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P

pseudocaesar

Member
Must really say thanks to Brain Stew, for not only making me realise how accesible PC gaming is, but for the help and tech support along the way. Im happily chewing through Crysis Warhead at 30-45 fps and havin a blast!
 
M

MotherFan

Member
Ok, building a new pc and have a motherboard i want, but not sure if it works with the processor i want. The slot is correct, they are both am3, but at newegg it says only phenom II x3 and x4 work, while the processor i want is s phenom II x2. Other places say it works with some athelons and Phenom II, but do not go into any more detail. If you guys could help explain this to me it would mean alot. This is my first time doing this and I want to make sure i do it right.
 
B

brain_stew

Member
MotherFan said:
Ok, building a new pc and have a motherboard i want, but not sure if it works with the processor i want. The slot is correct, they are both am3, but at newegg it says only phenom II x3 and x4 work, while the processor i want is s phenom II x2. Other places say it works with some athelons and Phenom II, but do not go into any more detail. If you guys could help explain this to me it would mean alot. This is my first time doing this and I want to make sure i do it right.
Click to expand...

It'll work just fine, don't worry.
 
L

letsbereasonable

Member
MotherFan said:
Ok, building a new pc and have a motherboard i want, but not sure if it works with the processor i want. The slot is correct, they are both am3, but at newegg it says only phenom II x3 and x4 work, while the processor i want is s phenom II x2. Other places say it works with some athelons and Phenom II, but do not go into any more detail. If you guys could help explain this to me it would mean alot. This is my first time doing this and I want to make sure i do it right.
Click to expand...

Like brainstew said, it'll work, but go to the motherboard manufacturer's website to make sure you don't need a newer bios for it to be supported or something.
 
M

MotherFan

Member
Ok, question about the OS now. I looked up all the info and am a bit confused. If I get a copy of vista oem from newegg, i get the upgrade to windows 7 right? And, with 6 GB of ram go I need to get the 64 bit version of vista? Also, other than the upgrade to vista ultimate (i dno't think i can use this since it is a brand new pc) are there any other student deals I could get that is better than the oem price? Thanks!
 
R

rohlfinator

Member
MotherFan said:
Ok, question about the OS now. I looked up all the info and am a bit confused. If I get a copy of vista oem from newegg, i get the upgrade to windows 7 right? And, with 6 GB of ram go I need to get the 64 bit version of vista? Also, other than the upgrade to vista ultimate (i dno't think i can use this since it is a brand new pc) are there any other student deals I could get that is better than the oem price? Thanks!
Click to expand...
With Vista OEM, just make sure it says it comes with the free upgrade. They used to have one listed with it and one without... I'm not sure if that's still the case, but watch out for it.

And yeah, you'll need the 64 bit version for 6 GB.

You might be able to get a student discount through your university book store or MSDNAA (if your school is part of that).
 
F

Firestorm

Member
MotherFan said:
Ok, question about the OS now. I looked up all the info and am a bit confused. If I get a copy of vista oem from newegg, i get the upgrade to windows 7 right? And, with 6 GB of ram go I need to get the 64 bit version of vista? Also, other than the upgrade to vista ultimate (i dno't think i can use this since it is a brand new pc) are there any other student deals I could get that is better than the oem price? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Search MSDNAA in off-topic forum.
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Septimus said:
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)
Click to expand...
The 9400M is a great integrated chip, yet absolutely inadequate for modern gaming. It won't run at 720p, more like 1024x640.
 
C

Ceebs

Member
MotherFan said:
Ok, building a new pc and have a motherboard i want, but not sure if it works with the processor i want. The slot is correct, they are both am3, but at newegg it says only phenom II x3 and x4 work, while the processor i want is s phenom II x2. Other places say it works with some athelons and Phenom II, but do not go into any more detail. If you guys could help explain this to me it would mean alot. This is my first time doing this and I want to make sure i do it right.
Click to expand...
I have the same CPU, and my motherboard at first boot just detected it as an AMD CPU. A quick BIOS update and it works wonders. If you are hesitant to flash a BIOS the old fashioned way, Gigabyte boards have a BIOS updater built into the board (not through windows) so you will not need a boot disk or anything.
 
T

Triz

Member
I bought this build today, granted for a little more than the 5 hundred and some change. I look forward to assembling this weekend once it arrives. Thanks for the heads up!
 
A

Abubakr

Neo Member
So, with the Canadian build I'm going to be getting a mouse and keyboard. I was thinking of buying the Razer Deathadder and Sphex. I can't decide for the keyboard though. The Lycosa and Arctosa look interesting, but is it really worth paying an extra $30 just to get rubber keys and lights on the Lycosa?
 
A

Askia47

Member
I Built the PC posted in the OP with the MSI R4890 Radeon, and im trying some games on it. I installed Windows 7 64bit, and I'm trying some games. Games like Quake 3 work great, however games like Half Life 2: Lost Coast are only averaging 41 fps. is there any way to increase performance?
 
