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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition

Reposting so my question doesn't get ignored on the previous page :P

I have a Core 2 Duo E8500 on my PC. Will it limit the power of my recently bought HD 5850? What should I expect in terms of performance with this setup?
 
Brazil said:
Reposting so my question doesn't get ignored on the previous page :P

I have a Core 2 Duo E8500 on my PC. Will it limit the power of my recently bought HD 5850? What should I expect in terms of performance with this setup?
Click to expand...

Depends on the game. You'll always find something useful for the 5850's extra graphical grunt (be it supersampling AA or something similar) so it'll never go completely wasted but having a dual core processor will put a hard cap on the framerates you can achieve. In an increasing amount of games that limit will be below the magical 60fps threshold.
 
brain_stew said:
Depends on the game. You'll always find something useful for the 5850's extra graphical grunt (be it supersampling AA or something similar) so it'll never go completely wasted but having a dual core processor will put a hard cap on the framerates you can achieve. In an increasing amount of games that limit will be below the magical 60fps threshold.
Click to expand...
Well, I'm willing to upgrade my processor if it's really needed, 'cause there's no point in having a great GPU if the CPU is blocking it's potential. Which one do you recommend?

I was left out of the PC gaming world for a few years, so I have no clue.
 
stew and others...

Time has finally come..

Replacing my desktop system (was an i7 920 OC'ed to 3.8GHz) with a laptop.

Now---

I'm looking for between $800-$1200 bucks for a either a Core i5/Core i7 laptop with a smoking hot GPU.

Best places to look and read reviews on said notebooks?

I'm going to be buying it here in the next couple of weeks or so.

Main games I'll be playing:
Team Fortress 2 (god I've been gone from that gem for a while... :( )
Demigod
Battlefield Bad Company 2
whatever else

Main requirements:
Below 16" screen (no glossy if possible)
4GB DDR3 min.
Screen Res - Don't care
HDD - Don't care
DVD/blu-ray drive - Don't care
needs to weigh under 8lbs.

Thanks again. :)
 
Small update.

I OCed my Q6600 to 3.4GHZ (I could go higher - but I'm quite content). 1.32v @ 3.4GHZ is awesome. I tried 3.5GHZ but BSODed. If I raised it, I'm sure I could, but didn't feel like it. I rather have that head room, and 3.4GHZ is more than any game needs. Since the max is 3.6GHZ on a Q6600 which make it way too hot with a high vcore. Not worth it IMO.

I get at least 8-10fps more in BFBC2. Even if the fps isn't high, it feels smoother overall. Very happy. My CPU runs underload @ 48-55. That is amazing! :D
 
Pctx said:
stew and others...

Time has finally come..

Replacing my desktop system (was an i7 920 OC'ed to 3.8GHz) with a laptop.

Now---

I'm looking for between $800-$1200 bucks for a either a Core i5/Core i7 laptop with a smoking hot GPU.

Best places to look and read reviews on said notebooks?

I'm going to be buying it here in the next couple of weeks or so.

Main games I'll be playing:
Team Fortress 2 (god I've been gone from that gem for a while... :( )
Demigod
Battlefield Bad Company 2
whatever else

Main requirements:
Below 16" screen (no glossy if possible)
4GB DDR3 min.
Screen Res - Don't care
HDD - Don't care
DVD/blu-ray drive - Don't care
needs to weigh under 8lbs.

Thanks again. :)
Click to expand...

Look up the Alienware netbook. Hell yuh.
 
Quick processor question;

My friend is offering me a AMD Phenom X4 9650 @ 2.3Ghz for free, alongside a mobo.

Would it be worth the hassle to use it in place of my current Core 2 Duo e6750 @ 2.66 Ghz? Just not too sure if the, admittedly minor, lower clock speed is worth for a Quad Core set up, since- as far as I'm aware- not that many games take advantage of all 4 cores.
 
complete noob here. I have a laptop with

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T9300 @ 2.50GHz, 4.00 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

I can run Fallout 3 in 30 FPS but in low quality. Can I just buy a new graphics card and put it in the laptop myself? Is the processor okay? What's a good graphics card? Thanks a lot!
 
Pctx said:
Need to be portable and a desktop weighing 75 lbs is not fun.
Click to expand...

isnt it a better idea to get one alongside your desktop? somehow i have a feeling youll regret going laptop only in the long run
 
Does anyone know what products the last two links within the $600 budget PC are in the OP? I believe the links are dead (Says the Combo Deals are no longer available).
 
im confused. On the frst page there are a bunch of links to a site called newegg for gaming rigs from $600-$1000 but all those links are just components. Does Newegg actually build the computer with the parts you select or you have to build your own?

