• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition

Hey GAF, I am looking to upgrade my computer in the next few months, so I am asking for some help from the GAF Brain_Trust (see...see what I did there...). I am currently running an Intel Q6600 on 4 gigs of memory and 2 8800GTs SLIed (sp?). I play most of my games at 1920x1200 and I would like to be able to play the new Battlefield, Just Cause 2, and Metro at high settings. I have built my computer before, so I have some ideas about where to get my parts, but I am not nearly as "in the know" as some of the other GAFers. My price range is about $500-$600 for Mobo, Proc, Mem, and Vid card. I have done some reading and have a few questions as well. From what I read in the 2010 tech post, the new AMDs coming out in late April seem to be pretty awesome. Should I wait around for one or are the core i5/i7 a better deal? Also, it seems that Nvidia is not doing so well with their not-yet released 400 series. Which ATI card should I be looking at? Would it be worth it to get two and crossfire them? Thanks for all the help and feel free to berate my Junior status T_T.


P.S. I have a 500 watt PSU, will the need to be upgraded as well?
 
Budget: $150
What: Graphics card and power supply.
Main Use: Gaming, Internet Browsing, Microsoft Office
Monitor Resolution: 1280x1024 (Will get a newer and bigger monitor in the near future, though.)
Games: Gears of War PC, Halo 2 PC, Game Room on GfwL. Also, newer titles like Batman: Arkham Asylum, Fallout 3, Bioshock 2

Special Note: I might try to hook it up to a TV (32" XBR9) through VGA, so it would be nice to have VGA on the card? I think?
Special Note 2: I would like to be able to play Civ V when it is released.


Am I asking too much for $150? GAF, help me.

Computer Specs:
AMD Athalon 64x2 CPU 6000+
3GB DDR2 RAM
Windows Vista 32 bit
 
UraMallas said:
Budget: $150
What: Graphics card and power supply.
Main Use: Gaming, Internet Browsing, Microsoft Office
Monitor Resolution: 1280x1024 (Will get a newer and bigger monitor in the near future, though.)
Games: Gears of War PC, Halo 2 PC, Game Room on GfwL. Also, newer titles like Batman: Arkham Asylum, Fallout 3, Bioshock 2

Special Note: I might try to hook it up to a TV (32" XBR9) through VGA, so it would be nice to have VGA on the card? I think?
Special Note 2: I would like to be able to play Civ V when it is released.


Am I asking too much for $150? GAF, help me.

Computer Specs:
AMD Athalon 64x2 CPU 6000+
3GB DDR2 RAM
Windows Vista 32 bit
Click to expand...

Something along the lines of a GTS 250 and the OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W. I usually don't give much regard for "gamer branded" products like the fatality line but it seems to have pretty good reviews. Otherwise I'd go a bit over and grab the CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W instead.

These aren't necessarily the best prices but at that range you're looking at a sub 100$ GTS 250 or 4850, and then pick up a reputable PSU in the 50$ range. It's just easier to search the egg.
 
UraMallas said:
Budget: $150
What: Graphics card and power supply.
Main Use: Gaming, Internet Browsing, Microsoft Office
Monitor Resolution: 1280x1024 (Will get a newer and bigger monitor in the near future, though.)
Games: Gears of War PC, Halo 2 PC, Game Room on GfwL. Also, newer titles like Batman: Arkham Asylum, Fallout 3, Bioshock 2

Special Note: I might try to hook it up to a TV (32" XBR9) through VGA, so it would be nice to have VGA on the card? I think?
Special Note 2: I would like to be able to play Civ V when it is released.


Am I asking too much for $150? GAF, help me.

Computer Specs:
AMD Athalon 64x2 CPU 6000+
3GB DDR2 RAM
Windows Vista 32 bit
Click to expand...
You are asking too much to get anything worth the money you're going to spend, yes. Save another $150 and you'll be able to build something that will give you performance that's worth the price.
 
Fugu said:
You are asking too much to get anything worth the money you're going to spend, yes. Save another $150 and you'll be able to build something that will give you performance that's worth the price.
Click to expand...

All he want's is a GPU and PSU. He can easily do that, and the previously mentioned GTS 250 is a great option. Be sure to pick up one that comes with a free Capcom game though.
 
brain_stew said:
All he want's is a GPU and PSU. He can easily do that, and the previously mentioned GTS 250 is a great option. Be sure to pick up one that comes with a free Capcom game though.
Click to expand...

