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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition
- Thread starter Spy
- Start date
Smokey said:Can somebody recommend a motherboard for a i7 930? I never know what I'm supposed to be looking for with them
I got the i7-930, and I got this motherboard. It has like fifty thousand USB ports and shit and it's probably great, I dunno because it was recommended to me by people who know stuff about PCs.
It goes without saying, though, that it works great.
TurtleSnatcher
Member
Hot damn that mobo is expensive :XAmir0x said:
rohlfinator
Member
It's supposed to be more geared towards measuring how well Windows itself will perform, not necessarily games or intensive apps. The differences between those pieces of hardware would be pretty much imperceptible in day-to-day use, even though in benchmarks (and games) they're significantly different.Orellio said:
That said, any benchmark that tries to describe the total performance of a piece of hardware with one number is going to have its problems.
ChronicleX
Banned
URGENT HELP REQUIRED (and Stuff).
My plans to upgrade my pc have now been hastened since my 8600GT just kinda blew up (the 3d stopped working, direct draw works fine though) so I need some advice.
1 - Is it safe to continue using my dead card for display purposes? (seems ok ATM, the directdraw works fine, direct3d fails)
2 - I need a replacement and I do not want to fuck it up. Got about around £600-1K to spare (UK). Only critical thing is it must run SCII.
I been planning to upgrade for ages, now I kinda have a bloody good reason. The internal graphics on this thing is a 6600 LE so I cant play anything ATM. Plz help, all this shit confuses me :lol
My plans to upgrade my pc have now been hastened since my 8600GT just kinda blew up (the 3d stopped working, direct draw works fine though) so I need some advice.
1 - Is it safe to continue using my dead card for display purposes? (seems ok ATM, the directdraw works fine, direct3d fails)
2 - I need a replacement and I do not want to fuck it up. Got about around £600-1K to spare (UK). Only critical thing is it must run SCII.
I been planning to upgrade for ages, now I kinda have a bloody good reason. The internal graphics on this thing is a 6600 LE so I cant play anything ATM. Plz help, all this shit confuses me :lol
Fimbulvetr
Member
My friend needs help PC GAF(ignore the gaf fanboyism, he's a serious lurker):
"Hey GAF, I'm a longtime lurker on this forum (introduced Fimbulvetr to it a while back; now he's ruined too, oh well), and as an admirer of the knowledge of many posters here, I'd like a recommendation on building my first gaming PC. I have zero experience in PC building, and very little knowledge on the hardware market, but I'm eager to give it a shot. My current PC isn't even able to do HD streaming, let alone run any of the latest games, so I figure its way past time.
Budget: $600-$700
Main Uses: Gaming, Web surfing, Video streaming (Netflix)
Monitor Resolution: 1440x900
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: The contents of The Orange Box are the baseline of what I'd like to be able to run (bought it last year when it was on sale for $10 and haven't been able to play it yet; can't wait!). I'm also very interested in multiplatform games such as Mirror's Edge, Dead Space and Batman: Arkham Asylum, so being able to play these at good settings would be a big bonus. Reaching for the stars, playing games such as Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4 and Super Mario Galaxy at superior image quality via the Dolphin emulator is something I would love to be able to do, but I don't expect to get this, at least not at amazing resolution and/or framerate with a build at my budget. Even so, it won't take much to impress me visually, since I've been playing on the Wii and PS2 almost exclusively this generation. Thanks in advance, o you gods among nerds, I shall join your ranks someday!"
"Hey GAF, I'm a longtime lurker on this forum (introduced Fimbulvetr to it a while back; now he's ruined too, oh well), and as an admirer of the knowledge of many posters here, I'd like a recommendation on building my first gaming PC. I have zero experience in PC building, and very little knowledge on the hardware market, but I'm eager to give it a shot. My current PC isn't even able to do HD streaming, let alone run any of the latest games, so I figure its way past time.
