"I need a New PC!" 2011 Thread of reading the OP. Seriously. [Part 2]
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Prodigal said:Any of you guys have a good recommendation for a decent pair of 2.1 speakers? Preferably under 150, though under 100 would be better.
You might have more luck looking through this thread for recommendations, although it's obviously targeted higher than your pricepoint.
I've heard a lot of good things about the Dayton B652s, although you'd have to get an amp to power them. The Dayton DTA-1 would work well I think for $40.
Corky said:Hey guys
Is there any place where I can download ( regardless of length ) a 2560x1440(1600) piece of high bitrate video? Like maybe a trailer or something? Does something like this even exist?
my google-fu is weak
There is a 1440p trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia out there somewhere. Blu-ray is only 1080p though, so there isn't a whole lot of content for 1440p or 1600p monitors.
Prodigal said:Any of you guys have a good recommendation for a decent pair of 2.1 speakers? Preferably under 150, though under 100 would be better.
You might look into the M Audio AV40's. I used to hear good things (make sure the build quality hasn't gone down the tubes or anything).
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
Motherboard and 560 ti on the way. Fuck yeah. Hoping to find another 560 ti for a good price (got the first off ebay, supposedly brand new for 160 shipped). Other then that, just need the cpu. Getting a 2500k, of course. Just hoping a good deal pops up for one over the next couple weeks since I can't put it all together until Oct. 8th, as I'm out of town until then. Pretty Pumped.
I've been missing team fortress 2 these last few months as I've been without a computer. Hope 560 ti's in sli can handle it...
I've been missing team fortress 2 these last few months as I've been without a computer. Hope 560 ti's in sli can handle it...
razgriz417
Member
Hero_of_the_Day_1985 said:
If you have a microcenter around, the i5 2500k is $179.99 until the end of the month
RukusProvider
Banned
snoopen said:
No chance.
Just got all of my final parts from Microcenter! Finally upgrading from my 8800GTS 512
MSI GTX 560Ti Twin Frozr II - $207 with 20% off coupon
- Batman Arkham City and Shogun 2 free (Sales guy was nice enough to give me the AMD promo)
- $30 rebate
i5 2500k + gigabyte z68 ud3 - $300
- $40 off motherboard combo
- $10 rebate
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g.skill ripjawsX 1600 cas 8 - $40 (Newegg Shellshocker a few weeks ago with the NEWCUSTOMER10 code)
MSI GTX 560Ti Twin Frozr II - $207 with 20% off coupon
- Batman Arkham City and Shogun 2 free (Sales guy was nice enough to give me the AMD promo)
- $30 rebate
i5 2500k + gigabyte z68 ud3 - $300
- $40 off motherboard combo
- $10 rebate
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
g.skill ripjawsX 1600 cas 8 - $40 (Newegg Shellshocker a few weeks ago with the NEWCUSTOMER10 code)
jackpottest
Member
Hi.
Upgrading my old comp but not sure which motherboard to get.
Here's what the build is gonna look like (bold parts are the upgrades, others are remaining the same).
Can anyone recommend me a cheap as possible ASUS mobo (while still being good). I won't ever be overclocking or using SLI. I just want a solid, reliable mobo.
Is an M5A97 Evo my best bet? I can't see the non-evo version anywhere.
Should I avoid an AM3+ mobo (since the tech. is so new) and go with good 'ol AM3?
Upgrading my old comp but not sure which motherboard to get.
Here's what the build is gonna look like (bold parts are the upgrades, others are remaining the same).
Motherboard: ___________
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE 3.4GHz
RAM: 4Gb (2 x 2Gb) Corsair DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Video Card: Nvidia 8800 GTS
HDD: Crucial M4 64GB SATA III SSD
PSU: Corsair HX-520
Sound Card: Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE 3.4GHz
RAM: 4Gb (2 x 2Gb) Corsair DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Video Card: Nvidia 8800 GTS
HDD: Crucial M4 64GB SATA III SSD
PSU: Corsair HX-520
Sound Card: Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
Can anyone recommend me a cheap as possible ASUS mobo (while still being good). I won't ever be overclocking or using SLI. I just want a solid, reliable mobo.
