• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition

Visualante said:
Thanks. I'll get a new motherboard when the quad doesn't perform well enough for me. I'm not paying extra + the effort of assembling in a recession. The Core2Quad will be a huge increase from what I'm currently on.
Click to expand...

Definitely hunt down a used Q6600. Get that + a decent cooler for less than $150 and then OC to 3ghz and I think it'd be a good upgrade. The Q6600 performs about the same as a Q8400 at stock but will be much easier to OC past 3ghz even with bog standard 800mhz DDR2 RAM.

The cooler should work with your next build anyway, so its a smart investment, assuming you don't have one already.
 
brain_stew said:
Does not compute.

You're probably best off with something that's prebuilt tbh.
Click to expand...
Why something prebuilt? It's always more expensive in my experience.

If you do go ahead with it, an 880G motherboard + an Athlon X4 635 will give you a quad core and excellent upgrade options + good onboard graphics for $175.

I'm talking this mobo and CPU in particular:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130295&cm_re=880g-_-13-130-295-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103702&cm_re=x4_635-_-19-103-702-_-Product

You can get 4GB of that OCZ RAM for $55 after rebate so no reason to go with 2GB. It'll cripple photoshop and even general OS use in Windows 7.
Click to expand...
This is an upgrade from a P4 Prescott, so it's going to be a large upgrade in any case. It's not an enthusiast or professional's build, and the budget means going low end of everything. Despite that, there's still choices to be made out of the best of a low end bunch.

I know the 2GB seems like a contradiction, but RAM is pretty expensive, and I'm working within a £250 budget. That's why I focused on crippling specific aspects of it with the aim of having some extra RAM and a graphics card put it at a later date.
 
DualShadow said:
Hey guys,

Looking for some opinions on these rigs I'm interested in.

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1027_1029&products_id=15003

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1027_1029&products_id=14983

I'm leaning more towards the Intel set-up, however the SSD in the AMD rig would be awesome for an OS.


What do you guys think? One better then the other? Both rubbish?

Thanks :D
Click to expand...

Both have quality components but I'm not familiar enough with Australian prices to know how reasonable those are.
 
Got my new desktop from PCSpecialist.co.uk:

Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 922 MID TOWER GAMING CASE (£82)**SPECIAL**

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-930 (2.80GHz) 4.8GTs/8MB Cache

Motherboard
ASUS® P6X58D-E: DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, 3-Way SLI

Memory (RAM)
6GB CORSAIR DDR3 Tri-DDR3 1600MHz (2 X 3GB)

Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX460 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11

2nd Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX460 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Power Supply & Case Cooling
CORSAIR 750W PSU (TX750) 80+ ULTRA QUIET (£87)

Processor Cooling
TITAN FENRIR EXTREME DIRECT TOUCH COPPER CPU COOLER (£39)
Click to expand...

Runs everything flawlessly on stock settings. I'd be tempted to OC my GPU but I'd like to extend the life on it.
 
Mad_Ban said:
Got my new desktop from PCSpecialist.co.uk:



Runs everything flawlessly on stock settings. I'd be tempted to OC my GPU but I'd like to extend the life on it.
Click to expand...


I have the same CPU and motherboard. You should be able to overclock the i7 pretty easily even on stock voltage.
 
Question:

If I get a new PC, and am eligible for the $30 dollar student Win 7 Pro upgrade... I don't need to get a PC that comes with an OS... but how would I go about installing my Win 7 Pro student upgrade if it's in download format only (you don't get the install discs) :(
 
YakiSOBA said:
Question:

If I get a new PC, and am eligible for the $30 dollar student Win 7 Pro upgrade... I don't need to get a PC that comes with an OS... but how would I go about installing my Win 7 Pro student upgrade if it's in download format only (you don't get the install discs) :(
Click to expand...

Download it from a PC with a burner, I'd imagine you should be able to back it up.
 
Did anyone give the guy asking about $600-ish laptops from Best Buy a few days ago (IrishNinja, IIRC) a recommendation?

I need to get a laptop this weekend that's mainly going to be used as coffee table web browser, but I want a 14 or 15 inch screen so Netbooks are out. Obviously, I don't expect much gaming performance out of a $600 laptop, but I still want to get the best bang for my buck.
 
So let's just assume I really don't feel like upgrading motherboard/heatsink/memory right now, and that I want to try to squeeze a little bit more life out of my current 775 setup.

I currently have an E8400 with a healthy overclock at 3.6GHz, but I'm looking to make the transition into quad-core. Right now, for the price ($140), the Q9300, at 2.5GHz stock, is looking pretty tempting. From what I've read though it doesn't sound like much of an overclocker. So my question is: how sensible of an upgrade would this be? I'd be losing raw GHz power, but at the same time gaining more cores.

