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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition

Drkirby said:
Does Nvidia have anything like Crossfire? Like if I pluged both the crummy $20 Video card and the $150 one in, would it for some reason run better? I do know my board has 2 of those PCI 2.0 slots.
Click to expand...


Nvida crossfire is called SLI, I think you have to have identical cards in both slots.
 
Drkirby said:
i5 is better, but its pricey to boot. Like I think the cheapest i5 is more then my CPU/Mother Board Combo.
Click to expand...
Yeah i5 is pricey. Your combo is a very nice deal, and is perfect for a very capable budget gaming rig. Along with a GTX 460, you'll have a really competent gaming rig.
 
Shambles said:
Nah, you'll be fine either way for day to day computing. If you were doing some photo/video production work you would care more.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll keep the 4gb stick just in case I want to upgrade or something later.

Also, I want to build my parents a better computer. All they need it for is youtube and streaming other various sites, but their current computer is so shitty, takes forever to load. Anybody have good deals on an Intel Quad Core Processor (dont think i5 is necessary) combo with a decent mobo? I havent really followed processor/mobos and dont know which ones good.

I prefer Intel, or else I would consider that combo above..
 
TheExodu5 said:
Yeah i5 is pricey. Your combo is a very nice deal, and is perfect for a very capable budget gaming rig. Along with a GTX 460, you'll have a really competent gaming rig.
Click to expand...
Sold me on it, guess that takes care of cpu/mobo/ram.
gpu/psu/case/hdd?
 
Ashhong said:
Thanks, I'll keep the 4gb stick just in case I want to upgrade or something later.

Also, I want to build my parents a better computer. All they need it for is youtube and streaming other various sites, but their current computer is so shitty, takes forever to load. Anybody have good deals on an Intel Quad Core Processor (dont think i5 is necessary) combo with a decent mobo? I havent really followed processor/mobos and dont know which ones good.

I prefer Intel, or else I would consider that combo above..
Click to expand...

Intel is a bad value in the low end segment. Someone else just asked for a mom browsing facebook/youtube/email build on the last page. This is from before BF sales although you probably won't see much price movement on the low end stuff anyways.

If you really wanted to stick with Intel their budget CPU is the i3 530 with whatever high rated budget 1156 board is out there. Anyone know if the integrated graphics on the i3 is enough for seamless 1080P youtube playback?
 
Shambles said:
Intel is a bad value in the low end segment. Someone else just asked for a mom browsing facebook/youtube/email build on the last page. This is from before BF sales although you probably won't see much price movement on the low end stuff anyways.
Click to expand...

What intel processor would that compare to? I only prefer Intel because I understand it and know which ones better etc. I guess AMD wont be so bad...

I see it uses DDR3 though so I'm going to assume its comparable to i3 or i5? Is that necessary? I was thinking more along the lines of the Q series with DDR2 memory
 
d[-_-]b said:
Sold me on it, guess that takes care of cpu/mobo/ram.
gpu/psu/case/hdd?
Click to expand...
For a cheap GPU, a GTX 460 768 MB.

I'm not quite sure which budget case/psu is good, to be honest.

Looking on NewEgg, the Cooler Madter Elite 430 looks amazing for $25 after MIR. Add a $50 OCZ PSU and you've got a nice combo.
 
Ashhong said:
What intel processor would that compare to? I only prefer Intel because I understand it and know which ones better etc. I guess AMD wont be so bad...

I see it uses DDR3 though so I'm going to assume its comparable to i3 or i5? Is that necessary? I was thinking more along the lines of the Q series with DDR2 memory
Click to expand...

The dual core i3 outclasses the dual core Athlons but you're basically paying twice as much which brings your price range up above the quad core athlons and tri core phenoms that can unlock into quads if you're lucky. The Core2Quads are very old chips now and unless you find a good deal on a used one (if you're brave) spending that much money on an outdated chip isn't usually the best option. Are you trying to upgrade their old machine instead of building a new one if possible?
 
Shambles said:
The dual core i3 outclasses the dual core Athlons but you're basically paying twice as much which brings your price range up above the quad core athlons and tri core phenoms that can unlock into quads if you're lucky. The Core2Quads are very old chips now and unless you find a good deal on a used one (if you're brave) spending that much money on an outdated chip isn't usually the best option. Are you trying to upgrade their old machine instead of building a new one if possible?
Click to expand...

No I'm making a new machine. Is there a good quad core athlon processor that uses DDR2? Or have they all moved onto DDR3 now? The one you linked is a dual-core. The prices are actually getting similar now between DDR2 and 3...so maybe thats not such a big deal.
 