Is an M5A97 Evo my best bet? I can't see the non-evo version anywhere.
Should I avoid an AM3+ mobo (since the tech. is so new) and go with good 'ol AM3?
razgriz417
Member
Rev3rb said:
Sounds like great deal. Btw, I had no idea microcenter carried g.skill ram, was the price you paid for yours after the 20% coupon?
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
razgriz417 said:
Sadly not. I am between St. Louis and Chicago, so either one is three hours away. Pretty amazed I got the 560 ti for 160 and p8p67 pro for 100. So I'm hoping to get even 20 bucks off the 2500k, if nothing comes up over the next week and a half I'll just buy one from new egg. Probabky just wind up getting the second 560 from them also. Going to get Arkham City, so I'll still come out well from the deal.
Related question. Will two 560 ti's from different companies play fine together? I assume they will, just want confirmation.
razgriz417
Member
Aah ok np, planned to order from newegg myselfRev3rb said:
Yes.Hero_of_the_Day_1985 said:
http://rapidshare.com/files/150520703/Chronicles_of_Narnia_trailer_-_1440p.mkvCorky said:
Unless there's a better version available, the bit-rate is very low. I have some raw 1440, 1600, and QHD (not qHD) files, but I can't pass them on, unfortunately.
Why buy a 965 now, especially if you don't already have an AM3/AM3+ motherboard? AMD Bulldozer should be out next month, Intel will release s2011 Sandy Bridge-E shortly after that, and Intel s1155 Sandy Bridge has been on sale since January. Compared to that 965, your money would be better used towards a s1155 SB Intel. By now, you may as well wait to see how BD and SB-E shape up as far as performance, and pricing, too.jackpottest said:
Dog Problems
Banned
I'm looking at replacing a couple of fans in my case. I've got my eye on getting Noctua fans (NF-P12 120) but I wanted some feedback on them. What is the airflow like? Are they easy to install? The ones I'm currently using are Cooler Master brand and they were a son of a bitch to get in. I'm really looking for a couple that provide a ton of air and I don't care about how loud they are.
Dog Problems
Banned
scogoth said:
Thanks, I'll check those out.
DyobolikaL. said:
Not really a deal.. but here's a 19" ASUS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236077
You should probably just save up for a little bit longer and get something near the top here: http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=20&name=LCD-Monitors&Order=RATING
Am I just totally missing something? How do I check the temperature of my GTX 570? I had an ATI card before, and I just opened the Catalyst Control Panel and everything is there.
On a sort of related note, the only Nvidia software I have installed with my GPU now is NVIDIA Control Panel. Is there other shit I should/need to install?
On a sort of related note, the only Nvidia software I have installed with my GPU now is NVIDIA Control Panel. Is there other shit I should/need to install?
Dog Problems
Banned
JackEtc said:
Check out GPU-Z. There's a link to it in the first post. The temperature will be listed under the second tab.
Mully said:
Go to the benchmarking thread and see what scores others with similar systems to yours are getting.
Most users in 3DMark have OC'd processors and GPUs. If you have neither then it thinks you have a below avg system.
I found out what was preventing my new computer from turning on: the hard drive. I guess I got a bad one, because once I popped another one in, everything ran just about perfectly. I had a few hiccups at the start -- for some reason, the computer would shut itself off after a couple minutes the first few times I ran it. It wasn't overheating (and I had disabled it from shutting down due to temperatures, anyway), so I dunno what that was about.
Anyway, before long, it started working smooth as silk. I got Windows installed and I've been busy installing programs and drivers for a couple of hours now. I was really hesitant to post about it, because I didn't want to jinx it, but I'm trying to not be so paranoid about things going wrong. (Despite the fact that something went wrong on basically every step...
