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[Zane]

I seriously don't understand why anyone would buy a GTX 580. Compared to a 570, you get 8-12% performance gain for 30-40% more cash. Even at >1080p res, the 580 isn't going to bring you from high settings to max settings. Probably only the next generation of cards will do that.

I really feel the best thing for anyone to do is buy a 560 Ti and then spend the several hundred bucks you save on the 660 Ti or the 7950 or whatever when it comes out. I guarantee you will come out ahead.

 

[Mulligan]

.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

I seriously don't understand why anyone would buy a GTX 580. Compared to a 570, you get 8-12% performance gain for 30-40% more cash. Even at >1080p res, the 580 isn't going to bring you from high settings to max settings. Probably only the next generation of cards will do that.

I really feel the best thing for anyone to do is buy a 560 Ti and then spend the several hundred bucks you save on the 660 Ti or the 7950 or whatever when it comes out. I guarantee you will come out ahead.

You can overclock the 580 too as well.
That will give you performance gain against a 570. Plus there are deals on 580s as little as $320.

 

[Gvaz]

You can overclock the 580 too as well.
That will give you performance gain against a 570. Plus there are deals on 580s as little as $320.

If you can get it for cheaper than a 570 then of course it's a good deal

 

[XiaNaphryz]

I've moved on to GPU OC testing (MSI GTX 570 Twin Frozr II). So far looking stable at 1.025v/900/1800/2000, max temp so far 59 with fans at 59%. Not sure how much more I can push it at this voltage.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

If you can get it for cheaper than a 570 then of course it's a good deal

but its the principal mang!

I've moved on to GPU OC testing (MSI GTX 570 Twin Frozr II). So far looking stable at 1.025v/900/1800/2000, max temp so far 59 with fans at 59%. Not sure how much more I can push it at this voltage.

i overclocked my 580 as far as 950 coreclock at 1.050 voltage.
did a stress test on furmark and heaven. it passed.
all my games run stable, except for bf3.
the second the game launches it crashes.

anyone have a good stable Oc on a 580?

 

[LordCanti]

but its the principal mang!


i overclocked my 580 as far as 950 coreclock at 1.050 voltage.
did a stress test on furmark and heaven. it passed.
all my games run stable, except for bf3.
the second the game launches it crashes.

anyone have a good stable Oc on a 580?

950 @ 1.088 is stable on my stock EVGA card. It's hotter than I'd like though (mid 80's at load). If your cooler is non-stock, it should be able to handle it.

Voltage was set by the manufacturer, so I'd say it's probably safe. I usually just run stock until I need the extra power.

I didn't touch memory.

 

[Tallshortman]

You can overclock the 580 too as well.
That will give you performance gain against a 570. Plus there are deals on 580s as little as $320.

They're extremely rare and only happens with open box deals or the MicroCenter deal on Zotiac 580s. 580s have never been regarded as anywhere as good a deal as a 570. The reason people get it is because they'd rather not deal with dual GPU setups for that level of performance (understandable) or really just have the cash laying around to get them.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

950 @ 1.088 is stable on my stock EVGA card. It's hotter than I'd like though (mid 80's at load). If your cooler is non-stock, it should be able to handle it.

Voltage was set by the manufacturer, so I'd say it's probably safe. I usually just run stock until I need the extra power.

I didn't touch memory.

ah cool. yeah i have a stock cooler.
is 80s temp considered safe for the longevity?

They're extremely rare and only happens with open box deals or the MicroCenter deal on Zotiac 580s. 580s have never been regarded as anywhere as good a deal as a 570. The reason people get it is because they'd rather not deal with dual GPU setups for that level of performance (understandable) or really just have the cash laying around to get them.

yup, that's my reasoning in my purchase in a 580. plus it was cheaper than a 570 at the time of purchase!

 

[chrisisawesome]

950 @ 1.088 is stable on my stock EVGA card. It's hotter than I'd like though (mid 80's at load). If your cooler is non-stock, it should be able to handle it.

Voltage was set by the manufacturer, so I'd say it's probably safe. I usually just run stock until I need the extra power.

