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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition

kagete said:
Everyone remember the Dell XPS 7100 brainstew recommended a while back? The one with bluray, hexacore amd and a 5870 for ~$1100? Well Dell has it for $309 off with code "?8CN$RJ?W5TQ0C" and that's a really good price. Looks like it ships quickly too
Click to expand...
I tried that code and all it gave me was free shipping. :lol
 
Is there any way to upgrade from Vista 32bit to 7 64bit?

I installed 7 on my computer about a year ago and can't remember how I did it.

But I have in my position:

Windows 7 64 upgrade.
Windows Vista 32 bit install.
 
Took me about 6 hours but last night I put together my first PC. Booted up perfectly the first time (I was almost positive I'd have to screw something up). Thanks for all the help guys.

Just getting the boring stuff out of the way now but for the life of my I can't remember what that website that you check off multiple stuff to install. What should I use to moniter temps?
 
demosthenes said:
Is there any way to upgrade from Vista 32bit to 7 64bit?

I installed 7 on my computer about a year ago and can't remember how I did it.

But I have in my position:

Windows 7 64 upgrade.
Windows Vista 32 bit install.
Click to expand...

Going from 32bit to 64bit requires a clean install. I'm guessing the 7 install being an upgrade will ask you for the Vista disc/key at some point.

Edit: It appears that Windows 7 upgrade has to see your Windows Vista installation during a clean install for the upgrade to work. ie. you cant clean install from a 7 upgrade disc on a formatted hdd with no OS. I'm sure someone who's actually done it can verify. :)
 
shigsy said:
Going from 32bit to 64bit requires a clean install. I'm guessing the 7 install being an upgrade will ask you for the Vista disc/key at some point.

Edit: It appears that Windows 7 upgrade has to see your Windows Vista installation during a clean install for the upgrade to work. ie. you cant clean install from a 7 upgrade disc on a formatted hdd with no OS. I'm sure someone who's actually done it can verify. :)
Click to expand...

I just found this:
http://social.answers.microsoft.com.../thread/9d5ddc45-8a56-4e7c-8ea1-e6252f8e0aba/

I have a 140gb to work with.

I can make a 9gb partition and install Vista on to that partition, let's call it D.

Then I can install Windows 7 on to the C drive, the 130GB. It will see Vista on the D drive. I'll have a random parition which I don't want but I'll get 7 installed.
 
demosthenes said:
I can make a 9gb partition and install Vista on to that partition, let's call it D.

Then I can install Windows 7 on to the C drive, the 130GB. It will see Vista on the D drive. I'll have a random parition which I don't want but I'll get 7 installed.
Click to expand...

Yep that'll probably work. If I were you I'd just boot from the 7 upgrade disc, do a custom install and worry about resizing partitions afterwards. :)

Pro-tip, backup all your data first! :)
 
shigsy said:
Yep that'll probably work. If I were you I'd just boot from the 7 upgrade disc, do a custom install and worry about resizing partitions afterwards. :)

Pro-tip, backup all your data first! :)
Click to expand...

I just built the computer, nothing to backup XP
 
Telosfortelos said:
Brainstew was talking about the XPS 7100 with the 1055t and 5870. The one at the price you're talking about has a 1035t and 5450.

The coupon is for free shipping. (So it's still pretty awesome! Thanks for listing it!)
Click to expand...

In the processor selection, pick Vision Black or something like that. Dell ties the Videocard selection with the CPU selection. If you select the 1055t I think it even comes out cheaper than just selecting the 1035
 
kagete said:
In the processor selection, pick Vision Black or something like that. Dell ties the Videocard selection with the CPU selection. If you select the 1055t I think it even comes out cheaper than just selecting the 1035
Click to expand...
Ahh, you're right. It's $1040 from that link (down from $1150). I'm not sure if any accessories are different, but it shouldn't really matter. That's still a 1055t and 5870 for $1040 and free shipping. Pretty insane.

