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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition

RedSwirl said:
Well that's just bullshit. I just don't wanna have to re-do my wallpaper collection. My current laptop (which was on its last legs months ago) is 1280 x 800 and my desktop is 1440 x 900, that's why.

Does this mean it'll be hard to eventually upgrade my desktop monitor to a 1920 x 1200?

Anyway, the main thing I just want to know is what kind of mobility graphics card is required to run Source Engine games (and StarCraft II).
Click to expand...
youre avoiding 16:9 because of wallpapers?

everything wide screen on your computer will fit and most wallpapers in the future are going to be 16:9 focused anyway
 
-COOLIO- said:
youre avoiding 16:9 because of wallpapers?

everything wide screen on your computer will fit and most wallpapers in the future are going to be 16:9 focused anyway
Click to expand...


16:10 is better dammit! shit, i sure hope my monitor doesn't burn out. would dell repair mine or replace it?
 
RedSwirl said:
Anyway, the main thing I just want to know is what kind of mobility graphics card is required to run Source Engine games (and StarCraft II).
Click to expand...
In 2010, you don't want to go lower than a GT 330M or Mobility Radeon 5650.

A 17" machine with the Mobility 5870 can be had for $1200.
 
evil solrac v3.0 said:
16:10 is better dammit! shit, i sure hope my monitor doesn't burn out. would dell repair mine or replace it?
Click to expand...

I used to think that. Recently went 16:9 and can't see myself going back. Vastly superior for games and movies.
 
evil solrac v3.0 said:
console games maybe, but i want my full resolution dammit!
Click to expand...

1920x1080 means your games run a little faster though! If you want full resolution you should move up to 2560x1600 or 5760x1080 anyway :p

StarCraft 2 runs at full resolution at 1920x1080, 1920x1200 is cropped!
 
ChoklitReign said:
Is anyone going to critique my last build on the last page?
Click to expand...
Looks good for the most part. The cost to jump to a 640GB HDD is usually pretty minimal, so you may want to look at that. Internal storage is always going to be faster, more convenient than external.

I'm not familiar with A-Data as a memory manufacturer. Why not look at some G.Skill or Corsair memory? Again, it should run about the same cost.
 
MoFuzz said:
Looks good for the most part. The cost to jump to a 640GB HDD is usually pretty minimal, so you may want to look at that. Internal storage is always going to be faster, more convenient than external.

I'm not familiar with A-Data as a memory manufacturer. Why not look at some G.Skill or Corsair memory? Again, it should run about the same cost.
Click to expand...

Well there's no 640GB model of the Samsung F3, but the 1TB model with double the capacity is another $25, probably worth considering if you're paying $55 for 500GB, $25 for another 500GB seems like a steal.

But I guess, budgets and all... money would be better invested elsewhere. Still, $25...
 
So I finally decided to on my parts...let me know what you think but this is what I can afford for now(If there is something better with the same or close price range..please let me know.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128420 Motherboard(Hows the overclocking with it?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215 CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260 RAM

I am keeping my 8800GTS 640 video card and have a Antec Nine Hundred + EA650 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Does everything look good/compatible? Thanks.
 
GHG said:
Crysis looks splendid at 1920 x 1080 *shrugs*
Click to expand...

If you bump the resolution down to 640x480 you'll get even better performance!

I'm in the 'Fuck 16x9' group as well. I need a display I can work on, not another damn mini TV.
 
Shambles said:
If you bump the resolution down to 640x480 you'll get even better performance!

I'm in the 'Fuck 16x9' group as well. I need a display I can work on, not another damn mini TV.
Click to expand...

This makes no sense. If 1920x1080 doesn't cut it for something, 1920x1200 will hardly help, just another 100 pixels, if you need something more than 1920x1080, just add a second monitor.

The wider aspect ratio is better suited to working, and will fill your peripheral vision better as well when gaming.
 
