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Official 2008 "I Need A New PC" Thread
- Thread starter Kosma
- Start date
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
It depends on your resolution. If you game at 720p you wouldn't benefit much from the extra memory and horsepower, but if you game at 1080p then you would definitely see the improvement.zankara said:I am having trouble deciding between a 4850 512MB, 4870 512MB or a 4870 1GB. Obviously I will get better performance from the 4870 1GB but is the boost in performance enough to justify the price over the 4850?
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
brain_stew
Member
chespace said:
Given the myriad of drawbacks of SLI, I'd take even a 4870 over it anyday. Still, that's not to say it isn't a bargain at that price.
Well fuck me.
Woke up this morning to the terrible sound of the UPS squealing. I have my computer and some other stuff plugged into it. This happens about once a month, no idea why. Anyway, I reset the power supply and hit the power button on the PC. Nothing.
So, is this a case of a busted power supply? This is my first build (about 6 months ago now) and first serious trouble I've hit. Any help would be great.
Woke up this morning to the terrible sound of the UPS squealing. I have my computer and some other stuff plugged into it. This happens about once a month, no idea why. Anyway, I reset the power supply and hit the power button on the PC. Nothing.
So, is this a case of a busted power supply? This is my first build (about 6 months ago now) and first serious trouble I've hit. Any help would be great.
bigGIRLSblouse
Member
Gully State said:
Ok you guys convinced me to not buy a stock system and build one. I have never built a 64 bit machine. Anything I need to know going into it? And since it seems like the best place to ask... If you had 1000 to spend on a custom rig.. what parts would you all buy? I have been out of the loop for 5+ years on this stuff so what you guys say will turn into my comp.
Thanks for all the input.
VictimOfGrief
Banned
It shouldn't unless you have power save features on to do so.kakashi08 said:
In other news, my 3.2 overclock I have deemed not to be stable so I down rev'ed to 3.0GHz now and am testing that. I'm thinking it's my memory that is limiting me on my overclock since it is just your generic A-Data memory.
I think in the next couple of weeks I'm going to be picking up a P45 Gigabyte board along with some G.Skill Ram and move my Q6600 over to that and see how things go. Oh well, still plenty fast.
Intel released Official Tjunction Max. a couple days back.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/intel-dts-specs,news-29460.html
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/intel-dts-specs,news-29460.html
eznark said:
Did you try plugging the power supply into a different (non-UPS outlet) and see if it works? If not, then I would suspect the PS as the culprit, they do make power supply testers but if the PS was pretty cheap to begin with it's probably not worth getting one and just picking up a new PS instead. Eventually as you build more and more PC's you get a supply of spare part laying around that makes diagnosing problems that much easier
Using a 1080p TV as PC monitor + Nvidia video card.
Is there a way to set things up so that your TV wouldn't scale the image?
Like if I wanted to play a game at 720p, but I wanted it to be pixel perfect 720p and have black bars all around.
My TV has a dot-by-dot mode, but the Nvidia control panel wouldn't let me change the scaling options. I see all the options in the control panel, including "do not scale", but they all appear greyed out. ??
Is there a way to set things up so that your TV wouldn't scale the image?
Like if I wanted to play a game at 720p, but I wanted it to be pixel perfect 720p and have black bars all around.
My TV has a dot-by-dot mode, but the Nvidia control panel wouldn't let me change the scaling options. I see all the options in the control panel, including "do not scale", but they all appear greyed out. ??
VictimOfGrief
Banned
chespace said:The 4870x2 is an enclosed style (at least on the front) so you can handle it by the plastic case.
Can you tell I love my GPU?
Yes Che we know you fondle it every freaking night. :lol
Just got a new PC with E8400, 4 gigs RAM and a 1 gig 8470. Crysis looks awesome.
I also picked up a Logitech Wave keyboard, and I must say that I'm really impressed with it. It feels very nice and actually usable/comfortable unlike most ergonomic keyboards which are terrible to type on and generally more uncomfortable than regular keyboards. Its taking a little getting used to for typing on but its definitely great for games right now.
I also picked up a Logitech Wave keyboard, and I must say that I'm really impressed with it. It feels very nice and actually usable/comfortable unlike most ergonomic keyboards which are terrible to type on and generally more uncomfortable than regular keyboards. Its taking a little getting used to for typing on but its definitely great for games right now.
This is my system.
CPU: 5800 (using the fan came with it)
RAM: 4GB CORSAIR (DDR2 800)
GPU: 4870 1GB POWERCOLOR
PSU: ANTEC EA650 650W
MOBO: 780I (ASUS P5N-T DELUXE)
-Ok the problem is that the pc shuts down while gaming.
-I updated the drivers also.
-What setting should i put the "gpu clock" and "memory clock" at in the control center? also fan speed. plz help
CPU: 5800 (using the fan came with it)
RAM: 4GB CORSAIR (DDR2 800)
GPU: 4870 1GB POWERCOLOR
PSU: ANTEC EA650 650W
MOBO: 780I (ASUS P5N-T DELUXE)
-Ok the problem is that the pc shuts down while gaming.
