-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Official 2008 "I Need A New PC" Thread
- Thread starter Kosma
- Start date
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
If it was me I would get a 4830/4850, spend the difference on a quad core and cpu fan, and overclock the hell out of it. I think we'll see more games making use of quad in the future. SupCom and World in Conflict already do.Mr.City said:
But I'm also a pretty avid strategy gamer so those type of games might not appeal to you.
Hazaro said:
pretty sure its a Antec NeoPower 550W - or 650W. I know its "enough" and stable for now but I'll upgrade if I SLI another GTX.
It was an emergency purchase at a brick and mortar when my old PSU died and I need another one. Certainly haven't researched it as much as the other parts.
As for quad, I just couldn't justify the double expense for the current performance. I mean some of these setups would be OMG awesome if I could afford to throw so much at it, but I feel like I got the most bang for my buck with that setup.
~Kinggi~ said:I have a very similar machine to yours, cept i have a p5e3 premium mobo and ddr3 ram. Im too afraid to increase my oc beyond 3.4 ghz on my 9550. But damn its nice knowing i can get it that high
Don't be afraid. The Q9550 is very capable.
What kind of cooler do you have?
At 3.8 right now, Far Cry 2 hasn't pushed this thing even past 47 degrees yet. :lol
I will Prime95 overnight.
Well i got a antec 1200 also maxed out with fans and a zalman 9700 with some nice thermal paste. Im sure i can get to 3.8. My vcore is 1.26 right now and temps idle at 36-38c. Under prime load they are like at 56-58chespace said:Don't be afraid. The Q9550 is very capable.
What kind of cooler do you have?
At 3.8 right now, Far Cry 2 hasn't pushed this thing even past 47 degrees yet. :lol
I will Prime95 overnight.
Woo, Finally got my new rig back up and running again. Antec Earthwatts 650 is nice but I wish I had the $$$ for modular, Was a total bitch cleaning up the clutter of wires. Also seems to have brought down my HDD temps 5-7 degrees which is a nice bonus. Guess the hot air was getting trapped in that small space around the old PSU.
Those Xigmatek Heatsinks look awesome but I don't think I trust push pins to hold those behemoths!
Those Xigmatek Heatsinks look awesome but I don't think I trust push pins to hold those behemoths!
Welp, got my first errors in Prime95 last night on a couple of cores. :lol
I was pushing 3.8GHz on my Q9550 @ 1.28V. Peak temperature was no more than 65 degrees but these errors happened within the first hour or so of testing (one of them failed in 20 minutes). I'm running the short test that stresses max FPU.
Guess I'm back up to 1.29 vcore and running Prime95 all day when I'm at work.
If I can get it to under 70 degrees and stable, I'm sold. If not, I'll downgrade to 3.6GHz and not bother with it anymore.
It's pretty awesome though. When I bumped from 3.6 to 3.8, I actually got 2 more FPS in Crysis CPU and GPU benchmarks. Which would suggest that the 4870x2 was still being bottlenecked at 3.6 for Crysis. I saw no practical gain in Far Cry 2 during gameplay (didn't run the benchmarks).
I was pushing 3.8GHz on my Q9550 @ 1.28V. Peak temperature was no more than 65 degrees but these errors happened within the first hour or so of testing (one of them failed in 20 minutes). I'm running the short test that stresses max FPU.
Guess I'm back up to 1.29 vcore and running Prime95 all day when I'm at work.
If I can get it to under 70 degrees and stable, I'm sold. If not, I'll downgrade to 3.6GHz and not bother with it anymore.
It's pretty awesome though. When I bumped from 3.6 to 3.8, I actually got 2 more FPS in Crysis CPU and GPU benchmarks. Which would suggest that the 4870x2 was still being bottlenecked at 3.6 for Crysis. I saw no practical gain in Far Cry 2 during gameplay (didn't run the benchmarks).
bee
Member
http://vr-zone.com/articles/sapphire-hd-4850x2-first-look--tested/6157.html
vr-zone got their hands on a 4850x2 and did some benchmarks, can't say i was impressed with the 1920x1200 crysis/farcry 2 figures
vr-zone got their hands on a 4850x2 and did some benchmarks, can't say i was impressed with the 1920x1200 crysis/farcry 2 figures
Hey pc peoples.