Anyone got an overclocking guide for an I5-750? I'm looking for a mild overclock. How easy is it to hit 3.4-3.6 without fucking up my processor in the process?
 
Bro and I just built a PC and we are getting No video and no Beep, I think its the power supply not having enough power (800W).

-GeForce GTX 480
-ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
-WD Caviar Green WD5000CSRTL 500GB 7200 RPM
-Intel Core i7-920 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core
-Sony Optiarc Black 24X SATA CD/DVD Burner
-CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Memory

and

this is the PSU in question http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182102

What y'all think? 800w is prolly not enough.

Thanks!
 
 
DaFish said:
Bro and I just built a PC and we are getting No video and no Beep, I think its the power supply not having enough power (800W).

-GeForce GTX 480
-ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
-WD Caviar Green WD5000CSRTL 500GB 7200 RPM
-Intel Core i7-920 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core
-Sony Optiarc Black 24X SATA CD/DVD Burner
-CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Memory

and

this is the PSU in question http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182102

What y'all think? 800w is prolly not enough.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
That's plenty. It also has a 60A +12V rail, so it's fine. Take these steps: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-boot-video-problems

Judging by those reviews, it looks like that PSU has some problems out of the box though.
 
vocab said:
Anyone got an overclocking guide for an I5-750? I'm looking for a mild overclock. How easy is it to hit 3.4-3.6 without fucking up my processor in the process?
Click to expand...

There's plenty to be found from Google searching, this one is good, though it's more of a comparison than strictly a guide. 3.4-3.6 should be no problem, I'm currently running my 750 at 4Ghz and haven't had any issues yet, although I haven't had a chance to run Prime for more than 20 mins yet.
 
Hey guys i need some help. I've not really built a computer for 4 years so im a bit out of the loop. It makes it even worse now that my graphics card has died on its arse. I need to upgrade key components for about £800. Here is my current system so you can have a look at what might need replacing.

Silverstone Temjin TJ09
Intel Q6600
Nvidia 8800GTX
Aopen AK89 Max Motherboard
4GB Cosair ram
600w PSU

Im thinking it'll be just the motherboard, GPU CPU and power supply that i need to change. Also whats the deal with solid state drives? Am i right? Also i've noticed that my case is crazy for the amount of dust it bring in, anyway to help with this?
 
Hey all... seeing as both my Wii, and now my PS3 are going on the fritz, I am speeding up my PC building to as soon as possible!

I have a DVD-writer, but need everything else (from case to motherboard). Looking for around $500, and the ability to play Starcraft 2, as well as the Wii emulator.

Any help is appreciated!
 
CalamityDaunt said:
Hey guys i need some help. I've not really built a computer for 4 years so im a bit out of the loop. It makes it even worse now that my graphics card has died on its arse. I need to upgrade key components for about £800. Here is my current system so you can have a look at what might need replacing.

Silverstone Temjin TJ09
Intel Q6600
Nvidia 8800GTX
Aopen AK89 Max Motherboard
4GB Cosair ram
600w PSU

Im thinking it'll be just the motherboard, GPU CPU and power supply that i need to change. Also whats the deal with solid state drives? Am i right? Also i've noticed that my case is crazy for the amount of dust it bring in, anyway to help with this?
Click to expand...

Everything is fine apart from the GPU. Just OC the CPU to 3ghz+ (might need a new HSF) buy a 5850 or similar and it'll be as good as new.
 
Nobodyspatzy said:
Hey all... seeing as both my Wii, and now my PS3 are going on the fritz, I am speeding up my PC building to as soon as possible!

I have a DVD-writer, but need everything else (from case to motherboard). Looking for around $500, and the ability to play Starcraft 2, as well as the Wii emulator.

Any help is appreciated!
Click to expand...

An extra $100 would go a long way and be cheaper in the long run.
 
brain_stew said:
An extra $100 would go a long way and be cheaper in the long run.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think I can manage another $100 for it...so maybe a 600-700 budget? Rebates a plus, and newegg is a definite plus (as I work near their warehouse and can pick up the order in person). Oh, I do have Win7 64-bit ready to install.
 
