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[.nimrod]

Get a 6870 instead.
RAM is ok
Get a different 1TB drive (Western Digital / Samsung)
Get a Seasonic or Corsair PSU if you can. XFX 750W is also decent.
HAF 912
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus

Thanks!
What's the difference between the HD6870 and the SOC GTX470 besides price?
My biggest reason to pick the SOC 470 was it's noise level, which is said to be almost silent, and the PhysX support.

And which mobo manufacturer is generally recommendable?

Why don't you just wait till Sandy Bridge?

It doesn't look like the performance gain is gonna be that drastic, and the price of the 2500K will most likely be quite a bit higher than the 950 is right now in germany. I'm also not planning to upgrade that pc for a long time, probably not until the next socket hits.
But i'm still thinking about it.

 

[Hazaro]

Thanks!
What's the difference between the HD6870 and the SOC GTX470 besides price?
My biggest reason to pick the SOC 470 was it's noise level, which is said to be almost silent, and the PhysX support.

And which mobo manufacturer is generally recommendable?


It doesn't look like the performance gain is gonna be that drastic, and the price of the 2500K will most likely be quite a bit higher than the 950 is right now in germany. I'm also not planning to upgrade that pc for a long time, probably not until the next socket hits.
But i'm still thinking about it.

Price.
Asus/GB/MSI

Waiting always is an option as well.

 

[OmegaDragon]

I want to run some test to see if my CPU or GPU is faiiling or performing less than it should (I'm mostly concerned about my GPU). I'm very new to this. I already got Furmark and OCCT from the OP. Could you help me with what settings I should I use and if I should use any other programs. I'm unsure how I can test my system properly and I don't want to mess up.

I got Core-i5-750 2.66 GHz + HD5850

Thanks in advance

 

[Suairyu]

Sister just asked what I want for Christmas and I've decided a new fan/heatsink for my E8400 so I can finally overclock it would be a good idea. I'm currently running it with the stock fan @ 3.0Ghz and fancy pushing it to 3.6, which I get the impression is easily achievable. What would be a good choice for a new fan? And would investing in some thermal paste be necessary?

 

[Sanjay]

No more FSB overclocking (It's nearly locked at 100Mhz, good luck getting 102Mhz).
Instead the K series will have unlocked multipliers and all overclocking will be done that way.
Also Intel has been demoing sample chips running at 5Ghz on Air (Albeit at ridiculous voltages). In the past retail chips are usually better than ES chips as well.

Did not know they locked FSB overclocking but in away this is Intel bringing OCing to the mainstream, now all you have to do is only up the vcore and multiplier so pc nubs can now OC too.

 

[Maffis]

I'm thinking on buying a new CPU, but I don't know what else I should go after and what I might need to upgrade before doing it.

I have a
E8500 3.16ghz stock
4gb ddr2 ram
EP45-DS3L socket 775 motherboard
550vx 550W power supply

I'm interested in a i5 maybe, maybe even a cheap i7. Or should I go for trying to clock the cpu instead? I'm no tech-wiz though.

 

[Tendo]

Ok guys, I'm dumb and have some questions.

I know I have posted a few times in this thread recently asking about processors but here is my deal.

I can spend roughly 420+ to upgrade my mobo, ram, and cpu to an i5. Or I can pay 170 ish for a 2.66 ghz quadcore. The only games I am experiencing problems running on highest settings are Starcraft 2 (slowdown in large scale battles) Crysis, and GTA IV getting a steady 30 fps. Would I see the upgrade I want with just the quad, or do I need to jump to an i5?

For reference I have an Nvidia 260 for my graphics card.

Should I buy just the quad, or save and do a full ugprade?

 

[Mr.Squirrel]

Gaf, I've been out of the PC gaming loop for a good decade, so give me advice. Here's my specs, tell me what I would need to upgrade to get a good gaming PC.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35 DS3L
CPU: Intel E6550 @2.33GHz (stock)
RAM: 4GB DDR2 667
OS: Win 7 x86
GPU: Passive x1300

I built this computer just because I needed new one, and never had any intentions of gaming on it. Can I just throw a new GPU in it, or would I need a new mobo, ram, and cpu to go along with the graphics card. My projector is only 720p, so I won't be running this at some crazy frame rate.

