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[Dosia]

What is the most effective heat sink under $40 for an i5 760?

 

[Hazaro]

What is the most effective heat sink under $40 for an i5 760?

listed at bottom
http://i.imgur.com/A55hA.jpg

 

[Zomo]

Alright so I'm building a pc. The games jm looking at purchasing in the future are Starcraft 2, civ 5 and ffxiv. I don't need an amazing computer just something that will run modern games. What does gaf recommend?

 

[MomoPufflet]

What mid-tower cases have the best cable-management and airflow? I already feel myself outgrowing my Smilodon case...

What's your price budget.

Preferably under $100~120. Sorry, I should have included that.

 

[kagete]

Alright so I'm building a pc. The games jm looking at purchasing in the future are Starcraft 2, civ 5 and ffxiv. I don't need an amazing computer just something that will run modern games. What does gaf recommend?

State your budget and country so people can give detailed links/recommendations. Generally, always buy the best that you can afford within your budget, spending more on your GPU than your CPU. If you're under the $800-$1000 budget range don't get enamored with the fancy cases and power supplies and put your $$$ into your CPU and GPU. Just search for Hazaro's lists 1 or 2 pages back for a general idea of what are good builds in certain price ranges.

In my experience, Starcraft 2 will run fine on anything but FF14 is just weird/terrible. It's pretty much what everyone should point to when they want an example of an unoptimized PC game. I get the same performance running in 720p windowed as I do in 1080p windowed (shitty). And don't even bother running in full screen (shitty, broken, and unstable).

 

[Dracos]

I am in the market for a new rig, primarily to play FF XIV and WoW. I need to order/purchse parts and build within the next few days to beat the FF 14 release date on the 22nd. I live in Dallas, TX so I have access to Fry's, Microcenter and obviously online stores. I have no budget limit, however I don't want to go overboard. I do want the ability to play at max settings. I haven't built a machine since right after WoW launched, so i'm past due. Need nice monitor as well probably in the 23-27 range. Was even thinking about doing multiple monitors and 3D but it's not necessary. The bad feedback from FF beta testing has brought my high down a bit. Any help would be greatly appreciated in spec-ing out this build.

Thanks

 

[CSampson]

Alright, Hazaro:

Ran memtest, used single cpu option, and the test goes through in about 5 seconds, and instantly reboots my computer...i cant even see if the memory passed or not. When I try multi cpu (Experimental) it just sits on the screen and doesnt test anything...says its timedout and its waiting to turn off SMP (not sure what that means). Did my memory fail the test?

 

[BruceChalupa]

I know a lot of people are posting on here about PCs to play games on, but what about development? I'm studying game design and want to find a PC (preferrably a laptop so I can take it to class) that I can develop on with little hassle. Any general tips I should follow and pitfalls I should avoid? Shoulld I customize a prebuilt rig? Oh, and to make things slightly more complicated, I'm on a tight budget. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Zomo]

State your budget and country so people can give detailed links/recommendations. Generally, always buy the best that you can afford within your budget, spending more on your GPU than your CPU. If you're under the $800-$1000 budget range don't get enamored with the fancy cases and power supplies and put your $$$ into your CPU and GPU. Just search for Hazaro's lists 1 or 2 pages back for a general idea of what are good builds in certain price ranges.

In my experience, Starcraft 2 will run fine on anything but FF14 is just weird/terrible. It's pretty much what everyone should point to when they want an example of an unoptimized PC game. I get the same performance running in 720p windowed as I do in 1080p windowed (shitty). And don't even bother running in full screen (shitty, broken, and unstable).

I stated my price range and country a few pages ago but no one replied. I'm from Australia so looking to spend around 1500 to 2000 aud.

 

[Darkatomz]

Hasn't been posted yet? Tech Report updated their system guide for those who care.

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/19560

 

[totowhoa]

Hey GAF. Sorry if I'm one of a million posters saying "Help me!", but a friend of mine got some great help here when he decided to build a PC a year or two ago. I got a first gen macbook pro as a HS graduation/birthday/christmas gift for college, and that's what I've been using since, and I think it's time to upgrade, especially since my fiance has so much writing to do this semester and we only have this one laptop.

