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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition

Im gonna stress it out and see what temps I get.

I'll prob reset the sinks either way and see if that helps.


Im new to all this so thanks for the help!
 
diztrukted said:
wondering....what monitors are everyone using....not really concerned about size more like brand/models
Click to expand...

Samsung SyncMaster 2232GW.

It's not that good. It's fast, colors and contrast are not very good, backlight bleed is awful.

Adequate monitor for gaming, but I don't think I'll be touching Samsung again.

My next monitor is going to need a 75Hz mode. A friend of mine hooked up a CRT to his PC last LAN because he couldn't bring his big TV. 75Hz is so god damn sexy...forgot how incredibly smooth it was. I'm hoping an LCD monitor can produce the awesomely smooth result that the CRT could.
 
How is Toshiba as a brand of laptop in regards to reliability? Not for gaming, but I figured I'd ask here anyway. :P I just want to finally own a laptop that doesn't fall apart after a year.
 
Roto13 said:
How is Toshiba as a brand of laptop in regards to reliability? Not for gaming, but I figured I'd ask here anyway. :P I just want to finally own a laptop that doesn't fall apart after a year.
Click to expand...

then you may not want a toshiba but thats just in my personal experience. I had a Toshiba Satellite and it sucked, but qosmio looked decent. For something that has durability and will last i'd go with a lenovo think pad
 
My Toshiba Satellite has a pretty terrible build quality. Then again, it's outlasted my mom's Sony and my friend's HP, so maybe build quality is not everything.
 
I have a satellite a100-va9 that is 3 years old and has survived a drop out of my side-loadping backpack onto a hard floor. It only left a dent and lost the serial printer port. It feels like cheap plastic and the paint started to wear out from my palms/fingers after only 6 months but it's still running strong. It has a 7600 Go in it but they gave it a gibbled (Canadian) version of the chip with only 128mb of memory. Not sure if that was more of a Future Crap/Canada than a Toshiba thing.

If I had to get another notebook today it would be difficult for me to decide to stick with or ditch Toshiba.
 
diztrukted said:
wondering....what monitors are everyone using....not really concerned about size more like brand/models
Click to expand...

Asus VW246H. I like it, but I got used to it pretty fast, so the wow factor isn't there anymore. :( No ghosting, and almost non existent input lag. I bought it because of those two factors, and I have two friends who own the monitor who said it's worth it. I'm happy with it.
I hate most LCD's simply because they can't hold the image on the screen properly, so I feel like I got my money's worth with this monitor.

Violater said:
5770 with a V8 cooler
The reviews say it should fit
Click to expand...

Ya, that will fit.
 
Shambles said:
I have a satellite a100-va9 that is 3 years old and has survived a drop out of my side-loadping backpack onto a hard floor. It only left a dent and lost the serial printer port. It feels like cheap plastic and the paint started to wear out from my palms/fingers after only 6 months but it's still running strong. It has a 7600 Go in it but they gave it a gibbled (Canadian) version of the chip with only 128mb of memory. Not sure if that was more of a Future Crap/Canada than a Toshiba thing.

If I had to get another notebook today it would be difficult for me to decide to stick with or ditch Toshiba.
Click to expand...

Same model here.
 
vocab said:
Asus VW246H. I like it, but I got used to it pretty fast, so the wow factor isn't there anymore. :( No ghosting, and almost non existent input lag. I bought it because of those two factors, and I have two friends who own the monitor who said it's worth it. I'm happy with it.
I hate most LCD's simply because they can't hold the image on the screen properly, so I feel like I got my money's worth with this monitor.



Ya, that will fit.
Click to expand...


i'll check it out, if theres no ghosting and no noticeable input lag then it sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. thanks vocab
 
Just reposting from the last page to see if anyone can offer input and advice on this possible build:

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!
Click to expand...
 
You could look at a full ATX motherboard for upgrading purposes later. You don't need a sound card as the onboard sound is more than enough for most users. As for PSU, Antec makes the CP-850 specifically for the P183 but it could be overkill unless they have a bundle.

Shambles said:
I have a satellite a100-va9 that is 3 years old and has survived a drop out of my side-loadping backpack onto a hard floor. It only left a dent and lost the serial printer port. It feels like cheap plastic and the paint started to wear out from my palms/fingers after only 6 months but it's still running strong. It has a 7600 Go in it but they gave it a gibbled (Canadian) version of the chip with only 128mb of memory. Not sure if that was more of a Future Crap/Canada than a Toshiba thing.

