Support NeoGAF

[Hazaro]

I can't imagine how many times it has been asked, and it's a very basic question, but I can't find it in this thread.

What do you guys usually do with your old builds (assuming you are not re-using parts?) is the best course of action craigslist or something like that?

Anandtech, HardForum, GAF B/S/T, CAG, CL, eBay last

I'll try to shop online there if I can't find anywhere else. However, I found this store, but I can't find the Hard Drive, Memory RAM and Motherboard suggested in the $500-$900PC build Does anyone know any alternatives that are similar?

http://www.centralcomputers.com/

HDD I'd get online, their selection and prices are kind of bad.
Memory online as well if you want, much cheaper. If not then whatever, 2x4GB DDR3 unbuffered 1.5V RAM.
Mobo you can get
Asus P8Z68-V LX or
Asus P8Z68-V LE from them if you want. Again, online cheaper.

 

[Manp]

OCZ(and all sandforce drives) had a bug, Crucials drives had a bug, so who else would you recommend? I guess you have to go Samsung.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5460/samsung-updates-the-firmware-of-ssd-830-series-fixes-bsod-issue

so...

crucial? fixed
samsung? fixed
OCZ (sandforce)? fixed? looking at OCZ and Corsair forums it still seems to be very much hit or miss even after going through all the steps they suggest (that reads more like some esoteric ritual than troubleshooting)

 

[Sanky Panky]

Anandtech, HardForum, GAF B/S/T, CAG, CL, eBay last
.

Awesome thanks! I'm rocking a quad 4gb q6600 system, so I'll be happy to get $150-200 for it!

 

[Prezhulio]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245

is this an unusually good price for a 2TB F4 ($160) since the flooding? I thought they were around $250 last i checked...


edit: and one for $130 from seagate? are prices coming down or is this a fluke sale/availability and i should jump on one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148681

 

[Hazaro]

It's not terrible.
Prices slowly slowly sliding down. I think they are all in agreement to milk these profits from non OEM buyers while they can since they were making almost no margins for a long time

 

[OriginofHysteria]

Microcenter.

I live bout 45 mins from that place, it's quite awesome than ordering from NewEgg.

 

[mugurumakensei]

Microcenter.

If microcenter was available near the border I would definitely recommend them, but they only have a Houston and Dallas location. Nevertheless, microcenter is definitely the best brick and mortar shop for pc parts.

 

[Prezhulio]

It's not terrible.
Prices slowly slowly sliding down. I think they are all in agreement to milk these profits from non OEM buyers while they can since they were making almost no margins for a long time

Haha gotcha thanks! I kinda remember 2tb being ~$100 when I did my build in summer 2010, so the $130 price seemed almost acceptable. I think I'll hold off until I'm under the 50gb mark or a really good deal, I'm at 100gb free now so this coming seasons of games will likely bring me to my knees.

 

[Shambles]

Haha gotcha thanks! I kinda remember 2tb being ~$100 when I did my build in summer 2010, so the $130 price seemed almost acceptable. I think I'll hold off until I'm under the 50gb mark or a really good deal, I'm at 100gb free now so this coming seasons of games will likely bring me to my knees.

It's pretty bad still. 2TB drives were frequently at $70 and weren't hard to find for $60. Most drives are still priced at around double what prices were at before the flood. If you have to buy a drive though you have to buy a drive.

 

[Mr_eX]

How much longer do you think my PC will last before I need to upgrade?

Phenom II X4 965 BE
GTX 570
16 gb ram
630 watt PSU

 

[Smokey]

How much longer do you think my PC will last before I need to upgrade?

Phenom II X4 965 BE
GTX 570
16 gb ram
630 watt PSU

Your CPU is the weakest of the components but realistically you could keep trucking with this system for at least a good 2 years.

 

[teh_pwn]

I can't imagine how many times it has been asked, and it's a very basic question, but I can't find it in this thread.

What do you guys usually do with your old builds (assuming you are not re-using parts?) is the best course of action craigslist or something like that?