Edit: Here's a direct link for that configuration and price: http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...55-227502-E011A0C215590C0A01215590A0A1A1A0H17

I'd imagine there's something different between this configuration and the one from here, but I don't have the time to figure out what.

Of course you still need to use the coupon for free shipping.
 
Telosfortelos said:
Ahh, you're right. It's $1040 from that link (down from $1150). I'm not sure if any accessories are different, but it shouldn't really matter. That's still a 1055t and 5870 for $1040 and free shipping. Pretty insane.
Click to expand...

Hmm are you sure? shows up as 700 in my cart. One thing ive noticed is that Dell tries to sneak in a Dell Mini or Zino in your cart. Try removing it as thats another couple hundered $.

Ah well maybe i saw wrong :(
 
Ok, brother had Vista 64. Hopefully I can install that, register it and then use my copy of Windows 7. This is probably what I did last time >_<
 
kagete said:
Hmm are you sure? shows up as 700 in my cart. One thing ive noticed is that Dell tries to sneak in a Dell Mini or Zino in your cart. Try removing it as thats another couple hundered $
Click to expand...
Yeah, I checked again. The $700 price still seems to be if you're going with a 1035 and 5450. Do you have scripts disabled or something, possibly preventing the price update?

Regardless, the coupon is still really awesome. I'm passing that info along to a friend now, so you've saved someone some money. =)

Edit: The configuration from your link also only has 4GB of ram. That accounts for $60 of the price difference. I'm sure there's something else, but I'm not seeing it just now.
 
Telosfortelos said:
Yeah, I checked again. The $700 price still seems to be if you're going with a 1035 and 5450. Do you have scripts disabled or something, possibly preventing the price update?

Regardless, the coupon is still really awesome. I'm passing that info along to a friend now, so you've saved someone some money. =)

Edit: The configuration from your link also only has 4GB of ram. That accounts for $60 of the price difference. I'm sure there's something else, but I'm not seeing it just now.
Click to expand...
1.5TB is defaulted, but if you drop it to 1TB it saves you ~$50. I've heard the performance is better, too.
 
Well, I'm posting this from my new PC running Windows 7!

After some major early morning tech support from Hazaro via Steam we got it working.

I still haven't tried out any games. I installed Batman Arkham Asylum, and am about to play it with settings maxed! Woot!:D
 
Another question, I want to connect my desktop to my HDTV. However, I need a transcoder as I only have a VGA to Component hookup. Anyone know of a website that sells relatively cheap component to VGA converters?
 
FleckSplat said:
8-pin power not connected, fan cables not getting plugged in all the way, same with graphics card.

First timer errors I think.
Click to expand...

Ah well easily rectified. Its usually the case button wires I get wrong, which leads to the 'nothing at all happens when you turn the thing on' panic. :D
 
Vista is almost done updating so I can install 7 on top of it, god damn this has turned into an all day thing.:lol

Luckily 'The Fugitive' was on and now 'A Few Good Men' is on.:D
 
Reallink said:
Core i5 760 is apparently now available. Do you guys think this is likely to run into compatibility issues with out of the box mobo bios versions? On that topic, how do you update the bios without functioning processor, do ship it in to the manufacturer?
Click to expand...
Usually it will run as an unspecified CPU at a low speed so you can update the BIOS (via manf. website and downloading it to a USB stick).
WEGGLES said:
I took the fan out and put it back on. Seemed to do the trick. :D

I'll probably get a cooler in the future. I'm also considering putting 2 more fans in my case, there's 2 spots at the top where they could go. We'll see. I'm fucking broke right now :lol

Here's after re-installing the cooler. One round of l4d survival, game maxed out.
hFPx7.png
Click to expand...
Much better than 90C... Sort of surprised it didn't throttle at those temps honestly.
If that's all you are running now you should be fine.
shigsy said:
Ah sweet, what was it in the end? (was following the thread earlier) :)
Click to expand...
RAM in wrong slots, mobo power (8pin) not in, GPU dual 6 pins were not both plugged in (they shared 1 wire so the other 6 pin was using molex -> 6 pin adapter), CPU FAN broked.

