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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition

Dina said:
Why would a heatsink limit the amount of screws? If it has a backplate, I would always install the heatsink first. If it doesn't (screw-on), it doesn't really matter, but would still do it.
Click to expand...


I didn't mean the heatsing screws, I mean the screws to fix the mobo to the case.
And it depends on the size of the heatsink. Mine does cover a few mobo screws. I can reach them, but it is fiddly. It seems corky didn't have any trouble with it though.
 
WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

27xpf0j.jpg


it works it WOOORKS!

It's aliveeeeeeeeeee

It is time for me to change my avatar.
 
PjotrStroganov said:
I didn't mean the heatsing screws, I mean the screws to fix the mobo to the case.
And it depends on the size of the heatsink. Mine does cover a few mobo screws. I can reach them, but it is fiddly. It seems corky didn't have any trouble with it though.
Click to expand...

Ahh, right. I never had a heatsink that was so big that it covered motherboard screws. But maybe my new one coming in, the Scythe Shuriken, does.
 
I built my pc in late July and it has been running fine since then. Ive put a shit ton of hours on SC2 and some other games, and I've never had any problems (not even a simple lock up.)

If this PC was going to have any malfunctions/problems with any of its hardware it would have happened by now, right?
 
As I said previously one week ago, I'm pretty ignorant about PCs these days (been 5 years since I left my parents' house; that's the last time I maintained one). Upon my own research and Hazaro's recommendations I ended up with this budget PC:

Processor - AMD Athlon II X4 635
Motherboard - MSI 870
Memory - Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR3-1333
Graphics - Sapphire Radeon HD 5670
Storage - F3 500GB
Drive - Samsung SH-S223L
Enclosure - CoolerMaster 310 / 320 / 330 case
Power supply - Antec EarthWatts Green 380W

I got the last piece, the hard drive, yesterday. I will be putting everything in its proper place and installing the OS tonight. The only question I have left is what wifi card and router should I purchase. For about 5 years now I've been rolling on a Macbook Pro with an ethernet.

I have a two story house and I am not sure if that will affect anything (the desktop will be on the second story, and the the potential router location is directly below on the first story and eight feet right... fairly nearby). Is the wifi card/router choice really that important? Aside from maybe some SC2 and TF2 I won't be doing a ton of online gaming... I really just need the net to run right, and I'm wondering if there are any compatibility issues. Can I just pick up budget products from Newegg, given my setup, without any worry? Or should I be particular?
 
ChryZ said:
Congrats. Like I said, you worry too much.
Click to expand...

:3, maybe my luck has finally started turning towards the better.

Anyways, I ran unigine heaven 2.1 and got this, is the result representative of my system? I've looked around for similar benchmarks/rigs but they seem to fluctuate.

246t8x2.jpg



edit : I only ran the benchmark once, and that was the first time which I guess explains that the first two seconds of the benchmark ran at like 2fps or something. Cache something something dark side
 
Sklorenz said:
I have a two story house and I am not sure if that will affect anything (the desktop will be on the second story, and the the potential router location is directly below on the first story and eight feet right... fairly nearby). Is the wifi card/router choice really that important? Aside from maybe some SC2 and TF2 I won't be doing a ton of online gaming..
Click to expand...

could be troublesome, but it might not. only way to know for sure is to try it and see. a few tips:
-get the same brand router and WiFi card. this might make all the difference if you have connectivity issues.
-upgrade the dinky little antenna(s) that come with the WiFi card with something beefier. again, it might make all the difference...
-what I would do last is to get one or more (extra) WiFi routers to act as access points between the router and PC. remember wireless networking uses radio (think AM/FM) to send data, and any physical obstructions may interfere with the signal. this is especially true if your signal has to go through layers of wood (such as floors and ceilings) versus sheetrock walls (which are basically paper and a skeletal frame, and don't block near as much signal). networking can get a little complicated, which is why I say try this last. if you need something to guide this process, remember Google is your friend.
 
so funny story,

despite paying $50 for assembly i just realized that i have to take the whole thing apart to install the heatsink :[

anyway, for putting all the dooiggers back in is there some kind of online guide i can follow to figure out which plugs go where on your typical mobo?

also, theres a super stubborn plug labeled 'P1' that i cant tear out. its the last one still in the mobo.
 