I'm basically looking to spend 400-500 on just the tower. Closer to 400 the better, but I don't really care Problem is, I don't know anything about the PC market anymore or where to start, but I'm confident I can put it together without any snags, particularly if I have the company of a friend to assist. It's been years since I've been inside of a casing to replace anything, but I think I'll be okay there.

So yeah, I'm just ignorant at the moment. I thought about buying a rig that was already set to go, but everything I've read online has been people saying "Build your own!" pretty consistently. Not too concerned about gaming as a #1 priority necessarily, as Steam will have plenty from the past to keep me busy and Star Craft 2 will always scale down if necessary. Can anybody help me out a bit with what to snag on Newegg or wherever? (I'm in the USA if this affects anything)

EDIT: Just saw the link above me! Didn't realize what it was until the poster below me gave it away. The Econobox (page two of that link) is pretty much right in my price range. Does anybody here approve of that? I'd prefer to skimp on a thing or two to drop the price down below 500, though. I know I would definitely be fine with 500GB of storage rather than 1TB right now... and if needed I have no problem upgrading something like that further down the line myself.

 

[kagete]

I stated my price range and country a few pages ago but no one replied. I'm from Australia so looking to spend around 1500 to 2000 aud.

My bad! I don't get to check the thread often. The previously posted TechReport system guides are great for outlining different budget ranges and the good options available but they really skimp on the graphics cards at all levels. Still worth a read as it is definitely fresh and up to date. As for prices in your region I can't really say if those same recommendations are still good values where you live :/

 

[Agyar]

Get a quad core 750/760 no question. If you are worried about power consumption you can disable cores or undervolt it.
Should be able to find a 650W Corsair for cheaper, maybe even an HX620W
Step it up to a GTX460, will last a lot longer, both good cards. 5770 obviously less power under load ~30W and the same idle wattage.

Thanks for the advice. I will consider the quad core and I've also heard that ATi is due to release a new series of cards soon, one of which would be a successor to the 5770. Considering waiting for this (by building the rest of the box, using my existing video card and then upgrading upon release).

 

[Dash Kappei]

Hi guys.
So, I haven't looked in PC hardware in more than 5 years.
I have a 2008 MacBook Pro.
I know it's a lot to ask, but if some GAF tech-head could help in my quest-for-quality... it'd be much, much appreciated! I'm always amazed at brain-stew's posts and I read you guys' dedication to build those uber-rigs of yours with disbelief, it's awesome! :lol
I'm gonna break my post into sections.

-HELP?...please?

I'm looking to build my new HTPC which will be used in my home cinema room (I'll post pics soon in the Gaming setup thread but here there are some old shitty color-fucked cellphone pics of the "still in construction" project:

shitty pics:

-----
-WHAT Do I need:

Consider that THIS (or a new version of it if there is one already) will be my case:

and that I already know which audio card to buy, which will cost me $300 circa (steeeeep! but well it's not really just the audio card, it's the operationals' mod which costs more than half of that... and yes I do need it and no, I'm not going to use HDMI audio but analog 7.1. I know what I'm doing here, so it's not up for debate to move part of this audio budget to the rig's budget),
that leaves a $650/$700 max budget for everything else:

• power supply
• motherboard
• CPU
• blu-ray drive (I could put this one on hold if the budget's too small)
• GPU
• internal hard disk
• RAM
• and whatnot (no keyboard/mouse)

I need some serious help from you guys since I know jack shit. :lol

-My goal:

The main use will be blu-ray/hi-def movies playback first, and secondly but still important some gaming... where "some" actually means "a lot" BUT 90% of the time it'll be confined to a single genre (read my next bit where I'll explain it).
I will always prefer a rock stable configuration versus something with performances enhancement but which can occasionally freeze/overheat (I dunno, uber over clocked cpu and whatnot) since my tech illiterate family will also make use of it, especially when I'm gone for weeks/months. They've used HTPC before but obviously they would not be able to fix even the simplest thing.