My PC is primarily a gaming and photoshop machine. These days games seem far more able to take advantage of multiple cores, and after a new camcorder purchase I'm looking to make my way into video encoding as well.

Thoughts and advice appreciated.
 
Curufinwe said:
Did anyone give the guy asking about $600-ish laptops from Best Buy (a few days ago IrishNinja, IIRC) a recommendation?

I need to get a laptop this weekend that's mainly going to be used as coffee table web browser, but I want a 14 or 15 inch screen so Netbooks are out. Obviously, I don't expect much gaming performance out of a $600 laptop, but I still want to get the best bang for my buck.
Click to expand...

Well at best buy all the laptops around that range all have integrated graphics so just choose the one you like the best and thats basically it.

If you have a microcenter near you, that's a much better place. You could pick up this for $650 with a i3 and 330m so it should play games decently.
 
Gentlemen, I was putting a build together for a friend. $1500 limit, but he said he wouldn't mind going over a bit more. $50ish.
Current Price tag: $1490 w/ shipping

The large power supply is for the future, in case he wants to run SLI, he won't have to upgrade it again.
The HDD is 3.0Gb/s as is my understanding that 6.0Gb/s is a waste for a HDD as it cannot fully utilize it. Had to get this one due to budget limitations.

The SSD will be for OS, but is it worth it instead to get a SATA III SSD?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148357

Any other constructive criticism would be appreciated.

I heard a rumor that OCZ RAM and this motherboard don't play well together, which is why I went wih G.Skill. Stay the course or is this hogwash?

Also, what happens if I Raid 0 a 1TB HDD and a 500GB HDD? Do I lose the 500GB on the 1TB or does it become a separate partition?



build1.jpg

build2.jpg
 
brain_stew said:
Definitely hunt down a used Q6600. Get that + a decent cooler for less than $150 and then OC to 3ghz and I think it'd be a good upgrade. The Q6600 performs about the same as a Q8400 at stock but will be much easier to OC past 3ghz even with bog standard 800mhz DDR2 RAM.

The cooler should work with your next build anyway, so its a smart investment, assuming you don't have one already.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I don't overclock because I read that it can increase the fail rate on calculations. For games that's acceptable but for rendering graphics- not so much.
 
Hey guys, building a new PC, primarily for gaming. I'm on a bit of a budget, nearly over. I also plan on keeping this mobo for for a future processor updgrade, hence AMD AM3 over i5/1156. I don't have many parts lying around from old PC's, been using a shitty laptop for the last few years since college. I oversized the PSU on purpose for future considerations, and it's a great combo deal. Looking for advice on a few things:

- I don't plan on overclocking from the start, but I will within the next year or so; will stock cooling on this build suffice for stock speeds?
- Any suggestions on the best heatsinks/fans?
- I'm trying to decide between the monitor shown in the list (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052) and the next model up (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049). Is the lower response time (2ms vs. 5ms) worth the extra money? I plan on keeping the monitor around for a good amount of time 5+ years. Does anyone have experience with either of these specific models?
- I've heard that the next line of AMD CPU's (Bulldozer or whatever) will be backwards compatible with the AM3 socket, a la AM2+ ==> AM2. Is this true? This, along with price, is why I'm choosing AMD over Intel for this build. I've been pleased with AMD processors in the past.
- I know everyone here is crazy about the Samsung F3 tech. I selected the caviar based on price and past quality experience. Good combo with the case as well. Is there that much of a performance drop off from the F3 to this particular Caviar model?
- Any complaints on the case? It seems to be the best at such a low price.

Advice is greatly appreciated, thanks again!


1iew75.jpg
 
Hi all. Wanted to get feedback on this build I am planning. Taking a dive back into PC gaming after a few years away. I don't have much money to work with at the moment. So I went AMD (of course). I tried to put together something decent at <650 and with options for CPU/GPU upgrades for the next couple of years.

One thing to keep in mind is I have an old LCD monitor still in good condition (1280 X 1024). I plan to upgrade in the not too distant future but for the next few months I would be gaming at that resolution.

Well, here it is:

cart.JPG
 
MrBelmontvedere said:
got my GTX460 and a Sony 32" screen

COMPUTER.jpg
Click to expand...

It's so...beautiful... (besides me getting Studio 54 flashbacks)

What Sony TV is that? I'm looking around to pick up a 32" to use as a monitor myself.
 
Just put this build together for a friend.

