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[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

To be honest...I just went overkill across the board on most of the stuff. I just wanted something that would be able to run almost anything out there and I had some extra money and started adding more memory and a 2nd 460.

So with Win64bit I should see a performance boost?

Yes, you have 6gb of system memory right now and windows can only access a little under 4gb.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

http://i36.tinypic.com/33ubz2q.jpg

It's similar to Brain_strew's build, but combo'd (Dunno if Canada has) and with a 4870 instead of a 460.

AM3 SLi mobos are cheaper, if you grab that with a x4 955 you are fine.

http://i.imgur.com/A55hA.jpg

Most of your choices seem to be good, but I'd go with an i5 and i7 if you want Intel (better performance now). The difference between i5 and i7 is marginal, while the cost is not.
Intel mobos listed here. Same with coolers.

http://i.imgur.com/A55hA.jpg

Does that motherboard support SLI? I don't see anything under the specs and it makes it sound like it bumps down the pci-e x16 to 8x if you use two cards. Is that normal?

 

[Phloxy]

K, just ordered my stuff. I plan on doing a-lot of 3d and physx with my rig.

Got two of these bad boys

EVGA GeForce GTX480 Superclocked 1536 MB.

My Q is, will using my 275gtx be good as a dedicated physx card?

This is the power supply I ordered with it.
Antec True Power Quattro 1200w.

Also, this will all be tucked in nicely with the coolermaster Haf x tower.

Thanks for any tips.

 

[Dr.Acula]

Ungh.

Having some issues with my new PC. All of a sudden I'm getting crazy artifacting in games/videos.

Had the system about just over two weeks and it's been doing good so far. Tried uninstalling/reinstalling nvidia drivers. GTX460. Is this ever a power supply thingy, because I wonder about mine, as it's only 500w?

Still, it was going fine until I installed Fallout 3, now everything's hosed. I got some error on install -something about .net framework? The game runs, but there are all sorts of texture glitches. I can't even run L4D2 or STALKER. Even videos are hosed.

 

[Aesius]

GAF - I just reseated my HSF on my ATI 4850 with Arctic Silver Ceramique.

So far the temperatures seem to be exactly the same - idling around 75C with fan at 40%, and hitting 100C at load with fan at 75%. I used the "pea method" with the compound, and did not spread it. I also used a cotton alcohol pad (70% isopropyl) to clean the old thermal compound off, and as far as I could tell, there was no foreign debris/lint left behind on the actual chip.

Am I just screwed with an incredibly hot-running card, or could I possibly lower the temps by reseating the HSF in a more sterile way?

 

[Stormtrooper30]

LTTP, but with all the hate ChoklitReign gave Hazaro and Brain_Stew I had to chime in. Just want to say that I appreciate all that you do and you do not deserve the abuse he spewed.

But now onto the bussiness. Building my rig tomorrow. Anyone have any last minute advice?

 

[Hazaro]

Does that motherboard support SLI? I don't see anything under the specs and it makes it sound like it bumps down the pci-e x16 to 8x if you use two cards. Is that normal?

8x/8x is fairly common on the cheaper SLi boards. It's fine.

Having some issues with my new PC. All of a sudden I'm getting crazy artifacting in games/videos.

Had the system about just over two weeks and it's been doing good so far. Tried uninstalling/reinstalling nvidia drivers. GTX460. Is this ever a power supply thingy, because I wonder about mine, as it's only 500w?

Still, it was going fine until I installed Fallout 3, now everything's hosed. I got some error on install -something about .net framework? The game runs, but there are all sorts of texture glitches. I can't even run L4D2 or STALKER. Even videos are hosed.

Reinstall microsoft's .net framework (I think it's on 0.3? or something?) uninstall and reinstall nVidia drivers with driver sweeper following the instructions.

Might be the PSU, it's not the best quality but it should handle it fine. Might be the card.
After trying the above you can downclock it and see if the same problems persist.
Can you describe whats happening with L4D and Stalker?
I've had Fallout 3 bug out on me before, don't believe it was hardware related.