Gaming:
To play new RACING games at rock solid stable 60fps@1080p and possibly NAOMI2/etc emulated stuff too. My PS3/Xbox360 (Wii's hooked up to the plasma) will still be my gaming platform of choice, it's very difficult that I'm going to to use this rig to play FPS games and whatnot, and I have so little time to play when I get home that I just want to put a disc in and start to play. Also I would be forced to rely only on RETAIL releases since that room is hooked to the 'net via a HDSPA 3G+ connection with some serious bandwith cap, so no Steam and the like :/
Why making an exception for racing games you ask? To use my G27 wheel to the max and more than anything I can't play racing games at friggin' 30fps... also 1080p f*yeah!

Can anybody lend me an hand in fulfilling this little project?
I have 1/1 and a half month time to get there, after that my HT romm will be probably be finished and I'd like to have everything on the PC side set-up as well.

 

[CSampson]

Run CPU-Z and check what it reads. Updating your motherboard BIOS would probably be a good idea. As for the freezing that is usually a HDD or RAM problem.

Download your HDD specific diagnostic (WD, Samsung, Seagate, etc.) and run that.
Run memtest 86+ from a CD for both sticks, then each stick individually.

Alright I have done all of the above...memtest 86+ is currently running, passed first test, no errors...gonna leave it on for a few more passes but it doesnt look like my freezing is solved

Any other suggestions? Im thinking ill bring it into a repair shop and pay those ridiculous prices. Poor computer !

 

[Outdoor Miner]

Alright I have done all of the above...memtest 86+ is currently running, passed first test, no errors...gonna leave it on for a few more passes but it doesnt look like my freezing is solved

Any other suggestions? Im thinking ill bring it into a repair shop and pay those ridiculous prices. Poor computer !

A while back I was having problems where I would crash after 10-30 minutes into any gaming session. I tried everything under the sun to fix the problem to no avail. One day I opened the case to give the interior a good cleaning and noticed my RAM sticks had a sticker that read 2.0-2.1v required. Went to look in the BIOS and sure enough they were being fed well below that @ 1.8v, so I bumped it up to 2.1v and no more problems since.

 

[CSampson]

A while back I was having problems where I would crash after 10-30 minutes into any gaming session. I tried everything under the sun to fix the problem to no avail. One day I opened the case to give the interior a good cleaning and noticed my RAM sticks had a sticker that read 2.0-2.1v required. Went to look in the BIOS and sure enough they were being fed well below that @ 1.8v, so I bumped it up to 2.1v and no more problems since.

Thanks bud, gonna check that now.

Edit: Checked my Ram, only requires 1.5V and they were getting that. Thanks anyways though, it was a good idea.

 

[Hawk269]

Hey Hazarro or Anyone else wanting to give an opinion on this...

I appreciate all the advice and feedback many of you have provided to me and others in this thread, but need some more help in making a decision...

I am a total noob with the PC. I wanted a PC that could run everything I throw at it at 1080p, 60fps with Vsync. My friend with the advice of others her put together a rig that is really good, but there are games where I am not maxing out, mainly framerate etc. Here is the Rig I currently have:

AMD Phenom II Black Edition 965 4x@3.4
Evga Super Clocked 480
Evga Super Clocked 460/dedicated to Physics
8 Gigs of Ram
Windows 64Bit
Asus MN475ND Motherboard SLI Ready Motherboard
1TB Seagate HDD
Corsair 850W PSU
Asus 24xDVD Drive

I am looking towards going Intel with the I7's, new mother board that someone suggested and the tri-channel ram. I think what is giving me less performance than I wanted is the AMD Processor.

I guess what I need help with is this...if going with the I7 950 Bloomfiled @3.04ghz going to give me much better performance than my current rig? My friend that built it will buy at face value the parts that I dont need from the old system, but I would not rather spend more money if my perforamnce gains are going to be hardly noticible.

I appreciate any feedback anyone might have. Thank you.

 

[Fredescu]

there are games where I am not maxing out, mainly framerate etc.

Which games at what res and what do you consider "maxing out"? I've never existed on the cutting edge of hardware performance because to me it rarely represents value for money, but I really struggle to imagine a situation where I would be unhappy with the performance of a machine with the specs you've provided. Chances are you're not CPU bound and the 480 is fast as hell without going down the often inconsistent SLi track. Have you considered that your problem might be one of expectations rather than one of performance?

