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Computer Build Thread: Old Dead Thread, Read New Thread

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    iRevertiRevert Tactical Martha Stewart Registered User regular
    edited November 2011
    Nappuccino wrote:
    So I'm looking to finally upgrade my graphics card to something that can deal with the likes of Battlefield 3.

    Problem is, I'm not really sure what i'd need.

    I have a AMD Phenom 3.2Ghz quad core
    8 gb of DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
    and... a lowly 8800gt.

    I'm looking at this card

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500202

    but I'm not sure if there is a better buy in that price range (and I'd prefer to stay away from ATI)

    Make the hop to a 560 in the flavor of: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127592 which is eeeehhhhh in my books. I'd shoot for http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127578 but thats just me.

    EDIT:

    Before someone jumps on me and says he should do the N560GTX Twin Frozr II/OC I will never ever ever EVER (ever?) recommend that card as thats the fucker that made my computer violently downgrade itself by catching on fire.

    iRevert on
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    Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    Ugh why PSUs gotta go on sale right after I pick up a shiny new corsair

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
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    tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    Nappuccino wrote:
    So I'm looking to finally upgrade my graphics card to something that can deal with the likes of Battlefield 3.

    Problem is, I'm not really sure what i'd need.

    I have a AMD Phenom 3.2Ghz quad core
    8 gb of DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
    and... a lowly 8800gt.

    I'm looking at this card

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500202

    but I'm not sure if there is a better buy in that price range (and I'd prefer to stay away from ATI)

    Any reason you do not want ATI? Right now they have lowered their prices and are a better deal than NVidia.

    For around $150 look at a GTX 460 or HD 6850 (either one, they are roughly the same price), the next step up is the GTX 560 and HD 6870 (same performance, ATI is $20 cheaper).

    steam_sig.png
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    NappuccinoNappuccino Surveyor of Things and Stuff Registered User regular
    edited November 2011
    Mostly I want Nvidia because of their frequent driver updates (and how easy it is to roll back drivers too in case of unexpected issues with one or two games) and physx is a nice thing to have even though it doesn't change the game too much


    edit: and doing some research- ATI cards apparently have a huge issue with BF3

    @iRevert: I guess I'll have to scope out some charts on those cards. I really don't want to spend much over 150 dollars if I can help it.

    Nappuccino on
    Like to write? Want to get e-published? Give us a look-see at http://wednesdaynightwrites.com/
    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.

    Not even BEAR vaginas can defeat me!
    cakemikz wrote: »
    And then I rub actual cake on myself.
    Loomdun wrote: »
    thats why you have chest helmets
  • Options
    BurtletoyBurtletoy Registered User regular
    edited November 2011
    iRevert wrote:
    Nappuccino wrote:
    So I'm looking to finally upgrade my graphics card to something that can deal with the likes of Battlefield 3.

    Problem is, I'm not really sure what i'd need.

    I have a AMD Phenom 3.2Ghz quad core
    8 gb of DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
    and... a lowly 8800gt.

    I'm looking at this card

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500202

    but I'm not sure if there is a better buy in that price range (and I'd prefer to stay away from ATI)

    Make the hop to a 560 in the flavor of: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127592 which is eeeehhhhh in my books. I'd shoot for http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127578 but thats just me.

    EDIT:

    Before someone jumps on me and says he should do the N560GTX Twin Frozr II/OC I will never ever ever EVER (ever?) recommend that card as thats the fucker that made my computer violently downgrade itself by catching on fire.

    Yes, jigglytits, a $270 card is in the same price range as the $170 dollar card he was looking at.

    Burtletoy on
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    ParisInFlamesParisInFlames Registered User regular
    I picked up a Seasonic x750 after the newegg deal to replace my 500w~ corsair that I hate because of the terribly cheap cabling and hopefully the 80 plus gold efficiency will save me some money on electricity. Added bonus would be if the PSU is as quiet as reported and single rail use(bonus!). Hopefully this will last as long as I was hoping the Corsair would before I got my hands on it.

    UnderwaterUmbrellaGirlwider.jpg
    Steam id: skoot LoL id: skoot
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    TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    Nappuccino wrote:
    So I'm looking to finally upgrade my graphics card to something that can deal with the likes of Battlefield 3.

    Problem is, I'm not really sure what i'd need.

    I have a AMD Phenom 3.2Ghz quad core
    8 gb of DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
    and... a lowly 8800gt.

    I'm looking at this card

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500202

    but I'm not sure if there is a better buy in that price range (and I'd prefer to stay away from ATI)
    I too wish to upgrade my 8800 to a nicer card for Battlefield 3, but I'm holding out until Black Friday because there will likely be some good deals. Any chance you can tough it out until then?

