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[TheExodu5]

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.)?

GTX275 is a great upgrade. That's what I did myself.

For power, you'd probably want 500W at the very least, as long as it's a decent brand.

The only other restraint is size. It's about 1.5 inches longer than the 8800GT, so make sure you can fit it in your case (one thing to note though is the power cables plug in the top.

 

[brain_stew]

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?

Don't think I've ever posted them in full here for some reason, so:

E5200 @ 3.33ghz (333mhz x10)
6GB OCZ PC6400 DDR2
GTX 260 (216) Gainward custom cooling clocked @: 675/1404/1160
Gigabyte P35-DS3 motherboard
Pioneer (?) BD-ROM/DVD-RW combi
360 HD DVD drive
1TB Samsung F1
500GB Samsung F1
Coolermaster Elite 330 case
Akasa AK-965 CPU cooler

All clocks are 100% 24/7 stable.

This is my GPU, she's a beauty but bloody huge:

 

[Bad_Boy]

This thread is great. Very helpful. I plan on building my gf a 400 dollar computer by September. Her computer now barely runs sims 3, so hopefully she'll be able to play at some good settings and introduce her into more pc games.

 

[Solo]

Don't think I've ever posted them in full here for some reason, so:

Thanks man. She looks like a beast - Im sure you're laughing at what most games throw at you!

 

[Firestorm]

Thanks man. She looks like a beast - Im sure you're laughing at what most games throw at you!

The $500 PC in the first post is actually better than it I believe so cost of entry for that stuff is low =)

 

[rollingstart]

GTX275 is a great upgrade. That's what I did myself.

For power, you'd probably want 500W at the very least, as long as it's a decent brand.

The only other restraint is size. It's about 1.5 inches longer than the 8800GT, so make sure you can fit it in your case (one thing to note though is the power cables plug in the top.

Thanks.

what is a decent brand for the power supply, btw?

 

[Firestorm]

Seasonic, Corsair, and PC Power and Cooling (or something like that) are the best I believe. Also check out Antec and OCZ if you're on a budget. I grabbed the OCZ ModXStream as it was the only modular PSU in my price range.

 

[Hazaro]

Thanks.

what is a decent brand for the power supply, btw?

As Firestorm mentioned, Seasonic, Corsair (Produced by Seasonic [520w, 620w] and CWT), PCP&P is a bit expensive when Corsair are just as good, Antec.

OCZ and the Rosewill 500w are good decent ones if you need to keep the cost a bit lower though.

I'd recommend a Corsair for the 5 year warranty, 50C testing (and certification), and the fact that it protects the rest of your computer (Better than any cheap one) + has room to upgrade the CPU/GPU without needing a new one.

 

[rollingstart]

Thanks. A Corsair 520w one should be fine. As for the GTX 275, would any brand do? My 8800gt is XFX brand and I've had no problems with it for the past few years.

there are the two things I'm thinking of getting:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150387
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001

actually, I'll probably get get a higher one from corsair to be safe for the future.

 

[Hazaro]

I'd grab this GTX 275: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130475

Same price even without rebate as XFX because of free shipping.

If you are feeling lucky on rebates though: (It also comes with Batman: Arkham for free?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143183

Almost all card come from the same 2 factories, it comes down to warranties and XFX and eVGA are both great.

**If you want a great deal on a GTX 260 here is one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130482
Core 216 for $130 shipped from eVGA

 

[Bad_Boy]

http://techpulse360.com/2009/08/12/...en-graphics-chips-you-wont-believe-your-eyes/

ATi 58** series? DX 11...

 

[Hazaro]

So they say. I think someone posted that back not too many posts ago too.

Also I found this fantastic PSU calculator!

http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

 

[Interfectum]

The combo deal on the U.S. computers in the OP is gone. Any chance you can rebuild those with a new deal?

 

[JetBlackPanda]

The combo deal on the U.S. computers in the OP is gone. Any chance you can rebuild those with a new deal?

I second this! I am looking to build a budget rig soon and the old deal slipped by me..

 

[KAL2006]

Fuck so many delays on getting paid, can fianlly order the parts.

Anyway I have a few questions before I buy

1. Is the UK list updated on the original post
2. Will I have a VGA port
3. Will I have a HDMI port
4. I only have a 720p HDTV, will graphics/video card output in that resolution
5. Do I have to worry about overheating problems
6. I have a £450 budget, any better reccomendations, or shall I just go with everything on the original post

 

[rollingstart]

I'd grab this GTX 275: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130475

Same price even without rebate as XFX because of free shipping.

If you are feeling lucky on rebates though: (It also comes with Batman: Arkham for free?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143183

Almost all card come from the same 2 factories, it comes down to warranties and XFX and eVGA are both great.

