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[BigAT]

So I had been planning on putting together a new gaming rig in a few months, then the hard drive in my current system (an old Seagate Barracuda 160GB) decided to go and die on me earlier today.

I decided I might as well go ahead and order the hard drive now, slap it in my old system and then when I get around to putting a new one together transfer it into that rig. I've been looking around at drives today and have tentatively decided on the Western Digital Black 1TB, it looks pretty good to me. Thoughts?

 

[brain_stew]

So I had been planning on putting together a new gaming rig in a few months, then the hard drive in my current system (an old Seagate Barracuda 160GB) decided to go and die on me earlier today.

I decided I might as well go ahead and order the hard drive now, slap it in my old system and then when I get around to putting a new one together transfer it into that rig. I've been looking around at drives today and have tentatively decided on the Western Digital Black 1TB, it looks pretty good to me. Thoughts?

That's not their 500GB platter model, so no stay away. This is a 500GB platter drive and cheaper, so buy it instead:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U3S5S0/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[NorrenRadd]

Anyone know if Fry's carries:

Molex 2x4pin -> PCI-Express 6 pin adapter
Generic PCI expansion bay covers
Generic Drive bay covers


Need these to finish my build.

 

[Mr_Brit]

GAF, can you use a 4 pin power supply on an 8 pin motherboard?

 

[NorrenRadd]

GAF, can you use a 4 pin power supply on an 8 pin motherboard?

I did this today. Your motherboard manual will tell you specifically where to plug in your 4 pin power cable (which 4 are the primary ones)

 

[thatbox]

Do we have a consensus on any budget soundcards? I built my PC for about 610 USD expecting the onboard sound to be enough (was my fault, I was coming from nForce2 onboard and was naive), but it's absolutely horrible. I really don't have much more money to spend, but on the other hand I'd like something comparable to what I had in the past. Anything worth using below fifty bucks?

 

[Mr_Brit]

I did this today. Your motherboard manual will tell you specifically where to plug in your 4 pin power cable (which 4 are the primary ones)

Thanks.

 

[anachronous_one]

brain_stew, any thoughts on my post from the last page?

So I ended up jumping on a refurbed HP Elite w/ Core i7 920, 9GB DDR3, and a GTX 260 (1.8GB).

Cost was more of a concern than ULTRA-MAX performance (this thing was $799+shipping), and I have this connected to my 46" Toshiba LCD TV (DVI to HDMI converter).

My question is: am I limiting my max frames per second by connecting to my TV? According to my TV's manual, both the HDMI and VGA ports are limited to 59Hz (not 60 --- 59 --- weird). I'm noticing that with the few benchmarks that I've run (like SFIV), my max and average fps don't go over the high-50s.

From everything I'm reading, it seems likely that the TV's refresh rate is the culprit for the low fps numbers, but I thought this would be a good place to ask.

Thanks in advance!

 

[SarBear]

So I need to give my boss a plan for two new items in our small business office:


1) He needs a new server. He's running some ancient shit with 32gb storage and the operating Windows Server 2000. Most of our current accounting software is not supporting this OS after this tax year. He wants Server 2003, but I think we'll run into the same effing problem a couple years from now. I'm pushing for Server 2008. We don't need something fancy, and storage at the MOST would be 500gb. Even then that's overkill.

2) One of our offices needs a new computer. At least a cpu with 2 cores, nothing super fancy, but something that is fast and will handle ram heavy applications. Shelf life of 3 years at the least. Storage, again, isn't a huge issue.


His budget is $1200, but I figured that would be the server alone with the software needed.


My budget proposal: $1500

Can we make that happen GAF? Thanks in advance.

Quoted for a new page and hopeful results.

 

[TouchMyBox]

brain_stew, any thoughts on my post from the last page?

If you TV only accepts 59Hz, then you're limiting yourself to 59Hz. Unless you have a fancy-pants 120Hz monitor (or a nice crt), you're losing out on 1Hz by connecting your computer to your TV. In other words, there's virtually no difference.