Im looking for a desktop system that can play new games at max settings for an affordable price ($600-800).
 
Anticitizen One said:
im confused. On the frst page there are a bunch of links to a site called newegg for gaming rigs from $600-$1000 but all those links are just components. Does Newegg actually build the computer with the parts you select or you have to build your own?

Im looking for a desktop system that can play new games at max settings for an affordable price ($600-800).
Click to expand...

Most people in this thread buy computer components and build their own computers, Newegg simply sells the parts. If you're looking to play at a high resolution $800 might be a bit low to expect max settings on a brand new game, unless you already have a monitor, M&KB, etc that you won't have to buy with a new box.
 
Anticitizen One said:
im confused. On the frst page there are a bunch of links to a site called newegg for gaming rigs from $600-$1000 but all those links are just components. Does Newegg actually build the computer with the parts you select or you have to build your own?

Im looking for a desktop system that can play new games at max settings for an affordable price ($600-800).
Click to expand...

Newegg mainly sells parts so you can put them together your self. They sell prebuilt machines from other companies, but almost everyone in this thread would recommend building it your self.
 
Tiduz said:
isnt it a better idea to get one alongside your desktop? somehow i have a feeling youll regret going laptop only in the long run
Click to expand...
DT is already sold.
I know what I'm in for performance wise but don't know which is the best when it comes to mobile products.
 
Anticitizen One said:
im confused. On the frst page there are a bunch of links to a site called newegg for gaming rigs from $600-$1000 but all those links are just components. Does Newegg actually build the computer with the parts you select or you have to build your own?

Im looking for a desktop system that can play new games at max settings for an affordable price ($600-800).
Click to expand...
Yeah, newegg doesn't do assembly. If you want it to come assembled you need to find a place that will assemble it for you. I will assume you're in the US, it looks like NCIXUS does assembly. I would go that route. Don't build it yourself unless you feel you can do it.

For 800$ you can do a lot. Assuming you have a monitor/OS already.
 
Big B said:
complete noob here. I have a laptop with

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T9300 @ 2.50GHz, 4.00 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

I can run Fallout 3 in 30 FPS but in low quality. Can I just buy a new graphics card and put it in the laptop myself? Is the processor okay? What's a good graphics card? Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
No unfortunately. The graphics card is embedded with the motherboard and cannot be replaced.
 
Pctx said:
DT is already sold.
I know what I'm in for performance wise but don't know which is the best when it comes to mobile products.
Click to expand...

As someone mentioned earlier, take a look at the Alienware MX11. Heard lots of good things about it and appears to be a great bang for the buck, as well as being ultra portable (2 DVD cases side by side sized).
 
i love having 4 cores on my phenom ii x3 720. its 2.8GHz vs my old 3.2GHz, but it helps out in games like GTA IV and BFBC2 beta
 
BuddhaRockstar said:
As someone mentioned earlier, take a look at the Alienware MX11. Heard lots of good things about it and appears to be a great bang for the buck, as well as being ultra portable (2 DVD cases side by side sized).
Click to expand...
I'm leaning towards that... but how is that going to be for CPU limited games such as the Source engine?
 
Pctx said:
I'm leaning towards that... but how is that going to be for CPU limited games such as the Source engine?
Click to expand...

Not very good I'm afraid, what having a low spec CPU like that does mean is that certain games will simply be off bounds. At least when you're GPU bound you can crank up the ugly and get playable frames out of pretty much any game.
 
He should still be able to handle anything that's not Left4Dead pretty well. Hell Red Scarlet plays Left4Dead with far worse hardware and she can manage. Just don't expect anywhere near the performance of your desktop. Also, don't expect to play 3D games on the battery (at least not for very long).
 
TheExodu5 said:
He should still be able to handle anything that's not Left4Dead pretty well.
Click to expand...

Well yeah, in fact the original Left 4 Dead will probably be fine as well but the point still stands. An increasing amount of games are going to be flat out unplayable on that machine whereas something with less than half the graphics grunt and a much better CPU will at least be able to play everything even if everything played on it looks uglier.
 
I recently spoiled myself with my tax return and bought a new computer.

I bought an Asus CG5275-AR003 from Bestbuy on my employee discount and put a 550w pwr supply and a Nvidia 250gts. I regret the card and I will return for maybe a 275 next friday but I must say I am satisfied though. I know I could have built one but that tax return was burning in my pocket.
 
Quick Q: I currently have a C2D @ 3.2ghz, but ive been getting the itch to upgrade to a quad cpu. Should I wait? Or should I get one of those yummy Phenom 2 955 BE?

