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[brain_stew]

Sup guys, well, I have some questions and, I'm sure they've been asked before in this thread, but I have the next 3 days off, so I'm going to read this whole thread( not sure if that will help or not). First brain_stew and Firestorm you 2 seem to know your shit, what PC's do you have?
I basically want the best you can get ( like everyone else) I'm really getting this for Diablo 3:lol :lol 2 years to early, but I also want to get Crysis of course! This PC is shit, got it in 05 for 750, I got totally robbed,
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name PAVILIONA809RS
System Manufacturer HP Pavilion 061
System Model PW673AA-ABA a809rs
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 3 Stepping 4 GenuineIntel ~2933 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies, LTD 3.26, 5/9/2005
SMBIOS Version 2.4
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume2
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.5512 (xpsp.080413-2111)"
User Name PAVILIONA809RS\HP_Owner
Time Zone Eastern Daylight Time
Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 185.30 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 1.39 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys


but it was my first PC that was mine! I'm looking to spend $700, if I have to as much as $900. I want this PC to last, and be able to play PC games for next 5 years, if that's possible to prepare for! I'm not really a PC gamer at all, but it's time! I'm still not sure if I should build it myself, I'm sure it's easy, I looked at some of those video's and it does seem easy, but I'm bound to fuck up all those wires. Also I don't need a monitor, I've been using my 42" Vizio HDTV 720p, not sure if that would change any decision for a graphics card!Soo, where's the best place to shop at, also do they assemble them for a low price anywhere! Again I'm sure this has been asked, and I'll fill dumb for asking after I read the thread...

I'd really recommend getting a second monitor, the pixel pitch of a 42" 720p monitor must be awful........

Something along the lines of the $550 PC in the op is what you want to be looking at, though I wouldn't get those specific parts.

GTX 275/4890
X4 940/ X4 945
4GB DDR2/DDR3
790x Motherboard
1TB WD Caviar Black/Samsung F1
SATA DVDRW
550w+ PSU
Quality $80+ case
Sunbeam direct heatpipe cooler (get that quad upto 4ghz if you can!! )

Something like that. There's nothing realy salvageable from your old rig, I'm afraid.

That'd be a heck of a lot better than my PC fwiw.

 

[brain_stew]

For any UK gaffer's reimmersing themselves in PC gaming goodness get to a CEX store asap. So many back catalogue bargains it's ridiculous. HL2 original release was teh last time i bought a new pc game before this week, so bagging COH, Deus Ex; Invisible Wars and Grim Fandango for less than a tenner total was pretty sweet (shame DE:IW and W7 x64 don't get along)

That palce can be an absolute treasure trove at times. Check out there website as well:

www.cex.co.uk

So many bargains (literally 1000s upon 1000s of sub £10 PC games including hundreds of AAA titles), and free delivery on all orders!!

I always feel a little bad buying from there but when the prices are as good as they are, its way too hard to resist.

 

[KAL2006]

The parts are still what I'd pick for a £400 rig really, though the GPU is £10 cheaper now which is always nice.

Since you've an extra £50 to play with, I'd upgrade the CPU to this:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/159071

And GPU to this:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/167969

cheers mate
Gonna sell my crappy old laptop (never use it for portability anyway) for £250 and then make the purchase. Main reason I need to upgrade is Video and picture editing for Uni. And Diablo 3 (whenever that comes out:lol ) and to watch videos in 1080p on my HDTV (current laptop only has VGA 720p). Yes I know I wont really be taking advantage of the powerfull desktop, but I dont know what else I can do with such a thing (hint need game reccomendations).

 

[brain_stew]

cheers mate
Gonna sell my crappy old laptop (never use it for portability anyway) for £250 and then make the purchase. Main reason I need to upgrade is Video and picture editing for Uni. And Diablo 3 (whenever that comes out:lol ) and to watch videos in 1080p on my HDTV (current laptop only has VGA 720p). Yes I know I wont really be taking advantage of the powerfull desktop, but I dont know what else I can do with such a thing (hint need game reccomendations).