I might go with the eVGA one you posted. The XFX card I was thinking about getting has been deactivated from newegg for some reason.

and is there any reason not to get this "superclocked" one that's $5 more? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130478

 

[brain_stew]

Fuck so many delays on getting paid, can fianlly order the parts.

Anyway I have a few questions before I buy

1. Is the UK list updated on the original post
2. Will I have a VGA port
3. Will I have a HDMI port
4. I only have a 720p HDTV, will graphics/video card output in that resolution
5. Do I have to worry about overheating problems
6. I have a £450 budget, any better reccomendations, or shall I just go with everything on the original post

Switch the CPU to this:

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

and GPU to this:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169208

The GPU should come with both a VGA and HDMI adpater, and you'll be able to get audio over HDMI if you configure the codec correctly. You can output in 720p but you don't want to, you want to output a 1:1 image at the native resolution of your monitor, almost certainly 1360x768.

GPUs will automatically throttle or shut down if they overheat, but as long as its properly installed in a case with good airflow this won't happen.


The RAM is out of stock, go with this stuff:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158368
You might want to add this custom cooler and get some serious overclocking done, the X3 720 is a great clocker:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150981


You should pretty much max out everything at your native resolution (including Crysis) at 60fps with that rig.

 

[Hazaro]

I might go with the eVGA one you posted. The XFX card I was thinking about getting has been deactivated from newegg for some reason.

and is there any reason not to get this "superclocked" one that's $5 more? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130478

You can do it yourself for free

 

[rollingstart]

You can do it yourself for free

true

I went ahead and ordered the things I need, and hey, it comes with Batman AA too.

 

[KAL2006]

Switch the CPU to this:

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

and GPU to this:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169208

The GPU should come with both a VGA and HDMI adpater, and you'll be able to get audio over HDMI if you configure the codec correctly. You can output in 720p but you don't want to, you want to output a 1:1 image at the native resolution of your monitor, almost certainly 1360x768.

GPUs will automatically throttle or shut down if they overheat, but as long as its properly installed in a case with good airflow this won't happen.


The RAM is out of stock, go with this stuff:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158368
You might want to add this custom cooler and get some serious overclocking done, the X3 720 is a great clocker:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150981


You should pretty much max out everything at your native resolution (including Crysis) at 60fps with that rig.

Thanks, this is greatly appreciated man

 

[Siyou]

being in china... im curious if it's at all possible to find a decent rig for cheap as well doesnt need high specs either... all anyone suggests is top brand sony stuff.... but it isnt what i want to put money on

 

[Interfectum]

brain_stew: can you give us an update to the $550 U.S. PC?

[Motherboard (MSI 790X Crossfire) + Processor (Phenom ii X4 945 3ghz) + GPU (MSI 4890 1GB OC edition) Combo] is gone. Is there another, similar deal to this one on newegg you suggest?

 

[KAL2006]

Switch the CPU to this:

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

and GPU to this:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169208

The GPU should come with both a VGA and HDMI adpater, and you'll be able to get audio over HDMI if you configure the codec correctly. You can output in 720p but you don't want to, you want to output a 1:1 image at the native resolution of your monitor, almost certainly 1360x768.

GPUs will automatically throttle or shut down if they overheat, but as long as its properly installed in a case with good airflow this won't happen.


The RAM is out of stock, go with this stuff:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158368
You might want to add this custom cooler and get some serious overclocking done, the X3 720 is a great clocker:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150981


You should pretty much max out everything at your native resolution (including Crysis) at 60fps with that rig.

OK, the hardrive is your original post, is that definatly the best because i see cheaper ones, more memory with 32mb cache and sata2 and 7200rpm

Also the Case/PSU you reccomended is out of stockis their any other you can reccomend thats compatable with all the components.

Finally do I need a sound card at all, or can i just stick my speakers in that i already have

Cheers for helping a noob out

 

[KAL2006]

Anyone out there who cananswer my above question now, i really want to place the order right now. My main question is the Case/PSU is out of stock from the original post by brainstew, what can i get instead. This is for UK stores by the way

 

[randomwab]

Could someone with some PC spec knowledge have a look at this system and tell me if that'd be good for playing stuff at 1360x768? That's about as high a resolution as I need, as I'm only gaming on a 19" widescreen TV.

I guess, for reference sake, some titles I'd want to be playing would be Left4Dead2, Far Cry 2, Crysis/Warhead, Trine, Fallout 3 and other current gen PC games.