Thanks.

edit: And yes I am aware that I have to change to mobo. :P
 
Labombadog said:
Quick Q: I currently have a C2D @ 3.2ghz, but ive been getting the itch to upgrade to a quad cpu. Should I wait? Or should I get one of those yummy Phenom 2 955 BE?

Thanks.

edit: And yes I am aware that I have to change to mobo. :P
Click to expand...

If you're looking for performance in games that demand quad-core (BFBC2, Arma 2, GTA4) then go for it. Otherwise you wouldn't be gaining much.

Also, check if your board supports the newer 1333fsp Quad-Cores. I know I was surprised when I found out my P5B-E did. I got a cheap Q8300 for $150 and OC'ed it to 3.0GHz. Nice upgrade.
 
Daigoro said:
im having a display issue with my new 5770. its a dark "banding" kind of effect that cant be seen at all times.

i first noticed it while using the Steam overlay while playing a game. in the Stalker games it can be seen when any overlay is up and also in some dark areas in game.

i didn't notice it really when i played most other games, even like in L4D2 when there were lots of dark sections. i also dont notice it when i have a dark background on my desktop, or while im watching something in a web browser for instance.

i didnt notice it in all games. not to say that its not there, i have only really noticed it in the events i described above.

any ideas?
Click to expand...

anyone have any idea what im talking about here?

sorry if someone responded and i missed it.
 
Pctx said:
stew and others...

Time has finally come..

Replacing my desktop system (was an i7 920 OC'ed to 3.8GHz) with a laptop.

Now---

I'm looking for between $800-$1200 bucks for a either a Core i5/Core i7 laptop with a smoking hot GPU.

Best places to look and read reviews on said notebooks?

I'm going to be buying it here in the next couple of weeks or so.

Main games I'll be playing:
Team Fortress 2 (god I've been gone from that gem for a while... :( )
Demigod
Battlefield Bad Company 2
whatever else

Main requirements:
Below 16" screen (no glossy if possible)
4GB DDR3 min.
Screen Res - Don't care
HDD - Don't care
DVD/blu-ray drive - Don't care
needs to weigh under 8lbs.

Thanks again. :)
Click to expand...
Asus G73.

look it up. do it now. it's a pinch more expensive, but you'll see why you need to look no further immediately.
 
Dipper145 said:
If you are looking at a case/power supply combo, the only one I can really recommend, is the Antec Sonata III. Comes with a good Earthwatts 500w power supply. I wouldn't necessarily go as cheap as possible, but there are definitely a lot of good budget PSUs out there. I really like the look of the antec 300, so I would probably take a look at this. There are some decent combo deals on newegg.

You don't want to skimp too much on the PSU, it will be keeping all your expensive parts running safely.
Click to expand...
Yeah, PSU quality matters more than rated wattage, as a good PSU can do more than its rating for a bit while a crap PSU can't even put out what it's supposed to.

Besides, unless you're throwing in CPUs and GPUs, PCs don't consume that much power anyway.
 
After a lot more reading and thinking, I wondered what everyone thinks about this for a new build:

£1,227.64 total.

...plus, cannibalised from my Dimension:
  • DVD and CD-RW drives
  • WD Caviar 500GB HDD
  • Logitech wireless KB/M
I threw in the two fans to replace the stock fans in the P183 which are, apparently, pretty noisy when you crank the fan speed up to give better cooling.

I'm still not entirely sure about the monitor, and if anyone can suggest other components that would be of equal quality but might trim a £100+ off the budget that would be great - that cash could then go to the parts for the custom desk I'm going to need for this wee beastie.
 
Big B said:
complete noob here. I have a laptop with

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T9300 @ 2.50GHz, 4.00 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

I can run Fallout 3 in 30 FPS but in low quality. Can I just buy a new graphics card and put it in the laptop myself? Is the processor okay? What's a good graphics card? Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
What's your manufacturer and model? It's possible that you can add a new gfx card.
Pctx said:
stew and others...

Time has finally come..

Replacing my desktop system (was an i7 920 OC'ed to 3.8GHz) with a laptop.

Now---

I'm looking for between $800-$1200 bucks for a either a Core i5/Core i7 laptop with a smoking hot GPU.

Best places to look and read reviews on said notebooks?

I'm going to be buying it here in the next couple of weeks or so.

Main games I'll be playing:
Team Fortress 2 (god I've been gone from that gem for a while... :( )
Demigod
Battlefield Bad Company 2
whatever else

Main requirements:
Below 16" screen (no glossy if possible)
4GB DDR3 min.
Screen Res - Don't care
HDD - Don't care
DVD/blu-ray drive - Don't care
needs to weigh under 8lbs.

Thanks again. :)
Click to expand...
You need to wait until March.
 