Just search "pc game recommendations" and you'll find plenty. We get the same thread about once a week.

 

[neoism]

I'd really recommend getting a second monitor, the pixel pitch of a 42" 720p monitor must be awful........

Something along the lines of the $550 PC in the op is what you want to be looking at, though I wouldn't get those specific parts.

GTX 275/4890
X4 940/ X4 945
4GB DDR2/DDR3
790x Motherboard
1TB WD Caviar Black/Samsung F1
SATA DVDRW
550w+ PSU
Quality $80+ case
Sunbeam direct heatpipe cooler (get that quad upto 4ghz if you can!! )

Something like that. There's nothing realy salvageable from your old rig, I'm afraid.

That'd be a heck of a lot better than my PC fwiw.

Thanks man, I'll look up those part later. About the HDTV, I don't really notice anything bad about TV, I didn't even know what pixel pitch was, but I looked, my TV ... Pixel/Dot Pitch: 0.681mm (H) x 0.681mm (V) The thing is , my eye's aren't that good anyways. I'm about 4 to 5 feet away, but anyway, my room isn't set up for another monitor, so would it "really" matter. Will games look like shit?

Thanks for the info again!...

 

[Enduin]

Im looking to build a high end gaming/media rig but Ive been out of the loop for a while now and I dont really know where start. Im looking to spend around 1500, including monitor and Kb+M. Those sub $1000 high end configs you outlined seem to be pretty top notch and probably close to what I am looking for. So I would appreciate any help you could give in pointing me in the right direction.

 

[brain_stew]

Thanks man, I'll look up those part later. About the HDTV, I don't really notice anything bad about TV, I didn't even know what pixel pitch was, but I looked, my TV ... Pixel/Dot Pitch: 0.681mm (H) x 0.681mm (V) The thing is , my eye's aren't that good anyways. I'm about 4 to 5 feet away, but anyway, my room isn't set up for another monitor, so would it "really" matter. Will games look like shit?

Thanks for the info again!...

Oh, it'll be great for games, just as a general use monitor, I can't see it being ideal is all.

Be sure to set it to 1:1 map at its native resolution, which will almost certainly mean choosing 1360x768 resolution in Windows and in games.

If you do decide to stick at that resolution, anything from a £60 4830 upwards will do for the GPU.

Im looking to build a high end gaming/media rig but Ive been out of the loop for a while now and I dont really know where start. Im looking to spend around 1500, including monitor and Kb+M. Those sub $1000 high end configs you outlined seem to be pretty top notch and probably close to what I am looking for. So I would appreciate any help you could give in pointing me in the right direction.

With that sort of cash, you should be looking at a core i7 rig imo.

 

[KAL2006]

Oh, it'll be great for games, just as a general use monitor, I can't see it being ideal is all.

Be sure to set it to 1:1 map at its native resolution, which will almost certainly mean choosing 1360x768 resolution in Windows and in games.

If you do decide to stick at that resolution, anything from a £60 4830 upwards will do for the GPU.



With that sort of cash, you should be looking at a core i7 rig imo.

Is a 32" Samsung 1080p TV good for general use such as web browsing and word proccessing.

 

[neoism]

OK.... just spent 3 hours on newegg


SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM

$28.99

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

$54.99

HEC 6AR6BB2F Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case X-Power 585W Power Supply - Retail

$79.99

OCZ Flex EX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1200 (PC2 9600) Desktop Memory Model OCZ2FXE12004GK - Retail


$89.99
$82.99

HIS H489F1GP Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDX945FBGIBOX - Retail

MSI 790GX-G65 AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

-$10.00 Instant
-$90.00 Combo


$494.97
$394.97


HIS Gift - Stormrise Game Coupon Bundle - Retail


$29.99
$0.00


Subtotal: $671.92

Does it look ok not sure about the cases, that's what took me the longest :lol I took the power supply off because the case comes with one, not sure if those are usually low quality or not. Any feed back would be awesome Also the motherboard says something about DDR3, I know it's better than DDR2, but does that card only support DDR3??.. thanks

 

[Enduin]

With that sort of cash, you should be looking at a core i7 rig imo.

