As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/
We're funding a new Acquisitions Incorporated series on Kickstarter right now! Check it out at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pennyarcade/acquisitions-incorporated-the-series-2

Computer Build Thread: OP temporarily with up to date sample builds!

1161719212262

Posts

  • OllibolliOllibolli Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Me? My ram problem is that it physically won't click into the slot.

    Oh, sorry about that, skimmed through your post a bit too quickly :)

    It does sound like that slot is damaged somehow. Check it to see if you can see anything that is physically wrong with it? If the sticks are aligned right, you should be able to push it pretty hard to get it into the slot. The "levers" that hold the sticks in place can offer quite a bit of resistance at times.

    Ollibolli on
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Lemming wrote: »
    I wanna get a new video card, somewhere around 150 bucks, so I figure the 5770 would be a good choice. But which one? Looking at newegg there are like 20 different kinds and I have no idea what I should get. Haaalp

    Well this one is pretty cheap.

    lowlylowlycook on
    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • MmbraMmbra Registered User new member
    edited January 2010
    Well i posted about a week or two ago about a build for me and you guys help was awesome. Im still waiting for my financial aide check to actually make the build though, so at some point in time i decided i should pick all of the parts myself to make this computer truly my creation, and this is what i have come up with:

    https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=16951208

    So what do you think? Will all of these parts work well together? My budget is supposedly 500 but im willing to go to 600 with shipping. This computer is mostly a gaming pc, with my main interests in games like Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age, Mass Effect 2, Left 4 Dead, etc. My monitor resolution is 1440 x 900, and i already have a dvd drive.

    Thanks for any help.

    Mmbra on
  • VariableVariable Mouth Congress Stroke Me Lady FameRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I'm just realizing, not having seen the monitors I got in person, I may have ordered the really glossy type which I'm not a big fan of.

    I sorta hope not, although I do realize that ultimately the quality is the same. we'll seeeee.

    Variable on
    BNet-Vari#1998 | Switch-SW 6960 6688 8388 | Steam | Twitch
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Mmbra wrote: »
    Well i posted about a week or two ago about a build for me and you guys help was awesome. Im still waiting for my financial aide check to actually make the build though, so at some point in time i decided i should pick all of the parts myself to make this computer truly my creation, and this is what i have come up with:

    https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=16951208

    So what do you think? Will all of these parts work well together? My budget is supposedly 500 but im willing to go to 600 with shipping. This computer is mostly a gaming pc, with my main interests in games like Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age, Mass Effect 2, Left 4 Dead, etc. My monitor resolution is 1440 x 900, and i already have a dvd drive.

    Thanks for any help.

    Your WishList isn't public, I'm guessing.

    lowlylowlycook on
    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • Muddy WaterMuddy Water Quiet Batperson Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I’ve picked out almost all the parts for my new PC, but am still confused over the graphic card. Bear in mind that I live in India, so the prices I am about to quote will be outrageous. I can get an ATI Radeon 4890 @ Rs. 11,800 (~$250). Or an ATI Radeon 5850 for Rs. 17,500 (~$375). I haven’t asked around for the 5850 much, but I doubt I’ll find it for much less elsewhere. So my question is, is the 5850 worth 125 dollars more than the 4890? I want to know if this new generation of cards is just an incremental upgrade or if it brings something more significant to the table. I’m not interested if all it does is churn out 10-15 more frames per second.

    Muddy Water on
  • SheepSheep Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    edited January 2010
    Need a new PC. Lowly gave me some specs months ago, but that money got spent on several new tires. Don't you hate it?

    Anyone know if a website with customizable PCs that allow monthly payments?

    Just want something where I can play Shattered Horizon, TF2, Borderlands, L4D2, upcoming RPGs, etc.

    Sheep on
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I’ve picked out almost all the parts for my new PC, but am still confused over the graphic card. Bear in mind that I live in India, so the prices I am about to quote will be outrageous. I can get an ATI Radeon 4890 @ Rs. 11,800 (~$250). Or an ATI Radeon 5850 for Rs. 17,500 (~$375). I haven’t asked around for the 5850 much, but I doubt I’ll find it for much less elsewhere. So my question is, is the 5850 worth 125 dollars more than the 4890? I want to know if this new generation of cards is just an incremental upgrade or if it brings something more significant to the table. I’m not interested if all it does is churn out 10-15 more frames per second.