I didn't touch memory.

Do you think you could point me in the right direction on how to learn how to properly overclock?
I've been checking out a bunch of tutorials with people using the same CPU and even motherboard, but every time I attempt the overclock, the prime 95 test crashes my pc within minutes!
Its really annoying considering I have an upgraded CPU cooler and all. I'm running a Q6600 at 2.4ghz.

 

[LordCanti]

ah cool. yeah i have a stock cooler.
is 80s temp considered safe for the longevity?

I like to stay in the seventies, but I don't think any damage would be done in the low 80's. I wouldn't go near the upper eighties though. You may be able to keep the temps down by running the fan faster, but it will be loud.

I would try 900 at your current voltage, and see if the problem with BF3 persists.

Do you think you could point me in the right direction on how to learn how to properly overclock?
I've been checking out a bunch of tutorials with people using the same CPU and even motherboard, but every time I attempt the overclock, the prime 95 test crashes my pc within minutes!
Its really annoying considering I have an upgraded CPU cooler and all. I'm running a Q6600 at 2.4ghz.

Every CPU/GPU etc is different, and they won't all hit the same speeds at the same voltages or temperatures.

A guide made for your mobo and CPU combo would be best. I don't know of any one-size-fits-all guide to OC'ing.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

I like to stay in the seventies, but I don't think any damage would be done in the low 80's. I wouldn't go near the upper eighties though. You may be able to keep the temps down by running the fan faster, but it will be loud.

I would try 900 at your current voltage, and see if the problem with BF3 persists.

cool thanks for the advice.

 

[Lonely1]

I seriously don't understand why anyone would buy a GTX 580. Compared to a 570, you get 8-12% performance gain for 30-40% more cash. Even at >1080p res, the 580 isn't going to bring you from high settings to max settings. Probably only the next generation of cards will do that.

I really feel the best thing for anyone to do is buy a 560 Ti and then spend the several hundred bucks you save on the 660 Ti or the 7950 or whatever when it comes out. I guarantee you will come out ahead.

How much of a jump is there from a 560Ti, a 570 and a 580?

 

[childplease]

If you can get it for cheaper than a 570 then of course it's a good deal

Yup only reason I got a gtx 580 was because it was 320 dollars after rebate at microcenter.

No plans on going sli, in the future probably gen or 2 I will upgrade to the 8950 or whatever mid range gpu nvidia comes out.

 

[Gvaz]

How much of a jump is there from a 560Ti, a 570 and a 580?

Depending on the settings and game, imagine 60fps, 85fps, and 95fps.

Ballpark figures.

 

[Hazaro]

80's is ok. 90's is concerning. 100's is thermal problem.

How much of a jump is there from a 560Ti, a 570 and a 580?

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/330?vs=305

Select cards.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

hmm my p8p67 pro internal NIC works great ... 980 Mbit (99% utilization of a 1 Gbps connection) with Iperf testing (with two switches in between and 40 meters of Cat5-E)

make sure to grab the drivers from the Intel site itself

if only 10 Mbps works, that's normally an issue with the cable. If you say other cables don't work either, and they do work with other systems, it may be a physical defect of the motherboards port

can you test it on something else, like connect it to a switch or something ?

I just bought a wireless USB dongle so I'm finally able to get online.

I did try and lates driver from intel, still the same. Could be a problem with the motherboard, but it seems strange that I can get it to work at all if that were the case. Also, some of the people on other boards have managed to get theirs working by messing with various settings. There are others who can't, like myself, even after messing with said settings.

When I get home in a few days I intend to put a different hard drive in and do a clean install of XP and see if it works on there. If so, then I know it's some driver issue in W7. There is even a thread I found on intels support boards of a few people bitching about having this same issue, which oddly never had an intel mod come in and say anything. Also found a posts on HardOCP, and two other boards I've never heard of. So it doesn't seem like it's that rare of an issue.

I don't know what your last line means, which probably means my answer is no. What are you asking me to do exactly?