Nobodyspatzy said:
Yeah, I think I can manage another $100 for it...so maybe a 600-700 budget? Rebates a plus, and newegg is a definite plus (as I work near their warehouse and can pick up the order in person).
Click to expand...

As an FYI - rarely do these figures thrown around include windows which adds an extra 100 bucks.
 
Nobodyspatzy said:
Yeah, I think I can manage another $100 for it...so maybe a 600-700 budget? Rebates a plus, and newegg is a definite plus (as I work near their warehouse and can pick up the order in person). Oh, I do have Win7 64-bit ready to install.
Click to expand...

I'll give it a go, haven't done a budget config in a while.
 
Minsc said:
This makes no sense. If 1920x1080 doesn't cut it for something, 1920x1200 will hardly help, just another 100 pixels, if you need something more than 1920x1080, just add a second monitor.

The wider aspect ratio is better suited to working, and will fill your peripheral vision better as well when gaming.
Click to expand...

Why would I want a monitor that I would need to orient documents in landscape mode to be able to see more of it? 16x9 for movies sure, for gaming i guess it doesn't matter too much, but to try to claim 16x9 is better for workspace is just crazy. I'll keep my 120 pixels.
 
CalamityDaunt said:
Hey guys i need some help. I've not really built a computer for 4 years so im a bit out of the loop. It makes it even worse now that my graphics card has died on its arse. I need to upgrade key components for about £800. Here is my current system so you can have a look at what might need replacing.

Silverstone Temjin TJ09
Intel Q6600
Nvidia 8800GTX
Aopen AK89 Max Motherboard
4GB Cosair ram
600w PSU

Im thinking it'll be just the motherboard, GPU CPU and power supply that i need to change. Also whats the deal with solid state drives? Am i right? Also i've noticed that my case is crazy for the amount of dust it bring in, anyway to help with this?
Click to expand...

Yo..that Q6600 is still fine bro..that is if you can OC it to 3.2ghz or 3.0ghz would be ok but 3.2ghz on a Q6600 is honestly plenty fine and is a perfect fit for a HD5850 which i have.

Reason why i say keep the Q6600 is that i three rigs..

Q6600
QX9650
Corei7 920

And i've done alot of testing with my rigs and swaping videocards around..i also have a Nvidia 470 and a 9800GTX+ ... i seem to get best performance when i use a ATI card with the rig.. the 5000 series of amd cards works well with a last gen Intel chip..the Q6600 REALLY REALLY benefits in being OC'd at 3.2ghz or more.. like i said..the 3ghz mark may be fine but i see a nice jump at all around performance with 3.2ghz or more..i usually go to 3.6ghz on my Q6600 ..its one heck of a cpu man for being dated. It still hangs with the cutting edge midrange stuff of today...stay with it..its good for ATLEAST another entire year.

Of course having a good mobo helps with the Q6600 in alot of ways and ram of course..i use a gigabyte ga-ep45-ud3r with teh Q6600..lovely mobo for that cpu...it loves Q6600 chips.
 
brain_stew said:
$710 + $50 rebates?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.382736
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144266
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161317
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130275
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
Click to expand...

Actually, that looks perfect for what I want. I was looking at similar build that would cost a couple hundred over, but this set does the same for less. I thank you very much for your time and effort as I am very excited to get back into PC-gaming.
 
Zeouterlimits said:
Thinking of buying a MSI Radeon HD 5770 1GB card for my system (coming up from a GeForce G210).
Unless anyone has a similar priced recommendation otherwise?
Click to expand...

Bumped, just in case someone knows something I don't (very likely).
 
Zeouterlimits said:
Bumped, just in case someone knows something I don't (very likely).
Click to expand...

