"I need a New PC!" 2011 Thread of reading the OP. Seriously. [Part 2]
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LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
Glad it worked and didn't do anything like.....you know....... blow up your computer 
YW
YW
Piercedveil
Member
I feel like I've asked a million questions, but I guess that's what this thread is for
Right now, I currently have to use wireless for my desktop (which I don't think will change.) If I buy a new motherboard will I have to buy a wireless card also? Currently I have this thing that screws into the back of my tower and I have it sitting on top of my tower. I don't have a wireless card, and I have no idea what to call this thing, but it allows me to have a wireless internet connection due to screwing into my motherboard. I could post a crappy phone pic of this thing if it would help anyone answer my question basically, I'm wondering if I could use this wireless transmitter thing on a different motherboard?
Right now, I currently have to use wireless for my desktop (which I don't think will change.) If I buy a new motherboard will I have to buy a wireless card also? Currently I have this thing that screws into the back of my tower and I have it sitting on top of my tower. I don't have a wireless card, and I have no idea what to call this thing, but it allows me to have a wireless internet connection due to screwing into my motherboard. I could post a crappy phone pic of this thing if it would help anyone answer my question
basically, I'm wondering if I could use this wireless transmitter thing on a different motherboard?Wolf Akela
Member
Well, fuck you Steam.
This is like my 4th 2-3GB TF2 update the past month, and this is supposed to REMOVE the Halloween stuff.
It's also making me redownload L4D2 as an update even though I ALREADY HAVE IT INSTALLED.
This is like my 4th 2-3GB TF2 update the past month, and this is supposed to REMOVE the Halloween stuff.
It's also making me redownload L4D2 as an update even though I ALREADY HAVE IT INSTALLED.
I'm only on 1mbps ADSAFGSARLHJ
Wolf Akela
Member
It's REALLY random.Nabs said:
One day, before I went to work I copied the TF2 files to an external drive to play it at work during lunch time. I had like a 35MB update there so no worries.
I went back home and got greeted by a 2GB update. What the fuck? They're the same files! I ended up copying files from work back to my home PC so that I wouldn't have to put up with that shit.
natethegreat409
Member
Thinking about upgrading my video card. Need some input though.
Corsair 750W PSU SLi ready
G.Skill Ripjaw 8BG RAM
AMD Phenom II X6 2.8Ghz
EVGA GTX 465 1GB
Thinking about going up to a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130657
Is my computer holding me back from making the upgrade, or should I do it? I'm just not very happy with my GTX 465 at all.
Corsair 750W PSU SLi ready
G.Skill Ripjaw 8BG RAM
AMD Phenom II X6 2.8Ghz
EVGA GTX 465 1GB
Thinking about going up to a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130657
Is my computer holding me back from making the upgrade, or should I do it? I'm just not very happy with my GTX 465 at all.
BoobPhysics101
Banned
nastynate409 said:
A 560Ti isn't really a big upgrade over what you've got. Go for a GTX 570.
natethegreat409
Member
Kind of what I was thinking, but don't have that money. Think I'm going to build a whole new gaming machine when I finish nursing school in May.BoobPhysics101 said:
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
Higher res and about the same price, get that 28" if you're gonna buy.
Tallshortman
Member
nastynate409 said:
Your CPU should be fine though you may want to clock it up a bit. GPU wise an upgrade to a 560 Ti isn't large enough a difference to recommend an upgrade from a gtx 465 unless you can sell it for a reasonable price. If you're going to upgrade you should think bigger.
I'd like some help with my sound card settings. What sample rate and bit depth should I choose? I have no clue about this kind of thing. I'm using the Xonar DG with Sennhesier HD 558. Is it possible to damage my headphones by choosing an incorrect sample rate? Should I just keep it at 16 bit/44.1KHz? Is there any perceivable difference going above that?
I'm no expert but sample rate wouldn't damage your headphones as the headphones receive an analogue signal.bs000 said:
I suspect it may cause some minor compatibility issues with some software not supporting higher rates? Should be fine.
me, I'm hoping for some mousepad recommendations. I use a fairly average to low sensitivity. Mainly after something Whig will last longer than 6 months :n current razer laptop one is pilling
thinking sized for a normal desk. Cheers
I hope this is not against ToS, but I bought an online course that only allows each video to be seen twice. What's the best program to capture streaming content? I'd rather have one that allows me to keep using my pc (i.e., it doesn't record part of the screen) and if it is much better, I'm willing to buy a license for a good shareware.