Been out of the loop for a long time, haven't built one since ~2005 I think. Last card I had was an Nvidia 6600GT. :D

Untitled-2.jpg


Trying to keep it around that budget. There's no hard drive yet cause he hadn't decided how big he wants. Still need to add another fan or two as well.

How does it look? Any glaring oversights, mismatches, better products for the price?
 
peppermints said:
Just put this build together for a friend.

Been out of the loop for a long time, haven't built one since ~2005 I think. Last card I had was an Nvidia 6600GT. :D

Trying to keep it around that budget. There's no hard drive yet cause he hadn't decided how big he wants. Still need to add another fan or two as well.

How does it look? Any glaring oversights, mismatches, better products for the price?
Click to expand...

If you're going to get that graphics card, might as well get the Vapor X model for only $8 more.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102865&cm_re=5750-_-14-102-865-_-Product

Also, that RAM is DDR2, that motherboard uses DDR3.

Otherwise you're good to go.

Also, when you look at parts, check out the combo deals to save even more money. You don't have any combos I see. It's just below the item photo on the left hand side.
 
I posted this in the other laptop thread, but...

So I'm going to be traveling on business a lot this next year, and I'm going to want a powerful computer for both gaming and graphic-intensive programs (video editing, primarily) - and I'm fine with it being a Desktop Replacement. I obviously can't get a desktop because I'm going to be constantly moving every 2 weeks or so.

So with that in mind - is this the best computer (speaking strictly from a performance viewpoint) for me?

Asus G72GX-RBBX05 for $999 new

Intel Core 2 Duo P8700
6GB DDR2
500GB HDD
17.3" 1600 x 900 screen
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M w/ 1GB DDR3 VRAM

And - please, don't recommend me to get a desktop because it just isn't feasible in my current situation. Thanks!

Oh and I'd prefer to keep it under $1000.
 
Visualante said:
Thanks, I don't overclock because I read that it can increase the fail rate on calculations. For games that's acceptable but for rendering graphics- not so much.
Click to expand...

Only if its not properly tested. I guarantee you that my OC is more stable and better tested than your stock processor. An OC is as stable as you want it to be.

Just take the leap, OCing 775 processors is a piece of piss and you can literally get as much as much as a 50% leap in performance for free. I can walk you through it onc you get the chip.
 
peppermints said:
Just put this build together for a friend.

Been out of the loop for a long time, haven't built one since ~2005 I think. Last card I had was an Nvidia 6600GT. :D

Untitled-2.jpg


Trying to keep it around that budget. There's no hard drive yet cause he hadn't decided how big he wants. Still need to add another fan or two as well.

How does it look? Any glaring oversights, mismatches, better products for the price?
Click to expand...

See my post a few pages back, $650 after rebate, you're not beating that build for value and it'll utterly crap on that machine in games and has much better upgrade options. The 5750 is a terrible buy, you're only spending an extra ~$50 here and getting a much, much better rig.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=22736685&postcount=11561
 
the walrus said:
I posted this in the other laptop thread, but...

So I'm going to be traveling on business a lot this next year, and I'm going to want a powerful computer for both gaming and graphic-intensive programs (video editing, primarily) - and I'm fine with it being a Desktop Replacement. I obviously can't get a desktop because I'm going to be constantly moving every 2 weeks or so.

So with that in mind - is this the best computer (speaking strictly from a performance viewpoint) for me?

Asus G72GX-RBBX05 for $999 new

Intel Core 2 Duo P8700
6GB DDR2
500GB HDD
17.3" 1600 x 900 screen
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M w/ 1GB DDR3 VRAM

And - please, don't recommend me to get a desktop because it just isn't feasible in my current situation. Thanks!

Oh and I'd prefer to keep it under $1000.
Click to expand...

The G72 is an old model. Get an Asus G73, you'll probably slip above $1000 but only just but the two rigs just don't compare at all, its a huge leap forward.
 
rogue74 said:
Hi all. Wanted to get feedback on this build I am planning. Taking a dive back into PC gaming after a few years away. I don't have much money to work with at the moment. So I went AMD (of course). I tried to put together something decent at <650 and with options for CPU/GPU upgrades for the next couple of years.

One thing to keep in mind is I have an old LCD monitor still in good condition (1280 X 1024). I plan to upgrade in the not too distant future but for the next few months I would be gaming at that resolution.

Well, here it is:

cart.JPG
Click to expand...

Quad core or bust. Again, look at my $650 config but you're definitely going a long the right lines here just don't pass up an extra core for the sake of $20, its madness. You can probably bring it to the same price if you cheap out of the HDD as you did here but I'd strongly recommend against it.
 