I am in the midst of helping a friend buy a new computer. He doesn't know how to overclock, so thats where I come in. I am no pro, but have done a few overclocks, compared to his none.
What I want to ask is, whats a good overclockable, but cheap CPU? I am actually running a E2160 at 3.0ghz, so I was thinking, with the higher multipliers on the E2180, it would have the same kind of results, maybe a bit better? Or is there something else that would be a better bang for his overclocking buck, keeping in mind a cheap CPU, nothing over $100 bucks, I'd say.
Also, whats a good ~$100 mobo that you guys would recommend? I have the Gigabype P35-DS3L, but I can't find it anywhere locally. (Oh, did I mention I'm hoping to buy locally.) So, what are some recommendations in regards to ease of use, overclock potential, and price?
Also, I think he's got his sights on a 9600GT, but do any of you recommend something else in the same price range? Also, whats up with the 9600GSO? Better or worse than 9600GT? Also open to ATI offerings, so please don't leave that out.
Thanks.
I am in the midst of helping a friend buy a new computer. He doesn't know how to overclock, so thats where I come in. I am no pro, but have done a few overclocks, compared to his none.
What I want to ask is, whats a good overclockable, but cheap CPU? I am actually running a E2160 at 3.0ghz, so I was thinking, with the higher multipliers on the E2180, it would have the same kind of results, maybe a bit better? Or is there something else that would be a better bang for his overclocking buck, keeping in mind a cheap CPU, nothing over $100 bucks, I'd say.
Also, whats a good ~$100 mobo that you guys would recommend? I have the Gigabype P35-DS3L, but I can't find it anywhere locally. (Oh, did I mention I'm hoping to buy locally.) So, what are some recommendations in regards to ease of use, overclock potential, and price?
Also, I think he's got his sights on a 9600GT, but do any of you recommend something else in the same price range? Also, whats up with the 9600GSO? Better or worse than 9600GT? Also open to ATI offerings, so please don't leave that out.
Thanks.
VictimOfGrief
Banned
bee said:
Wow...... What the hell?
Chiggs said:
Well, considering that I only get 35 fps on my 4870x2 @ 3.8Ghz (vs. the 4850x2's 25 fps), I think it's probably just Crysis that doesn't scale very well. The FC2 benchmarks a bit more disturbing though. I get max fps into like 110 fps or more and average well above 60 fps at the same settings. Guess which game is more optimized!
I blame GAF and this thread. :lol
VictimOfGrief
Banned
chespace said:
I think that's the part that gets me. The 4850x2 in FC2 is junk compared to the 4870x2.
PhoenixDark
Banned
I want to build a computer for some gaming ( mainlyWoW, future Blizzard games, Orange Box) as well as basic school stuff/internet browsing/porn/etc. I'm going to use the HD and case from my old computer, but I'm looking at buying these things
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131095
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182030
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052
MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186138
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227195
Basically my budget is around $420 or so, and those pieces come to $406 so I'll probably go with. How does it look to you guys?
Also is there anything I should know about using an old HD with new computer pieces? A friend of mine is sending me an OS, but in the meantime once I get everything connected will the computer already have an OS due to the HD?
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131095
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182030
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052
MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186138
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227195
Basically my budget is around $420 or so, and those pieces come to $406 so I'll probably go with. How does it look to you guys?
Also is there anything I should know about using an old HD with new computer pieces? A friend of mine is sending me an OS, but in the meantime once I get everything connected will the computer already have an OS due to the HD?
