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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition

Posted this in another thread, but it promptly died so I'd like to repose it here.

I'm moving into my universities dorms this coming fall semester. The rooms come with satellite TV, so I'd like to get a 26" TV to watch TV/ play 360. I also want to use it as a monitor though, so I need a 1080p set, which excludes a majority of the 26" sets out there.

Also I'm pretty wary about input lag/ ghosting on a TV compared to a monitor when PC gaming and also when using Office or browsing the web, I've personally never used a TV as a monitor but I've heard and read horror stories about the screen becoming a mess when scrolling over a document or web page.

So at this point I've pretty much decided to just get a 24" monitor and deal with TN picture quality and no TV in my room (neither of which are super important to me anyway, they're more of a "would have been nice if possible" type thing) HOWEVER I found this Vizio on Amazon the other day. I haven't been keeping up on new TV's for a couple year, but the last time I did research around 2007 Vizios were pretty horrible.

I've heard that they have improved a lot in the last couple years, but I still worry about potential ghosting and input lag like I said. So if anyone has had experience with this TV or knows of any other 26" TVs that can serve as decent monitors, I would be very interested in knowing.
 
Guys please help me...posting again, real urgent-

About 3-4 days ago, my PC automatically shut down without any warning..just BAM!
I tried to reboot it, but what happened was that it would try to reboot and then shutdown again after a few seconds. Sometimes after 2 seconds, sometimes after 5-10. And very rarely it will boot properly. Then while running it might shut down after 5-10 minutes or sometimes it just keeps running until the next time I get the same problem.
I checked the temps, they are fine. I tried removing stuff and then booting, but all the same. I've zeroes in on either the PSU or the mobo. The thing is, when its running fine, I can play all the games I want and it will work fine. That makes me wonder if its the PSU or not. But then again, if the mobo was faulty, do random shutdowns or not booting a few times make sense?

If any help, I am posting voltage values taken from three different programs. I am not sure what to make of them but they might help those of you who are well-versed in these-

Everest-

Speedfan-

Sensors view-



Please help me GAF.

I will be glad to answer any additional questions.
 
That 12 V rating is all over the place.

The symptoms you describe sound like the PSU problem I had experienced before as well. It took a bit of effort to do a cold boot, but once it was up and running, it'd stay up and running for a good long while.
 
No_Style said:
That 12 V rating is all over the place.

The symptoms you describe sound like the PSU problem I had experienced before as well. It took a bit of effort to do a cold boot, but once it was up and running, it'd stay up and running for a good long while.
Click to expand...

Exactly! Once it goes bonkers, its very hard to get it working again.But if it boots up and stays fine for 5 minutes, then it will be fine till I shut it down the next time.
Thanks for the reply. So it seems I will have to replace the PSU, correct?
 
If I have $2,000.00 and I want to run FF14 on max settings when it comes out next month do I have enough money to do so? I have absolutely no experience building PCs, and I don't trust myself in doing so, but is there anyone in here who could link me to a desktop that could fit my needs?

I just want to be able to crank that sexy game to max and enjoy it without hiccups. :D
 
kittoo said:
Exactly! Once it goes bonkers, its very hard to get it working again.But if it boots up and stays fine for 5 minutes, then it will be fine till I shut it down the next time.
Thanks for the reply. So it seems I will have to replace the PSU, correct?
Click to expand...
It'll be easier to test the PSU over the motherboard. See if you have anywhere local you can buy a PSU (and return if it's not the problem) and if that doesn't fix it, maybe a broken motherboard. I'm no expert though :o
 
Hazaro said:
i7-860 is 1156. 4 cores, 8 threads (via HT). Not useful for many, i5-750 is the way to go.
Click to expand...

