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[Gritesh]

So Tomshardware.com has put out a review on the GTX 465.

It looks like it falls right on the same line as the HD5830, for about 80 dollars more.

I think I am just going to save up the money and pick up a HD5850, I really wanted to pull the trigger fast, but after looking at benchmarks on the 465 and 5830 only hitting 30 fps in some games at 1920X1200, that just won't work for me.

So I will wait a few more weeks and try to pony up the extra hundred for the 5850.


Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[Minsc]

Thank you very much. I am going to check out the video and info!

Anyways..
Budget: $1000 US
Main Use: Gaming and general use.
Monitor Resolution: Do not have a monitor yet. I need part of the $1000 budget to go to one. Don't really know is 16:9 or 10 is better, or what resolution to get.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Crysis, Starcraft 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Diablo 3. (would really like to play everything)

EDIT. I think I will just go with this build from the tech report link. I just need to know a good monitor to hook up to it.

The 5770 will be your weakest link for gaming if you want to run stuff like Crysis at really high settings, considering stretching out for a 5850/GTX 470 if you want more power. The 5770 will generally do well for console engine ports and StarCraft 2, but the heavy PC tittles like Crysis will need the options turned down a bit (they still will with a 5850/GTX 470, but not quite so much).

Did you look at the next page (alternatives)? It basically says this. Hope this guide gets updated again soon for the summer, it's got some great advice! Curious to see if the 750 loses out to the 1080T.

 

[Goron2000]

Buying a new system from ebuyer.com and this is what I've come up with. I'm looking for a serious gaming machine with emphasis on emulation (Dolphin & PCSX2) and from what I've read they rely mostly on CPU, and i don't mind trying my hand at overclocking.

So from my chosen parts and bearing in mind what i am using this system for, could anyone please suggest how i could get around the same performance whilst cutting the costs a little? Or tell me if i've gone completely off the deep end and everything I've picked is garbage.

1 x Coolermaster Cosmos RC-1000 Full Tower Case - £114.88
1 x Coolermaster Silent Pro 1000W Modular PSU - £97.86
1 x Corsair CWCH50-1 Cooling Hydro Series H50 High-performance CPU Cooler £53.09
1 x AMD Phenom II X6 Black Edition 1090T 3.2GHz 9MB Cache 125W Retail Box Processor - £203.20
1 x ASUS HD 5770 Cu Core 1GB GDDR5 DVI VGA HDMI Out PCI-E Graphics Card - £116.59
1 x OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz AMD Black Edition Memory Kit AOD Ready CL8(8-8-8-24) 1.65V - £101.16
1 x ASUS Crosshair III Formula Republic of Gamers Series AMD 790FX Socket AM3 XFI Audio Card ATX Motherboard - £125.01
1 x Seagate ES.2 ST3100340NS 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM £118.11
1 x LG CH08LS10 Super Multi BD-ROM & DVD±RW with LightScribe SATA - OEM Black -£58.20
1 x Samsung SyncMaster P2450H 24" Monitor 1920x1080 2ms 70,000:1 (Dynamic) VGA/DVI/HDMI Glossy Black - 3yr Warranty - £165.94
1 x Philips AMBX Advanced Interactive Gaming Lighting System *Currently Includes Free PC Games Operation Flashpoint 2 and TOCA Race Driver 3* - £29.77

Shipping £18.40
Subtotal £1202.21
VAT £210.43
Order Total £1412.64

 

[Mr_Brit]

Buying a new system from ebuyer.com and this is what I've come up with. I'm looking for a serious gaming machine with emphasis on emulation (Dolphin & PCSX2) and from what I've read they rely mostly on CPU, and i don't mind trying my hand at overclocking.

So from my chosen parts and bearing in mind what i am using this system for, could anyone please suggest how i could get around the same performance whilst cutting the costs a little? Or tell me if i've gone completely off the deep end and everything I've picked is garbage.