-COOLIO- said:
so funny story,

despite paying $50 for assembly i just realized that i have to take the whole thing apart to install the heatsink :[

anyway, for putting all the dooiggers back in is there some kind of online guide i can follow to figure out which plugs go where on your typical mobo?
Click to expand...

Its all dependant on how your mobo looks if youre talking about orientation. If youre talking about which thing goes where you can watch this* which helped me, even though most things are selfexplanatory. However the case cables ( whats the correct term? ) like power,reset and led cables are connected differently between different motherboards so your manual is the best way to look for that.

*http://www.tested.com/news/video-how-to-build-the-best-1500-gaming-pc-step-by-step/152/
 
Corky said:
Its all dependant on how your mobo looks if youre talking about orientation. If youre talking about which thing goes where you can watch this* which helped me, even though most things are selfexplanatory. However the case cables ( whats the correct term? ) like power,reset and led cables are connected differently between different motherboards so your manual is the best way to look for that.

*http://www.tested.com/news/video-how-to-build-the-best-1500-gaming-pc-step-by-step/152/
Click to expand...

thanks for the link!

and i didnt even think about looking for the manual. thatd probably be a good idea too!
 
-COOLIO- said:
thanks for the link!

and i didnt even think about looking for the manual. thatd probably be a good idea too!
Click to expand...


np man, just passing on what others taught me :) <3.
 
Hey, GAF! Need some quick help.

A few months ago, GAF collectively jizzed over a new NVIDIA card. It was only two hundred or so, but it offered great performance for the price. What was this card?
 
MrBelmontvedere said:
could be troublesome, but it might not. only way to know for sure is to try it and see. a few tips:
-get the same brand router and WiFi card. this might make all the difference if you have connectivity issues.
-upgrade the dinky little antenna(s) that come with the WiFi card with something beefier. again, it might make all the difference...
-what I would do last is to get one or more (extra) WiFi routers to act as access points between the router and PC. remember wireless networking uses radio (think AM/FM) to send data, and any physical obstructions may interfere with the signal. this is especially true if your signal has to go through layers of wood (such as floors and ceilings) versus sheetrock walls (which are basically paper and a skeletal frame, and don't block near as much signal). networking can get a little complicated, which is why I say try this last. if you need something to guide this process, remember Google is your friend.
Click to expand...

Good advice. I go to GAF first and google second for this sort of thing (don't keep up enough with the PC scene to know decent sites). Only thing I'm curious about now is brand--you recommend that I go with the same wifi card/router brand. Does this mean that, given my situation, brand/price is not a big deal?
 
Well, I'm having a bizarre cold boot issue on my MSI X-Power Big Bang and corsair xms3 cas7 1600 ram. I can pass memtest86 and prime95 for 8+ hours, but every time my computer is off for more than 5-7 hours the ram fails on cold boot. The board resets the comp a few times and then it's 100% stable (no matter what the timings and speed are set to with any stick in any slot). I've decided to return the parts and get the asus rampage III extreme and some matching corsair dominator ram from the compatibility list instead. Wish me luck.

Ordered a Lian-li x1000 as well since I'm bored of my old silverstone. Hopefully it's nice :). I think I will get a 6870 to prep for crysis 2 whenever those come out.
 
As my first post didn't follow the guidelines, I will try again. I am looking for at laptop

I am willing to spend about 900$
I prefer screen size to be 10"-14" - 15" wouldn't be a dealbreaker but I prefer smaller
I will be buying the computer in Denmark

Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: Toshiba (good experience with my current)
b. Dislike: Acer (hear and experience them being low quality)

I won't consider refurbished/redistributed laptops

Primary tasks:
Word processing and coding
Movie playback (HD preferable)
browsing
light image and video editing
games like the old CS, worms armageddon, etc.

I will be taking the laptop with me and it will also be a desk pc

3 or more hours of battery would be nice

Buying online is ok
Regarding OS I prefer windows 7

Screen:
resolution should be 1366x768 or above
Matte screen is preferable but not a dealbreaker

A notebook's looks and stylishness is not important
I will be buying the notebook soon
2-3 years expected lifetime

Disks:
SSD drive is preferable but not a dealbreaker. The size of the drive should be at least 60GB but anything above is irrelevant.
It does not need a optical (cd/dvd/bluray) drive.

Hdmi is required and e-sata would be nice

I am fairly experienced with computers and have replaced ram and disk drive in my current laptop

^^ That covered everything from the guide :) I've been looking at the dell m101z which fullfil everything sans ssd and e-sata. Do you guys have any other suggestions?
I have been having a hard time telling what kind of sound hdmi ports on different machines are able to output. Can they all output stuff like surround, dolby and dts, or how can I tell?
 