Yeah you won't find better fps/$$ than at the 100$ GPU price point. I was looking at the combo cards but they're all running with 512mb of memory. Not a huge problem at that performance level but still something to think about.
 
brain_stew said:
All he want's is a GPU and PSU. He can easily do that, and the previously mentioned GTS 250 is a great option. Be sure to pick up one that comes with a free Capcom game though.
Click to expand...
The GTS 250 isn't a great option; what you can get for $300 will last far longer than what you can get for $150, especially considering he needs a PSU too.
 
Memory problem:

Short summary - I've had a lot of problems with Windows 7. Everything started working when I pulled out the 2nd memory module.

When I use only the 2nd memory module (in the correct slot), I can't install Chrome and Firefox crashes all the time.

When I use only the 1st memory module, I can install Chrome and I have yet to crash Firefox.

Therefore, this is a problem with my 2nd memory module, and I should get an RMA, correct?
 
NorrenRadd said:
Memory problem:

Short summary - I've had a lot of problems with Windows 7. Everything started working when I pulled out the 2nd memory module.

When I use only the 2nd memory module (in the correct slot), I can't install Chrome and Firefox crashes all the time.

When I use only the 1st memory module, I can install Chrome and I have yet to crash Firefox.

Therefore, this is a problem with my 2nd memory module, and I should get an RMA, correct?
Click to expand...

Well...

1. Run memtest86 to check for errors. You can burn it to CD or boot from a USB drive, I think...
2. Try swapping the modules. You know what's worse than a bad module? A bad DIMM slot that you only find out about after going through the entire RMA process. I had to retire my Shuttle PC because of this. :( (Only two DIMM slots...)
 
Crazymoogle said:
Well...

1. Run memtest86 to check for errors. You can burn it to CD or boot from a USB drive, I think...
2. Try swapping the modules. You know what's worse than a bad module? A bad DIMM slot that you only find out about after going through the entire RMA process. I had to retire my Shuttle PC because of this. :( (Only two DIMM slots...)
Click to expand...

I ran memtest and got through 3 passes without problem (this made me think it was the DIMM slot)

I swapped the modules and I only have problems when one of the modules is in (any DIMM slot). This makes me think it's the RAM stick :(
 
I received all the components yesterday and put everything together but I'm having a problem with the case fans (Silverstone GD-05B).
I have all the three plugged in to the supplied power connector and then connected them to my PSU modular cable but they are just too loud. Afaik there isn't any connector to regulate the speed of the fans so I don't really know how to slow them down and the weird thing is that all the reviews I've seen say that they're pretty silent even when hooked up on 12V (Around 20db).
Any tips?
 
Kukumalu said:
I received all the components yesterday and put everything together but I'm having a problem with the case fans (Silverstone GD-05B).
I have all the three plugged in to the supplied power connector and then connected them to my PSU modular cable but they are just too loud. Afaik there isn't any connector to regulate the speed of the fans so I don't really know how to slow them down and the weird thing is that all the reviews I've seen say that they're pretty silent even when hooked up on 12V (Around 20db).
Any tips?
Click to expand...


First I'd make sure they're all screwed in tightly so they aren't vibrating too much or something similar, after that, maybe look into getting some resistors for the power connectors. My two 90mm Zalman case fans came with some resistors for the 3 pin power connecters which work as pseudo speed controls.
 
Kukumalu said:
I received all the components yesterday and put everything together but I'm having a problem with the case fans (Silverstone GD-05B).
I have all the three plugged in to the supplied power connector and then connected them to my PSU modular cable but they are just too loud. Afaik there isn't any connector to regulate the speed of the fans so I don't really know how to slow them down and the weird thing is that all the reviews I've seen say that they're pretty silent even when hooked up on 12V (Around 20db).
Any tips?
Click to expand...
I use one of those fan speed controllers you install in a free drive bay. Works beautifully. You can smoothly adjust the fan speed of all case fans using it.

My motherboard does have options for adjusting fan speed, of course, but I prefer to handle it manually with a dial.
 
I'm wanting to hook my gaming rig up to my HDTV. Are there any elegant solutions to using a mouse/keyboard for PC gaming from your lap / tray? What mouse/keyboard hardware should i be looking at?
 
NCIX has the Athlon II X3 435 on sale for $90. I have been looking to upgrade my Processor for awhile now, but I am on a budget.

Will this processor give a worthwhile performance boost over my current Athlon X2 5600+, or should I wait for for the Phenom X4 processors to drop in price a little more? Besides, the X2 5600+, my current machine has an HD4870 (1GB) and 8GB of DDR2 (800Mhz). What sort of fps boost can I expect going from an X2 5600 to an X3 435? It is really annoying to play a CPU heavy game like Dragon Age Origins and get 25-40fps regardless of whether I play on max or min graphics settings (at 1600x900). My vid card is up to the task, but my CPU is really starting to lag.

