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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition

That build for Baron Aloha is pretty solid, but, again, I'd be hesitant to spend so much on a current CPU (and associated build costs) unless you're going to buy them from Microcenter, or find a great deal on them somewhere.

930 $199
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0331303

950 $230
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0346210


Baron Aloha said:
I can wait. This is to replace my current desktop...an Athlon 64(?) from 2002-2003 with Radeon 9600 (LOL).

Will the new chips be around $300 or more expensive? Will the current $300 chips drop significantly in price?
Click to expand...
In that case, you can get a massive upgrade without spending very much.

The new Intel Sandy Bridge chips are supposed to be similarly priced to the current run of i5s/i7s, but Intel has severely crippled them when it comes to over clocking. For more on Intel and AMD's upcoming tech, try these:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24280291&postcount=17144

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24221370&postcount=16979

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24054954&postcount=16637



Baron Aloha said:
Thanks for the recommendations. I plan on building it myself. I like my existing case because it has USB connections and multiple card readers built into the front of it but I don't know if the ventilation would be good enough for this setup. I'm certainly open to any recommendations you may have.
Click to expand...
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24126899&postcount=16723

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24128914&postcount=16732

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24128955&postcount=16733

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24130545&postcount=16755
 
As you say, the Sandy Bridges aren't sounding too good for overclocking. I'm hesitant to say whether they'll be worth getting at all, at least until the octocores come out.

It doesn't like Baron builds PCs too often, so the socket upgradability factor might not really come into play.

If getting a current i7 however, you definitely want to overclock. There's tons of wasted performance if you don't, and they're not really worth the money at stock speeds. If you don't want to overclock, definitely wait for Sandy Bridge.
 
TheExodu5 said:
As you say, the Sandy Bridges aren't sounding too good for overclocking. I'm hesitant to say whether they'll be worth getting at all, at least until the octocores come out.

It doesn't like Baron builds PCs too often, so the socket upgradability factor might not really come into play.

If getting a current i7 however, you definitely want to overclock. There's tons of wasted performance if you don't, and they're not really worth the money at stock speeds. If you don't want to overclock, definitely wait for Sandy Bridge.
Click to expand...

Thanks again for the recommendations (you too Feist!). I'm kinda diggin the CoolerMaster CM 690 II case right now.

I think I'm gonna just go with the i7-950 then. I'll want to overclock and I can imagine that the 2600K Sandy Bridge (the one that's supposedly easily overclockable) will be pretty expensive and the motherboard will probably cost more as well since its a new socket (LGA 1155).
 
I have the Coolermaster CM 690. If you're looking at that, I'd urge you to consider the HAF 922 as well...I recently built a system with that case and it's a marked improvement, IMO. Much better airflow, and more solidly built. The only thing I dislike is the lack of a black interior.

Of course, if you want a similar design to the CM 690, the Corsair 600T posted above is nice, but yeah, it's about double the price.

Anyways, not saying to not go with the CM 690! If you like it, by all means, go for it. It's a good case.

Felix Lighter said:
Would CrossFire 5850s just be stupid? (I already have a single 5850)
Click to expand...

Not really. You're not going to find a 5850 at a much cheaper price than this, I think. I normally advise against Crossfire/SLI setups, but it's going to take you a hell of a lot more than $200 to match the performance improvement gained from a second 5850 with a single card setup.

Baron Aloha said:
Thanks again for the recommendations (you too Feist!). I'm kinda diggin the CoolerMaster CM 690 II case right now.

I think I'm gonna just go with the i7-950 then. I'll want to overclock and I can imagine that the 2600K Sandy Bridge (the one that's supposedly easily overclockable) will be pretty expensive and the motherboard will probably cost more as well since its a new socket (LGA 1155).
Click to expand...

Honestly, I don't expect them to be much more than the current triple channel i7. I don't think they support triple channel memory either, so they're not going to phase out the 930/950 completely. That being said, it's not always a great idea to jump on a new socket at launch. There could be quite a few issues cropping up, as we saw with the early socket 1156 boards.
 