If I had to get another notebook today it would be difficult for me to decide to stick with or ditch Toshiba.
Click to expand...
Do you mean the SK9? That's what I have. 2006 model... Got it in January 2007. Last floor model left in BC and still works now although the battery life is shit and paint is wearing off and looking nasty on mine too =P
 
Firestorm said:
Do you mean the SK9? That's what I have. 2006 model... Got it in January 2007. Last floor model left in BC and still works now although the battery life is shit and paint is wearing off and looking nasty on mine too =P
Click to expand...

Got mine in August 2006 from Ottawa U. Was $1800 + $150 for a 3 year warranty at the time. Originally bought it at FS for $2100 + $400 or so for the warranty which I immediately returned upon finding the Ottawa U deal.
 
TheExodu5 said:
Got mine in August 2006 from Ottawa U. Was $1800 + $150 for a 3 year warranty at the time. Originally bought it at FS for $2100 + $400 or so for the warranty which I immediately returned upon finding the Ottawa U deal.
Click to expand...
My floor model was $797 + tax = $900 flat from Staples =p Pretty much the reason I jumped on the floor model for a laptop. Kinda risky. Didn't even buy the extended warranty. I really do think my next laptop will be a 13" Asus Thin and Light with the switchable video card. I'm just super-impressed by the battery life.
 
Guys, I think there is something wrong with my Q6600. It idles at in the high 60s where before it would be in the low 30s and maybe hit the high 60s during a high load. Could I fix this by reapplying some thermal paste? It's still on stock clocks so this makes very little sense.

I bought a Xigmatek S1283 heat sink but I need to find somewhere that sells the bracket since I broke the one it came with. I tried to take out my mobo but I couldn't get the 6-pin connector out of my gpu. Is there a particular way to do it or am I being thick?
 
Firestorm said:
You could look at a full ATX motherboard for upgrading purposes later. You don't need a sound card as the onboard sound is more than enough for most users. As for PSU, Antec makes the CP-850 specifically for the P183 but it could be overkill unless they have a bundle.
Click to expand...

Hm. What kind of extra cost would a full ATX mobo add to my current build? And would I be better off going for the board in my list and just swapping out the mobo a year or two down the line?

The CP-850 does look like overkill in terms of power and price - I thought something like a 600W PSU would be sufficient for covering the current build and giving me a little overhead for adding another HDD or more external devices. What about the Corsair TX 650?
 
toasty_T said:
Guys, I think there is something wrong with my Q6600. It idles at in the high 60s where before it would be in the low 30s and maybe hit the high 60s during a high load. Could I fix this by reapplying some thermal paste? It's still on stock clocks so this makes very little sense.

I bought a Xigmatek S1283 heat sink but I need to find somewhere that sells the bracket since I broke the one it came with. I tried to take out my mobo but I couldn't get the 6-pin connector out of my gpu. Is there a particular way to do it or am I being thick?
Click to expand...

60 degress isn't unusual with the intel stock cooler.

Where you from? I got some spare intel brackets for the Xigmatek because I used the cooler on an AMD cpu. Write me an PM.
There are no special ways for taking off the 6-pin connectors on the gpu. Just push at the end of the little plastic arm and pull (+ waggle).
 
Cosmonaut X said:
Just reposting from the last page to see if anyone can offer input and advice on this possible build:
Click to expand...

Looking good, if you're a student or someone in your family is then W7 profesional can be had for less than £40 delivered here, assuming you have an old copy of Windows somewhere (any) to upgrade from:

http://www.software4students.co.uk/...fessional_64_bit_Upgrade_Edition-details.aspx

If not Home Premium is usually more than enough for most, you're not missing much outside of XP mode, only pay the extra if you need any of the specific features.

Ebuyer.com have a 5850 with a copy of Dirt 2 for £215 delivered now:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/175714

I'd only recommend a sound card if you've some serious audiograde hardware and/or require a specific feature offered only by discrete audio hardware (like 3D headphone support or something). On board sound has come a long way and hardware accelerated audio went the way of the dodo with Vista's launch.

Your 5850 has seriously feature rich HDMI audio output.

I'd also echo the recommendation of a full ATX motherboard.

