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[PjotrStroganov]

I'm looking to get an aftermarket cooler for my 5850, wondering what would be the best options...

I've been looking for one too.


As it stands now, this is the one I will eventually be getting.

Scythe Musashi

Getting good reviews icw the previous gen cards that ran hotter than the 5850. Also, you don't need to use any wonky vrm cooling with this one, as the baseplate that acts as a heatsink doesn't have to be removed. HD5850's don't go well with aftermarket vrm cooling. Only remove the cover and leave the baseplate where it is. It also takes less space than many other heatsinks.

Edit, it seems that some of the fans have to be bent according to this topic, http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=236156&page=4
But scythe says installing it with the plate is recommended.

The Zalman VF1000 seems to fit like a glove with the baseplate still attached.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=4068050&postcount=61


This one is specifically being marketed for the 5850
Zalman VF3000A
http://ic.tweakimg.net/ext/i/imagelarge/1270560478.jpeg
Ugly mofo if you ask me. You can always remove the sleeve.


Arctic also has a few that might fit. But I always see pictures of modded versions with the 5850.

 

[brain_stew]

I second the call to more thoroughly test your RAM, Corky. Do it one stick at a time as well.

As for those aftermarket coolers I'd probably spring for the last Zalman that was linked. Its the same one that Zotac's GTX 480 AMP uses and it works wonders there.

 

[Manp]

The Zalman VF1000 seems to fit like a glove with the baseplate still attached.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=4068050&postcount=61

and truth to be told it looks totally awesome!

that in the pic seems to be the fatality version

 

[vg260]

I haven't paid attention to pc happenings since last fall. I have a AMD Phenom II X3 720 black and a Radeon 4870. Is there a cheap upgrade that would give be a little boost at 1080p? I can run the games I have close to 60fps there, but have to cut down AA. Would upping the processor make difference or is that video card dependent at that point?

 

[Corky]

I second the call to more thoroughly test your RAM, Corky. Do it one stick at a time as well.

Alright man will do so as soon as I get my stuff back. Hopefully it has been the psu afterall.

 

[brain_stew]

I haven't paid attention to pc happenings since last fall. I have a AMD Phenom II X3 720 black and a Radeon 4870. Is there a cheap upgrade that would give be a little boost at 1080p? I can run the games I have close to 60fps there, but have to cut down AA. Would upping the processor make difference or is that video card dependent at that point?

OCing your CPU might help, no real need to upgrade it yet though.

A GTX 470 for $280 after rebate with a free Steam copy of Mafia 2 is what you'd need to step up to if you wanted a worthwile upgrade from your current card.

 

[vg260]

OCing your CPU might help, no real need to upgrade it yet though.

A GTX 470 for $280 after rebate with a free Steam copy of Mafia 2 is what you'd need to step up to if you wanted a worthwile upgrade from your current card.

Thanks.

 

[Moobabe]

I saw people discussing Dell's prebuilt machines in here a while ago and wondered if they were still a viable option? My budget is *probably* around £650, which about the price of a prebuilt machine from Dell, so unless I can get a noticeable upgrade for a bit more money or if building my own is significantly cheaper then is this ok...

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/t...n-560-d005610-deals?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

with the +£140 for a new card and the ram?

 

[brain_stew]

I saw people discussing Dell's prebuilt machines in here a while ago and wondered if they were still a viable option? My budget is *probably* around £650, which about the price of a prebuilt machine from Dell, so unless I can get a noticeable upgrade for a bit more money or if building my own is significantly cheaper then is this ok...

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/t...n-560-d005610-deals?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

with the +£140 for a new card and the ram?

Terrible for games.

For £90 more though you can get an utterly fantastic rig, though:

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/dell-studio-xps-7100-desktop-amd-ph/743548

 

[Spike]

Thing to remember when buying a prebuilt system like a Dell, HP, and the like, is that there only is one warranty period to cover the entire system.

When you buy the parts separately, each individual component has its own warranty period.

 

[Corky]

Ok then, as I mentioned earlier my psu and mobo are going to be RMAd soonish. But I need to ascertain that this will get to the root of the problem.

