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"I need a New PC!" 2011 Edition of SSD's for everyone! |OT|

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D

dgenx

Made an agreement with another GAF member, refused to honor it because he was broke, but then had no problem continuing to buy video games.
Guy due to budget I bought this
- i5 ,2.8th
- 8 gb ram
- nvidia9600 gt

Am I goingo to play games without problem for at least a year?
 
P

Paches

Member
TheExodu5 said:
No no no!

Intel 320 series 120GB drive for cheaper than that...far faster and more reliable drive.
Click to expand...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Ok, I will go back to the drawing board and look at that. Thanks for the tip.
 
J

Johnny2Bags

Member
dgenx said:
Guy due to budget I bought this
- i5 ,2.8th
- 8 gb ram
- nvidia9600 gt

Am I goingo to play games without problem for at least a year?
Click to expand...

No... everything looks fine except the graphics card... You should drop 100-150 on a 5850 or a 460 with 1 GB memory and you should be smooth sailin
 
C

Corky

Nine out of ten orphans can't tell the difference.
Johnny2Bags said:
No... everything looks fine except the graphics card... You should drop 100-150 on a 5850 or a 460 with 1 GB memory and you should be smooth sailin
Click to expand...

yeap, just to reiterate

the cpu is great, has awesome OC potential
8gb ram is more than you'll need for gaming for a long time
Go for one of those cards and you'll have a good rig :)
 
D

dgenx

Made an agreement with another GAF member, refused to honor it because he was broke, but then had no problem continuing to buy video games.
Corky said:
the cpu is great, has awesome OC potential
Click to expand...


Is OC too dangerous? or mayb there is a limit to do it of time or whatever.. Im new to this OC thing I always thought it was too dangerous
 
N

Nemo

Will Eat Your Children
Does everyone here use fraps? Is there some other program that displays FPS but without all the extra screen capture tools? I've been on the lookout for a replacement but nothing so far
 
S

Swordian

Member
Ok, here's what I've got so far:

Intel Core i7 Processor i7
Corsair Enthusiast Series 750-Watt
ASUS P8P67 PRO
XFX HD 6950
Cooler Master Hyper 212
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Intel 320 Series 120 GB SSD
Samsung 1 TB Spinpoint
NZXT Technologies H2 Classic Silent Midtower
Windows 7 Professional SP1 64bit (Full) OEM
Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive

Total: $1490

Thoughts? Can anyone recommend a Blu-Ray drive?
 
T

TouchMyBox

Member
Teetris said:
Does everyone here use fraps? Is there some other program that displays FPS but without all the extra screen capture tools? I've been on the lookout for a replacement but nothing so far
Click to expand...

Why do you want something that does less? It's not like it slows down your game or anything.
 
C

Corky

Nine out of ten orphans can't tell the difference.
dgenx said:
Is OC too dangerous? or mayb there is a limit to do it of time or whatever.. Im new to this OC thing I always thought it was too dangerous
Click to expand...

Actually I believe modern performance cpus are pretty much "made" for OCing.
Anyways, all you gotta do is make sure you got enough cooling for the increased voltage ( just a setting in the bios ) and temp increase while making sure it doesn't exceed certain temps.

That's pretty much all there is to it, and unless you're doing some crazy OCing I doubt you can damage your cpu if everything is in its place ( i.e cooling )
 
K

kevm3

Member
TheExodu5 said:
No no no!

Intel 320 series 120GB drive for cheaper than that...far faster and more reliable drive.
Click to expand...

Agility 3 looks way faster than an Intel 320 if I'm looking at the right specs

Intel 320 80 GB:
Sequential Access - Read: Up to 270 MB/s
Sequential Access - Write: Up to 90 MB/s

Agility 3:
Max Read: up to 525 MB/s (SATA 6Gbps); up to 280 MB/s (SATA 3Gbps)
Max Write: up to 500 MB/s (SATA 6Gbps); up to 260 MB/s (SATA 3Gbps)

Reliability and ease of updating firmware seems to swing in Intel's direction however.
 