Parl said:
Why something prebuilt? It's always more expensive in my experience.


This is an upgrade from a P4 Prescott, so it's going to be a large upgrade in any case. It's not an enthusiast or professional's build, and the budget means going low end of everything. Despite that, there's still choices to be made out of the best of a low end bunch.

I know the 2GB seems like a contradiction, but RAM is pretty expensive, and I'm working within a £250 budget. That's why I focused on crippling specific aspects of it with the aim of having some extra RAM and a graphics card put it at a later date.
Click to expand...

You're asking the impossible, sorry.

Second hand components is the only way you could do it. I have an old E5200 which'll clock to 3ghz at stock volts/cooling, 3.6ghz with any decent cooling and maybe 2GB of DDR2 that I could possibly let go for ~£50, then pick up any old P35/P43/P45 mobo (someone here will probably have one lying aroudn if you ask) and any DX10 discrete GPU under the sun and you're most of the way there. Can't really see how you can do it with modern components though, the budget is just too tight.
 
brain_stew said:
The G72 is an old model. Get an Asus G73, you'll probably slip above $1000 but only just but the two rigs just don't compare at all, its a huge leap forward.
Click to expand...

I checked out the G73, its around 1300 for the lower end model - and that is out of my budget... but I've seen a deal for a refurb model for $900, which is very tempting. What is Gaf's stance on refurbished laptops (as someone who has never gotten a refurbished computer, ever)?
 
Okay, so i broke down and bought an imac as my main computer. Thing is, I want to do some heavy GPU programming (scientific, not graphics), and I prefer CUDA over openCL. So obviously, I'd need a separate box jsut for that.

Problem: I am heavily space constrained. My flat is small, and I don't want a tower on the floor. I don't want a tower on the desk either :)

Question: Is it possible at all to get maybe two top of the lines nvidia gpus inside one smallish box without making it explode in a ball of fire after i turn it on?
 
brain_stew said:
Quad core or bust. Again, look at my $650 config but you're definitely going a long the right lines here just don't pass up an extra core for the sake of $20, its madness. You can probably bring it to the same price if you cheap out of the HDD as you did here but I'd strongly recommend against it.
Click to expand...
Shut up. Toms Hardware (here found that games use three cores as efficiently as four cores. You're just a smug prick who can't spend less than $100 on a CPU. How the hell is he gonna cheapen the HDD? I wouldn't go lower than 500GB. $600 with combos can build a great PC; he doesn't need to spend any further. If he added a quad-core he might as well downgrade the GPU to a 5770; at least that's what I would do. It's a great build.
 
I think the point is future proofing with value on the mind. Sure you could get a triple core but for $20 more why not get a quad incase more games make better use of quad cores in a year or two?

Stew that happens to be made of brains, what's wrong with getting a hard drive with 500GB instead of 1TB? That seemed like a good cost cutting move unless i'm not seeing something.
 
sillymonkey321 said:
I think the point is future proofing with value on the mind. Sure you could get a triple core but for $20 more why not get a quad incase more games make better use of quad cores in a year or two?

Stew that happens to be made of brains, what's wrong with getting a hard drive with 500GB instead of 1TB? That seemed like a good cost cutting move unless i'm not seeing something.
Click to expand...
I agree with the first. Why not go ahead and get a quad core now? It's only a few dollars more and will give you much more longetivity down the road. Now with the HDD, I guess 500 gb is enough but 1 tb is only 15 to 20 dollars more aswell.
 
ChoklitReign said:
Shut up. Toms Hardware (here found that games use three cores as efficiently as four cores. You're just a smug prick who can't spend less than $100 on a CPU. How the hell is he gonna cheapen the HDD? I wouldn't go lower than 500GB. $600 with combos can build a great PC; he doesn't need to spend any further. If he added a quad-core he might as well downgrade the GPU to a 5770; at least that's what I would do. It's a great build.
Click to expand...

Not this shitty article again. That article measures how much CPU performance you need before your games become GPU bottlenecked, not how many cores modern games take advantage of. Each of those cores are significantly faster than an Athlon ii core so the comparison is crap. It also uses a seriously outdated benchmark suite.

That modern games like Bad Company 2 need all three cores of the fastest CPU money can buy and can spread the load over 4 cores equally should tell you buying an Athlon ii with anything less than 4 cores isn't particularly forward thinking. Quad core optimisation is the norm now, not the exception, did you miss the Civ 5 specs thread? What about the Dragon Age one? Or the Metro 2033 one? With decent quad cores available from $100 it just makes no sense to get anything else. You'll regret it in the future, I 100% guarantee that.