    Well that depends on how fast DX11 takes off. It seems to be a bigger step up than DX10 was over 9, but who knows how quickly it will catch on. Depending on the resolution of your monitor you could also look into 4870s or even 4850s. I don't know anything about Indian prices but that could save you some decent money and then you could look into upgrading once DX11 becomes a big deal or not.

    lowlylowlycook on
    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • MmbraMmbra Registered User new member
    edited January 2010
    Mmbra on
  • LemmingLemming Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Lemming wrote: »
    I wanna get a new video card, somewhere around 150 bucks, so I figure the 5770 would be a good choice. But which one? Looking at newegg there are like 20 different kinds and I have no idea what I should get. Haaalp

    Well this one is pretty cheap.

    I was mostly wondering if there were any real differences between them, but if they're all the same I guess it makes sense to just go with the cheapest one. Thanks.

    Lemming on
  • Muddy WaterMuddy Water Quiet Batperson Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I’ve picked out almost all the parts for my new PC, but am still confused over the graphic card. Bear in mind that I live in India, so the prices I am about to quote will be outrageous. I can get an ATI Radeon 4890 @ Rs. 11,800 (~$250). Or an ATI Radeon 5850 for Rs. 17,500 (~$375). I haven’t asked around for the 5850 much, but I doubt I’ll find it for much less elsewhere. So my question is, is the 5850 worth 125 dollars more than the 4890? I want to know if this new generation of cards is just an incremental upgrade or if it brings something more significant to the table. I’m not interested if all it does is churn out 10-15 more frames per second.

    Well that depends on how fast DX11 takes off. It seems to be a bigger step up than DX10 was over 9, but who knows how quickly it will catch on. Depending on the resolution of your monitor you could also look into 4870s or even 4850s. I don't know anything about Indian prices but that could save you some decent money and then you could look into upgrading once DX11 becomes a big deal or not.

    That does seem to be the wisest thing to do, but I don’t want to get a placeholder card. I doubt DX11 will become so huge that DX10 will be left behind. Makers need to ensure that their games run on as many machines as possible.

    Barring Crysis, the 4890 can run just about anything at "High" at 1920 X 1080 with a healthy framerate, and it is in the sweet spot of performance/price right now, so I think Ill be going with that. I don’t think I’ll need to upgrade for at least two years.

    Thanks for the advice!

    Muddy Water on
  • ArcSynArcSyn Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Looking at getting a Home Server/WMC unit, anyone have a Lenovo IdeaCentre D400 or heard anything about it? Proc looks kinda weak, but it's pretty much just going to be sharing out my media through WMC to the 360 and being a backup for my wife's netbook. It's $500 for the following:
    System components
    #  
    	Intel ATOM Processor 230 ( 1.60GHz 533MHz 512KB )
    #  
    	Windows Home Server
    #  
    	Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
    #  
    	1 GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz
    #  
    	1TB 7200
    #  
    	Small Form Factor
    #  
    	One year parts and labor
    

    D400_2L.jpg

    ArcSyn on
    4dm3dwuxq302.png
  • |Murrax|Murrax Registered User new member
    edited January 2010
    Hi guys

    I'm planning on building myself a new pc. I'm currently using a crappy dell computer and it really doesn't cut it when playing games.

    So basically I would like some advice on choosing the components (any extras that I might need) for a complete gaming machine.

    I'm looking to spend around £500 ($800) for everything. Looking to build the best performing gaming computer for the price. Games which I would like to play include: Dragon Age Origins, CoD MW 2, L4D and various other DX10 -11 games. I would like to play these games on high or highest settings with no probs.

    I have already bought a new Acer Monitor, as a little Christmas present to myself.

    I'm not bothered about the AMD/Intel or NVIDIA/ATI I just after the best performance.

    Ideally I would like the computer to be upgradable in the future.

    I'm living in the U.K so buying from U.K buyers to keep the P&P costs down would be preferable

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks in advance, Murray x

    |Murrax on
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    |Murrax wrote: »
    Hi guys

    I'm planning on building myself a new pc. I'm currently using a crappy dell computer and it really doesn't cut it when playing games.