Any decent 500w PSU will power that rig just fine, you can spend more, but no need for 850w+ units and the like.
 
brain_stew said:
Looking good, if you're a student or someone in your family is then W7 profesional can be had for less than £40 delivered here, assuming you have an old copy of Windows somewhere (any) to upgrade from:

http://www.software4students.co.uk/...fessional_64_bit_Upgrade_Edition-details.aspx

If not Home Premium is usually more than enough for most, you're not missing much outside of XP mode, only pay the extra if you need any of the specific features.
Click to expand...

I'll have a look at that, as my step-daughter is in college and we might be able to squeeze into that offer. I'm definitely on the look-out for Pro though, as I've got a hell of a lot of software that I suspect will need to run under XP mode.

I'd only recommend a sound card if you've some serious audiograde hardware and/or require a specific feature offered only by discrete audio hardware (like 3D headphone support or something). On board sound has come a long way and hardware accelerated audio went the way of the dodo with Vista's launch.
Click to expand...

Sounds good - I've alway been wary of onboard audio, but if it has come on that much in the past few years then I'd be happy to give it a shot.

I'd also echo the recommendation of a full ATX motherboard.
Click to expand...

What would you suggest? I've found a few Gigabyte boards that look good, but they're a lot pricier.

Any decent 500w PSU will power that rig just fine, you can spend more, but no need for 850w+ units and the like.
Click to expand...

I ran a quick calculation using Antec's online app and it came back at 425W assuming I added a couple of extra PCI cards on top of my current spec, so it looks like a 500W PSU will do for a good while - unless I decide to try and add a second 5850!
 
Are these Kingston SSDNow VSeries Desktop Upgrade Kits any good? I just saw them mentioned in a tomshardware article on SSDs and the prices arent too bad.
 
diztrukted said:
wondering....what monitors are everyone using....not really concerned about size more like brand/models
Click to expand...
dell s2409w
It's my first wide screen monitor and I like it well enough. There are probably better ones out there, though. Bit of backlight bleeding on mine, but then again most monitors I've tried have some.
I do like Dell monitors a lot though. Their ultra sharp series usually has little to no backlight bleeding afaik.
 
Roto13 said:
How is Toshiba as a brand of laptop in regards to reliability? Not for gaming, but I figured I'd ask here anyway. :P I just want to finally own a laptop that doesn't fall apart after a year.
Click to expand...

In reliability Toshibas only rival is Asus.

TheExodu5 said:
Samsung SyncMaster 2232GW.

It's not that good. It's fast, colors and contrast are not very good, backlight bleed is awful.

Adequate monitor for gaming, but I don't think I'll be touching Samsung again.

My next monitor is going to need a 75Hz mode. A friend of mine hooked up a CRT to his PC last LAN because he couldn't bring his big TV. 75Hz is so god damn sexy...forgot how incredibly smooth it was. I'm hoping an LCD monitor can produce the awesomely smooth result that the CRT could.
Click to expand...

This is what I don't get, someone buys a shitty monitor probably for (at the time)cheap and gets cheap in return. Samsung is perfectly fine.

If you're looking for LCD with lotsoHz you can go with the new line of 3D capable monitors. They have quite a price tag but the result is 120Hz.

Newest 120Hz is an Acer:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009222&cm_re=acer-_-24-009-222-_-Product
 
Firestorm said:
Do you mean the SK9? That's what I have. 2006 model... Got it in January 2007. Last floor model left in BC and still works now although the battery life is shit and paint is wearing off and looking nasty on mine too =P
Click to expand...

The VA9 is a slightly different machine although I'm sure the exterior would look identical. Li-ion batteries only last for a few years depending on how they are treated. Hop on ebay and grab a new 12-cell one for 60 bucks or so and it'll last you a long time. You'll have to locate the model number of the battery to find the right match. I would on mine but i'm running on the battery right now. You'll get around 5.5 hours when the battery is new. Mine is about a year old and I still get 4.5 hours with it. The 12-cell sticks out the back a bit but I don't mind.
 
deim0s said:
Should I go with the i7-860 or i5-750? (Same mobo platform, yeah?)

No overclocking, two to 3 years normal gaming usage.
Click to expand...

Save the $80 and spend it on better components for the other areas of your PC. Turbo Boost on the i5 overclocks itself anyway.
 
diztrukted said:
wondering....what monitors are everyone using....not really concerned about size more like brand/models
Click to expand...

I have a Samsung T260HD and I'll be buying a 2nd one as soon as I see a good deal.

I like the TV/Monitor combo.
 