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    NappuccinoNappuccino Surveyor of Things and Stuff Registered User regular
    Yeah, I probably could... do newegg and tigerdirect get in on the black friday sales, or are you grabbing them at brick and mortar stores?

    Like to write? Want to get e-published? Give us a look-see at http://wednesdaynightwrites.com/
    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.

    Not even BEAR vaginas can defeat me!
    cakemikz wrote: »
    And then I rub actual cake on myself.
    Loomdun wrote: »
    thats why you have chest helmets
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    BurtletoyBurtletoy Registered User regular
    Online stores do a Cyber Monday sale, iirc.

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    NappuccinoNappuccino Surveyor of Things and Stuff Registered User regular
    edited November 2011
    hm... well if the cards even go 30% off I should be able to swing for the next group up.

    Nappuccino on
    Like to write? Want to get e-published? Give us a look-see at http://wednesdaynightwrites.com/
    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.

    Not even BEAR vaginas can defeat me!
    cakemikz wrote: »
    And then I rub actual cake on myself.
    Loomdun wrote: »
    thats why you have chest helmets
  • Options
    minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    @Nappuccino

    For what it's worth, I'm running a pair of 6950s with Battlefield 3, and it runs flawlessly. No issues to speak of.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
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    NappuccinoNappuccino Surveyor of Things and Stuff Registered User regular
    edited November 2011
    That's all well and good... but if i'm going to be putting that kind of money down, I'd like to go for the one least likely to have problems :)

    edit: also I cannot sli/crossfire with my mobo- just one card is all I can take.

    Nappuccino on
    Like to write? Want to get e-published? Give us a look-see at http://wednesdaynightwrites.com/
    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.

    Not even BEAR vaginas can defeat me!
    cakemikz wrote: »
    And then I rub actual cake on myself.
    Loomdun wrote: »
    thats why you have chest helmets
  • Options
    SporklordSporklord Registered User regular
    Thanks for the advice Emp123, Alecthar.

    Hit the button and ordered, hopefully I can get it up and running before Skyrim.

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    minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Nappuccino wrote:
    That's all well and good... but if i'm going to be putting that kind of money down, I'd like to go for the one least likely to have problems :)

    edit: also I cannot sli/crossfire with my mobo- just one card is all I can take.

    Understood, but honestly, I haven't really heard of more issues with AMD card than Nvidia cards with Battlefield. You're pretty much split on the likelihood of problems. Some games have issues on launch with AMD, others have issues with Nvidia. Normally these issues are sorted out pretty shortly after launch, when they do exist.

    So, unless you only plan on playing one game that has huge gamebreaking issues with one company that never get patched, you shouldn't concern yourself too much with the brand of card you go with. Pick your video card based on graphics power, price, and the free games included (if any of them tempt you).

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
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    emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    Sporklord wrote:
    Thanks for the advice Emp123, Alecthar.

    Hit the button and ordered, hopefully I can get it up and running before Skyrim.

    Nice, what parts did you end up going with?

    Also, once its together you owe us pictures.

  • Options
    iRevertiRevert Tactical Martha Stewart Registered User regular
    Burtletoy wrote:
    iRevert wrote:
    Nappuccino wrote:
    So I'm looking to finally upgrade my graphics card to something that can deal with the likes of Battlefield 3.

    Problem is, I'm not really sure what i'd need.

    I have a AMD Phenom 3.2Ghz quad core
    8 gb of DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
    and... a lowly 8800gt.

    I'm looking at this card

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500202

    but I'm not sure if there is a better buy in that price range (and I'd prefer to stay away from ATI)

    Make the hop to a 560 in the flavor of: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127592 which is eeeehhhhh in my books. I'd shoot for http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127578 but thats just me.

    EDIT:

    Before someone jumps on me and says he should do the N560GTX Twin Frozr II/OC I will never ever ever EVER (ever?) recommend that card as thats the fucker that made my computer violently downgrade itself by catching on fire.

    Yes, jigglytits, a $270 card is in the same price range as the $170 dollar card he was looking at.

    I know right jesus its like I didn't read his post at all and offer a card that fell into his range before stating what $250 card I'd get. How insensitive of me, pardon me whilst I go commit Seppuku with my old Cpusink for I have shamed you.
    Nappuccino wrote:
    Mostly I want Nvidia because of their frequent driver updates (and how easy it is to roll back drivers too in case of unexpected issues with one or two games) and physx is a nice thing to have even though it doesn't change the game too much


    edit: and doing some research- ATI cards apparently have a huge issue with BF3

    @iRevert: I guess I'll have to scope out some charts on those cards. I really don't want to spend much over 150 dollars if I can help it.

    http://www.geforce.com/Optimize/Guides/how-to-build-a-kick-ass-battlefield-3-pc (page dos)

    The first card that I listed comes in 20$ over what your looking to spend and is a pretty darn decent card, yeah you can dig around and find a better card but I'm partial to the MSI 560 lineup because I feel they are a very well rounded card for the price.