Can anything else inside my case, cause bsods/lockups/random reboots that are reminiscent of bad psu / ram?


CPU/MOBO/GPU/PSU/RAM

is there any other component other than the above 5 that can cause problems like mine? ( remember my pc even once crashed in bios so you can virtually count out software issues ).

What else is there? Optical units? The case? The hdd? None of these should be attributed with my issues right?

just quoting myself here, I turned out to be post 99 on the last page so in case someone missed it.

 

[Spike]

just quoting myself here, I turned out to be post 99 on the last page so in case someone missed it.

No. The CPU, GPU, RAM, MB, and PSU are the primary culprits to be on the lookout for. HDD in some instances, but not very likely.

 

[Moobabe]

Terrible for games.

For £90 more though you can get an utterly fantastic rig, though:

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/dell-studio-xps-7100-desktop-amd-ph/743548

Thanks very much! I'll check it out - this should run most/all current games right - outside of the witcher 2 I just want to be able to run all of my games - especially Bad Company 2, x3, the witcher, Left for Dead 2 and Clear Sky.

Edit

The deal expires TODAY!!! I have a lot of thinking to do

 

[Bii]

Thing to remember when buying a prebuilt system like a Dell, HP, and the like, is that there only is one warranty period to cover the entire system.

When you buy the parts separately, each individual component has its own warranty period.

Also, overclocking isn't an option either. I'm still gaming on a Dell with a Q6600 2.4GHz stock. Would've been nice if I can overclock it to 3.0GHz.

I know this will sound redundant but building your own rig is the way to go. It's what I'll do for my next PC.

 

[Corky]

No. The CPU, GPU, RAM, MB, and PSU are the primary culprits to be on the lookout for. HDD in some instances, but not very likely.

Cheers I'm on a new tested gpu and ram. ( although I only ran memtest for 3hours, I'll keep a run on overnight ). The cpu was also tested but I'm not 100% on that it's not faulty, will keep an eye on it. And the MB/PSU I'm sending in for RMA. Pretty sure one or both of them are faulty.

Out of curiousity, how do "pc-parts" stores test motherboards? I mean can you even stresstest a mobo per se? I reckon they have instruments for the PSU for example and regular tests for ram/gpu/cpu, but I'd love to know what they'll look at and try.

 

[GHG]

Thanks very much! I'll check it out - this should run most/all current games right - outside of the witcher 2 I just want to be able to run all of my games - especially Bad Company 2, x3, the witcher, Left for Dead 2 and Clear Sky.

Edit

The deal expires TODAY!!! I have a lot of thinking to do

That rig should even be able to handle The Witcher 2 quite well. The 5870 is no slouch.

 

[brain_stew]

Thanks very much! I'll check it out - this should run most/all current games right - outside of the witcher 2 I just want to be able to run all of my games - especially Bad Company 2, x3, the witcher, Left for Dead 2 and Clear Sky.

Edit

The deal expires TODAY!!! I have a lot of thinking to do

It'll be around 10x faster in games than the other machine you were looking, just fyi. You're not going to get a prebuilt rig that comes close to this. It'll eat up The Witcher 2 and anything else you throw at it without a hiccup.

 

[Shambles]

I haven't paid attention to pc happenings since last fall. I have a AMD Phenom II X3 720 black and a Radeon 4870. Is there a cheap upgrade that would give be a little boost at 1080p? I can run the games I have close to 60fps there, but have to cut down AA. Would upping the processor make difference or is that video card dependent at that point?

I would also recommend overclocking your gear instead of spending money on an upgrade. The 4870 is still a very strong card and depending on what your expectations are should satisfy the vast majority of people for a couple more years. Use ATIs Catalyst Control Centre and run the auto-tune overclock for the GPU and even a modest OC on the CPU will give you significant improvement. I'm running a 512mb 4870 on a 19x12 monitor with a Q6600 OC'd to 3.4 and I haven't had any problems maxing things out. Although I'm sure if I tried something brand new like Metro 2033 I'd have to turn down some stuff.

just quoting myself here, I turned out to be post 99 on the last page so in case someone missed it.