Just fyi for anyone looking for a mouse, gogamer.com has the wired Microsoft Sidewinder as part of their 48hr madness sale for $27.90. I just ordered one as it had pretty good reviews and I prefered wired over wireless for mice.
http://www.gogamer.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=24019091&extid=900102808
Edit they also have the 360 wireless controller with windows receiver for $24.90, also a good deal if you are in the market for one:
http://www.gogamer.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=50886701&extid=900102808
http://www.gogamer.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=24019091&extid=900102808
Edit they also have the 360 wireless controller with windows receiver for $24.90, also a good deal if you are in the market for one:
http://www.gogamer.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=50886701&extid=900102808
VictimOfGrief
Banned
Wow, great deals!larvi said:
godhandiscen
There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
Not necessarily. Sometimes you have to reinstall even when changing processors, so it could be the same about motherboards. I assume you are using an old case and DVD drive right? I would say your build is ok for the price, but if you could save $50 more you could make a great upgrade on the video card.PhoenixDark said:
Hazaro said:Motherboards almost all the time you'll need to reinstall.
CPU nope. I've swapped mine out 6 times or so on my same rig
If you update from a single core to a multicore CPU you will probably need to do a reinstall/repair install or figure out another way to update the HAL.
SapientWolf said:
If I do go with the 4850, I going to be kind of curious if it can run stalker:cs with most of the effects turned on. I think I might take your advice and switch out the gpu for a quad cpu. I've been eyeballing a few on newegg, and they come with a free copy of assassin's creed.
Hazaro said:
Yeah, if you initially installed with a multi-core CPU you should be fine with subsequent upgrades to a Quad. I think even a hyperthreading single core CPU would install the multi-cpu HAL. I also believe Vista handles hardware swaps better than XP and may not need to be reinstalled (providing your Vista is a non-OEM version)
I feel so sad. No one wants to help the low end dude.
Spiderjericho
Member
Are modular power supplies cheap? I have a PC Power and Cooling 750 in a Coolermaster 590. I have a big gaggle of wires in the lower bay from the PSU. I'd like to just be able to use the cables I absolutely need rather than play zip tie or stick in another compartment.
brain_stew
Member
zaidr said:
Go with the E5200, cheap as chips, 45nm, and a ludicrously high multi. Should manage 3.2-3.6ghz with ease. At that sort of speed its not going to bottleneck any of the cards he's looking at.
I'd add the the 4670 to your considerations, but if you can find any old 880GTs going for cheap then its really hard to pass up.
Any P35 board from Gigabyte, MSI or ASUS should do.
so my base pc specs are:
intel e2180 @3.2ghz 1.4v
2GB g.skill DDR2 800
8800GT stock
would i be able to get a minimum frame rate of 30fps on farcry 2 @ 1440x900 resolution? If i had to upgrade one part, would it be the video card or the cpu? I know the memory is lacking, but I read that XP wont accept 4GB anyway, so i'm holding off on that till i get vista 64
intel e2180 @3.2ghz 1.4v
2GB g.skill DDR2 800
8800GT stock
would i be able to get a minimum frame rate of 30fps on farcry 2 @ 1440x900 resolution? If i had to upgrade one part, would it be the video card or the cpu? I know the memory is lacking, but I read that XP wont accept 4GB anyway, so i'm holding off on that till i get vista 64
zaidr said:
Low end isn't the problem for me, I tend to stay on the bargain end when I build systems. The kicker is being able to buy parts locally. Unless you have a Fry's or Microcenter you just aren't going to be able to find much to build a system with and you'll end up paying much more so it's not really worth it imo.
Rapping Granny
Banned
Hey guys, I am trying to see if I could build a sub $700 rig with a monitor and a video card that could run old games and maybe Left 4 Dead.
If someone can come up with a build on www.ncix.com, I would greatly appereciate it.
thank you?
If someone can come up with a build on www.ncix.com, I would greatly appereciate it.
thank you?