1 x Coolermaster Cosmos RC-1000 Full Tower Case - £114.88
1 x Coolermaster Silent Pro 1000W Modular PSU - £97.86
1 x Corsair CWCH50-1 Cooling Hydro Series H50 High-performance CPU Cooler £53.09
1 x AMD Phenom II X6 Black Edition 1090T 3.2GHz 9MB Cache 125W Retail Box Processor - £203.20
1 x ASUS HD 5770 Cu Core 1GB GDDR5 DVI VGA HDMI Out PCI-E Graphics Card - £116.59
1 x OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz AMD Black Edition Memory Kit AOD Ready CL8(8-8-8-24) 1.65V - £101.16
1 x ASUS Crosshair III Formula Republic of Gamers Series AMD 790FX Socket AM3 XFI Audio Card ATX Motherboard - £125.01
1 x Seagate ES.2 ST3100340NS 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM £118.11
1 x LG CH08LS10 Super Multi BD-ROM & DVD±RW with LightScribe SATA - OEM Black -£58.20
1 x Samsung SyncMaster P2450H 24" Monitor 1920x1080 2ms 70,000:1 (Dynamic) VGA/DVI/HDMI Glossy Black - 3yr Warranty - £165.94
1 x Philips AMBX Advanced Interactive Gaming Lighting System *Currently Includes Free PC Games Operation Flashpoint 2 and TOCA Race Driver 3* - £29.77

Shipping £18.40
Subtotal £1202.21
VAT £210.43
Order Total £1412.64

Switch your CPU to an i7 920, it's cheaper and will run faster in emulators. Try to get it from another shop such as scan or aria who usually have it around the £170 mark. With the cost saving you can also switch up to 6GB of DDR3. Though with the RAM I would switch to some cheaper 1333MHZ stuff which will be cheaper for virtually zero difference.

Also WTF with the hard drive, complete waste of money, the fastest 1TB HDD is currently the Samsung F3 which is retailing for around £55 at Scan and other shops or you could wait for ebuyer to get some more stock.

Another WTF at the PSU. Complete overkill mate. Switch to a modular Corsair 650W which will run any single graphics card system and the vast majority of SLI setups.

With the money you're saving you should upgrade to a 5850 which will completely smash your current 5770.

Also get rid of the ambx crap, nothing is coming out for it and its a waste of money and desk space TBH.

Also buy your kit in multiple orders so that you get free delivery.

 

[Goron2000]

Thanks very much mate! Is it best i order my stuff from scan? I have no preference, i just settled on ebuyer. Would like to get speedy delivery though, i'm an impatient bugger.

 

[Mr_Brit]

Thanks very much mate! Is it best i order my stuff from scan? I have no preference, i just settled on ebuyer. Would like to get speedy delivery though, i'm an impatient bugger.

Mix and match to get the best prices. Here's a tip get a 1TB samsung F3 hard drive from scan's today only page for only £54. They're also selling an i7 920 for £169 from their today only page. Remember to order from their today only page as it is cheaper than if you buy it normally. Also scan only do next day delivery which is a nice bonus.

You'll probably need to get the PSU from ebuyer as they seem to be the only one shop with good prices and a decent selection.

 

[Krauser Kat]

what are the best dual cores on the market now. just thinking, im building a mame cabient and might end up going stronger than i need to, and use it emulate last gen consoles as well. other wise i think i might drop in a 555 and over clock.

 

[Mr_Brit]

what are the best dual cores on the market now. just thinking, im building a mame cabient and might end up going stronger than i need to, and use it emulate last gen consoles as well. other wise i think i might drop in a 555 and over clock.

A 555BE would be a godd bet. It's cheap, overclocks well and has the possiblity of unlocking to a quad core.

 

[Goron2000]

If i get an i7 920, what motherboard should i get for stable overclocking?

 

[GHG]

If i get an i7 920, what motherboard should i get for stable overclocking?

Try and get a high-end Gigabyte mobo. Expansive bios overclocking features plus the dual-bios is a godsend if you ever fuck things up.

 

[Minsc]

If i get an i7 920, what motherboard should i get for stable overclocking?

You'd probably be getting an i7 930, the i7 920's replacement, unless there's some crazy deal for the 920.

 

[Goron2000]

Nice one! Can't wait to assemble this beast. I've never had a dedicated gaming PC before.

 

[Mr_Brit]

You'd probably be getting an i7 930, the i7 920's replacement, unless there's some crazy deal for the 920.

Get the i7 920 it's £50 cheaper in the UK.

 

[Kryptonic]

Thinking about building a new computer but not sure if I should hold off or maybe just upgrade video card for now.