I got the motherboard for free. So I thought about spending a bit more on the CPU. Let's talk about the future, if I want this little computer to last as long as possible - isn't it better to go with the i7 860?
 
kittoo said:
Exactly! Once it goes bonkers, its very hard to get it working again.But if it boots up and stays fine for 5 minutes, then it will be fine till I shut it down the next time.
Thanks for the reply. So it seems I will have to replace the PSU, correct?
Click to expand...

Well, it could be the PSU, but a friend of mine had similar problems and it was not the PSU at all.

Do you have a multimeter to test the PSU with? We could verify what's going on with 12 V rail. Since I didn't have a multimeter on hand, I tested the PSU with another PC to see if it had the same problem. I just don't want you go out, buy a PSU and have it be something else.

Also, what kind of PSU is it?
 
Mairu said:
It'll be easier to test the PSU over the motherboard. See if you have anywhere local you can buy a PSU (and return if it's not the problem) and if that doesn't fix it, maybe a broken motherboard. I'm no expert though :o
Click to expand...

Yeah thats what I am trying to do. But I have to get a new one anyway. This one is 3 years old and only 550watt, the minimum my card and CPU (GTX 470 and i7 920) need.

No_Style said:
Well, it could be the PSU, but a friend of mine had similar problems and it was not the PSU at all.

Do you have a multimeter to test the PSU with? We could verify what's going on with 12 V rail. Since I didn't have a multimeter on hand, I tested the PSU with another PC to see if it had the same problem. I just don't want you go out, buy a PSU and have it be something else.

Also, what kind of PSU is it?
Click to expand...

Just curious, what the problem was then for your friend? I hope it wasnt the mobo.

I anyway have to get a new PSU, as I said above. But I will still see if I can return one if my mobo is bad, cause I dont have money for both right now.
 
Irish said:
Alright GAF, all I'd like to do is run Starcraft 2 decently. Right now, I'm only getting 9 FPS on Low settings. (according to the in-game FPS counter or whatever) I need to know what parts I should get to achieve my goal.

Now, before you laugh at the machine I'm about to admit to owning, realize that it only cost me $200. This is what I have:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883114084&Tpk=et1831-07

What do I need? (thanks for any help I may receive)
Click to expand...
Seriously Broken, upgrading any single part (especially the graphics) will make any other part of the system a bottleneck. I'm pretty sure most people here will tell you that upgrading from that point is more expensive than starting from scratch and making a new computer.


I got a question. Are there supposed to be any new SSD controllers that are coming out this year? I know that larger ones are going to come out and everything, but it looks like the OCZ Vertex2 60GB is going to sell for $95 after MIR a little less than 8 hours after I make this post (see this). Opinions? I know that the Vertex2 is one of the best SSDs out there are the moment (see this), but I'm a little clueless on future prospects right now.
 
Irish said:
Alright GAF, all I'd like to do is run Starcraft 2 decently. Right now, I'm only getting 9 FPS on Low settings. (according to the in-game FPS counter or whatever) I need to know what parts I should get to achieve my goal.

Now, before you laugh at the machine I'm about to admit to owning, realize that it only cost me $200. This is what I have:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883114084&Tpk=et1831-07

What do I need? (thanks for any help I may receive)
Click to expand...

Its not as bad as another poster made it out to be. The E5400 is outdated but SC2 doesn't use much multi threading so it hardly matters. You also have a PCI-E X16 slot which means you can indeed buy a fairly cheap graphics card and throw it in there.

For $150 you could get it to run the game on high, you'll need a new PSU as currently you have a 250W PSU which is abysmal, and a graphics card. I'd stay <100, maybe a 4850 or 250 GTS.

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371004
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127495&cm_re=250_gts-_-14-127-495-_-Product (this has a massive rebate)

This does assume you can hook up a PSU to all the necessary components.
 
Stormtrooper30 said:
Well hell, it's too expensive to get the ASUS p7p55 e-pro because it would mess up all the combos and such and I would pay much more. If I ever want sli in the future I'll just buy another mobo and deal with it then. My head hurts right now and I need a PC that works.