I really can't afford to spend more than $150 on a CPU (shipping included), and getting a Quad core for under that in Canada seems difficult (unless I go with the Athlon II X4 630). I am not upgrading my MB so I am locked into an AM3 chip.
 
Colkate said:
First I'd make sure they're all screwed in tightly so they aren't vibrating too much or something similar, after that, maybe look into getting some resistors for the power connectors. My two 90mm Zalman case fans came with some resistors for the 3 pin power connecters which work as pseudo speed controls.
Click to expand...

I checked the connections and it looks like 1 of the fans only runs when I press the wires into the plug.
The other weird thing is that I plugged the three fans into the molex adapter and plugged it to my old computer and I think it sounds a bit quieter (Maybe because the other computer is louder).

I also can't plug them in to my motherboard since it only has 1 4-Pin Sys_fan slot and the fans are 3-Pin and all connect to a molex adapter for power and I don't know how viable a fan controller is since the case is pretty tight (HTPC case).
 
Fugu said:
The GTS 250 isn't a great option; what you can get for $300 will last far longer than what you can get for $150, especially considering he needs a PSU too.
Click to expand...

A card that outperforms one of last generations most popular high end cards for <100$ isn't great? You should either share the boatloads of money you have hanging around or the crack that you're smoking.

UraMallas said:
Between these two models of the card suggested, which is better?

Card 1
Card 2
Click to expand...

They are both horrid wastes of money and as a general rule never buy anything from Best Buy. Online retailers and price matching websites should be your best friend. If you're just looking at brands PNY was a 3 year warranty vs the asus 1 year.
 
kswiston said:
NCIX has the Athlon II X3 435 on sale for $90. I have been looking to upgrade my Processor for awhile now, but I am on a budget.

Will this processor give a worthwhile performance boost over my current Athlon X2 5600+, or should I wait for for the Phenom X4 processors to drop in price a little more? Besides, the X2 5600+, my current machine has an HD4870 (1GB) and 8GB of DDR2 (800Mhz). What sort of fps boost can I expect going from an X2 5600 to an X3 435? It is really annoying to play a CPU heavy game like Dragon Age Origins and get 25-40fps regardless of whether I play on max or min graphics settings (at 1600x900). My vid card is up to the task, but my CPU is really starting to lag.

I really can't afford to spend more than $150 on a CPU (shipping included), and getting a Quad core for under that in Canada seems difficult (unless I go with the Athlon II X4 630). I am not upgrading my MB so I am locked into an AM3 chip.
Click to expand...
You can pick this up for about $175 after tax and shipping if you pricematch. If that's a little over you budget, how about this. Make sure you pickup this Arctic Cooling Heatsink/Fan they have on sale for $20 and OC that bad boy either way.
 
I'm having sound card issues. I have an Audigy 2 ZS. Everything works fine except for when I use a mic. It distorts audio and sounds choppy. I think the consensus from playing TF2 last night was that I sounded like an evil clown robot. From my research it seems like it's a Windows 7 driver issue. I'm looking at 3 options:

1. I could try a custom driver. I've found some, but they are outdated. If anyone knows any better resources it would be very helpful.

2. I could buy a new card, but it would have to be cheap. The ASUS Xonar DS seems comparable to the Audigy 2 ZS I have right now.

3. I could use my onboard sound, but I would rather use something a little bit better.
 
Fugu said:
The GTS 250 isn't a great option; what you can get for $300 will last far longer than what you can get for $150, especially considering he needs a PSU too.
Click to expand...

Why the hell not? Get anything better than that and his Athlon X2 is going to bottleneck the hell out of it, anyway. In terms of performance:dollar, something like a GTS 250 is just about as good as it gets, sorry but your advice is terrible tbh. He has a budget of $150, telling him that he can get something faster by doubling his budget is facepalm worthy.

512MB GTS 250s are fine imo, I'd probably take the few dollar savings and the free copy of RE5/SFIV over the the 1GB card.
 
Arthrus said:
I'm looking for a new monitor in the $300-400 range. The plan is to hook up my PS3 and sound system to it. There's one I have my eye on, but it only has 2 customer reviews. Does anyone have a suggestion?

Here's the one I was looking at: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889160020&Tpk=monitor 32 inches
Click to expand...