Sklorenz said:
Good advice. I go to GAF first and google second for this sort of thing (don't keep up enough with the PC scene to know decent sites). Only thing I'm curious about now is brand--you recommend that I go with the same wifi card/router brand. Does this mean that, given my situation, brand/price is not a big deal?
Click to expand...

as far as brands go Linksys or D-Link will work fine. either one would be a good choice, and going with the same brand for all the networking equipment may save you some trouble getting it running smoothly.
 
Does anyone make caps for extra connectors coming from your psu? Doing a cleanup of my pc today and got everything back together after a total teardown. Hit the power button and there was an arc from one of my extra sata power to the case :( I have so many extra power connectors above my only DVD drive and don't want to have that happen again :(
 
Sklorenz said:
Good advice. I go to GAF first and google second for this sort of thing (don't keep up enough with the PC scene to know decent sites). Only thing I'm curious about now is brand--you recommend that I go with the same wifi card/router brand. Does this mean that, given my situation, brand/price is not a big deal?
Click to expand...


Here is your bible for home network hardware. There's a lot of crap out there so be weary. In the last year I've picked up the Engenius model that ranks high. I've had it crash on me once but the throughput and IOPS complete destroy anything else i've had. They also have seperate ratings for range etc. which seems to be more your interest.
 
hhmm...I am not quite satisfied gaming on 1920x1080 using 1GB 5770, should that be fixed when using 460 1GB instead?

CPU: 965BE
MOBO: GA-790x-UD3P
RAM: 6GB (2x2GB, 2x1GB) <-I know I shouldn´t
HDD: 1TB EARS 64MB
 
MysticX said:
hhmm...I am not quite satisfied gaming on 1920x1080 using 1GB 5770, should that be fixed when using 460 1GB instead?
Click to expand...
Eh, no.

At this point, hold on to the 5770, until the AMD 6000 series hits.
 
Okay, problem.

We picked up the GTX460, but bad news: it requires two PCI-E power connectors. We were able to make one from two spare molex, but the only remaining connector is a SATA connection.

The power supply is rated at 580W, which should be enough for the card and standard stuff (HD, DVD-R, motherboard, etc), we just don't have the connectors. Can we buy splitters? Is that electrically safe? What does a good new PSU run for these days? (I'm typing from my phone ATM)
 
Corky said:
:3, maybe my luck has finally started turning towards the better.

Anyways, I ran unigine heaven 2.1 and got this, is the result representative of my system? I've looked around for similar benchmarks/rigs but they seem to fluctuate.

246t8x2.jpg



edit : I only ran the benchmark once, and that was the first time which I guess explains that the first two seconds of the benchmark ran at like 2fps or something. Cache something something dark side
Click to expand...

That result seems amazing for a GTX 460.
 
I think I'm gonna put together myself a PC, since this dual core AMD is pissing me off and I'm long over-due for something new. Anyway, last year I built my youngest brother a pretty decent rig with an Core i7 860 and ATI 5870, since I'm not a big gamer I'm thinking of taking the CPU and GPU off of him and getting him an i7 870 and a better GPU since he games on his PC. Thing is, I'm not sure what the hot GPUs are now. So, suggestions? I'm gonna leave his board in and just swap the CPU and GPU, since swapping out everything would be too much of a hassle. This is his motherboard, it should be compatible, right? Same socket and PCI express 2.0, so it shouldn't be too big of a hassle. I'm planning on getting this motherboard, and I'm pretty sure that should work fine with the i7 860 and 5870 as well.
 
Captain Knutsman said:
As my first post didn't follow the guidelines, I will try again. I am looking for at laptop

I am willing to spend about 900$
I prefer screen size to be 10"-14" - 15" wouldn't be a dealbreaker but I prefer smaller
I will be buying the computer in Denmark

Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: Toshiba (good experience with my current)
b. Dislike: Acer (hear and experience them being low quality)

I won't consider refurbished/redistributed laptops

Primary tasks:
Word processing and coding
Movie playback (HD preferable)
browsing
light image and video editing
games like the old CS, worms armageddon, etc.