2003 PC is so old it cannot even run Netflix fast, so It's just sitting around.

2009 PC became HTPC for bedroom. Or was it 2010? Fuck I've got the bug bad.

2011 PC is currently used as a proper desktop, but will eventually become HTPC for living room and if the rumors on console specs are true it will be fast enough to run PS4/1080 ports fast with minor bumps in resolution/IQ (i7 2600, 16 GB RAM, 6950x2, Crucial m4 256 GB >>> 6670 with 3 GB of total RAM).

2013 will be my final PC build for some time. It will use Intel Haswell, and either CF/SLI of AMD 7000/GTX6xx or a single board from AMD 8000/GTX7xx to start if they just came out. By the time 2015 comes around I hope to be focused more on raising a family or something. I'll eventually build another PC.

 

[RibbedHero]

Intel opened its back door and shuttled out a refresh of its chips without so much as a phone call, typical! Three desktop Core i5 chips made their way into the big bad world, the i5-2550K replacing the i5-2500K, the i5-2450P replacing the i5-2400 and the i5-2380P replacing the i5-2320. There's a suspicion that the P that follows the two latter models means the GPUs have been disabled / removed to differentiate the price. The four Celerons, two low-voltage, two ultra-low voltage similarly replace older models, from the $70 B720 (replacing the B710) through to the $134 Celeron 867, supplanting the 857. If that list of numbers hasn't whetted your appetite for, erm, more numbers, then head on past for detail so comprehensive you'll have to make sure it's covered by your HMO.


Core / Thread Freq. L3 Cache Price
Core i5-2550K 4/4 3.4GHz 6MB $225
Core i5-2450P 4/4 3.2GHz 6MB $195
Core i5-2380P 4/4 3.1GHz 6MB $177
Celeron B815 2/2 1.6GHz 2MB $86
Celeron B720 1/1 1.7GHz 1MB $70
Celeron 867 2/2 1.3GHz 2MB $134
Celeron 797 1/1 1.4GHz 1MB $107

http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/intel-quietly-outs-seven-new-sandy-bridge-cpus-to-check-were-pa/


Old news?

 

[Hazaro]

Old and moot. Not going to be cheaper than 2500K most likely so no point to it.
iGPU is good to have with Z68 incase your GPU craps out since you get nicer video through mobo if you have video out.

 

[teh_pwn]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/intel-quietly-outs-seven-new-sandy-bridge-cpus-to-check-were-pa/


Old news?

Just get current Sandy. It's one thing to pay 10% more for 100 MHz if there's no OC, but to pay more for 100 MHz when you're going to OC 1 GHz makes no sense. It's still 6 MB cache, still no HT which is useful for some apps. I don't see any benefits.




Sort of tangential topic, but can I recover Steam if my OS HDD is replaced and Steam was installed to a secondary HDD?

If it cannot, I'm going to just install steam to my new OS drive. 256 GB SSD over my previous 128 GB. I may have to limit 4-5 games at a time, but I think it's doable. Or has Steam added multi-HDD install features?

Edit: Fuck. I should have read the OP. Ah, it uses junctions to trick Steam into thinking it's all one HDD. Makes sense.

 

[RibbedHero]

Just get current Sandy. It's one thing to pay 10% more for 100 MHz if there's no OC, but to pay more for 100 MHz when you're going to OC 1 GHz makes no sense. It's still 6 MB cache, still no HT which is useful for some apps. I don't see any benefits.




Sort of tangential topic, but can I recover Steam if my OS HDD is replaced and Steam was installed to a secondary HDD?

If it cannot, I'm going to just install steam to my new OS drive. 256 GB SSD over my previous 128 GB. I may have to limit 4-5 games at a time, but I think it's doable. Or has Steam added multi-HDD install features?

Edit: Fuck. I should have read the OP. Ah, it uses junctions to trick Steam into thinking it's all one HDD. Makes sense.

I myself wasn't looking to get it, just wanted to know the general consensus. Thanks for the information, no wonder it's not a big news story.