N

Nemo

Will Eat Your Children
TouchMyBox said:
Why do you want something that does less? It's not like it slows down your game or anything.
Click to expand...
Nah it doesn't, but I'd just like something solely for displaying fps.
 
G

Gamer @ Heart

Member
Its time GAF. I know shit fuck how to build a desktop PC. I've been a console gamer my whole life and my brief trips into PC gaming have left me with disappointing results (im on a laptop, I KNOW). But i want to jump in. I have friends who have built PCs, so i have the labor should it be needed. The parts and what are required are what scare me. Lets get started.

What are some great sites that could potentially build it for me and allow me to greatly customize that you guys trust? Would this be the recommended route?

From the OP:
On my laptop right now:
Your Current Specs: AMD Turion X2 / 3GB RAM / no clue / GeForce 8200m (POS)
Budget: $800 or less in the USA
Main Use: General Use and regular gaming. NOt high end
Monitor Resolution: I will be plugging the desktop into my 720p TV. i realize that is not ideal, but i figure since i am not 1080ping my eyes out, it would save me money gpu wise
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: At the highest possible ideal end, the Witcher 2 at medium at 720. Is that possible under $800?
Are reusing any parts?: No re using parts
When will you build?: In about 2-3 months
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe

Also, i would like to go SSD. I dont need more than 80GB
No need for blu ray drive, as i have a ps3. DVD read and write obviously.
I would like a USB 3.0 slot if possible. I have no clue how motherboard stuff works and whether that would price me out.
Around 6GB of RAM i would imagine. DDR3 is normal for this kind of thing right?
Ideally, i would like to be able to upgrade it 2 years down the line, GPU wise.
I am not a 60fps graphics whore. I am fine at playing games ~30 if that will narrow down gpu choices.
CPU wise, i would imagine going less than quad at this point isnt a smart investment.
Also, i will be running windows 7.

So thats it for now. Is this possible under $800 for just the desktop only? Is newegg my best bet or would just building on a site be my best option?
 
R

reilo

learning some important life lessons from magical Negroes
Soka said:
The i7 will make very little difference from the i5 in gaming. If you are doing lots of encoding, DVD-ripping, etc, then the 2600k is "worth it." Otherwise, I'd suggest swapping to the 2500k and using the money you save to either A) upgrade to 8GB of RAM B) get a small (~40 GB) SSD for your OS C) Just pocket the cash and use it towards upgrades in the future.

P.S. I'm with you on the hard drive, I will be using a similar one in a few months when I build because I simply do not need more than that right now.
Click to expand...
Interesting, thanks!

What about a year from now, or two years from now? Would games in the future see any dividends?
 
V

vitaminwateryum

corporate swill
2ah82.jpg


So this is what I've got now, thoughts?
 
K

knitoe

Member
reilo said:
I haven't built a gaming PC in years, but I have a huge craving to build one again to try out some games I have missed out on. So far, this is what I have built out:

gamingpc2011.png


Notes:

  • I chose the GTX 570 because it provides the same performance as a GTX 480 with much better power consumption, noise, and temperatures for a similar price.
  • I chose the Corsair CX430 because I have a Corsair TX650 in a HTPC that I now realize is seriously overkill for that setup. I'll be swapping the TX650 into the gaming PC if I build it.
  • I also have a DVD drive from that same HTPC that I can swap to install any software I need, hence I didn't find it necessary to buy another DVD drive. Plus, Steam helps a ton!
  • I chose the smaller harddrive early on because a bigger one can be added on as needed.
  • Overall, the difference in price between all of those aforementioned pieces allowed me to put more towards the CPU and get the i7.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Get P67 or Z68 (better) MB instead. Right now, you have a overclocking CPU (K version) with a non overclock MB (H67).
 
K

knitoe

Member
vitaminwateryum said:
Alright, changed it around a bit, replaced the mobo and the cpu with 1155s. Thoughts?