I suspect that buying from Dell is roundly laughed at, but I am just lazy enough that I'd rather someone else build the thing for me and this seems like a reasonable deal for $1020, shipped:
XPS 8300
Processor.........Intel® Core i7-2600 processor(8MB Cache, 3.4GHz)
Memory............8GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 4 DIMMs
Video Card.......Nvidia® GeForce® GTX560Ti with 1.25GB Memory
Hard Drive.......750GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
Network Card...Standard USB 2.0 + 10/100/1000 Ethernet
Optical Drive.....Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
Sound...............THX® TruStudio PC
Wireless............Dell 1501 Wireless-N PCIe Card
Aside from the usual concerns about bloatware and such, is there any reason not to buy pre-built from Dell?
XPS 8300
Processor.........Intel® Core i7-2600 processor(8MB Cache, 3.4GHz)
Memory............8GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 4 DIMMs
Video Card.......Nvidia® GeForce® GTX560Ti with 1.25GB Memory
Hard Drive.......750GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
Network Card...Standard USB 2.0 + 10/100/1000 Ethernet
Optical Drive.....Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
Sound...............THX® TruStudio PC
Wireless............Dell 1501 Wireless-N PCIe Card
Aside from the usual concerns about bloatware and such, is there any reason not to buy pre-built from Dell?
Wolf Akela
Member
That's pretty reasonable if it's a complete PC.
If not... you paid around an extra $200. Sound card is just a waste unless you have good equipment to take advantage of it.
If not... you paid around an extra $200. Sound card is just a waste unless you have good equipment to take advantage of it.
O.DOGG
Member
I'm thinking about an upgrade sometime soon. Really haven't made up my mind yet but I've been looking at different parts, and would like to hear some opinions on them.
I currently have a:
Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3.00GHz
4gb ram
GeForce 460
I'm thinking about upgrading the motherboard, CPU and RAM plus a few extras:
Motherboard: MSI P67A-G45
CPU: i5-2500K
Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB
SSD: Crucial M4 64GB
Soundcard: XONAR DG 5.1
CPU cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212
Everything else will be salvaged from my current machine - hard drives, optical drive, case, 750w (CORSAIR HX750) power supply. I'm not upgrading the videocard just yet. I'm not sure about the motherboard, it seems to be getting positive reviews. I also may consider overclocking the CPU but I have not done any OCing yet, it all depends on how difficult it is.
I'm hoping I can pick some of those up at a discount during Black Friday/Cyber Monday so I'm not making the purchase just yet. I just want to hear opinions on the parts I've chosen, if possible. Thanks
I currently have a:
Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3.00GHz
4gb ram
GeForce 460
I'm thinking about upgrading the motherboard, CPU and RAM plus a few extras:
Motherboard: MSI P67A-G45
CPU: i5-2500K
Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB
SSD: Crucial M4 64GB
Soundcard: XONAR DG 5.1
CPU cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212
Everything else will be salvaged from my current machine - hard drives, optical drive, case, 750w (CORSAIR HX750) power supply. I'm not upgrading the videocard just yet. I'm not sure about the motherboard, it seems to be getting positive reviews. I also may consider overclocking the CPU but I have not done any OCing yet, it all depends on how difficult it is.
I'm hoping I can pick some of those up at a discount during Black Friday/Cyber Monday so I'm not making the purchase just yet. I just want to hear opinions on the parts I've chosen, if possible. Thanks
Wolf Akela
Member
Do you need the soundcard and 16GB of RAM?
I've got 8GB I already feel like a pampered prince in terms of memory.
I've got 8GB I already feel like a pampered prince in terms of memory.
O.DOGG
Member
I'm trying to future-proof the system as much as possible, hence the 16 gigs and ram is very cheap right now.
As for the soundcard, I've been using the built-in sound for my last couple of builds and I believe it may make a difference in sound quality. I have decent enough speakers and at that price point I may try it. I really don't know that it would matter too much, though.
As for the soundcard, I've been using the built-in sound for my last couple of builds and I believe it may make a difference in sound quality. I have decent enough speakers and at that price point I may try it. I really don't know that it would matter too much, though.
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
If you want to save money, just stick with on board audio. I don't have issues unless you have a great sound system you really want to take advantage of or just have money to blow. 16GB RAM is nice if not a bit overkill but definitely future proof. If under 100 or neighboring in that range, I would bite. I stuck with 8GB and am set for a while. I still have 2 expansion bays open too so I may add a 4GB stick someday.
Wolf Akela
Member
IMHO, 8GB is already pretty future proof. 16GB is overkill.
