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[Clydefrog]

Do you guys have any recommendations regarding a good wifi card (300 or 450 mbps) that is simply/out of the box/nofuckinghassle compatible with 64bit windows 7?

I got this last week for my new build and it has performed perfectly. Simple installation with Win 7 and worked instantly. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166056

 

[Hazaro]

no, no i understand that. i've been running sli on 1 monitor for a while, and actually had both idle at around 38-39. this just occurred when i attached a 2nd monitor onto the 2nd card.

by your statement i didn't know if you were talking about a scenario with sli and dual monitors , where i have the difference

2 monitors doesn't allow full 2D idle clocks or something iirc.
So it goes low 3D mode and like half speed vs 25% speed.

I have 2 cards, one idling at 250mhz, one at 450mhz.

 

[Saren is Bad]

2 monitors doesn't allow full 2D idle clocks or something iirc.
So it goes low 3D mode and like half speed vs 25% speed.

I have 2 cards, one idling at 250mhz, one at 450mhz.

with 2 monitors as well?

i guess this is normal then, no big

 

[knitoe]

I got this last week for my new build and it has performed perfectly. Simple installation with Win 7 and worked instantly. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166056

If he/she wants 450mbps, would require N 5GHz adapter.

 

[sestrugen]

any thoughts about this build? It is only going to be used to play CS:Source and World of Warcraft

CPU Intel i3-2100 3.1GHz
Motherboard ASUS P8H67-M LX
RAM Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3-1333 4x2GB
GPU Nvidia ASUS/EVGA/MSI GTX460 1GB
HD Samsung F3 Spinpoint 1TB
Power Supply Corsair 500W, not sure which one to get
Case NZXT Source 210 Elite

 

[Pai Pai Master]

It's unfortunate but very possible to get 2 DoA. If you don't feel like giving them another shot the MSI boards in that range are good as well. I think Biostar has a good $130 model as well. Next step up would be to the P8P67 PRO.

Thanks, yeah. I've tested everything and both motherboards are a no-go. One doesn't even go anywhere, the other at least powers on but gives me the 00 error and doesn't post. I'm gonna head back to Microcenter and pick up an MSI or Gigabyte and see how it goes.

 

[mkenyon]

any thoughts about this build? It is only going to be used to play CS:Source and World of Warcraft

CPU Intel i3-2100 3.1GHz
Motherboard ASUS P8H67-M LX
RAM Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3-1333 4x2GB
GPU Nvidia ASUS/EVGA/MSI GTX460 1GB
HD Samsung F3 Spinpoint 1TB
Power Supply Corsair 500W, not sure which one to get
Case NZXT Source 210 Elite

An SSD would change your WoW experience pretty dramatically, but other than that it looks good. Make sure that your RAM is 1.5V.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

XMP is for setting the memory speed/timing. To overclock the CPU, you had to adjust other settings. Thus, you shouldn't need to keep changing memory settings, XMP or manually, once the speed and timing are correct.

Yes, you probably need more voltage for 4.6GHz. Did you Prime95 to make sure 4.5@1.25V is stable?

yes, I adjusted those. the multiplier right? uh... I did not use prime95, I just used OCCT for about an hour. everything seems fine right now....

 

[knitoe]

yes, I adjusted those. the multiplier right? uh... I did not use prime95, I just used OCCT for about an hour. everything seems fine right now....

From my experience, Prime95 is better. I can run OCCT for hours and fail Prke95 within seconds. Also, load up HWmonitor to see your max voltage and temp.

 

[n0n44m]

best stability test for my 2600K is Prime 95 running Torture test BLEND (custom) with "memory to use" set to some thing large, at least 6144 megabyte for my 8 gig setup

P95 Small FFTs and Intel Burn Test get hotter (though heat isn't an issue even with 1.5v lol), but my 2600Ks stability seems to be mainly effected by the built-in memory controller which is why the blend test will crash quickly when unstable

 

[RooMHM]

Just a question about the builds in the OP. It is said that Samsung 2Tb F4 have the same performance as F3 1tb. Are we talking about Eco Green F4 or do non eco green F4 drives exist in 2tb?
Thanks.

 

[Fallout-NL]

If he/she wants 450mbps, would require N 5GHz adapter.

Well, 300 would do, but isn't a pci card preferable over USB or doesn't that really matter?

 

[Hazaro]

any thoughts about this build? It is only going to be used to play CS:Source and World of Warcraft

CPU Intel i3-2100 3.1GHz
Motherboard ASUS P8H67-M LX
RAM Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3-1333 4x2GB
GPU Nvidia ASUS/EVGA/MSI GTX460 1GB
HD Samsung F3 Spinpoint 1TB
Power Supply Corsair 500W, not sure which one to get
Case NZXT Source 210 Elite

I'd get the BP550 or XFX if you don't mind cables over the Corsair 500w.
It will slaughter WoW and CS.