Hmmm really, I didnt think the core i7s would be reasonable for me, but I threw this together pretty quick and it just barely went over my target of $1500 coming in at $1582. So far I like it. What do you think?

MB: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core
GPU: HIS H489F1GP Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire
RAM: Kingston HyperX 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
HDD: HITACHI 1TB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive - OEM
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX
Power: COOLER MASTER UCP RS700-AAAAA3 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER
Cooler: COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler
KB+M: Logitech Pro 2800 Cordless Desktop
Monitor: Hanns·G HH-251HPB Black 24.6" 2ms HDMI Widescreen LCD
Disc: Sony Optiarc Black 2X BD-ROM SATA Model BR-5100S

 

[Hazaro]

OK.... just spent 3 hours on newegg

Does it look ok not sure about the cases, that's what took me the longest :lol I took the power supply off because the case comes with one, not sure if those are usually low quality or not. Any feed back would be awesome Also the motherboard says something about DDR3, I know it's better than DDR2, but does that card only support DDR3??.. thanks

Yes that mobo will only use DDR3.

Grab a WD 640GB or a 1TB drive instead.

Get an Antec 300 (with PSU) or a similar Antec instead.

Alternatively you can grab on of the many PSU's that people have been getting on sale lately here and a CM690 or CM Centurion 5 (Rather small).

Hmmm really, I didnt think the core i7s would be reasonable for me, but I threw this together pretty quick and it just barely went over my target of $1500 coming in at $1582. So far I like it. What do you think?

Since my internet crapped out on me, try to get RAM with no rebate since it's about the same price.

I'd grab a Corsair PSU also unless there's some combo deal with all the CM stuff. 700w is way overkill too.

 

[Teknoman]

I would also say look into maybe getting a GTX260 and 2 more gigs of ram.

Yup upgraded to 4GB this yesterday. Now just need to get the card.

 

[Enduin]

Since my internet crapped out on me, try to get RAM with no rebate since it's about the same price.

I'd grab a Corsair PSU also unless there's some combo deal with all the CM stuff. 700w is way overkill too.

Yeah I switched out the Kingston for OCZ Platinum at $112. I get $20 off for the CM PSU so its only $129 and while I agree 700w is overkill I like having the availability of 4 PCIE slots for if I ever want to upgrade to a CrossFire config. I also switched out the BR drive for a normal DVD drive cause I dont need it so now Im down to $1563 total. So no other qualms but those two things? I guess now all there is to do is for me to man up and actually buy this stuff.

 

[Hazaro]

Yeah I switched out the Kingston for OCZ Platinum at $112. I get $20 off for the CM PSU so its only $129 and while I agree 700w is overkill I like having the availability of 4 PCIE slots for if I ever want to upgrade to a CrossFire config. I also switched out the BR drive for a normal DVD drive cause I dont need it so now Im down to $1563 total. So no other qualms but those two things? I guess now all there is to do is for me to man up and actually buy this stuff.

Looks like my edits didn't make it.

I'd look into a different KB+M. Love my Logitech MX Revolution (I don't know what I was thinking when I bought it, but it's great) :lol
KB wise I have a cheap Saitek Eclipse, but I like how it feels, lights are worthless though.
Grab a Samsung burner.
Change to a Corsair PSU because even with the discount it's still not good enough of a deal.
I'd check PSU's but internet is crapping on me atm.

 

[Enduin]

Looks like my edits didn't make it.

I'd look into a different KB+M. Love my Logitech MX Revolution (I don't know what I was thinking when I bought it, but it's great) :lol
KB wise I have a cheap Saitek Eclipse, but I like how it feels, lights are worthless though.
Grab a Samsung burner.
Change to a Corsair PSU because even with the discount it's still not good enough of a deal.
I'd check PSU's but internet is crapping on me atm.