I see that is a TV you have listed. Are you more interested in using this as your normal TV or mostly your computer monitor? The TV is larger in size and quality but far worse in resolution. How close are you planning on having the display from where you are sitting while you use it?
 
Arthrus said:
I'm looking for a new monitor in the $300-400 range. The plan is to hook up my PS3 and sound system to it. There's one I have my eye on, but it only has 2 customer reviews. Does anyone have a suggestion?

Here's the one I was looking at: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889160020&Tpk=monitor 32 inches
Click to expand...
What part of Canada are you in? If you're in the lower mainland of BC, I'd check out the grand opening of the Best Buy in South Surrey for a $399.99 32" Samsung TV (and a $99.99 Xbox 360 Arcade).

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/...-store-lower-mainland-mar-26-mar-28-a-869755/
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/...y-opening-only-b-c-ymmv-march-26-28-a-870512/
 
think I'm finalized

My new HTPC. Will be used for playing HD media (blueray player coming later not purchased here) of all descriptions.

Anybody see any glaring issues here? Think everything should be compatible and cheap. the case comes with its own 350watt power supply.


Asrock M3A785GMH128M 785G / SB710 AM3 mATX 1 € 58.88 € 58.88
Antec Micro Fusion 350 - EC LP 1 € 80.22 € 80.22
AMD Athlon X2 240 2.8Ghz AM3 Box 1 € 43.39 € 43.39
WD Caviar Blue 640GB 16MB 7200rpm SATA 1 € 43.53 € 43.53
KHX1333C7D3/1GB 1333MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL7 (7-7-7-20) 2€ 29.48 € 58.96

for a total of 339.13

antec_micro_fusion_350_profilelarge.jpg
 
guy looking for budget am3 chip

why wouldnt you go with the X4 630 you lose the L3 cache and that's about it

last test i checked you get like 95% performance of an X4 955 for nearly half the price

well the 955 also is BE so you get unlocked multipliers and whatnot but on a budget the 630 really is stellar
 
UraMallas said:
Budget: $600
What: New Computer, Should be Upgradeable
Main Use: Gaming, Internet Browsing, Microsoft Office
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 ASUS
Games: Crysis(s), Diablo III, Starcraft, RPG's and basically any game with guns that isn't a console exclusive, I wanna be able to play it on my PC.


Processor:
It's mainly for gaming and should be easy to upgrade in the future.
Click to expand...

Fixed for me. Am getting my check either tomorrow or Monday and would like to use that money on it asap before I blow most of it. Thanks guys.
 
Hi guys, I want to upgrade my main computer (currently using a netbook -_-), I dont live in the U.S./Canada but I will be buying from U.S. based stores.

Budget: $500-$550 ($600 only if its really worth it)
Main Use(s): Web browsing, listening music, light programming, writing papers, gaming
Monitor Resolution: I already have an LG 22" LCD 1680x1050
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: World of Warcraft, Source games and older

I dont need an OS since I got a copy of Vista 32, no mouse and kb either.
 
since this is pretty much the tech support thread..here goes. after waking my PC from sleep, audio only comes out on the right channel. a reboot fixes the issue. how do i fix this? win 7 pro x64 btw
 
J.M.Reyes said:
Hi guys, I want to upgrade my main computer (currently using a netbook -_-), I dont live in the U.S./Canada but I will be buying from U.S. based stores.

Budget: $500-$550 ($600 only if its really worth it)
Main Use(s): Web browsing, listening music, light programming, writing papers, gaming
Monitor Resolution: I already have an LG 22" LCD 1680x1050
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: World of Warcraft, Source games and older

I dont need an OS since I got a copy of Vista 32, no mouse and kb either.
Click to expand...
I don't like when people list gaming as a necessity with a budget of 600 unless they're going to build it themselves.
 
Fugu said:
The GTS 250 isn't a great option; what you can get for $300 will last far longer than what you can get for $150, especially considering he needs a PSU too.
Click to expand...
I've been using a 9800gtx+(aka a 250) for the past two years and it still runs all game excellently.
 
Druz said:
I've been using a 9800gtx+(aka a 250) for the past two years and it still runs all game excellently.
Click to expand...

Use a GTS 250 currently and run everything maxed pretty smooth at 1440x900. I agree its a great card for lower resolutions. 1080p not so much....
 
my unlocked 4th core was getting too hot. idling at 50C cause of the temp. went back to 3 cores and im at a safe 39C lol
 
GAF, im currently installing my new q9400 on my rig. But I have noticed that my old heatsink (e6850 stock's) is a lot bigger than the one that came with my 9400. Should I install the new or keep the old one?
 