Ie9NA.jpg
Click to expand...
The cpu is fine. Get a 2600K if you need hyperthreading for graphic and video editing. Not familiar with that MB. It doesn't support SLI or crossfire and it's low end which may affect how far you can overclock. Otherwise, it should work. Also, for the ram, get 1.5V ones.
 
K

Krauser Kat

Member
maybe looking to upgrade my 4890 1 gig. I was looking for used on ebay for around 80-90 i can get another one and cross fire. I could also just get a new card, i think i can budget around 200 for it.
 
Y

Yoritomo

Member
Gamer @ Heart said:
How cheap do you think it could be done? $800 is my dream ceiling that while possible, isnt ideal.
Click to expand...

I don't know. Until Witcher 2 is released and we can get exact data it's hard to tell exactly how it will run.

Basically for 800 you could get a 2500k system using a combo deal from newegg along with a crucial m4 64 gb ssd and something like a 5850 for 150 bucks (probably the best deal out there if you're not worried about tessellation performance.) Cut out the SSD and you have 250 bucks of headroom for a video card and can go with a 6950 or something.

Go with an AMD setup and depending on CPU choice save another 50-100 bucks over the 2500k setup or put the money towards other stuff.
 
Y

yankeehater

Member
So I am thinking about finally getting into PC gaming. My wife was approved for a Dell card so I need to get something off their website. I was hoping to spend less then $1000 if possible. They have 2 PC's listed for less then $1000, this one Dell Studio XPS 7100:
Processor AMD Phenom™ II X4 945 (3GHz/8MB cache)
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
Memory2 4GB2 Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
Hard Drive 1000GB3 SATA hard drive (7200RPM)
Video Card AMD Phenom™ II X4 945 + ATI Radeon HD 5450 1GB
Monitor No Monitor
Warranty 1 Year Basic Service Plan

and this one Dell Studio XPS 7100
Processor AMD Phenom™ II X6 1045T (2.7GHz)
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
Memory2 6GB2 Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
Hard Drive 1000GB3 SATA hard drive (7200RPM)
Video Card AMD Phenom™ II X6 1045T + ATI Radeon HD 5670 1GB
Monitor No Monitor
Warranty 2 Year Basic Service Plan

Anyone know if either of these would be any good? I have tried to look up reviews but I cant find anything really definitive.
 
R

RumblingRosco

Member
reilo said:
Interesting, thanks!

What about a year from now, or two years from now? Would games in the future see any dividends?
Click to expand...

Well, I'm not in the game developing business so I can't say for certain, but as far as I know there are no indications that hyperthreading (which is the benefit of going 2600k vs 2500k) will be massively used in gaming anytime soon. I do know that leaving HTing enabled on the 2600k actually increases the CPU temperature for what is essentially minimal if any benefit to modern gaming, so it's often recommended to be disabled when gaming anyway.

If anyone else has any insight on future games potentially using HTing, feel free to add your input.
 
R

RS4-

Member
Damn, I've been having problems unlocking the shaders on my 6950. Driving me nuts. Anyone do the unlock? I've followed various instructions found online with no luck; I've been able to up the memory/clock but not unlock the actual shaders.
 
T

The Teachinator

Banned
yankeehater said:
So I am thinking about finally getting into PC gaming. My wife was approved for a Dell card so I need to get something off their website. I was hoping to spend less then $1000 if possible. They have 2 PC's listed for less then $1000, this one Dell Studio XPS 7100:
Processor AMD Phenom™ II X4 945 (3GHz/8MB cache)
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
Memory2 4GB2 Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
Hard Drive 1000GB3 SATA hard drive (7200RPM)
Video Card AMD Phenom™ II X4 945 + ATI Radeon HD 5450 1GB
Monitor No Monitor
Warranty 1 Year Basic Service Plan

and this one Dell Studio XPS 7100
Processor AMD Phenom™ II X6 1045T (2.7GHz)
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
Memory2 6GB2 Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
Hard Drive 1000GB3 SATA hard drive (7200RPM)
Video Card AMD Phenom™ II X6 1045T + ATI Radeon HD 5670 1GB
Monitor No Monitor
Warranty 2 Year Basic Service Plan

Anyone know if either of these would be any good? I have tried to look up reviews but I cant find anything really definitive.
Click to expand...
I'd build my own. Take a look at the first post. Dell has terrible build quality and even worse customer support.
 