Budget: $600-$700
Main Uses: Gaming, Web surfing, Video streaming (Netflix)
Monitor Resolution: 1440x900
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: The contents of The Orange Box are the baseline of what I'd like to be able to run (bought it last year when it was on sale for $10 and haven't been able to play it yet; can't wait!). I'm also very interested in multiplatform games such as Mirror's Edge, Dead Space and Batman: Arkham Asylum, so being able to play these at good settings would be a big bonus. Reaching for the stars, playing games such as Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4 and Super Mario Galaxy at superior image quality via the Dolphin emulator is something I would love to be able to do, but I don't expect to get this, at least not at amazing resolution and/or framerate with a build at my budget. Even so, it won't take much to impress me visually, since I've been playing on the Wii and PS2 almost exclusively this generation. Thanks in advance, o you gods among nerds, I shall join your ranks someday!"
JRW
Member
Cant remember if I posted this already (Dont know how to search threads with the custom search). Anyhow Im loving the new PC but plan on buying an SSD and a GTX 480 in the near future.
But for now:
i7 920 @ 3.36ghz (stock intel cooler)
6GB (3x 2GB Corsair DDR3 1600 XMS3)
EVGA GTX 260 Superclocked edition
500GB SATA WD (older model)
Win 7 64-bit Ultimate
24" Sony GDM-FW900
But for now:
i7 920 @ 3.36ghz (stock intel cooler)
6GB (3x 2GB Corsair DDR3 1600 XMS3)
EVGA GTX 260 Superclocked edition
500GB SATA WD (older model)
Win 7 64-bit Ultimate
24" Sony GDM-FW900
GAF
I have $700 to spend on upgrades. Decide for me NAO.
current rig:
e8400 @4ghz
4GB DDR2 @ 888mhz
4870 512MB GDDR5 (sapphire toxic) OC'd to 810/1100
575w. Enermax modular
Only two games I own that don't run 1080p max 60fps (AA and AF variable per game) are Crysis and Metro 2033.
I have $700 to spend on upgrades. Decide for me NAO.
current rig:
e8400 @4ghz
4GB DDR2 @ 888mhz
4870 512MB GDDR5 (sapphire toxic) OC'd to 810/1100
575w. Enermax modular
Only two games I own that don't run 1080p max 60fps (AA and AF variable per game) are Crysis and Metro 2033.
Minsc
Gold Member
kinggroin said:
Go 4GB 5970 :lol
Your only other serious option is a second 4870, a GTX 480 or a ATI 5870 probably isn't worth the money for the improvement (as both will be beaten by merely adding a 2nd 4870), but they're a distant third/fourth option to the 5970 or XFire 4870.
Minsc
Gold Member
kinggroin said:
Yea, the :lol was because I wasn't being totally serious (they're like $700 too, iirc). The only economical upgrade for you is a 2nd GPU... DennisK4 has a XFire 4870 setup, and he runs crazy graphic configs in 2560x1600, and posts beautiful screens all the time in the screenshot thread.
You can look at the "compiled" results of these benches (over the various games) to see just how much your CPU would be holding back a better GPU upgrade, versus top of the line CPUs.
Edit: You can see from looking at the various titles the i5 is the sweet spot. It is nearly always the top performer, and can be built in to a $800 system. The new Phenom X6s may bring prices down even further too!
ChronicleX
Banned
Lkr said:
Everything cept the monitor, its a shit PC by todays standards (even shitter now using the internal card).
Smokey said:Can somebody recommend a motherboard for a i7 930? I never know what I'm supposed to be looking for with them
http://reviews.cnet.com/motherboards/asus-p6t-deluxe-v2/4505-3049_7-33515953.html
is the one i use, awesome mobo.
edit, doh mithos posted it already, me blind.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/18747/2ChronicleX said:
Bam. 5770. 4GB of RAM (If it doesn't cause Heatsink clearance issues)
Should be, but I'd just RMA it and run off integrated.