I currently have:
C2D E6600
Asus P5K Intel P35
EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 640MB
Crucial Ballistix 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2
Corsair 520W


I will most likely at least wait till Starcraft 2 launches. Think I could get away with just upgrading the vid card or should I go all in? I can afford to upgrade everything but just trying to hold off the longest I can.

I am also considering getting a fully built PC from somewhere like ibuypower.com. I've usually always just ordered parts and built it myself but seems like they have pretty good prices and not having to deal with putting it together is a plus.

 

[Avyrocky]

Buying a new system from ebuyer.com and this is what I've come up with. I'm looking for a serious gaming machine with emphasis on emulation (Dolphin & PCSX2) and from what I've read they rely mostly on CPU, and i don't mind trying my hand at overclocking.

So from my chosen parts and bearing in mind what i am using this system for, could anyone please suggest how i could get around the same performance whilst cutting the costs a little? Or tell me if i've gone completely off the deep end and everything I've picked is garbage.

1 x Coolermaster Cosmos RC-1000 Full Tower Case - £114.88
1 x Coolermaster Silent Pro 1000W Modular PSU - £97.86
1 x Corsair CWCH50-1 Cooling Hydro Series H50 High-performance CPU Cooler £53.09
1 x AMD Phenom II X6 Black Edition 1090T 3.2GHz 9MB Cache 125W Retail Box Processor - £203.20
1 x ASUS HD 5770 Cu Core 1GB GDDR5 DVI VGA HDMI Out PCI-E Graphics Card - £116.59
1 x OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz AMD Black Edition Memory Kit AOD Ready CL8(8-8-8-24) 1.65V - £101.16
1 x ASUS Crosshair III Formula Republic of Gamers Series AMD 790FX Socket AM3 XFI Audio Card ATX Motherboard - £125.01
1 x Seagate ES.2 ST3100340NS 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM £118.11
1 x LG CH08LS10 Super Multi BD-ROM & DVD±RW with LightScribe SATA - OEM Black -£58.20
1 x Samsung SyncMaster P2450H 24" Monitor 1920x1080 2ms 70,000:1 (Dynamic) VGA/DVI/HDMI Glossy Black - 3yr Warranty - £165.94
1 x Philips AMBX Advanced Interactive Gaming Lighting System *Currently Includes Free PC Games Operation Flashpoint 2 and TOCA Race Driver 3* - £29.77

Shipping £18.40
Subtotal £1202.21
VAT £210.43
Order Total £1412.64

What sort of stuff will you be using your pc for apart from gaming?

I recently made my pc with all the peripherals for a tad over £1050, I shopped around of course, I used Ebuyer for a quite a chunk of the components and Amazon.

I got these items from Ebuyer:


Asus M4A785TD-V EVO 785G Socket AM3 £68.35

G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ripjaw Memory Kit £102.27

Sapphire HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI Display Port PCI-E Graphics Card £294.99

3x FractalDesign - 140mm Silent Series Cooling Fan £22.50

Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive £60.99

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro rev £16.24

Logitech Z323 2.1 Speaker System £36.15

LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA - OEM Black £12.89

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4GHz 125W Retail Box Processor £141.83

Cherry Infinity Wired Keyboard - USB £26.96

Samsung SM2243SN 22" Widescreen TFT Monitor 1920x1080 £114.99



The rest of the stuff I got from Amazon

Coolermaster Silent Pro 700W Modular PSU £73.89

SteelSeries Kinzu Optical Gaming Mouse (PC) £22.97

Coolermaster CM690 Pure Case £60.50

Grand Total £1055.52



Holy shit I was just looking through my order lists and looking at the prices I got them a few weeks ago compared to now is FOOKING shocking.

The GPU is now £319.99

Mouse is £28

Ram is £110

PSU is £83

HDD £71

etc... etc...

I thought that bastard George Osbourne was raising VAT to 20% at the end of June, not now. I wonder why the prices have gone up so much since when I placed my order???

But yeah, if you shop around a bit and use google checkout to compare im sure you can save a bit of dosh. Also Amazon and Ebuyer have free shipping if you spend over a certain amount on Ebuyer.

Stay away from Tekheads.co.uk what ever you do they are fucking shit...