Finally decided on a build
mobo: asus p5q pro
gpu: 4850
processor: intel q9400
ram: corsair 4gb (2x2 gb)
case: Antec 300
hdd: seagate 500gb
cpu fan: arctic 7 pro with arctic silver 5 thermal paste
psu: Antec 520w
The final cost comes to $1077.20. Factor in $75 worth of rebates, and that's more like $1000 even.
mobo: asus p5q pro
gpu: 4850
processor: intel q9400
ram: corsair 4gb (2x2 gb)
case: Antec 300
hdd: seagate 500gb
cpu fan: arctic 7 pro with arctic silver 5 thermal paste
psu: Antec 520w
The final cost comes to $1077.20. Factor in $75 worth of rebates, and that's more like $1000 even.
TheHeretic
Banned
Rapping Granny said:
Hey, this was a bit of a rush job but heres what I came up with.
http://pc.ncix.com/pcbuilder/pcbuilderpreview.cfm?id=2867064&skus=21228-1-0|32092-1-0|18583-1-0|33948-1-0|21895-1-0|30145-1-0|26786-1-0|25667-1-0|32234-1-0|9322-1-0|26248-1-0|25869-1-0|7842-25
Its 900, has an AMD 6000+, 9800GT, 2gb of RAM, a 19" Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Logitech 240 speakers, and a dvd burner. I'm sure someone can stretch it a little further but thats a low as I would go, especially if you want to touch the latest games (which this will run comfortably).
Thanks! Regarding local shopping, I live in Toronto, so I am generally shopping at www.canadacomputers.com. Many choices, and not really that much more expensive (maybe a few bucks here and there).
Sweet!
Came home and Prime95 reports zero errors after 10.5 hours of torture testing.
So I think this is where it ends. I'll settle nicely for 3.8GHz @ 1.29 vcore.
Peak temperature was 67 degrees.
Not bad! The Q9550/P5Q Pro/Arctic Cooler 7 combo is beastly!
Came home and Prime95 reports zero errors after 10.5 hours of torture testing.
So I think this is where it ends. I'll settle nicely for 3.8GHz @ 1.29 vcore.
Peak temperature was 67 degrees.
Not bad! The Q9550/P5Q Pro/Arctic Cooler 7 combo is beastly!
zaidr said:
The previous post by brain_stew pretty much nailed it, go with a p35 board by gigabyte/asus/msi, for CPU the 2160/2180 is a good cheap choice, no real benefit to the 2180 over the 2160 unless you are leaving it stock, the 5200 would be a good step up if you want to spend a bit more. For graphics, I would stay away from the 9600GSO, the ATI 4670 is the better card in the sub $100 range imo with the 9600GT being a step up from both. I do see a 8800GT on the website for close to $100 but it is only 256Mb so I wouldn't recommend it but if you can find a 512 version for that price I would jump on it.
Prices are a bit higher than you can find in the states from mail order, i.e. I got my 8800GTS 512 (same GPU as the 9800GT) for $119 after rebate and recently picked up a Radeon 3870 for my mom for $79 after rebate
I've got a hd4870 1gb, and 24"hp monitor.
-When i turn the resolution lower 1900x1200. It wont go to full screen mode. I mean it goes full but there is a black border around the screen and does not cover the whole monitor screen. Whats up with that? If i go around 720 its fine. But at 1900x1080 there is a black border. 1900x1200 is fine also, but problem with the resolution's around 1080 and some under it.
-When i turn the resolution lower 1900x1200. It wont go to full screen mode. I mean it goes full but there is a black border around the screen and does not cover the whole monitor screen. Whats up with that? If i go around 720 its fine. But at 1900x1080 there is a black border. 1900x1200 is fine also, but problem with the resolution's around 1080 and some under it.
kakashi08 said:
1920x1200 is 16:10 while 1920x1080 is 16:9
Unless you want the picture to be stretched (which some monitors do) it is just leaving out the space to give you a normal picture.
I think it's called 1:1 something, could be mistaken for another feature though.
bee
Member
Hazaro said:
the difference between 1920x1080 and 1680x1050 (in terms of fps) in most games is minimal much like the difference between frame rates in using a 9800gtx+ or a gtx260 in SOME games and my 8800gts 512 is clocked at 760/2200 which is marginally faster than a 9800gtx+
i averaged 30-35fps easy 90%+ of the time on the settings i mentioned