C

Ceebs

Member
Askia47 said:
I Built the PC posted in the OP with the MSI R4890 Radeon, and im trying some games on it. I installed Windows 7 64bit, and I'm trying some games. Games like Quake 3 work great, however games like Half Life 2: Lost Coast are only averaging 41 fps. is there any way to increase performance?
Click to expand...
Is everything being detected properly? Check the system page under Control Panel to make sure.
 
M

MotherFan

Member
Ok, got everything built and am using an AMD Phenom II x2 550 on an asus board. My problem now seems to be that the CPU temp seems a bit high. On the bios (Vista comes tomorrow), it was clocking at 105F and I know the heatsink and everything else is installed right. Is this normal and is there any real way to make it cooler? This is normal clockspeed; I have not touched anything to do with overclocking. It is not the case, it was doing this when I had one of the sides open. Thanks.
 
S

Swag

Member
Building a PC off the model given for 800$ Ultimate GAF recommendation, had to replace the DVD drive and the case / power supply because the combo deal is over and the DVD drive is out of stock. Not sure if all of this will be compatible with everything, first time building a computer.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151175
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231241
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.232779

Came out to 839.63 ( 891.03 with KB and Mouse ) which is within my budget. Just need to know if everything is compatible with everything before I can make my purchase, Thanks in advance :D

PC building noob btw
 
C

Ceebs

Member
MotherFan said:
Ok, got everything built and am using an AMD Phenom II x2 550 on an asus board. My problem now seems to be that the CPU temp seems a bit high. On the bios (Vista comes tomorrow), it was clocking at 105F and I know the heatsink and everything else is installed right. Is this normal and is there any real way to make it cooler? This is normal clockspeed; I have not touched anything to do with overclocking. It is not the case, it was doing this when I had one of the sides open. Thanks.
Click to expand...
I would redo the thermal paste. Make sure it gets pressed down hard enough to seal any gaps between the CPU and the heatsink. Other than that poke around in the BIOS with the CPU fan settings.

My XII 550 runs at 31-33C so yours is running hot if that is the idle temp.
 
F

Firestorm

Member
Sebulon3k said:
Building a PC off the model given for 800$ Ultimate GAF recommendation, had to replace the DVD drive and the case / power supply because the combo deal is over and the DVD drive is out of stock. Not sure if all of this will be compatible with everything, first time building a computer.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151175
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231241
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.232779

Came out to 839.63 ( 891.03 with KB and Mouse ) which is within my budget. Just need to know if everything is compatible with everything before I can make my purchase, Thanks in advance :D

PC building noob btw
Click to expand...
They should be compatible, but I trust these brands better for GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102848
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359
 
Shouta

Shouta

Member
Was thinking of making myself a microATX (or mini-PC whatever) for myself because while laptops are nice, they're way more expensive if I want to get gaming in and with my limited space here in Japan, going full wouldn't exactly be the best. Any tips or recommendations? Things to avoid while looking into building this?
 
L

lowlylowlycook

Member
Shouta said:
Was thinking of making myself a microATX (or mini-PC whatever) for myself because while laptops are nice, they're way more expensive if I want to get gaming in and with my limited space here in Japan, going full wouldn't exactly be the best. Any tips or recommendations? Things to avoid while looking into building this?
Click to expand...

I've never built one, personally but one thing to watch out for is that modern gaming cards are pretty huge. Make sure your preferred card will fit in your case.
 
Shouta

Shouta

Member
lowlylowlycook said:
I've never built one, personally but one thing to watch out for is that modern gaming cards are pretty huge. Make sure your preferred card will fit in your case.
Click to expand...

Ah, gotta remember that. Thanks. I was thinking of an ATI 4850 or 4870 as a videocard. Would you (or anyone else) know the dimensions on that? Would make it easier to figure out a case for it.
 
C

Ceebs

Member
Shouta said:
Ah, gotta remember that. Thanks. I was thinking of an ATI 4850 or 4870 as a videocard. Would you (or anyone else) know the dimensions on that? Would make it easier to figure out a case for it.
Click to expand...
The manufacturers will give the dimensions of the cards. You would probably want to look into a single slot card. They lack the huge heatsink/fan and vents the larger ones do, so you will want to make sure you have case fans to help cool it.
 
Shouta

Shouta

Member
Ceebs said:
The manufacturers will give the dimensions of the cards. You would probably want to look into a single slot card. They lack the huge heatsink/fan and vents the larger ones do, so you will want to make sure you have case fans to help cool it.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm using newegg and they don't state the dimensions outright on the card unless it's stated in a format that isn't inches and the like.
 
C

Ceebs

Member
Shouta said:
Well, I'm using newegg and they don't state the dimensions outright on the card unless it's stated in a format that isn't inches and the like.
Click to expand...
Seems like Amazon lists the dimensions if they carry the card, other than that, maybe try to google the model number for a review that will list them.
 