Rocky Out!


Edit: VAT is included in all prices listed...

 

[MiniDitka]

Need some quick advice guys. I'm looking to build a budget PC for editing video(HD gaming) and I found this combo deal on Newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Combo...-EMC-052810-Latest-_-Combo-_-Combo382195-LB4A

My current CPU is a 64 X2 4200+ 2.22 GHz which I don't think is strong enough for HD video recording.

Could be wrong though, would having a raid hard drive setup be enough or do I need to go with a new CPU? If I need a new CPU is the combo listed OK or is there a better alternative for a similar price?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Goron2000]

Other than Gaming it will be used for video/audio editing. i'm liking your specs there, i would have liked to use an amd cpu but according to a few sources, emulators have much better compatibility with intel.

Thanks for the tip on using google shopping, hopefully it will save me a few pennies.

 

[BloodySinner]

Any cheap (under $70) 1TB+ hard drives as of lately? I live in Canada.

 

[aasoncott]

Any cheap (under $70) 1TB+ hard drives as of lately? I live in Canada.

TigerDirect has one for $60 after a $30 mail-in. Reviews seem kind of middling, though, which always scares me when it comes to storage.

 

[Glix]

P4 3ghz of RAM.

ATI Radeon Xpress 1100




This is my work computer. Should I be able to play Half Life 2 even decently on it?

(Answer when Steam finishes downloading it!)

 

[Vic]

Hey guys, I'm selling my HD 5770 for $130 + $15 shipping. Thought some of you here might be interested. It's a Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5. PM me if interested.

 

[Hazaro]

According to my BIOS my ram voltage isn't correct, I emailed an NCIX guy about it and he told me it should be 1.65v but right now mine's 1.581. Would changing this prevent the "memory management" bsod and fix my problems detected in memtest86+?

That could be it, try feeding it 1.65V or a bit higher (1.70).

Thinking about building a new computer but not sure if I should hold off or maybe just upgrade video card for now.

I currently have:
C2D E6600
Asus P5K Intel P35
EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 640MB
Crucial Ballistix 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2
Corsair 520W

I will most likely at least wait till Starcraft 2 launches. Think I could get away with just upgrading the vid card or should I go all in? I can afford to upgrade everything but just trying to hold off the longest I can.

I'm still on 775 myself (E7200 @ 3.8Ghz + GTX 260) and holding out fine. (SC II runs great btw)
I'd suggest a mild overclock to 3Ghz or 3.2 and an upgrade to a 5770 if you feel lacking in GPU. Really it comes down to what you want to be playing right now and if a 5770 (or a 5850) will be good enough for you in a year.

Hopefully I can last until another tick happens and we see those delicious value CPU's (even more so than what AMD is offering) pop out.

 

[Goron2000]

P4 3ghz of RAM.

ATI Radeon Xpress 1100




This is my work computer. Should I be able to play Half Life 2 even decently on it?

(Answer when Steam finishes downloading it!)

I very much doubt it my friend, but give it a whirl anyway.

Here is my very much revised spec list, whilst not as powerful I've saved loads. Novatech.

 

[Wallach]

Any of you guys have experience with HIS? I actually did not pull the trigger just yet on my 5850 because of a problem with my bank (they froze my account the other day for suspicious activity, I think because we've spent a lot of money this week on my father's retirement gifts), but being an eVGA guy I'm still a little nervous about buying ATI.

I've heard good things about HIS' non-reference cards, and their iCooler V 5850 is the cheapest one on Newegg at the moment (a full 50 bucks cheaper than the "Turbo" HIS 5850 though that comes with MW2). I'm open to suggestions in the price range (around ~380 USD with the Corsair PSU I'm picking up) except for Sapphire products, won't touch one of those again.

 

[spazzfish]

I very much doubt it my friend, but give it a whirl anyway.

Here is my very much revised spec list, whilst not as powerful I've saved loads. Novatech.

here is another good site to look at. It's a place I use quite a lot to get the odd component:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/index.php

 

[Hazaro]

Any of you guys have experience with HIS? I actually did not pull the trigger just yet on my 5850 because of a problem with my bank (they froze my account the other day for suspicious activity, I think because we've spent a lot of money this week on my father's retirement gifts), but being an eVGA guy I'm still a little nervous about buying ATI.