Thanks nerds

 

[Mr Sandman]

Ok guys, I'm dumb and have some questions.

I know I have posted a few times in this thread recently asking about processors but here is my deal.

I can spend roughly 420+ to upgrade my mobo, ram, and cpu to an i5. Or I can pay 170 ish for a 2.66 ghz quadcore. The only games I am experiencing problems running on highest settings are Starcraft 2 (slowdown in large scale battles) Crysis, and GTA IV getting a steady 30 fps. Would I see the upgrade I want with just the quad, or do I need to jump to an i5?

For reference I have an Nvidia 260 for my graphics card.

Should I buy just the quad, or save and do a full ugprade?

If you've got a good board and shit I recommend the quad.

 

[Metalic Sand]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...03065&cm_re=hyper_212+-_-35-103-065-_-Product

What fan should i add to that? A link would be much appreciated! Going to have a second put on there.

Or maybe even replace the fan it comes with for something better? Last time i bought a case fan i bought the wrong size. It was like a HTPC size fan, Super thin. :lol

 

[Hazaro]

Did not know they locked FSB overclocking but in away this is Intel bringing OCing to the mainstream, now all you have to do is only up the vcore and multiplier so pc nubs can now OC too.

It's not that they locked FSB overclocking per say, but that the 100Mhz FSB is what regulates the system (like a crystal on a watch) so you can't really budge it.
I can't say that locking out people from overclocking if they bought the wrong chip (Although Intel might sell unlock codes) is noob friendly. FSB and Multi gave you a ton more options to get around chip issues, just limiting to multi sucks, but that's how the chips and boards are now.

I'm thinking on buying a new CPU, but I don't know what else I should go after and what I might need to upgrade before doing it.

I have a
E8500 3.16ghz stock
4gb ddr2 ram
EP45-DS3L socket 775 motherboard
550vx 550W power supply

I'm interested in a i5 maybe, maybe even a cheap i7. Or should I go for trying to clock the cpu instead? I'm no tech-wiz though.

Why do you feel you need a new one?
Bumping your CPU to 3.6 or 3.8 might help, but what are you expecting?

Ok guys, I'm dumb and have some questions.

I know I have posted a few times in this thread recently asking about processors but here is my deal.

I can spend roughly 420+ to upgrade my mobo, ram, and cpu to an i5. Or I can pay 170 ish for a 2.66 ghz quadcore. The only games I am experiencing problems running on highest settings are Starcraft 2 (slowdown in large scale battles) Crysis, and GTA IV getting a steady 30 fps. Would I see the upgrade I want with just the quad, or do I need to jump to an i5?

For reference I have an Nvidia 260 for my graphics card.

Should I buy just the quad, or save and do a full ugprade?

SC II only makes use of basically 1 core, but GTA and Crysis will get a boost from the quad.
Getting a Q6600 or something for cheap (and overclock it) would be alright, but so would saving for Sandy Bridge ($250 + $50 + $150) CPU/RAM/Mobo. Sandy Bridge should be releasing early Jan.

Gaf, I've been out of the PC gaming loop for a good decade, so give me advice. Here's my specs, tell me what I would need to upgrade to get a good gaming PC.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35 DS3L
CPU: Intel E6550 @2.33GHz (stock)
RAM: 4GB DDR2 667
OS: Win 7 x86
GPU: Passive x1300

I built this computer just because I needed new one, and never had any intentions of gaming on it. Can I just throw a new GPU in it, or would I need a new mobo, ram, and cpu to go along with the graphics card. My projector is only 720p, so I won't be running this at some crazy frame rate.

Just drop in a nice low power card and overclock to 3Ghz. 9800GT / GTS250 / 4670

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...03065&cm_re=hyper_212+-_-35-103-065-_-Product

What fan should i add to that? A link would be much appreciated! Going to have a second put on there.

