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[PopcornMegaphone]

Posted this in the other PC thread, but I though it might be useful here too since a full version of Windows is a big cost consideration:

By calling MS directly at 1.877.696.7786 (option 1) I was able to get Windows 7 Professional FULL for less than 40 dollars shipped using the student discount. According to slickdeals.net the offer can depend on the operator you get. Some just refer you to the website, which only offers the upgrade version. You may have to call several times, but I got it on my first try.

Good luck!

edit - I got a receipt email from MS, which confirms it's full, not the upgrade version.

Link

 

[J Tourettes]

I think so. I've been running an E6600 for a while and it's pretty much fine for everything, and a fairly quick search seems to suggest those two chips aren't all that different in real-world terms.

Thanks, so you had no problems with a new grapics card and more ram?

 

[ACE 1991]

Just get a netbook. For $400 you can get an HP Mini 311 that has a high-resolution display and can play HD video and a few games. If you care more about battery life get one of the EEE PCs.

I'm really not interested in a netbook, frankly they're just too small and cramped.

 

[popsicle_sundays]

So I just got a free computer which has a Pentium D 3.2gigs dual core processor in it, 4 gigs ram, and a shitty FX Quadro card in it. I planned to just put a HD 4870 1 gig in it, I wanted to know how compatible Pentium D processors are for gaming?

With that newly inserted graphics card should I be alright for current and future games?

 

[brain_stew]

I have a Dell dimension 9200 with an E6400 cpu 2.13Ghz, 2gb 533mhz DDR2 and an ATI X1300 Pro. I've not got enough spare cash floating around to build a new pc at the mo (although it is something I'd like to do at some point as I'd like to get into PC gaming a bit more). Would it be worth my time getting a new Graphic card and more ram with that CPU? I'm a complete PC gaming noob so any answers would be much apprecaited.

Thanks.

So long as it isn't a slimline PC, buy this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127448&cm_re=4670-_-14-127-448-_-Product

Basically every PC title out there will now be playable at somewhat decent, better than console settings. That card doesn't require an external power adapter, and has native HDMI (with HD audio) so its great for hooking up to a HDTV as well.

For the price of one game its a great little investment imo. Others will say to spend more and recommend cards that need external power but ignore this, your PC will be very nicely balanced with that card, you're not out $100/$200+ and you won't have any headaches hooking it upto your Dell PSU.

I've given quite a few GAFers in a similar position the same advice and they've all been over the moon with the results, if console level graphics are good enough for you then you'll be laughing.

An extra 2GB RAM would be nice but not essential if you're still on XP. Has your mobo got a couple of free RAM slots?

 

[brain_stew]

So I just got a free computer which has a Pentium D 3.2gigs dual core processor in it, 4 gigs ram, and a shitty FX Quadro card in it. I planned to just put a HD 4870 1 gig in it, I wanted to know how compatible Pentium D processors are for gaming?

With that newly inserted graphics card should I be alright for current and future games?

They're not great really, and what sort of PSU does that thing have? If its a retail (Dell/HP/etc.) then it aint going to support a 4870 and even if it did it'd be pretty bottlenecked. Get a 4670 like I recommended to the previous poster, a much more suitable card imo. Saves you a $100 as well.

 

[ACE 1991]

Does anyone have recommendations for $600 and under laptops? I'm not interested in a netbook.

EDIT: I think I've narrowed it down between these two laptops: http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/toshiba-satellite-t135-s1309/4505-3121_7-33776107.html?tag=mncol;lst <--- this one is well reviewed

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834101196 <--- This one has great specs for the price, but I'm unfamiliar with gateway laptops

What do you guys think?

 

[Llyranor]

Paging Firestorm and other Canadian GAFers! I'm done with procrastination; getting a new PC for the launch of L4D2 to be able to play it with my brother.