Yeah that is one sweet mouse, definitely gonna need that. And looking at the Corsairs the 750TX is 60 dollars off right now at only $109 making it even with the rest of their cheaper PSUs, so that seems like a pretty nice deal.

 

[Hazaro]

Yeah that is one sweet mouse, definitely gonna need that. And looking at the Corsairs the 750TX is 60 dollars off right now at only $109 making it even with the rest of their cheaper PSUs, so that seems like a pretty nice deal.

Sounds good. The Logitech has a 3 year warranty and each return you get from them also has another 3 year warranty, so it's basically good forever

Corsair PSU's have 5 and are among the most quiet and solidly built consumer units out right now.

Looks good!

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

I know this sounds like a stupid question but can I install Windows 7 to two computers?

I want it on both my PC and my Mac.

 

[hwateber]

I built the budget US rig listed in the OP and I'm having some problems. It seems that it's running pretty hot. Idle temps are around 40-43*. I've reapplied thermal paste with not much difference, so I'm starting to think that I need to order a new cpu cooler. Any other suggestions?

 

[ACE 1991]

I'll bet this is the wrong place to ask, but I was curious if there is anything I have to do to my computer before installing an old graphics card. (Currently I have a 9800GT intalled, but it's proving to be too loud and too much for my old system to handle. It whines and makes tons of noise. I'd like to reinstall my older 7600GT.)

 

[Hazaro]

I built the budget US rig listed in the OP and I'm having some problems. It seems that it's running pretty hot. Idle temps are around 40-43*. I've reapplied thermal paste with not much difference, so I'm starting to think that I need to order a new cpu cooler. Any other suggestions?

Stock cooler? If so that is alright, what are the load temperatures? Use Prime95/ORTHOS/OCCT and see.

I'll bet this is the wrong place to ask, but I was curious if there is anything I have to do to my computer before installing an old graphics card. (Currently I have a 9800GT intalled, but it's proving to be too loud and too much for my old system to handle. It whines and makes tons of noise. I'd like to reinstall my older 7600GT.)

Use Rivatuner or eVGA precision to check the fan speed and see if you can set it lower (20-40%) and see if that suits you.

Alternatively if you bought it from newegg you can ask for a return and get a passive version of a similar performance card or buy an Accelero S1 heatsink for the 9800GT.

As for uninstalling, just uninstall the video drivers, reboot in safe mode, run driver cleaner / sweeper, shut down, install (new) old card, and boot up to install new drivers.
Some will question whether you actually need to do this (You CAN just shut down and swap cards), but I like to play it safe since I usually don't swap GPU's that much. :lol

 

[brain_stew]

I built the budget US rig listed in the OP and I'm having some problems. It seems that it's running pretty hot. Idle temps are around 40-43*. I've reapplied thermal paste with not much difference, so I'm starting to think that I need to order a new cpu cooler. Any other suggestions?

Idle temperatures mean basically nothing in the grand scheme of things, don't worry about them, those aren't hot anyway.

Are you within specification under load? Nothing to worry abouyt if that's the case. I would recommend a third party HSF though but more for the OCing potential it brings. The cheap Rosewill triple heatpipe jobbies are great for those on a budget.

 

[brain_stew]

Is a 32" Samsung 1080p TV good for general use such as web browsing and word proccessing.

Oh then that's fine then, I had it in my head you were using a 768p 40" behemoth.

 

[brain_stew]

OK.... just spent 3 hours on newegg


SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM

$28.99

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

$54.99

HEC 6AR6BB2F Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case X-Power 585W Power Supply - Retail

$79.99

OCZ Flex EX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1200 (PC2 9600) Desktop Memory Model OCZ2FXE12004GK - Retail


$89.99
$82.99

HIS H489F1GP Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDX945FBGIBOX - Retail

MSI 790GX-G65 AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

-$10.00 Instant
-$90.00 Combo


$494.97
$394.97


HIS Gift - Stormrise Game Coupon Bundle - Retail


$29.99
$0.00


Subtotal: $671.92

Does it look ok not sure about the cases, that's what took me the longest :lol I took the power supply off because the case comes with one, not sure if those are usually low quality or not. Any feed back would be awesome Also the motherboard says something about DDR3, I know it's better than DDR2, but does that card only support DDR3??.. thanks

That RAM won't work with that motherboard, get this stuff instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193

Get a 640GB HDD (WD Caviar Black ideally) they're faster and the HDD is still a major bottleneck.