Y

yankeehater

Member
The Teachinator said:
I'd build my own. Take a look at the first post. Dell has terrible build quality and even worse customer support.
Click to expand...

If that was an option I would, but since we have money with Dell we kind of need to go with them.
 
B

BannedEpisode

Member
Hey PCGAF.

My old Athlon 64 x2 6000+(3.0Ghz) is really bottlenecking my system and I feel that a replacement will be needed soon. My motherboard is AM2+ I believe.

The rest of my setup:
4 gb of ram
4850 sapphire 1gb

I know the rest of my system isn't exactly bleeding edge but the processor was a budget selection when I built the rig almost 3 years ago. If I could get a recommendation for a cheap compatible upgrade I would be ecstatic. I just haven't been following the pc tech world like I used to and the AM socket compatibility is confusing.

My rig has been very good about running games since I built it and I'd like to squeeze a couple more years out of it.
 
M

Mr Nightman

Banned
BannedEpisode said:
Hey PCGAF.

My old Athlon 64 x2 6000+(3.0Ghz) is really bottlenecking my system and I feel that a replacement will be needed soon. My motherboard is AM2+ I believe.

The rest of my setup:
4 gb of ram
4850 sapphire 1gb

I know the rest of my system isn't exactly bleeding edge but the processor was a budget selection when I built the rig almost 3 years ago. If I could get a recommendation for a cheap compatible upgrade I would be ecstatic. I just haven't been following the pc tech world like I used to and the AM socket compatibility is confusing.

My rig has been very good about running games since I built it and I'd like to squeeze a couple more years out of it.
Click to expand...
you should download cpuid hardware monitor, and list the specific name of your motherboard, since some bios updates actually enable the compatibility of am2+ and am3 cpus
 
F

flashbandit16

Member
I'm getting close to my final build; I am just worried about the case which comes with a power supply and the memory because I know nothing about memory.

7.png
 
Celcius

Celcius

°Temp. member
I came this close to selling my GTX 580 several times over the past two days, but at the last minute decided to keep it. There's just nothing like pc gaming. :)
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
reilo said:
I haven't built a gaming PC in years, but I have a huge craving to build one again to try out some games I have missed out on. So far, this is what I have built out:

Notes:

  • I chose the Corsair CX430 because I have a Corsair TX650 in a HTPC that I now realize is seriously overkill for that setup. I'll be swapping the TX650 into the gaming PC if I build it.
  • I chose the smaller harddrive early on because a bigger one can be added on as needed.
  • Overall, the difference in price between all of those aforementioned pieces allowed me to put more towards the CPU and get the i7.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Don't think you need a 2600K, just get the 2500K.
Get a 1TB F3. While it is a bit larger, it's not much more and it will be a faster drive.
You want a P67 board to overclock.
reilo said:
Interesting, thanks!

What about a year from now, or two years from now? Would games in the future see any dividends?
Click to expand...
Pretty doubtful.
Gamer @ Heart said:
Its time GAF. I know shit fuck how to build a desktop PC. I've been a console gamer my whole life and my brief trips into PC gaming have left me with disappointing results (im on a laptop, I KNOW). But i want to jump in. I have friends who have built PCs, so i have the labor should it be needed. The parts and what are required are what scare me. Lets get started.

What are some great sites that could potentially build it for me and allow me to greatly customize that you guys trust? Would this be the recommended route?