TheExodu5 said:
Did you already buy it? The Cooler Master 430 plus the OCZ Stealth Xtreme 600w would only be $55 after MIR, and you get better components.
Click to expand...
Yep. At least my Case/PSU combo comes to $25 after MIR, so as long as it works I'll be happy.
 
Ashhong said:
No I'm making a new machine. Is there a good quad core athlon processor that uses DDR2? Or have they all moved onto DDR3 now? The one you linked is a dual-core. The prices are actually getting similar now between DDR2 and 3...so maybe thats not such a big deal.
Click to expand...

Everything is DDR3 now and we've passed the point of transition where, on a new build, you'd always go DDR3 now. AMD's AM3 chips have both DDR2 and DDR3 memory controllers but you'd still have to buy an outdated motherboard to use DDR2. The industry has moved past DDR2 at point.

For the CPU you can basically choose if they even need a quad core or not if all they are going to do is browse websites. They'd be fine with a dual core but I have a hard time ever recommending a dual core unless you're trying to spend as little money as possible for a basic build. For the <100$ range you're looking at the quad core Athlon II 630/640 or the triple core Phenom II 740 Black Edition. If the motherboard supports it all AthlonII/PhenomII chips have the ability to unlock disabled cores on the CPU. This is not a sure thing by any means as some cores were disabled because they don't work but it's still interesting to consider. You could go with the 55$ish dual core athlon, try the core unlock which may or may not work, and overclock the chip on top of that so even if they're stuck with a dual core at least it's clocked high. Really a lot of options at the budget range but most of them include AMD.
 
TheExodu5 said:
For a cheap GPU, a GTX 460 768 MB.

I'm not quite sure which budget case/psu is good, to be honest.

Looking on NewEgg, the Cooler Madter Elite 430 looks amazing for $25 after MIR. Add a $50 OCZ PSU and you've got a nice combo.
Click to expand...
Is the 700w worth the extra $15
 
Shambles said:
Everything is DDR3 now and we've passed the point of transition where, on a new build, you'd always go DDR3 now. AMD's AM3 chips have both DDR2 and DDR3 memory controllers but you'd still have to buy an outdated motherboard to use DDR2. The industry has moved past DDR2 at point.

For the CPU you can basically choose if they even need a quad core or not if all they are going to do is browse websites. They'd be fine with a dual core but I have a hard time ever recommending a dual core unless you're trying to spend as little money as possible for a basic build. For the <100$ range you're looking at the quad core Athlon II 630/640 or the triple core Phenom II 740 Black Edition. If the motherboard supports it all AthlonII/PhenomII chips have the ability to unlock disabled cores on the CPU. This is not a sure thing by any means as some cores were disabled because they don't work but it's still interesting to consider. You could go with the 55$ish dual core athlon, try the core unlock which may or may not work, and overclock the chip on top of that so even if they're stuck with a dual core at least it's clocked high. Really a lot of options at the budget range but most of them include AMD.
Click to expand...

Good tips, thanks. They literally just upload photos, stream korean shows, and check their email/bank statements. However, I wouldn't mind getting them a quad core just to future proof them a little. I dont want to bother with the unlocking stuff, since I'm already knew to AMD. Is there a good Quad core / mobo combo that comes to mind? maybe around $130 or so? They dont need it for gaming or anything like that, so something a bit lower than that combo posted above, this one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Combo...cm_mmc=BFUS-_-NormalCombo-_-559887&nm_mc=BFUS
 
Ashhong said:
Good tips, thanks. They literally just upload photos, stream korean shows, and check their email/bank statements. However, I wouldn't mind getting them a quad core just to future proof them a little. I dont want to bother with the unlocking stuff, since I'm already knew to AMD. Is there a good Quad core / mobo combo that comes to mind? maybe around $130 or so? They dont need it for gaming or anything like that, so something a bit lower than that combo posted above, this one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Combo...cm_mmc=BFUS-_-NormalCombo-_-559887&nm_mc=BFUS
Click to expand...

Ughhhh looking at that combo just made me realize I ordered the wrong M4A87TD. The EVO is the one that supports crossfire and the USB3 variant (The one shipping to me, and both have USB/SATA3) only has the one PCIE x16 slot at the same price up here. Oh well, wasn't planning on going multi-GPU and have a GTX 460 coming with it anyways but it still would have been a better choice. :S

Yeah that combo is a great deal, the motherboard is solid for a budget board, the CPU is strong and at 160$ you're spending as much as you would have normally for a quad athlon+mATX motherboard but getting more.
 