TheExodu5 said:
Not really. You're not going to find a 5850 at a much cheaper price than this, I think. I normally advise against Crossfire/SLI setups, but it's going to take you a hell of a lot more than $200 to match the performance improvement gained from a second 5850 with a single card setup.
Click to expand...

Interesting. That is very tempting. If I go with this card (it's the same card I currently own):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102884
and use the 10% promo code, it ends up being $207 and $187 after MIR.

Promo ends today, someone stop me!
 
I'd like to chime in and say that I love my Storm Sniper case. It's received a bit of criticism for its bulky "military" look, but I think it looks really cool. Airflow is great, it's roomy, and it's super easy to reach in (post-build), and work on things. The air filter in the front is removable and can be easily cleaned.

So, +1 from me.
 
TheExodu5 said:
As you say, the Sandy Bridges aren't sounding too good for overclocking. I'm hesitant to say whether they'll be worth getting at all, at least until the octocores come out.
Click to expand...
As long as it isn't exorbitantly priced, the 2600K looks like it will be a great option for anyone who'd like to OC and doesn't want to go with a 6- or 8-core CPU.

When you look at how much of 1155 will essentially be carried forward from 1156, I don't think there will be much in the way of growing pains (like issues with some motherboards).



Felix Lighter said:
Interesting. That is very tempting. If I go with this card (it's the same card I currently own):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102884
and use the 10% promo code, it ends up being $207 and $187 after MIR.

Promo ends today, someone stop me!
Click to expand...
Do you actually need it? Or are you just looking to beef up your performance/extend the shelf life? Remember MLAA is coming to the 5000 cards so that will have a positive effect on your overall performance. Not enough to compensate for the difference, just another thing to keep in mind.

The 6950 isn't likely to be worth it to you and the 6970 will obviously be pricey. It'll be a while before the 78xx/79xx show up so if you aren't against multi-card drawbacks, it's a good option. Another would be to use that $200, buy a faster single card and just sell your 5850.
 
Baron Aloha said:
Thanks again for the recommendations (you too Feist!). I'm kinda diggin the CoolerMaster CM 690 II case right now.

I think I'm gonna just go with the i7-950 then. I'll want to overclock and I can imagine that the 2600K Sandy Bridge (the one that's supposedly easily overclockable) will be pretty expensive and the motherboard will probably cost more as well since its a new socket (LGA 1155).
Click to expand...
If it interests you, there's also a white version of the CM 690 II:

http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6681&category_id=19
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=257618

dscf1773j.jpg


dscf1781.jpg
 
·feist· said:
Do you actually need it? Or are you just looking to beef up your performance/extend the shelf life? Remember MLAA is coming to the 5000 cards so that will have a positive effect on your overall performance. Not enough to compensate for the difference, just another thing to keep in mind.

The 6950 isn't likely to be worth it to you and the 6970 will obviously be pricey. It'll be a while before the 78xx/79xx show up so if you aren't against multi-card drawbacks, it's a good option. Another would be to use that $200, buy a faster single card and just sell your 5850.
Click to expand...

I don't really need it but, for some reason, I do. I appreciate the attempt at stopping me but I don't know if it was enough to counteract my compulsive need to upgrade my machine. :lol This article isn't helping either. I'll probably make my decision before I leave work today, that's about an hour and 40 minutes from now.


I'm liking the look of that white CM 690 II.
 
Felix Lighter said:
I don't really need it but, for some reason, I do. I appreciate the attempt at stopping me but I don't know if it was enough to counteract my compulsive need to upgrade my machine. :lol This article isn't helping either. I'll probably make my decision before I leave work today, that's about an hour and 40 minutes from now.


I'm liking the look of that white CM 690 II.
Click to expand...
Gimme your 5850 and then you can buy another one.
Waiting with my GTX 260 because nothing really needs the horsepower yet.
Vigilant Walrus said:
is it normal to recieve a harddrive(Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB) that does not come with Sata cable? or a box for that matter:P

its really heavy too:o
Click to expand...
That's what OEM is. Just the item you bought.

Cables usually come with mobo.
 
But... the heat.. power draw... added complexity... spotty support.. reduced airflow in your case...

If you have to step up, 6970/GTX 580 and sell the 5850.