GAF - I just reseated my HSF on my ATI 4850 with Arctic Silver Ceramique.

So far the temperatures seem to be exactly the same - idling around 75C with fan at 40%, and hitting 100C at load with fan at 75%. I used the "pea method" with the compound, and did not spread it. I also used a cotton alcohol pad (70% isopropyl) to clean the old thermal compound off, and as far as I could tell, there was no foreign debris/lint left behind on the actual chip.

Am I just screwed with an incredibly hot-running card, or could I possibly lower the temps by reseating the HSF in a more sterile way?

Oof, thas one that runs hot. Yes it's possible your card just likes to run hot. You can try reseating again via spreading it, but it'll probably be the same.

But now onto the bussiness. Building my rig tomorrow. Anyone have any last minute advice?

Read manuals if you are confused. (Esp. mobo manual)
Take all the cables and make sure they go somewhere
Triple check cables

 

[Shambles]

GAF - I just reseated my HSF on my ATI 4850 with Arctic Silver Ceramique.

So far the temperatures seem to be exactly the same - idling around 75C with fan at 40%, and hitting 100C at load with fan at 75%. I used the "pea method" with the compound, and did not spread it. I also used a cotton alcohol pad (70% isopropyl) to clean the old thermal compound off, and as far as I could tell, there was no foreign debris/lint left behind on the actual chip.

Am I just screwed with an incredibly hot-running card, or could I possibly lower the temps by reseating the HSF in a more sterile way?

Your technique sounds good. And those temperatures don't sound right. I might even look at the heatsink itself to see if it looks flush or warped. My preferred technique is to put a drop of paste on, and then spread it around with my finger inside a ziplock bag so I know it's on the whole chip. If something does look warped you can lap (sand) the HSF or chip so that it makes a flush connection with each other.

 

[vazel]

Yea those temps are really hot. Make sure the heatsink is properly seated that is the #1 cause for bad temps in my experience.

 

[Aesius]

Yea those temps are really hot. Make sure the heatsink is properly seated that is the #1 cause for bad temps in my experience.

Well, it's actually the second time I've reseated it. It was running at 100C at load with stock thermal compound, and hasn't changed with two fresh applications of Ceramique.

FWIW, it is the actual made by ATI version of the card. So a single slot cooler. From what I've read, it seems that it's not actually uncommon for this version of the card to run that hot. I was just hoping to see at least a 5C drop in temps with the Ceramique.

I may just end up selling it and buying a GTX 460 :lol

 

[MidgarBlowedUp]

Big Ups kids, I just finished installing the new motherboard (ASRock A785GXH/128M) and I think I have crossfire connected properly (2x 5770 Vapors).

I'm assuming I just install both 5770's and then connect both Xfire connectors/bridges?
I'm also assuming it doesn't matter if one bridge is slightly longer than the other?
I'm also assuming I don't need a special cable to connect to the monitor with Xfire?
I also asume I don't need any special drivers from ATI, just the standard catalyst?

The only issue I ran into was the heatsink. It's really strange, when I installed the processor on this board the heatsink will not correctly line up with the processor. I tried installing the heatsink in both directions with the same issue. There is about a 1 centimeter slit of processor that is not in contact with the heatsink. Really really strange as I see now way to correct it either. I'm guessing it's a design flaw of the motherboard since this is the same heatsink I used on the other board along with the same processor.

fingers crossed.

 

[Hazaro]

Big Ups kids, I just finished installing the new motherboard (ASRock A785GXH/128M) and I think I have crossfire connected properly (2x 5770 Vapors).

I'm assuming I just install both 5770's and then connect both Xfire connectors/bridges?
I'm also assuming it doesn't matter if one bridge is slightly longer than the other?
I'm also assuming I don't need a special cable to connect to the monitor with Xfire?
I also asume I don't need any special drivers from ATI, just the standard catalyst?

