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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition

Needs a case
I just want a clean full tower with no side windows or lights and if the interior is full black and the intake fan has filters that would be great also.
 
Hard drive trouble.



So I recently purchased a 1tb Hitachi Deskstar external drive from a fellow Gaffer. I pieced it apart and I'm trying to get my Windows 7 configuration to acknowledge this drive internally. After connecting the SATA cable, and the power cable, the damn thing just beeps repeatedly, with a short click after each beep. What the heck does this mean?

Well, one thing it does mean is that my system is currently not shaking hands with this thing. Any insight as to why? I would think I just plug in the drive and format the damn thing, but apparently this is not the case.

It's been beeping/clicking for about 20 minutes now with no sign of slowing down. I tried to load up Windows 7 with just this drive to see if that would make a difference, nope. Tried gawking at it until it was scared into working, nope. Even tried intimidating this damn thing by clinching a fist....nope.


What do I have to consider to get this thing working on my system? Thanks in advance.

This couldn't possibly be from the hard drive being formatted on another computer before mine, could it?
Click to expand...

Repost
 
SarBear said:
Repost
Click to expand...

audible clicking from a HDD is not good, usually means the moving arm is having tracking problems. If it's not detected in the bios and it's doing this it's probably dead. (not talking about access noise grinding, but a clear "click").
 
Decided to up my budget a little to try and put together something really solid to replace my old Dimension. So, what does everyone think of this:
£1,065.55 total.

I'm going to re-use my old Logitech keyboard and mouse, throw in my old DVD and CD-RW drives and my 500GB WD Caviar HDD but I'm wondering about replacing both my sound card and wireless card, so can anyone recommend a cheap-ish couple of cards that would fit with the above? Also, I'm still looking for a solid PSU to power this little lot so any recommendations there would be great.

Cheers!
 
Salaadin said:
Whats the deal with RAM currently? Back In october, I ordered THIS RAM for 80 bucks and I now see it listed at 108.99. Are the prices going to continue going up?

Im using a 64bit OS and 4GBs of that RAM and the PC is fast but I was thinking about adding another 4GBs just as a "because I can" type of thing. I dont do a ton of multitasking but I figure that you can never have enough RAM. I have the slots and the 64bit OS so is there any reason why I shouldnt? Are prices kinda steady? Are they expected to go up or down?
Click to expand...

You shouldn't because it's a waste of money.
 
MyFaceIsOnFire said:
I want to buy a gaming laptop but I really have no idea where to start! I want to spend somewhere around $1,000 and I would love for it to have 3D capabilities. Is there anything in that range right now or would I need to wait for a while to get to the $1,000 range? Also, what sites give good laptop reviews? I tried Google but I keep getting re-routed to sites trying to sell stuff instead of reviews. I should also mention that brand doesn't matter to me as long as the laptop performs well.
Click to expand...
What size; 15", 17", or 18.4"?
 
Anyone that buys a Fractal Design case, pray you don't own a non-modular power supply :lol

Took me like 5 hours to figure out how to squeeze my cables in there neatly enough, still some at the front though.

Nice case though. :D
 
Salaadin said:
Whats the deal with RAM currently? Back In october, I ordered THIS RAM for 80 bucks and I now see it listed at 108.99. Are the prices going to continue going up?

Im using a 64bit OS and 4GBs of that RAM and the PC is fast but I was thinking about adding another 4GBs just as a "because I can" type of thing. I dont do a ton of multitasking but I figure that you can never have enough RAM. I have the slots and the 64bit OS so is there any reason why I shouldnt? Are prices kinda steady? Are they expected to go up or down?
Click to expand...

Won't help that much-it's actually pretty hard to fill 4GB of RAM with stuff during normal computing (outside of coding tools/debuggers/other memory intensive programs). Get a SSD instead for your OS/Program Files/MMO game directories instead if you want a measurable all-purpose performance boost.
 
I hope someone can help me with this problem.