My build is up there somewhere. With 5 fans in my Antec 300 and the Hyper 212 cooling the CPU, I should be good to go with OCing, no? Also, how difficult is it to OC with the GA-P55A-UD3 LGA ?
Click to expand...
The i5-750 should combo with that board. At least I did it a week ago...

http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToCart.aspx?Submit=ADD&ItemList=Combo.465993
Overclocking on all modern motherboards is the basically the same and an equal experience.
You are good. If you do consider SLi in the future it's much much easier to get a mobo now since you'll have to reinstall Windows (most likely) if you want to swap a new board, then redo your entire build.
ElyrionX said:
Is this a good time to be building a new PC? Any new tech that is impending within the next six months that i should wait for before taking the plunge?
Click to expand...
New AM3 cpus (BullDozer), new AMD3+ (socket?), Intel Sandy Bridge, ATi 5xxx series
But heck, now's a good time as any :p
kittoo said:
Guys please help me...posting again, real urgent-

About 3-4 days ago, my PC automatically shut down without any warning..just BAM!
I tried to reboot it, but what happened was that it would try to reboot and then shutdown again after a few seconds. Sometimes after 2 seconds, sometimes after 5-10. And very rarely it will boot properly. Then while running it might shut down after 5-10 minutes or sometimes it just keeps running until the next time I get the same problem.
I checked the temps, they are fine. I tried removing stuff and then booting, but all the same. I've zeroes in on either the PSU or the mobo. The thing is, when its running fine, I can play all the games I want and it will work fine. That makes me wonder if its the PSU or not. But then again, if the mobo was faulty, do random shutdowns or not booting a few times make sense?
Click to expand...
Like I said software reading can be iffy, but it sounds like a PSU issue.
Most PC stores can test PSU's if you bring it in.
What is the make and model and how old is it?
zlatko said:
If I have $2,000.00 and I want to run FF14 on max settings when it comes out next month do I have enough money to do so? I have absolutely no experience building PCs, and I don't trust myself in doing so, but is there anyone in here who could link me to a desktop that could fit my needs?

I just want to be able to crank that sexy game to max and enjoy it without hiccups. :D
Click to expand...
You only need $1,200 tops. Depends if you think SuperSampling is part of max though :lol
I'd wait around for a solid Dell/HP/Gateway deal (Check out SlickDeals everyonce in a while). The Dell 7100 had 25% cashback a few days ago so you missed out on that.
Midas said:
I got the motherboard for free. So I thought about spending a bit more on the CPU. Let's talk about the future, if I want this little computer to last as long as possible - isn't it better to go with the i7 860?
Click to expand...
Well HT uses excess space on 4 cores to add more virtual cores, so in theory if those 4 cores are all loaded HT wouldn't matter. In practice HT adds a tiny amount of performance gain.

Check here if you think it's worth the extra $90:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/109?vs=108
I don't think it is. Especially considering a lot of those apps can take advantage of more cores.
 
What's a comparable ATI card to the GTX 460?

Works great on most things, but apparently the GTX 460 works terribly with FFXI, and the problem has existed for months with Nvidia assuring people on the forums "We're fixing it". Admin on their forums claims a fix is finishes and will be in an upcoming update, but I'm thinking of taking advantage of the 30 day new egg return policy and saying screw Nvidia. Might even just go for the 5870.
 
DrForester said:
What's a comparable ATI card to the GTX 460?

Works great on most things, but apparently the GTX 460 works terribly with FFXI, and the problem has existed for months with Nvidia assuring people on the forums "We're fixing it". Admin on their forums claims a fix is finishes and will be in an upcoming update, but I'm thinking of taking advantage of the 30 day new egg return policy and saying screw Nvidia. Might even just go for the 5870.
Click to expand...
5850 however it's overpriced so you'd have to go for the 5870 which is quite a bit more than a GTX460.
 
DrForester said:
What's a comparable ATI card to the GTX 460?