 

[zulfate]

holy crap PC gaf i got my new computer running, man i have never done it before but its on! and its running....now i got a few questions:

which program lets me test my specs again...i downloaded one of them from OP but it gave me a warning that it might blow out my PSU so i got scared

also i bought the corsair 600t computer case and i connected the fans to the controller but when i turn up the nobs to high speed its not doing anything...sorry im a newb!

but yes im super happy with the build it took me all day but i did it and also thanks to my Gf who helped me too! lol

 

[n0n44m]

I don't know what your last line means, which probably means my answer is no. What are you asking me to do exactly?

well you've only had it connected to a modem right?

if you can connect it to another switch/router that has other PC's connected to it, you can check whether you can get a stable connection at a speed higher than 10 Mbps ... if that's the case there might be some issues between the modem and the network card or something.

I'm running Windows 7 x64 as well by the way, and everything automatically works without having to change any settings whatsoever (full 1 Gbit autonegotiated)

 

[Herpes Reasons]

bah, i kept the core voltage at stock at 1.050v and brought the core clock to 900. then bf3 crashes. i then put the voltage to 1.075 and kept the core clock at 900. and still bf3 crashes.
no other game does this.

you can notice where the game crashes in the fan speed monitor when it dips to 20%.
halp!

 

[n0n44m]

how about 1.1, or just the max (1.138?) no need to run for hours, just a minute or two to verify it does work with *enough* voltage ... then do some overclocking the proper way:

set it to a voltage you're comfortable with for 24/7 (I'd say 1.1v on air will do fine without the need to set fans to 100%) and start adjusting the clock until you are stable.

other way around would be starting with stock speeds and adjusting upwards until it crashes, then adding more voltage, adjust clockspeeds again, voltage again, clockspeeds again, so on until you reach the same "comfortable" voltage limit

and BF3 is heavy stuff ... my 480 did 910 stable with everything I threw at it the past 5 months (except Furmark), but for BF3 I need to lower it to 900

 

[Herpes Reasons]

how about 1.1, or just the max (1.138?) no need to run for hours, just a minute or two to verify it does work with *enough* voltage ... then do some overclocking the proper way:

set it to a voltage you're comfortable with for 24/7 (I'd say 1.1v on air will do fine without the need to set fans to 100%) and start adjusting the clock until you are stable.

other way around would be starting with stock speeds and adjusting upwards until it crashes, then adding more voltage, adjust clockspeeds again, voltage again, clockspeeds again, so on until you reach the same "comfortable" voltage limit

and BF3 is heavy stuff ... my 480 did 910 stable with everything I threw at it the past 5 months (except Furmark), but for BF3 I need to lower it to 900

alright. brought voltage to 1.1
bf3 seems to be running fine. Getting a extra 10fps on caspian. Reaching near 60 fps.
core clock is at 902. and highest temp was at 66C.
is it recommended to go a bit higher on the clock at that temp?

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

well you've only had it connected to a modem right?

if you can connect it to another switch/router that has other PC's connected to it, you can check whether you can get a stable connection at a speed higher than 10 Mbps ... if that's the case there might be some issues between the modem and the network card or something.

I'm running Windows 7 x64 as well by the way, and everything automatically works without having to change any settings whatsoever (full 1 Gbit autonegotiated)

Gotcha. Yeah, I've had it plugged in to both router and modem, both act the exact same. Tested each with three different cables, all of which work fine on the other computer.

Yeah, I don't mean to imply that I expect everyone who has windows 7 64-bit should be having the problem. You just never know who will have weird ass driver issues and who won't. I'm also intrigued to plug it into a completely different internet connection. Weirdest problem I've ever had.

Everything else seems to be going good so far, outside of my CPU temo seeming a little high, according to the BIOS at least (40 C). Maybe I'm crazy. That's a 2500k with zero overclocking so far, and an Hyper N520 . Haven't downloaded any programs to monitor it in windows and stress test it yet so don't know what it's like under load.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Hey PC GAF, can you help me? My computer was barely mid-range when I got it in 2007, and although tripling my RAM from 1 GB has helped, I really feel the itch for a new PC that will last for a bit. I think I know the basics at least.