-I updated the drivers also.
-What setting should i put the "gpu clock" and "memory clock" at in the control center? also fan speed. plz help
kakashi08 said:
What game(s) are you playing? Some games don't play nice with new hardware, or are just buggy. Warhammer Online shut down my computer twice.
Also, I don't think the problem would be your GPU if your whole computer shuts down, as your GPU failing would probably just result in a black screen. I would say your CPU/Mobo might be a fault here. What are your temps?
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
Try checking the dump file for information on the crash. Check the temps to make sure they are reasonable during gaming. You can go to the Windows event viewer and look for errors that occurred around the time of the crash. Try rolling back video drivers to a previous version to see if that helps. Or it might even be caused by other hardware.kakashi08 said:
I used to get occasional BSODs from my NVidia card. I put it in another computer and never had a problem again. Sometimes hardware just doesn't play nice together.
The Q9550 is a beast.
I just OC'ed it to 3.6 and am running Prime95 now. Temperatures peaking at 58 degrees now on load.
It'll probably hit 65 at some point but I kept the vcore at 1.320, which was what my CPU was running at when it was 3.4 so hopefully the heat shouldn't go beyond 65.
I just OC'ed it to 3.6 and am running Prime95 now. Temperatures peaking at 58 degrees now on load.
It'll probably hit 65 at some point but I kept the vcore at 1.320, which was what my CPU was running at when it was 3.4 so hopefully the heat shouldn't go beyond 65.
kakashi08 said:
-Ok like i said that its shuts down when i open up the game, after 40sec the pc shuts down. Know im installing COD4 and it shuts down like 2mins during the install. So what could this problem be?
-And when i build this pc, i putted everything together and installed the OS. thats it, i did not do any setting for bios things and like that. I wont have to unless im tweaking and overlocking stuff like that right?(ofcourse i did intall drivers though).
-I am RMAing this gpu and getting the GTX 260. because ati gave me problem like this year ago also, that time i returned it (some ati gpu) and got a 7600gs(was sexy at the time). so no more ati for me (never).
-plus im using the fan tht came in the retail box for the cpu. should i get a cpu cooler?
TheHeretic
Banned
chespace said:The Q9550 is a beast.
I just OC'ed it to 3.6 and am running Prime95 now. Temperatures peaking at 58 degrees now on load.
It'll probably hit 65 at some point but I kept the vcore at 1.320, which was what my CPU was running at when it was 3.4 so hopefully the heat shouldn't go beyond 65.
Yeah just keep it below 70. OCCT is also faster in finding errors in my experience, prime95 really needs to run all night.
Open Source
Banned
kakashi08 said:
There could be many other culprits besides the GPU, with power supply, motherboard, RAM and CPU being top contenders. Like people said earlier, you need to check error logs and monitor temperatures and such. You may also want to check the RAM compatibility list for your motherboard and update your motherboard BIOS.
Edit: After reading the newegg reviews for your motherboard, it sounds like a prime suspect, especially if you have not updated the BIOS.
I seem to be having a recurring problem with my PC now. The system tends to forget my desktop settings every few restarts/shutdowns, and reverts everything to default. I usually use Windows Classic (the gray bars and stuff) with a plain black background. It will revert back to the ugly blue bars. It also reverts to the default Windows sound scheme, though I usually have it set to no sounds.
Additionally, it sometimes has this plug icon that says "On AC power" when I put my mouse over it.
Anyone know how to stop it from doing this? I thought at first it had something to do with my previous tendency to also shut down the PSU at night, but it started doing it even after I stopped doing that.
Additionally, it sometimes has this plug icon that says "On AC power" when I put my mouse over it.
Anyone know how to stop it from doing this? I thought at first it had something to do with my previous tendency to also shut down the PSU at night, but it started doing it even after I stopped doing that.
VictimOfGrief
Banned
kakashi08 said:
Sounds like there might be short somewhere on the motherboard since it just shuts down all by itself right?
You might want to update the bios for the motherboard (if available). Also try another video card (el cheapo) before you RMA the 4870 just to see if it's having a problem. Also to keep into account, some system boards don't like some of the newer video cards. For some reason my Gigabyte P35 didn't like my 9600GT I bought and/or the card was a lemon--- XFX gave me a new 8800GT and I haven't had any issues with it.
You running Vista or XP by chance? (just curious)
crimsonheadGCN
Banned
I'm looking to get a new PC for under $850. I want a pre-built one, since I'm kind of unsure of how I would do with building my own. So can anyone suggest a good company to order from? Is iBUYPOWER.com any good?
Sweet, just ran prime95 overnight and came up with zero errors. Peak temperature was core 0 at 70 degrees.
I've OC'ed my Core 2 Quad Yorkfield Q9550 from 2.8 to 3.6 (8 x 450). OC'ed the RAM to 900 (1:1) and am running on 1.31 vcore. Everything else I've left auto in the bios.