Works great on most things, but apparently the GTX 460 works terribly with FFXI, and the problem has existed for months with Nvidia assuring people on the forums "We're fixing it". Admin on their forums claims a fix is finishes and will be in an upcoming update, but I'm thinking of taking advantage of the 30 day new egg return policy and saying screw Nvidia. Might even just go for the 5870.
Click to expand...
5830 is comparable in the price range, 5850 is more on par in performance.
If you do decide to swap I'd try to snag a 5830 near $200 and a 5850 near $230.
 
I was thinking, aren't there usually decent "Back To School" sales in mid/end of August? Maybe I can wait for that before I dive into a new system.... but oh how I want SC2 badly :(

Is this assumption correct? :D
 
Best Buy is running tax free on anything in their store.

Also, I just recently reformatted my old system and use www.ninite.com and it is freaking excellent. So much better than finding all those programs and things separately.
 
YakiSOBA said:
I was thinking, aren't there usually decent "Back To School" sales in mid/end of August? Maybe I can wait for that before I dive into a new system.... but oh how I want SC2 badly :(

Is this assumption correct? :D
Click to expand...
There might be a "Oh man new shit is coming out" sale, but I don't think any door busting deals are to be had. You can shave off $80 just buy using combos on newegg.
Mairu said:
K, think I got my system to the point where I'm satisfied.
http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=1336168

3.81 Ghz i5-750 with temps at full load on p95 hitting nowhere above 70C, I'm pleased
Click to expand...
Oh boy a CPU-Z link!

Your voltage is good, I wouldn't keep your CPU below 4.2Ghz if it can go higher with a tad more voltage (Maybe around 1.32V).
And get your GTX460 to 820MHz at least.
 
Hazaro said:
There might be a "Oh man new shit is coming out" sale, but I don't think any door busting deals are to be had. You can shave off $80 just buy using combos on newegg.

Oh boy a CPU-Z link!

Your voltage is good, I wouldn't keep your CPU below 4.2Ghz if it can go higher with a tad more voltage (Maybe around 1.32V).
And get your GTX460 to 820MHz at least.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they're fun. Here's mine:

http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=1336412

It's stable and runs smooth at this. I could probably go further, but in the interest of preserving the CPU I'm keeping it there for now.
 
desh said:
Anything wrong with this power supply:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182200

for a core i5-750/GTX 460 build?
Click to expand...
While it's nice to see some 80+ Certified PSU's from Rosewill for $8 more after rebate and shipping you can get a much better PSU.
That's also a LOT of 1 egg reviews and you have to remember that the only places that truly review(test) PSU's are Johnnyguru, [H], and Hardware Secrets since they have a multi thousand dollar PSU loading machine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

*Here's a review:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/arti...ies-630-W-RG630-S12-Power-Supply-Review/881/2
 
Alright, final build right here. The 900 dollar price tag kills me inside, but I really like the ability to have sli down the road.

fef38l.jpg


Bye bye bank account.
 
Stormtrooper30 said:
Alright, final build right here. The 900 dollar price tag kills me inside, but I really like the ability to have sli down the road.

fef38l.jpg


Bye bye bank account.
Click to expand...
Bah, with the $10 coupon from the Corsair 650W "EMCYWYP25" and $40 in MIR that's only $850.
 
Meh, honestly, I won't use the sli until a few years from now. I figure I can just go and buy a new GPU at that point and the sli would be pointless.

But thinks for all the help. Order comes out to $810 plus shipping and after MIR with the Gigabyte P55 board. Buying extra cooling on Amazon.
 
Quick buying tip since Antec cases seem to be very popular in here. When doing your newegg/amazon price checking, check out prices at your local Best Buy. They do carry a small selection of homemade PC parts. Antec seems to be their favored brand. Also help if shipping prices are getting high for you as the case is usually the biggest/heaviest thing.