Shambles said:
Ughhhh looking at that combo just made me realize I ordered the wrong M4A87TD. The EVO is the one that supports crossfire and the USB3 variant (The one shipping to me, and both have USB/SATA3) only has the one PCIE x16 slot at the same price up here. Oh well, wasn't planning on going multi-GPU and have a GTX 460 coming with it anyways but it still would have been a better choice. :S

Yeah that combo is a great deal, the motherboard is solid for a budget board, the CPU is strong and at 160$ you're spending as much as you would have normally for a quad athlon+mATX motherboard but getting more.
Click to expand...

Ah, so I wont find something any cheaper? I should just splurge for this combo? And this is kind of irrelevant, but would you guys spend 30+$ to be able to keep around an old, dated computer? I'm talking Dual core with 1gb ram, etc. I ask because the space for my parents computer is 16" high, and their current Dell perfectly fits. I was thinking of just putting new PC components into this Dell tower. Should I bother buying a new case to put the old parts in?
 
robotzombie said:
Wonder if you guys can help:

I had some trouble with my comp lately, when i would turn it on it would get to the point where windows would boot up and then would just stay black and nothing would happen. I kept trying til I eventually got it to come on, but my friends said I could probably screw something up if I keep turning it on. My buddy told me it was probably my hard drive going so I bought a nice new 1 terrabyte drive and we were able to get all my info off of my old drive and onto the new one after i set up the new one with windows 7.

So everything was fine for a couple days until now I seem to be having trouble with windows 7 when it is about to boot up. I got an error message that it encountered an error and seemed like it was a similar issue.

So question, does this sound like any specific piece of hardware that is the problem? Could it be possible my new hard drive already is/got screwed up somehow?

Thanks in advance if you have any ideas...
Click to expand...


The last time I rebooted it the specific error was "Your computer was unable to start/ Start up repair is checking your system for problems" But it couldn't find anything it could fix

Anyone have any idea what kind of problem this is, if it is the new harddrive or some other piece of hardware?
 
Ashhong said:
Ah, so I wont find something any cheaper? I should just splurge for this combo? And this is kind of irrelevant, but would you guys spend 30+$ to be able to keep around an old, dated computer? I'm talking Dual core with 1gb ram, etc. I ask because the space for my parents computer is 16" high, and their current Dell perfectly fits. I was thinking of just putting new PC components into this Dell tower. Should I bother buying a new case to put the old parts in?
Click to expand...

You could go a bit cheaper but your performance would take a big hit. I don't think you could find anything with a better price/performance ratio and that combo makes me jealous. I'd probably order it to upgrade the womans machine if it was available up here.

The great part about buying pre-built computers is that the manufacturers try their best to prevent you from being able to upgrade that machine. If you want to reuse the case you would have to check to make sure that the motherboard mounting points are the ATX standard, that the front panel connectors are standard, that the power supply is strong enough, has enough connections, and uses standard connections and voltages and that the I/O panel on the back is in the right spot with the right proportions. Generally there's usually something that prevents you from reusing a case/PSU from a pre-built machines. Only the really old Dells from around 2000 had the funky PSUs that had standard ATX connectors but wrong voltages that would end up frying your computer if you tried to use them with off the shelf parts. I'd say try it with the Dell case at first, and then pick up a case after if it doesn't. But if you have to order online than that would mean you're waiting another couple weeks. What model of Dell do they have? Google might have an exact answer.
 
Shambles said:
You could go a bit cheaper but your performance would take a big hit. I don't think you could find anything with a better price/performance ratio and that combo makes me jealous. I'd probably order it to upgrade the womans machine if it was available up here.

The great part about buying pre-built computers is that the manufacturers try their best to prevent you from being able to upgrade that machine. If you want to reuse the case you would have to check to make sure that the motherboard mounting points are the ATX standard, that the front panel connectors are standard, that the power supply is strong enough, has enough connections, and uses standard connections and voltages and that the I/O panel on the back is in the right spot with the right proportions. Generally there's usually something that prevents you from reusing a case/PSU from a pre-built machines. Only the really old Dells from around 2000 had the funky PSUs that had standard ATX connectors but wrong voltages that would end up frying your computer if you tried to use them with off the shelf parts. I'd say try it with the Dell case at first, and then pick up a case after if it doesn't. But if you have to order online than that would mean you're waiting another couple weeks. What model of Dell do they have? Google might have an exact answer.
Click to expand...