If you're building a system that's ready for Crossfire, you should probably step up the PSU. If you need it silent, silentpcreview.com seems to like the Antec Signature 650W and Seasonic M12D 850W.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html

Canada $650 Build
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB - $68.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&promoid=1008

Samsung SH-S223B/BEBE 22X DVD+-RW SATA DVD Writer Black OEM - $26.59
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=41501
http://www.xpresscanada.ca/xce.php/main/Product/DVSS000393

Antec Sonata III Black ATX 16IN Mid Tower w/ 500W Antec Earthwatt PSU - $109.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24294&promoid=1008

Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 ATX AM2+/AM3 AMD770 PCI-E16 2PCI SATA2 RAID 1394 HD Sound GBLAN Motherboard - $87.47 - $10 MIR = $77.47
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35762

AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Triple Core Processor AM3 2.8GHZ 7.5MB Cache 95W 45NM Retail Box - $139.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=36295&promoid=1008

OCZ XTC Platinum Edition PC2-8500 DDR2 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-18 Dual Channel EPP Memory Kit - $74.99 - $20 MIR = $54.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=29623&promoid=1008

EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Video Card - 896MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0 x16, SLI Ready, FREE Batman: Arkham Asylum Game Download - $189.99 - $30 MIR = $159.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicati...tails.asp?EdpNo=5214247&csid=ITD&body=REBATES

Total: $698.01 -$30 -$20 -$10
$638.01 after rebates. $608.01 if you sell Batman on eBay.

Sadly you can't use the build option due to the video card being from Tiger Direct.

This is Firestorm's last build in this thread, but it's over a month old. Are there any parts that should be switched around? Specifics aren't particularly important, but I think I'd want to go with either the GTX 260 or 4870.

Also, what else would I actually need to make a 'complete' PC? OS, monitor, of course. I can take care of the kb/mouse thing as well. What else is there? Sound card? Fan? Wifi? (or are those parts included in other parts?) Being completely unable to assemble a PC, I'd basically want it to be working 'out of the box' with OS preinstalled, so that 50$ for NCIX to assemble it for me will be priceless.

 

[brain_stew]

Paging Firestorm and other Canadian GAFers! I'm done with procrastination; getting a new PC for the launch of L4D2 to be able to play it with my brother.

This is Firestorm's last build in this thread, but it's over a month old. Are there any parts that should be switched around? Specifics aren't particularly important, but I think I'd want to go with either the GTX 260 or 4870.

Also, what else would I actually need to make a 'complete' PC? OS, monitor, of course. I can take care of the kb/mouse thing as well. What else is there? Sound card? Fan? Wifi? (or are those parts included in other parts?) Being completely unable to assemble a PC, I'd basically want it to be working 'out of the box' with OS preinstalled, so that 50$ for NCIX to assemble it for me will be priceless.

You might need wifi (just add a PCI wifi card and they'll install it for you) but I can't think of much else, motherboards and GPUs both come with decent integrated audio these days, so that's not much of a requirement these days.

I'd recommending considering a 5770 for your GPU.

 

[Firestorm]

You might need wifi (just add a PCI wifi card and they'll install it for you) but I can't think of much else, motherboards and GPUs both come with decent integrated audio these days, so that's not much of a requirement these days.

I'd recommending considering a 5770 for your GPU.

The 5770 is about $190 vs the 4870 which is $155 ($135 last month after MIR). Would you still recommend the 5770 over it? It seems to be pretty pricey for a card that performs worse =/

Edit: Hm Sapphire 5770 is $165 until tomorrow

 

[J Tourettes]

So long as it isn't a slimline PC, buy this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127448&cm_re=4670-_-14-127-448-_-Product

Basically every PC title out there will now be playable at somewhat decent, better than console settings. That card doesn't require an external power adapter, and has native HDMI (with HD audio) so its great for hooking up to a HDTV as well.

For the price of one game its a great little investment imo. Others will say to spend more and recommend cards that need external power but ignore this, your PC will be very nicely balanced with that card, you're not out $100/$200+ and you won't have any headaches hooking it upto your Dell PSU.