Ditch the case, its probably crappy and the PSU is almost certainly a health risk.

 

[ACE 1991]

Stock cooler? If so that is alright, what are the load temperatures? Use Prime95/ORTHOS/OCCT and see.

Use Rivatuner or eVGA precision to check the fan speed and see if you can set it lower (20-40%) and see if that suits you.

Alternatively if you bought it from newegg you can ask for a return and get a passive version of a similar performance card or buy an Accelero S1 heatsink for the 9800GT.

As for uninstalling, just uninstall the video drivers, reboot in safe mode, run driver cleaner / sweeper, shut down, install (new) old card, and boot up to install new drivers.
Some will question whether you actually need to do this (You CAN just shut down and swap cards), but I like to play it safe since I usually don't swap GPU's that much. :lol

Okay. From what the guy at microcenter told me, (lol) it may be an issue with not having enough power; I had to disable some usb ports in the front of my computer to have enough power. (450W power supply) Could this be the problem?

 

[Hazaro]

Okay. From what the guy at microcenter told me, (lol) it may be an issue with not having enough power; I had to disable some usb ports in the front of my computer to have enough power. (450W power supply) Could this be the problem?

Idling your computer draws less than 200w...
What power supply is it? (If it's old it might not have enough on the 12V rail)
Disabling USB ports is just a few watts and it seems rather odd. (And I'm pretty sure that's on the 5V rail too)

You do have the extra 6-pin hooked into your GPU right?

 

[Face it Tiger..]

Alright guys,

when Left 4 Dead 2 comes out(which would probably be Nov. 17), I want to buy a new graphic card & a new processor. Now what i'm asking is: what should I stay on the look out for at that time period?

oh yea, my computer was made around 2003, it came as mid-range pc at that time and i have upgraded it with 2 gigs of ram. i'm wondering if i'm gonna have to change the heatsink / power brick?

 

[brain_stew]

Alright guys,

when Left 4 Dead 2 comes out(which would probably be Nov. 17), I want to buy a new graphic card & a new processor. Now what i'm asking is: what should I stay on the look out for at that time period?

oh yea, my computer was made around 2003, it came as mid-range pc at that time and i have upgraded it with 2 gigs of ram. i'm wondering if i'm gonna have to change the heatsink / power brick?

2003?

You're probably going to have to scrap most of that build tbh. Motherboard, RAM, CPU, GPU, PSU and HDD will probably all need replacing. You'd be wasting money othrwise.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

I know this sounds like a stupid question but can I install Windows 7 to two computers?

I want it on both my PC and my Mac.

...anyone?

 

[Phionoxx]

...anyone?

Yes you can, you would just need to have a unique license key for each computer. If you were thinking about going with the Windows 7 RC route, you can keep getting keys for months to come. The actual RC itself is only going to be offered through Aug 20th I believe though.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

Whew thanks. I just need an emergency Windows backup plan for my Mac.

 

[gragy10]

I built the budget US rig listed in the OP and I'm having some problems. It seems that it's running pretty hot. Idle temps are around 40-43*. I've reapplied thermal paste with not much difference, so I'm starting to think that I need to order a new cpu cooler. Any other suggestions?

Have you tried updating the BIOS?
Might not be relevant to you if yr using the US build (diff MB's) but my 100% load temperature's dropped 10-12 degrees after updating

 

[Peronthious]

Quick note to anyone putting together a build now, today's Shell Shocker on Newegg is the 750GB Western Digital Caviar Black for $65, free shipping. While supplies last.