Haven't heard of any problems with HIS myself.

Here is my very much revised spec list, whilst not as powerful I've saved loads. Novatech.

Maybe swap to this monitor unless you need HDMI:
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Monitors/22inchMonitors/LS22CMYKFYAEN.html

And maybe look around at mouse choices. It's really hard to find one you like, at least for me.

 

[Glix]

I very much doubt it my friend, but give it a whirl anyway.

Here is my very much revised spec list, whilst not as powerful I've saved loads. Novatech.

Hey, it could be a lot worse! I think! :lol

 

[Zakkath]

I'm thinking about getting a new PC during the summer, but I realized I'm really not familiar anymore with all the hardware. I look at the list and I'm not really sure what to choose. Here's what I got so far :

MB : ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX
CPU : AMD PH-II X4 955 3.2GHZ
GPU : ? (I usually buy nVidia cards)
HDD : WD5000AVDS 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s
RAM : 2x2GB (don't know which one to choose)
Monitor : ? (I know I want 16x9)
PSU : ? (I'm guessing I need 700-750W)

Bluray reader/DVD burner : LITE-ON ihes108-29


-I'm not sure this is the best MB to go with the CPU, but it seemed nice (optical output, no onboard GPU).
-I currently have a GTX260 that I could transfer in the new computer. Should I buy another one for SLI or is it still good enough on its own to last a good while ?
-Budget should be between 1k and 1.5k. More than that would probably be overkill for my needs.

edit :
Adding details as per Hazaro's request :
-Budget : Around 1.5k, flexible (was listed above)
-Country : Canada
-Gaming and general use.
-Games : The Witcher, Dawn of War 2, Starcraft 2
-Monitor Res : I don't know honestly. I'll go with the popular choice. Is it 1900x1200 ?

Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

 

[Hazaro]

*Reposting*
1)Basic Desktop Questions

Budget: Price Range + Country
Main Use: Gaming, Video editing, or just general usage
Monitor Resolution: What resolution will you be playing your games at? Are you going to upgrade later?
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Self Explanatory

2)General Guide on what to buy (Spring)
Tech Report Builders Guide!

A very good basic guide that has been updated for Spring (Right now there is some new stuff coming out + new GPU's on the way, so once that gets out of the way hopefully they will update.)
http://techreport.com/articles.x/18747/2

3) 15 minute video how-to
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/video_how_build_pc_ever_step_explained

If someone has a better short video please share.

4) Prospective laptop buyers please fill this out (and maybe even ask their forum):
http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...ould-i-buy-form-must-read-before-posting.html

 

[Little_Luke]

I've been out of PC gaming for a while and I'm in the process of picking out some new parts. I game at 1680x1050 and figure this video card should suffice from what i've read, correct me if I'm wrong. ( I love all the eye candy turned up). Obviously I could use some advice on what PSU to run. I figure a strong 600w PSU should do?? Please comment and advise

GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Model #:GA-MA785GM-US2H
Item #:N82E16813128394
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Note (Add)
$84.99 -$5.00 Instant $79.99


HIS H577FM1GD Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Model #:H577FM1GD
Item #:N82E16814161317
Return Policy:VGA Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate Card
Note (Add)
$169.99 $169.99


AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX
Model #:HDZ955FBGIBOX
Item #:N82E16819103674
Return Policy:CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock
Note (Add)
$159.99 $159.99


GeIL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10660) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model GV34GB1333C9DC
Model #:GV34GB1333C9DC
Item #:N82E16820144266
Return Policy:Memory Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Note (Add)
$105.99 -$10.00 Instant $95.99


Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
Model #:AD-7240S-0B
Item #:N82E16827118030
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Note (Add)
$26.99 $26.99


*** Any tips here I know some people get it cheap ***
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Model #:GFC-00599
Item #:N82E16832116754
Return Policy:Software Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Note (Add)
$99.99 $99.99

Subtotal: $632.94

 

[RedSwirl]

In 2010, you don't want to go lower than a GT 330M or Mobility Radeon 5650.

A 17" machine with the Mobility 5870 can be had for $1200.

Thanks. This is just for comfortably running the aforementioned games right?

I'm not looking to do any DX11 Crysis 2-type shit. That's what I'll be (hopefully) upgrading my desktop for later this year.