I can't find the post using a quick search but if you were the member who was having the mouse freeze up on screen it very well could be your harddrive. I've had to replace a hard drive after I had a system that would cycle through lockups every few seconds or it would freeze the mouse but I'd be able to use the keyboard at times. Didn't make sense to me but it worked.

 

[SapientWolf]

I would also recommend overclocking your gear instead of spending money on an upgrade. The 4870 is still a very strong card and depending on what your expectations are should satisfy the vast majority of people for a couple more years. Use ATIs Catalyst Control Centre and run the auto-tune overclock for the GPU and even a modest OC on the CPU will give you significant improvement. I'm running a 512mb 4870 on a 19x12 monitor with a Q6600 OC'd to 3.4 and I haven't had any problems maxing things out. Although I'm sure if I tried something brand new like Metro 2033 I'd have to turn down some stuff.

You have to use the AMD GPU clock tool for any serious overclocking. The CCC has really low limits.

 

[rogue74]

Well, Windows Memory Diagnostic ran without problems in the basic setting. I set it to run using the extended test and will have to see what the results are when I get home.

From the research I have been doing, my artifacts look like VRAM problems. But the OCCT GPU memory test passes without issue. I'm still wondering if a bad DIMM could make the video card show those types of artifacts.

 

[brain_stew]

Well, Windows Memory Diagnostic ran without problems in the basic setting. I set it to run using the extended test and will have to see what the results are when I get home.

From the research I have been doing, my artifacts look like VRAM problems. But the OCCT GPU memory test passes without issue. I'm still wondering if a bad DIMM could make the video card show those types of artifacts.

White snow does usually mean faulty VRAM as you seem to have figured out. I just don't see how a system RAM DIMM could throw up visual errors like that. Run some other tests, ATI Tool and Furmark would be a decent start.

 

[Corky]

I can't find the post using a quick search but if you were the member who was having the mouse freeze up on screen it very well could be your harddrive. I've had to replace a hard drive after I had a system that would cycle through lockups every few seconds or it would freeze the mouse but I'd be able to use the keyboard at times. Didn't make sense to me but it worked.

You must be confusing me with someone else . Hell I wish it was my HDD, just toss it out of the window and buy a new one, but now troubleshooting has pretty much brought me to

a) psu
b) motherboard
c) god & the devil ( you see when shit hits the fan like it has for me, they HAVE to had teamed up.


edit : sadface...

User Name Posts
brain_stew 880
Hazaro 612
Minsc 413
TheExodu5 196
Corky 178


You know you got problems when you're nearing 200 posts in like 20 days and none of them have been outside the realm of seeking help.... f m l

 

[brain_stew]

You really are the unluckiest guy we've ever had in this thread, Corky, beggars belief.

I kinda wish I could just build up a PC for you myself, its so frustrating watching you hit a new hurdle every other day.

 

[FreezeSSC]

I know this is mostly for pc builders but i had a laptop question,

What do you guys think about the HP envy 15?? i heard when it launched it had issues but they refreshed the lineup and fixed alot of the issues???

Im thinking of getting the core i5 processor version, i also get a 10% discount from my work.

So does anyone know of something that matches the envy in terms of specs and looks? i plan to buy by this weekend.

 

[brain_stew]

I know this is mostly for pc builders but i had a laptop question,

What do you guys think about the HP envy 15?? i heard when it launched it had issues but they refreshed the lineup and fixed alot of the issues???

Im thinking of getting the core i5 processor version, i also get a 10% discount from my work.

So does anyone know of something that matches the envy in terms of specs and looks? i plan to buy by this weekend.

The envy 14 seems to be the better machine from all I've read but we do have a dedicated gaming laptop thread (in which the super knowledgeable K.Jack often posts) so you might get more help there:

http://neogaf.net/forum/showthread.php?t=386622&page=12

 

[Shambles]

You have to use the AMD GPU clock tool for any serious overclocking. The CCC has really low limits.

Definitely. If you want to get a little more involved in your GPU overclock use something better than CCC. If you want a simple one-button solution on a piece of software you will already have installed and that will take you to a large portion of your potential OC than use CCC.