The only issue I ran into was the heatsink. It's really strange, when I installed the processor on this board the heatsink will not correctly line up with the processor. I tried installing the heatsink in both directions with the same issue. There is about a 1 centimeter slit of processor that is not in contact with the heatsink. Really really strange as I see now way to correct it either. I'm guessing it's a design flaw of the motherboard since this is the same heatsink I used on the other board along with the same processor.

fingers crossed.

Yes (Actually I only think you need one, but whatever you'll probably lose it otherwise)
Fine
Fine
Fine

1cm is a lot considering the chip is like 4cm. Pics? I think I know what you are saying, but that shouldn't be right.

 

[MidgarBlowedUp]

Yes (Actually I only think you need one, but whatever you'll probably lose it otherwise)
Fine
Fine
Fine

1cm is a lot considering the chip is like 4cm. Pics? I think I know what you are saying, but that shouldn't be right.

Well maybe it isn't quite 1cm.
Actually it's about .2cm all the way across one side or maybe .15cm to be more exact.
The system is up and running now, I'm posting this from it.
I'm at 34*C Idle with no overclock according to Speccy which seems about 5*C too high imo. I'm not sure if I can OC from 2.6 to 3.2 like I did before.

sorry no pics, but I could draw it in a few minutes when everything is installed.

 

[Hazaro]

Well maybe it isn't quite 1cm.
Actually it's about .2cm all the way across one side or maybe .15cm to be more exact.
The system is up and running now, I'm posting this from it.
I'm at 34*C Idle with no overclock according to Speccy which seems about 5*C too high imo. I'm not sure if I can OC from 2.6 to 3.2 like I did before.

sorry no pics, but I could draw it in a few minutes when everything is installed.

34C idle is great. Don't worry about it.

 

[Weenerz]

Best recommendation for a physx card? I've seen the stew recommend a gtx 250, is there any point of getting a higher end card?

 

[Hazaro]

Why have so many people been posting about PhysX?
Do people care for that?

Save your $80 imo.

 

[Corky]

Reinstall microsoft's .net framework (I think it's on 0.3? or something?) uninstall and reinstall nVidia drivers with driver sweeper following the instructions.

Might be the PSU, it's not the best quality but it should handle it fine. Might be the card.
After trying the above you can downclock it and see if the same problems persist.
Can you describe whats happening with L4D and Stalker?
I've had Fallout 3 bug out on me before, don't believe it was hardware related.

oh wait whats going on? The guy showed a screenshot of OCCT gpu test showing 50k iish errors. I was under the impression that if OCCT showed errors on your GPU then something was/is wrong with said gpu, am I wrong?


edit : Also, another random question, if a GPU has 2*6pin pci-e connector-slots, do they both have to be plugged in? Or is plugging one of the slots enough?

 

[Weenerz]

Why have so many people been posting about PhysX?
Do people care for that?

Save your $80 imo.

Mafia 2 is going to use it, and its gorgeous with it.

 

[Aesius]

Haha, holy shit. So I did a little more digging online and found that 4850s have a big problem with dust clogging up the copper pipes in the HSF. At first I dismissed it, because I just cleaned the hell out of my entire case - including the 4850. I even took the damn thing apart and cleaned it.

But I completely forgot that the heatsink unit itself comes apart, and the copper they were referring to is INSIDE the plastic piece. I don't have my tools with me, so I just blasted the inside with compressed air and saw all sorts of dust bunnies go flying.

Popped the card back in and I'm now idling at 60C @ 42% fan and 85C at maximum load (Mafia 2, 1080p maxed) @ 55% fan! Fuck yeah!

I should have known something was up, because even the fan speed at 75%, while loud, wasn't quite as deafening as it used to be. Now 55% sounds like what 85% did before the cleaning.

Tomorrow I'll crack it open again and see if I missed any dust.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Best recommendation for a physx card? I've seen the stew recommend a gtx 250, is there any point of getting a higher end card?

actually i think he said a gts 240, cheaper.

what is the big deal with FFIVX?

 

[MidgarBlowedUp]

34C idle is great. Don't worry about it.