 

[Hawk269]

Which games at what res and what do you consider "maxing out"? I've never existed on the cutting edge of hardware performance because to me it rarely represents value for money, but I really struggle to imagine a situation where I would be unhappy with the performance of a machine with the specs you've provided. Chances are you're not CPU bound and the 480 is fast as hell without going down the often inconsistent SLi track. Have you considered that your problem might be one of expectations rather than one of performance?

It could be just expectations, I run everything at 1080p on the rig, but some games like Mafia 2 are not hitting 60, even dedicating the 460 to physx and the 480 to the game.

What I consider maxing out is 1080p and every option set to MAX, Vsync on and AA on as well. Being new to PC gaming, coming from consoles for the last 15 years, I just want to make sure I am getting maxim output from my system. In reading alot of threads on other sites, looking at benchmark scores, it seems like a system with an I7 processors seem to be getting better scores.

I just have the means to do it, but that money can go towards other things as well, so it's just a matter of being unsure of what I just built and if I made a bad decision to go AMD. I guess the other thing is that sometime in the near future, I think I would want to go 2xSLI with 480's and the motherboard will not support that.

Anyways, I guess, I am just wondering what I will gain with the I7 versus the AMD I have.

 

[Fredescu]

The i7s are certainly the faster processors and if high end is what you want, that's your processor. I'd expect incremental improvements at best over your current set up though. That might be enough to get you to 60fps in the games you want, it might not.

These guys can't even get 60fps in Mafia II with a 480 and an (admittedly stock clocked) i7-920 with Phys-x turned off: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.p...sk=view&id=582&Itemid=64&limit=1&limitstart=7

There are some phyx performance tweaks for Mafia II here that could help: http://physxinfo.com/news/3628/mafia-ii-demo-tweaking-physx-performance/

Not being able to run everything at max isn't the end of the world. In fact, I get kinda worried when the opposite is true - that the software just isn't pushing the hardware enough anymore. I like it when "max settings" in game isn't physically possible yet, and I hate the gnashing of teeth when a game like Metro comes out with high recommended specs because they've implemented a bunch of features that no one can really max out yet. Then there are those who think that (fully patched) GTA IV is a shit port because it doesn't run smoothly with the sliders all the way up. Some games allow for future hardware advances, and we should embrace them.

If you're new to PC gaming, one really cool aspect of it is revisiting old games when you do a full upgrade and retry all your old games on your shiny new hardware. It's a great feeling.

--

tl;dr: I don't know the answer to your question, but PC gaming is pretty cool

 

[Hazaro]

My friend with the advice of others her put together a rig that is really good, but there are games where I am not maxing out, mainly framerate etc. Here is the Rig I currently have:

AMD Phenom II Black Edition 965 4x@3.4
Evga Super Clocked 480
Evga Super Clocked 460/dedicated to Physics

60FPS, Max, and AA on all games is pretty demanding. For most games it would probably be the GPU you are taxing the most, but overclocking your CPU to 3.8Ghz and seeing if you net improvement would be the first step in the games you aren't maxing. If it's not making a difference, then you might want to look into dual GTX 480's or wait on AMD's new 6xxx series later this year.

FRAPS has an FPS average / benchmark I think that works with the free version.

 

[Smokey]

tl;dr: I don't know the answer to your question, but PC gaming is pretty cool

:lol

Hawk I'll let some of the more experienced of PC-Age answer more in depth, but from what I know the core i5/i7 are much better for gaming. Not to say that AMD is bad because it's not especially your processor, but if this is strictly a gaming machine I think the Intel route would be the way to go. I'm not to sure the 480 is the issue especially at only 1080p, but you can't expect to max out EVERY game and get 60fps. I think if that's what you truly want then you may want to look into SLI 480s. I know you had a bad experience with the 460 in SLI...just saying though.

I'll let some of the more knowledgeable people fill in other stuff, just my two cents.

 

[Fredescu]

I forgot that 3.4 was stock for the 965. Definitely try overclocking first.

I know the core i5/i7 (for games) are much better for gaming.

Clock for clock maybe, but his particular processor should be roughly equivalent to the i5-750.