Corky:
Instead of going through the RMA process with that PSU it might be worth your while to check out a local computer shop, not some garbage store like Best Buy/Futureshop, but a smaller service based place and see if they'll let you plug in one of their PSUs. You don't have to take anything apart you can just keep your PSU in the box, unplug all the connectors and run their PSU off the counter.

I've missed most of your posts so if i'm not even talking about what your issues are now just ignore me

 

[Corky]

You really are the unluckiest guy we've ever had in this thread, Corky, beggars belief.

I kinda wish I could just build up a PC for you myself, its so frustrating watching you hit a new hurdle every other day.

have I not had youz guys I would've bailed day 1. But I'll keep at it until every single component is switched and tested. If it STILL crashes, then I'll have to see myself defeated, and crawl back into my 256mb ram console-gaming.

 

[rogue74]

White snow does usually mean faulty VRAM as you seem to have figured out. I just don't see how a system RAM DIMM could throw up visual errors like that. Run some other tests, ATI Tool and Furmark would be a decent start.

Yeah, all signs point to faulty card.

All the crashes that happened in STALKER did not result in a Win 7 crash. I was able to Alt-Tab outta there and even run GPU-Z in the background to take a peek at temp. I have never had Windows crash on me since I built the rig 10 days ago. Again, possibly a sign that RAM isn't the culprit.

But that one error memtest86+ threw at me yesterday, that I can't recreate with the same or other utilities, is driving me insane. All the info I read online say that even one error means replace your RAM. But I should be able to see it again!

You mention ATI tool. I have a Gigabyte GTX 460. I see that the last stable version of ATI Tool is .26 from 4 years ago. Shouldn't be an issue, no? I will definitely give it a shot.

Also, Corky, I feel your pain man. Putting a PC together and having to go through that when all you want to do is enjoy it sucks. I empathize due to my current situation but my problems seem like child's play compared to what I have seen you post. :O

 

[vg260]

I would also recommend overclocking your gear instead of spending money on an upgrade. The 4870 is still a very strong card and depending on what your expectations are should satisfy the vast majority of people for a couple more years. Use ATIs Catalyst Control Centre and run the auto-tune overclock for the GPU and even a modest OC on the CPU will give you significant improvement. I'm running a 512mb 4870 on a 19x12 monitor with a Q6600 OC'd to 3.4 and I haven't had any problems maxing things out. Although I'm sure if I tried something brand new like Metro 2033 I'd have to turn down some stuff.

Thanks. Do you think a modest overclock of CPU and/or vid card would be stable on stock equipment?

 

[Corky]

Also, Corky, I feel your pain man. Putting a PC together and having to go through that when all you want to do is enjoy it sucks. I empathize due to my current situation but my problems seem like child's play compared to what I have seen you post. :O

hell man, I'm being a dramaqueen, obviously this shit is man infuriating. I mean, it's either me or everything in the pc has been malfunctioning after I bought it.

Ah well...

Oh btw guys! Do ya'll remember my gts 250s? The two cards that were broken? Well, I posted that it was a nightmare to RMA them and have been sending them back and forth. Now the funny thing is that finally the store found the cards faulty and sent me 2 xfx 250 gts.

But it doesn't stop there, for some bizarre reason they've sent me a 3rd xfx 250. Still with me ? It gets better, I got a 4th card aswell, this one a gainward gts 250. Got 4 new cards. All of them unopened. Shit's mad. I don't care if they send me 10x ARES cards I just want a pc that doesn't crash. DO YOU HEAR ME GOD!?

 

[Shambles]

Thanks. Do you think a modest overclock of CPU and/or vid card would be stable on stock equipment?

Yes. I don't think aftermarket VGA cooling is ever worth it as you could have just used that money towards a better GPU in the first place.

You'll be fine overclocking the CPU on the stock cooler but I would not recommend increasing the voltages. You'll see a near-linear temperature increase with an increase in frequency but an increase in voltage will increase your temp exponentially. Without overvolting the GPU you'll hit a power consumption wall before you hit an overheating wall. Here is the spec page for the 720, it's max temp is 73. I haven't OC'd a PII chip yet but I know that most Q6600's went from 2.4Ghz to 3.0 on stock coolers without any voltage increases with no trouble at all.