 

[hauton]

as someone who just pulled the trigger on a 1156 build,

dayum

X6 looks hot
i guess my problem was I wasn't willing to go AMD given that it was a $50 difference between an X4 955 and an i5 750. Unless I wanted to bet on unlocking an X2 550 for like $100 less, it just wasn't worth it.

well I think quad is going to be OK for now, games are JUST starting to take advantage of it, i don't see X6 or Gulftown having major gaming implications for a while IMHO.

 

[Swag]

What's the next upgrade I should be looking at from a Rad 4890?

 

[captain wow]

Ive recently gotten myself a second 5850 and am now running them crossfire. Im very happy with the performance boost ive gotten, but having used ran it for a couple of weeks ive recently found that im getting a weird graphical issue. Its kind of like scan lines going up and down the screen. Its not to pronounced but it becomes quite obvious in dark games like metro 2033.

Just wondering if anyone using crossfire has run into something similar and whether there is a working around or is it something im just going to have to live with.

 

[Septimus]

Posting again from the last page:
Hey guys, what's a reasonable and safe way/amount to OC a Core i5 750 2.66GHz 8mb cache CPU for someone that's never done any OCing before. My PSU is this if it matters.

 

[Odious Tea]

Posting again from the last page:
Hey guys, what's a reasonable and safe way/amount to OC a Core i5 750 2.66GHz 8mb cache CPU for someone that's never done any OCing before. My PSU is this if it matters.

I used this. If you have any specific questions, feel free. I'll do my best to answer. And If I trip up anywhere, someone else here will surely correct me.

 

[Fitz]

What's the next upgrade I should be looking at from a Rad 4890?

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart

I'd say a 5870.

 

[DeadTrees]

So I need to give my boss a plan for two new items in our small business office:


1) He needs a new server. He's running some ancient shit with 32gb storage and the operating Windows Server 2000. Most of our current accounting software is not supporting this OS after this tax year. He wants Server 2003, but I think we'll run into the same effing problem a couple years from now. I'm pushing for Server 2008. We don't need something fancy, and storage at the MOST would be 500gb. Even then that's overkill.

2) One of our offices needs a new computer. At least a cpu with 2 cores, nothing super fancy, but something that is fast and will handle ram heavy applications. Shelf life of 3 years at the least. Storage, again, isn't a huge issue.


His budget is $1200, but I figured that would be the server alone with the software needed.


My budget proposal: $1500

Can we make that happen GAF?

Not quite, though if you recycle an OS license and the old server case, you might come out just under $1500. All prices are from Newegg:

1)
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz.....$59 (Yeah, yeah, it's a dual core, but if all you need is 500 GB, you probably won't need better. An AMD Propus quadcore will cost an extra $40.)
GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3....$95
MSI N8400GS-D256H video card....$32 (or just fleabay/recycle any old passively cooled low power card)
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM....$97
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB....$55.99
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB....$55.99 (for RAID 1)
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W PS....$80
NORCO RPC-470 Black 4U server rack....$87
Microsoft Windows Server Standard 2008 R2 64 bit x64....$660.00
Server total: ~$1,222

2)
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz + GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H combo...$131
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM....$97
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAJS 320GB....$48
SeaSonic SS-350SFE 350W PS....$50
Rosewill R220-P-BK Black Computer Case....$24 (one day sale)
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 32-bit (or 64-bit) OEM....$140
Desktop total: ~$490.00

 

[larvi]

So has anyone running Windows 7 installed XP for dual boot? I have another drive I can partition for an XP install but I'm concerned that XP will overaly the Windows 7 boot sector and cause problems.

I keep finding older games such as Diablo, Sacred, etc just don't play nice with Windows 7 64 bit, as well as some older apps I run. I've been able to run the apps fine in a Virtual PC session but 3D games don't work well or at all since virtual PC is emulating the video card (and a S3 Trio at that). So I figure dual boot would be the best option.