    So basically I would like some advice on choosing the components (any extras that I might need) for a complete gaming machine.

    I'm looking to spend around £500 ($800) for everything. Looking to build the best performing gaming computer for the price. Games which I would like to play include: Dragon Age Origins, CoD MW 2, L4D and various other DX10 -11 games. I would like to play these games on high or highest settings with no probs.

    I have already bought a new Acer Monitor, as a little Christmas present to myself.

    I'm not bothered about the AMD/Intel or NVIDIA/ATI I just after the best performance.

    Ideally I would like the computer to be upgradable in the future.

    I'm living in the U.K so buying from U.K buyers to keep the P&P costs down would be preferable

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks in advance, Murray x

    Well here is something to get you started:

    Case
    Hard drive
    CPU
    Motherboard
    PSU
    DDR3 Memory
    5770 Video card
    For just a bit less than 500 pounds.

    If you want to spend a bit more you could get a 500W PSU with 2 PCI-E cables in case you want a more power hungry video card later and/or upgrade to a quad core CPU.

    lowlylowlycook on
    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • Venkman90Venkman90 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.aspx?PAGE=PRODUCTVIEWPAGE&USG=PRODUCT&ENT=PRODUCT&KEY=637409

    Ok, so what that card like then? the reviews seem to be mixed, I am after a pre-built desktop SFF unit for gaming, but whne I say gaming I mean Dragon Age, MW2 and some other stuff and I can live with medium textures ;)

    I have a 22" HD Asus screen already.

    Venkman90 on
  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Hey dudes, I'm definitely going to be building a new rig some time in the next year or so, but in the meantime I'm looking to string my current POS along for a little bit longer due to cash flow.

    How difficult is it to replace just the CPU, looking to go from a 2.53 GHz Celeron to a 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 (the motherboard is a a socket 478)? And where is a reliable source for such a new-old piece of hardware, as I have struck bupkus at NewEgg?

    Usagi on
  • freelancepolicefreelancepolice Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-003-CS&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=910

    warning a massive question approaches...

    I'm looking at a ssd option for my main windows drive. Does the above seem reasonable? Are ssd solutions reliable enough for a pure windows drive?

    Ta in advance!

    freelancepolice on
    steam_sig.png
  • rockmonkeyrockmonkey Little RockRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    rockmonkey wrote: »
    Alright I've built 3 computers in the last 6 months mostly using builds from this thread. Thanks, the one I built for myself in particular is awesome. I'm now having problems with one of them (built for my mother-in-law).

    Budget Build:
    AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor
    CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Power Supply - Retail
    HIS H577F1GDG Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 Video Card
    OCZ Obsidian 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
    GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders
    Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
    Rosewill R223-P-BK 120mm Fan ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
    Random DVD-RW
    So it hard freezes sometimes and other times it will just up and reboot on it's own. I can be doing something a simple as web browsing or watching something on hulu.

    I've installed CPUiD's HW Monitor and also Speedfan to look at the temp readings then I tried running it through a round of 3DMark06 only to have it freeze on the last test. So I ran it again and it finished. I had HW monitor on while it did it's things. Here are the results:

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/rockmonkey/Capture-1.jpg

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/rockmonkey/hwmonitor.jpg


    I don't know what TMPIN2 is but it never changes so I imagine it's not an actual reading but instead an empty reading of nothing.

    Everything seems to be cooling fine. There is not a lot installed on here software wise: Windows 7 home premium, office 2007. The majority of the crap on here is hw monitor, 3dmark, and speedfan which I downloaded just now to try and figure out the problem. The computer is a month and a half old and she's been having the problem since a couple days after I gave it to her (probably the first time she really used it for more then a couple minutes).


    She had it at her place (4 hours away) and kept complaining that it would freeze on a purple screen. I could never get her to describe it accurately. I asked, "is it solid purple? no error message?" and she'd say "yes", before I could finish asking "or is it kind of purple tinted but you can see through it" , to which she'd say something like " well yeah, sorta". A lot of this was actually done through my wife so that didn't help either, even though my wife is pretty computer savy.

    Also it doesn't freeze up on me nearly as much as she made it sound like, but it has frozen up/restarted on me 3-4 times in about 3 hours of use across 2 different days.