 

[brain_stew]

Yes. I don't think aftermarket VGA cooling is ever worth it as you could have just used that money towards a better GPU in the first place.

You'll be fine overclocking the CPU on the stock cooler but I would not recommend increasing the voltages. You'll see a near-linear temperature increase with an increase in frequency but an increase in voltage will increase your temp exponentially. Without overvolting the GPU you'll hit a power consumption wall before you hit an overheating wall. Here is the spec page for the 720, it's max temp is 73. I haven't OC'd a PII chip yet but I know that most Q6600's went from 2.4Ghz to 3.0 on stock coolers without any voltage increases with no trouble at all.

A point to note (and this goes for everyone). STOCK VOLTAGE DOES NOT MEAN AUTO VOLTAGE - NEVER USE AUTO VOLTAGE.

Auto voltage ican have some very nasty side effect and its something you want to keep in your own control. By default your motherboard may use auto voltage but it will list the VID (stock voltage of your chip) in there as well and just manually set it to this.

 

[rogue74]

A point to note (and this goes for everyone). STOCK VOLTAGE DOES NOT MEAN AUTO VOLTAGE - NEVER USE AUTO VOLTAGE.

brain_stew @ everyone: "You're doing it wrong." :lol

I checked the AMD website for the info on my X4 635. There is a range for the voltage. I wonder if my mother board lets me set a range or if I have to set a specific value.

 

[brain_stew]

But it doesn't stop there, for some bizarre reason they've sent me a 3rd xfx 250. Still with me ? It gets better, I got a 4th card aswell, this one a gainward gts 250. Got 4 new cards. All of them unopened. Shit's mad. I don't care if they send me 10x ARES cards I just want a pc that doesn't crash. DO YOU HEAR ME GOD!?

Wtf!? :lol

At least that's one bright side. You could make decent bank by selling all of them off.

 

[brain_stew]

brain_stew @ everyone: "You're doing it wrong." :lol

I checked the AMD website for the info on my X4 635. There is a range for the voltage. I wonder if my mother board lets me set a range or if I have to set a specific value.

You have to set a specific value. That range is the min. and max. which you can set it between.

 

[rogue74]

You have to set a specific value. That range is the min. and max. which you can set it between.

So AMD states : Voltages 0.85-1.25V

I should set it at, say, 1.00V rather than Auto?

Looking at my motherboard manual online, I see that the BIOS has the following settings: CPU Voltage, CPU-NB voltage, DRAM voltage, NB-Voltage,SB-Voltage, and HT Link Voltage. All are set to AUTO. I assume the voltages I listed above are for CPU. I know the DRAM I have is specced for 1.5. But what about the other values?

 

[Moobabe]

This is a disaster! If this deal was alive for about 72 hours more I could get it!! As it stands I have 4 hours to find about £150 - it's like an episode of 24

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/dell-studio-xps-7100-desktop-amd-ph/743548

 

[Felix Lighter]

So AMD states : Voltages 0.85-1.25V

I should set it at, say, 1.00V rather than Auto?

Looking at my motherboard manual online, I see that the BIOS has the following settings: CPU Voltage, CPU-NB voltage, DRAM voltage, NB-Voltage,SB-Voltage, and HT Link Voltage. All are set to AUTO. I assume the voltages I listed above are for CPU. I know the DRAM I have is specced for 1.5. But what about the other values?

You're going to want to have an idea of where your voltage is at stock clocks. CPUz will give you an idea. OR check out Overclocking guides for your specific CPU and you'll see what others are seeing.

This is a disaster! If this deal was alive for about 72 hours more I could get it!! As it stands I have 4 hours to find about £150 - it's like an episode of 24

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/dell-studio-xps-7100-desktop-amd-ph/743548

It's like 4 episodes of 24.

 

[r4z4]

This is a disaster! If this deal was alive for about 72 hours more I could get it!! As it stands I have 4 hours to find about £150 - it's like an episode of 24

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/dell-studio-xps-7100-desktop-amd-ph/743548

Best of luck dude I was going to pounce on that a couple of days back, but will wait till later in the year now as I'm pretty tight on money. I will join PC GAF in 2010 though!