I will be taking the laptop with me and it will also be a desk pc

3 or more hours of battery would be nice

Buying online is ok
Regarding OS I prefer windows 7

Screen:
resolution should be 1366x768 or above
Matte screen is preferable but not a dealbreaker

A notebook's looks and stylishness is not important
I will be buying the notebook soon
2-3 years expected lifetime

Disks:
SSD drive is preferable but not a dealbreaker. The size of the drive should be at least 60GB but anything above is irrelevant.
It does not need a optical (cd/dvd/bluray) drive.

Hdmi is required and e-sata would be nice

I am fairly experienced with computers and have replaced ram and disk drive in my current laptop

^^ That covered everything from the guide :) I've been looking at the dell m101z which fullfil everything sans ssd and e-sata. Do you guys have any other suggestions?
I have been having a hard time telling what kind of sound hdmi ports on different machines are able to output. Can they all output stuff like surround, dolby and dts, or how can I tell?
Click to expand...

Provantage has the Acer 721 which has a single core K125 for $380, with international shipping. 11.6 inch 1366x768, win7 x64.

http://www.provantage.com/acer-lu-sb002-275~7ACEN11Q.htm

Dual core K325 is 495, which is not as good a deal for you IMO, based on your needs.

http://www.provantage.com/acer-lx-sbb02-073~7ACEN10E.htm
 
Ugh so in doing my tear down and rebuild today I've decided to never buy another MSI mobo. Thing has been nothing but problems all day. I think I've narrowed the main issue down to a dead CMOS battery, but I don't think that would totally explain why sometimes pressing the restart button would just stick the computer in an endless restart cycle (power off -> on -> 10 seconds later restart) Could be my POS video card too (Visontek, never again as well).
 
Anybody try to run a 460 while using your TV as a monitor? I got a 460 yesterday, uninstalled my old ATi drivers, and installed the latest drivers for my new card. When I tried to run it at 1920x1080 on my Panny G10, the picture looked zoomed/cut off. My old 4850 looked fine at 1920x1080. What the f.
 
Ravenn17 said:
When I tried to run it at 1920x1080 on my Panny G10, the picture looked zoomed/cut off. My old 4850 looked fine at 1920x1080. What the f.
Click to expand...
Had that issue over VGA and a different, not sure if I had it with HDMI/DVI but the tv had an option for auto-scanning the picture and adjusting it to fit. Not sure what it was called unfortunately.
 
Feep said:
Okay, problem.

We picked up the GTX460, but bad news: it requires two PCI-E power connectors. We were able to make one from two spare molex, but the only remaining connector is a SATA connection.

The power supply is rated at 580W, which should be enough for the card and standard stuff (HD, DVD-R, motherboard, etc), we just don't have the connectors. Can we buy splitters? Is that electrically safe?
Click to expand...

yeah there are splitters for molex cables. cheap ones too. the only thing you risk is not having enough power, but 580W should be plenty for what you're running. just make sure the amperage is adequate; GTX460 needs 24 amps on the 12v rails. there will be a sticker on the side of your PSU with the wattage/amperage/input voltage/etc listed.
 
grap3fruitman said:
Had that issue over VGA and a different, not sure if I had it with HDMI/DVI but the tv had an option for auto-scanning the picture and adjusting it to fit. Not sure what it was called unfortunately.
Click to expand...

I read your post and I immediately thought of changing the HD size via the menu, and it worked. Thanks a lot.
 
Kogepan said:
Provantage has the Acer 721 which has a single core K125 for $380, with international shipping. 11.6 inch 1366x768, win7 x64.

http://www.provantage.com/acer-lu-sb002-275~7ACEN11Q.htm

Dual core K325 is 495, which is not as good a deal for you IMO, based on your needs.

http://www.provantage.com/acer-lx-sbb02-073~7ACEN10E.htm
Click to expand...


Thanks for the reply, however I can't order from the us simply because the import taxes are too steep! I have been looking for the 721 in Denmark but I guess they didn't launch that model in Scandinavia.

I would like the dual core model, because I believe the extra power is nice to have, and the dell m101z also has the dual core processor:
http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/note...hs&cs=19&~oid=us~en~29~inspiron-m101z-anav2~~

But good suggestions :)
 
BloodySinner said:
Can anyone recommend a good and quiet CPU at a modest price? The stock fan that came with my Phenom 955 just won't shut the fuck up. It's annoying.
Click to expand...

Full disclosure ; the cooler master hyper 212+ is the only aftermarket cooler I've owned but god damnit man I CANT hear it even when I put my ear close to the pc XD.