I basically want to start from scratch. My RAM is DDR2, so I can't reuse that, and the rest isn't really worth saving, not even the case (which is the slim kind...) I'll keep my monitor though.

• Budget: $400 to $500, United States
• Main Use: Gaming and Emulation (Wii)
• Monitor Resolution: Doesn't matter to me, 1080p would be nice.
• Must Play: Star Wars: The Old Republic and Dolphin like these shots
• When: Now until the end of the year
• Overclocking: No

Some caveats: I would like the graphics card specifically to be on the stronger side, and am considering the GTX 570. I would also like RAM to be about 6 GB or higher if possible. I don't really care about storage, could be 300 GB spinning disk for all I care. The CPU should be mid-range but I could go lower, although I hear both TOR and Dolphin are CPU-heavy...

Is this doable? Thinking about it, the 570 looks like it could eat up a significant amount of the budget...

 

[Herpes Reasons]

Andrex, if there's a microcenter near you, they usually have coupons for 20% off videocards. unfortunately, for this month its only 10% off.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Andrex, if there's a microcenter near you, they usually have coupons for 20% off videocards. unfortunately, for this month its only 10% off.

Thanks!

Hrm, like I said, I can wait until the end of the year for this. But I really want to have it ready by TOR's release on December 20, or by Christmas.

 

[Hazaro]

Thanks!

Hrm, like I said, I can wait until the end of the year for this. But I really want to have it ready by TOR's release on December 20, or by Christmas.

Standard build should do you quite well.
Intel is generally much preferred for emulation, but a cheap AMD CPU (say an FX 4150 for $125) that is overclockable might be viable. Those come out this month.
Really up to what performance the chips have and if Dolphin devs can make use of it before you build. You would most likely want to overclock it. Emulation and overclocking go pretty hand in hand.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Standard build should do you quite well.
Intel is generally much preferred for emulation, but a cheap AMD CPU (say an FX 4150 for $125) that is overclockable might be viable. Those come out this month.
Really up to what performance the chips have and if Dolphin devs can make use of it before you build. You would most likely want to overclock it. Emulation and overclocking go pretty hand in hand.

Hrm, thanks for the advice. Overclocking seems like a can of worms... I thought it was easy years ago, then I thought it was hard, now I just think it's tedious.

Would you suggest prioritizing CPU over GPU then, and drop the 570?

 

[RukusProvider]

alright. brought voltage to 1.1
bf3 seems to be running fine. Getting a extra 10fps on caspian. Reaching near 60 fps.
core clock is at 902. and highest temp was at 66C.
is it recommended to go a bit higher on the clock at that temp?

Up the core first. Then work on memory.

Max out the volts in afterburner and manually set the fan to highest. Start with a very high core like 950. Use 3DMark and Heaven to test stability.

If 950 at 1.15 works, then start bringing the volts down until it crashes. Each time you reach a threshold, "900/925/max" on the core, save it as a profile along with the voltage needed.

Now go back and OC the mem. The nice this is that you can use stock settings for regular games and only use the profiles as needed for strenuous games. There's no need to keep it oc'd 24/7.

 

[littleworm]

Don't know if this is relevant or not but any suggestions for a good desk ? I plan on getting a PC this Christmas and ill be putting it in my dorm room but the desk they gave us wont do.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

Up the core first. Then work on memory.

Max out the volts in afterburner and manually set the fan to highest. Start with a very high core like 950. Use 3DMark and Heaven to test stability.

If 950 at 1.15 works, then start bringing the volts down until it crashes. Each time you reach a threshold, "900/925/max" on the core, save it as a profile along with the voltage needed.

Now go back and OC the mem. The nice this is that you can use stock settings for regular games and only use the profiles as needed for strenuous games. There's no need to keep it oc'd 24/7.

bf3 just crashed.
core at 902
voltage at 1.1
fan speed at 100%.
memory at factory.

does that mean i have to up the voltage at the core speeD?