Good to know but I can't get this thing to OC any at all, not even 1%. I've tried everything from underclocking the ram to manually setting the HT link to under 2000 and nothing, nada, ziltch... I'm checking for a BIOS update now.

That did the trick. Updated the BIOS and now I'm up from 2.6 to 2.9.
I'm happy with that, but would like to get it back up to around 3.1~3.2.[/B]


Update #2 I'm so loving this motherboard right now!

I'm 26*C Idle @ the magical 3.25Ghz where HT & NB are at exactly 2000 & memory is just barely above stock.

sogood.gif

Ofcourse the FF benchmarks haven't really improved, but I'm sure most of the other games I have will take advantage of xfire.

 

[Phloxy]

K, just ordered my stuff. I plan on doing a-lot of 3d and physx with my rig.

Got two of these bad boys

EVGA GeForce GTX480 Superclocked 1536 MB.

My Q is, will using my 275gtx be good as a dedicated physx card?

This is the power supply I ordered with it.
Antec True Power Quattro 1200w.

Also, this will all be tucked in nicely with the coolermaster Haf x tower.

Also, any advice for a first time overclock? Trying to get my core i7 920 to a nice 3.6, 3.8

 

[NinjaTehFish]

Ok so i did my tax over the weekend and im getting a nice return (yay), so im looking at building a new rig by the end of the month. My current pc is going to my little bro (lucky bastard ) the specs:

Q6600 @ stock
4870 1gb
4gb DDR2
Bla bla(im sure thats enough info )

So my i aim to best that with a decent amount of headroom for the future.
My budget is $1200AU
so far im thinking:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=187_345&products_id=14156

MOBO: ASRock 890GM Pro 3 Motherboard
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=138_803&products_id=14997

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=13105

GPU: Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD5850 OC
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_934&products_id=13811

HDD: Western Digital Green 1TB WD10EARS "10 EARS!!"
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_344&products_id=13197

PSU: Corsair HX-650
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_535&products_id=12918

CASE: Fractal Design Define R3 Black
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_547&products_id=15140

Total: $1231AU

So...im a little over budget but i'll be buying everything except the case from my local store and i'll get a good discount ( Eg: $310 for the same gpu and i'll save a few on the cpu too). What do you guys think? i was a bit torn an the cpu/gpu but i think this should be a nice setup for a couple of years/month/days/hours?

 

[longdi]

Good to know but I can't get this thing to OC any at all, not even 1%. I've tried everything from underclocking the ram to manually setting the HT link to under 2000 and nothing, nada, ziltch... I'm checking for a BIOS update now.

That did the trick. Updated the BIOS and now I'm up from 2.6 to 2.9.
I'm happy with that, but would like to get it back up to around 3.1~3.2.[/B]


Update #2 I'm so loving this motherboard right now!

I'm 26*C Idle @ the magical 3.25Ghz where HT & NB are at exactly 2000 & memory is just barely above stock.

sogood.gif

Ofcourse the FF benchmarks haven't really improved, but I'm sure most of the other games I have will take advantage of xfire.

Why dont you put the HT to 2200mhz and NB to about 2600-2800mhz? This will improve your PC even more!

 

[brain_stew]

Ungh.

Having some issues with my new PC. All of a sudden I'm getting crazy artifacting in games/videos.

]

Snow like that nearly always means bad VRAM, fyi.

 

[Mr_Brit]

Why dont you put the HT to 2200mhz and NB to about 2600-2800mhz? This will improve your PC even more!

DO NOT TOUCH THE HT!! It's been proven that increasing the HT slows down your PC. The HT has a ridiculous amount of bandwidth, nothing is even close to saturating it. It has been shown that increasing the NB does have some effect although not that large and mainly in synthetic benchmarks, you'll have to judge whether the increased heat produced is worth it just for a few more points.

 

[longdi]

DO NOT TOUCH THE HT!! It's been proven that increasing the HT slows down your PC. The HT has a ridiculous amount of bandwidth, nothing is even close to saturating it. It has been shown that increasing the NB does have some effect although not that large and mainly in synthetic benchmarks, you'll have to judge whether the increased heat produced is worth it just for a few more points.