 

[JayDubya]

Aw hell. I wish I could restore post. I'll just re-post.

 

[tsigo]

Micro Center has this i7 930 for $200:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0331303.

Yeah that's almost $100 lower than the current Newegg price. I'm gonna go pick one up tomorrow.

 

[chapel]

I went through a lot of options with JayDub and ultimately in combination with the Fry's deal I recommended these components as well.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=14318146

The idea was to have a system that would last him a while (4 years) and give him the best bang for his buck. Of course if you guys can find better options or deals, let him know. The Fry's deal is short term, I recommended he jump in it now, because to buy the same parts from newegg separately would cost $100 more. As well the difference between the two cpus would not be that big to him, considering where he is coming from.

 

[SarBear]

Not quite, though if you recycle an OS license and the old server case, you might come out just under $1500. All prices are from Newegg:

1)
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz.....$59 (Yeah, yeah, it's a dual core, but if all you need is 500 GB, you probably won't need better. An AMD Propus quadcore will cost an extra $40.)
GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3....$95
MSI N8400GS-D256H video card....$32 (or just fleabay/recycle any old passively cooled low power card)
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM....$97
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB....$55.99
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB....$55.99 (for RAID 1)
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W PS....$80
NORCO RPC-470 Black 4U server rack....$87
Microsoft Windows Server Standard 2008 R2 64 bit x64....$660.00
Server total: ~$1,222

2)
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz + GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H combo...$131
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM....$97
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAJS 320GB....$48
SeaSonic SS-350SFE 350W PS....$50
Rosewill R220-P-BK Black Computer Case....$24 (one day sale)
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 32-bit (or 64-bit) OEM....$140
Desktop total: ~$490.00

Great. Although, we wouldn't need Windows 7; he's a stickler for Windows XP on the workstations. Can probably replace the cost of that with the aforementioned processor at a higher price for the server. Thank you very much.

 

[NorrenRadd]

Currently trying to install Win7 via usb drive on my new build.

Using old SATA 250GB WD HDDs.

Getting BSOD all over the f'ing place. Very annoying.


Also, I'm using the thumb stick method and it takes forever at the 'Setup is starting...' step.

 

[Ermac]

I want to connect my laptop to two external displays, one with VGA and one with HDMI. The only problem is the ports are too close together on my laptop, and the VGA cable overlaps the HDMI port.

Is there anywhere I can buy a VGA cable that doesn't have screws on the side? I just need it to be a little bit thinner so I can fit in the HDMI cable as well.

 

[Odious Tea]

Currently trying to install Win7 via usb drive on my new build.

Using old SATA 250GB WD HDDs.

Getting BSOD all over the f'ing place. Very annoying.


Also, I'm using the thumb stick method and it takes forever at the 'Setup is starting...' step.

Did you use this?

 

[Chris Murphy]

Is there anywhere I can buy a VGA cable that doesn't have screws on the side? I just need it to be a little bit thinner so I can fit in the HDMI cable as well.

Just cut the screw bit off.

 

[ghst]

What's the next upgrade I should be looking at from a Rad 4890?

anything short of a 5870 isn't really worth it, treasure that card. it's still the goto (upper) mid range card and a better value proposition than any of the the 5***'s on the market, if you can find one that is.

 

[Hazaro]

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1930690

MX518 for $25 shipped after rebate

 

[NorrenRadd]

Did you use this?

Yes, and I have managed to start installation. I get BSOD at several times, seemingly randomly.

Before I get to the 'Install windows' button
After I tell it to install but while it waits to 'preparing setup'
After I format the drive I want to install to and it begins 'copying files'

Also, the install is INCREDIBLY slow. Takes 5 mins to load the 'install windows' splash screen, then 5 mins to 'preparing setup'.

I get different STOP error codes all the time.