Anyway, before long, it started working smooth as silk. I got Windows installed and I've been busy installing programs and drivers for a couple of hours now. I was really hesitant to post about it, because I didn't want to jinx it, but I'm trying to not be so paranoid about things going wrong. (Despite the fact that something went wrong on basically every step...
Skel1ingt0n
I can't *believe* these lazy developers keep making file sizes so damn large. Btw, how does technology work?
Hey all!!
I consider myself mildly tech savvy; I've built in the past, and typically stay pretty up to speed on the latest comp hardware. So, I'm really just looking for some suggestions on what to do... more in the interest of swaying me toward a decision. I appreciate any and all input.
Anyhoo...
I currently am rocking an i7 930 OC'd to 3.6, 12GB RAM, and an AMD 5870, all running on a 24" 1920x1200 monitor. Most games run pretty darn well, but BFBC2 struggles just a tad. With max settings (8x AA, 16xAF, HHBAO on, etc), I typically hover in the 50s, with quite a few drops to the high 40s, and the occasional drop to the high 30s when shit gets crazy. It's certainly playable... but I hate those dips to the 30s!
I plan on putting a lot of time into BF3, and with the new engine, I imagine I'm gonna see A LOT more drops into the 30s. I'm looking to get a nice little boost, but without breaking the bank.
I can sell my used 5870 for right around $200-$235 according to recent posts on other FS/FT forums. I would use that money to offset the cost of what I'd buy. I have the opportunity to get in on the following deals (prices are final after haggling, coupons, rebates, and selling included game serials and after tax).
HIS 6970 "IceQ Turbo" - $300
Zotac 1.3GB GTX570 - $213
EVGA 1.3GB GTX570 - $240
All of these are upgrades, for sure. No significant ones, but they should keep me out of the 30s (fps) for a relatively small investment after selling my 5870. What would you do, GAF?
The 6970 is more... but it's easy. No rebates, selling codes, driving, etc. But, it's significantly more $$ than the others. That said, I've almost always stuck with ATI/AMD with no problems. But, again, on the flipside, I'd see less improvement than I would with a 570.
If I go with a 570, I spend a bit less, and I get better improvement. A little more hassle, but worth it, right?
And so, I think it comes down tot the two 570s. At that point, my question is: Is Zotac a decent brand. I've never dealt with either, but I know I've heard lots of good things about EVGA. Is it stupid to go with Zotac? Am I asking for trouble? Is the $27 worth it for the peace of mind for the EVGA?
I know, I know... no real questions. I'm just kinda "thinking out loud", and I'd love any input anyone might have. Or, if any one has any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
I consider myself mildly tech savvy; I've built in the past, and typically stay pretty up to speed on the latest comp hardware. So, I'm really just looking for some suggestions on what to do... more in the interest of swaying me toward a decision. I appreciate any and all input.
Anyhoo...
I currently am rocking an i7 930 OC'd to 3.6, 12GB RAM, and an AMD 5870, all running on a 24" 1920x1200 monitor. Most games run pretty darn well, but BFBC2 struggles just a tad. With max settings (8x AA, 16xAF, HHBAO on, etc), I typically hover in the 50s, with quite a few drops to the high 40s, and the occasional drop to the high 30s when shit gets crazy. It's certainly playable... but I hate those dips to the 30s!
I plan on putting a lot of time into BF3, and with the new engine, I imagine I'm gonna see A LOT more drops into the 30s. I'm looking to get a nice little boost, but without breaking the bank.
I can sell my used 5870 for right around $200-$235 according to recent posts on other FS/FT forums. I would use that money to offset the cost of what I'd buy. I have the opportunity to get in on the following deals (prices are final after haggling, coupons, rebates, and selling included game serials and after tax).
HIS 6970 "IceQ Turbo" - $300
Zotac 1.3GB GTX570 - $213
EVGA 1.3GB GTX570 - $240
All of these are upgrades, for sure. No significant ones, but they should keep me out of the 30s (fps) for a relatively small investment after selling my 5870. What would you do, GAF?