I've given quite a few GAFers in a similar position the same advice and they've all been over the moon with the results, if console level graphics are good enough for you then you'll be laughing.

An extra 2GB RAM would be nice but not essential if you're still on XP. Has your mobo got a couple of free RAM slots?

Yeah, it's got 2 spare slots. thanks for your help, I'll be investing in that card and some extra ram. I take it that card's also available in the UK? Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

Edit: Found it for around about £50, although there are a few different makes. Should I go for the MSI above all else? The other makes are Sapphire and HIS Also would it be worth my time overclocking the CPU? Thanks.

 

[Costanza]

A friend wanted me to ask something here...

He says he's running a AMD Athlon 64 x2 4000+ and wants to know how he can tell if a AMD Phenom can slip into his motherboard. Anyone know?

edit: he has this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135062

 

[Combichristoffersen]

A friend wanted me to ask something here...

He says he's running a AMD Athlon 64 x2 4000+ and wants to know how he can tell if a AMD Phenom can slip into his motherboard. Anyone know?

edit: he has this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135062

His current CPU is socket AM2, while Phenom is socket AM2+. Don't quote me on this, but I think AM2+ CPUs are backwards compatible with socket AM2.

 

[TP]

Hey dudes, I'm hoping someone here could help me out. I want to upgrade my graphics card for Left 4 Dead 2 because with my current hardware the demo runs at around 17 fps on low settings D=. I'm completely new to pc gaming so im not very familiar with terms and specs so if you could keep it simple I would appreciate it.

Im looking for a card that will be able to run L4D2 on high settings at 60fps or more and my budget for the card is around $150

My PC
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...ry&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=ca&lang=en&product=3882331

Thanks in advance

Reposted here from another thread, someone else was kind enough to recommend these

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121352

Is it suggested I buy these two or are there better options?

Edit: Already went ahead and bought them

 

[birdchili]

i hit up a bunch of brick and mortar retailers today looking for a 5850, and they're nowhere to be found. any advice on the best way to get this card in a timely way?

edit: not that this is a good time to be fussy, but is there a good reason to pick one 5850 brand over another at this point?

 

[brain_stew]

Reposted here from another thread, someone else was kind enough to recommend these

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121352

Is it suggested I buy these two or are there better options?

I'd just save yourself the hassle and buy this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121329&cm_re=4670-_-14-121-329-_-Product

Performance won't be the same but you won't be CPU bottlenecked, you won't have any headaches installing, you'll have nearly $150 in your back pocket and you'll still achieve precisely what you set out to do. That things a bargain.

If you were buying a seperate PSU that 9800GT is a pretty poor buy these days.

 

[brain_stew]

Yeah, it's got 2 spare slots. thanks for your help, I'll be investing in that card and some extra ram. I take it that card's also available in the UK? Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

Edit: Found it for around about £50, although there are a few different makes. Should I go for the MSI above all else? The other makes are Sapphire and HIS Also would it be worth my time overclocking the CPU? Thanks.

Any 4670 is fine. Since its a Dell OCing means doing a pin mod, so its less clear cut whether its worth your time.

 

[J Tourettes]

Any 4670 is fine. Since its a Dell OCing means doing a pin mod, so its less clear cut whether its worth your time.

Thanks. Think I'll leave the OC'ing then as I'm a complete noob on the pc gaming/building front.

Edit: There are 1gb versions of the same card available for only £3 more, is it worth it with my set-up?

 

[HisshouBuraiKen]

Still could use some feedback on this build, I'm planning on buying stuff in a couple weeks. This is for a gaming+media+storage machine.

EDIT: Fucking combos died, changed stuff & linking to individual parts:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core
MOBO: MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
RAM: OCZ Obsidian 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) x2
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready PSU
GPU: XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCIe
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache x2
CASE: COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel

$954 shipped after rebates. The GPU and PSU are a combo, as are the CPU, Motherboard and one of the RAMs.

 

[brain_stew]

Thanks. Think I'll leave the OC'ing then as I'm a complete noob on the pc gaming/building front.