:lol That's ridiculous. That also explains why I couldn't move my Dell internals into an aftermarket case years ago. It was my first PC "mod" and I was so mad. I would be buying a new PSU probably, since I think the stock PSU sucks balls. Also now that I think about it, I think their I/O is on the opposite side or something.

Last one before I look around for a bit. I assume this Gskill ram is way better than this crucial ram at the same price right? I dont remember seeing 4gb DDR3 ram for under 50$ so I think this is probably what I'll get

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

http://www.jr.com/crucial/pe/CRT_51...are&SiteID=lw9MynSeamY-Q2wxcSKXamS2yZ8EouLvFQ

thanks again!
 
Ashhong said:
:lol That's ridiculous. That also explains why I couldn't move my Dell internals into an aftermarket case years ago. It was my first PC "mod" and I was so mad. I would be buying a new PSU probably, since I think the stock PSU sucks balls. Also now that I think about it, I think their I/O is on the opposite side or something.

Last one before I look around for a bit. I assume this Gskill ram is way better than this crucial ram at the same price right? I dont remember seeing 4gb DDR3 ram for under 50$ so I think this is probably what I'll get

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

http://www.jr.com/crucial/pe/CRT_51...are&SiteID=lw9MynSeamY-Q2wxcSKXamS2yZ8EouLvFQ

thanks again!
Click to expand...

Yeah go with the cheaper 2X2 memory. Generally memory is more or less the same no matter where you get it from as long as it's from the more well known companies.
 
Drkirby said:
I think its out dated.

I am buying this combo if you care:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Combo...cm_mmc=BFUS-_-NormalCombo-_-559887&nm_mc=BFUS


Could you elaborate on that?
Click to expand...
Current $547.48
Do I need an after market cooler for the cpu along with thermal paste?
27yxrhf.jpg
 
d[-_-]b said:
Do I need an after market cooler for the cpu along with thermal paste?
Click to expand...

No. Retail versions of CPUs (The ones on newegg with the pictures of the box) come with the CPU, and CPU cooler that has a thermal pad attached to the bottom of the cooler already. OEM versions of CPUs are just the CPU alone and require seperate cooler/paste (On newegg they are an image of the processor itself). Generally the stock coolers work ok on stock settings. Any sort of overclocking almost requires a better aftermarket cooler. Anytime you reseat a cooler the old thermal paste has to be removed and new paste added.

I'm assuming you're just leaving everything as is and won't require anything extra.

kittoo said:
Guys I have been facing this strange problem with my GTX 470. As soon as I boot up a game (or a HD movie), my computer locks up. I can hear sounds in the background but cant move the mouse or anything, only a reboot is the solution. I cant play any games! Initially I thought that the problem was in my CPU or something. But I stressed my CPU and computer remained stable. In the end it seems that graphic card hangs whenever its under load. Is replacement only solution? I bought it from Amazon and I dont live in US so I would like to try all other solutions before RMAing. Help!
Click to expand...

All I can suggest is to delete the driver and install the most current ones again. Or try the card in a different computer to see if it still has the same problems. You might find more information from the manufacturers forums or nvidias forums.
 
Guys I have been facing this strange problem with my GTX 470. As soon as I boot up a game (or a HD movie), my computer locks up. I can hear sounds in the background but cant move the mouse or anything, only a reboot is the solution. I cant play any games! Initially I thought that the problem was in my CPU or something. But I stressed my CPU and computer remained stable. In the end it seems that graphic card hangs whenever its under load. Is replacement only solution? I bought it from Amazon and I dont live in US so I would like to try all other solutions before RMAing. Help!
 
kittoo said:
Guys I have been facing this strange problem with my GTX 470. As soon as I boot up a game (or a HD movie), my computer locks up. I can hear sounds in the background but cant move the mouse or anything, only a reboot is the solution. I cant play any games! Initially I thought that the problem was in my CPU or something. But I stressed my CPU and computer remained stable. In the end it seems that graphic card hangs whenever its under load. Is replacement only solution? I bought it from Amazon and I dont live in US so I would like to try all other solutions before RMAing. Help!
Click to expand...
Did you try updating drivers?
No spare video card to check with or onboard video card?

Argh thinking about getting the i5 but is it worth the roughly $100 increase for cpu+mobo increase.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.552987
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.559887
 
d[-_-]b said:
Current $547.48
Do I need an after market cooler for the cpu along with thermal paste?
http://i56.tinypic.com/27yxrhf.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]

How are Seagate harddrives now? They lost a lot of points after their whole firmware debacle on the 11 series or whatever. Are they dependable now? 1TB for 50$ sounds like a pretty good deal yea?
Click to expand...
 
d[-_-]b said:
Did you try updating drivers?
No spare video card to check with or onboard video card?