While it's not priced as low as many people believe it probably should, it's really the only choice in that price range. Your other options are to look at the slightly less powerful 4850 and GTS 250 in the 100$ price range that are still floating around. Still, with the features of the 5000 series it's still a pretty good buy.
 
I need advice on what is the best option for a CPU upgrade. I currently have a AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor running on the following board:

And here is the MB : ECS A780GM-A AM2+ AMD780G. :D

Thanks
 
Caoz said:
I need advice on what is the best option for a CPU upgrade. I currently have a AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor running on the following board:

And here is the MB : ECS A780GM-A AM2+ AMD780G. :D

Thanks
Click to expand...

What board?

The $200 Phenon ii X6 is pribably your best bet. Check your mobo supports it first (may require a BIOS flash).
 
Can anyone help a computer noob out.

I have a set of DDR 1200 PC2 ram whcih is 9600 2G X2
I'm trying to upgrade to 8 gigs of ram what number do I need to go by to see if they are compatible? And if it wouldn't be too much could someone give me a link of a compatible set on newegg. :>
 
NIGHT- said:
Can anyone help a computer noob out.

I have a set of DDR 1200 PC2 ram whcih is 9600 2G X2
I'm trying to upgrade to 8 gigs of ram what number do I need to go by to see if they are compatible?
Click to expand...
Another set of DDR2 PC2-9600 is what you need.

You're best bet is to look for the exact sticks that you're currently using. Mixing ram speeds isn't advisable and while you can mix different brands, it's a good idea to keep them uniform as much as possible.


NIGHT- said:
And if it wouldn't be too much could someone give me a link of a compatible set on newegg. :>
Click to expand...
That speed isn't as common as DDR2 800/1066 or DDR3 1333/1600 so the range of options isn't as broad.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ESTMATCH&Description=DDR2++PC2+9600&x=22&y=31

Take a look at your motherboard manual as well for compatibility. While you'll most likely be fine, you never know. One of the mobos I purchased recently absolutely refuses to boot with a particular set of Samsung ram even though they're almost identical to another similar set I have. Very finicky.
 
GMUNYIFan said:
So I've finally come across some money and I'm looking to put it into upgrading my computer. Any thoughts on these components?
Click to expand...

Looks good, only suggestion is that the 8-series chipset has been out for a month or two now, so the 7-series is old...imo go with something like this gigabyte 880G for only $5 more (or any other 8-series mobo).
 
Wow, im getting really tempted to build a gaming pc this summer(any my laptop looks like its going to die soon). Only problem is that I am saving for a car this summer /:

Are there any sites provide any good student discounts?
 
Alright, I built my computer 2 years ago, and ever since the beginning it has been crashing every time I would play a game that was pretty graphics-intensive. To alleviate this temporarily, I just left the side panel open and blew an external fan into the side. This seemed to fix the crashing problem. Temporarily ended up lasting 2 years. However, I have since had to move the computer into a smaller compartment which does not make it possible to blow an extra fan (talking about a regular desk fan) into the side.

These are my specs:

-AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Black Edition w/ ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
-GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
-XFX 8800GT 512MB GDDR3
-CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 RAM
-HEC Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ X-Power 585W Power Supply (link here)


My temps are usually at 50 degrees celsius for the CPU and ~67 for the GPU at idle.

I have tried a couple of things over the years to try to fix this which included: buying a refurb'd Antec 500W power supply (forgot the type), replacing the stock cooler on the graphics card with the ARCTIC COOLING Accelero S1 Rev.2 VGA Cooler (which is very well reviewed), and replaced the case fan in the back with a Antec 120mm Tricool (as well as adding one to the front). The most recent thing I have tried was buying the Artic Silver thermal paste and reappling it to the CPU and GPU, as well as dust-busting the whole case.