Either way, don't be a consumer just for the sake of being a consumer.
 
Ok, Hazaro! Thanks!


·feist· said:
But... the heat.. power draw... added complexity... spotty support.. reduced airflow in your case...

If you have to step up, 6970/GTX 580 and sell the 5850.

Either way, don't be a consumer just for the sake of being a consumer.
Click to expand...

I agree. Being a good capitalist involves buying things that matters in a good way!(quality over cheap crap for example)!
 
i need a decent HTPC case preferrably with an IR sensor and a VFD. i'd prefer it not be hideous. i've found this silverstone. there was a nice thermaltake but i think it had an LCD and supposedly was difficult to read and the software was shit.

any suggestions?
 
Ok, ok. You guys win. I actually manage money very well except when it comes to this wacky hobby. $190 seemed like a reasonable price for the boost. I guess when you take into account the headaches of a dual card setup and the few games that would actually take advantage of the extra power, it just doesn't make sense.

Thanks for knocking some sense into me, guys.
 
soco said:
i need a decent HTPC case preferrably with an IR sensor and a VFD. i'd prefer it not be hideous. i've found this silverstone. there was a nice thermaltake but i think it had an LCD and supposedly was difficult to read and the software was shit.

any suggestions?
Click to expand...
I do know that you have to be wary with the IR sensor as they aren't always MCE remote sensors making software compatibility a bit of a pain. Not sure for this case though.
 
Felix Lighter said:
Thanks for knocking some sense into me, guys.
Click to expand...
Well, now that I've helped you select a case and save money on an unnecessary GPU purchase, I think you should donate that $190 to my charity. We help needy kids put 22nm octo-cores in their PCs.

You can make a difference.


T-Matt said:
I'm having trouble finding where to buy this. It is so pretty.
Click to expand...
I believe it launched in Europe/Asia initially and then came out in North America. Cooler Master claim that it's a limited edition case, but who knows. I just checked their online store and it isn't listed there either, so maybe there's some truth to that.

Try emailing or calling them for availability. Here's the contact for NA:

http://csxstore.coolermaster-usa.com/information.php?info_id=5
 
Brother printers are such bullshit. I rank out of black ink a few days ago, so I decided to go out and buy more. Only to discover that my Brother MFC-990cw printer won't print unless ALL ink cartridges are full.

WTF?!?! >=((((((

That's a pretty cheap ploy to get people to buy more ink. RUBBISH!
 
BloodySinner said:
Brother printers are such bullshit. I rank out of black ink a few days ago, so I decided to go out and buy more. Only to discover that my Brother MFC-990cw printer won't print unless ALL ink cartridges are full.

WTF?!?! >=((((((

That's a pretty cheap ploy to get people to buy more ink. RUBBISH!
Click to expand...

Printers are shit period. They use more ink than they should, break easy and sometimes they stop making the ink cartridges all together.
 
BloodySinner said:
Brother printers are such bullshit. I rank out of black ink a few days ago, so I decided to go out and buy more. Only to discover that my Brother MFC-990cw printer won't print unless ALL ink cartridges are full.

WTF?!?! >=((((((

That's a pretty cheap ploy to get people to buy more ink. RUBBISH!
Click to expand...

Sadly this is what the printer industry is rapidly turning into. Cheap printers, high ink costs, and bullshit guidelines to keep it working.
 
Hey dudes wats crackin. Wats recommended components for an 800 clam build these days? A case, cpu, vid card and mobo recommendation would be fuckin fantastically appreciated. Gaming is the priority and thanks in advance. I'm thinking I'd like to get a 6850ish card now and sli later. I love this thread and have an idea of whats good, but then its outdated so fast:lol
 
Elixist said:
Hey dudes wats crackin. Wats recommended components for an 800 clam build these days? A case, cpu, vid card and mobo recommendation would be fuckin fantastically appreciated. Gaming is the priority and thanks in advance. I'm thinking I'd like to get a 6850ish card now and sli later. I love this thread and have an idea of whats good, but then its outdated so fast:lol
Click to expand...

I made a build a few pages back that's $750. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24317422&postcount=17243
You could probably get a better CPU and case for 800.
 