Or maybe even replace the fan it comes with for something better? Last time i bought a case fan i bought the wrong size. It was like a HTPC size fan, Super thin. :lol

Any 120x25mm fan. Yate Loon / Noctua / ScytheX are nice.
Only reason you'd replace the stock is if you wanted something quieter.

 

[canadian crowe]

So I've been doing some research, and the chances of my building my own computer are nil. So I've been looking at some pre-assembled desktops, and was wondering if they would fit the bill for what I need.

I would want to play any upcoming game (for the next year of so). Preferably at medium setting, but I'm not super into graphics so I'm not bothered. I would also like it to be upgradable, so if I get more money I can add parts to it.

Here are the ones I found on newegg.com

iBuyPower- $708

Processor:
AMD Athlon II X4 635(2.9GHz)

Processor Main Features:
64 bit Quad-Core Processor

Cache Per Processor:
4 x 512KB L2 Cache

Memory:
4GB DDR3 1333

Hard Drive:
500GB SATA II

Optical Drive 1:
24X DL DVD+/-RW Drive

Graphics:
ATI Radeon HD5770 1GB


iBuyPower- $409


Processor:
Intel Core i3 550(3.2GHz)

Processor Main Features:
64 bit Dual Core Processor

Memory:
4GB DDR3 1333

Hard Drive:
1TB SATAII

Optical Drive 1:
24X DL DVD+/-RW Drive

Graphics:
ATI Radeon HD 5450 512MB

Audio:
Sound card - Integrated

CyberPower PC $400

Processor:
AMD Athlon II X2 255(3.1GHz)

Processor Main Features:
64 bit Dual Core Processor

Cache Per Processor:
2 x 1MB L2 Cache

Memory:
4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333

Hard Drive:
500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 7200RPM HDD

Optical Drive 1:
24X DVD±R/±RW Dual Layer Drive

Graphics:
ATI Radeon HD 5450 512MB PCI Express Graphics

 

[Hazaro]

So I've been doing some research, and the chances of my building my own computer are nil. So I've been looking at some pre-assembled desktops, and was wondering if they would fit the bill for what I need.

I would want to play any upcoming game (for the next year of so). Preferably at medium setting, but I'm not super into graphics so I'm not bothered. I would also like it to be upgradable, so if I get more money I can add parts to it.

Here are the ones I found on newegg.com

iBuyPower- $708

It's very hard to find a correctly priced mid range PC ($5-800) that is worth it.
If you are comfortable upgrading then you should have no problem putting it together yourself.

 

[Metalic Sand]

You would have to pick the $700 one since it has a 5770. 5450 would not run stuff good at all.

Why would you buy prebuilt if your spending $700 is beyond me.

 

[canadian crowe]

It's very hard to find a correctly priced mid range PC ($5-800) that is worth it.
If you are comfortable upgrading then you should have no problem putting it together yourself.

I think it would be a huge learning curve, and I'm a little apprehensive about spending this much money and something I might screw up. I think I', just comfortable with pre-built, but that is just complacency talking.

I'm going through the tutorial videos posted earlier, and it doesn't seem THAT difficult though.

 

[spermatic cord]

If you've ever played with LEGO building a pc is easy. Seriously, you would have to intentionally screw up for you to fry something or damage hardware.

 

[canadian crowe]

If you've ever played with LEGO building a pc is easy. Seriously, you would have to intentionally screw up for you to fry something or damage hardware.

That's what I'm thinking. The only thing I've installed is a TV Tuner and a DVD Drive. Nothing high impact.

 

[Hazaro]

That's what I'm thinking. The only thing I've installed is a TV Tuner and a DVD Drive. Nothing high impact.

Everything slots into place. The only thing you have to worry about is mounting the heatsink.

 

[Mairu]

If you've ever played with LEGO building a pc is easy. Seriously, you would have to intentionally screw up for you to fry something or damage hardware.

This is what I tell all my friends when they're weary of building it themselves. Honestly, it's so easy! It's really hard to put things in the wrong place.

 

[Metalic Sand]

Hmm my case is 7 1/2 inch wide. Wondering if the Hyper 212+ will even fit?

Really hope it does.