    I have yet to see an error message and all but one of those times it was a hard freeze on a blank black screen unexpectedly, the other time it just rebooted out of nowhere.

    Any ideas where to head from here?

    Edit: the first thing I had her do was check and recheck her connections in the back. Mainly thinking the montior wasn't securely plugged into the video card. It was afterall using a DVI to VGA converter that came with the card since her monitor only has VGA. She said it was fine. Still had the problem. Couple of days later she get fed up and unplugged it all and plugged it all back in making sure it was all good, no change. I was kind of hoping bringing it to my house would solve the problem but like I said since I've been on it for an hour here it has frozen once (at the end of the first 3dmark06 attempt).
    I didn't know at the time if it was freezing or the cable was just loose and turning the screen purple. Since holding the power button down for 5sec to shut it down and then powering it back up is the only way she was able to fix it everytime, that kind of blew the loose vga cable idea out of the water.

    Perhaps it won't freeze/reboot on me ever again and it WAS something with her place.

    I hate having a computer that is half broke. Either work or don't. Not this "well sometimes" bullshit.

    Ok, first run a memtest on it to check the memory. From there I would suggest checking the bios on the mobo and update it if availible. I would also check the mobo drivers to make sure they are all up to date.

    Thanks for the help. I ran memtest on each of the two sticks separately for hours each. I flashed the bios and installed the latest mobo drivers.

    I'm leaning to something specific to her setup at her house. after messing with it at my place and not being able to break it I also was at MY parents house for awhile and had it hooked up there, no problems.

    I brought it back to her house and within 5 minutes I was staring at a solid light grey screen. she has an older LCD 3/4 aspect monitor thats AOC (off brand?). Maybe it's not hard freezing maybe her monitor was just wigging out on her. I usually check a hard freeze by tapping the numlock and seeing if the light toggles on or off. Her keybord is wireless and neither the keyboard or the receiver has a light for the lock function. I also checked the temps while at her house and they were the same.

    On the other hand I ran that memtest off a boot cd at her house for hours and hours without any problems, but that wasn't in windows so it could still be the monitor.

    Thanks guys, but we'll just see what happens over time.

    rockmonkey on
    NEWrockzomb80.jpg
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Usagi wrote: »
    Hey dudes, I'm definitely going to be building a new rig some time in the next year or so, but in the meantime I'm looking to string my current POS along for a little bit longer due to cash flow.

    How difficult is it to replace just the CPU, looking to go from a 2.53 GHz Celeron to a 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 (the motherboard is a a socket 478)? And where is a reliable source for such a new-old piece of hardware, as I have struck bupkus at NewEgg?

    Hmmmm, I don't know if I can recommend actually buying a P4. Even at the time they were pretty weak.

    lowlylowlycook on
    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • KrizKriz Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I read on a newegg review that the Core i5 is limited to DDR3 1333 instead of the usual 1600 or higher, but I'm not sure if that was just the i5 or the entire 1156 chipset. I know that any more than 2 sticks of RAM and it limits things (dual channel and such) but that might be a different issue

    if anyone could shine some light on this I'd appreciate it, since I'm thinking of getting a 1156 system in the coming weeks and I'm deciding between the i5 and i7

    Kriz on
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Usagi wrote: »
    Hey dudes, I'm definitely going to be building a new rig some time in the next year or so, but in the meantime I'm looking to string my current POS along for a little bit longer due to cash flow.

    How difficult is it to replace just the CPU, looking to go from a 2.53 GHz Celeron to a 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 (the motherboard is a a socket 478)? And where is a reliable source for such a new-old piece of hardware, as I have struck bupkus at NewEgg?

    Just save the money, you're not going to get much of a performance boost.

    But if you insist: http://www.starmicro.net/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=28

    Dark Shroud on
  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Usagi wrote: »
    Hey dudes, I'm definitely going to be building a new rig some time in the next year or so, but in the meantime I'm looking to string my current POS along for a little bit longer due to cash flow.

    How difficult is it to replace just the CPU, looking to go from a 2.53 GHz Celeron to a 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 (the motherboard is a a socket 478)? And where is a reliable source for such a new-old piece of hardware, as I have struck bupkus at NewEgg?

    Just save the money, you're not going to get much of a performance boost.