 

[Dash Kappei]

Ugh, if anybody has already looked at my post (post #14414 on this page) I need to stress that I've edited it with a couple of bits more, since I had completely forgotten that for that budget I actually need a CPU as well! :lol
Also, is my budget too low for what I need to buy and the performance I'm looking for?

 

[Midas]

Asus finally delivered the graphics cards so I got one of them laying right next to me now. Can't wait to get home. This will be the longest three hours, ever. :lol

 

[FormallyMegadrive]

Cut/pasted from AusGAF:

All prices are in Australian dollars.

Megadrive's building a PC

My parents recently remembered (I had forgotten also) that they hadn't bought me a 21st present and are cool with me spending $1000-1100 on a new PC.

Fredescu and a few others were helping me build a PC tonight and I'm modifying a build Fred's making for somebody else. This was Fred's build with an AMD CPU:

Gaming Case Lancool PC-K58 (tool-less) no PSU Black $99
MotherBoard AMD AM3 Gigabyte GA-880GM-USB3 (rev. 1.0) (all in 1/AM3/DDR3 only) $119
CPU/Processor AMD AM3 Phenom II x6 1055T (Turbo Core 2.8GHz/9MB/125W) $235
Power Supply 620w Seasonic S12II Bronze $149
RAM Desktop DDR3 Ram 4GB Kit (2x2048MB) PC10666 1333MHz Patriot PSD34G1333KH 9-9-9-24 (AM3 & intel S1156, S775) $103
Video Card PCI-e (nV) GTX 460 1024MB OC Gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI (715/3600MHz) $279
HDD 3.5" HDD SATA-300 2TB (2000GB) 32MB/7200rpm Hitachi Deskstar™ 7K2000 $155

This is my modified build with an AMD CPU/Mobo:
Mobo AMD AM3 Gigabyte GA-880GM-USB3 $108
CPU AMD AM3 Phenom II x6 1055T (Turbo Core 2.8GHz/9MB/125W) $220
PSU 620w Seasonic S12II Bronze $135
RAM Corsair DDR3 4GB PC-10600/1333 (2x XMS3 2GB) CMV4GX3M2A1333C9 Ram $106.7
GPU GTX 460 1024MB OC Gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI (715/3600MHz) $ 260
HDD Seagate SATA 1.5 TB HDD $46.2
Extra Thermaltake Contac 29 CPU Cooler $99
Cost: $974.9

This is modified with an Intel CPU/Mobo:
Mobo Asus P7P55D-E-LX Intel Mainboard - 4x DDR3 / 6x Sata Raid / Gigabit Lan / LGA 1156 $145
CPU Intel Core i5-760 2.80Ghz (LGA1156) CPU Genuine Retail Box $238
Cost: $1029.90

Are there any components I should possibly change? Is there an advantage to using the AMD over the Intel or vice versa? My budget is around $1000-1100 and I'd like a mid-high range computer for gaming (TF2, Trackmania Nations is what I primarily playing atm, want to try out newer higher-req games) if that's possible.

Mainly interested in PSU, GPU, CPU/Mobo. Thanks!

 

[CSampson]

Thanks bud, gonna check that now.

Edit: Checked my Ram, only requires 1.5V and they were getting that. Thanks anyways though, it was a good idea.

Well, last ditch effort, time to reformat. If that doesn't work then...well...I dunno. My first built PC being sick 2 months after I built it .

 

[rogue74]

Well, last ditch effort, time to reformat. If that doesn't work then...well...I dunno. My first built PC being sick 2 months after I built it .

How long did you run memtest86+ for?

 

[Corky]

WELP...

Got my new monitor, I'm hugging the shit out of it because I dare say that this little 300$ monitor is better than my 1500$ hdtv.

Now if only I could plug something other than a 360 to this pc-monitor...think corky think....what could I plug , into this....

 

[Dina]

Can anybody lend me an hand in fulfilling this little project?
I have 1/1 and a half month time to get there, after that my HT romm will be probably be finished and I'd like to have everything on the PC side set-up as well.

Maybe my project will do you some good. I just ordered this today. It's for HD/BR playback mostly, with mild gaming. To be able to do racing games, I would recommend a low-profile HD 57**/HD 55** card. This system got good airflow without being noisy.