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    emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    The 560ti is pretty well rounded, the 560 starts to fall into the meh territory.

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    ShogunShogun Hair long; money long; me and broke wizards we don't get along Registered User regular
    560 ti is a good card, but at this point the $250 price point is a bit steep for it in my opinion. I bought one for $230 and I think that's reasonable. I'd try to find a deal on something as we get closer to the holiday sales.

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    iRevertiRevert Tactical Martha Stewart Registered User regular
    emp123 wrote:
    The 560ti is pretty well rounded, the 560 starts to fall into the meh territory.

    Ok let me rephrase that

    For his budget of $150

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    AtomBombAtomBomb Registered User regular
    What are those 3 2-pin connectors on the bottom of the 560 ti for? Newegg has 3 cables that obviously go in there but they aren't labeled. Just curious :)

    I just got a 3DS XL. Add me! 2879-0925-7162
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    minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    No need for anyone to get all snooty about the 560. My wife's computer is running on one, and it's a rock solid card for the price. Handles anything you throw at it awfully well. It may not run Battlefield 3 on ultra, but you'll run most everything between medium and max with respectable framerates.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
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    AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    edited November 2011
    emp123 wrote:
    The 560ti is pretty well rounded, the 560 starts to fall into the meh territory.

    The 560 is generally at least if not more powerful than the 6870.

    I mean, if we want to be all "your crap is crap relative to my crap" about this, I could just as easily tell all of you that any GPU setup that can't brute-force like a kajillion passwords in an hour is falling into meh territory.

    As for Rosewill PSUs, they get a bad rap. If the unit is priced reasonably for its wattage level, uses active PFC and is 80+ rated, the chances are it comes from one of Rosewill's more recent, and more reliable, product lines. Rainbow LEDs or not, the Lightning series in particular are great values. I'm not going to say "go buy Rosewill" without caveats, and I would always recommend running a PSU purchase that you haven't heard something about through the gauntlet (so to speak) but it's not like I'd recommend "anything from Corsair" or "anything from Antec." Most (if not all) PSU vendors have quality gaps in their catalog. The CX and GS supplies from Corsair, for example. Antec's Basiq units. Etc.

    If you want a manufacturer to demonize, though, go with Diablotek. Or Apevia, they're good for that too.

    Alecthar on
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    emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    Alecthar wrote:
    emp123 wrote:
    The 560ti is pretty well rounded, the 560 starts to fall into the meh territory.

    The 560 is generally at least if not more powerful than the 6870.

    Ah, I was under the impression that the 560 was basically just a rebadged 460 which generally go for less money, whereas the 560ti is a better performing 460 for slightly more money.

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    iRevertiRevert Tactical Martha Stewart Registered User regular
    emp123 wrote:
    Alecthar wrote:
    emp123 wrote:
    The 560ti is pretty well rounded, the 560 starts to fall into the meh territory.

    The 560 is generally at least if not more powerful than the 6870.

    Ah, I was under the impression that the 560 was basically just a rebadged 460 which generally go for less money, whereas the 560ti is a better performing 460 for slightly more money.

    I think saying a 560 is a slightly higher clocked 460 would be a better statement for your argument rather than rebadged

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    AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    emp123 wrote:
    Alecthar wrote:
    emp123 wrote:
    The 560ti is pretty well rounded, the 560 starts to fall into the meh territory.

    The 560 is generally at least if not more powerful than the 6870.

    Ah, I was under the impression that the 560 was basically just a rebadged 460 which generally go for less money, whereas the 560ti is a better performing 460 for slightly more money.

    It's actually interesting. The 460 is based on the GF104 and the 560 Ti (and the 560) are based on the GF114. Both of these chips are based on the Fermi architecture, but the 460 is basically an older, less efficient version of that architecture. The 560 and the 460 have identical core/shader counts, but the 560 has significant higher base clocks on cores, shaders, and memory.

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    mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    FWIW I just picked up a 560Ti for $220 after rebate, with Batman thrown in.

    That's not a huge jump over a 460 pricewise, and well worth it I'd say.

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    iRevertiRevert Tactical Martha Stewart Registered User regular
    mcdermott wrote:
    FWIW I just picked up a 560Ti for $220 after rebate, with Batman thrown in.