Edit: There are 1gb versions of the same card available for only £3 more, is it worth it with my set-up?

Not really but £3 is nothing so its upto you, can't hurt just make sure you get the DDR3 version of the card and that these 1GB versions don't cripple the memory speed. 512MB of fast RAM is going to be better than 1GB of slow RAM.

 

[brain_stew]

Still could use some feedback on this build, I'm planning on buying stuff in a couple weeks. This is for a gaming+media+storage machine.

EDIT: Fucking combos died, changed stuff & linking to individual parts:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core
MOBO: MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
RAM: OCZ Obsidian 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) x2
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready PSU
GPU: XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCIe
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache x2
CASE: COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel

$954 shipped after rebates. The GPU and PSU are a combo, as are the CPU, Motherboard and one of the RAMs.

I'd consider this combo instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.293438

Heck, if you're willing to OC (you should be) just get this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.293437

and spend the money saved on this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004&cm_re=sunbeam-_-35-207-004-_-Product

The end result is that with OCing you should be able to get performance for your dollar.

I'd get this HDD instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...52185&cm_re=samsung_f3-_-22-152-185-_-Product

Cheaper and faster. I assume you've got a specific use for that RAM right? Its a waste for gaming fwiw.

 

[HisshouBuraiKen]

The ram I was just getting because it was part of a combo, I was originally gonna use the one you posted in the updated $550 build.

So the higher numbered X4s are just OCed in the factory or what? Guess I'll have to do some research on all the differences.

 

[brain_stew]

The ram I was just getting because it was part of a combo, I was originally gonna use the one you posted in the updated $550 build.

So the higher numbered X4s are just OCed in the factory or what? Guess I'll have to do some research on all the differences.

Effectively, in theory you should have better chance of getting higher clocks but in practice the difference won't be much at all. That 925 should mange 3.4-3.6ghz no bother with that lovely Sunbeam cooler, its a great way to save some cash. They all come off the same wafer.

 

[arts&crafts]

Canadian GAF

2x2GB Patriot Extreme Performance Viper RAM: $69.99 - $25 MIR = $44.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=31269
Is now 120

And Firestorms
OCZ XTC Platinum Edition PC2-8500 DDR2 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-18 Dual Channel EPP Memory Kit - $74.99 - $20 MIR = $54.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...3&promoid=1008
Is now 140

Any other good Canadian 4gig ram deals?

 

[Firestorm]

For DDRcheck my post on a G.Skill one in the other thread. Can't get it for you now as I'm on my phone.

 

[Shambles]

Canadian GAF

2x2GB Patriot Extreme Performance Viper RAM: $69.99 - $25 MIR = $44.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=31269
Is now 120

And Firestorms
OCZ XTC Platinum Edition PC2-8500 DDR2 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-18 Dual Channel EPP Memory Kit - $74.99 - $20 MIR = $54.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...3&promoid=1008
Is now 140

Any other good Canadian 4gig ram deals?

Memory express has the viper chips for 85 after a MIR, but stock is also very low. Memory has been getting more expensive for a while now. I blame SSD's increasing demand for the flash chips.

 

[arts&crafts]

Memory express has the viper chips for 85 after a MIR, but stock is also very low. Memory has been getting more expensive for a while now. I blame SSD's increasing demand for the flash chips.

yea i checked firestorms post, might as well go 4g ddr3 if its around same price
http://www.ncix.com/products/?&sku=42746

 

[perryfarrell]

This is a very useful thread. I'm planning on upgrading my PC over the Thanksgiving/X-mas break.

I currently have this:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ at 1.9 Ghz
RAM: 2 GB DDR2 800
MB: Asus AM2-based
PSU: 380 W
GPU: Geforce 7900GS

I'm willing to spend 3-400 dollars on some upgrades. I'm thinking new cpu, new gpu, some more RAM.

I've read that some of the AMD Phenom ii cpus are compatible with AM2 boards. Or should I perhaps get a new motherboard as well?