Conceptronic CBT2NANO
Samsung EcoGreen F2 EG HD154UI, 1.5TB
Sony Optiarc AD-7260S
Silverstone LC17
Silverstone FP33S
Logitech Cordless Mediaboard Pro (Qwerty)
2x Cooler Master SAF-S84-E1 , 80mm
AMD Athlon II X4 640
D-Link DIR-655 Gigabit-router
Nexus Value 430
Kingston ValueRAM KVR1333D3N9K2/4G
Scythe Shuriken Rev. B CPU Cooler
Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H

Total: 670 euro's

The conceptronic is a bluetooth receiver for the keyboard. The FP33S is a PCI-fancontroller since the LC17 can't handle 5.25 fancontrollers and I need a fancontroller because the motherboard only supports 1 casefan where I got 4. The LC17 is also mad spacious, you could definately fit a graphics card in there. D-Link is a router cause I still needed it.

 

[Midas]

My new computer is up and running. Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[Corky]

My new computer is up and running. Thanks for all the help guys!

Fuck I wish life was that easy for me

 

[Shambles]

Ugh, if anybody has already looked at my post (post #14414 on this page) I need to stress that I've edited it with a couple of bits more, since I had completely forgotten that for that budget I actually need a CPU as well! :lol
Also, is my budget too low for what I need to buy and the performance I'm looking for?

Is this HTPC going to be driving your speakers directly or are you putting your audio through a receiver? I'm saying this because a 300$ audio card, or any audio card for that matter is a waste if you can just pass the audio through the HDMI port on your GPU.

 

[anonymousAversa]

-WHAT Do I need:

Consider that THIS (or a new version of it if there is one already) will be my case:

and that I already know which audio card to buy, which will cost me $300 circa (steeeeep!),
that leaves a $650/$700 max budget for everything else:

• power supply
• motherboard
• CPU
• blu-ray drive (I could put this one on hold if the budget's too small)
• GPU
• internal hard disk
• RAM
• and whatnot (no keyboard/mouse)

I need some serious help from you guys since I know jack shit. :lol

do NOT spend $300 on an audio card and save $700 for the rest of the PC, that is ass backwards and you will be completely screwing yourself.

make no mistake, the CPU and GPU are the two most important parts for this machine - the GPU will do 7.1 channel audio over HDMI - why do you even need a $300 audio card?

You want an i5/i7 processor and at LEAST an nvidia GTX 460 or amd (formally ati) 5770.

There have been many bundled deals posted and complete setups, and many people here can help you out much better than i can. But PLEASE do not allocate your money like that, it makes no sense. If you have a grand you CAN get a sick computer, but not that way.

 

[L0st Id3ntity]

Plus the case, a Cooler Master Haf X.

Gonna be my first build, I'm 90% excited 10% nervous, wish me luck.

 

[brain_stew]

Ugh, if anybody has already looked at my post (post #14414 on this page) I need to stress that I've edited it with a couple of bits more, since I had completely forgotten that for that budget I actually need a CPU as well! :lol
Also, is my budget too low for what I need to buy and the performance I'm looking for?

Few things.

If this is a HTPC setup why do you need a seperate audio card? You don't need top quality analog audio, all you need is for the 5.1/7.1 audio to be transferred to your receiver bit perfect and the HDMI audio on a GTX 460 or any AMD GPU will do that over HDMI just fine. Save your $300.

You need that internet connection sorted out. Most retail releases will still have massive patches or Steam updates these days and a PC that can't take advantage of DD sales is a very sad thing indeed.

Can that case fit a full size dual slot GPU?

Got any more pictures of it?

 

[HooCares]

PC Gaf -

What is the cheapest/best value graphics card that will max Starcraft 2?

Here is the rest of my setup:

# 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E7600 Processor
# 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3470 Graphics (to be replaced)
# 4GB DDR3 PC3-8500 RAM (2x 2GB)
# Windows 7

Thanks for your help.

 

[brain_stew]

PC Gaf -

What is the cheapest/best value graphics card that will max Starcraft 2?

Here is the rest of my setup:

# 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E7600 Processor
# 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3470 Graphics (to be replaced)
# 4GB DDR3 PC3-8500 RAM (2x 2GB)
# Windows 7

Thanks for your help.