On that subject, my desktop is currently as follows:

Intel Q6600 (I think) 2.4Ghz Core 2 Quad CPU
8800GT 512MB
3GB RAM
Windows Vista 32bit
1440 x 900 75Hz Monitor

With most big games these days being scaled for consoles this setup has been able to run most games comfortably for me. What kind of card do you guys think I would need to last me the next three years or so (of the same size as my current one so I won't have to replace my whole casing)? Along with a 1920 x 1200 monitor how much do you think it would run me?

 

[MiniDitka]

*Reposting*
1)Basic Desktop Questions

Budget: Price Range + Country
Main Use: Gaming, Video editing, or just general usage
Monitor Resolution: What resolution will you be playing your games at? Are you going to upgrade later?
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Self Explanatory

2)General Guide on what to buy (Spring)
Tech Report Builders Guide!

A very good basic guide that has been updated for Spring (Right now there is some new stuff coming out + new GPU's on the way, so once that gets out of the way hopefully they will update.)
http://techreport.com/articles.x/18747/2

3) 15 minute video how-to
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/video_how_build_pc_ever_step_explained

If someone has a better short video please share.

4) Prospective laptop buyers please fill this out (and maybe even ask their forum):
http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...ould-i-buy-form-must-read-before-posting.html

Thanks for reposting this.

 

[BrassMonkey1010]

did a different build on the next page.

 

[rohlfinator]

Need some quick advice guys. I'm looking to build a budget PC for editing video(HD gaming) and I found this combo deal on Newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Combo...-EMC-052810-Latest-_-Combo-_-Combo382195-LB4A

My current CPU is a 64 X2 4200+ 2.22 GHz which I don't think is strong enough for HD video recording.

Could be wrong though, would having a raid hard drive setup be enough or do I need to go with a new CPU? If I need a new CPU is the combo listed OK or is there a better alternative for a similar price?

Thanks in advance.

That's a solid choice for video editing -- you'll want all the cores you can get, and that's one of the cheapest quads on the market. It's probably the best bang for the buck in that price range.

I very much doubt it my friend, but give it a whirl anyway.

Here is my very much revised spec list, whilst not as powerful I've saved loads. Novatech.

Looks like an upgrade to me -- the i5 + 5830 should outperform the 1090T + 5770 in gaming by a decent mount, especially since they're overclocking that processor for you.

I've been out of PC gaming for a while and I'm in the process of picking out some new parts. I game at 1680x1050 and figure this video card should suffice from what i've read, correct me if I'm wrong. ( I love all the eye candy turned up). Obviously I could use some advice on what PSU to run. I figure a strong 600w PSU should do?? Please comment and advise

Corsair is the favored brand around here, I think. Personally, I'm running a 550W OCZ. It was quite a bit cheaper than the Corsair, it's modular, and I haven't heard anything bad about the brand.

As for a Windows license, if you're a student you can get a decent discount.

 

[Little_Luke]

I've been bouncing around on my build and just can't make up my mind.

My budget is $700 and I don't need a monitor ... can I get some advice on the best way to spend it? It'll be strictly a gaming rig with a bit of the other obvious computer duties.

I'm also not sure whether I should go 32bit or 64bit windows. Can anyone shine some light on the most notable differences here as well as between the different versions?

Sorry for being such a newb. I have read through the 1st post and have looked at different builds but not everyone is the same and this stuff changes so fast I'd like to get some more direct advice. Thanks in advance.

 

[John]

64-bit is the way of the future. Might as well.

 

[MiniDitka]

That's a solid choice for video editing -- you'll want all the cores you can get, and that's one of the cheapest quads on the market. It's probably the best bang for the buck in that price range.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Gritesh]

Got my 5850 today.

Got everything up and running and also purchased BF:BC2.

Slightly regretting the money I spent at the moment, hoping that will change.

Recommend me some PC titles to jump into !

 

[half a moon]

Thinking about building a PC and getting the i7 930 CPU.

What's the best heatsinks these days? I have a Zalman in my old computer. I don't know anything about water cooling.

And what thermal paste?

 

[K.Jack]

How so?

I get that the Kobalt may be a good laptop, but I dont see how its better for the same money, and its looks arent all that appealing either!