The 6970 is more... but it's easy. No rebates, selling codes, driving, etc. But, it's significantly more $$ than the others. That said, I've almost always stuck with ATI/AMD with no problems. But, again, on the flipside, I'd see less improvement than I would with a 570.
If I go with a 570, I spend a bit less, and I get better improvement. A little more hassle, but worth it, right?
And so, I think it comes down tot the two 570s. At that point, my question is: Is Zotac a decent brand. I've never dealt with either, but I know I've heard lots of good things about EVGA. Is it stupid to go with Zotac? Am I asking for trouble? Is the $27 worth it for the peace of mind for the EVGA?
I know, I know... no real questions. I'm just kinda "thinking out loud", and I'd love any input anyone might have. Or, if any one has any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
Skel1ingt0n said:
For $27 more I'd go with EVGA. They have a better warranty, and I hear their support is top notch. Zotac is a decent brand but if you're trying to decide between the two and can swing the extra $30 I'd go with EVGA.
The 570 will pair nicely with your machine and gaming resolution.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Scythes are good, Kama Flow 2s are their newest ones I think, Gentle Typhoons aren't as good for case fans but are nice for coolers and rads.LastWindow said:
I think Thermalrights TY-140 fans were considered good fans for a case or cooler, it's a 140mm with 120mm mount points. Won't fit in some spots because of that though.
If you want pure airflow with no concern for noise whatsoever, I guess you could look into a Delta FFB1212EH.
The conclusion of that review lists 3 or 4 good fans you could choose between.elrechazado
Banned
just a heads up, Microcenter has 20% off any gpu and any RAM right now through the 29th, b&m only. http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1638477
Haha, wow. I shut down my PC for a short while and upon rebooting it I noticed the FSB has scaled down to 266MHz. Curious, I entered the BIOS and tried to set it back to 400MHz, but the PC refused to initiate POST. I then tried other values, but the motherboard refuses to play nice with anything but 266.
Now I'm stuck with a 2.128GHz CPU.
Now I'm stuck with a 2.128GHz CPU.
Does anyone have any experience with "refurbished" SSD's? Are they generally re-fitted with new modules so that no wear has taken place (write amplification, etc)? Or are they just formatted and sent along?
Case in point, I can get a 120gb Corsair Force 3 for $120 refurbished. No information is really given on what went into "refurbishing" it, and it only has a thirty day warranty. $1 per gb for a current gen SSD is very tempting though.
What say you? Worth it? Would 30 days be enough to make sure it's not a lemon?
Case in point, I can get a 120gb Corsair Force 3 for $120 refurbished. No information is really given on what went into "refurbishing" it, and it only has a thirty day warranty. $1 per gb for a current gen SSD is very tempting though.
What say you? Worth it? Would 30 days be enough to make sure it's not a lemon?
Tallshortman
Member
Skel1ingt0n said:
Actually the 6970 is a more powerful card than the 570 so I'm not sure who told you you'd see less improvement with it...
Price wise obviously a 570 for $213 is an amazing deal.
giant_frying_pan
Member
Finally put together my pre-Battlefield build after a good long while of pondering and complete indecision and flip-flopping on pretty much every part I eventually settled on. Click links for pics!
Asus P8Z68-V PRO Intel Z68 S1155 Motherboard
Intel Core i7 2600k
EVGA GeForce GTX 580 Super Clocked 1536MB GDDR5 NVIDIA Graphics Card
Corsair Memory Vengeance LP Blue 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz (x2 = 16GB)
Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB - (x2 = 128GB in RAID0)
Seasonic X-850 PSU
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 Dual Fan Quiet CPU Cooler
Sony x12 BDRW SATA Blu-ray optical Drive
NZXT H2-001-BK Hush 2 Midi PC Case
Steel Series Xai Black Laser Pro Gaming Mouse
Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard
Fractal Design 800 RPM Silent Series Cooling Fan (will likely get a couple more of these as the case didn't come with any floor fans)
Only new part I've not bought yet are my hard drives which I'm not in a big rush for, but I'll probably get one or two Barracuda XTs.