 

[Rur0ni]

A new newegg complete combo has surfaced.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Combo...-IGNEFL082009-_-AMDbundle-_-L0A-_-Combo239582

Combo Discount: -$111.93
Combo Price: $719.99

$40 in MIR... for $679.99

Thermaltake V9 Black Edition ATX Computer Gaming Chassis
AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
SAMSUNG EcoGreen F2 HD103SI 1TB 5400 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
ASUS M4A78-E AM2+/AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS50
Rosewill Xtreme Series RX750-D-B 750W
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269VXLE Radeon HD 4890 1GB

May be of interest.

 

[rohlfinator]

Could someone with some PC spec knowledge have a look at this system and tell me if that'd be good for playing stuff at 1360x768? That's about as high a resolution as I need, as I'm only gaming on a 19" widescreen TV.

I guess, for reference sake, some titles I'd want to be playing would be Left4Dead2, Far Cry 2, Crysis/Warhead, Trine, Fallout 3 and other current gen PC games.

Yeah, should be fine. I'm running a similar system (with less RAM and a weaker processor) at 1360x768 and it handles Left 4 Dead, Fallout 3, and Trine really well. I haven't tried the other two yet; I'd expect Far Cry 2 to run pretty well, but Crysis might chug a little at max settings.

 

[brain_stew]

Could someone with some PC spec knowledge have a look at this system and tell me if that'd be good for playing stuff at 1360x768? That's about as high a resolution as I need, as I'm only gaming on a 19" widescreen TV.

I guess, for reference sake, some titles I'd want to be playing would be Left4Dead2, Far Cry 2, Crysis/Warhead, Trine, Fallout 3 and other current gen PC games.

Absolutely, the vast majority of the games you play will run at 60fps with maxed out settings at that resolution. I'm not a big fan of OCUK (its run by a big BNP supporter) but their custom rigs are some of the best around.

I'd give YoYoTech a look as well:

http://www.yoyotech.co.uk

 

[KAL2006]

Switch the CPU to this:

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

and GPU to this:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169208

The GPU should come with both a VGA and HDMI adpater, and you'll be able to get audio over HDMI if you configure the codec correctly. You can output in 720p but you don't want to, you want to output a 1:1 image at the native resolution of your monitor, almost certainly 1360x768.

GPUs will automatically throttle or shut down if they overheat, but as long as its properly installed in a case with good airflow this won't happen.


The RAM is out of stock, go with this stuff:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158368
You might want to add this custom cooler and get some serious overclocking done, the X3 720 is a great clocker:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150981


You should pretty much max out everything at your native resolution (including Crysis) at 60fps with that rig.

brain_stew since you are here now can you reccomend a case/psu as the one on the original post is out of stock (UK store).

 

[pseudocaesar]

OK so i finally got my computer running (Phew). Im quite proud of it, I have to get Vista on it (only had a copy of XP lying around) yet, and for some reason the sound doesnt work. So when I get the internet on it I'll try and download some drivers or something. Atm I have the stock CPU cooler for the Phenom II X4 940 Black, but I will OC it soon. Will the Arctic Cooling Freezer xtreme 2 do a good enough job, or is that a little too budget to be practical? Its half the price of the other one I'm looking at getting (Coolermaster v8), so im tempted, but I dont want to skimp out.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_23_311&products_id=11461

 

[brain_stew]

brain_stew since you are here now can you reccomend a case/psu as the one on the original post is out of stock (UK store).

Can't find any decent combos, shame.

Case:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/127584

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/160805

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143854


PSU:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/131052

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152606

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/114929

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/120377

 

[brain_stew]

OK so i finally got my computer running (Phew). Im quite proud of it, I have to get Vista on it (only had a copy of XP lying around) yet, and for some reason the sound doesnt work. So when I get the internet on it I'll try and download some drivers or something. Atm I have the stock CPU cooler for the Phenom II X4 940 Black, but I will OC it soon. Will the Arctic Cooling Freezer xtreme 2 do a good enough job, or is that a little too budget to be practical? Its half the price of the other one I'm looking at getting (Coolermaster v8), so im tempted, but I dont want to skimp out.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_23_311&products_id=11461

That cooler's more than sufficient for a great OC. A great buy if you ask me.

Are you connecting the audio to your front panel? If so have you hooked up the motherboard pinouts correctly? Did your motherboard not come with a driver disk? You configured the audio device correctly in the control panel?

 

[Ryu]

Hey Brain_Stew, I know you're probably busy, but any chance of an August or September update to the thread?

 

[brain_stew]

Hey Brain_Stew, I know you're probably busy, but any chance of an August or September update to the thread?

I've been trying to put something together for the US build lately, should be up soon. Think this one will be slightly pricier but come with an (imo) better GPU and a free copy of Batman: AA which I know a heck of a lot of people on this forum were wanting to buy anyway so I figure its worth at least a $30 premium.