AMD set the opteron thuban HT to 2200mhz.

 

[Mr_Brit]

Good to know but I can't get this thing to OC any at all, not even 1%. I've tried everything from underclocking the ram to manually setting the HT link to under 2000 and nothing, nada, ziltch... I'm checking for a BIOS update now.

That did the trick. Updated the BIOS and now I'm up from 2.6 to 2.9.
I'm happy with that, but would like to get it back up to around 3.1~3.2.[/B]


Update #2 I'm so loving this motherboard right now!

I'm 26*C Idle @ the magical 3.25Ghz where HT & NB are at exactly 2000 & memory is just barely above stock.


sogood.gif

Ofcourse the FF benchmarks haven't really improved, but I'm sure most of the other games I have will take advantage of xfire.

Sell 4GB of that RAM and buy a Phenom II, that CPU will bottleneck that CF pair in most games. A Phenom II will be significantly faster in games and will also allow you to overclock to 3.8GHZ minimum with a practically guaranteed 4GHZ.

AMD set the opteron thuban HT to 2200mhz.

No it's not, all AM3 Phenom IIs have a default HT of 2GHZ, if it's higher then you should put it down.

 

[brain_stew]

Ok so i did my tax over the weekend and im getting a nice return (yay), so im looking at building a new rig by the end of the month. My current pc is going to my little bro (lucky bastard ) the specs:

Q6600 @ stock
4870 1gb
4gb DDR2
Bla bla(im sure thats enough info )

So my i aim to best that with a decent amount of headroom for the future.
My budget is $1200AU
so far im thinking:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=187_345&products_id=14156

MOBO: ASRock 890GM Pro 3 Motherboard
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=138_803&products_id=14997

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=13105

GPU: Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD5850 OC
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_934&products_id=13811

HDD: Western Digital Green 1TB WD10EARS "10 EARS!!"
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_344&products_id=13197

PSU: Corsair HX-650
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_535&products_id=12918

CASE: Fractal Design Define R3 Black
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_547&products_id=15140

Total: $1231AU

So...im a little over budget but i'll be buying everything except the case from my local store and i'll get a good discount ( Eg: $310 for the same gpu and i'll save a few on the cpu too). What do you guys think? i was a bit torn an the cpu/gpu but i think this should be a nice setup for a couple of years/month/days/hours?

Why are you replacing the Q6600?

Just OC it and no game will give you an issue. A ~3.4ghz Q6600 is equal to a stock i5-750 and people buying them chips are hardly clamouring for extra performance.

You just seem to be spending money for the sake of it tbh. If your PSU runs your current rig just fine then why upgrade? Its clearly a solid enough unit.

When you can get the best GTX 460 1GB on the market for $280, paying $360 for a 5850 just seems crazy to me:

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_687&products_id=14938

The Caviar Green drives are slow as hell, get a Samsung F3 instead.

 

[brain_stew]

K, just ordered my stuff. I plan on doing a-lot of 3d and physx with my rig.

Got two of these bad boys

EVGA GeForce GTX480 Superclocked 1536 MB.

My Q is, will using my 275gtx be good as a dedicated physx card?

This is the power supply I ordered with it.
Antec True Power Quattro 1200w.

Also, this will all be tucked in nicely with the coolermaster Haf x tower.

Also, any advice for a first time overclock? Trying to get my core i7 920 to a nice 3.6, 3.8

Its overkill if anything.

 

[L0st Id3ntity]

I have never bought a desktop before, so my experience is little to none. I'm willing to spend 2000-2500$ for the right pc.

From skimming through pc threads in gaf, I understand that getting a branded pc and not building one yourself is ":lol :lol :lol :lol :lol " worthy, but I really like the thought of how an alienware desktop would look in my room. :lol So that's what I've been looking at lately.

I'm willing to listen, guide me gaf.

 

[brain_stew]

Sell 4GB of that RAM and buy a Phenom II, that CPU will bottleneck that CF pair in most games. A Phenom II will be significantly faster in games and will also allow you to overclock to 3.8GHZ minimum with a practically guaranteed 4GHZ.