I really like the P5Q Pro mobo. Recommend it to all n00bs building a system.
I think I'll leave it right here for a while.
I've OC'ed my Core 2 Quad Yorkfield Q9550 from 2.8 to 3.6 (8 x 450). OC'ed the RAM to 900 (1:1) and am running on 1.31 vcore. Everything else I've left auto in the bios.
I really like the P5Q Pro mobo. Recommend it to all n00bs building a system.
I think I'll leave it right here for a while.
VictimOfGrief
Banned
Really no point in you going any higher than that Che.
VictimOfGrief said:
Im running Vista 32bit home premium
- i ordered a gtx260 and still have the 48701gb. Also got a cpu cooler and a better power supply.
-First gna try the cpu cooler, if that dont work then the psu, and if that dont work then the gtx260. hopefully the problem is the cpu cooler or the power supply, cause want to keep the 48701gb. but if its the 4870 then guess going to keep the gtx260 and return the 48701gb.
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
I think making a new build might be even easier than upgrading, in some cases. There are tons of videos and tutorials out there (check YouTube), and I'm sure the people here can answer most of your questions.Mr.City said:
I think the two biggest n00b mistakes to avoid are shorting out your motherboard and not plugging in your CPU fan. Also, make sure not to use too much thermal paste.
I'm trying to plot out an HD HTPC build for my parents Christmas present this year (they are buying themselves an HDTV finally). Trying to keep the budget down. So far I had this specced out, any thoughts / suggestions? Every HTPC build I've found is extremely dated at this point. The primary requirement is the ability to play 1080p content (both mkv and BR discs).
I've intentionally skimped out on a couple of parts (tuner and HDD space) because I don't want to invest a tonne of money only to find out they aren't really into the whole HTPC concept.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H AMD 780G mATX AM2+ PCI-EX SATA RAID Video Sound GLAN 1394 HDMI Motherboard
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core Processor AM2 2.7GHZ 2X512KB 65W 65NM Retail Box
RAM:
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-5400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC2-5400 DDR2-667 CL 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory
HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive OEM
BD-ROM Reader:
LG GGC-H20L BLU-RAY HD-DVD Reader BD-ROM 6X HD DVD-ROM 3X DVD+-RW 16X8X6 DL 4X Black SATA Software
Case:
Antec NSK2480 380W M-ATX Desktop Case (BLACK/SILVER)
Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150 Media Center Kit MPEG2 PCI TV Tuner Retail Box W/ Certified MCE Remote
Total (after pricematch): $650.12
Any tips on getting the cost down without sacrificing performance? My parents aren't technically inclined by any means, but I don't want to get them a janky HTPC that skips while playing back HD content either, leaving them wondering "wtf is this shit?"
I've intentionally skimped out on a couple of parts (tuner and HDD space) because I don't want to invest a tonne of money only to find out they aren't really into the whole HTPC concept.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H AMD 780G mATX AM2+ PCI-EX SATA RAID Video Sound GLAN 1394 HDMI Motherboard
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core Processor AM2 2.7GHZ 2X512KB 65W 65NM Retail Box
RAM:
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-5400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC2-5400 DDR2-667 CL 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory
HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive OEM
BD-ROM Reader:
LG GGC-H20L BLU-RAY HD-DVD Reader BD-ROM 6X HD DVD-ROM 3X DVD+-RW 16X8X6 DL 4X Black SATA Software
Case:
Antec NSK2480 380W M-ATX Desktop Case (BLACK/SILVER)
Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150 Media Center Kit MPEG2 PCI TV Tuner Retail Box W/ Certified MCE Remote
Total (after pricematch): $650.12
Any tips on getting the cost down without sacrificing performance? My parents aren't technically inclined by any means, but I don't want to get them a janky HTPC that skips while playing back HD content either, leaving them wondering "wtf is this shit?"
rabhw said:
RAM: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161172
Might want to pick and compare some prices for newegg. Looks good to me.
Mr.City said:
Paste is on stock cooler. Not OEM purchases.
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
I would get a video card that can do HD video in hardware. You should be able to find one for well under $100. I wouldn't rely on an AMD 5200+ to decode 1080p content, and integrated graphics require a lot of CPU and memory.rabhw said:
TheHeretic
Banned
VictimOfGrief said:
His voltage is really low though. 4ghz is in reach che!
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
Hey, looks like you're right:rabhw said:
I'm curious to see if the onboard sound chip can decode 7.1 surround sound without issues, but their setup might not require it. You would also get a pretty decent gaming performance boost by buying a 3450 ($20 right now after rebates) and using hybrid crossfire. Who knows, they might want to play Sims 3 and Spore.
fatigues_gasolini
Member
Picked up this monitor firday
http://accessories.dell.com/sna/products/Displays/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=corp&sku=320-7438
It rocks so hard.
http://accessories.dell.com/sna/products/Displays/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=corp&sku=320-7438
It rocks so hard.