I bought a 1TB Buffalo External HDD about a year ago and used it without any problems until I moved the other day. After arriving at my new location, I tried to plug in the HDD as usual, but the power light will not come on at all. I tried multiple outlets and all attempts were met with the same results.

I figured that the casing might have died so I opened up the casing and discovered that it was a Samsung drive inside (my other 1TB Buffalo External HDD uses a Western Digital drive). I then tried to hook it up directly into my computer as I would a standard HDD, but my computer would not even turn on. I would press the power button and get a split second of power, but then everything would shut off. I then removed the HDD and everything worked normally again. I tried using different cables coming from the PSU and using different slots for SATA cables on the motherboard, but no matter how I had my drive plugged in, it would cause my computer not to power on at all.

I then opened up my other external HDD and put my presumably dead Samsung drive in the casing, but again the power light would not come on upon plugging it in.

Does anyone know what could cause this? Any suggestions on how I might go about recovering the data? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Zefah said:
I hope someone can help me with this problem.

I bought a 1TB Buffalo External HDD about a year ago and used it without any problems until I moved the other day. After arriving at my new location, I tried to plug in the HDD as usual, but the power light will not come on at all. I tried multiple outlets and all attempts were met with the same results.

I figured that the casing might have died so I opened up the casing and discovered that it was a Samsung drive inside (my other 1TB Buffalo External HDD uses a Western Digital drive). I then tried to hook it up directly into my computer as I would a standard HDD, but my computer would not even turn on. I would press the power button and get a split second of power, but then everything would shut off. I then removed the HDD and everything worked normally again. I tried using different cables coming from the PSU and using different slots for SATA cables on the motherboard, but no matter how I had my drive plugged in, it would cause my computer not to power on at all.

I then opened up my other external HDD and put my presumably dead Samsung drive in the casing, but again the power light would not come on upon plugging it in.

Does anyone know what could cause this? Any suggestions on how I might go about recovering the data? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Could the HD be shorting the system?
 
Technosteve said:
Could the HD be shorting the system?
Click to expand...

I really have no idea. I'm considering opening up the HD itself, but I would have no idea what to look for.

edit: upon further investigation it seems this is a problem that sometimes occurs with the circuit board on the hard drive. Luckily the circuit board is external and might be replaceable if I can find a compatible circuit board for sale and the proper screw driver to take out the screws.
 
Odious Tea said:
Do you think that many fans is overkill?
Click to expand...
At this point you need to step back and ask yourself what's really important. While the issues of heat management, ventilation, and noise are all tightly related, even in a case with ideal airflow and ideal components you can always have a little bit more cooling or a little bit less noise.

Of course, if you really want to get serious about this, then there are many considerations to be made well before the question of, "do I need 1-2 more fans?"
 
Fragamemnon said:
Won't help that much-it's actually pretty hard to fill 4GB of RAM with stuff during normal computing (outside of coding tools/debuggers/other memory intensive programs). Get a SSD instead for your OS/Program Files/MMO game directories instead if you want a measurable all-purpose performance boost.
Click to expand...

Is the speed increse worth the price of entry? I mean, for the price of a small SSD, I can get a regular HDD 5x the size.

I keep messing with the idea but I cant get over the price.
 
I need recommendations on speakers. I want a 5.1 sound system, but i have a "soft" budget.(meaning not too expensive but for the right set-up i'm willing to go over budget) this sound system would also hopefully double as a home theater set-up. any recommendations?
 
Salaadin said:
Is the speed increse worth the price of entry? I mean, for the price of a small SSD, I can get a regular HDD 5x the size.

I keep messing with the idea but I cant get over the price.
Click to expand...

If you use a SSD completely by it self, it's a complete waste of money imo. The lack of space is not worth it for the speed alone. However, if you have a huge drive to go a long with it, it's not a bad investment.
 
Salaadin said:
Is the speed increse worth the price of entry? I mean, for the price of a small SSD, I can get a regular HDD 5x the size.

I keep messing with the idea but I cant get over the price.
Click to expand...

SSDs are perfect OS drives, don't try to turn them in to something they're not. They access (OS) data like 20x faster than the fastest traditional HDD money can buy.