Just a question about the builds in the OP. It is said that Samsung 2Tb F4 have the same performance as F3 1tb. Are we talking about Eco Green F4 or do non eco green F4 drives exist in 2tb?
Thanks.

This is the only 2TB F4 that I know of. And about same avg read speed. I used one as an OS drive with no troubles.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245

 

[cwmartin]

Dude i'd spring for 30 more dollars and get the Radeon HD 6950 2GB. You can flash this card to make it a 6970, which is miles better than the 560. It'll be the best 30 extra dollars you'll spend.

Hmm very interesting! Not that I doubt you, but anyone else have thoughts on it? In what way will this $30 change my life?

 

[Chris R]

I see people using and suggesting Biostar. Do they make a good motherboard? I had been looking pretty much exclusively at Asus and Gigabyte for a Z68 board on the cheap until that $99.99 Biostar board popped up in another post. I was looking to keep the board under or around $150.

 

[Stalfos]

I've been researching my desktop build for the past week or so. How does the below build look? This will be my first time doing a build.

Basic Desktop Questions:
Your Current Specs: 5 year old 17" dell laptop
Budget: $1000-$1300 (don't want to overspend, looking for good bang for the buck)
Main Use: Photography/Photoshop, gaming, potentially some emulation (PS2/Wii), other general use
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200, Will have a Dell U2412M soon
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: No specific games, but would like decent performance on current and future games for at least a few years
Are reusing any parts?: No.
When will you build?: Would like to build sometime this month
Will you be overclocking?: Yes

Here is the build I'm currently looking at:

Case Corsair Carbide Series 400R Graphite grey and black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case
$99.99
Motherboard ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$154.99
GPU MSI N560GTX-Ti Hawk GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$259.99
PSU CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power ...
$109.99
CPU Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
$219.99
RAM G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSR
$48.99
HDD SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$79.99
Optical ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
$20.99
OS Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
$139.99
CPU Cooling COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...
$29.99
Total Cost $1,164.90

I will probably also need to add some sort of wireless solution.

 

[CarbonatedFalcon]

I've been researching my desktop build for the past week or so. How does the below build look? This will be my first time doing a build.

Basic Desktop Questions:
Your Current Specs: 5 year old 17" dell laptop
Budget: $1000-$1300 (don't want to overspend, looking for good bang for the buck)
Main Use: Photography/Photoshop, gaming, potentially some emulation (PS2/Wii), other general use
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200, Will have a Dell U2412M soon
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: No specific games, but would like decent performance on current and future games for at least a few years
Are reusing any parts?: No.
When will you build?: Would like to build sometime this month
Will you be overclocking?: Yes

Here is the build I'm currently looking at:

Case Corsair Carbide Series 400R Graphite grey and black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case
$99.99
Motherboard ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$154.99
GPU MSI N560GTX-Ti Hawk GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$259.99
PSU CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power ...
$109.99
CPU Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
$219.99
RAM G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSR
$48.99
HDD SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$79.99
Optical ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
$20.99
OS Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
$139.99
CPU Cooling COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...
$29.99
Total Cost $1,164.90

I will probably also need to add some sort of wireless solution.

Looks pretty good, but you're going to want a 7200 RPM drive if you're going to be using a HDD as your primary drive (you have a 5400 RPM one listed.) Would probably be okay if you tossed a SSD in there. Everything else looks okay, though you could probably get a lower wattage PSU if you don't intend to SLI.

Others with more knowledge can comment.

 

[knitoe]

Well, 300 would do, but isn't a pci card preferable over USB or doesn't that really matter?

Doesn't matter much anymore. You can get better advice if we know what router you will be using.

 

[ChiefKief]

I really hope the Bulldozer CPU's don't get pushed back any further.

October is pushing it, but as long as it's before BF3.

 

[Hazaro]

Hmm very interesting! Not that I doubt you, but anyone else have thoughts on it? In what way will this $30 change my life?

Current 6950's can't be flashed because they are not reference.

I see people using and suggesting Biostar. Do they make a good motherboard? I had been looking pretty much exclusively at Asus and Gigabyte for a Z68 board on the cheap until that $99.99 Biostar board popped up in another post. I was looking to keep the board under or around $150.

In my mind they were 'bundled with Fry CPU combo deals', but their current offerings look a lot more solid and offer a lot of value, which is exactly why they are where they are.

I've been researching my desktop build for the past week or so. How does the below build look? This will be my first time doing a build.