 

[Hawk269]

but its the principal mang!


i overclocked my 580 as far as 950 coreclock at 1.050 voltage.
did a stress test on furmark and heaven. it passed.
all my games run stable, except for bf3.
the second the game launches it crashes.

anyone have a good stable Oc on a 580?

Depends on what you deem stable? I have been doing alot of overclocking of both CPU and GPU and have done alot of research on the subject and there are a various amounts of information on what someone thinks is a stable oc.

1.) OC the GPU, Stress Test with Unigine for 2 Hours followed by 6 Benchmark Runs of 3DMark11 followed by 4 runs of 3Dmark11 Full runs.

Main reason some people do this is these 2 programs fully stress the GPU at 99% usage. Unigine is pretty consistent on a loop with small drops in GPU Usage. 3dMark11 pushes 99% usage, but it loads each test, so the GPU drops usage in-between.

2) Set your OC and play games. Sounds simple, but some people feel this is the best way to stress test a GPU OC. If you goal is achieve a good OC for gaming, do testing with games versus Unigine/3dMark11.

The only issue people find with #2 is the fact that you don't know when you get a game at what level will it stress the GPU or it could have spikes hitting 99% in certain parts of games. I know for my setup, the only game I know that really pushes 99% GPU usage is Witcher 2 in uber mode. Outside of that, most games I play seem to be around the 40-85% usage.

The issue people find with #1 is that 99% GPU stress testing is not realistic since in gaming, the chances of pure 99% usage for hours on end is very rare, so why stress test that far?

Then again, if it passes #1, you know for certain no matter what you throw at the GPU's game wise, it is a stable OC.

I have been in-between on what I do. I do tend to try to get Unigine to run at least and hour followed by 5 runs of 3dMark11, then I do an artifact test using Precision or MSI. I have had 1 1/2 hours runis of Unigine and no crashes, but only get through 2-3 runs of 3dMark and get a crash.

So it depends on what you want out of your OC and what you feel is stable.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

awesome, man thanks.
will do.
i'd make out with you if i could!

 

[Hawk269]

Up the core first. Then work on memory.

Max out the volts in afterburner and manually set the fan to highest. Start with a very high core like 950. Use 3DMark and Heaven to test stability.

If 950 at 1.15 works, then start bringing the volts down until it crashes. Each time you reach a threshold, "900/925/max" on the core, save it as a profile along with the voltage needed.

Now go back and OC the mem. The nice this is that you can use stock settings for regular games and only use the profiles as needed for strenuous games. There's no need to keep it oc'd 24/7.

Why set the fan to max though? If you are testing stability for gaming, do most gamers crank the fans to 100%? Would it not be ideal to have the fans set to a custom profile so when the heat rises like it would in gaming that you get a good (in theory) ideal of how the sound levels will also be with the overclock?

 

[chickdigger802]

Was wondering for a bit. How much do you save these days building your own comp vs using something like ibuypower?

 

[Herpes Reasons]

really stupid question. when overclocked while playing a game, should i have fan speed set to auto?
i have it user enabled on afterburner:
50c @ 50C
70c @ 70C
80 @ 80C

 

[Hawk269]

really stupid question. when overclocked while playing a game, should i have fan speed set to auto?
i have it user enabled on afterburner:
50c @ 50C
70c @ 70C
80 @ 80C

No magic numbers for that man. It all comes down to how much heat you want to put up with and how much noise you want to put up with. Ensure you know the thermal threshold for your GPU as well.

For me, I like low fan rpm's, but will not sacrafice too much heat for a quieter rig. So I tend to let them ramp up a little higher to keep temps at where I want them.

 

[Loxley]

Hello PC-GAF, good news and bad news. The good news is I'm in the market for a shiny new desktop, the bad news is I do not have the, desire, knowledge, or (most importantly) the time to order the parts and build one myself. Trust me, I know that's not the ideal way to go, but due to my particular circumstances I have no other choice. The primary uses for this will be Photoshop work and gaming.