Do you need HDD space? HDD space does nothing for performance. The only way to upgrade your computer once you have a quad core CPU and a high end GPU is with a SSD, nothing else you buy will make a difference compared to that.
 
Salaadin said:
Is the speed increse worth the price of entry? I mean, for the price of a small SSD, I can get a regular HDD 5x the size.

I keep messing with the idea but I cant get over the price.
Click to expand...

First of all, don't look at anything bigger than an 80GB drive. As long as you use them for what they do best-OS, Programs, and one MMO install, 60GB to 80GB should be enough. The benefit in other types of games is much less.

My setup:

SSD
- Windows 7 install
- Program Files (Office, compilers/editors, web browser, Paint.NET, etc.)
- Lord of the Rings Online (replace with whatever MMO suits your fancy, or none if you don't play one)
- My Documents - You do have to be careful with this, but the addition of Windows 7 Libraries makes for putting music, photos, downloads, and what not into logical places on traditional "spinning" drives much easier.

This is on an 80GB drive and I still have plenty of room to spare.

1.5 TB WD Black:

- videos, music, multimedia
- Game installs, steam install directory.

This works exceedingly well, but you certianly do have to plan out your storage. I'd definitely say a $100 thrown at a $200 SSD would be a wiser use of the money than going from 4GB to 8GB of RAM.
 
So I put my rig together, pretty sure everything is in the right place, but when I start her up I just get a continuous low pitch beep. I've reseated the RAM and tried both sticks individually, reseated the video card. Anything else I should try?

Edit: Crap, the memory doesn't seem to be in the mobo's compatibility list but has two other serials that are quite close. As far as I can tell the memory is DDR3 running at 1333 which should be supported.

It's this RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-

And this Mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/NewProduct.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392&Tpk=GA-MA770T-UD3P
 
Im currently using a single 640GB HDD in my desktop thats not even half full. I also have an empty 500GB laptop drive thats sitting here doing nothing and a 60GB external that I use for storage and a 250GB laptop that I can always transfer to. Im not exactly strapped for space.

Any recommendations for SSDs? I want to start pricing them out. Anything I need to know about setting them up?
 
I posted a few days ago about a new cpu and a few other questions, well, I have a few more.

First off, I got the q9550 cpu. Reading about the potential it had made me think it would be great even if I got a new motherboard. That's what I'm thinking of doing now. So, that means most components in my computer are fairly new except for the case, motherboard, and ram (important parts anyway).

GTX 275
Seagate 1tb hd
750w psu
q9550 cpu
4 gigs of ram (will most likely replace)
(+DVD drive/burner, blu-ray drive, etc.)

My updated question is now, considering those parts, what is a good motherboard to get and what is some good ram to go with it? since I'll install Window 7 64 this time, I'm looking to get 8 gigs of ram (depends on the motherboard).

The other small question is: if I want to do a fresh install of Windows 7 64, but I only have the upgrade dvd, would I need to install vista first?

And as for the case, I'm looking into that. I know it's hard to recommend, but anything that can keep cool and look fine (plain, black, sleek, not a bunch of flashing lights and see through).

edit: I plan to overclock the cpu, so that may factor into the motherboard choice.
 
Salaadin said:
Im currently using a single 640GB HDD in my desktop thats not even half full. I also have an empty 500GB laptop drive thats sitting here doing nothing and a 60GB external that I use for storage and a 250GB laptop that I can always transfer to. Im not exactly strapped for space.

Any recommendations for SSDs? I want to start pricing them out. Anything I need to know about setting them up?
Click to expand...

I covered them for about 20 minutes on the last Borecast episode, but you want to go with either an Intel X-25 G2 (the gold standard) on Windows 7 or one of the drives with the Indilinx controllers (very good bang for the buck). Windows 7 is pretty much a must due to TRIM support (which allows the OS to properly tell the drive where deallocated space is), and you'll want to ensure that the drive gets flashed with most up to date firmware to get that support.