 

[Sanjay]

This is a disaster! If this deal was alive for about 72 hours more I could get it!! As it stands I have 4 hours to find about £150 - it's like an episode of 24

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/dell-studio-xps-7100-desktop-amd-ph/743548

Well Dell do "Flexible Credit Options**"

*'Buy Now Pay Later' Typical example. Cash price £349. A document fee of £49 will be charged in all cases on the date credit is approved. Settle the loan in full by repaying £349 plus an administration fee of £10 within 12 months of the date of the agreement. Total amount payable £408. If the loan is not settled within 12 months of the date of the agreement, then pay 36 monthly instalments of £18.34. Total charge for credit £350.24. Total amount payable £709.24. Typical 29.8% APR. Minimum purchase £349 inc VAT.

So its interest free for 12 months and if paid in full by then your fine, but as started doing this will have a £50 credit approval check and £10 for admin.

 

[twdnewh_k]

This is kind of an odd question. im looking to buy a small nettop. The Zotac mag. Found HERE

Now I live in a country where the power output is 220v, I know the US is 110v, so for example, if I use a US console I need a power converter.

Now this Zotac is waaaay overprices here and Im thinking of getting it from newegg. My question is just whether I'll need a power converter ? or is it like laptops which accept both types of volts ?

Thanks a lot !

 

[SapientWolf]

The new 10.8 Catalyst ATI drivers are out: http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx

The early feedback is pretty positive but I'm going to wait for some more impressions before I install them.

 

[Felix Lighter]

The new 10.8 Catalyst ATI drivers are out: http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx

The early feedback is pretty positive but I'm going to wait for some more impressions before I install them.

Nice, thanks.

Edit: Where are the release notes?

 

[Salaadin]

Nice, thanks.

Edit: Where are the release notes?

Im wondering the same. I dont touch ATIs drivers until I read the notes and decide if I really want them.

 

[dekjo]

Latest Bulldozer news.

Bulldozer's details have been released. Biggest news is that it will not be backwards compatible and will use a new AM3+ socket. The AM3+ socket will be backwards compatible with existing AM3 CPUs however new AM3+ CPUs such as Bulldozer will not work in exisiting AM3 motherboards.

Those looking to future proof themselves can't do so as both Intel and AMD are switching to new sockets for their upcoming architectures.

This is a big blow to all those people who bought AM3 motherboards with 8 series chipsets and were hoping to use Bulldozer CPUs without upgrading.

Anyone ever find out if this is true or not? Haven't seen anything on tomshardware or anandtech.

 

[SapientWolf]

Nice, thanks.

Edit: Where are the release notes?

Here:

ATI Catalyst™ Software Suite Version 10.8 Release Notes

New Features

This section provides information on new features found in this release of the ATI Radeon™ Display Driver. These include the following:
- OpenGL ES 2.0 support
- Video Quality default options
- Performance enhancement for Eyefinity Quad ATI CrossFireX™ configurations
- Anti-Aliasing support for StarCraft II

OpenGL ES 2.0 support
- ATI Catalyst™ 10.8 delivers full support for OpenGL ES 2.0 specification
- Enables 3D accelerated graphics within a web browser that supports OpenGL ES 2.0
- Supported on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7

Video Quality default options
- The Default video options for ATI Catalyst™ have been greatly enhanced to deliver the best quality video viewing experience. Users can also choose to apply these settings to Internet Video via a new checkbox control within the ATI Catalyst™ Control Center

Performance enhancement for Eyefinity Quad ATI CrossFireX™ configurations
- Performance has been greatly improved for users running with ATI Eyefinity on a Quad ATI CrossFireX™ configuration

Anti-Aliasing support for StarCraft II
- ATI Catalyst™ Control Center enabled Anti-Aliasing is now available for StarCraft

Catalyst™ Application Profiles
The following application profiles are available with this release of Catalyst™ 10.8:
- Singularity – CrossFire™ profile update
- Mafia 2 – CrossFire™ profile update
- Final Fantasy XIV Benchmark – new CrossFire™ profile
- Lord of the Rings Online – new CrossFire™ profile
- Aliens Vs. Predator – CrossFire™ profile update