Might not work for everyone, but thought I would throw it out there.
 
Stormtrooper30 said:
Meh, honestly, I won't use the sli until a few years from now. I figure I can just go and buy a new GPU at that point and the sli would be pointless.

But thinks for all the help. Order comes out to $810 plus shipping and after MIR with the Gigabyte P55 board. Buying extra cooling on Amazon.
Click to expand...
Ah, it sounded like you were thinking about upgrading in a year or so.
If you don't plan on that then go ahead and grab the GB board.
DrForester said:
Quick buying tip since Antec cases seem to be very popular in here. When doing your newegg/amazon price checking, check out prices at your local Best Buy. They do carry a small selection of homemade PC parts. Antec seems to be their favored brand. Also help if shipping prices are getting high for you as the case is usually the biggest/heaviest thing.

Might not work for everyone, but thought I woudl throw it out there.
Click to expand...
When your order hits a certain point adding on more shipping stuff doesn't increase the price iirc.

And I got my RocketFish case (Lian-Li) from BestBuy on clearance for $46. Actually I got 4 of them.

X9746.jpg
 
CSampson said:
Just finished putting my build together...and it won't boot. When I push the power button it turns on for a split second and shuts off. Yet there are a few LEDs on my mobo that are lit, indicating they are getting power. Shitty PSU aside (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-), can anyone recommend my some things to check for?
Click to expand...


Read the manual on the mobo carefully. Make sure there aren't any jumpers that need to be changed. The one I just got booted right up, but the last PC I built had some strange thing I had to do before it would start. Think it had to do with hitting the motherboards hard reset button or something. Been a while, sorry i can't be more help.
 
CSampson said:
Just finished putting my build together...and it won't boot. When I push the power button it turns on for a split second and shuts off. Yet there are a few LEDs on my mobo that are lit, indicating they are getting power. Shitty PSU aside (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-), can anyone recommend my some things to check for?
Click to expand...
Triple check all of your connections. Read the manual. Trace each cable and ponder if it should go in somewhere.

Also try this: Turn off the PC (PSU switch), hold the power button for 20 seconds, flick PSU back on, wait 10s, press power button.

Usual suspects:
Mobo 4/8 pin power near CPU socket
RAM not in correct starting slots
Something is not secure
Something under mobo shorting something
Didn't use standoffs before mounting motherboard
CPU fan not in
Might need a KeyBoard plugged in

Good images from different angles can help.
 
Hazaro said:
Triple check all of your connections. Read the manual. Trace each cable and ponder if it should go in somewhere.

Usual suspects:
Mobo 4/8 pin power near CPU socket
RAM not in correct starting slots
Something is not secure
Something under mobo shorting something
Didn't use standoffs before mounting motherboard

Good images from different angles can help.
Click to expand...


Is that actually common? I would think/hope anyone building their own PC would figure that out....
 
Hazaro said:
Triple check all of your connections. Read the manual. Trace each cable and ponder if it should go in somewhere.

Also try this: Turn off the PC (PSU switch), hold the power button for 20 seconds, flick PSU back on, wait 10s, press power button.

Usual suspects:
Mobo 4/8 pin power near CPU socket This wasn't plugged in, plugged it in and the same thing is happening
RAM not in correct starting slots checked
Something is not secure checking
Something under mobo shorting something checking
Didn't use standoffs before mounting motherboard Put in all the mounting screw things
CPU fan not in checked
Might need a KeyBoard plugged in fucking hope not! dont have one yet (not one I can plug directly in anyways)

Good images from different angles can help.
Click to expand...

I'm scared :(

My mobo: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631

Fucking POS psu? Might be time to upgrade it already :lol
 
DrForester said:
Is that actually common? I would think/hope anyone building their own PC would figure that out....
Click to expand...
What would you possibly use those tiny brass things for?
The holes are right there! :lol
 
CSampson said:
All wires look right, no loose connections, doesn't seem like it's being shorted out, cpu fan in, ram in properly...hmm.
Click to expand...