No it's not, all AM3 Phenom IIs have a default HT of 2GHZ, if it's higher then you should put it down.

Oh come on, there's no need for that at all. The Athlon ii range are plenty fast once overclocked and they'll hit the same clockspeeds as Phenom iis with little bother. He's just got to work on his OC a little more.

 

[Mr_Brit]

Oh come on, there's no need for that at all. The Athlon ii range are plenty fast once overclocked and they'll hit the same clockspeeds as Phenom iis with little bother. He's just got to work on his OC a little more.

He won't get a higher OC than that. Only Phenom IIs have been proven to go above 3.4GHZ. You'll struggle to find any non Phenom II AMD that has gone above 3.4GHZ anywhere on the internet even for people using exotic cooling. The slower clocked CPU will definitely bottleneck that CF pair, look up some benchmarks.

 

[Mr_Brit]

I have never bought a desktop before, so my experience is little to none. I'm willing to spend 2000-2500$ for the right pc.

From skimming through pc threads in gaf, I understand that getting a branded pc and not building one yourself is ":lol :lol :lol :lol :lol " worthy, but I really like the thought of how an alienware desktop would look in my room. :lol So that's what I've been looking at lately.

I'm willing to listen, guide me gaf.

There are dozens of cases with better features and looks out there.

 

[brain_stew]

I have never bought a desktop before, so my experience is little to none. I'm willing to spend 2000-2500$ for the right pc.

From skimming through pc threads in gaf, I understand that getting a branded pc and not building one yourself is ":lol :lol :lol :lol :lol " worthy, but I really like the thought of how an alienware desktop would look in my room. :lol So that's what I've been looking at lately.

I'm willing to listen, guide me gaf.

If you don't want to build it yourself then head on over to ncixus.com and you can choose every single custom component you want (which can mean you get an incredibly fancy case, much better than an Alienware POS) and just add the $50 assembly fee and they'll build it for you.

What are you building this PC for? What are your expectations for performance? Resolution? Any stereo 3D? What gaming are you use to (previously a console gamer?) are you hooking it upto your HDTV?

$2500 is an absolutely insane amount to spend on a desktop so pulling out a figure like that when you've little idea of the price of components seems a little.....naive. If a $1000 rig can achieve what you want then why not have another $1000 in your back pocket and $500 to create a huge library of games?

 

[Nemo]

QQ, is the 460 still worth it if you can get the 5850 for a few bucks more? From every review I've seen the 5850 consumes less power which always gets big points from me

 

[brain_stew]

He won't get a higher OC than that. Only Phenom IIs have been proven to go above 3.4GHZ. You'll struggle to find any non Phenom II AMD that has gone above 3.4GHZ anywhere on the internet even for people using exotic cooling. The slower clocked CPU will definitely bottleneck that CF pair, look up some benchmarks.

BS:

http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/604845-official-amd-athlon-ii-x4-club.html

Crossfire 5770s is hardly super high end, an OCed Athlon X4 is a decent enough match for them. It doesn't matter even if they are "theoretically" bottlenecking his GPUs so long as its fast enough to provide 60fps gameplay in the majority of games, which it is.


Honestly, he's got the hardware now, ne need to complain about it especially when its plenty fast for games. Now, would this be my choice for a config given what his likely budget was? No, but he's got the hardware now, no point in having buyer's remorse and getting dicked over in the second hand market.

 

[brain_stew]

QQ, is the 460 still worth it if you can get the 5850 for a few bucks more? From every review I've seen the 5850 consumes less power which always gets big points from me

What do we mean by "a few bucks more"?

With GTX 470s hitting such low prices, if I was stepping up from a GTX 460, the 5850 isn't where I'd be looking.

 

[Corky]

QQ, is the 460 still worth it if you can get the 5850 for a few bucks more? From every review I've seen the 5850 consumes less power which always gets big points from me

I'm in the same boat, for me its like this atm : I can get my hands on a 460 for roughly 200 and a 5850 for 270. And they seem to trade blows in most game benchmarks, with the 5850 leading from time to time, but with a higher pricetag.