Sanjay said:
That result seems amazing for a GTX 460.
Click to expand...

Actually I'm running 2 460s, I ran the benchmark again and got much better lowest fps and the average ended up being 51fps at the same settings, but I did some sleuthing and it seems thats pretty much where I should be at. For some reason I'm even abit higher than most sli 460 benchs dunno why tho.

TouchMyBox said:
Shit, finally. I was getting bummed out seeing you have so many issues.
Click to expand...

Oh man you have no idea. I've been a little down the last month or so and this whole pc debacle has been a huge thorn and bummer towards my daily morale. Finally getting all new pieces and actually having it up and running was a big mental boost for me .
 
BloodySinner said:
Can anyone recommend a good and quiet CPU at a modest price? The stock fan that came with my Phenom 955 just won't shut the fuck up. It's annoying.
Click to expand...

I don't think you can go wrong with any aftermarket cooler that has a 12cm fan. The hyper 212+ seems to be one of the best buys out there. The older scythe mugen rev b I have is inaudible too. There are more expensive coolers but for silencing your pc, you don't have to look for anything above 35 dollars. They will drop your cpu temps significantly at near inaudible sound levels.

Undervolting your casefans might also help to reduce noice. It's easy to do and silences your case greatly. I have mine at 5V. Just take care that your fans start up as some don't below 7V.
 
oh man oh man this is too good. I know starcraft 2 isnt really optimized but in the campaign my fps is anywhere inbetween 60-120 with the once in a fullmoon 40.

Though the tearing is annoying, so I'll be getting d3doveridewhatchamacallit and triplebuffer the shit out of everything.

I've sold my ps3 and wii now. My 360 is holding on to dear life with his puppy eyes and ssf4. Do it capcom, release ssf4 on pc and my body is yours.
 
Corky said:
oh man oh man this is too good. I know starcraft 2 isnt really optimized but in the campaign my fps is anywhere inbetween 60-120 with the once in a fullmoon 40.

Though the tearing is annoying, so I'll be getting d3doveridewhatchamacallit and triplebuffer the shit out of everything.

I've sold my ps3 and wii now. My 360 is holding on to dear life with his puppy eyes and ssf4. Do it capcom, release ssf4 on pc and my body is yours.
Click to expand...
Why'd you uncap the framerate in sc2? Could kill your gfx card.
 
Corky said:
WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

it works it WOOORKS!

It's aliveeeeeeeeeee

It is time for me to change my avatar.
Click to expand...

You know, this actually made my day. I'm pretty fucking happy for you, Corky. Glad things turned out well.
 
mescalineeyes said:
Why'd you uncap the framerate in sc2? Could kill your gfx card.
Click to expand...

Oh I haven't uncapped anything, rather I will cap it @ 60 with triplebuffer. I was under the impression that the overheating issue was when you were idling in the midmission menus or something. Nonetheless will be capping asap :)


MyOtherBike said:
You know, this actually made my day. I'm pretty fucking happy for you, Corky. Glad things turned out well.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate, I'm pretty darn happy myself :D, alot of my joy is from the fact gaf tolerated me and helped me out :)

<3 GAF
/grope
 
i hope you picked up dirt 2 when it was a buck yesterday. it's still $6 and totally worth it (assuming you don't already own it on pc).

glad to hear everything is working out :D
 
This might be a stupid question; would there be any particular reason to shop for parts at newegg over amazon.com? Newegg absolutely refuses to give me free shipping, but amazon will do free or just cheaper, and the prices seem to be comparable for the parts I've looked at so far.

There might be some incentives on newegg with combos and free games, but I haven't seen any for parts I want. Then again I'm not close to pulling the trigger and that might change when I am, but I'd surprised if it'd be anything worth the $55 newegg wants for shipping. On the other hand, I haven't taken a look at other sites like say, tigerdirect.com. Would there be any other websites I'd want to look at too?

And speaking of waiting to pull the trigger and stupid questions, would it be at all reasonable to wait and see about these 6000 cards that are coming out? I was leaning towards a 5770, and then changed my mind to a GTX 460 because PhysX is purty.
 
Nabs said:
i hope you picked up dirt 2 when it was a buck yesterday. it's still $6 and totally worth it (assuming you don't already own it on pc).

glad to hear everything is working out :D
Click to expand...

whoa whoa whoa, where can I get dirt 2 for 6$?
 
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