None of these fixed the constant crashing when playing games. Does anyone have any ideas? I do realize that my first power supply, the X-Power one, could have been the Achilles heel, but after trying the Antec one unsuccessfully I did not want to spend any more money without any results. Was it possible that the refurb'd PSU I bought also did not cut it? Also, I do have the option of getting the video card warrantied and replaced free of charge if that would help.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

edit: I just checked my temps at load for the first time and looks like according to HW Monitor the CPU temps were 98 degrees for Core #0 and 109 degrees celsius for Core #1. That sounds really high. Is that where my problem is?
 
Minsc said:
1920x1080 means your games run a little faster though! If you want full resolution you should move up to 2560x1600 or 5760x1080 anyway :p

StarCraft 2 runs at full resolution at 1920x1080, 1920x1200 is cropped!
Click to expand...


yeah, i will move up eventually. shucks.
 
Zeouterlimits said:
Bumped, just in case someone knows something I don't (very likely).
Click to expand...

I just got a 5770 and I'm loving it so far. I almost got a 5750, it's cheaper but not a whole lot slower so it was tempting but in the end I said to hell with it and got the 5770.

4870 is faster if you can find one and don't care about DX11.

Right now it's a bit tempting to upgrade my X2 4200+ CPU but I don't think it's holding me back.
 
This doesn't exactly belong here, but I didn't want to create a new thread:
I have a MBP with dualboot capabilities, mainly gonna be playing SC2 on it. I'd like to get a wireless mouse, and recommendations?
 
Hey there, my friend is keeping on nagging me about the post a few days ago, I got no answer yet. He wants to know whether to get a new power supply or not for his new system, these are the numbers:

135 watts for the cpu, (TDP)
190 for the graphics card, (recommended psu for the card 500W)
plus 2-3 hard disks internal
and 1-2 external (occasionally),
1 DVD burner
1 PCI card for wireless connection
plus all additional power consumers - motherboard, memory, fans (bout 3-4), mouse, keyboard, and other occasional external devices...

He currently has a 550 Watt psu, 80 plus certified. I couldn't give him an answer so I decided to ask you guys. What do you think?
 
SolidPain said:
Hey there, my friend is keeping on nagging me about the post a few days ago, I got no answer yet. He wants to know whether to get a new power supply or not for his new system, these are the numbers:

135 watts for the cpu, (TDP)
190 for the graphics card, (recommended psu for the card 500W)
plus 2-3 hard disks internal
and 1-2 external (occasionally),
1 DVD burner
1 PCI card for wireless connection
plus all additional power consumers - motherboard, memory, fans (bout 3-4), mouse, keyboard, and other occasional external devices...

He currently has a 550 Watt psu, 80 plus certified. I couldn't give him an answer so I decided to ask you guys. What do you think?
Click to expand...

As long as it is a decent make and not some knock off chinese piece he'll be more than fine. The only reason graphics card manufacturers quote such high PSU numbers is due to the number of misinformed people out there with $30 "500W" PSU which will struggle to provide even half that. A decent 550W PSU will run pretty much any single GPU system out there.
 
thank you for your replies on the gaming on a pc from the living room couch.. i'm going to check out the links now...

i would reply to each comment properly but it doesn't seem easy on this site to multi quote or search


also for the ps3 gamer consider pc gaming.. do it.. you won't be disappointed..



after owning the current gen consoles

ps3 and pc are the perfect combo...

360 only is good on a budget

all personal opinion of course i'm sure someone will stab some dolls and wish pain on me but its my opinion



________________

also the apple keyboard recommendation makes sense space wise, its bluetooth (F.U. sony for not being compatible with apple keyboards) what are good bluetooth dongles for pc to connect that keyboard to my pc.... thank you for that recommendation, i didnt think of considering a compact keyboard over a full size keyboard for some reason
 
Out of nowhere today I got the first memory management BSOD since I had my mobo replaced in February. I immediately burnt the newest version of memtes86+ and let it run for 25 minutes or 5 tests and 28 red entries appeared. I have no idea what to do about this, do I need new ram?

It could have been the ram the whole time, suckers at the local computer shop must have diagnosed my mobo as being faulty incorrectly...
 
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