I will probably also need to add some sort of wireless solution.

Very solid. May I suggest an SSD? Intel 320/510 or Crucial M4? 64 or 128GB.

Looks pretty good, but you're going to want a 7200 RPM drive if you're going to be using a HDD as your primary drive (you have a 5400 RPM one listed.) Would probably be okay if you tossed a SSD in there. Everything else looks okay, though you could probably get a lower wattage PSU if you don't intend to SLI.

Others with more knowledge can comment.

The F3 is faster. About 15% in average speed and access time. (100MB/s vs 115MB/s avg). Starting sectors about the same difference in speed as well.
However, because of the platter density of the F4, despite it being 5400RPM it is only 15% slower than the F3 which is one of the fastest 1TB drives.
The F4 at 5400rpm is still faster than the old generation 500GB and 640GB 7200rpm drives in read speed and close in access time which is why I have no hesitation to recommend it as a drive in addition to having used one myself.

 

[darkblade77]

My Crucial m4 128GB from last week's deal just came in. Build just needs the mobo and the CPU to come in now. I'm kinda giddy.

Can anyone recommend a solid wireless keyboard/mouse combo? Or two solid, separate wireless devices? Caveats:
*I really hate laptop/mobile-size mice. Would prefer something full-sized.
*The last wireless kb/m combo I purchased couldn't be taken more than 5 feet from the transmitter before the signal got weak; would rather not repeat that. I don't recall much about it outside that it was from Logitech and was cheap, so maybe I got what I paid for on the last note.
*Don't really care if it's Bluetooth or not. Well, if I should care then please inform me why, too.

 

[TheExplodingHead]

Just a personal recommendation post. I just bought this PC for my nephew as an early Xmas present a couple weeks ago: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229266

Aside from the lack of an ability to OC (which he won't need) this is a damn fine rig for the price. All I could recommend would be a GPU upgrade as the 6670 is very lame, I ended up throwing my old GTX480 (just upgraded to a 570 myself) in there and this thing becomes a beast. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a good performing mid-range PC at a great price...just upgrade the graphics card if you're serious about teh graphics.

 

[LordCanti]

Just a personal recommendation post. I just bought this PC for my nephew as an early Xmas present a couple weeks ago: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229266

Aside from the lack of an ability to OC (which he won't need) this is a damn fine rig for the price. All I could recommend would be a GPU upgrade as the 6670 is very lame, I ended up throwing my old GTX480 (just upgraded to a 570 myself) in there and this thing becomes a beast. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a good performing mid-range PC at a great price...just upgrade the graphics card if you're serious about teh graphics.

You upgraded from a 480 to a 570? O_O

 

[TheExplodingHead]

You upgraded from a 480 to a 570? O_O

I actually did, lol. To be fair my roommate spotted me the card until I can afford a new 580 next paycheck. He was running 570SLI...

 

[Tallshortman]

Current 6950's can't be flashed because they are not reference.

Apparently there's a method out there to flash non-reference cards, even the 1 GB models with the laser cut shaders since I've been researching whether I want to try with mine or not. As a warning though, the success rate is not nearly as high as reference cards.

 

[Hazaro]

Apparently there's a method out there to flash non-reference cards, even the 1 GB models with the laser cut shaders since I've been researching whether I want to try with mine or not. As a warning though, the success rate is not nearly as high as reference cards.

Is it the shader unlock? Because the success rate seems very low with it.
If you don't have dual BIOS don't even try.

I tried the unlock on my two POWERCOLOR 6950's with no success.

 

[abuC]

What's a good sound card?

 

[The Teachinator]

What's a good sound card?

The realtek on your mobo.

 

[Eurocult]

Help Me PC GAF!

I'm looking to get a new graphics card, but I don't want to break the bank.

The system I'm currently running:

AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.00 GHz
4.0 Gb RAM
Windows 7 64 bit
XFX AMD Radeon 5450
OCZ 60 Gb SSD
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H Mobo

Just looking for something that'll run Half Life 2, Portal 2, Dead Island, Witcher 2 decently under $200 (hopefully more in the $150 range)

Thanks!

 

[Hazaro]

Help Me PC GAF!

I'm looking to get a new graphics card, but I don't want to break the bank.

The system I'm currently running:

AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.00 GHz
4.0 Gb RAM
Windows 7 64 bit
XFX AMD Radeon 5450
OCZ 60 Gb SSD
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H Mobo

Just looking for something that'll run Half Life 2, Portal 2, Dead Island, Witcher 2 decently under $200 (hopefully more in the $150 range)

Thanks!