So, I've been doing some research and decided that an all-in-one desktop might be the way to go (especially because I live in a small apartment where space is a consideration), specifically the HP Touchsmart 610 Quad:

+ It's by far the most well-reviewed all-in-one desktop on the market outside of the iMac.
+ The touch screen seems like it'll be excellent for when Windows 8 arrives.
+ Blu-ray/DVD drive as well as a shitload of various ports (two HDMI ports is great for me).
+ The screen pitching looks like it works very well.
+ Apparently the sound is very impressive, since HP worked in Dr. Dre Beats tech for the audio components.

One of the only real negatives I can think of is probably the biggest one: upgrading.

As far as I can tell, as is true with iMacs, it's next to impossible to actually upgrade these things over time, and since I do plan on gaming pretty seriously with whatever I end up with as well as using the Adobe Creative Suite, that does need to be taken into consideration.

This isn't set in stone, as it'll be around two months before I actually end up buying anything, so if anyone has any advice or suggestions on decent pre-built PC's I'm all ears

 

[Hazaro]

All graphics on it are terrible. So no.
Also you forgot it will run super hot and if something dies you are boned. Also it will be much slower.
If you would like an all in one with capable graphics I don't think they exist on the market.

I highly recommend you not get caught up in all the bells and whistles of that machine (although you seem sold on it) and build your own. If you REALLY cannot, perhaps look at Maingear?
If you need a machine now, just buy a higher end Dell/etc. with a good warranty.

 

[markot]

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey.

I just oc'd my computer.

I have an i7 920 and oc'd it to 4.19.

Seems to be running ok, I followed this guide and upped the ram too, but im not so sure that went too well cause when I tried the ram intensive test on prime 95 it failed pretty quickly, but when I did the ram min one its going smoothly (So far!)

I followed this guide cause it uses my cpu/mb for it http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2008/11/06/overclocking-intel-core-i7-920/3

Anything I can do to lower the ram abit? Its at 3190 in the cpu-z thingy >.<

Also should I turn off intel turbo boost thingy?

 

[Le-mo]

Gaf, tell me if this setup would work. Since I can't get my receiver to display the output to my t.v. from my computer I was thinking of getting an optical cable to transmit sound to my receiver while having my PC directly connected to my t.v. Would this work? So it would basically be:

PC > TV
PC Optical > Receiver > Speakers

 

[ThatObviousUser]

OK I think I got a list I'm happy with, but it is a bit over my budget of $500. Primarily, I'm concerned that this will all be "compatible." I'll look into it myself in more detail later, but I was hoping PC GAF could point out any obvious flaws with cobbling all these parts together.

Besides that, a secondary concern is decreasing cost. I don't want the processor or memory to change, but the rest I could lower on, as long as it runs Dolphin and TOR well. Open to any suggestions.

 

[markot]

Nvm, fixed my ram.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Hello PC-GAF, good news and bad news. The good news is I'm in the market for a shiny new desktop, the bad news is I do not have the, desire, knowledge, or (most importantly) the time to order the parts and build one myself. Trust me, I know that's not the ideal way to go, but due to my particular circumstances I have no other choice. The primary uses for this will be Photoshop work and gaming.

So, I've been doing some research and decided that an all-in-one desktop might be the way to go (especially because I live in a small apartment where space is a consideration), specifically the HP Touchsmart 610 Quad:

+ It's by far the most well-reviewed all-in-one desktop on the market outside of the iMac.
+ The touch screen seems like it'll be excellent for when Windows 8 arrives.
+ Blu-ray/DVD drive as well as a shitload of various ports (two HDMI ports is great for me).
+ The screen pitching looks like it works very well.
+ Apparently the sound is very impressive, since HP worked in Dr. Dre Beats tech for the audio components.

One of the only real negatives I can think of is probably the biggest one: upgrading.

As far as I can tell, as is true with iMacs, it's next to impossible to actually upgrade these things over time, and since I do plan on gaming pretty seriously with whatever I end up with as well as using the Adobe Creative Suite, that does need to be taken into consideration.

This isn't set in stone, as it'll be around two months before I actually end up buying anything, so if anyone has any advice or suggestions on decent pre-built PC's I'm all ears

how small is your apartment that you can't have a desktop. there are myriad mid size or small towers that can pack quite a punch and perform well.