    But if you insist: http://www.starmicro.net/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=28

    Thanks, and for less than $30 I think I'll give it a shot.

    Usagi on
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Usagi wrote: »
    Usagi wrote: »
    Hey dudes, I'm definitely going to be building a new rig some time in the next year or so, but in the meantime I'm looking to string my current POS along for a little bit longer due to cash flow.

    How difficult is it to replace just the CPU, looking to go from a 2.53 GHz Celeron to a 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 (the motherboard is a a socket 478)? And where is a reliable source for such a new-old piece of hardware, as I have struck bupkus at NewEgg?

    Just save the money, you're not going to get much of a performance boost.

    But if you insist: http://www.starmicro.net/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=28

    Thanks, and for less than $30 I think I'll give it a shot.

    Just make sure you at least get one with no less than 1mb of L2 cache.

    Dark Shroud on
  • Perfectly CromulentPerfectly Cromulent Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Kriz wrote: »
    I read on a newegg review that the Core i5 is limited to DDR3 1333 instead of the usual 1600 or higher, but I'm not sure if that was just the i5 or the entire 1156 chipset. I know that any more than 2 sticks of RAM and it limits things (dual channel and such) but that might be a different issue

    if anyone could shine some light on this I'd appreciate it, since I'm thinking of getting a 1156 system in the coming weeks and I'm deciding between the i5 and i7

    I have not heard of any memory speed limitations on the Core i5 platform. The only memory difference that I am aware of is that Core i5 has a dual channel memory controller and the Core i7 is triple channel.

    Perfectly Cromulent on
  • pogo1250pogo1250 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I'm looking to upgrade a computer. I wanted to replace the CPU, Motherboard, RAM, and Graphics Card. I already have a case, a 700W powersupply, harddrives, and dvd drives that can still be used. My budget is about 600 dollars.

    Can anyone recommend me a good setup for this amount of money? Also i'm sort of leaning towards a setup that uses a i5 CPU

    pogo1250 on
    310457-1.png
  • ReznikReznik Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I would like to upgrade my current setup for 3D work in Max and Maya. Or, I guess, build a new one if it comes to that. Mudbox chugged on the machines at school (which I think was in part due to a bad image, but...) so I'd like something that can handle a lot of high poly work. And also be able to actually play back simple animations in real time (which this current machine sucks at).

    Here is my current setup according to Belarc Advisor:

    2.30 gigahertz AMD Phenom 8650 Triple-Core
    ASUSTeK Computer INC. M2N-SLI DELUXE 1.XX
    NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
    4 GB RAM
    Maxtor 6 L200S0 SCSI Disk Device (203.92 GB)
    Acer AL1716 17" monitor

    I'd like to rock a 2nd monitor. I could probably fit another 17" on my desk, but bigger than that... I doubt it.

    I'm not sure what to set as my budget. So uh, I guess just recommend whatever you think is the best value and I'll go from there.

    Reznik on
    Do... Re.... Mi... Ti... La...
    Do... Re... Mi... So... Fa.... Do... Re.... Do...
    Forget it...
  • firewaterwordfirewaterword Satchitananda Pais Vasco to San FranciscoRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Quick upgrade question for your consideration: The excellent Steam sale had reignited my interest in PC gaming, and I'd love some advice re: upgrades.

    I currently have the following:
    CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Dual-Core Processor, 3.16 GHz, 6M L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB
    GPU - GeForce 8800GT
    Mobo - Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L
    RAM - G.Skill 4GB

    I get OK performance on most games (Company of Heroes being my most played, but runs Crysis OK), but would love to bump things up a notch. I tried the new 3dMark thing on a lark and it was baaaaaad - like 7 or 8 FPS at times. Not sure why. My gaming resolution is 1680x1050.

    I bought the CPU, ram, and mobo in the beginning of '09, and the GPU sometime in '08 (don't remember when). The GPU looks like the likely choice to upgrade, but I'm not sure where to, considering they still sell for a decent amount.

    So, any advice? Thanks!

    firewaterword on
    Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    pogo1250 wrote: »
    I'm looking to upgrade a computer. I wanted to replace the CPU, Motherboard, RAM, and Graphics Card. I already have a case, a 700W powersupply, harddrives, and dvd drives that can still be used. My budget is about 600 dollars.