My Specs:

i5 750
Gigabyte P55A-UD3
Hyper 212+
XFX 5770
Antec True550W (with adapter for PCI-E power) link
Corsair 2x2gb DDR3 link
An old IDE DVD-ROM drive (still got BSOD when I didn't use this)
3x old 250 GB caviar SATA drives (the ones referenced here) (got BSOD using each of these (only 1 plugged in at a time))
1x old 40gb IDE drive (Seagate) (got BSOD when just using this)

I can POST and get into the BIOS easy. If I don't plug in my bootable thumbdrive, the screen says something like 'Loading OS' even though there is nothing to load.

 

[Jin34]

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1930690

MX518 for $25 shipped after rebate

Nice, thanks.

 

[Hazaro]

Just ordered one myself.

 

[dark10x]

Also, the install is INCREDIBLY slow. Takes 5 mins to load the 'install windows' splash screen, then 5 mins to 'preparing setup'.

I can tell you that I've seen this many times with Windows 7 installations. In fact, this tends to happen MORE often, in my experience, than the quicker installation. For some reason, it just seems to spend a lot of time doing nothing and I've never figured out why. Once installed, performance is great, but that initial installation can be sloooowww.

 

[rohlfinator]

Newegg has the OCZ Vertex 30GB SSD for $80 after rebate. I'm really tempted to jump on this -- anyone have any opinions of it?

 

[gregor7777]

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1930690

MX518 for $25 shipped after rebate

Awesome mouse. I'm very content with mine.

 

[DodgyGeezerFella]

Im thinking of switching to a laptop for my PC needs, so ive been doing some digging around, and the best bang for buck ive found is this -

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5740G_Laptop_LX.PMB02.001/version.asp

It seems, at least to me, that this should happily run everything i throw at it (not maxed, but better than medium etc). What say you guys, know anything better for less ?

Edit - Or even this -

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Laptops/Novatech/NNB-CLR42.html

Not as good i know, but much much cheaper.

 

[mm04]

I can tell you that I've seen this many times with Windows 7 installations. In fact, this tends to happen MORE often, in my experience, than the quicker installation. For some reason, it just seems to spend a lot of time doing nothing and I've never figured out why. Once installed, performance is great, but that initial installation can be sloooowww.

Wow, I guess I got lucky then. My install of Windows 7 64bit version was by far the fastest Windows install I've ever had. This was on a newly build system a few weeks ago. I've been telling my friends who are interested in moving to Win7 that as well. I hope I don't look bad afterward!

 

[Smash88]

What's the next upgrade I should be looking at from a Rad 4890?

The 5890 should be coming late spring/early summer. It is a refresh of the 5870 with higher clock speeds and some other goodies. I'm sure it won't be much more expensive, since Nvidia will also be releasing the GTX470/480. There will be a price war, and it will be a good period for customers.

From what I've been reading about the GTX470/480, from the tech shows they have shown, it doesn't seem to be much more powerful, given the extra time frame they have had. Also I'm sure ATI/AMD are looking to make the 5890 compete if not exceed the 470/480.

 

[Odious Tea]

Im thinking of switching to a laptop for my PC needs, so ive been doing some digging around, and the best bang for buck ive found is this -

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5740G_Laptop_LX.PMB02.001/version.asp

It seems, at least to me, that this should happily run everything i throw at it (not maxed, but better than medium etc). What say you guys, know anything better for less ?

Edit - Or even this -

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Laptops/Novatech/NNB-CLR42.html

Not as good i know, but much much cheaper.

Think long and hard about this. Have you considered desktop/netbook combination? I, for one, can't begin to fathom having a notebook as my primary computer.

 

[Macattk15]

So what is the consensus on SSD's? I'm just now diving into them.

I purchased a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167023 after reading almost all of the mostly positive reviews.

I'm going to throw Windows 7 on it and some of the major games I play routinely. What is this TRIM feature I have been hearing about and how do I turn it on in Windows 7?

 

[brain_stew]

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1930690

MX518 for $25 shipped after rebate

Bargain. 100% recommended.