Build went fairly smoothly although I managed to short the MB and case with the outputs grille I think at first but a wee nudge sorted that. Tried to update the firmware for the M4s, but the Crucial boot disk wouldn't find them at first and I had to disconnect one before it found the other.
This was a big jump for me in spec as I was coming from a mid range Core 2 Duo and a 3000 series Radeon. Yeah.
System's already running the bulk of my Steam library with ease at max everything...with the exception of Metro 2033, but that's to be expected! Once I'm happier with my airflow (current fan cables are a little too short to route neatly) I'll start overclocking and getting my RAM running at the correct speed. After that's done, I'll post some benchmarks and screenies in the other threads.
So pleased I decided to shell out for this.
Some random pics I took throughout:
My haul
Lining the board up
Glamour shot of the 580
The guts taking shape
No PC build is complete without the obligatory drawing of blood!
The BIOS pre-M4 flashing (and my Dell 2407WFP revA04 monitor which is old, but still lovely)
The finished PC although I've since cleaned up the cabling a bit.
Asus P8Z68-V PRO Intel Z68 S1155 Motherboard
Intel Core i7 2600k
EVGA GeForce GTX 580 Super Clocked 1536MB GDDR5 NVIDIA Graphics Card
Corsair Memory Vengeance LP Blue 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz (x2 = 16GB)
Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB - (x2 = 128GB in RAID0)
Seasonic X-850 PSU
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 Dual Fan Quiet CPU Cooler
Sony x12 BDRW SATA Blu-ray optical Drive
NZXT H2-001-BK Hush 2 Midi PC Case
Steel Series Xai Black Laser Pro Gaming Mouse
Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard
Fractal Design 800 RPM Silent Series Cooling Fan (will likely get a couple more of these as the case didn't come with any floor fans)
Only new part I've not bought yet are my hard drives which I'm not in a big rush for, but I'll probably get one or two Barracuda XTs.
Build went fairly smoothly although I managed to short the MB and case with the outputs grille I think at first but a wee nudge sorted that. Tried to update the firmware for the M4s, but the Crucial boot disk wouldn't find them at first and I had to disconnect one before it found the other.
This was a big jump for me in spec as I was coming from a mid range Core 2 Duo and a 3000 series Radeon. Yeah.
System's already running the bulk of my Steam library with ease at max everything...with the exception of Metro 2033, but that's to be expected! Once I'm happier with my airflow (current fan cables are a little too short to route neatly) I'll start overclocking and getting my RAM running at the correct speed. After that's done, I'll post some benchmarks and screenies in the other threads.
So pleased I decided to shell out for this.
Some random pics I took throughout:
My haul
Lining the board up
Glamour shot of the 580
The guts taking shape
No PC build is complete without the obligatory drawing of blood!
The BIOS pre-M4 flashing (and my Dell 2407WFP revA04 monitor which is old, but still lovely)
The finished PC although I've since cleaned up the cabling a bit.
Tallshortman
Member
suffah said:
All single GPUs only take up one PCIe slot.
razgriz417
Member
giant_frying_pan said:
Nice build, I'm going for a lower end version of this, Surprised you chose the nzxt h2 over the fractal define r3. I'm jumping from a C2D & 8800gts. Cant wait til my parts get here
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Might be a custom cooler on a 6850-level card or something. A passive cooler would probably only use one slot, although it's probably bigger than that inside the case.suffah said:
Generally only lower end stuff that's not good for gaming is single-slot these days.
Edit: Found this one. 6850 is only in the 460 range for performance so you're paying a big premium for the cooler. Not seeing anything else.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131433
jackpottest
Member
·feist· said:
I unfortunately need the upgrade now, am loyal to AMD, and I probably won't need bulldozer for a long time, if at all.
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