It just seems like the gtx 460 is such a good card for 200. I'm 99% certain that I'll get the gigabyte 460 over a radeon 5830 or even 5850.


Speaking of which, time another round of Corkys stupid question hour :

1) Is a corsair 650 TX, enough juice to power a GTX 460 and a GTS 250 for physX ?

2) When using a Molex to PCI-E adapter can I just pick 2 random molex connectors from the snakepit and use the adapter? Or do I have to keep something in mind?

 

[brain_stew]

I'm in the same boat, for me its like this atm : I can get my hands on a 460 for roughly 200 and a 5850 for 270. And they seem to trade blows in most game benchmarks, with the 5850 leading from time to time, but with a higher pricetag.

It just seems like the gtx 460 is such a good card for 200. I'm 99% certain that I'll get the gigabyte 460 over a radeon 5830 or even 5850.


Speaking of which, time another round of Corkys stupid question hour :

1) Is a corsair 650 TX, enough juice to power a GTX 460 and a GTS 250 for physX ?

2) When using a Molex to PCI-E adapter can I just pick 2 random molex connectors from the snakepit and use the adapter? Or do I have to keep something in mind?

1) Yes

2) Shouldn't be a problem, any 2 should work fine in theory.


Given your options, you'd be crazy to go with the 5850. I'd even choose the GTX 460 if they were evenly priced tbh, Nvidia cards just offer a lot of extras that make them worth a lot more for me.

 

[Mr_Brit]

BS:

http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/604845-official-amd-athlon-ii-x4-club.html

Crossfire 5770s is hardly super high end, an OCed Athlon X4 is a decent enough match for them. It doesn't matter even if they are "theoretically" bottlenecking his GPUs so long as its fast enough to provide 60fps gameplay in the majority of games, which it is.


Honestly, he's got the hardware now, ne need to complain about it especially when its plenty fast for games. Now, would this be my choice for a config given what his likely budget was? No, but he's got the hardware now, no point in having buyer's remorse and getting dicked over in the second hand market.

You just proved my point. Hardly anyone with that CPU has managed to get above 3.4GHZ without great cooling. I bet if he tried it now on his own CPU it wouldn't work. Ask anyone on OCN if an Athlon II at 3.2GHZ would bottleneck a CF setup and most would say yes. Though his FPS may be OK now, a Phenom II will ensure they stay OK for a much longer time.

 

[1-D_FTW]

Why are you replacing the Q6600?

Just OC it and no game will give you an issue. A ~3.4ghz Q6600 is equal to a stock i5-750 and people buying them chips are hardly clamouring for extra performance.

You just seem to be spending money for the sake of it tbh. If your PSU runs your current rig just fine then why upgrade? Its clearly a solid enough unit.

When you can get the best GTX 460 1GB on the market for $280, paying $360 for a 5850 just seems crazy to me:

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_687&products_id=14938

The Caviar Green drives are slow as hell, get a Samsung F3 instead.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/53?vs=147

I know it's not the most thorough benchmark, but I immediately entered those processors when I saw it. I know I wouldn't spend that money for that.

 

[brain_stew]

You just proved my point. Hardly anyone with that CPU has managed to get above 3.4GHZ without great cooling. I bet if he tried it now on his own CPU it wouldn't work. Ask anyone on OCN if an Athlon II at 3.2GHZ would bottleneck a CF setup and most would say yes. Though his FPS may be OK now, a Phenom II will ensure they stay OK for a much longer time.

Then switching CPUs makes absolutely no sense at all. If they're not fine later on he can go ahead and pick up an X6 Phenom for less money than an X4 Phenom costs today. Upgrading now when his CPU is running absolutely everything just fine is sure fire way to piss money up the wall. That his CPU might be stopping him from getting 90fps instead of 70fps is neither here nor there, since he'd never notice the difference anyway.