 

[Hellish]

7950's are out


$459.99 - $499.99 + Shipping + $10 for Canada
US: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...esktop Graphics / Video Cards&Order=BESTMATCH
Canada:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...ards & Video Devices&Order=PRICED&Pagesize=20
10 Models Available

 

[tycoonheart]

Any reviews out there comparing the 7950s to the 7970s?

 

[RukusProvider]

Gaf, trying to sell my old comp on Craigslist

q6600
Asus P5k Deluxe with Wifi
4GB RAM
GTX 260 (216)
Barracuda 7200.9 500GB HDD
Thermaltake Kandalf Case
NO PSU (using in my current system)

Games: Far Cry, Fear, BF2, WC3 BattleChest, Riddick, some other old ones

I know the gmaes are worth almost nothing but I rather give them away than throw them away.

 

[AwesomeSauce]

Heads up!

Was at my local Fry's today, and spotted this beastly looking CPU cooler. It's the Raidmax X3 and although I already have a Hyper 212+, For 20$ it was hard not to try and compare the
two.

There aren't really any "real" reviews from hardware sites, just forum posts, but like i said for 20$ I'm going to compare the temps to my Hyper 212+ and keep one and sell the other to my buddy.

 

[Hazaro]

Gaf, trying to sell my old comp on Craigslist

q6600
Asus P5k Deluxe with Wifi
4GB RAM
GTX 260 (216)
Barracuda 7200.9 500GB HDD
Thermaltake Kandalf Case
NO PSU (using in my current system)

Games: Far Cry, Fear, BF2, WC3 BattleChest, Riddick, some other old ones

I know the gmaes are worth almost nothing but I rather give them away than throw them away.

$300?

 

[clo1_2000]

Just ordered this tonight:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=22986247

 

[RukusProvider]

$300?

Thanks. I was gonna put it up for $340 and take $300. Seems like that's the right spot.

 

[Naka]

Just ordered this tonight:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=22986247

Grats! I have the same build with a different video card and case. Oh and a 750 instead of an 850. Should be an awesome machine!

Edit: Thought it was 2500k... Why not a 2500k??

 

[Hazaro]

Just ordered this tonight:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=22986247

Why not a 2500K and a custom cooler on the 7970?

Let me know how the 212+ and the RAM sinks work out.

 

[Goody]

Just ordered the parts for my first-ever PC build. Spent around 700 for something that I hope is a good entry-level gaming machine. A more knowledgeable friend helped me pick stuff out based on my budget.

Intel Core i5-2500 + Biostar motherboard
Radeon HD 6850 1GB
8GB RAM
Hitachi 500GB HD
SeaSonic M12II 520W PSU
ASUS 24X DVD Burner
And a white NZXT H2 case

Did I do OK, GAF?

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Just ordered the parts for my first-ever PC build. Spent around 700 for something that I hope is a good entry-level gaming machine. A more knowledgeable friend helped me pick stuff out based on my budget.

Intel Core i5-2500 + Biostar motherboard
Radeon HD 6850 1GB
8GB RAM
Hitachi 500GB HD
SeaSonic M12II 520W PSU
ASUS 24X DVD Burner
And a white NZXT H2 case

Did I do OK, GAF?

Nope. 2500 is junk when the 2500k is only $10 more and can overclock to the high heavens. :\ I suggest cancelling the 2500, grabbing a 2500k, and maybe a better mobo.

 

[Wolf Akela]

Could've went for a 6870. It's $15-20 more for ~15% better performance.

I assumed that's the cheapest H61 Biostar. 2500 non-k is not junk if he doesn't want to overclock at all. He's gonna add a lot more than just $10 for a P67/Z68.

 

[Hazaro]

Just ordered the parts for my first-ever PC build. Spent around 700 for something that I hope is a good entry-level gaming machine. A more knowledgeable friend helped me pick stuff out based on my budget.

Intel Core i5-2500 + Biostar motherboard
Radeon HD 6850 1GB
8GB RAM
Hitachi 500GB HD
SeaSonic M12II 520W PSU
ASUS 24X DVD Burner
And a white NZXT H2 case

Did I do OK, GAF?