 

[Sleeker]

if the i7s are intels sort of 'top chip' right now, whats going to replace them?

 

[∀ Narayan]

Can someone recommend a decent 2.1 sound system that doesn't have a bulky subwoofer? The width and height of the subwoofer doesn't matter, but I can really only go up to 9" when it comes to its depth.

if the i7s are intels sort of 'top chip' right now, whats going to replace them?

Gulftown. http://techreport.com/discussions.x/16399

 

[Doytch]

Can someone recommend a decent 2.1 sound system that doesn't have a bulky subwoofer? The width and height of the subwoofer doesn't matter, but I can really only go up to 9" when it comes to its depth.

Check Creative. I have a set that is more rectangular prism than cube, so you could just turn it sideways. Mine's discontinued though.

 

[∀ Narayan]

Check Creative. I have a set that is more rectangular prism than cube, so you could just turn it sideways. Mine's discontinued though.

Thanks. I just ordered the Creative Inspire T3100 set.

 

[snoopeasystreet]

Hey. I'm having issues getting my radeon HD4870 2gb to be recognized by my computer (Windows 7). For some reason the computer see's it as a HD3300. Anyone know why this is?

 

[KAL2006]

OK just realised my TV's native resolution is only 1360 x 768. The TV is a 32". The problem is that I want to use this TV for general use and gaming. I have tested the TV with a VGA cable connected to it form my laptop. General use for it seems ok and the tiny text can be read from a maximum of 2 metres away. However I am thinking that will a 32inch fuck up my eyes in the long run. I am using it now and it seems fine (can also adjust the brightness and backlight to low). Also is PC gaming terrible at 1360 x 768 (note it can recieve 1080p signal but thats not native, does that matter if it does am I good with 1360 x 768)

Here is the specs for my TV
http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/lcd-and-plasma-tv/samsung-le32a456/specifications

 

[KAL2006]

also how often do games support 1280 x 768 or 1360 x 768 resolution

 

[TheFightingFish]

also how often do games support 1280 x 768 or 1360 x 768 resolution

1366 x 768 is a PC standard (WXGA I think?) so I'm pretty sure most modern games should at least have that as an option. I know that I've seen it on plenty of 720p LCD TVs and laptop screens in particular.

From the steam hardware stats (expand the Primary Display Resolution section) it seems like only about 2% of gamer use either 1366 x 768 or 1360 x 768 so I guess that support could be spotty with some games. But I would assume that with some scaling options on your TV you should be fine.

 

[MWS Natural]

Hey. I'm having issues getting my radeon HD4870 2gb to be recognized by my computer (Windows 7). For some reason the computer see's it as a HD3300. Anyone know why this is?

Do you have the latest drivers installed? HD 3300 is a motherboard chipset I believe, so I don't think the graphics card is being recognized at all.

 

[rollingstart]

I'm thinking about upgrading to a new graphics card from my 8800gt. Is there a successor or clear choice that kinda fit the same criteria that did two years ago? basically, low cost, poweful enough and Nvidia brand?

Playing Mirror's Edge and the Batman demo, I wish I could run them with Physx stuff on without getting a poor frame rate.

 

[snoopeasystreet]

Do you have the latest drivers installed? HD 3300 is a motherboard chipset I believe, so I don't think the graphics card is being recognized at all.

Yep. It still recognizes that I have 2gig of video RAM which is what came with the card. It's weird.

 

[LAMBO]

Damn just went order Brain Stew's US build and the cpu/mobo/vid card combo on newegg is over.

 

[AdawgDaFAB]

Quick ? for any overclockers:

I have a Phenom X3 720 BE w/ a Gigabyte MA770-UD3 board (Rev 1 so I can't unlock the 4th core). I wanna get a good HS/F and try to OC it to 3.6 or more w/ safe, stable temps. Right now, with the crappy stock HS/F, I am running 17*200 for 3400 @ 1.425v getting ~35c idle and ~55c full load (Prime95 small FFT test on all 3 cores).