If my PC had enough horsepower I could run like 3 maxed instances of Battlefield 3 with that much system RAM.
But "as much as possible", eh your call. If you were serious about future proofing you'd go with a 2600k as more software designed for >4 threads gets released.
If my PC had enough horsepower I could run like 3 maxed instances of Battlefield 3 with that much system RAM.
But "as much as possible", eh your call. If you were serious about future proofing you'd go with a 2600k as more software designed for >4 threads gets released.
O.DOGG
Member
What do you guys think about the motherboard? Would the ASUS P8Z68-V be a better choice?
MisterNoisy
Member
Good mail-in rebates on a handful of pretty good CPU coolers right now at Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...100008000 4801&IsNodeId=1&name=Mail-in Rebate
Xigmatek Balder SD1283 for $24.99 ($44.99 regularly)
Xigmatek Dark Knight for $18.96 ($38.96 regularly)
Xigmatek Thor's Hammer for $44.99 ($69.99 regularly)
Corsair A70 for $23.99 ($38.99 regularly)
There's other ones in there (and I generally don't like MiR's), but those are the ones that stood out. The Dark Knight, Balder and A70 in particular are nice because they're good values before you get the rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...100008000 4801&IsNodeId=1&name=Mail-in Rebate
Xigmatek Balder SD1283 for $24.99 ($44.99 regularly)
Xigmatek Dark Knight for $18.96 ($38.96 regularly)
Xigmatek Thor's Hammer for $44.99 ($69.99 regularly)
Corsair A70 for $23.99 ($38.99 regularly)
There's other ones in there (and I generally don't like MiR's), but those are the ones that stood out. The Dark Knight, Balder and A70 in particular are nice because they're good values before you get the rebate.
Nice deals.
When I get some more free time I'll figure out what to do on the HDD pricing on the sheet list.
Any suggestions? Maybe just a red box note on the shortage and that prices will change? They are just going to keep jumping around, but I don't want the prices to fool anyone.
When I get some more free time I'll figure out what to do on the HDD pricing on the sheet list.
Any suggestions? Maybe just a red box note on the shortage and that prices will change? They are just going to keep jumping around, but I don't want the prices to fool anyone.
MisterNoisy
Member
Hazaro said:
Yea - just note that HDD prices are in flux. Maybe change the prices to reflect everything but the HDD and add '+HDD cost' (with a couple of links to recommended HDD options) as well.
30-40c idle is normalmcrae said:
Under load you want a maximum of 70C (prime95, occt, orthos programs in the op)
You should probably remount the heatsink with the motherboard outside the case, check if you took the plastic off the bottom, or a pin has not went in all the way (it must snap or click)
crisdecuba
Member
Hey guys,
Any recommendations for external hard drives? Or at least the ones to stay away from?
I recently bought two Western Digital - My Book Essential 2TB External USB 3.0/2.0 hard drives, but they seem pretty slow when it comes to spinning up to speed. I'm worried because they were regularly priced at $150+ but were discounted to $89.00. (The price is now back up.)
This is basically to store my DVD and Blu Ray rips, so any recommendation would be appreciated. Should I go with a smaller sized drive (maybe 1TB increments) to increase speed?
Any recommendations for external hard drives? Or at least the ones to stay away from?
I recently bought two Western Digital - My Book Essential 2TB External USB 3.0/2.0 hard drives, but they seem pretty slow when it comes to spinning up to speed. I'm worried because they were regularly priced at $150+ but were discounted to $89.00. (The price is now back up.)
This is basically to store my DVD and Blu Ray rips, so any recommendation would be appreciated. Should I go with a smaller sized drive (maybe 1TB increments) to increase speed?
I'm going to buy a new video card and decided to get a GTX 460, thing is I'm not really sure which version to get. I've narrowed it down to these 2:
1) Gigabyte GF GTX460 1GB GDDR5 PCIE GV-N460SE-1GI 134.84,- EUR
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3638#sp
2) MSI GF GTX460 1GB GDDR5 PCIE N460GTX-MD1GD5/OC 137.85 EUR
http://www.msi.com/product/vga/N460GTX-MD1GD5-OC.html#?div=Specification
Can't really find any good reviews for them online, thought maybe someone here could help me make a decision.