 

[wandering goat]

Alright! My CPU overclock is stable now at 3.8 GHz with "stock" voltage (1.25V). I didn't have to mess around with those settings after all Hazaro, so I guess it was the memory that was originally causing me problems. Did a bit over 5 hours of Prime 95 and my max temp was 74 C (but usually was in the low 70s), so I'm pretty happy with that. Now it's time for some serious gaming.

 

[Mr Nightman]

Hmm my case is 7 1/2 inch wide. Wondering if the Hyper 212+ will even fit?

Really hope it does.

My case is 7.52 inches wide, and it fits with close to a centimeter of space from the side panel you should be fine

 

[Hazaro]

Alright! My CPU overclock is stable now at 3.8 GHz with "stock" voltage (1.25V). I didn't have to mess around with those settings after all Hazaro, so I guess it was the memory that was originally causing me problems. Did a bit over 5 hours of Prime 95 and my max temp was 74 C (but usually was in the low 70s), so I'm pretty happy with that. Now it's time for some serious gaming.

Fabulous! You set it to 1.25V correct? Do not leave it on auto.

That's a pretty solid chip, I wouldn't be shy of pushing that to 1.28V and see if you can hit 4.2 or even go up to 4.4!

 

[Metalic Sand]

My case is 7.52 inches wide, and it fits with close to a centimeter of space from the side panel you should be fine

Google measure the length for the hyper 212+ to be 6.2 inches So itll be a tight fit for sure. Guessing theres near a inch of space from back of case to motherboard with the standoffs.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

So I think Brain Stew has convinced me to upgrade to a used Q6600 which I can get for $150 or less. I have two 8800GTs in SLI, should I wait until I get the processor to see if I should upgrade the video card also? I also heard someone say new video cards are coming out soon? Is that true? And is 470 still the best choice? Thanks.

 

[Hazaro]

So I think Brain Stew has convinced me to upgrade to a used Q6600 which I can get for $150 or less. I have two 8800GTs in SLI, should I wait until I get the processor to see if I should upgrade the video card also? I also heard someone say new video cards are coming out soon? Is that true? And is 470 still the best choice? Thanks.

Wait until you get the CPU.

460 and 6850 best value for mid range right now. They offer about the same performance as a dual 8800gt, so you'd be looking at something else most likely. AMD's 69-- will launch soon and hopefully mix up some stuff.

 

[Mr Nightman]

Google measure the length for the hyper 212+ to be 6.2 inches So itll be a tight fit for sure. Guessing theres near a inch of space from back of case to motherboard with the standoffs.

Yea, I was almost convinced the hyper wouldn't fit, but man, when I slid that side panel on and didnt run into the heatsink spikes, I was a happy man :lol

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Wait until you get the CPU.

460 and 6850 best value for mid range right now. They offer about the same performance as a dual 8800gt, so you'd be looking at something else most likely. AMD's 69-- will launch soon and hopefully mix up some stuff.

Any word on new Nvidia's if new AMDs are coming? I think they put out a 580 or something but the price is obnoxious.

 

[darthbob]

Any word on new Nvidia's if new AMDs are coming? I think they put out a 580 or something but the price is obnoxious.

560 and 570 should be coming in mid December.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

560 and 570 should be coming in mid December.

Noice, I'll keep any eye out until then. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[Mr.Squirrel]

I think it would be a huge learning curve, and I'm a little apprehensive about spending this much money and something I might screw up. I think I', just comfortable with pre-built, but that is just complacency talking.

I'm going through the tutorial videos posted earlier, and it doesn't seem THAT difficult though.

The hardest part about putting a PC together (for me at least) has always been getting the heatsink fan on. It's more annoying than hard. As long as you do it in the right order (install the cpu/heatsink, before installing the motherboard in the case) the rest is simple.

 

[Tendo]

Ok, so Sandy Bridge - someone break down the tech talk for me. What is it, what is it comparable too, and side item - will it have high enough ghz to emulate dolphin?

 

[Mr.Squirrel]

Just drop in a nice low power card and overclock to 3Ghz. 9800GT / GTS250 / 4670

is a gtx460 a good card?