If you can wait some weeks the new AMD cards should be out in exactly that price range and not use much power.
Otherwise 6850/gtx 460 768mb/1gb (NOT SE)

 

[Eurocult]

If you can wait some weeks the new AMD cards should be out in exactly that price range and not use much power.
Otherwise 6850/gtx 460 768mb/1gb (NOT SE)

Thanks! I'm looking at Newegg right now and they seem to be in the $160 range. Not too bad.

What are these new, cheaper AMD cards coming out in a few weeks?

 

[Hazaro]

Thanks! I'm looking at Newegg right now and they seem to be in the $160 range. Not too bad.

What are these new, cheaper AMD cards coming out in a few weeks?

7 series in (soon).
I'd expect in <5 weeks, but it could be up to 12 weeks.

 

[knitoe]

7 series in (soon).
I'd expect in <5 weeks, but it could be up to 12 weeks.

Drastic power consumption reduction. 50% less.
Power should be a little bump, but yields and features are better so HOPEFULLY they will be cheaper.

Are you basing this on the chart posted in the last few pages? If so, people on Beyond3D are saying it's fake.

 

[Hazaro]

Are you basing this on the chart posted in the last few pages? If so, people on Beyond3D are saying it's fake.

Probably right, but stuff like this does happen and enough of the numbers were what I'd thought they would + I have really high hopes/expectations for 28nm.
I probably should not put as much stock as I did into it since the chart is just better presented data.

Closer to release I'm usually poking at chiphell and such to get info anyway.

Too excited for some real improvements. :/

 

[Stalfos]

Very solid. May I suggest an SSD? Intel 320/510 or Crucial M4? 64 or 128GB.

Yeah I was thinking about an SSD as well.

 

[squicken]

Even if the new AMD cards make it out this year, no normal human will be able to find one in stock. All the while, great PC games will come out. This is a great fall for games. The time to buy is now.

 

[Hazaro]

Even if the new AMD cards make it out this year, no normal human will be able to find one in stock. All the while, great PC games will come out. This is a great fall for games. The time to buy is now.

Personally I don't think they will have the supply problems like the early Fermi chips.
Harder to find sure, but if you were looking for one on launch you could probably get it.

A card now is still a great buy.

 

[squicken]

Do you think those cards will be widely in stock by BF3? That game doesn't matter much to me, but it seems to be what's on PC GAF's mind.

 

[Hazaro]

Do you think those cards will be widely in stock by BF3? That game doesn't matter much to me, but it seems to be what's on PC GAF's mind.

In stock, sure. Meeting BF3 demand is another matter.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

What's a good sound card?

asus xonar, omega Claro or Omega or creative fatality.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

downloaded HWmonitor and it says my SSD is 128c temperature wise?? is this right?

 

[LordCanti]

downloaded HWmonitor and it says my SSD is 128c temperature wise?? is this right?

That reading is almost certainly inaccurate. Touch your SSD, and if it doesn't burn your skin off (which it probably would at 128c) then it's fine.

 

[squicken]

downloaded HWmonitor and it says my SSD is 128c temperature wise?? is this right?

Ignore that. Since SSDs don't generate much heat, some manufacturers don't bother putting sensors in there. Your SSD isn't ever going to overheat unless you stick it directly on top of your GPU

 

[daxter01]

any thoughts about this build

CPU Intel i5-2400 3.1GHz
Motherboard ASUS P8H67
RAM Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3-1333 4x2GB
GPU Nvidia EVGA GTX560 ti
580W power supply
plz tell me 580W is enough for this system

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

580W is more than enough. 650W would be ideal for any future upgrades though.

Of course, do specify which PSU it is cause some weaker brands dont really provide what they state.

 

[vertopci]

What's a good sound card?

Auzentech X-Fi Forte

 

[Hazaro]

any thoughts about this build

CPU Intel i5-2400 3.1GHz
Motherboard ASUS P8H67
RAM Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3-1333 4x2GB
GPU Nvidia EVGA GTX560 ti
580W power supply
plz tell me 580W is enough for this system

580W makes it seem from a bad manufacturer. List brand / model.
A good 500W would be fine. If it's a hec it'll be ok.

I'll recommend the XFX 550W.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Doesn't matter much anymore. You can get better advice if we know what router you will be using.

Eh the linksys dual band E4200 I believe.

 

[knitoe]

Eh the linksys dual band E4200 I believe.

In that case, for max performance, you would want a 5GHz 450 mbps adapter with three spatial streams per antenna (best 3x3).

Example: TRENDnet 450 Mbps Dual Band Wireless N USB Adapter TEW-684UB

 

[RibbedHero]

I have a crappy CPU I'm going to upgrade out of soon, I just wanted to know if I need an aftermarket cooler to overclock either CPU or would stock cooling work?