Check your manual and see if there is a hard reset button on the mobo. Since you're just starting it's not going to be erasing anything anyways.
 
DrForester said:
Check your manual and see if there is a hard reset button on the mobo. Since you're just starting it's not going to be erasing anything anyways.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've been going through this thing back and forth, not finding much. There's not even a troubleshoot, but I think I basically figured out what to check. Gonna take out the mobo and make sure its not touching anything.
 
Hazaro said:
Oh boy a CPU-Z link!

Your voltage is good, I wouldn't keep your CPU below 4.2Ghz if it can go higher with a tad more voltage (Maybe around 1.32V).
And get your GTX460 to 820MHz at least.
Click to expand...
As I got higher in Ghz I obv. needed higher voltage which raised the temps to somewhere I was a little uncomfortable with. I was pleased with where the CPU ended up because at full load on prime95 cpu temps never went above 70.

I've got no idea where to start as far as OCing the GPU though
 
Mairu said:
As I got higher in Ghz I obv. needed higher voltage which raised the temps to somewhere I was a little uncomfortable with. I was pleased with where the CPU ended up because at full load on prime95 cpu temps never went above 70.

I've got no idea where to start as far as OCing the GPU though
Click to expand...

Rivatuner

Then, go little by little just like anything else you OC.
 
CSampson said:
All wires look right, no loose connections, doesn't seem like it's being shorted out, cpu fan in, ram in properly...hmm.
Click to expand...

My new machine was doing the same thing the other night, and it turned out we didn't have the power connection to the mobo near the CPU. Plugged that in and it booted up fine. Amateur mistake I know, but it was a simple one to fix.
 
Tried everything. Reinstalled the mobo, plugged everything back in, checked every connection, memory, ugh. No idea. I think it could be the power supply. Can I check with a meter or something if it is working properly?
 
alanias said:
My new machine was doing the same thing the other night, and it turned out we didn't have the power connection to the mobo near the CPU. Plugged that in and it booted up fine. Amateur mistake I know, but it was a simple one to fix.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I checked that, mine is plugged in. It wasn't at first and I thought that was the fix, but it didn't change anything.
 
1stStrike said:
Rivatuner

Then, go little by little just like anything else you OC.
Click to expand...
The last time that was updated was last year, for ForceWare 182.06, and my current driver is up to 258.96 ... there isn't anything more recent to use to OC?
 
It's probably something stupid simple.
Assemble it outside the case and take pictures of everything.
Mairu said:
The last time that was updated was last year, for ForceWare 182.06, and my current driver is up to 258.96 ... there isn't anything more recent to use to OC?
Click to expand...
No, and it's fine. eVGA Precision and MSI Afterburner are another 2 programs, but they run RivaTuner code anyway.
 
So with the Hyper 212+ either sold out in most places or jacked up in price in other places, I was thinking of going with the N520. For under $40 it comes with 2 fans whereas the Hyper 212+ came with 1 fan for around $30ish. Is it worth the extra $10 or is the Hyper 212+ still better?
 
Toki767 said:
So with the Hyper 212+ either sold out in most places or jacked up in price in other places, I was thinking of going with the N520. For under $40 it comes with 2 fans whereas the Hyper 212+ came with 1 fan for around $30ish. Is it worth the extra $10 or is the Hyper 212+ still better?
Click to expand...
Comparable, I think the 212 is a tiny bit better.
Don't worry about it.
 
Mairu said:
The last time that was updated was last year, for ForceWare 182.06, and my current driver is up to 258.96 ... there isn't anything more recent to use to OC?
Click to expand...

Don't fix what's not broken. I'm using the 2009 edition and it works just dandy. No issues with it.
 
No duplicates such as fans being plugged in to both the mobo and the powersupply. I'm exhausted. Fuck me. Fuck, fuck, fuck and FUCK.
 
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