And is the Radeon HD 5770 still the best deal for a good gpu (as specified in the OP?)

I'll be studying this thread in the next few weeks, but I also appreciate any tips.

 

[magus]

I need advice on updating my system.

Current Specifications:

Intel E8400 Core 2 Duo 3.0ghz
4GB DDR2 800mhz G.Skill Ram
Gigabyte EP35-DS3R Motherboard
Nvidia Geforce 8800GTS 512MB

I'm thinking about upgrading the video card to a ATI 5770 1GB. Should I also consider faster ram? Or would I not tell the difference. From benchmark analysis I've concluded that the ATI 5770 is on par with the ATI 4890 1GB. The major difference is that the ATI 5770 supports DX11 while the 4890 only supports DX10.

I think my budget is $200 as I think any cards more powerful than the 5770 may be bottlenecked by the processor.

 

[ghst]

I need advice on updating my system.

Current Specifications:

Intel E8400 Core 2 Duo 3.0ghz
4MB DDR2 800mhz G.Skill Ram
Gigabyte EP35-DS3R Motherboard
Nvidia Geforce 8800GTS 512MB

I'm thinking about upgrading the video card to a ATI 5770 1GB. Should I also consider faster ram? Or would I not tell the difference. From benchmark analysis I've concluded that the ATI 5770 is on par with the ATI 4890 1GB. The major difference is that the ATI 5770 supports DX11 while the 4890 only supports DX10.

I think my budget is $200 as I think any cards more powerful than the 5770 may be bottlenecked by the processor.

4890 will produce better results in pure performance with most games right now, 5770 gives you dx11 support and will likely provide a better purchase in the long run when the drivers come into their prime.

the ram is fine for now, your ram+mobo+cpu is a great place to be to ride out the 775 generation, and do a full replacement when i9/amd's first batches of sexto/octo cores reveal themselves.

 

[Blizzard]

I don't know if this is the right place to ask this, but since there might be knowledgable people here...does anyone have an idea what a good low-level limit for texture resolution is?

I'm working on a simple little game to (re)learn some game and graphics programming stuff in my spare time, and I would like to be able to target even stuff like embedded laptop graphics cards from a few years back. Specifically, I would be targeting systems that have at least accelerated OpenGL 2.0 support. I'm thinking that 512x512 max texture size should be reasonable, even though obviously recent cards support 8192x8192 textures and up.

I did find out the hard way that using NPOT (non-power-of-two) textures doesn't even work on some old cards. :lol

 

[Allan Holdsworth]

Say for the PC in the OP, what capacity of UPS would I need? 500VA or 650VA? (or more?)

 

[LAUGHTREY]

the 500 and 400 combo deals are gone. Is there a replacement?

 

[Septimus]

Hey Firestorm (or anyone familiar with Canadian prices at NCIX) is it possible to make an i5 build with a 5770, Windows 7 + all other necessary parts + assembly charge for $800-1000 CDN?

 

[Firestorm]

Hey Firestorm (or anyone familiar with Canadian prices at NCIX) is it possible to make an i5 build with a 5770, Windows 7 + all other necessary parts + assembly charge for $800-1000 CDN?

Without tax? Absolutely.

This was the build I put up last week:

Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower ATX Case - $53.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=29812

Seasonic S12 Energy Plus 650W EPS12V Power Supply - $89.99 - $20 MIR = $69.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=30143&promoid=1006

Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R Motherboard - After Price Match it's $119.99 - $15 = $104.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=42281
http://www1.canadacomputers.com/Black_Friday/images/Black_Friday1_Page_2.jpg

OCZ DDR3 PC3-10666 4GB Dual Channel Kit - After Price Match it's $91.77
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=42742
http://www.pccyber.com/?v=Product&i=RAM-OCZ3G1333LV4GK

Intel i5-750 2.66GHz Processor - $199.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=42499&promoid=1006

PC Assembly and Testing with 1 Year Limited NCIX System Warranty - $41.09
Scroll down and add Assembly Option on the i7 750 deal as a bundle.