 

[pseudocaesar]

That cooler's more than sufficient for a great OC. A great buy if you ask me.

Are you connecting the audio to your front panel? If so have you hooked up the motherboard pinouts correctly? Did your motherboard not come with a driver disk? You configured the audio device correctly in the control panel?

Yeh everything I think of keeps coming back to the mobo. Im gonna take the case apart and have a look tomorrow, way too tired to tinker around my pc lol!

 

[KAL2006]

Can't find any decent combos, shame.

Case:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/127584

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/160805

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143854


PSU:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/131052

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152606

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/114929

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/120377

OK i have thought of spending more on the case an psu, as they are the most important parts (just incase something frys)

Case
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143854

PSU
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/141006

so will those be ok, will they be compatable with all the components you recomended earlier

 

[brain_stew]

OK i have thought of spending more on the case an psu, as they are the most important parts (just incase something frys)

Case
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143854

PSU
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/141006

so will those be ok, will they be compatable with all the components you recomended earlier

Those are fine, you don't need that amount of power at all but that PSU is a very nice price so its a decent investment.

 

[Peronthious]

May fall a bit above the $500 budget, but at $680 with rebates this does not look like a bad deal at all.

 

[Firestorm]

AMD Price Drops

X3 720 - $119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

X4 940 - $169.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103675

X4 955 BE - $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

 

[gragy10]

Could someone recommend a decent aftermarket cooler for the UK OP combo of ASUS M4A78 770 & Phenom ii X2 550 (ideally one that doesn't require a total system strip to mount on the MB)?
Starting to feel an OC'ing itch..

 

[Great King Bowser]

I went with a Zalman CNPS 9900LED. Easy to install, brought temps right down. My Gigabyte board makes it idle around 1500rpm though which is audibly quite loud. When I had that asus board it idled at 1000rpm though which was fine. Can't seem to find a way to lower the idle speed with the gigabyte.

 

[Peronthious]

Fiddled around on newegg for a bit and came up with this. Any thoughts?

I already have a harddrive, 750GB Caviar Black, so I didn't forget one :lol

 

[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?

Sorry to bump my own post, but I was away on vacation for a week so I still haven't purchased my new heatsink yet. Would this be good for the X3 BE or should I look into something else?

 

[Septimus]

Hey guys, how is the 9400M as a laptop GPU? What kind of performance can I get with this with a Core 2 Duo 2.26Ghz and 2gb DDR3 ram. (Would most likely play in 720p)

 

[Aadil]

I know this might be a bit off topic, but what would be the cheapest, best rig for a non gaming PC i.e for study, listening to music and watching movies.

 

[Grimmy]

A quick thanks to Firestorm - got great deals because of your post! My old motherbaord went kaputt so I decide to upgrade nearly everything. Note everything is in CAD. The stuff from Newegg was shipped, but Canada Computers wasnt since I just walked there (saves on shipping!)

1. CPU + RAM combo (Newegg.ca)
AMD Phenom II X3 720 $135.63
OCZ DDR3 1600 4GB $72.81

2. Video Card (Newegg.ca)
XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB $141.54

3. Motherboard (Canada Computers)
Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P $94.99 - $10 rebate

4. PC Tower (Canada Computers)
Antex Three Hundred $57.99

5. Power Supply
OCZ ModXStreme Pro 600W $61.99

 

[Peronthious]

I know this might be a bit off topic, but what would be the cheapest, best rig for a non gaming PC i.e for study, listening to music and watching movies.

If you're just looking for general use now, a netbook should suit you fine. I'm pretty sure the asus 1000he handles high definition video well, which looks like the most demanding thing you'll be doing.

 

[brain_stew]

Sorry to bump my own post, but I was away on vacation for a week so I still haven't purchased my new heatsink yet. Would this be good for the X3 BE or should I look into something else?

That HSF is very highly regarded in OCer circles, go for it I say.

 

[brain_stew]

If you're just looking for general use now, a netbook should suit you fine. I'm pretty sure the asus 1000he handles high definition video well, which looks like the most demanding thing you'll be doing.

No, no, no. Never underestimate just how slow a netbook is. They're supplements to a desktop rig, nothing more. They need to rely on hardware acceleration to support HD video (requires an ION chipset) and that means you're restricted to a very small selection of codecs. No DVXA codec, no HD video. Its a shitty solution.

A bog standard Dell desktop/notebook is probably his best bet.

 

[Aadil]

If you're just looking for general use now, a netbook should suit you fine. I'm pretty sure the asus 1000he handles high definition video well, which looks like the most demanding thing you'll be doing.

Thanks, but i'm not too keen on a netbook, I was looking for a desktop, something basic.