Yup. 6870 is a good buy as wolf stated. Ideally if you could have spent another $50 on 2500K upgrade and a P67/Z68 board that would have been a better option.

 

[Goody]

Aww, man. Too late. But, that's OK, I'm not looking to do anything too crazy, especially considering I have absolutely no knowledge on overclocking.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Aww, man. Too late. But, that's OK, I'm not looking to do anything too crazy, especially considering I have absolutely no knowledge on overclocking.

Overclocking is easy on these boards. And is a solid 1 Ghz extra for free.

 

[dojugoo]

Anybody could help with how to reduce the size that the windows 7 install takes? I am using a 60 gb ssd, and its eating about ~15 gbs. I remember finding a site where you change some settings, but I don't remember where.

 

[Wolf Akela]

Turn off Virtual Memory and Hibernation.

Though that's roughly what Win7 eats by itself.

 

[Ajemsuhgao]

Random question, is there a program out there that is similar to the Crucial System Scanner? Something that will tell me what the current configuration of memory a system has(type, speed, what slots are being used), and how much the mobo supports?

 

[Hazaro]

Random question, is there a program out there that is similar to the Crucial System Scanner? Something that will tell me what the current configuration of memory a system has(type, speed, what slots are being used), and how much the mobo supports?

CPU-Z and website for your motherboard/manual?

 

[Ajemsuhgao]

CPU-Z and website for your motherboard/manual?

Trying to be as time efficient as possible, and get the info from one single proram. CPU-z tells me what's currently installed, but not what the specific motherboard supports.

 

[Hazaro]

I don't know of any, what does?

 

[kitch9]

Aww, man. Too late. But, that's OK, I'm not looking to do anything too crazy, especially considering I have absolutely no knowledge on overclocking.

On my Asrock board I select "Use 4.6GHZ Profile" and click ok.

Thats it.

 

[Hazaro]

On my Asrock board I select "Use 4.6GHZ Profile" and click ok.

Thats it.

Please don't use auto OC. It hurts me

 

[D-Pad]

I'm building a PC (first timer here, hi) and was basing my choices on the Excellent build, (i5 2500k, etc). However microcenter is having a sale and I can buy an AMD FX 8120 Black Edition 3.1GHz Eight-Core Socket AM3+ Boxed Processor and get a GA-970A-UD3 Socket AM3+ 970 ATX AMD Motherboard for free. (copy pasted names, sorry) This will cost me a mere $20 more than the i5 and saves me about $100 on top of the money I'm saving from the sale. Is there any reason I shouldn't go through with this? What changes will I need to make to my build?

 

[Flizzzipper]

Hey guys, love the thread. It's been a real help building my new PC. I'm basically going to build the "Enthusiast" PC with a few upgrades but I'm wondering about SSD. Is the speed increase with loading etc worth it to go 240gb and install steam on there? My current steam install is like 50gb so I don't take up a ton of space and don't usually keep games installed I am not playing. I'm already going to be spending around 2k on this pc so an extra couple hundred isn't going to kill me. Thanks!

 

[Wolf Akela]

I'm building a PC (first timer here, hi) and was basing my choices on the Excellent build, (i5 2500k, etc). However microcenter is having a sale and I can buy an AMD FX 8120 Black Edition 3.1GHz Eight-Core Socket AM3+ Boxed Processor and get a GA-970A-UD3 Socket AM3+ 970 ATX AMD Motherboard for free. (copy pasted names, sorry) This will cost me a mere $20 more than the i5 and saves me about $100 on top of the money I'm saving from the sale. Is there any reason I shouldn't go through with this? What changes will I need to make to my build?

Do you mean you add $20 compared to 2500k+motherboard?

A better version of that AMD processor is still beaten by the 2500k.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=434

 

[Hazaro]

I'm building a PC (first timer here, hi) and was basing my choices on the Excellent build, (i5 2500k, etc). However microcenter is having a sale and I can buy an AMD FX 8120 Black Edition 3.1GHz Eight-Core Socket AM3+ Boxed Processor and get a GA-970A-UD3 Socket AM3+ 970 ATX AMD Motherboard for free. (copy pasted names, sorry) This will cost me a mere $20 more than the i5 and saves me about $100 on top of the money I'm saving from the sale. Is there any reason I shouldn't go through with this? What changes will I need to make to my build?