I'm going to make a Windows Home Server Box and am building it on Newegg. I plan on ordering everything sometime tomorrow. My only requirements are that I can use my 6x HDDs and have a gigabit nic.

Here is what I've come up with: Server Link

1. Do you guys have any suggestions, alternatives, opinions?

2. I also am considering moving my 5050e from my HTPC to this machine and upgrading to a ~$60 AMD Processor. Is there a definitive choice for the price point?
 
Budget: $1000 CDN
Main Use(s): Gaming, web browsing
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Just Cause 2, Crysis, Mafia 2, Diablo 3, Starcraft 2.
 
Gaf i just ordered my pc yesterday, these are the things i got.


Product : AMD Black Edition - Processor - 1 x AMD Phenom II X4 955 / 3.2 GHz - Socket AM3 - L3 6 MB - Box


Product : Cooler Master GX RS-650-ACAA-E3 - Voeding ( intern ) - ATX12V 2.31 - 115/230 Volt wisselstroom V - 650 Watt - actieve PFC - Euro


Product : Cooler Master HAF 922 - Midtowermodel - ATX - geen voeding ( EPS12V/ PS/2 )

Product : Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 (rev. 1.0) - Moederbord - ATX - AMD 770 - Socket AM3 - UDMA133, SATA-300 (RAID), SATA-600 (RAID), eSATA (R


Product : Kingston ValueRAM - Geheugen - 4 GB : 2 x 2 GB - DIMM 240-pins - DDR3 - 1333 MHz / PC3-10600 - CL9 - 1.5 V - niet-gebufferd - ni


Product : Samsung SpinPoint F3 Desktop Class HD103SJ - Vaste schijf - 1 TB - intern - 3.5" - SATA-300 - 7200 tpm -buffer: 32 MB


Product : Club 3D HD5770 - Grafische adapter - Radeon HD 5770 - PCI Express 2.1 x16 - 1 GB GDDR5 - Digitale Visuele Interface (DVI), HDMI


Product : Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7240S - Schijfstation - DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM - 24x24x12x - Serial ATA - intern - 5.25" - zwart




my question is what can i do with this, can i play games like dirt 2 and empire total war on high or even max.
secondly im thinking about crossfire 5770 so i think im gonna pick up a second 5770 card next month, is what i can comparable with 1 5850
 
I was hoping to get a bit of a smoother WoW experience on my PC. I'm fed up of everything being on minimum settings. I run it at a 1440x900 resolution. At the moment I have:

Athlon x2 4200
Radeon x1650
2gb ram

I was planning on another 2gb of ram to start with, but wondered if upgrading the graphics to something like the radeon 4670 or even 5770 would be a good idea. I'm not sure if this would be pointless without upgrading the processor as well, or maybe it's the case that upgrading my CPU and not the graphics card would provide a bigger performance boost.

Can anyone offer any advice on this?
 
PC GAF I need your help! My computer and monitor are near my TV, but I want to be able to switch my PC's output between my TV and monitor via some switch. How can I do this? My monitor has DVI and is 1680x1050, and my TV has VGA + HDMI and is 1920 x 1080. Is there any easy way to do this?
 
darkpaladinmfc said:
PC GAF I need your help! My computer and monitor are near my TV, but I want to be able to switch my PC's output between my TV and monitor via some switch. How can I do this? My monitor has DVI and is 1680x1050, and my TV has VGA + HDMI and is 1920 x 1080. Is there any easy way to do this?
Click to expand...

I reckon a KVM switch would be the droid you're looking for.
 
darkpaladinmfc said:
PC GAF I need your help! My computer and monitor are near my TV, but I want to be able to switch my PC's output between my TV and monitor via some switch. How can I do this? My monitor has DVI and is 1680x1050, and my TV has VGA + HDMI and is 1920 x 1080. Is there any easy way to do this?
Click to expand...
Personally, I like to keep both running simultaneously. It's definitely the most convenient. The only issue, of course, is that you would need a 1920x1080 monitor. I purchased one of those for just that reason and enjoy the results.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

PC games that are ONLY in a borderless window need to stop.
2
53
928
RoboFu replied
Do we even need a new consoles so soon?
Opinion  2
80
468
Three replied
Fallout New Vegas 15th Anniversary Edition Announced - $155
News  2 3
100
1K
KungFucius replied
FusionFix 4.0 Turns GTA IV on PC Into the Definitive Edition
2 3
100
7K
Windom Earle replied
PC Master Race, I need your help!
37
2K
lachesis replied
Top Bottom