Performance Improvements
The following performance gains are noticed with this release of Catalyst™ 10.8:

- Far Cry 2
Performance increases 2-6% on ATI Radeon™ HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire™ configurations
Performance increases 2-4% on ATI Radeon™ HD 5700 Series single and CrossFire™ configurations
Performance increases 3-8% on ATI Radeon™ HD 4800 Series single and CrossFire™ configurations

-Left 4 Dead 2
Performance increases 3-5% on CrossFire™ ATI Radeon™ HD 5800 series and CrossFire™ ATI Radeon™ HD 5700 series configurations

-Stormrise
Performance increases 5-10% on ATI Radeon™ HD 5600 series and ATI Radeon™ HD 5500 series configurations

Resolved Issues for All Windows Operating Systems
This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst™ Software Suite for Windows. These include:
- HDMI default refresh rate now appears properly as 60 Hz under HDTV in Catalyst™ Control Center
- Catalyst™ Control Center - Basic wizard pane or resolution combo box in "Display Setting for Desktop Viewing" page no longer turns blank in basic view for component video mode
- "FSAA" is a selectable option in City of Heroes / City of Heroes Going Rogue™

Resolved Issues for the Windows 7 Operating System
This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst™
Software Suite for Windows 7. These include:
- Desktop line corruption no longer observed after powering off the DP display andthen turning it on while viewing Blu-ray content
- "Borderlands" no longer fails after a duration of gameplay
- Opening numerous windows in Adobe Photoshop CS5 no longer causes applicationto fail
- Re-sizing Windows Media Player while viewing 720/1080 WMV video content no longer causes the screen to turn black
- "ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead" game now works in CrossFire™ mode
- Shifting mouse cursor between displays no longer causes intermittent cursorcorruption or system lock up

Resolved Issues for the Windows Vista Operating System
This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst™
Software Suite for Windows Vista. These include:
- Catalyst™ Control Center no longer fails and displays error message while transcoding specific video files on 64-bit operating systems
- AVI video no longer lags during playback within Microsoft PowerPoint slide deck
- 3D and video settings in Catalyst™ Control Center are now retained after resume from sleep/hibernate

The interesting one is Avivo for YouTube.

 

[dr3upmushroom]

If I want to get a fancy 470 with a nice cooler, do you guys think the MSI Frozr II or the Zotac AMP! would be better? I've been able to find a few post about the Zotac on hardforum and a few other places, but I can't seem to find anything on the MSI, Googling the name just brings results for the 465 by the same name that can supposedly be unlocked to a 470.

Anyway, the Zotac cooler looks pretty nice, but also extremely huge, and I'm not sure if it actually cools better. I'm leaning towards the MSI since I've never really heard of Zotac and some of their cards seems suspiciously inexpensive.

 

[Felix Lighter]

Here:

Thanks, again.

Anti-Aliasing support for StarCraft II
- ATI Catalyst™ Control Center enabled Anti-Aliasing is now available for StarCraft

Very nice. Hopefully it doesn't affect performance too much. Looking forward to impressions.

 

[dr3upmushroom]

Anyone ever find out if this is true or not? Haven't seen anything on tomshardware or anandtech.

I really hope not, it would suck for everyone who bought a AM3 chip thinking they would upgrade to find out that they can't.

 

[XenoRaven]

This is going to be like my 4th Witcher related post in the past 2 days, but I have a Macbook Pro right now, and have started to get more interested in PC gaming now that Steam is out. I've always tossed around the idea of building a gaming PC, but I'm getting more and more interested in trying it out. I've been seeing trailers for The Witcher 2, and I really want to play it (and the first game too!) but I want it to be able to run smoothly and look good.

That said, I've had some exposure to PC building in some community college class I took a few years ago, but I'm pretty clueless when it comes to the newer tech and what specs I would need and also what products offer the best price/performance ratio at the level I need to run a game like TW2. I don't think specs for the game are out yet, but maybe a ballpark estimate, or another game it could be compared to? I know it's probably a lot to ask, but if anyone could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it!