There's usually two or three decent SSD drive deals a week these days, and I think by this summer or so prices will start to come down if you're balking at the 225 USD going rate for an 80GB Intel drive.
 
SSD is worth it. Completely changes the desktop experience thanks to super fast random access speeds. Every program you load up opens instantly, it's great. Makes my computer feel truly fast. No more waiting for Firefox or Photoshop to take ages to start up when your drive is under heavy load.

I won't deny SSDs are pricey, they are. But if you consider yourself a power user, they are most definitely worth it.

I have a 80GB Intel X25-M and it is probably one of the best buys at the moment. Has the fastest random read speeds in its class and supports TRIM. Unfortunately, scarce availability has resulted in retailers hiking up the price. But if you look around for deals, you should be able to pick one up for around ~$220. If possible, try to buy from a store that offers Bing Cashback so you'll be able to knock a few more dollars off the price.
 
mikespit1200 said:
So I put my rig together, pretty sure everything is in the right place, but when I start her up I just get a continuous low pitch beep. I've reseated the RAM and tried both sticks individually, reseated the video card. Anything else I should try?

Edit: Crap, the memory doesn't seem to be in the mobo's compatibility list but has two other serials that are quite close. As far as I can tell the memory is DDR3 running at 1333 which should be supported.

It's this RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-

And this Mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/NewProduct.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392&Tpk=GA-MA770T-UD3P
Click to expand...

Check your mobo manual. The computer will give different beeps for different errors. If neither stick works individually it's almost certainly nothing to do with your ram. Also make sure you have both power connections on your mobo hooked up to your PSU. I don't think that's usually what the continuous beep error means but it's the most common mistake people make when putting a new build together.

Violater said:
My posts are invisible in this thread :/
Click to expand...

Being more clear in your posts about what you specifically need help with makes it easier for us to give you advise. The Antec 300 is a fine mid-size well priced case. There are more elegent solutions but I have never been one to spend any more than I have to on a box that remains out of site for most of it's life anyways. That money is better spent on the components. I use the 300 myself.

Salaadin said:
Thanks for the tips. Im going to keep an eye out for deals. If the prices dont drop in the next few months (Ill wait til summer-ish like you said), I might just bite the bullet anyway.

What all should be installed on them? Basic stuff like the OS and everyday programs? I saw someone else mention games. Do they get a noticeable bump in load times on SSDs as well?
Click to expand...

If you don't mind waiting I would sit and keep an eye out for the sandforce controller to start showing up in more drives as well as mainstream SSD's to adopt SATA 3.0. SATA 2.0 is saturated at this point in time with the SSDs that are out now and depending on how quickly the new standards are adopted we could see drives that demolish what is out there now. Of course you can always play the waiting game as there is always something better on the way.
 
Thanks for the tips. Im going to keep an eye out for deals. If the prices dont drop in the next few months (Ill wait til summer-ish like you said), I might just bite the bullet anyway.

What all should be installed on them? Basic stuff like the OS and everyday programs? I saw someone else mention games. Do they get a noticeable bump in load times on SSDs as well?
 
Hey, guys. Looking for a little bit of advice. Back in December I picked up a prebuilt HP, the p6230y seen here: Best Buy Link

Quick spec rundown:
AMD Phenom™ II X4 810 quad-core processor 2.60 GHz
8GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM
750GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 rpm)
ATI Radeon HD 4200
PSU is 300W, I believe. Maybe 350.

I'd like to upgrade the PSU and Video Card and turn this into a halfway decent gaming rig. I guess my question is multifaceted:

Would upgrading be a problem or hassle since I bought a prebuilt machine?

Given the other components, how "good" can I make this PC?

Any specific PSU/Video Card recommendations?

My budget is pretty flexible. I'd just like to get a feel for what I can do, what results I could see, etc. Thanks!
 
Salaadin said:
Thanks for the tips. Im going to keep an eye out for deals. If the prices dont drop in the next few months (Ill wait til summer-ish like you said), I might just bite the bullet anyway.

