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[Crazymoogle]

A friend of mine will be in Miami in 10 days (I live in Brazil) and he will buy me a HD 5870. Despite that, I'd like to order additional pc parts and have them delivered at his hotel. Thus, I wonder if is it possible to buy parts from any US store, pay with an International Card (or Paypal) and have them be delivered in US soil?

Not that I've heard of. Amazon and Newegg seem to thrive on the idea of having a CC from the same region that you are shipping to (namely, the US). I guess its possible either of those (or NCIXUS) might do it via Paypal, but my past experience is that even on paypal, they expect the regions to match up...

If you're on US soil, a prepaid credit card could work, though...

 

[cryptic]

Damn son help me out. Reseated the card don't see any bronze, still not seeing the picture. If I put a molex in there will it male thing's aiight?

 

[GHG]

The bios beeps should come from your motherboard not your speakers.

When I built a PC about 5 years ago, had exactly the same problem as you, no image, no beeps. Turned out the mobo was DOA. Take things away one by one and give it a go, leave only the essentials plugged in. If the motherboard has onboard graphics then try and use that to see if you can identify the problem.

 

[cryptic]

I don't think it's the motherboard(asus 790 fx deluxe) as the power and reset lights on it function fine. I have tried three different graphics cards (one might have been faulty) and the latest one is brand new. I'm thimking it might be my hdds not loading into windows 7 properly but there would be some kind of start up screen if it were that,right?
Also, if anyone would be willing to help by contacting asus or xfx online about the issue I'd greatly appreciate it;typing on cellphone.

 

[MoFuzz]

Is it normal for voltage in Windows to be lower than BIOS settings? Everest, CPU-Z and OCCT all show my oc'ed E5200 hovering around 1.39 to 1.4v. In the BIOS though, it is set at 1.4375 or somewhere thereabouts. This is the lowest I can get while still keeping it stable.

Also, is it safe to have the voltage this high? I remember seeing 1.4v as being close to the threshold for Core2/Pentium Dual-Core's. Wouldn't want to do any long term damage...

 

[MikeE21286]

Since you're after better performance in Crysis you really (like really, really) should OC that Q6600. The Q6600 is legendary in OCing circles, it begs for it, don't leave her as the ugliest at the ball.

I remember I had good intentions of oc'ing it when I bought it too....I even made sure to get one with G0 stepping becuase it was supposedly better/easier to OC.

I should go ahead and do that :lol

 

[Firestorm]

I remember I had good intentions of oc'ing it when I bought it too....I even made sure to get one with G0 stepping becuase it was supposedly better/easier to OC.

I should go ahead and do that :lol

It was a lot easier than I thought with my Q9550 although I wasn't doing a major overclock (just 20% or 570 MHz).

 

[cryptic]

Now I understand why console gaming is superior, there are very few hassles.

 

[Wallach]

If you're absolutely adamant on spending $400 then a custom build is not the way to go. Just get any Dell/HP piece of crap and you'll be fine.

Edit: You want to play WOW? With Wotlk? Eh, gonna have to probably spend a bit more than $400 to get a decent experience then. WoW can be surprisingly demanding once fully patched up.

Worth noting, WoW (even with WotLK) is still much more CPU-bound than GPU-bound. If you are building specifically for that, you can pull a bit from the GPU budget to ensure you get a good processor.

 

[SapientWolf]

Now I understand why console gaming is superior, there are very few hassles.

Sometimes there's more work but there's potential for greater returns on a PC.

 

[cryptic]

I've spent months of buying new piece after new piece. Now everything is new but nothing works. So depressed right now.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Now I understand why console gaming is superior, there are very few hassles.

superior? care to explain why? actually dont you lousy troll. this thread is about PC hardware (with a slant towards games) no console discussion whatsoever. no games discussion whatsoever.

 

[GHG]

I've spent months of buying new piece after new piece. Now everything is new but nothing works. So depressed right now.

IMO you should never buy piece by piece like that, save and buy all together if you're buying a new system, it makes life a lot easier if something goes wrong.

Yes console gaming is a 'lot less hassle', but you wont get to play games at higher quality and sometimes with unlimited customisation. So if your willing to put the time in and solve whatever problems you come across then trust me you'll benefit. If not then it sucks to be you I guess. If this is your 1st custom build you're bound to have teething problems, its normal.