Grimm Fandango said:
Sadly this is what the printer industry is rapidly turning into. Cheap printers, high ink costs, and bullshit guidelines to keep it working.
Click to expand...
It's been a fact for a very long time that printer manufacturers make a lot of their money on ink cartridges. I have a really old inkjet printer that won't print unless it has both black ink and color ink cartridges. And when I do go buy more ink it's always been ridiculously overpriced.
 
I have good news, gentlemen. I have found a clever way to bypass Brother's bullshit ink detector. I'll post pics after I'm done. You're all going to love this. :lol :lol :lol
 
deim0s said:
Do Asrock boards for the i5's any good, anyone used them? I'm looking at the P55 Pro for abasic non-overclocked rig.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's the board I have. Rock solid. I'm overclocking just fine on it, actually. Small bump, did a i5-760 to 3.36 ghz thanks to the 1600 Corsair RAM I bought for it, but it works great. Nice board.
 
So basically after having a fit, I decided to do a little research. Upon my discovery, I found out that Brother printers use some sort of lazer/LED light to detect as to whether an ink cartridge is low or not. Now here's the kicker...



- To bypass the system, just use a piece of electrical tape on the clear slot.

wfftG.jpg


The reason you see black markings is because I decided to test this with a Sharpie pen. I colored it out to see if it would be a fitting replacement instead of the rape. Unfortunately, this does not work.

- I also noticed that not just any piece of electrical tape would suffice. The tape needs to be color specific to the cartridge. I would imagine that the LEDs inside the machine are color specific as well.

WJmB4.jpg


Red on red, yellow on yellow, etc...

JSvtm.jpg


- After all that was done. This was what came up. :D

ys5F1.jpg




***I believe this trick only works on the LC61 model cartridges.

Fuck you, Brother. I win. :lol :lol :lol
 
Amazing :lol Wish GAF had a "Report for awesome" section like Penny Arcade does, because this deserves it.

:lol :lol :lol
 
·feist· said:
I believe it launched in Europe/Asia initially and then came out in North America. Cooler Master claim that it's a limited edition case, but who knows. I just checked their online store and it isn't listed there either, so maybe there's some truth to that.

Try emailing or calling them for availability. Here's the contact for NA:

http://csxstore.coolermaster-usa.com/information.php?info_id=5
Click to expand...
Alrighty, thanks buddy. I'm not gonna get my heart set on it.
 
TheExodu5 said:
Well I'll just show off an example here.


[
Now, this is a full tower, so it's a massive case. Not saying you should go with this...just giving you a feel for what's out there. What do you get with this?

- Insane airflow. 230mm intake fan in the front, 2x 200mm top exhaust, 140mm rear exhaust. If you want a fairly quiet system, you can run these at low speeds and still have your system run very cool.
- Tool-less installation. No need to screw in your HDDs into the cage. The plastic HDD mounting systems pull out, and you can just pop the HDD in and you're good to go. Same goes for the 5 1/2 inch drives.
- Cable management. See those robber grommets? You put your cables in there, and have all your cables routed through the back. That way, your build looks nice and clean, and it maximized airflow.

Now, there are lots of other option, depending on what you're looking for. A few more:

- All around great case, though with questionable looks.

Corsair 800D:
corsair-obsidian-series-800d-pc-chassis.jpg


- Expensive, not the best airflow, but otherwise a case with extremely high build quality, and incredible cable management. Also offers hot swappable drive bays in the front. Probably the best case to house a water cooling setup.

Corsair 600T:
corsair-graphite-sereis-600t-pc-case.jpg


- Very well built, and with great airflow. Lots of cable management options.
Click to expand...


i'd replace the antec 902 with the 1200. it isn't that much more expensive and it's really the ultimate air cooler, good cable management, plenty of space, it's all you can ask. I haven't yet met a 1200 owner who isn't fully satisfied.
 
Baron Aloha said:
Alright, I think I have everything figured out. I'd appreciate any comments you all have. I think I may have gone overboard on some things like the motherboard and CPU cooler. Let me know:
CPU COOLER (do I need this?) - Cool Master V8 CPU Cooler
Click to expand...
If you can grab the 950 at a microcenter.