    Can anyone recommend me a good setup for this amount of money? Also i'm sort of leaning towards a setup that uses a i5 CPU

    Well an i5 + mobo + memory is going to be about $400. I'd say a 5770 would round that out pretty well.

    lowlylowlycook on
    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Reznik wrote: »
    I would like to upgrade my current setup for 3D work in Max and Maya. Or, I guess, build a new one if it comes to that. Mudbox chugged on the machines at school (which I think was in part due to a bad image, but...) so I'd like something that can handle a lot of high poly work. And also be able to actually play back simple animations in real time (which this current machine sucks at).

    Here is my current setup according to Belarc Advisor:

    2.30 gigahertz AMD Phenom 8650 Triple-Core
    ASUSTeK Computer INC. M2N-SLI DELUXE 1.XX
    NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
    4 GB RAM
    Maxtor 6 L200S0 SCSI Disk Device (203.92 GB)
    Acer AL1716 17" monitor

    I'd like to rock a 2nd monitor. I could probably fit another 17" on my desk, but bigger than that... I doubt it.

    I'm not sure what to set as my budget. So uh, I guess just recommend whatever you think is the best value and I'll go from there.

    According to Asus, you can't fit a Athlon II X4 or Phenom II X4 in that board.

    A combo like this might be a good place to start. You should be able to reuse everything else.

    I don't really follow multi-monitor stuff but the new ATI cards are supposed to do a good job. Maybe pick up a 5770 for $150 or a bit more.

    lowlylowlycook on
    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Quick upgrade question for your consideration: The excellent Steam sale had reignited my interest in PC gaming, and I'd love some advice re: upgrades.

    I currently have the following:
    CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Dual-Core Processor, 3.16 GHz, 6M L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB
    GPU - GeForce 8800GT
    Mobo - Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L
    RAM - G.Skill 4GB

    I get OK performance on most games (Company of Heroes being my most played, but runs Crysis OK), but would love to bump things up a notch. I tried the new 3dMark thing on a lark and it was baaaaaad - like 7 or 8 FPS at times. Not sure why. My gaming resolution is 1680x1050.

    I bought the CPU, ram, and mobo in the beginning of '09, and the GPU sometime in '08 (don't remember when). The GPU looks like the likely choice to upgrade, but I'm not sure where to, considering they still sell for a decent amount.

    So, any advice? Thanks!

    Hmmmm, your setup is pretty balanced right now. If you are generally happy, I'd wait. Prices/speeds should only improve as TMSC actually starts building chips and/or Nvidia releases a non-renamed part.

    Or you could go with a 5770 which should do well enough. A 5850 might run Crysis a bit better but it costs more than $300 at the moment.

    lowlylowlycook on
    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    OK, looking to do an upgrade. Getting the following:

    RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211281
    CPU/Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.315754

    I have a 350W Antec PSU right now - I'm willing to upgrade that. What is a good Video Card or Video Card and PSU to go along with that CPU/Mobo? Looking to spend around another $200 max.

    tsmvengy on
    steam_sig.png
  • firewaterwordfirewaterword Satchitananda Pais Vasco to San FranciscoRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    So, any advice? Thanks!

    Hmmmm, your setup is pretty balanced right now. If you are generally happy, I'd wait. Prices/speeds should only improve as TMSC actually starts building chips and/or Nvidia releases a non-renamed part.

    Or you could go with a 5770 which should do well enough. A 5850 might run Crysis a bit better but it costs more than $300 at the moment.

    OK, good to know. I think I'll hold off for awhile then - not spending money is never a bad thing.

    Or, you know, I could buy a fancy new monitor instead... Damn it! Anyway, thanks much.

    firewaterword on
    Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
  • davidbarrydavidbarry Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    So this isn't a build question, but i'm looking picking up a laptop, and hopefully one that can handle games. Price range is 1300 bucks, with a ceiling of 1500. I'm in canada, so sites like newegg.com are a no-go for me.

    davidbarry on
    davidbarry.jpg
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    tsmvengy wrote: »
    OK, looking to do an upgrade. Getting the following:

    RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211281
    CPU/Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.315754

    I have a 350W Antec PSU right now - I'm willing to upgrade that. What is a good Video Card or Video Card and PSU to go along with that CPU/Mobo? Looking to spend around another $200 max.