Shouta

Shouta

Member
Ceebs said:
Seems like Amazon lists the dimensions if they carry the card, other than that, maybe try to google the model number for a review that will list them.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Been looking around and seeing if any other places list them. I want to try and get a 4870 but that's 9.5 inches apparently, gotta find a case that's small but fits that.
 
D

Dr. Light

Member
Firestorm said:
They should be compatible, but I trust these brands better for GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102848
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359
Click to expand...

Oh really?

HIS H489F1GP Radeon HD 4890
$189.99

Review Summary
5 73%
4 8%
3 3%
2 5%
1 11%

Overall: 4 eggs

SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269VXLE Radeon HD 4890
$199.99

Review Summary
5 33%
4 22%
3 11%
2 6%
1 28%

Overall: 3 eggs

epicFAIL.jpg


Pay no attention to this man. Get the HIS 4890, it's a world-class video card.
 
L

lowlylowlycook

Member
Firestorm said:
The i5 750 (2.66GHz) is about 10% slower than the i7 920 (2.66GHz).
Click to expand...

AFAIK, that really depends on how well your application uses hyperthreading. Which comes down to how well your application runs in parallel.

Games for the most part should see them as equal. Well they would, if games weren't GPU bound anyway.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Dr. Light said:
Oh really?

Pay no attention to this man. Get the HIS 4890, it's a world-class video card.
Click to expand...
Skipping the XFX version?
I'd take that one easily over the HIS because I know it has a good warranty and resale value is increased because of the double lifetime.
 
B

brain_stew

Member
lowlylowlycook said:
AFAIK, that really depends on how well your application uses hyperthreading. Which comes down to how well your application runs in parallel.

Games for the most part should see them as equal. Well they would, if games weren't GPU bound anyway.
Click to expand...

Turbo mode should make that i5 a better performer in most games as it happens. Factor in the cheaper motherboard, and no need for tripple channel memory and its clearly a better choice for most gamers imo.

Oh, and I don't plan to update this thread until the new hardware releases are all sorted out, its a iffy time to be recommending upgrades when so much could change in the next month.
 
J

jey_16

Banned
what's GAF's opinion on this PC? its a prebuilt PC but i am getting it for good price i think. I'm in Australia so we are a bit behind

Core 2 Quad Q9550
4GB 800MHz RAM
1TB
DVD Burner
nVidia 9500GT 1GB Graphics

am i right in saying the graphics card is not that good? the thing is, i dont actually play that many PC games.....i will mostly be playing strategy games like Red Alert 3, this should be able to handle that? not sure what the motherboard is though
 
B

brain_stew

Member
Any UK GAFer want a cheap but excellent GPU I'd go for this offer:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/...vidiaGTX260Series/GTX260SONIC55NM216Core.html

It comes with a GTX 260 (216) that uses Palit/Gainward's excellent custom cooler, a copy of Batman: AA, Terminator Salvation and some red/blue 3D Vision glasses for £115 delivered. I have the Gainward branded version of this same GTX 260 design and its excellent, 3 heat pipes and two huge fans make for a very efficient and quiet cooling system, and performance at 1080p is brilliant. Can't fault Novatech's service either, great etailer.

This is the card:

Palit_GTX-260_Sonic_Top.jpg
 
B

brain_stew

Member
jey_16 said:
what's GAF's opinion on this PC? its a prebuilt PC but i am getting it for good price i think. I'm in Australia so we are a bit behind

Core 2 Quad Q9550
4GB 800MHz RAM
1TB
DVD Burner
nVidia 9500GT 1GB Graphics

am i right in saying the graphics card is not that good? the thing is, i dont actually play that many PC games.....i will mostly be playing strategy games like Red Alert 3, this should be able to handle that? not sure what the motherboard is though
Click to expand...

Terrible for gaming really, the 9500gt is such an awful value card. A Q9550 is a very high end CPU, you sure you need as much processor grunt? Worth sacrificing a little in that area for a useful GPU.
 
F

fatigues_gasolini

Member
Stuipd question, but I have 2 4870 1gb in crossfire. Do I need one or two crossfire bridges? I have one on now, but I dont know if its working. I have crossfire enabled in the CCC, but im still not sure.
 
S

Swag

Member
I'm going to be moving up from an older computer once I put mine together, would it be possible to use my hard drive from my old computer to boot up windows. I have the w7 rc installed on it and don't have the original install saved anywhere so it would be convenient if I could just run it off my old HDD, seeing as how it isn't offered by MS anymore
 
J

JohnsonUT

Member
brain_stew said:
Oh, and I don't plan to update this thread until the new hardware releases are all sorted out, its a iffy time to be recommending upgrades when so much could change in the next month.
Click to expand...


I will be anxiously awaiting now that I have the funds. Thanks for contributing to this thread.
 
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