What PSU do you have (if this is a store built machine have a look at the sticker on the side and tell me what is says in the "12V" category) and are you willing to replace the PSU?

 

[HooCares]

What PSU do you have (if this is a store built machine have a look at the sticker on the side and tell me what is says in the "12V" category) and are you willing to replace the PSU?

yeah it's a store bought hand me down. PSU is 220w max 250. Is swapping the PSU as simple as it sounds?

 

[·feist·]

Plus the case, a Cooler Master Haf X.

Gonna be my first build, I'm 90% excited 10% nervous, wish me luck.

Nice choice of components. Short of running a stock pile of GTX480s, that PSU is a bit much, though.

As for the HAF X, this may be too late for you, but if you are in the US, Microcenter has it on sale for about $149-159. That's a hefty savings if you can take advantage of it.

 

[MoFuzz]

yeah it's a store bought hand me down. PSU is 220w max 250. Is swapping the PSU as simple as it sounds?

That should definitely be replaced if you are putting a new GPU in. Install should be straightforward, but some pre-built retail towers have odd sized bits or locks that make it harder to upgrade the components. You could try measuring the dimensions of your existing PSU and then comparing it with what you want to purchase.

Any budget in mind for the video card? What resolution you gaming at?

 

[HooCares]

That should definitely be replaced if you are putting a new GPU in. Install should be straightforward, but some pre-built retail towers have odd sized bits or locks that make it harder to upgrade the components. You could try measuring the dimensions of your existing PSU and then comparing it with what you want to purchase.

Any budget in mind for the video card? What resolution you gaming at?

Thanks for your help everyone. I will compare and make sure I get the correct size PSU. What should I be looking at PSU wise? 400w?

I don't have a as much time as I'd like for PC games so I'm basically just turning this computer into a Starcraft 2 console if you will. Whatever is the cheapest card that will max SC2 will be fine. I was imagining spending 100$ to achieve this. Resolution is 1980 - 1080 widescreen

 

[·feist·]

I'm looking for some laptop advice, if anyone can help.

I've been too busy to look into specs, prices and retailers, and laptop knowledge is not a strong point for me. Someone I know is looking to buy a laptop for a 13-year-old girl that's about to begin high school. They'd like to around the $350 range, but I may be able to convince them to go closer to $400.

The laptop will be used mainly for surfing, school work, movies and music. Decent hardware acceleration would be good (I'd imagine even lower-end options should be able to decode 720p and FLVs w/o too much strain), but in the CPU/GPU trade-off of cheaper systems, I think she'd be better off with a faster CPU. Also, I know their budget is pretty low, but I'm trying to have them avoid going with a netbook unless there are some compelling options.

The buyer mentioned these two to me:

Toshiba C655-55049 $350
Compaq CQ62-228dX $330

Again, I've been so busy I haven't even been able to really look into either (or any other sub $5-600 laptops), so any assistance is appreciated.

 

[Raoh]

anyone know if i can use a blackberry headset with the wired mic as a gaming headset? will my games recognize that there is a mic, do i need to install software for it?

having a hard time finding a headset i like but i also have all these blackberry headsets sitting in a drawer at work

 

[MoFuzz]

Thanks for your help everyone. I will compare and make sure I get the correct size PSU. What should I be looking at PSU wise? 400w?

I don't have a as much time as I'd like for PC games so I'm basically just turning this computer into a Starcraft 2 console if you will. Whatever is the cheapest card that will max SC2 will be fine. I was imagining spending 100$ to achieve this. Resolution is 1980 - 1080 widescreen

400 to 500 watts should be plenty for your purposes, but a reputable PSU manufacturer is key so that you are getting something close to the advertised total wattage. Corsair, Seasonic, Antec are all great brands for PSU.

Don't get too caught up on just watts though, it's more vital that the PSU have at least 20 amps on the +12V rail of the PSU for most modern gaming GPU's.

According to the chart here:

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...tarcraft-ii-gpu-performance-comparison-6.html

you should be able to get by with a 5750 ($125) or even a 4850 ($95) if you just want ultra details with no AA. You could also step up to a 5770 ($140) if you felt so inclined.