Can you post a full list of components (including power supply) you're working with so that someone can actually have a stab at helping you?

If it was you're HDD your computer would at least POST. First things forst you need to try and get the thing to POST so that you can see where the problem is. Disconnet the HDD, take out all but one stick of ram, make sure all connections are seated and secure. Make sure the GPU you're using has the power supply molex properly connected.

Read ---> http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=39685

Also google your problem. No bios beep and no video.

Help yourself and people will try and help you.

 

[cryptic]

Reading that thread nearly killed me at what I may have to go through.I've googled everything about this issue and there might be some issue with xfx 5770 graphics cards and asus mobos.
Specs:
asus m4a79 deluxe mobo
antec 900 case
two seagate hdds one 320gb the other 640
3gb RAM 512 512 1 gb 1gb some brand with planet ring around m(stock hp)
Antec 750w new psu
Amd phenom 2 965 120w
xfx 5770

I'm trying my best to phone type.

 

[D3RANG3D]

Now I understand why console gaming is superior, there are very few hassles.

:lol

 

[Spiderjericho]

It seems to be a common problem.

http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=260&threadid=116226

This site has alot of info about how to Fix BSOD's

http://www.pcauthorities.com/pc-errors/how-to-repair-blue-screen-errors

one post in particular may help if you haven't fixed the problem.

Another thing I’d suggest is to run “sfc /scannow” in the command prompt. This will verify and correct your Windows system files.

Do you have a program that can show you temps like GPU-Z or System Monitor and post results? I believe links to those programs are on this threads OP.

I want to thank you. You've been very helpful. I probably won't mess around with the rig until the desktop. But no, I have not been using GPU-Z or System Monitor. Would you recommend I use them? I'll install them this weekend and see if the temps are the issues.

That thread was depressing. It didn't seem like he found a solution to the problem. I found a thread on Capcom Unity where users were complaining about the same thing.

When I work on the rig, I'll download the programs you suggested, run memory test and restore the BIOS default settings and see if those resolve my issues.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Now I understand why console gaming is superior, there are very few hassles.

By that same logic fast food is superior because it's the most convenient method to obtain a meal.

 

[GHG]

Reading that thread nearly killed me at what I may have to go through.I've googled everything about this issue and there might be some issue with xfx 5770 graphics cards and asus mobos.
Specs:
asus m4a79 deluxe mobo
antec 900 case
two seagate hdds one 320gb the other 640
3gb RAM 512 512 1 gb 1gb some brand with planet ring around m(stock hp)
Antec 750w new psu
Amd phenom 2 965 120w
xfx 5770

I'm trying my best to phone type.

So you're mixing and matching different types of ram? Thats a bad idea in a lot of cases. Plus its an odd number in terms of GB's to compound the issue. Try that fisrt. Use just one stick (a new one if possible). If not then just use a single old stick that you know was working on your old PC.

The problem is you're throwing a lot of old components at what looks like a new motherboard. You're asking for trouble and compatability issues.

Disconnect both HDD's and any other drives (DVD etc), make sure the 5770 is plugged into the PSU correctly, use a single stick of RAM and try to get the thing to POST. Then you can deal with the HDD's and everything else seperately one by one.

 

[The Chef]

PC GAF, help me out.

When I turn my PC on, windows XP loads - black screen, then this:

Sits for a moment then reboots.

I just reformatted and reinstalled XP about 2 weeks ago. So what is going on?

 

[GHG]

PC GAF, help me out.

When I turn my PC on, windows XP loads - black screen, then this:

*snip*

Sits for a moment then reboots.

I just reformatted and reinstalled XP about 2 weeks ago. So what is going on?

System registry file corrupt/deleted = get the XP disk out and reinstall.

Easiest way to deal with it AFAIK.

 

[TheExodu5]

Meh, mixing and matching RAM is easy as long as you're not overclocking much. Since the fsb runs so low on these motherboards, you can have shitty RAM with good timings still.

My crappiest RAM is some PQi stuff rated at 6-6-6-18, but since I'm only running it at 667mhz (instead of it's rated 800mhz), it does 4-4-4-12 timings just fine. You do need to make sure that matched pairs have the exact same number of chips on them though, otherwise they won't run in dual channel mode.