Downgrading the GPU to a 5770 for a gaming rig is completely nonsensical, its absolutely terrible advice. The GPU is the most important component in a modern gaming rig and the GTX 460 is the best bang for buck GPU in the mid-high end space.



And fuck off coming into this thread if you're going to insult me like that. I use my free time to help others in this thread and there's literally 100s of people that have said they appreciate my advice, so who the fuck are you to call me a smug prick for giving out sensible and well researched advice that has served 100s if not 1000s well in the past?


sillymonkey321 said:
I think the point is future proofing with value on the mind. Sure you could get a triple core but for $20 more why not get a quad incase more games make better use of quad cores in a year or two?

Stew that happens to be made of brains, what's wrong with getting a hard drive with 500GB instead of 1TB? That seemed like a good cost cutting move unless i'm not seeing something.
Click to expand...

Because the 1TB drive not only offers twice the capacity, its faster to boot, for the sake of $20 its a shitty place to skimp.
 
ChoklitReign said:
Shut up. Toms Hardware (here found that games use three cores as efficiently as four cores. You're just a smug prick who can't spend less than $100 on a CPU. How the hell is he gonna cheapen the HDD? I wouldn't go lower than 500GB. $600 with combos can build a great PC; he doesn't need to spend any further. If he added a quad-core he might as well downgrade the GPU to a 5770; at least that's what I would do. It's a great build.
Click to expand...

So uncalled for. You could have easily got your point across without being a douche.
 
Wow, things got a bit testy. :lol

Anyway, I appreciate the advice. To be honest, I did read that Toms Hardware article as well as his "Best CPU for the Money July 2010".

I know the Propus clocked at 2.6 Ghz is only a bit more and more forward thinking. But I was thinking I could save some money and unlock the fourth core on the X3 445. Bad idea? What is the success rate on that? From what I researched it was simply turning on an option in the BIOS. Or do you think the Propus is still the better buy?

Still haven't pulled the trigger since I was waiting for opinions. Once again, thanks for the help...
 
rogue74 said:
Wow, things got a bit testy. :lol

Anyway, I appreciate the advice. To be honest, I did read that Toms Hardware article as well as his "Best CPU for the Money July 2010".

I know the Propus clocked at 2.6 Ghz is only a bit more and more forward thinking. But I was thinking I could save some money and unlock the fourth core on the X3 445. Bad idea? What is the success rate on that? From what I researched it was simply turning on an option in the BIOS. Or do you think the Propus is still the better buy?

Still haven't pulled the trigger since I was waiting for opinions. Once again, thanks for the help...
Click to expand...

Its complete pot luck and increasingly that 4th core is making a bigger and bigger difference. Spend the $20 and get the 635, its the best value CPU you can buy atm.
 
the walrus said:
I checked out the G73, its around 1300 for the lower end model - and that is out of my budget... but I've seen a deal for a refurb model for $900, which is very tempting. What is Gaf's stance on refurbished laptops (as someone who has never gotten a refurbished computer, ever)?
Click to expand...

Its a huge step, quad core and DX11 graphics, probably better battery life as well iirc. I'd go for the refurbished model, its a fantastic machine and a hell of a bargain. Check what warranty it has though, just fyi but Asus have the best quality machines out there in terms of reliability and refurbished machines are usually checked over much better than new models.
 
Ichigo said:
Building this for my brother. Any thoughts? His budget is about 700-750
33d9zpc.jpg
Click to expand...

I'm not a big fan of that combo, that motherboard is outdated which may restrict your upgrade options. The 965 has always been an overpriced CPU and the 5770 isn't worht much more than ~$140 imo. I think you can do better for the money.

No need for an 800w PSU. Save some cash and get the 600w modXstream instead (there's a combo with the GTX 460 1GB iirc, well worth looking into), modular PSUs are a great and if your underload your PSU too much (as you would with that 800w unit) it won't as efficiently as it should

Replace the HDD witha Samsung F3.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

PC games that are ONLY in a borderless window need to stop.
2
53
1K
RoboFu replied
Marathon releases March 5, new Limited Edition DualSense controller revealed; New trailer, pre-order rewards, Collector’s Edition
2
87
642
Men_in_Boxes replied
GAF - I need your help!
0
58
stn replied
Do we even need a new consoles so soon?
Opinion  2
80
690
Three replied
Speedball (2026) | PC, PS5, Xbox, by Rebellion (...there's a new Speedball?)
Trailer 
40
416
Windle Poons replied
Top Bottom