    That's not a huge jump over a 460 pricewise, and well worth it I'd say.

    till later this month when they drop $30 on sale for 24 hours

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    descdesc Goretexing to death Registered User regular
    Apparently I need these cables: http://www.gomacpro.com/booster-video-card-cable-922-7128/

    to get power to the video card. Naturally, Apple Stores do not carry them.

    ffffuuuuuuuuu

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    iRevertiRevert Tactical Martha Stewart Registered User regular
    edited November 2011
    desc wrote:
    Apparently I need these cables: http://www.gomacpro.com/booster-video-card-cable-922-7128/

    to get power to the video card. Naturally, Apple Stores do not carry them.

    ffffuuuuuuuuu

    This?

    http://www.amazon.com/PCIe-Power-Cable-nVidia-Video/dp/B002UR1654/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320371357&sr=8-1

    iRevert on
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    proyebatproyebat GARY WAS HERE ASH IS A LOSERRegistered User regular
    desc wrote:
    Apparently I need these cables: http://www.gomacpro.com/booster-video-card-cable-922-7128/

    to get power to the video card. Naturally, Apple Stores do not carry them.

    ffffuuuuuuuuu

    Are you sure that the current power supply in your Mac Pro doesn't already have an extra 6-pin cable tucked into a dark crusty orifice?

    455Bo4O.png
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    NappuccinoNappuccino Surveyor of Things and Stuff Registered User regular
    Understood, but honestly, I haven't really heard of more issues with AMD card than Nvidia cards with Battlefield. You're pretty much split on the likelihood of problems. Some games have issues on launch with AMD, others have issues with Nvidia. Normally these issues are sorted out pretty shortly after launch, when they do exist.

    This is the page I got the AMD problems with: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/battlefield-3-graphics-performance,3063-8.html
    iRevert wrote:
    The first card that I listed comes in 20$ over what your looking to spend and is a pretty darn decent card, yeah you can dig around and find a better card but I'm partial to the MSI 560 lineup because I feel they are a very well rounded card for the price.

    Yeah, don't worry, I saw that first card too- I'm going to keep it in mind though I've never heard much about MSI products so I'm a little leery about it :)

    And thanks for all the discussion you guys- I definitely appreciate hearing the different arguments for and against certain makes of cards.

    Like to write? Want to get e-published? Give us a look-see at http://wednesdaynightwrites.com/
    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.

    Not even BEAR vaginas can defeat me!
    cakemikz wrote: »
    And then I rub actual cake on myself.
    Loomdun wrote: »
    thats why you have chest helmets
  • Options
    Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    well minor incident has already weighed in on it but I'll just chime in and say that both my 2gig 6950 and my brother's 6870 run battlefield just fine, mine at 2540x1600 and his at 1920x1200

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
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    bobsbarricadesbobsbarricades Registered User regular
    ^^^ I lol'd when I remembered the 2nd numbers in your screen resolutions as being the first numbers not too long ago ^o^

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    Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    hey man, 1600x1200 crts were awesome!

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
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    Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Shit, I'm still on 1280x1024 over here... Not too much longer now, my preciousssss...

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    ParielPariel Registered User regular
    An IPS display is definitely happening for Chistmas this year. I love my 23" TN display, but it's limits are bugging me.

    1280x1024 sounds painful though. Beating my Macbook Pro at 1440x900 (no wonder I hate looking at it).

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    XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    1152X864 and loving it! CRT for life! Until something replaces LCD, anyway. Hopefully.

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    CormacCormac Registered User regular
    My work computer was 1280x960 CRT which was replaced by a 1600x900 LCD. Not a big increase in resolution but it's so much nicer to use Photoshop on a widescreen monitor. I did try to bring in a 10+ year old 19' FD Triniton CRT I had lying around at home about a year ago, but it ended up not surviving the trip from home to work :(. Even though it was carefully secured in the back seat something worked itself loose and when I turned it on the whole screen was blurry.

    Steam: Gridlynk | PSN: Gridlynk | FFXIV: Jarvellis Mika
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    emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    Pariel wrote:
    An IPS display is definitely happening for Chistmas this year. I love my 23" TN display, but it's limits are bugging me.

    1280x1024 sounds painful though. Beating my Macbook Pro at 1440x900 (no wonder I hate looking at it).

    The MBP has an odd resolution, but god damn is that thing not the best looking TN panel Ive ever seen.

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    emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    New Newegg 24 hour coupons:
    http://promotions.newegg.com/neemail/nov-0-2011/8CEcoupons04/index-landing.html?nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL110411&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL110411-_-EMC-110411-Index-_-E0-_-PromoWord

    I dont know if theyre transferable, and yesterdays coupons seemed better, but there you have it.

This discussion has been closed.