 

[The Chef]

System registry file corrupt/deleted = get the XP disk out and reinstall.

Easiest way to deal with it AFAIK.

Crap I figured as much. I HAVE to backup my HDD though. I guess I can pull the drive, plug it into my mac and copy everything on to an external. Ahh this sucks.

 

[D3RANG3D]

Crap I figured as much. I HAVE to backup my HDD though. I guess I can pull the drive, plug it into my mac and copy everything on to an external. Ahh this sucks.

Reboot your computer, hit f8 select the last known good configuration, I know it's a long shot but it is worth the try.

You have two options, reinstall easy, or restore your registry long and hard.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545

 

[Firestorm]

Another solution is just installing Windows 7 over it and having it back up all your documents and stuff to Windows.old >.>

 

[cryptic]

Meh, mixing and matching RAM is easy as long as you're not overclocking much. Since the fsb runs so low on these motherboards, you can have shitty RAM with good timings still.

My crappiest RAM is some PQi stuff rated at 6-6-6-18, but since I'm only running it at 667mhz (instead of it's rated 800mhz), it does 4-4-4-12 timings just fine. You do need to make sure that matched pairs have the exact same number of chips on them though, otherwise they won't run in dual channel mode.

I just snatched these sticks out of an old HP that worked fine with this exact set-up a few months ago so I feel confident about them. Thanks for the info.

GHG, I'll follow your advice right away and see if I can get something. I'll take out the plugs for the three led fans, too.

 

[cryptic]

I got to the motherboard screen.

 

[TouchMyBox]

So... My Alt-Rig is finally complete, I dunno if anyone cares to see, but I'm a total nerd for this shit so I'll post it.

 

[MoFuzz]

So... My Alt-Rig is finally complete, I dunno if anyone cares to see, but I'm a total nerd for this shit so I'll post it.

Looks nice. Is it a good idea to keep the old a/v equipment on top of the tower like that though? Seems like you'd be blocking airflow, not to mention the extra weight.

Secondary rig for the GF's house?

 

[cryptic]

I made it to Windows fine but am now unfortunately encountering a hot cpu which I believe is causing the constant screen flickers. My cpu is running at 83 F off the stock heatsink with amd cool n quiet unning while my mobo is at 79 F. There are about 6 fans running in the case.
I spread the arctic silver thermal paste in streaks and globs to avoid touching it evenly about like you try to do on a taster strudel. Should I have drowned the thing in thermal paste or is the stock heatsink just crummy like that?

Thank you GTG I would have been stuck without you, waiting to finish downloading some Steam games; a bit miffed that I missed the holiday sale entirely. I doubled up two fans onto one rail and I guess that diverted too much to just that hence why it didn't even post. Thanks again.

 

[Phloxy]

ok, got my new pc all built thanks to neogaf an this thread!

mobo- ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

processor- Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core

ram- CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

gfx- nvidia 275gtx with 9800gt for physx

monitor- ASUS VW246H 24-Inch Widescreen LCD Monitor

psu- CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V

Got it with a windows 7 oem and an some logitech g35 7.1 headset. My previous rig was a pavilion elite i got about a year ago. I'm ready...for a massive upgade!

 

[Swag]

logitech g35 7.1 headset

Awesome headset, although the surround sound leaves a bit to be desired.

 

[crimsonheadGCN]

I made it to Windows fine but am now unfortunately encountering a hot cpu which I believe is causing the constant screen flickers. My cpu is running at 83 F off the stock heatsink with amd cool n quiet unning while my mobo is at 79 F. There are about 6 fans running in the case.
I spread the arctic silver thermal paste in streaks and globs to avoid touching it evenly about like you try to do on a taster strudel. Should I have drowned the thing in thermal paste or is the stock heatsink just crummy like that?

The temperatures are fine there. It's a little above room temperature (25 degrees Celsius/77 degrees Fahrenheit), but you are using the stock heatsink so it is understandable. A better heatsink and properly applying thermal paste would shave off over 10 degrees.

Don't ever drown the thing in thermal paste though. That might make things worse, since the paste can sometimes cause shorts or it might increase temperatures.

Where does the screen flickering occur? When you finally log into Windows or while it's starting up?

 

[Phloxy]

Awesome headset, although the surround sound leaves a bit to be desired.