Argh thinking about getting the i5 but is it worth the roughly $100 increase for cpu+mobo increase.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.552987
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.559887
Click to expand...

Depends. If you're using it pretty much as a gaming rig I would say no. The 760 is definitely more powerful but for gaming you are usually GPU limited. Most CPU reviews will show you benchmarks of games running at very low resolution and settings making it CPU limited and the differences seem large. However in real life it's nothing like this, as detail and resolution goes up the CPU matters less. If you're building the PC for CPU-specific software it might be worth it, otherwise I would say no. Your 100$ would serve you better buying you a 60GB SSD or buy the Hyper 212+ cooler for 15$ after MIR and overclock the Phenom.

Ashhong said:
How are Seagate harddrives now? They lost a lot of points after their whole firmware debacle on the 11 series or whatever. Are they dependable now? 1TB for 50$ sounds like a pretty good deal yea?
Click to expand...

They're fine now. I only ever had a problem with 1 7200.11 drive. All the others updated fine and haven't seen any problems with the 7200.12's. I think between the major HDD makers they have close enough and small enough failure rates that if you happen to have a drive fail it's just the (un)luck of the draw. Recently I've seen the 1.5TB WD Caviar Greens going for 60$, might be something to look into if you want more space if they are still that low.

Edit: Looks like the WD is back up to 70$. The 1TB at 50$ I believe is a faster drive as well so either way is good.
 
d[-_-]b said:
Did you try updating drivers?
No spare video card to check with or onboard video card?

Argh thinking about getting the i5 but is it worth the roughly $100 increase for cpu+mobo increase.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.552987
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.559887
Click to expand...
If you plan on overclocking and running emulators (Wii, PCSX2), sure. If you were trying to stay on a budget though, the Phenom will still be plenty fast for anything else. I would generally recommend the i5 if you were planning on spending 800-900, and would also recommend you get a better videocard to keep everything at the same level. That's only a rule of thumb, though...it has no real value other than to set milestones.
 
Ashhong said:
How are Seagate harddrives now? They lost a lot of points after their whole firmware debacle on the 11 series or whatever. Are they dependable now? 1TB for 50$ sounds like a pretty good deal yea?
Click to expand...
They're fine. The .11 series had an issue that caused them to possibly brick, but nothing since. WD has had similar issues with their Green drives as well (head parking issue).
 
Thanks guys for the advice, bought. Hopefully it arrives sometime next week. Bought Hyper 212+ and removed the dongle, stuck with the 925 for now, worst come to worst, i'll be back here next year :P. With the rebates i usually just need to send the UPC and fill out some form right?
 
d[-_-]b said:
Thanks guys for the advice, bought. Hopefully it arrives sometime next week. Bought Hyper 212+ and removed the dongle, stuck with the 925 for now, worst come to worst, i'll be back here next year :P. With the rebates i usually just need to send the UPC and fill out some form right?
Click to expand...

Most companies have a site they operate rebates through as well. Click on the rebate link on each item and you'll likely be able to pre-register and print out the forms so all you'll need to do when the items arrive is make sure they work, then cut out the UPC code and mail it with the printout and a copy of your invoice.
 
Shambles said:
No. Retail versions of CPUs (The ones on newegg with the pictures of the box) come with the CPU, and CPU cooler that has a thermal pad attached to the bottom of the cooler already. OEM versions of CPUs are just the CPU alone and require seperate cooler/paste (On newegg they are an image of the processor itself). Generally the stock coolers work ok on stock settings. Any sort of overclocking almost requires a better aftermarket cooler. Anytime you reseat a cooler the old thermal paste has to be removed and new paste added.
Click to expand...
This whole post has been very informative. Thanks. I was going to buy this but since I'm buying a retail CPU (Athlon II X4) and am not going to overclock anything, the stock cooler is good enough? (Just to make sure, cooler = fan, right? -_-) I should only replace it if I find it's too loud or I want to overclock?
 
That $550 build going up top is so good. If anyone wants a cheap PC that will just shame consoles, there it is. As a bonus, very good case and PSU, compared to other budget builds.

RAM can easily be cut to 4GB. Add the mail in rebates, and the build comes to $440. One thing to note though: it is missing a DVD drive and Windows, so make sure you have those!
 
Hmm, so if I have a trim-supported ssd ; will that keep the performance from degrading over time? Because I can't find anything about any performance-tools for the vertex 2 ssd.
 
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