From the OP:
On my laptop right now:
Your Current Specs: AMD Turion X2 / 3GB RAM / no clue / GeForce 8200m (POS)
Budget: $800 or less in the USA
Main Use: General Use and regular gaming. NOt high end
Monitor Resolution: I will be plugging the desktop into my 720p TV. i realize that is not ideal, but i figure since i am not 1080ping my eyes out, it would save me money gpu wise
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: At the highest possible ideal end, the Witcher 2 at medium at 720. Is that possible under $800?
Are reusing any parts?: No re using parts
When will you build?: In about 2-3 months
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe

Also, i would like to go SSD. I dont need more than 80GB
No need for blu ray drive, as i have a ps3. DVD read and write obviously.
I would like a USB 3.0 slot if possible. I have no clue how motherboard stuff works and whether that would price me out.
Around 6GB of RAM i would imagine. DDR3 is normal for this kind of thing right?
Ideally, i would like to be able to upgrade it 2 years down the line, GPU wise.
I am not a 60fps graphics whore. I am fine at playing games ~30 if that will narrow down gpu choices.
CPU wise, i would imagine going less than quad at this point isnt a smart investment.
Also, i will be running windows 7.

So thats it for now. Is this possible under $800 for just the desktop only? Is newegg my best bet or would just building on a site be my best option?
Click to expand...
30fps at 720? You can easily do that on your budget + SSD.
Since you can build in 1+ months stop by after bulldozer launches + Witcher 2 benchmarks come out :)
yankeehater said:
So I am thinking about finally getting into PC gaming. My wife was approved for a Dell card so I need to get something off their website. I was hoping to spend less then $1000 if possible. They have 2 PC's listed for less then $1000, this one Dell Studio XPS 7100:
Anyone know if either of these would be any good? I have tried to look up reviews but I cant find anything really definitive.
Click to expand...
Are those the only ones you can buy, like a restricted website?
Dell has some decent i5 2400 PC's for much less than $1,000.
vitaminwateryum said:
Alright, changed it around a bit, replaced the mobo and the cpu with 1155s. Thoughts?

Ie9NA.jpg
Click to expand...
Did you look at the OP build?

Your RAM is 1.65V and $60 too expensive. You want 1.5V
Get these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

PSU is massive overkill. If you are dropping that much get this Seasonic:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151100
or a comparable 80 plus bronze 850W from XFX or Corsair V2

You have the PSU and $ for dual GPU, but that motherboard won't support it.
Get something like a GD55 or GD65 or P8P67 PRO as a motherboard.
flashbandit16 said:
I'm getting close to my final build; I am just worried about the case which comes with a power supply and the memory because I know nothing about memory.

7.png
Click to expand...
RAM is fine. PSU is decent. Don't feel like you have to be chained to that and the case though.
You can get a different $60 case + $70 PSU and you'll end up better.
 
R

reilo

learning some important life lessons from magical Negroes
Okay, I updated my build based on feedback given so far:

gamingpc2011-1.png


Thanks everyone!
 
K

knitoe

Member
RS4- said:
Damn, I've been having problems unlocking the shaders on my 6950. Driving me nuts. Anyone do the unlock? I've followed various instructions found online with no luck; I've been able to up the memory/clock but not unlock the actual shaders.
Click to expand...
Which 6950 did you buy? Is it a reference 2GB version?
 
K

knitoe

Member
RS4- said:
Yup, straight from AMD 2GB version. Red fan and lines
Click to expand...
Does it have a bios switch? If yes, is the switch at position 1?

The easiest is to use winflash, save your current bios, use a mod patch to modify your bios (recommend shaded unlock only), and then, reflash your card using the modify bios.
 
R

RumblingRosco

Member
Question: Could I run SLI with a 560ti 2GB card and a 560 ti 1GB card? I'm considering geting the Palit 560ti 2GB and down the road utilizing SLI. Ideally, I'd get another 560ti 2GB, but in the event Palit stops manufacturing them, I'd want to be sure I could at least use a 560ti 1GB from a different manufacturer. I'll more than likely be operating at 1080p for my gaming, nothing higher.
 
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