Minsc said:
Lol, almost bit the bullet on one too you dork!
Well, I'm not sure upgrading my CPU to an i5 makes any sense atm. From those charts, my DC was besting the Phenom IIx4 lineup, and mine runs at a higher clock speed than the one in those benchmarks
So yeah, the CPU is fine for now (although I'm sure more and more games in the future will support quads better, making that chart obsolete).
So I'm leaning towards going for a second 4870 (and new motherboard), or a 5870.
Hmmmm, decisions decisions.
Here's what I'm hoping I'll get in the summer. It will be my one gift to myself:
LIAN LI PC-B70 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112224
Core i7 930
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128362
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
Intel X25-M Mainstream 80GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167023
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 2GB 256-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102888
CORSAIR CMPSU-750HX 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 1600 DDR3 SDRAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145253
Total:
$2,113
I may switch out the 5870 for a GTX 480 because I really want 3-D etc. It'd be like $30 more than the 5870 I have now.
Anyway that's what I've got. Is that WD Hard Drive ok? I think everything else is fine. I gave myself a $2,000 budget and went over by a little more than $100, but that's ok. I'm sure I could find that somewhere.
Thoughts?
LIAN LI PC-B70 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112224
Core i7 930
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128362
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
Intel X25-M Mainstream 80GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167023
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 2GB 256-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102888
CORSAIR CMPSU-750HX 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 1600 DDR3 SDRAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145253
Total:
$2,113
I may switch out the 5870 for a GTX 480 because I really want 3-D etc. It'd be like $30 more than the 5870 I have now.
Anyway that's what I've got. Is that WD Hard Drive ok? I think everything else is fine. I gave myself a $2,000 budget and went over by a little more than $100, but that's ok. I'm sure I could find that somewhere.
Thoughts?
Haha I meant now.kinggroin said:
I mean you can't max 2 games! Oh no!I like waiting. A 4Ghz E8400 is a solid CPU, 4870 a great card. A 5850 or 5870 is a nice upgrade (Or 5970/GTX 480 even) but you are only buying it for these 2 games?
Grab a GTX 480 if you are interested in 3D (Obviously you'll need a monitor that supports it, the new 1080p screens that are 120Hz are out).Smokey said:
You'll want a 500GB platter TB drive (faster). That WD is 3x334GB paltters vs 2x500GB.
Samsung F1 (I believe) and another model I can't recall off the top of my head).
Minsc
Gold Member
Hazaro said:Haha I meant now.
I like waiting. A 4Ghz E8400 is a solid CPU, 4870 a great card. A 5850 or 5870 is a nice upgrade (Or 5970/GTX 480 even) but you are only buying it for these 2 games?
The thing is, a 5870 or GTX 480 is going to run like 4-500 dollars. A second 4870 is $150 (probably less), and will beat those two cards in performance, the 5870 almost always, and the GTX 480 probably as often as not.
ChronicleX
Banned
I need some feedback on this as it seems to be the kind of thing I am after at the cheapest price (without having to wack it together myself and potentially fuck it up in the process).
However I am clueless at this so I'll happily hang around here waiting for someone to tell me how wrong/noob I am :lol
Edit - Oh and my example consumes around 70% of my budget, lots of room for improvement ^^
However I am clueless at this so I'll happily hang around here waiting for someone to tell me how wrong/noob I am :lol
Edit - Oh and my example consumes around 70% of my budget, lots of room for improvement ^^
Gonna be nabbing a new laptop soon, mainly to play WoW on at a friends place. Does anyone have an experience with the graphics chip in this lappy?
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...41&srccode=cii_23393768&cpncode=25-37490118-2
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...41&srccode=cii_23393768&cpncode=25-37490118-2
brain_stew
Member
tehAinsley said:
Its very decent.
Alright. So I pulled the trigger on a few more pieces.
Already bought the mobo + CPU bundle per above.