Well this is a little discomforting.
j7sz11.jpg


First part of the picture is my previous build. Switched out the mobo, ram, and processor last night. Seem to have lost a fair bit of GPU performance somewhere along the line...

Anyone have a guess as to what might have caused this? I'm a bit worried it might be the mobo that's bottlenecking me, but I'm unsure whether or not that's even possible.

Previous Mobo
Current Mobo
 
K.Jack said:
What's your manufacturer and model? It's possible that you can add a new gfx card.

You need to wait until March.
Click to expand...
Ill bite k Jack since I know your the king of mobile.... What comes out in march?
 
To play games on max resolutions. I need to get a monitor instead of my limited 1080p HDTV.

Are there monitors than can support above 1080p and are above 52" and 3D compatible.?
 
My budget is $1200, already have a power supply and hard drive (and monitor of course). Build me the best with that budget using every penny please! I prefer newegg since I live in the US and there's a Micro Center 10 minutes from me if that helps.
 
have a question. maybe somebody can help me out. so I had a HP Elite one of those pre-built pc's and the power supply crapped out. One thing that always bothered me though was how fucking small the case was and all the heat it generated. so anyway I stripped the pc apart. took the MOBO, HDD's, Both DVD Drives and the 8800GT that was in the machine.

I plan on buying a bigger case and power supply and sticking everything in there. I was just wondering will I run into any potential problems? I kept all that other crappy stuff in the HP like HP media drives and the hauppage wintv and just took the stuff that I wanted.

anything I need to do or is it as simple as sticking everything back together in the new case. I'm kind of wondering will the pc work properly without all that extra crap.
 
Traced-Velocity said:
Well this is a little discomforting.
j7sz11.jpg


First part of the picture is my previous build. Switched out the mobo, ram, and processor last night. Seem to have lost a fair bit of GPU performance somewhere along the line...

Anyone have a guess as to what might have caused this? I'm a bit worried it might be the mobo that's bottlenecking me, but I'm unsure whether or not that's even possible.

Previous Mobo
Current Mobo
Click to expand...

your gpu score is lower? your cpu score is higher? Driver issue maybe?
 
Pctx said:
stew and others...

Time has finally come..

Replacing my desktop system (was an i7 920 OC'ed to 3.8GHz) with a laptop.

Now---

I'm looking for between $800-$1200 bucks for a either a Core i5/Core i7 laptop with a smoking hot GPU.

Best places to look and read reviews on said notebooks?

I'm going to be buying it here in the next couple of weeks or so.

Main games I'll be playing:
Team Fortress 2 (god I've been gone from that gem for a while... :( )
Demigod
Battlefield Bad Company 2
whatever else

Main requirements:
Below 16" screen (no glossy if possible)
4GB DDR3 min.
Screen Res - Don't care
HDD - Don't care
DVD/blu-ray drive - Don't care
needs to weigh under 8lbs.

Thanks again. :)
Click to expand...

Why not just get a CULV notebook instead. You'll actually get a new use out of the machine (portability) and not have to give anything up. Finding a laptop that will play nice with BC2 is going to be fun.
 
Labombadog said:
Quick Q: I currently have a C2D @ 3.2ghz, but ive been getting the itch to upgrade to a quad cpu. Should I wait? Or should I get one of those yummy Phenom 2 955 BE?

Thanks.

edit: And yes I am aware that I have to change to mobo. :P
Click to expand...

Upgrade but not to a 955. Get a Q8400 or Q9550 instead, they offer the same sort of performance level without the need for a new motherboard.
 
evil solrac v3.0 said:
where are you always taking your desktop around?
Click to expand...
Finding that I'm needing to be portable more and more with my consulting and quite honestly, I want to punt my f'ning Acer across the room (netbook) because even with 2GB of RAM + SD card w/ Readyboost, the thing is slow.

I'm hoping with a DTR I can have 1) A fast system that works around my needs and 2) I can do some gaming on again. :D
 
Pctx said:
Finding that I'm needing to be portable more and more with my consulting and quite honestly, I want to punt my f'ning Acer across the room (netbook) because even with 2GB of RAM + SD card w/ Readyboost, the thing is slow.
D
Click to expand...

Should have got a CULV model. ;) Netbooks are dead (and good riddance).
 
Deadly Monk said:
My budget is $1200, already have a power supply and hard drive (and monitor of course). Build me the best with that budget using every penny please! I prefer newegg since I live in the US and there's a Micro Center 10 minutes from me if that helps.
Click to expand...

Brain_stew? Anyone? :(
 
Finally got everything working with regards to my pc. It was something to do with the cpu pins or the placement of the RAM.

Anyway, just wondering what the best software is for monitoring you computer (cpu temp, ram use etc.)?
 
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