There's plenty OCs at or above 3.4ghz at that link, you claimed it wasn't proven you could take a Athlon ii above that point, you clearly can.

 

[brain_stew]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/53?vs=147

I know it's not the most thorough benchmark, but I immediately entered those processors when I saw it. I know I wouldn't spend that money for that.

That's a stock Q6600 as well, OC that thing like it was meant to be and it'll continue to deliver fantastic performance.

 

[Nemo]

What do we mean by "a few bucks more"?

With GTX 470s hitting such low prices, if I was stepping up from a GTX 460, the 5850 isn't where I'd be looking.

470 still over 270 around here. Bit much for me. I'm coming from a 4850 btw

I'm in the same boat, for me its like this atm : I can get my hands on a 460 for roughly 200 and a 5850 for 270. And they seem to trade blows in most game benchmarks, with the 5850 leading from time to time, but with a higher pricetag.

It just seems like the gtx 460 is such a good card for 200. I'm 99% certain that I'll get the gigabyte 460 over a radeon 5830 or even 5850.
[/B]

Yeah, I'd get the 460 in a heartbeat if I couldn't get the 5850 for so cheap. It's 200 vs 214 for me. 14 bucks ain't much and I'd pay that price for less wattage

 

[L0st Id3ntity]

If you don't want to build it yourself then head on over to ncixus.com and you can choose every single custom component you want (which can mean you get an incredibly fancy case, much better than an Alienware POS) and just add the $50 assembly fee and they'll build it for you.

What are you building this PC for? What are your expectations for performance? Resolution? Any stereo 3D? What gaming are you use to (previously a console gamer?) are you hooking it upto your HDTV?

$2500 is an absolutely insane amount to spend on a desktop so pulling out a figure like that when you've little idea of the price of components seems a little.....naive. If a $1000 rig can achieve what you want then why not have another $1000 in your back pocket and $500 to create a huge library of games?

Yes I'm intimidated by the idea of building a pc, would rather not.

I want a pc mainly for high-end gaming. Not very interested in 3d. I want the best possible pc with the latest GPU and such, that's why I proposed 2000$, which I understand is still too high even for my demands. I want to conquer Crysis goddamit.

I own a Toshiba Qosmio laptop which is still doing great (intel core 2 quad@2.0, 1GB 9800M GTX).

 

[Corky]

1) Yes

2) Shouldn't be a problem, any 2 should work fine in theory.


Given your options, you'd be crazy to go with the 5850. I'd even choose the GTX 460 if they were evenly priced tbh, Nvidia cards just offer a lot of extras that make them worth a lot more for me.

Yet again, you've helped brainy. Cheers!

<3<3<3

 

[brain_stew]

Yes I'm intimidated by the idea of building a pc, would rather not.

I want a pc mainly for high-end gaming. Not very interested in 3d. I want the best possible pc with the latest GPU and such, that's why I proposed 2000$, which I understand is still too high even for my demands. I want to conquer Crysis goddamit.

I own a Toshiba Qosmio laptop which is still doing great (intel core 2 quad@2.0, 1GB 9800M GTX).

What sort of display are we talking about?

I think the ncixus.com option is perfect for you by the looks of it.

To put things into perspective, you say you're happy with your current laptop's performance, well even an $80 desktop GPU would utterly decimate that thing.

Just to start you off, this is the GPU I'd choose:

http://www.ncixus.com/products/54105/ZT-40102-10P/Zotac/

Its the fastest single GPU solution out there and is also one of the quietest high end GPUs you can buy as well.

 

[L0st Id3ntity]

What sort of display are we talking about?

I think the ncixus.com option is perfect for you by the looks of it.

To put things into perspective, you say you're happy with your current laptop's performance, well even an $80 desktop GPU would utterly decimate that thing.

:lol

HDTV 1080p.

 

[Prezhulio]

oh god i splurged and bought an SSD when i went to microcenter yesterday and picked up an i7 930. that place is DANGEROUS when you're out to spend some money

just waiting on my stuff from newegg to ship, can't come soon enough!