Replace the V8 with a Hyper 212 Plus. V8 isn't a great cooler. Neither is the V10.
Elixist said:
Hey dudes wats crackin. Wats recommended components for an 800 clam build these days? A case, cpu, vid card and mobo recommendation would be fuckin fantastically appreciated. Gaming is the priority and thanks in advance. I'm thinking I'd like to get a 6850ish card now and sli later. I love this thread and have an idea of whats good, but then its outdated so fast:lol
Click to expand...
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro M600 / Corsair 550/650W / OCZ 550W ($45-65)
Samsung F3 500GB/1TB ($55/$65)
2x2GB G.Skill 1333/1600 ($70)
HD6850 ($180)
Intel i5-760 ($200)
Asus P7P55D-E Pro ($140)
COOLER MASTER HAF912 ($60)
ASUS DVD ($18)
____
$798

I'll think I'll add that for a build. Nothing worth spending other that. Just add in an SSD / GTX580.
 
Yay, I just got the ASUS G73JW-A1 for $825 today (long story, new, through Microsoft store). Anyone know what's the equivalent of it compare to desktop hardware? Here are the specs...

Display: 17.3-inch LED-backlit Full HD display (1920 x 1080)
CPU: Intel Core i7-740QM quad-core processor (1.73 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.93 GHz)
Chipset: Intel HM55
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M 1.5GB GDDR5 VRAM
Memory: 8GB DDR3 1333 MHz RAM, 4 x SODIMM (expandable to 8GB)
Storage: 1 terabyte storage (2 x 500GB 7200RPM hard drives)
 
What's the best video card in the $150 - $200 price range and how close are we to a refresh or new card coming out that could potentially overtake whatever is there?
 
My personal pick for casing would be Silverstone FT02 or Lian Li V1020

One of the best air cooler, too bad it is made with mostly steel.
FT02R-6.JPG


Apple clone with all aluminium and removeable tray. Cooling looks good so many holes.
v1020-9.jpg
 
evil solrac v3.0 said:
i'd replace the antec 902 with the 1200. it isn't that much more expensive and it's really the ultimate air cooler, good cable management, plenty of space, it's all you can ask. I haven't yet met a 1200 owner who isn't fully satisfied.
Click to expand...

Honestly, if you're going up to a full tower, the HAF X is so much better than the 1200. One thing I hate about Antec cases is the interior layout. The lack of perpendicular drive arrangements and toolless design really sucks.
 
I love my Samsung 2TB drive I transferred all my data from my previous four 320GB hard drives and I still have an entire TB left over. I'm a bit worried though that if it dies it's going to be devastating losing all my data in one go. I think I'm going to buy another and go RAID1.
 
sestrugen said:
any headset recommendations? There are a lot of options but not sure what to buy
Click to expand...

Depends what you're looking for. As a cheap option, I'd recommend any of the Plantronics headsets. Nothing great, but very serviceable for the cost. Avoid Creative and Logitech...just awful.

Honestly, there aren't really any decent high quality headsets, IMO. I use the Sennheiser PC350, which I like, but definitely aren't worth the price.
 
Can anyone suggest a good HDD? My current one is ready to go, but I'm not ready to step up to SSD until I build my new computer. All I need is 500gb though I'm not sure what's good anymore.
 
AceBandage said:
Well, just pulled the trigger.

COOLER MASTER Silent Pro M600 RS-600-AMBA-D3 600W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS .

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ

ASUS EAH6850 DirectCU/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support

AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

GIGABYTE GA-880GA-UD3H AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case


$750

Thanks to everyone in this topic for the help!
Click to expand...

Does this mobo have support for xfire vid cards? one pci-e is 16x and one is 4x weird.
 
I think you need to go socket 1366 for x16/x16, though I could be wrong. From what I understand though, 16x/4x still performs just as well in real world usage.
 
Just stepping in to say that my MX 518 mouse came today and it is so awesome! It improves my PC gaming tenfold - beautifully smooth aiming, perfect ergonomics, extra buttons for COD knifing, and incredible DPI which now makes BioShock 2 playable. Just awesome. Best 'controller' I have ever bought.
 
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