What all should be installed on them? Basic stuff like the OS and everyday programs? I saw someone else mention games. Do they get a noticeable bump in load times on SSDs as well?
Click to expand...

I would stick to installing the OS and programs. With games, SSDs don't make enough of a difference in loading time to justify the amount of space taken up. I mean sure, if there's a game or two that you play often, it might make sense to stick them on an SSD. But otherwise I'd advise against it.
 
As we know, EAX and hardware acceleration is not used in recent games so Creative have lost their advantage in the soundcard area.

I just want to throw out my recommendation for the Asus Xonar DS soundcard. For $50, this thing is amazing. Sounds much better than my onboard sound and Audigy 2 ZS stock. I replaced the opamp with a spare BurrBrown OPA2132 I had at home and the sound improved some more. Drives my headphones much better...soundstage is improved and bass definitely comes through with a far more powerful punch.

I ordered a LM6172 opamp which I've heard great things about. It's cheap at $4, but should still be lots better than the stock opamp.

Anyways, for a cheap audiophile solution, I don't think you can get anything better than this. Great soundcard with swappable opamp for $50? Yes please.

One thing to note is that you're not getting the CMSS3D crap that comes with X-Fi cards. Personaly, I think that post-processing and fake-surround sound are terrible. I've never had a problem with positional audio with stereo headphones. It all depends how the game feeds you the sounds. You're not buying a sound card like this for games anyways. Any sound card will be adequate for gaming as games tend to use fairly low quality sound samples. If you like your music, don't stick with onboard or Creative.
 
vocab said:
I bought this case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112154 and I would recommend it to anyone. My case is ice cold, has a removable mobo tray, built in cable management, solid air flow, and dust filters. It also fits a 5850 like a champ. It's pretty much the perfect case. If it had a top out take fan, it would be the best case you could buy under $100.
Click to expand...

That's a nice case.
I think I will settle and get this one, though I am wondering how I see some setups having a hole in the frame for the retention clips and other dont. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129061&Tpk=antec p183
 
so speaking of fans and cooling and what not....

got the parts for my new build and put it all together no problem.

I have the
COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310 case
GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P MB
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5770 GFX card
AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana 2.9GHz processor

anyways, the case only comes with one 120mm fan (rear) but has a space for a front and side 120mm fan.

The CPU runs hot and I am planning on buying the other 2 fans.

in the meantime should I try reseating the heatsinks? could this be my problem?
also, reading the reviews of the MB, it seems ppl are complaining about the northbridge getting hot. which mine does (and I wonder since its right below my CPU if this is adding to my CPU heat). should I consider getting a cooler for this as well? Is it possibly bad?
Should I consider a upgrade to the CPU cooler?

Im new at this so any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
Anton668 said:
anyways, the case only comes with one 120mm fan (rear) but has a space for a front and side 120mm fan.

The CPU runs hot and I am planning on buying the other 2 fans.

in the meantime should I try reseating the heatsinks? could this be my problem?
also, reading the reviews of the MB, it seems ppl are complaining about the northbridge getting hot. which mine does (and I wonder since its right below my CPU if this is adding to my CPU heat). should I consider getting a cooler for this as well? Is it possibly bad?
Should I consider a upgrade to the CPU cooler?

Im new at this so any help would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...


Do you have a stock cooler or after market? What's your temps like? Get those fans asap though. My old comp had no intake and ran kind of hot because of it.
 
Guys, I promisse this is the last time I'm bothering you, but I was planning to buy a Coolermaster Gladiator Case. But I can't find them where I live. Do you recommend any other Coolermaster Case?

My rig:
Asus P6T
Core i7 720
HD 5870
6 GB DDR3
1 TB
OCZ 700W
 
vocab said:
Do you have a stock cooler or after market? What's your temps like? Get those fans asap though. My old comp had no intake and ran kind of hot because of it.
Click to expand...

everything is stock. tis why I was wondering about aftermarket NB and CPU coolers.

At min load the CPU is hitting about 89ish deg F. That cant be good. the CPU cooler that came with had the thermal paste pad and I'm relatively sure its seated well. Should I get some more temp paste and try it again?

also, side fan... intake or exhaust?
 