SC2 only uses 2 cores at the moment, so your CPU should more than sufficient.

 

[brain_stew]

yeah it's a store bought hand me down. PSU is 220w max 250. Is swapping the PSU as simple as it sounds?

Its not particularly difficult, no.

What brand PC is this, Dell? You could probably run a 5670 in there if you don't want to upgrade the PSU and that'll be fine for Starcraft 2 at high @ 1680x1050:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161319&cm_re=5670-_-14-161-319-_-Product

If you do go ahead and upgrade the PSU then start looking at something like a GTX 465:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.456548

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127504&cm_re=gtx_465-_-14-127-504-_-Product

or GTX 460:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510

Ypu'll find more time for PC games once you've got a fantastic rig and install Steam.

 

[Irnbru]

Well guys, I'm getting a WD caviar blue 500g for 40 bucks off amazon to hold me up while samsung RMAs my F3 which died , I think it was the SATA plug, since the drive spins perfectly and everything, just nothing will read it. Thanks for help on figuring out it was dead guys!

 

[WEGGLES]

Figure this would be the best place to ask...


Any reason my Asus EEE 1005HA would be all goofy about cooling?

It's COLD in my room. My netbook is cool to the touch, the air coming out of the exhaust is cool.... and yet the fan is running at, assuming 100%.

Checked speed fan. All the Temps are aaround 32C. HD0, Temp1, Core 1 and Core 2.

Why is the fan running 100%? :\

 

[Dash Kappei]

Is this HTPC going to be driving your speakers directly or are you putting your audio through a receiver? I'm saying this because a 300$ audio card, or any audio card for that matter is a waste if you can just pass the audio through the HDMI port on your GPU.

Eh. Don't worry man, I know jack shit about pc hardware today, but I'm pretty knowledgeable on the home cinema side, it used to be my job.
Obviously it's going to manage decoding D/A to my 7.1 input of the Denon receiver + McIntosh 2100 power amps.
Thanks for asking!

Maybe my project will do you some good. I just ordered this today. It's for HD/BR playback mostly, with mild gaming. To be able to do racing games, I would recommend a low-profile HD 57**/HD 55** card. This system got good airflow without being noisy.


The conceptronic is a bluetooth receiver for the keyboard. The FP33S is a PCI-fancontroller since the LC17 can't handle 5.25 fancontrollers and I need a fancontroller because the motherboard only supports 1 casefan where I got 4. The LC17 is also mad spacious, you could definately fit a graphics card in there. D-Link is a router cause I still needed it.

Thanks!
Although my case is definitely going to be a ThermalTake DH series. Probably the 101, maybe the 202, I still have to decide that.
I can get a great deal on the DH 101 just for $120 (here it's still $299 RRP) and I know it's awesome because my buddy has two of them.
I also don't need the router and I tought most motherboards had bluetooth receiver in them, I guess not then? :/
The rest I'll take definitely a look, tho I dunno if every piece you posted fits on the ThermalTake.

do NOT spend $300 on an audio card and save $700 for the rest of the PC, that is ass backwards and you will be completely screwing yourself.

No it's not mate, it's all relative to *my* needs.

make no mistake, the CPU and GPU are the two most important parts for this machine - the GPU will do 7.1 channel audio over HDMI - why do you even need a $300 audio card?

Because I'm not going to fucking use HDMI audio.
The audio card has much, much better D/A converters and it's pretty much a fucking beast which beats to death my previous NAD pre-amp as crazy as may that sound. But really, there's no reason to argue about this, since there's a valid reason I allocated my budget like that. This is an home theatre PC first and foremost, that's it. And only two parts I said I'm sure about (case and audio card) it's just because I tried the stuff first hand, it's just that from there the project leaves the HT rails to take a route to gaming... and I really don't know where to go without help.

You want an i5/i7 processor and at LEAST an nvidia GTX 460 or amd (formally ati) 5770.

"At least" means? Will I be able to, say, play F1 2010 at max settings 60fps and 1080p?
LOL? Or maybe yeah?
I'm going to spend $50 more if that means anything, it's not that kind of money that will make me poor but I'd like to stay on budget if possible