 

[Hazaro]

OK I think I got a list I'm happy with, but it is a bit over my budget of $500. Primarily, I'm concerned that this will all be "compatible." I'll look into it myself in more detail later, but I was hoping PC GAF could point out any obvious flaws with cobbling all these parts together.

Besides that, a secondary concern is decreasing cost. I don't want the processor or memory to change, but the rest I could lower on, as long as it runs Dolphin and TOR well. Open to any suggestions.

First off get a cheaper 460.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ption=gtx 460&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20
evga,asus,msi all fine.

Now you can go two ways.
1) Cheaper system now. 2100 + $60/75 motherboard.
2) Spend a bit more. 2500K +30 and $110 motherboard +$30

1 leaves with money to upgrade/save and will perform very well.
2 gives you a lot more power (Speed and cores AND overclocking) and will last a lot longer and full speed many more Dolphin games. (We are talking 4.2Ghz vs 3.1Ghz here)

*There might be some part combos as well.
Like Free Trackmania 2 you can sell!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.722021

 

[Big Papa Husker]

I just bought new parts a month ago and now have decided I might as well upgrade to a Blu-ray burner. Which is the best?

Anyone have any recommendations?

 

[Hazaro]

Anyone have any recommendations?

Not really.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

First off get a cheaper 460.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ption=gtx 460&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20
evga,asus,msi all fine.

Now you can go two ways.
1) Cheaper system now. 2100 + $60/75 motherboard.
2) Spend a bit more. 2500K +30 and $110 motherboard +$30

1 leaves with money to upgrade/save and will perform very well.
2 gives you a lot more power (Speed and cores AND overclocking) and will last a lot longer and full speed many more Dolphin games. (We are talking 4.2Ghz vs 3.1Ghz here)

*There might be some part combos as well.
Like Free Trackmania 2 you can sell!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.722021

Wow, thanks for the advice.

I went with the 460 linked in the OP. Anyways, swapped that out, $30 saved.

Full speed Dolphin is really my main concern here. And for that, you're saying 2500K is necessary? Also, is the motherboard I chose fine, or do you recommend a specific one?

Finally, if I do delve in overclocking, I'll probably need a cooling system right? Probably another $50.

 

[Hazaro]

Wow, thanks for the advice.

I went with the 460 linked in the OP. Anyways, swapped that out, $30 saved.

Full speed Dolphin is really my main concern here. And for that, you're saying 2500K is necessary? Also, is the motherboard I chose fine, or do you recommend a specific one?

Finally, if I do delve in overclocking, I'll probably need a cooling system right? Probably another $50.

A 2500K is not necessary, but it will certainly help now and in the long run in case some games don't run full speed or are not as optimized. The extra speed will really help you out. Additionally if it ever moves to using more than 2 threads.

You need a P67 or Z68 motherboard (check one column to the right) to overclock. Start at $110.
Stock cooler will actually be fine on stock volts (or ~1.25V) to get you to 4Ghz or even up to 4.2Ghz. Otherwise a $30 CM 212+ is fine. A lot of very good $35 and $40 options as well.

Grab that Trackmania 2 free bundle, and that's some money off as well if you can offload it. Some Patriot and Corsair Vengeance RAM bundles with the CPU as well to save $5 or $10 as well.

*Of course you can just have these parts in mind and look out for deals in the coming months as well. A few people have done that in the thread here.

 

[bodyboarder]

Coolermaster RC-341-KKR4 Elite RC-341 wtih PSU
Intel Core i3-2100 1155pin Boxed CPU
ASRock H61M-VS All-In-One 1155pin DDR3 Motherboard
G.Skill-NQ 4GB Kit(2Gx2) DDR3 1600 RAM
ASUS 1GB 6870 PCI-E VGA Card

$450ish.

Just wanting something "cheap" to hook up to the tv for games so 1080p will be the max res stuff will be run at. Any comments, and ideas how long it will last me (ie. how long should I be able to play games easily at 1080p into the future)?