 

[Minsc]

So what is the consensus on SSD's? I'm just now diving into them.

I purchased a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167023 after reading almost all of the mostly positive reviews.

I'm going to throw Windows 7 on it and some of the major games I play routinely. What is this TRIM feature I have been hearing about and how do I turn it on in Windows 7?

Leave around 20GB free if you can. You bought one of the best ones, but gaming performance is a mixed bag, some games will load faster, others won't. Your framerate won't change either way.

Your OS will definitely show the most improvement, nearly everything is always instantaneous, even on a fresh start. Actually windows itself goes from the login screen to all your apps loaded and ready to go in just a couple seconds.

If windows detects your drive properly you don't do anything, TRIM will automatically be enabled. It is just a smarter way of handling writing on the drive, making it a bit faster.

I have an 80GB Intel as well, and after your Win7 + apps I have about 40GB free with no games on it. So there's not too much left over. I'd be careful about which games you put. Most console ports load extremely fast, even on a normal HDD. Metro 2033 loads in under 2 seconds on my WD Black, and Dragon Age is equally as fast. Dragon Age would be an absolute waste of 16GB on your SSD.

 

[DodgyGeezerFella]

Think long and hard about this. Have you considered desktop/netbook combination? I, for one, can't begin to fathom having a notebook as my primary computer.

Ive been using a friends laptop while hes been away, and quite frankly, i think i prefer it. I can still play all my games comfortably at the desk with a usb mouse, and also jumping into bed and having a browse before bed

 

[Odious Tea]

Ive been using a friends laptop while hes been away, and quite frankly, i think i prefer it. I can still play all my games comfortably at the desk with a usb mouse, and also jumping into bed and having a browse before bed

Fair enough. As long as you know what you're getting yourself into. :lol

 

[Hieberrr]

Ugh I think my stupid graphics card crapped out on me today. My bootup screens are completely covered in artifacts and upon getting on to the desktop, my resolution is all messed up and NVidia's control panel can't find the card..

Any recommendations for a card that is on par or better than a 9800GT but not too expensive?

Stupid ass Dell Computers

 

[Smash88]

Ugh I think my stupid graphics card crapped out on me today. My bootup screens are completely covered in artifacts and upon getting on to the desktop, my resolution is all messed up and NVidia's control panel can't find the card..

Any recommendations for a card that is on par or better than a 9800GT but not too expensive?

Stupid ass Dell Computers

Depends what your budget is...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102873&cm_re=5770-_-14-102-873-_-Product

I would recommend the 5770. You save $20 + $10 MIR + Free Shipping.

 

[Swag]

anything short of a 5870 isn't really worth it, treasure that card. it's still the goto (upper) mid range card and a better value proposition than any of the the 5***'s on the market, if you can find one that is.

Yeah it's serving me quite well currently, handles almost everything that I throw at it. Just wanna know what I should budget for in the future.

And I tried out the Crysis particle mod and my computer didn't like it that well :lol

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

I keep getting this weird green "blinking"or ghosting on my monitor when i play games only. could it be my graphic cards or the monitor? the games runs fine and have no glitches but whenever i playa game, i have that problem.

 

[Mr_Brit]

Going to put Windows 7 on my new rig. Do you guys recommend 64 bit? Does it have any major flaws or problems? Also, can I use a dualshock 3 and pcsx2 on a 64bit install?

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Ive been using a friends laptop while hes been away, and quite frankly, i think i prefer it. I can still play all my games comfortably at the desk with a usb mouse, and also jumping into bed and having a browse before bed

you won't say that in a year or two when you can't run games optimally anymore.

 

[Minsc]

Going to put Windows 7 on my new rig. Do you guys recommend 64 bit? Does it have any major flaws or problems? Also, can I use a dualshock 3 and pcsx2 on a 64bit install?

There are no real problems with 64-bit as far as gaming goes, I'd go for that. But from what I've read, it is work to get a PS3 controller on Windows 7 regardless of 32/64-bit, so good luck!