Poor Microcenter has to clear out Bulldozer stock, they getting mad desperate.
No, unless you pretty much only do video work. You are asking to take a Phenom x4 instead of a 2500K in every other task. I mean I even have Bulldozer in bold text in the OP!

Hey guys, love the thread. It's been a real help building my new PC. I'm basically going to build the "Enthusiast" PC with a few upgrades but I'm wondering about SSD. Is the speed increase with loading etc worth it to go 240gb and install steam on there? My current steam install is like 50gb so I don't take up a ton of space and don't usually keep games installed I am not playing. I'm already going to be spending around 2k on this pc so an extra couple hundred isn't going to kill me. Thanks!

You should be able to fit what you need on a 128GB imo.
Steam games to HDD, Steam exe to SSD if you want, but you have to set up links and stuff. Links in the OP.

 

[D-Pad]

Do you mean you add $20 compared to 2500k+motherboard?

A better version of that AMD processor is still beaten by the 2500k.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=434

No I meant I add $20 compared to the cost of the i5 alone. The whole deal is saving me from spending money on a mother board. Thanks for the link, though... Might go ahead and spend the extra money on the i5 + mobo.

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/57e09b6d#/57e09b6d/2 (bottom left)

 

[chickdigger802]

Need a quick checkup.

Currently comp.

p5k SE mobo
C2Q 9550 2.83ghz
4gb ram
gtx 460 768mb

With my mobo getting old as balls (doesn't support ddr3 ram or sli)... was wondering are there any elements that I can upgrade and get a noticeable performance boost?

Planning to build a new rig next year, but a stopgap upgrade would be nice.

 

[Wolf Akela]

Poor Microcenter has to clear out Bulldozer stock, they getting mad desperate.

How you lovin' dem $150 firesales for the 2500k? v_v

 

[D-Pad]

Poor Microcenter has to clear out Bulldozer stock, they getting mad desperate.
No, unless you pretty much only do video work. You are asking to take a Phenom x4 instead of a 2500K in every other task. I mean I even have Bulldozer in bold text in the OP!

What are you responding to? I didn't mention anything about a Bulldozer...

Edit - ah I see. Bulldozer is an AMD tech. I said this was my first custom pc, go easy on me!

 

[Hazaro]

Need a quick checkup.

Currently comp.

p5k SE mobo
C2Q 9550 2.83ghz
4gb ram
gtx 460 768mb

With my mobo getting old as balls (doesn't support ddr3 ram or sli)... was wondering are there any elements that I can upgrade and get a noticeable performance boost?

Planning to build a new rig next year, but a stopgap upgrade would be nice.

Overclock CPU to 3.2 or higher, OC GPU 20%. Otherwise I'd be saving. Still is a nice rig.

How you lovin' dem $150 firesales for the 2500k? v_v

If I could have bought one there at launch I would have.

What are you responding to? I didn't mention anything about a Bulldozer...

Edit - ah I see. Bulldozer is an AMD tech. I said this was my first custom pc, go easy on me!

Right, AMD's FX line of 4(6)(8)xxx is their new CPU architecture. Which is... not the greatest.
2500K all the way.

 

[D-Pad]

\Right, AMD's FX line of 4(6)(8)xxx is their new CPU architecture. Which is... not the greatest.
2500K all the way.

Thanks guys!

 

[kitch9]

Please don't use auto OC. It hurts me

I wouldn't, but I've no reason not to. Its using decent voltages, temps are VERY low under my massive Phanteks Cooler and its not skipped a beat, very boring though.

My oldschool rig is my office rig which runs a 1090T and that scratches my tweaking itch. I spent most of yesterday afternoon finding the best balance between NB and Multi clocks, whilst maxing out my RAM.