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB - $52.98
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&promoid=1006

Liteon IHAS124 24X DVD Writer SATA Black OEM - after Price Match it's $25.48
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=45244&vpn=IHAS124-04
http://www.bedirect.ca/english/index.php?NoCategory=112413&SProdNb=0146-0041

Sapphire Radeon 5850 - After Price Match it's $299.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=45298
http://www.infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=449815
You can also add this option instead if you want to take the first 5850 card available to you without any brand preference: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=45221

Downgrade to DirectX 10 card if you do not want to wait for shipment of video card or would like a cheaper option:
XFX Radeon HD 4890 - after Price Match it's $211.99
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=42996
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150438

Total
$975.27 - $35 MIR = 940.27
$987.27 - $35 = 852.27 with Radeon 4890

I need to update this week. Windows is an additional cost, but if you're getting a 5770 you can cut that out.

Or if you're a student, MSDNAA or Student Discount your Windows 7!

 

[storybook77]

I currently have a system consisting of these main components:

ASUS AM2 Motherboard
AMD X2 6400+
4 GB DDR2 Corsair RAM
XFX Geforce 8800GT

My question is, I plan on upgrading at least the first 3 this winter/spring (basically before Supreme Commander 2 comes out), what's the best mb, processor, memory combo in the $300-$400 range.

I'll be upgrading the rest of my components, video card first, later in the year (most likely in the summer).

 

[bomb_jack]

Could someone post an updated version of the UK budget rig?

A few of the components are listed as discontinued on ebuyer.

 

[ACE 1991]

You might want to update the monitor in the OP, the set linked on newegg is deactivated. Here is one I found for $159.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009157

 

[bomb_jack]

Need some in stock alternatives for the MOBO from the UK rig.

[Motherboard (MSI 770 AM3 DDR3)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/165438 (£49.66)

Appreciated.

 

[JetBlackPanda]

I am looking to get a gaming PC this Christmas and I would love to get a budget rig, I cant seem to find any current builds.. can anyone link me one? like 5-6 hundred dollars would be ideal.

honestly I don't need much I just want wow to run GREAT!! and then any other PC games I might pick up at least be playable - Dragon age.. etc. etc.

Thanks everyone!

edit: I am in the USA

 

[robox]

Need some in stock alternatives for the MOBO from the UK rig.

[Motherboard (MSI 770 AM3 DDR3)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/165438 (£49.66)

Appreciated.

i've seen many builds using a gigabyte board. don't know any specific models, because they have a bunch of them in various configs. gigabyte's a brand that's been around for a while so they should be decent at least.

 

[Firestorm]

I am looking to get a gaming PC this Christmas and I would love to get a budget rig, I cant seem to find any current builds.. can anyone link me one? like 5-6 hundred dollars would be ideal.

honestly I don't need much I just want wow to run GREAT!! and then any other PC games I might pick up at least be playable - Dragon age.. etc. etc.

Thanks everyone!

edit: I am in the USA

Phenom II X4 940 BE + XFX 5770 - $315.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.300821

Gigabyte GA-MA770 UD3P - $79.99-$10 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

RAM is so effing expensive now - $91.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275

Samsung DVD Burner - $26.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151192

Samsung F3 500GB HDD - $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

OCZ 500W ModXStream - $64.99-$20MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

Antec 300 - $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Alternate Case + PSU ($110): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

eh closer to $650. Someone else can have a go at it.

 

[JetBlackPanda]

Phenom II X4 940 BE + XFX 5770 - $315.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.300821

Gigabyte GA-MA770 UD3P - $79.99-$10 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

RAM is so effing expensive now - $91.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275

Samsung DVD Burner - $26.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151192

Samsung F3 500GB HDD - $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

OCZ 500W ModXStream - $64.99-$20MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

Antec 300 - $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Alternate Case + PSU ($110): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

eh closer to $650. Someone else can have a go at it.

that's perfect! thanks for taking the time to put that together for me! I really appreciate it.