Just some stuff you can fix if you read the manual and triple check your connections. That's why I tell people to do that first (and I mean triple check) because hardware faults are pretty rare.

*Oh and the magic of unplugging a PC and holding the power button for 30 seconds. That fixes everything. :lol
 
Hazaro said:
RAM in wrong slots, mobo power (8pin) not in, GPU dual 6 pins were not both plugged in (they shared 1 wire so the other 6 pin was using molex -> 6 pin adapter), CPU FAN broked.

Just some stuff you can fix if you read the manual and triple check your connections. That's why I tell people to do that first (and I mean triple check) because hardware faults are pretty rare.

*Oh and the magic of unplugging a PC and holding the power button for 30 seconds. That fixes everything. :lol
Click to expand...

sad face. ;)
 
To upgrade to Windows 7, the computer needs to be running Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or later. You can install the latest service pack by using Windows Update. Open Control Panel and search for “Windows Update”. For more information about how to install Windows Vista Service Pack 1, go to http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=139503
Click to expand...

This is what I get when I try to upgrade to 7. I ran update and installed all the updates for Vista. I activated Vista. Why won't it let me upgrade to 7? :(

760 out?! :lol Wish I would've heard about this a week ago :(
 
I want to upgrade my graphics card but I am an absolute amateur. I have a 3 year old PC that I bought from MESH. The graphics card is a GeForce 8500. If I was to buy another Nvidia card* I assume everything will remain compatible (RAM, CPU etc will still function) and it's just a case of swapping them over? As it's still Nvidia it should work automatically as I have the Nvidia drivers installed?

*CEX have a few good options. I was thinking of a used GTX260 for about £130. It seems like a good bargain and will be a huge upgrade over my current card
 
Buying a used graphics card? it's not something I would want to buy myself especially for over £100, you never know what the previous owner did with the thing to sell it off.

Just checked amazon and I am suprised the gtx 260 is still expensive, the 460 is cheaper when you convert $200 usd to £ :lol, does this mean we can expect the gtx 460 to be £200+ in the UK? :/
 
123rl said:
I want to upgrade my graphics card but I am an absolute amateur. I have a 3 year old PC that I bought from MESH. The graphics card is a GeForce 8500. If I was to buy another Nvidia card* I assume everything will remain compatible (RAM, CPU etc will still function) and it's just a case of swapping them over? As it's still Nvidia it should work automatically as I have the Nvidia drivers installed?

*CEX have a few good options. I was thinking of a used GTX260 for about £130. It seems like a good bargain and will be a huge upgrade over my current card
Click to expand...


What CPU do you have? Knowing that will help you better judge what level of card to get. I wouldn't worry too much about switching back and forth from nvidia to ati; you'll probably (should) do a full driver uninstall and sweep regardless.
 
Diablohead said:
Buying a used graphics card? it's not something I would want to buy myself especially for over £100, you never know what the previous owner did with the thing to sell it off.

Just checked amazon and I am suprised the gtx 260 is still expensive, the 460 is cheaper when you convert $200 usd to £ :lol, does this mean we can expect the gtx 460 to be £200+ in the UK? :/
Click to expand...

Multiple etailers have been selling 1GB 460s for £180.
 
I appreciate what you're saying but it would come with a warranty. Worst case scenario is it's faulty, I get a refund, and I have to go back to my current card

US prices are very good. Our prices aren't! Play have a GTX460 on for £200

edit - Boonoo it's a Core 2 Duo @ 2.0Ghz, Windows Vista 32bit and 2GB RAM if that's any help

tbh I am just thinking of replacing everything. If the system is so archaic that I can't upgrade then I will buy a new one and recycle this one or split it up for parts somehow
 
Hazaro said:
Grab a 212+ from microcenter. Grab a 1GB GTX460.
Look at: Antec 300/900, CoolerMaster HAF cases, CM 690/692. See if you like any of those.