It did for my buddy as well, but once he got the new drivers, their was a huge increase in the clarity and range of the surround sound. So look into it if you can.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

I made it to Windows fine but am now unfortunately encountering a hot cpu which I believe is causing the constant screen flickers. My cpu is running at 83 F off the stock heatsink with amd cool n quiet unning while my mobo is at 79 F. There are about 6 fans running in the case.
I spread the arctic silver thermal paste in streaks and globs to avoid touching it evenly about like you try to do on a taster strudel. Should I have drowned the thing in thermal paste or is the stock heatsink just crummy like that?

Thank you GTG I would have been stuck without you, waiting to finish downloading some Steam games; a bit miffed that I missed the holiday sale entirely. I doubled up two fans onto one rail and I guess that diverted too much to just that hence why it didn't even post. Thanks again.

sounds like you put too much thermal paste. you are only supposed to put one small drop or streak across the CPU and then install the heatsink and kinda give it twist to spread the paste. but your temps are fine.

 

[Swag]

It did for my buddy as well, but once he got the new drivers, their was a huge increase in the clarity and range of the surround sound. So look into it if you can.

I'm gonna have to look into that when I get back to my campus, before pretty much it just blasted all the speakers at the same time, based on where the sound was coming from.

Easy to tell where the sound was coming from, horrible for depth.

 

[teacupcopter]

So I have looked a little into 3d gaming, posted earlier in the thread, but is there a different source of info? All i have so far is an nvidia site saying their card can do 3d output on old games and look half decent, if you have the screen for it, and a list of a couple screens.

Is it just nvidia? do ati have plans to? any comprehensive write ups/lists/etc for cards, screens, etc?

 

[Minsc]

So I have looked a little into 3d gaming, posted earlier in the thread, but is there a different source of info? All i have so far is an nvidia site saying their card can do 3d output on old games and look half decent, if you have the screen for it, and a list of a couple screens.

Is it just nvidia? do ati have plans to? any comprehensive write ups/lists/etc for cards, screens, etc?

People have been requesting 3D support in ATI's drivers for over 10 years apparently, and they've done jack shit up until reportedly next month will be the first time ever they're adding in 3D support for videos, not games.

As 3D catches on more and more, there's no reason why ATI couldn't put support for it in their 4800 and 5800 series cards, but by the time they actually do it, it could be years from now, who knows.

nVidia's the way to go, you will need the package with the glasses, and a compatible screen, and probably at least a GTX 260 to get good frame-rates at higher resolutions without dropping a ton of options in newer games (even though in some you'll be hitting in the 20s).

There's a big thread here on it you can read for impressions, and is still currently carrying some discussion.

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

My 8800 Ultra is 100 degrees Celsius during gaming, and 70 while idle. It's not even overclocked, is this a problem?

 

[LAUGHTREY]

If you're absolutely adamant on spending $400 then a custom build is not the way to go. Just get any Dell/HP piece of crap and you'll be fine.

Edit: You want to play WOW? With Wotlk? Eh, gonna have to probably spend a bit more than $400 to get a decent experience then. WoW can be surprisingly demanding once fully patched up.

I forgot to mention I bought Win7 already for 30 bucks.


I honestly don't know how this can be hard, and everyone I ask for advice just calls me a lunatic. It's WoW for christs sake, I don't need to play in ultra mode. I need 30 fps on 0 shadows and 2X AA.


This is the computer I play on now that I bought on 8/23/2007
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119077
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152085
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211066 x2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182016
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127284
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188015
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115016


It plays wow just fine and most of my settings are at high or close to it playing at 1440x900 res. 4gb of ram on Vista 32 bit with a 8600GTS.

I can't understand how I can't get something that is good as or better than something I bought in 2007 for 900 for 400 today? I need a clone of my computer for cheap for another room in the house, not an upgrade to my existing machine.

 

[Annihilator]

My 8800 Ultra is 100 degrees Celsius during gaming, and 70 while idle. It's not even overclocked, is this a problem?

100 Degrees celsius is 212 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a problem, unless you make breakfast on your card while you game.

 

[Minsc]

100 Degrees celsius is 212 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a problem, unless you make breakfast on your card while you game.

It's definitely not unheard of for electronics to operate at around 100C, though the reviews I pulled up of 8800 Ultras pinned them to around 60C idle and 85C full load.