Anton668 said:
everything is stock. tis why I was wondering about aftermarket NB and CPU coolers.

At min load the CPU is hitting about 89ish deg F. That cant be good. the CPU cooler that came with had the thermal paste pad and I'm relatively sure its seated well. Should I get some more temp paste and try it again?
Click to expand...

That's extremely low for load. Don't change a thing.

As for side fan, depends on your setup, and where the heat is. Intake probably for the most part.
 
I need help finding a clip on mic. Now that I have a decent soundcard that can drive my Ultrasone HFI-580, I want to use a clip on mic instead of my Plantronics headset. Here are the headphones in question:

ultrasone_hfi_580.jpg


Can someone help me find a mic that will fit onto that? Good sound quality and clarity is a big plus.
 
Anton668 said:
everything is stock. tis why I was wondering about aftermarket NB and CPU coolers.

At min load the CPU is hitting about 89ish deg F. That cant be good. the CPU cooler that came with had the thermal paste pad and I'm relatively sure its seated well. Should I get some more temp paste and try it again?

also, side fan... intake or exhaust?
Click to expand...

89 F? That's fine, very good idle temp actually. 89C though is bad news bears.
 
Anton668 said:
everything is stock. tis why I was wondering about aftermarket NB and CPU coolers.

At min load the CPU is hitting about 89ish deg F. That cant be good. the CPU cooler that came with had the thermal paste pad and I'm relatively sure its seated well. Should I get some more temp paste and try it again?

also, side fan... intake or exhaust?
Click to expand...

First off...degrees in Celcius. We're not savages. :P

89F is just over 31C. That's ridiculously cool. You can go up to like 65C no problem (149F).
 
TheExodu5 said:
I need help finding a clip on mic. Now that I have a decent soundcard that can drive my Ultrasone HFI-580, I want to use a clip on mic instead of my Plantronics headset. Here are the headphones in question:

ultrasone_hfi_580.jpg


Can someone help me find a mic that will fit onto that? Good sound quality and clarity is a big plus.
Click to expand...
I use the Zalman ZM-1 (I think that's the model name...) It conked out once after a year or so, so I just replaced it since it does the job well and costs $5. It's got a really long wire though, so expect to have a clump twist-tied together.
 
89 F is good? hmmm ok....

but at load, it goes to 115 F or so and has shut down on me once already.

I was playing F.E.A.R. (its all I had) and it shut off.

easytune 6 that came with the MB comes set at around 104 F (40 C) as the warning limit.

at heavy load, what would be a good temp?
 
Doytch said:
I use the Zalman ZM-1 (I think that's the model name...) It conked out once after a year or so, so I just replaced it since it does the job well and costs $5. It's got a really long wire though, so expect to have a clump twist-tied together.
Click to expand...

My problem with that one is that it seems like it's going to pick up a lot of background noise. Is there anything on a boomstick?

Anton668 said:
89 F is good? hmmm ok....

but at load, it goes to 115 F or so and has shut down on me once already.

I was playing F.E.A.R. (its all I had) and it shut off.

easytune 6 that came with the MB comes set at around 104 F as the warning limit.

at heavy load, what would be a good temp?
Click to expand...

You sure it's in Fahrenheit? I've never heard of any temp monitoring program using Fahrenheit instead of Celcius.
 
TheExodu5 said:
You sure it's in Fahrenheit? I've never heard of any temp monitoring program using Fahrenheit instead of Celcius.
Click to expand...

you can switch between them.

I'll try to remember C over F from now on.

anyways, it runs min (5%) load around 32 C

and if 65C is no prob, why did it shut down on me?
 
115F isn't even that hot. Unless while your playing it just keeps rising to the limit and shuts down. If that's the case, somethings wrong with the heatsink contact. Try out some prime 95, and let it go for a while, and monitor the temps.
 
CPUs generally operate up to around 65C safely, though some can operate at higher temps.

GPUs on the other hand operate up to around 85C safely.
 
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