Think about nabbing an AMD x6 1055T (Wait for the 95W version to come out soon if you can) and this ASUS mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631
Even though you can save $100 on the i7, you still pay $100 more for the motherboard. In addition for most I think the upgrade path and respectable performance of the x6 is great. I've been on the fence for quite a while and unless one needs heavy CS4/5 usage and emulation... the x6 is the CPU to get. The 95W version is what finally tipped me over. Both CPUs are great, but I think the x6 now is a slightly better choice.
Click to expand...
So, in other words, change the entire computer? :D

Upgrade path doesn't really matter to me much at all; I won't be getting a new PC after this for 3 or 4 years, by which time AMD and Intel will both have gone through a billion socket revisions. The Antec 300 and the GTX460 are both in my sidebar already; the parts of my brain that say "save money! Price versus performance!" and "for the first time ever you should go above the mid range options! Treat yourself!" are currently at war with each other.
 
I am wondering if someone is bored enough to look through my build and make some recommendations on upgrades. I would love to see cheap upgrades that boosts performace and some pricey ones too. Thanks to anyone that helps out.

This is my current build windows 7 ultimate 64 bit

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

MASSCOOL 8WA741 92mm Ball CPU Cooler

HIS H487FN1GP Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

GIGABYTE GA-G31M-ES2L LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 Yorkfield 2.66GHz 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80580Q8400
 
I have a Phenom X4 9550 and an Ati 4850.

With my current...

motherboard (MSI K9A2 CF - 95watt max cpu),
mid tower case size (no super long vid cards),
and power supply (no crossfire)

...I can "max" my system with the below two parts. This will give my system a little more life, until eventually an entirely new build in a year or two.

I can't get both at once, so there may be a few months between purchases.

+ upgrade to Phenom II X4 945
+ upgrade to Ati 5850

Which do you choose first?
(Mostly for gaming, and I play all types of games)
 
ipukespiders said:
Which do you choose first?
(Mostly for gaming, and I play all types of games)
Click to expand...
I'd go for the 945 first since it's cheaper and the 4850 is still a fairly decent card, but that's just my opinion.
 
Monroeski said:
So, in other words, change the entire computer? :D

Upgrade path doesn't really matter to me much at all; I won't be getting a new PC after this for 3 or 4 years, by which time AMD and Intel will both have gone through a billion socket revisions. The Antec 300 and the GTX460 are both in my sidebar already; the parts of my brain that say "save money! Price versus performance!" and "for the first time ever you should go above the mid range options! Treat yourself!" are currently at war with each other.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't call a 6 core CPU you can clock to 3.8Ghz mid range.
If you ask me if going with a i7 for $100 more is not worth it. Either choice is perfectly good though :p
Broadbandito said:
I am wondering if someone is bored enough to look through my build and make some recommendations on upgrades. I would love to see cheap upgrades that boosts performace and some pricey ones too. Thanks to anyone that helps out.
Click to expand...
There's not much to upgrade. Overclocking your CPU is about it.

Value wise nothing makes much sense for you.
If you get an SSD that will make everything super speedy but as for CPU or GPU upgrades not much to spring for.
ipukespiders said:
I have a Phenom X4 9550 and an Ati 4850.

With my current...

motherboard (MSI K9A2 CF - 95watt max cpu),
mid tower case size (no super long vid cards),
and power supply (no crossfire)

...I can "max" my system with the below two parts. This will give my system a little more life, until eventually an entirely new build in a year or two.

I can't get both at once, so there may be a few months between purchases.

+ upgrade to Phenom II X4 945
+ upgrade to Ati 5850

Which do you choose first?
(Mostly for gaming, and I play all types of games)
Click to expand...
That's a tough one. I'd probably nab a x6 1055T (95W) that comes out in a few weeks. [Check your CPU compat list when it launches http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=prodcpu2&prod_no=1333&maincat_no=1

Then see if ATi flips up anything at the end of this year.
If I wanted to save a bit I'd get a 635 and overclock it.
 