 

[Annihilator]

It's definitely not unheard of for electronics to operate at around 100C, though the reviews I pulled up of 8800 Ultras pinned them to around 60C idle and 85C full load.

I would be worried with temps like that...But yeah the reviews all say it runs hot just never seen them metion a temp that high.

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

It's definitely not unheard of for electronics to operate at around 100C, though the reviews I pulled up of 8800 Ultras pinned them to around 60C idle and 85C full load.

It's pretty dusty in my case, I think that may be the problem. What are the best ways to get rid of it? What temperatures would I want in order to OC?

 

[TouchMyBox]

Looks nice. Is it a good idea to keep the old a/v equipment on top of the tower like that though? Seems like you'd be blocking airflow, not to mention the extra weight.

Secondary rig for the GF's house?

Nah, that AV stuff is on a rack behind the computer. It would be ironic if I were to stack things on it due to the fact that it has 2 140mm fans at the top which was a big selling point for the case in the first place.

 

[number1jagsfan]

I have a question for PC GAF, recently my PC has been coming up with the following error message:

RAID Access Failure.
Access failure: Critical error on
disk WDC WD3200AAJS-00VWA0 (Port: SATA 1.0)

Anyway, my PC is basically totally fucked, keeps crashing, cant play audio/video properly, cant play games etc.

So I'm totally clueless about PCs and googling didn't help at all so I thought I'd ask GAF first before I phoned technical support. My extended warranty just ran out at Christmas so if it is something bad I will have to pay for a repair. Anyone got any ideas?

 

[brain_stew]

I forgot to mention I bought Win7 already for 30 bucks.


I honestly don't know how this can be hard, and everyone I ask for advice just calls me a lunatic. It's WoW for christs sake, I don't need to play in ultra mode. I need 30 fps on 0 shadows and 2X AA.


This is the computer I play on now that I bought on 8/23/2007
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119077
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152085
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211066 x2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182016
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127284
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188015
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115016


It plays wow just fine and most of my settings are at high or close to it playing at 1440x900 res. 4gb of ram on Vista 32 bit with a 8600GTS.

I can't understand how I can't get something that is good as or better than something I bought in 2007 for 900 for 400 today? I need a clone of my computer for cheap for another room in the house, not an upgrade to my existing machine.

I've managed it. Just. This is really the absolute least you should be spending on a rig, investing an extra $50-$100 would go a long way though and is highly recommended.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103687
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227346
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171046
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127448
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152096
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811233058
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136167

Since you've already got a copy of Windows this will definitely be a much better rig than you could get from Dell or HP. Upgrade options are pretty great as well. I'm actually surprised what you can manage on a $400 budget these days.

Its a much better rig than your current system, might want to reconsider which is used as your secondary machine.

 

[Dynoro]

My 8800 Ultra is 100 degrees Celsius during gaming, and 70 while idle. It's not even overclocked, is this a problem?

My old 8800GT OC used to run close to that before I upgraded - I suspect the overheating is what caused the red pixel crashing in batman and trials2. Since the new card I've had no trouble (did swap to ATi too though).

As a temporary step grab Rivatuner and manually check fan speeds and temperatures and maybe even check the paste on the card

 

[brain_stew]

It's pretty dusty in my case, I think that may be the problem. What are the best ways to get rid of it? What temperatures would I want in order to OC?

A can of compressed air should do the trick. Its almost certainly what's causing the increased temperatures, I suggest you get it sorted out asap.

 

[Dynoro]

I have a question for PC GAF, recently my PC has been coming up with the following error message:

RAID Access Failure.
Access failure: Critical error on
disk WDC WD3200AAJS-00VWA0 (Port: SATA 1.0)

Anyway, my PC is basically totally fucked, keeps crashing, cant play audio/video properly, cant play games etc.

So I'm totally clueless about PCs and googling didn't help at all so I thought I'd ask GAF first before I phoned technical support. My extended warranty just ran out at Christmas so if it is something bad I will have to pay for a repair. Anyone got any ideas?

Sounds like your HDD is up the creek I'm afraid; pop it in another PC as a secondary and copy off what you can before it kicks the bucket

 

[SundaySounds]

Is anyone else having a problem playing flash/shockwave videos on 64 bit w7?

Every time I try to watch the daily show on hulu, my pc will crash or my browser will crash.