Thanks
1) Gigabyte GF GTX460 1GB GDDR5 PCIE GV-N460SE-1GI 134.84,- EUR
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3638#sp
2) MSI GF GTX460 1GB GDDR5 PCIE N460GTX-MD1GD5/OC 137.85 EUR
http://www.msi.com/product/vga/N460GTX-MD1GD5-OC.html#?div=Specification
Can't really find any good reviews for them online, thought maybe someone here could help me make a decision.
Thanks
I don't necessarily disagree, but I don't agree either. Future proofing RAM seems silly, indeed, but futureproofing other things isn't necessarily a bad idea.Gvaz said:
I'm glad I paid slightly more for my Core2Quad Q6600 back when they were "overpriced" parts (and everyone was telling me to get a Core2Duo with a slightly faster clock), because it lasted me longer. Sure, I saw slightly less bang for my buck in the early days, but several years later I was laughing at my friends who were forking out for quad core CPUs, new motherboards and DDR3 RAM after their dual cores weren't performing how they'd like on the latest games, whereas my quad core served me exceptionally well for over four years, and this allowed me to get a 4870X2 which helped my previous PC see off the last two years. I spent an extra £100-odd, and saved quite a bit a few years down the line.
I know things are different right now and, for example, there's not so much wisdom in getting an i7 over an i5 for gaming (because seriously, will games ever use hyperthreading?), but I think I made a good call getting the Q6600, especially for games like DXHR.
The only reason I upgraded recently was because I'm going to be a student again a year from now, and I won't be able to afford it at that time. Plus this machine doesn't need to last me half as long as my last one; I'm leaving the country 2-3 years from now, and I probably won't be able to take it with me.
Either way, if I wasn't going back to university, I'd have happily held off for 6-12 months and bought £600-odd worth of parts then. I'm sure my old PC could've coped.
The ban is removed and I am back!
It has been painful reading this thread and wanting to help without the ability to respond for two months. Ugh.
@Smokey
The 90 degree cases don't work for non-reference cooled cards, that's why you're getting high temps. It's even on Silverstone's FAQ regarding the case.
I've had a few projects I've been working on while gone. With the sad arrival of Bulldozer, I went sandybridge. Here are some poorly resized (made the quality ickey) pics of my most recent project.
Fractal Arc Mini
2500K
XSPC RS240
Corsair F90
8GB Corsair LP Vengeance
MSI 560Ti SLI
Seasonic X750
ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z
Also just added a Corsair Force GT 120GB.
The loudest part of the case is of course the GPUs, crazy loud in BF3, but fairly quiet while playing Tribes. Which is the only game that I care about now.
So, with loud GPUs, why go watercooling then?
5.0 Ghz stable 24/7. Ahhhh jyeaaa.
Loving this build so much, ended up buying another 2500K, Gene-Z, and 8GB Low Profile RAM for a total overhaul mod with the Lian Li V600FX. I'm addicted to pseudo-SFF builds now.
It has been painful reading this thread and wanting to help without the ability to respond for two months. Ugh.
@Smokey
The 90 degree cases don't work for non-reference cooled cards, that's why you're getting high temps. It's even on Silverstone's FAQ regarding the case.
I've had a few projects I've been working on while gone. With the sad arrival of Bulldozer, I went sandybridge. Here are some poorly resized (made the quality ickey) pics of my most recent project.
Fractal Arc Mini
2500K
XSPC RS240
Corsair F90
8GB Corsair LP Vengeance
MSI 560Ti SLI
Seasonic X750
ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z
Also just added a Corsair Force GT 120GB.
The loudest part of the case is of course the GPUs, crazy loud in BF3, but fairly quiet while playing Tribes. Which is the only game that I care about now.
So, with loud GPUs, why go watercooling then?
5.0 Ghz stable 24/7. Ahhhh jyeaaa.
Loving this build so much, ended up buying another 2500K, Gene-Z, and 8GB Low Profile RAM for a total overhaul mod with the Lian Li V600FX. I'm addicted to pseudo-SFF builds now.
BoobPhysics101
Banned
I have decided to skip the Swan M10's and go a step further: M-Audio DSM1 studio monitor speakers. They retailed for $650 each. Going to be GLORIOUS!
Schmattakopf
Member
It's doing it again. I shut it down, and when I went to turn it on, it stalled, turned itself off, turned itself on again, and did that at least ten times. Then finally, it turned on and stayed on, the CPU fan started, and it booted with no problems. I can't tell what the problem isthis only started happening after I started overclocking, and there happened to be several power surges in a row while I was working on it, but the CPU is back at stock speeds, stress tests are fine, and there are no other problems with the computer.Schmattakopf said:
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Welcome to modern day PC building.mcrae said:
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