The mobility 5870 is nearly 2x the speed of a GTS 360M. Plus it's not in an 18.4" monstrosity.

It all depends on what your priorities are, as far as looks go.

Thanks. This is just for comfortably running the aforementioned games right?

I'm not looking to do any DX11 Crysis 2-type shit. That's what I'll be (hopefully) upgrading my desktop for later this year.

On that subject, my desktop is currently as follows:

Intel Q6600 (I think) 2.4Ghz Core 2 Quad CPU
8800GT 512MB
3GB RAM
Windows Vista 32bit
1440 x 900 75Hz Monitor

With most big games these days being scaled for consoles this setup has been able to run most games comfortably for me. What kind of card do you guys think I would need to last me the next three years or so (of the same size as my current one so I won't have to replace my whole casing)? Along with a 1920 x 1200 monitor how much do you think it would run me?

Well, the cards I listed as the minimum are half the speed of your current 8800GT, so you'd be looking at 720p + medium settings.

You can spend between $1100 to $1500, which will land you something from the GTX 260M (9800 GT) to the Mobility 5870 (5770).

 

[ghst]

I very much doubt it my friend, but give it a whirl anyway.

Here is my very much revised spec list, whilst not as powerful I've saved loads. Novatech.

incase you hadn't already ordered, might be worth taking a look at this http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/T-Rex-i7-Roar-94p773.htm - i7 930, 5850, 6gb ddr for a grand. pre-built too (though i'd recommend dissembling/reassembling complete with the traditional DOA heart attack on first attempted boot) if that appeals?

 

[Brannon]

It's been a while, but I'm ready to upgrade my PC. I looked into quad-core cpus but my motherboard only goes up to dual-core socket AM2.

So I'll be going the new motherboard path, but how much does a quad-core cpu cost usually?

 

[JRW]

Got my 5850 today.

Got everything up and running and also purchased BF:BC2.

Slightly regretting the money I spent at the moment, hoping that will change.

Recommend me some PC titles to jump into !

I found BF:BC2 a bit underwhelming myself.. but I haven't played it online yet (finished single player campaign.)

Not sure what kind of games you prefer most but my favorite PC games in the last year or so were:

Batman Arkham Asylum (Great game but also cool for showing off physx effects on nvidia cards).
Dirt 2
Left 4 dead 2
Just Cause 2
Bioshock 2
Trine
Crysis Warhead
Metro 2033

 

[Smash88]

So I finally have enough money after 3 years -_-

My 8800GT is ready to go to heaven, or in a box as a backup graphics card

I'm looking between the GTX470 and the HD5850. I've been doing research and a lot of the reviews vary... A LOT, I just wanted to ask a second opinion on which one is better and why. So far the GTX470 easily beats the 5850, and with better drivers, I'm sure it will exceed that expectation further. On the other hand the heat is pretty high. Anyone with the GTX470 or anyone with a better opinion on this would be helpful.

 

[Minsc]

So I finally have enough money after 3 years -_-

My 8800GT is ready to go to heaven, or in a box as a backup graphics card

I'm looking between the GTX470 and the HD5850. I've been doing research and a lot of the reviews vary... A LOT, I just wanted to ask a second opinion on which one is better and why. So far the GTX470 easily beats the 5850, and with better drivers, I'm sure it will exceed that expectation further. On the other hand the heat is pretty high. Anyone with the GTX470 or anyone with a better opinion on this would be helpful.

Well the GTX 470 is priced closer to the 5870 than the 5850 ($290 vs $350 vs $390), so you'd probably want to compare it to that. It performs better than the 5850 because it is like $60 or a little under 20% more expensive than it. Likewise the 5870 performs a little better than the GTX 470 because it too is also more expensive.

As long as you have a component PSU and aren't pushing the limit on temps, you should have no problems with the 470 in my opinion, it's probably the card to get if you have to get an nVidia card and don't want to spend the money on a 480. You get the DX11 stuff, physx, and all the polish the nvidia drivers bring.

You're going to want a top of the line CPU to go with these cards (5850,5870,470,480) as well, make sure you're overclocked or running a nice i5 or i7 CPU to see the most out of your new GPU!