 

[NameGenerated]

So what's a good higher-end GPU? I can never follow the releases of these things. My HD4890 broke (I think) and this warranty process is proving to be impossible. I'd rather just a get a better one, especially since Cataclysm comes out so soon and I don't want to miss the launch.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

So what's a good higher-end GPU? I can never follow the releases of these things. My HD4890 broke (I think) and this warranty process is proving to be impossible. I'd rather just a get a better one, especially since Cataclysm comes out so soon and I don't want to miss the launch.

How much do you want to spend?

 

[Relix]

Screw Sandy Bridge. Performance difference won't be that much of a deal. Especially these days with these CPUs. They should be able to handle anything thrown for the next 2 years perhaps, easily. I am gonna upgrade this Xmas... waiting for price drops and the like, but will do so in the next 2 weeks or around that.

 

[NameGenerated]

How much do you want to spend?

I guess like $250 max maybe. I'm really out of the loop on GPUs so I'm not sure how much of an improvement that will get me.

 

[TheExodu5]

Probably Radeon 6870.

The improvement will be slight. Maybe 20-30% improvement?

 

[darthbob]

is a gtx460 a good card?

Yes it is. Be sure to get the 1GB version if you game at >1680x1050 and/or use >4xAA

 

[TheExodu5]

Yes it is. Be sure to get the 1GB version if you game at >1680x1050 and/or use >4xAA

Also, make sure it's not the 1GB SE version. Fucking NVidia and their ridiculously misleading naming conventions.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Probably Radeon 6870.

The improvement will be slight. Maybe 20-30% improvement?

Why a 6870? A 470 still outperforms it for the same price.

 

[TheExodu5]

Why a 6870? A 470 still outperforms it for the same price.

They're even in performance. The upside to the 6870 is it's not a power hungry bastard.

Personally, if I were buying, I'd go with one of the 6850s that has a nice non-reference cooler and overclock it past 6870 levels.

 

[Cipherr]

Why a 6870? A 470 still outperforms it for the same price.

I was going to call you a liar, my 6870 was cheaper than the 470's but the prices on the 6870s seem to have gone up, which is VERY weird. They must be selling well or something because at launch I got one for 239, which was 20 bucks cheaper than a 470 at the time.

 

[Fredescu]

I was going to call you a liar, my 6870 was cheaper than the 470's but the prices on the 6870s seem to have gone up, which is VERY weird.

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/19965

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I was going to call you a liar, my 6870 was cheaper than the 470's but the prices on the 6870s seem to have gone up, which is VERY weird. They must be selling well or something because at launch I got one for 239, which was 20 bucks cheaper than a 470 at the time.

$20 is really splitting hairs. Most 6870s at least ones in stock are $250 and you can get a 470 for $250 or less right now with 10% off the EVGA 470 at newegg which is $260-$26.

 

[TheExodu5]

nvm

 

[Felix Lighter]

I was going to call you a liar, my 6870 was cheaper than the 470's but the prices on the 6870s seem to have gone up, which is VERY weird. They must be selling well or something because at launch I got one for 239, which was 20 bucks cheaper than a 470 at the time.

The same thing happened with the HD 5850 and 5870.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

The same thing happened with the HD 5850 and 5870.

It should be interesting how far it climbs too. The 5850/70 got ridiculous at one point.

 

[BuddhaRockstar]

I am completely clueless when it comes to RAM so someone help me out-

I've been trying to OC my e8400, which is supposed to be relatively easy to do, but I've been having trouble.

My RAM is G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400). I built my computer back in 08. I'm guessing that that's what's holding me back- what's a good alternative these days that would let me OC easier? I want 1600 MHz right?

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I am completely clueless when it comes to RAM so someone help me out-

I've been trying to OC my e8400, which is supposed to be relatively easy to do, but I've been having trouble.

My RAM is G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400). I built my computer back in 08. I'm guessing that that's what's holding me back- what's a good alternative these days that would let me OC easier? I want 1600 MHz right?

What? Your processor probably just sucks at overclocking. Ram has nothing to do with it. You know how to overclock right?