option at the moment.

    bobmyknob on
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  • RizziRizzi Sydney, Australia.Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Fishman wrote: »
    I've heard the GTX 460 overclocks better, the 6850 is better for HDTV & Blu-ray (if you're a hi-def AV freak who notices that kinda thing), and everything else between the two is a bit of a wash.

    I've never overclocked, and I don't really want to. Always struck me as way too complicated.

    Rizzi on
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Rizzi wrote: »
    Fishman wrote: »
    I've heard the GTX 460 overclocks better, the 6850 is better for HDTV & Blu-ray (if you're a hi-def AV freak who notices that kinda thing), and everything else between the two is a bit of a wash.

    I've never overclocked, and I don't really want to. Always struck me as way too complicated.

    You can always buy one that is factory overclocked. All the work is done for you, and you know that the card you buy has been tested at the factory to be especially well-made, reliable and long-lasting.

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • AnteCantelopeAnteCantelope Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    My new computer is having windows troubles, anyone reckon they can help? It's a fresh windows 7 install, and it's got some 50 updates to install. When I turn it off it installs the updates, when I turn it back on it goes to configure the updates but gets stuck at "configuring updates 0%" for about 5 minutes, then cancels it and reverts all changes. Then next time I turn it off it does the same thing again. Anyone know why it can't configure the updates when I turn it on? It's done this three times now, and it's pretty annoying that it takes 5 minutes or so to turn on and off every time.

    AnteCantelope on
  • XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Renzo wrote: »
    Hi computer thread. I have a problem and I would appreciate it if you would give this a read and offer any help.

    -snip-

    And that's where I am now. I am completely at a loss. How can I see the same results over and over with different parts? Am I missing something obvious? Did I not match up some of the specs correctly?

    Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

    It looks like both those motherboards have RAM timing issues according to the Feedback. But if you can't even get into BIOS...maybe the RAM is bad? Didn't replace that, did you?

    Xeddicus on
  • RizziRizzi Sydney, Australia.Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Rizzi wrote: »
    Fishman wrote: »
    I've heard the GTX 460 overclocks better, the 6850 is better for HDTV & Blu-ray (if you're a hi-def AV freak who notices that kinda thing), and everything else between the two is a bit of a wash.

    I've never overclocked, and I don't really want to. Always struck me as way too complicated.

    You can always buy one that is factory overclocked. All the work is done for you, and you know that the card you buy has been tested at the factory to be especially well-made, reliable and long-lasting.

    That's kinda cool. Bit more than I was looking to spend, though. Think I'll grab the 6850.

    Rizzi on
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    My new computer is having windows troubles, anyone reckon they can help? It's a fresh windows 7 install, and it's got some 50 updates to install. When I turn it off it installs the updates, when I turn it back on it goes to configure the updates but gets stuck at "configuring updates 0%" for about 5 minutes, then cancels it and reverts all changes. Then next time I turn it off it does the same thing again. Anyone know why it can't configure the updates when I turn it on? It's done this three times now, and it's pretty annoying that it takes 5 minutes or so to turn on and off every time.

    System restore to a little while ago and install the updates in batches.

    TychoCelchuuu on
  • AnteCantelopeAnteCantelope Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    My new computer is having windows troubles, anyone reckon they can help? It's a fresh windows 7 install, and it's got some 50 updates to install. When I turn it off it installs the updates, when I turn it back on it goes to configure the updates but gets stuck at "configuring updates 0%" for about 5 minutes, then cancels it and reverts all changes. Then next time I turn it off it does the same thing again. Anyone know why it can't configure the updates when I turn it on? It's done this three times now, and it's pretty annoying that it takes 5 minutes or so to turn on and off every time.

    System restore to a little while ago and install the updates in batches.

    Cool, thanks. My windows install is only 2 days old, so no system restore, but installing the updates in batches worked. I guess that installing 30-40 security updates at once might have been the problem, but I installed 5 at a time, restarting between each, and it's all good now.

    AnteCantelope on
  • DjeetDjeet Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Had a couple of questions regarding SLI vs. CF. Per toms last video card article it looks like SLI cards tend to consume more power than CF cards, wold that be an accurate generalization? Is driver support better for one or the other? I'm looking at picking up a 2560x1440/1600 monitor, do I need to be looking at >1GB memory on the cards I get to game at full resolution?

    Djeet on
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