Wife's getting Windows 7 through work for cheap; probably getting it on Monday.
Newegg had a $29.99 case on its "deal of the day" equivalent. I went with that instead of the fugly Bulldozer for $18 before tax and after rebate. I'm still quite worried about space, but my friend mentioned and recommended this one, said it should work, so we'll see. The BD was tiny - I was debating going with an Antec 200 or 300; the Sonata III is what I had been eyeballing, but I'd been advised that the i7 and that mobo is going to have higher power demands than the i5, so the built in 500 W probably wouldn't be enough. Volume wise, this case should be about the same as that 200 I was looking at.
I went with the Fry's sale on RAM - $159.99+tax for 6 GB, and it's my understanding that with any triple channel board, my options were realistically 3 GB or 6 GB - the 6 gigs were on such a sale / unit price point that I just decided to go with it.
I went with a $39.99 before tax and after rebate PSU,: "RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-630SS 630W."
Thanks to Fry's policy, I've got 15 days before my marriage to some of these parts can't be annulled. The trouble with that is I need to hook some shit up to make sure it all works.
Anyway, so far so good. Now I just need to decide if I want to / or have time to wait for a good sale on HDD and / or video cards. I guess ODD prices are pretty stable and very low, unless I want Bluray on my PC. I can live without that for now, I think. A DVD burner could be quite nice.
I still have some concerns about the onboard sound card and whether or not it'll work with those speakers I have on my current setup, but we'll see.
Already bought the mobo + CPU bundle per above.
Wife's getting Windows 7 through work for cheap; probably getting it on Monday.
Newegg had a $29.99 case on its "deal of the day" equivalent. I went with that instead of the fugly Bulldozer for $18 before tax and after rebate. I'm still quite worried about space, but my friend mentioned and recommended this one, said it should work, so we'll see. The BD was tiny - I was debating going with an Antec 200 or 300; the Sonata III is what I had been eyeballing, but I'd been advised that the i7 and that mobo is going to have higher power demands than the i5, so the built in 500 W probably wouldn't be enough. Volume wise, this case should be about the same as that 200 I was looking at.
I went with the Fry's sale on RAM - $159.99+tax for 6 GB, and it's my understanding that with any triple channel board, my options were realistically 3 GB or 6 GB - the 6 gigs were on such a sale / unit price point that I just decided to go with it.
I went with a $39.99 before tax and after rebate PSU,: "RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-630SS 630W."
Thanks to Fry's policy, I've got 15 days before my marriage to some of these parts can't be annulled. The trouble with that is I need to hook some shit up to make sure it all works.
Anyway, so far so good. Now I just need to decide if I want to / or have time to wait for a good sale on HDD and / or video cards. I guess ODD prices are pretty stable and very low, unless I want Bluray on my PC. I can live without that for now, I think. A DVD burner could be quite nice.
I still have some concerns about the onboard sound card and whether or not it'll work with those speakers I have on my current setup, but we'll see.
Like so many here, I'm looking to buy my first gaming PC. I probably could build it myself, but I'm afraid I would destroy something and waste my money.
Is this build (canadian dollars)
http://pc.ncix.com/ncixpc/ncixpc.cfm?uuid=F4571A5B-E108-4673-B36D3A740BF5C22A-2784322
good enough to play Mass Effect 2, Crysis, GTAIV, and Shattered Horizon, The Witcher at 1080p with good settings?
Or would I be way better off buying raw parts for the same money? [like a thousand Canadian - not including monitor]
Is this build (canadian dollars)
http://pc.ncix.com/ncixpc/ncixpc.cfm?uuid=F4571A5B-E108-4673-B36D3A740BF5C22A-2784322
good enough to play Mass Effect 2, Crysis, GTAIV, and Shattered Horizon, The Witcher at 1080p with good settings?
Or would I be way better off buying raw parts for the same money? [like a thousand Canadian - not including monitor]