 

[bumpkin]

I checked out the first page of this thread but found that a lot of the combos had gone away. In a nutshell, I'd like to build a $500-$700 Windows XP/Vista/W7 rig that fits within the specifications listed below; a little better is okay, of course.

Processor: 2.0+ GHz multi-core processor
RAM: 8 GB System RAM
Video Memory: NVIDIA 8000 series or higher graphics card

Any of you hardware-wise folks have a rig/config suggestion?

 

[Jeff Stephen]

nm

 

[erpg]

So, for the price, how decent would this be?

Purchasing these items:

Motherboard: ASUS M4A77TD ATX AM3 DDR3 AMD770 SB710 PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI IDE 6SATA Sound GBLAN Motherboard
Case: Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio
CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 250 Dual Core Processor Socket AM3 3.0GHZ 2MB Cache 60W Retail Box
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM
RAM: Patriot Signature 2GB 1X2GB DDR3-1333 CL9 Memory Module
NCIX cost: $491.66 w/tax+shipping

Monitor: LG 16:9 20" W2053TQ-PF
FutureShop cost: $149.99

And I'll be transfering a Sapphire HD 5750 and OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU from my current Frankenstein HP (which I'm going to try to sell on kijiji with the monitor for 400-450, to make up for some of the costs. It's an old AMD 64 5200+ model, but I'm including an 8600GT, Windows 7 upgrade, and FutureShop warranty until 2012, so I hope it'll sell). I wasn't planning on buying a new PC, but the HP has compatibility problems with the new graphics card, so it has to go.

Well shit, wrong thread.

 

[Om3ga]

A friend of mine is looking at building a rig for video editing and possibly HD video editing and encoding, probably light to no gaming. I was wondering what kind of rig would be best for that kind of stuff, also a list of good video editing programs would be nice as well.

Also, he seems to prefer having a laptop for this stuff even though i was insisting making a desktop would be better. Are there any laptops you guys could recommend for that kind of stuff?

Budget would be preferably $500-$1000USD for a rig. Not sure how much he's willing to pay for a laptop that can do similar things.

 

[Firestorm]

Trust me when I say he wants a desktop. It's really annoying having to edit on a laptop due to the resolution of the screen. Get a nice large 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 screen. Two if possible. The amount of layers in video and sound really start getting ridiculous after a while and you also have the input / output windows to keep an eye on. You need lots of screenspace for this stuff.

He's going to be looking at closer to $1000. An i7-920 + 6GB RAM + lower end video card like a Radeon 4770 or 5750. He'll be pushing it if he needs a monitor too though.

As for software, the industry standard for the level he'll be working on is Final Cut Pro but that's Mac only. I built a hackintosh to dual boot Windows + OSX for video editting purposes, but it'll be using outdated parts at this point. The Windows program I like for editting is Adobe Premier Pro. Many people also use Sony Vegas. Adobe After Effects is the special effects program of choice in any of those three cases.

 

[Nakazato]

Phenom II X4 940 BE + XFX 5770 - $315.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.300821

Gigabyte GA-MA770 UD3P - $79.99-$10 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

RAM is so effing expensive now - $91.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275

Samsung DVD Burner - $26.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151192

Samsung F3 500GB HDD - $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

OCZ 500W ModXStream - $64.99-$20MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

Antec 300 - $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Alternate Case + PSU ($110): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

eh closer to $650. Someone else can have a go at it.

Nice if i could cut corners and make this $550 id be golden

 

[Deleted member 1235]

guys, where do I start with overclocking? I purchased a Phenom II 940 black edition and some OCZ Gold 1066 RAM with the M4A78-E Mobo

I have never overclocked anything ever.... how do I start and is it worth it? My system seems to run GREAT and not sure if it's needed, but I did notice that my RAM runs at 800 Mhz whereas the box says 1066...

How can I change that?

I understand I can overclock both the RAM and the Processor, is this correct?

Motherboard
RAM
Processor

any help appreciated.