TheExodu5 said:
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?
Click to expand...
Your hunch is right. My friends reeled when I popped onto Vent with the ZM-1. It picks up my mouse clicking, without any +20db. And it makes me sound like shit. Not to mention if I have the window open they can hear the fountain outside of my complex, and I can't even be bothered to have music or TV on, or the game at an audible level so that I can hear it.

So as much as it saddened me, I just kept using my Creative Fat1ity headset. Crystal clear mic. Just cant use my sweet Audiotechnica headphones with it :(.
 
So, question for PC Gaf.

I'm finally going to be building a new computer within the next couple of months. Figured it was time to get back into PC Gaming. I'm currently running a P4 3ghz with a Radeon 9800 pro. Been awhile for me, heh.

I've pretty much got my parts picked out for the build, but I was wondering if I should bother getting a soundcard or is onboard sound good enough these days? I could also stick in my old PCI Sound Blaster Audigy if need be. I mostly game with headphones, so I'm not too concerned about super hi-fidelity.

The motherboard I'm looking at getting comes with the Realtek 889 Sound Chip.

Thanks! :D
 
Well I've got good news since my bad building experience. :lol

Bought some matte paint touched up the minor scratch. Unnoticeable :D

So I'm happy about that.

The side panel hinge that broke, glued, and is rock hard, that is back in.

OCed my computer to 3ghz for now. Works like a charm, around 50-55C underload after 40 minutes of Prime95.

I'm glad to have a happy ending after all the minor problems I had. :D
 
Salaadin said:
Are these Kingston SSDNow VSeries Desktop Upgrade Kits any good? I just saw them mentioned in a tomshardware article on SSDs and the prices arent too bad.
Click to expand...

They are not the preferred SSD. Toms hardware is riding their jock pretty hard so I have to assume there is some sort of advertising deal there. They fail to mention the Kingston drives use the Jmicron controller. Better version than the one that caused the stuttering, but it's still an inferior controller compared to Intel and the indilinx drives. And they do not support the TRIM command in win7. As I have said many times regarding SSD's you want intel, or OCZ vertex or agility series, or at least an indilinx controller drive.
 
pahamrick said:
So, question for PC Gaf.

I'm finally going to be building a new computer within the next couple of months. Figured it was time to get back into PC Gaming. I'm currently running a P4 3ghz with a Radeon 9800 pro. Been awhile for me, heh.

I've pretty much got my parts picked out for the build, but I was wondering if I should bother getting a soundcard or is onboard sound good enough these days? I could also stick in my old PCI Sound Blaster Audigy if need be. I mostly game with headphones, so I'm not too concerned about super hi-fidelity.

The motherboard I'm looking at getting comes with the Realtek 889 Sound Chip.

Thanks! :D
Click to expand...

Just go with onboard.
 
evil solrac v3.0 said:
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)
Click to expand...


quoting myself again in case anyone didn't see.
 
SuperEnemyCrab said:
They are not the preferred SSD. Toms hardware is riding their jock pretty hard so I have to assume there is some sort of advertising deal there. They fail to mention the Kingston drives use the Jmicron controller. Better version than the one that caused the stuttering, but it's still an inferior controller compared to Intel and the indilinx drives. And they do not support the TRIM command in win7. As I have said many times regarding SSD's you want intel, or OCZ vertex or agility series, or at least an indilinx controller drive.
Click to expand...

Good to know. Thanks.
 
brain_stew said:
Its all down to individual demans on framerate, resolution and image quality really. There;s no reason to not get a quad core these days with prices starting from a $100, and a decent quad should see you fine with any single GPU rig.

Why are you looking at 4770s? They're EOL, get a 5770 or 5750 instead.

If gaming is your primary concern its almost always better to spend more on the GPU than the CPU, it'll net you the biggest boost in frames.

I mean look at this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...704&cm_re=athlon_x4_ii-_-19-103-704-_-Product

That's a 2.8ghz quad core CPU for $101 delivered!! That's going to be more than a match for any game, so on a budget there's really no need to spend anything more than that, it'll see you more than fine, its a heck of deal. Its a great OCer to boot.
Click to expand...

I have a bunch of mid-range boxes that I'm looking to pair with a decent mid-range card. I chose the 4770 at the time, because I quickly looked at another site :] 5770/5750 sounds about right. These PCs only need a graphics card to be playable with the games we're looking at. I just don't want to overspend if I don't have to.

I believe most of them have AMD X2 240s. Nothing grand, but enough to play a few games.

My own machine will be a new silent shuttle when I get around to it.
 
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