    Go with one of these two:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

    Dark Shroud on
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    tsmvengy wrote: »
    OK, looking to do an upgrade. Getting the following:

    RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211281
    CPU/Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.315754

    I have a 350W Antec PSU right now - I'm willing to upgrade that. What is a good Video Card or Video Card and PSU to go along with that CPU/Mobo? Looking to spend around another $200 max.

    Go with one of these two:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

    this and this.

    Then again, you might even be able to get away with your 350W PSU with a 5770. Google sort of failed me but I'll take another look.

    lowlylowlycook on
    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    davidbarry wrote: »
    So this isn't a build question, but i'm looking picking up a laptop, and hopefully one that can handle games. Price range is 1300 bucks, with a ceiling of 1500. I'm in canada, so sites like newegg.com are a no-go for me.

    Well, I know nothing about finding laptop deals in Canada but you'll want this list of GPUs so you can compare your options.

    lowlylowlycook on
    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • davidbarrydavidbarry Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    davidbarry wrote: »
    So this isn't a build question, but i'm looking picking up a laptop, and hopefully one that can handle games. Price range is 1300 bucks, with a ceiling of 1500. I'm in canada, so sites like newegg.com are a no-go for me.

    Well, I know nothing about finding laptop deals in Canada but you'll want this list of GPUs so you can compare your options.

    Thanks. Is there a decent rundown/comparison of cpu's around? I see that intel is pretty much the only way to go with laptops these days. I guess the core i7 is the latest and greatest, but also pretty much not going to happen in my price range. (save for the 720 qm @ 1.6 ghz)

    And holy shit, considering intel isn't even competeting with anyone in the mobile market, they've made it next to impossible to compare their million lines of cpu's against one another. (Maybe that's the plan?) It seems really tough to know whether a core 2 8700 @ 2.53 ghz is going to be better than a Quad Core q9000 @ 2.0ghz, etc.

    davidbarry on
    davidbarry.jpg
  • GWvsJohnGWvsJohn Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    My new computer, bought with suggestions from this thread should be arriving this week. I realized that I did not get a wireless card for it.

    Any suggestions? There's a microcenter and a best buy nearby, I'd like to get something I can just pick up in person, even if it's a little more expensive.

    GWvsJohn on
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    davidbarry wrote: »
    davidbarry wrote: »
    So this isn't a build question, but i'm looking picking up a laptop, and hopefully one that can handle games. Price range is 1300 bucks, with a ceiling of 1500. I'm in canada, so sites like newegg.com are a no-go for me.

    Well, I know nothing about finding laptop deals in Canada but you'll want this list of GPUs so you can compare your options.

    Thanks. Is there a decent rundown/comparison of cpu's around? I see that intel is pretty much the only way to go with laptops these days. I guess the core i7 is the latest and greatest, but also pretty much not going to happen in my price range. (save for the 720 qm @ 1.6 ghz)

    And holy shit, considering intel isn't even competeting with anyone in the mobile market, they've made it next to impossible to compare their million lines of cpu's against one another. (Maybe that's the plan?) It seems really tough to know whether a core 2 8700 @ 2.53 ghz is going to be better than a Quad Core q9000 @ 2.0ghz, etc.

    Just a few thoughts about CPUs. Unless you go for a full on "gaming laptop" (which most people would not advise) most any game will be GPU bound on any reasonable laptop. For most games a dual core CPU will be the best bang for the buck especially given the heat constraints.

    Oh, and take a look.

    Also AMD is working on some nice CPUs with built in GPUs (should be better than 360/PS3 graphics anyway) but those are a ways away.

    lowlylowlycook on
    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • VariableVariable Mouth Congress Stroke Me Lady FameRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Raid 0 configuration means that the two drives work as one, correct? so they add the space together and also are supposed to work faster? I'm getting that from the little diagram that came with my mobo, and that's my understanding of 0. and that 1 makes a copy on the second drive of the first for more security.

    is that accurate? I wasn't going to bother with raid originally but if combining the drives also makes them faster (I don't remember the term the pamphlet used) then I'll do it.

    Variable on
    BNet-Vari#1998 | Switch-SW 6960 6688 8388 | Steam | Twitch
This discussion has been closed.