 

[spazzfish]

So I finally have enough money after 3 years -_-

My 8800GT is ready to go to heaven, or in a box as a backup graphics card

I'm looking between the GTX470 and the HD5850. I've been doing research and a lot of the reviews vary... A LOT, I just wanted to ask a second opinion on which one is better and why. So far the GTX470 easily beats the 5850, and with better drivers, I'm sure it will exceed that expectation further. On the other hand the heat is pretty high. Anyone with the GTX470 or anyone with a better opinion on this would be helpful.

The gtx470 doesn't easily beat the 5850. They are very similar in performance.
What you need to decided is if you going to overclock the card?
If so then unless you have a water cooled setup the 5850 is probably the better option.
Is you case well ventilated? If not then the 5850 is probably the better option.
Are you planning on sli/crossfire? Then the 470 is possibly the better option.
Do you have a sufficient PSU to drive either of the cards, you might need an upgrade for the 470.
Also what one is cheaper for you to buy?

If your not sure or don't really care about noise/heat/power/sli/crossfire/overclocking then i'd then advise you make sure you have a PSU to drive your card then just buy the cheapest option of the two.

 

[Smash88]

Currently my system is:
Q6600 @ 3.2GHZ
4GB Dual Channel DDR2
EVGA 780i
8800GT

(Built it about 2-3 years ago)

I have a 700W OCZ PSU, and an Antec P183 case. So ventilation and power is of no concern. Also I don't care about SLI and I game at 1920x1080. I can get the GTX470 for $360 CDN. While a 5870 in Canada is almost $100 more expensive, and the 5850 is about $30 cheaper. Most tests Hardware Canucks and xbitlabs all show a gain between 10-20% for the GTX470 compared to the 5850.

From my past experience with an ATI video card is the drivers are kind of bad compared to the nVidia drivers. I know as time passes Nvidia's drivers will definitely boost the performance of the GTX470 in games. It's just I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place right now on what to choose.

 

[spazzfish]

Currently my system is:
Q6600 @ 3.2GHZ
4GB Dual Channel DDR2
EVGA 780i
8800GT

(Built it about 2-3 years ago)

I have a 700W OCZ PSU, and an Antec P183 case. So ventilation and power is of no concern. Also I don't care about SLI and I game at 1920x1080. I can get the GTX470 for $360 CDN. While a 5870 in Canada is almost $100 more expensive, and the 5850 is about $30 cheaper. Most tests Hardware Canucks and xbitlabs all show a gain between 10-20% for the GTX470 compared to the 5850.

From my past experience with an ATI video card is the drivers are kind of bad compared to the nVidia drivers. I know as time passes Nvidia's drivers will definitely boost the performance of the GTX470 in games.

Be careful when looking at bar charts showing benchmarks. They show the peak/highest fps obtained while benchmarking, but in reality the performance will be dipping up and down.
A good site that shows card performance when benchmarked is http://www.hardocp.com/

Anyway if your not overclocking then go with what your happy with. The 470 will be fine. I will say though after years of using both nvidia and ati cards is that the perception that nvidia drivers are great and ati's are poor is complete fallacy. They have both released good and bad driver sets.

 

[Minsc]

Currently my system is:
Q6600 @ 3.2GHZ
4GB Dual Channel DDR2
EVGA 780i
8800GT

(Built it about 2-3 years ago)

I have a 700W OCZ PSU, and an Antec P183 case. So ventilation and power is of no concern. Also I don't care about SLI and I game at 1920x1080. I can get the GTX470 for $360 CDN. While a 5870 in Canada is almost $100 more expensive, and the 5850 is about $30 cheaper. Most tests Hardware Canucks and xbitlabs all show a gain between 10-20% for the GTX470 compared to the 5850.

From my past experience with an ATI video card is the drivers are kind of bad compared to the nVidia drivers. I know as time passes Nvidia's drivers will definitely boost the performance of the GTX470 in games. It's just I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place right now on what to choose.

$30 is worth a 10-20% framerate increase (sometimes you have to pay $100 for that w/ a single card), your worries are addressed with your PSU and case, so it sounds like you're just trying to convince yourself to spend $30 over your budget or something, go for it!

 

[Smash88]

Thanks for your opinions guys, definitely going to take it into consideration right before my purchase...This will come down to a last second decision. God damnit! :lol