So not really a PC gamer, but might get into it after this build. I want a PC build that is going to last a LONG time, and be good for whatever I throw at it. Any recommendations on how to make it cheaper, without killing the system, or otherways to set it up would be appreciated, as I threw together what I thought I would want on the best PC out there. Still missing OS, but I can probably get that cheap as I'm a student.

Ordering a custom built HP for the same thing is around $1600...
caliblue15pc.jpg

caliblue15pc2.jpg

caliblue15pc3.jpg
 
caliblue15 said:
So not really a PC gamer, but might get into it after this build. I want a PC build that is going to last a LONG time, and be good for whatever I throw at it. Any recommendations on how to make it cheaper, without killing the system, or otherways to set it up would be appreciated, as I threw together what I thought I would want on the best PC out there. Still missing OS, but I can probably get that cheap as I'm a student.
Click to expand...
Keep the Corsair 750W. Nab a better mouse and keyboard :[

m1nHQ.jpg
 
Hazaro said:
If I wanted to save a bit I'd get a 635 and overclock it.
Click to expand...

Hey, I like your thinking. Was reading up on the Athlon II's and it looks like the lack of L3 cache doesn't really hurt gaming too much and it saves me some coin.
Thanks for the tip.
 
caliblue15 said:
What are some suggestions I don't need a mouse with 50 buttons, or an amazing keyboard. Just don't want an ergonomic one.
Click to expand...
MX518, G500, G9, some Sidewinders, some Razers... There's a lot out there.
My favorite to hold was the Logitech MX Revolution but it's not made anymore and replacement is not as good. Plus it's expensive.

KB wise it's also a lot about feel, and I can't recommend anything cheap. I use a Saitek Eclipse and the G15 is also a good KB. But both are rather costly. Probably snatch a Logitech KB and a wired MS mouse on a budget.

I feel that both of these are investments as it is how you use you are going to use your computer for years.
ipukespiders said:
Hey, I like your thinking. Was reading up on the Athlon II's and it looks like the lack of L3 cache doesn't really hurt gaming too much and it saves me some coin.
Thanks for the tip.
Click to expand...
Yup. Certainly not that much of a big deal. There are also rare cases where you can unlock the L3.
 
Hazaro said:
I wouldn't call a 6 core CPU you can clock to 3.8Ghz mid range.
If you ask me if going with a i7 for $100 more is not worth it. Either choice is perfectly good though :p

There's not much to upgrade. Overclocking your CPU is about it.

Value wise nothing makes much sense for you.
If you get an SSD that will make everything super speedy but as for CPU or GPU upgrades not much to spring for.

That's a tough one. I'd probably nab a x6 1055T (95W) that comes out in a few weeks. [Check your CPU compat list when it launches http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=prodcpu2&prod_no=1333&maincat_no=1

Then see if ATi flips up anything at the end of this year.
If I wanted to save a bit I'd get a 635 and overclock it.
Click to expand...

Any tips or software you can recommend for me to oc.noob when it comes to that
 
Broadbandito said:
Any tips or software you can recommend for me to oc.noob when it comes to that
Click to expand...
The Core2 series is probably the best series when it comes to general knowledge.

What you'll want to do is set your voltage to something like 1.325V and bump up your FSB in increments of 20 to test stability. That's about it!

Programs are in the OP. I use Prime95/ORTHOS + Real and Core Temp.
You want load temps below 65C if possible.
 
I got my new computer today! I've been out of the pc gaming swing of things for a few years now, and the graphics blew my face off. Metro 2033 seriously wow'd me.

What's the best chat program and torrent program out now? I think I have everything I need except those two.
 
AcciDante said:
I got my new computer today! I've been out of the pc gaming swing of things for a few years now, and the graphics blew my face off. Metro 2033 seriously wow'd me.

What's the best chat program and torrent program out now? I think I have everything I need except those two.
Click to expand...
in my opinion its Pidgin for chat and uTorrent for torrent
 
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