So I did some looking around and I think I am going to go with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
Seems like a good HS/F at an affordable price. Would that be a good choice? Anyone here have a XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 and an OC'd Phenom?

 

[sykoex]

Damn just went order Brain Stew's US build and the cpu/mobo/vid card combo on newegg is over.

Yeah, could you update the OP, Brain_Stew? I know nothing about what components go with eachother, and the MoBo you suggested isn't available anymore. Please don't let me take the easy way out and get a 360+TV.

 

[BrodiemanTTR]

I saw an ad on Craigslist selling a new-in-box Wolfdale E5200 Intel processor, just the kind of processor I'm looking for for my ultra-budget build that will sustain me until I can afford a full upgrade. Funny thing is, the seller specifically mentioned that the part number (BX80571E5200) was a Chinese make of the processor. Is there any logical reason to be wary of a Chinese version of an Intel processor other than quality stereotypes?

 

[Firestorm]

Canada Update Time

$700 Build (Updated August 12th, 2009)

BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC - $174.99 - $25 MIR = $149.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=38853&promoid=1015

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB - $76.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&promoid=1015

Coolermaster Elite RC-330 - after Price Match it's $40.70
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=20935
http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/114936/COOLERMASTER/RC_330_KKN1/

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Power Supply: after price match it's $79.99 - $20 MIR = $59.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=33041
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=019983&cid=PS.830

Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 - after Price Match it's $80.94 - $10 MIR = $70.94
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35762
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD4096&vpn=GA-MA770-UD3&manufacture=GIGABYTE

AMD Phenom II X3 720 - after Price Match it's $155.00
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=35467
http://www.infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=443136

Samsung SH-S223F Black 22x DVD Writer SATA - after Price Match it's $27.24
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=41501&promoid=1015

Corsair XMS2 4GB (2x2) RAM: $68.99 - $22 MIR = $46.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=38282&promoid=1015

Total: $706.59 - $77 in rebates = $640.59

$1000 Build (Updated August 12th, 2009)

Antec Three Hundred Mini ATX Case - $53.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=29812&promoid=1015

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Power Supply: after price match it's $79.99 - $20 MIR = $59.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=33041
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=019983&cid=PS.830

Corsair XMS2 4GB (2x2) RAM: $68.99 - $22 MIR = $46.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=38282&promoid=1015

Gigabyte MA790X-UD4P - Price match to $117.03
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=36856
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD8124

AMD Phenom II X4 945 Black Edition: $199.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=38048&promoid=1015
(comes with a bundle option for the Assembly so click that to save $9 on assembly)

Samsung SH-S223F Black 22x DVD Writer SATA - after Price Match it's $27.24
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=41501&promoid=1015

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB - $73.55
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&promoid=1015
http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/190346/WD6401AALS/Western Digital/


CHOICE OF:
XFX Radeon 4890 - after price match it's $214.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37430&vpn=HD489AZDFC&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1016
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359

OR

BFG GTX 275 - after price match it's $242.99 - $30 MIR = $212.55
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=37633 [url]http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=23310BD9007

Total
ATi: $849.99 - $42 MIR = $794.12
nVidia: $876.68 - $85 MIR = 791.66

brain_stew, I based this heavily off your build. Just wondering about the differences between the HDD in the $650 and $1000 builds (ok now it's like $800)?

 

[rollingstart]

I'm thinking about upgrading to a new graphics card from my 8800gt. Is there a successor or clear choice that kinda fit the same criteria that did two years ago? basically, low cost, poweful enough and Nvidia brand?

Playing Mirror's Edge and the Batman demo, I wish I could run them with Physx stuff on without getting a poor frame rate.

ok, I looked up an option myself, but I still want to know if it's a good choice. Would the GTX 275 be a good replacement? would I need to change anything about my PC other than just swapping the cards (any higher requirements, etc.)?

 

[Solo]

Out of curiousity after this thread and seeing your beautiful screens in the PC screenshot thread, what are the specs of your machine, brain-stew?