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[Zyzyxxz]

I have an E8400, Asus P5Q3, HIS HD4850 TurboX, and WD 640 gig HDD coming in. I feel pretty good about these parts, but I'm struggling to find a case and PSU to go with them, mostly since I don't want a huge, noisy case or to spend a ton on a power supply when I don't need the extra wattage.
I'm leaning towards the Antec p180/182 (depending on sales) and the Corsair 450VX. Would 450 watts be enough to run this system without 'stressing' the PSU? Has anyone had any experience with the p180? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks PC GAF.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010

$27.99 After rebate though, so if you dont mind waiting and keeping documentation I would recommend this. I would just go for 600W, 450W might limit you in the future in the event you wanna upgrade to a quadcore CPU and overclock it or buy a more powerful videocard which I assume you may want to once the GTX280 drops in price after a refresh.

 

[H.Cornerstone]

Anyone know if all the new Samsung monitors have Wide color gamut or only specific ones?

 

[H.Cornerstone]

In order for SLI to work, Do i have to get a motherboard that has a Nvidia chipset, most likely 750i or 780i or will any motherboard with 2 pci-express card slots work?

 

[Crateman]

I'm going to repost something that got lost about 4 pages back... somebody just answered 1 of my questions and that's it. I'm asking your help guys, I will really appreciate it.

I'm probably building a new rig during December. You can laugh at my nVidia 5200.

Because I'm not in the States, I won't be able to order from NewEgg or any online retailer -the import duties would be prohibitively high-. Feel free to suggest parts, but I'll have to look for them in Brick-n-Mortar stores here.

Take in account that I would like build a very good rig while still not going overboard. I´ll try to explain why I picked those components. I'm planning to use the PC for Gaming, learning 3D modeling and some modding work.

So, let's review:

GPU:

GeForce GTX 280 1Gb PNY
-So I've read that the GTX 280 is the big daddy of GPUs at the moment. I'm whiling to invest in a top of the line GPU so that I can keep using it, with relatively ease, for years. In the NewEgg reviews some people said that there was an overheating problem with that model and brand... have you guys heard anything?

or

GeForce GTX 260 896Mb Gigabyte

I've read that this one also packs quite a punch... and Gigabyte seems like a better brand that PNY. If the difference between this and the 280 is not that abysmal, I might go with it. Also, I don't think that the monitor I'm thinking to buy will pull of 2560X1600.

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz

or

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz

The price difference between them in not that high. Should I go with Quad now or should I stick with the Duo?

MoBo:
Intel DP35DP

or

EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1

This is very important. The EVGA is twice the Intel. I specifically chose the Intel MoBo because it offers me just what I need. I don't think I'll be jumping on the SLI bandwagon soon, and I don't need the 7.1 sound -I have a Audigy 2 5.1 card and soundsystem that works like a charm and I plan to use it-.

4 Gb. worth of Kingston DDR2 800 MHz. RAM

500 Gb. 7200 RPM Western Digital SATA HD

Acteck Zenus ACG-Z9300 Case -Includes a 600 Watts Power Supply.

Lite-On DVD-RW drive.

Logitec LX310 USB Mouse and Keyboard

Acer LCD X203WB Display 1680x1005
I don't want to spend too much on a LCD monitor. I recently bought a TV and I'm trying to spend as less as I can on my display.

-I won't me fiddling around with overclocking. I have 0 experience with it and I don't want to ruin my rig by doing it now... so if the MoBo I chose is not overclocking friendly, I don't mind at all.

-Should I be worried about the ventilation and cooling? The case includes 2 fans and I don't use the computer for extended periods of time.

-OS-wise, I think I'll be installing Vista 64x in order to get the most out of my rig.

 

[brain_stew]

In order for SLI to work, Do i have to get a motherboard that has a Nvidia chipset, most likely 750i or 780i or will any motherboard with 2 pci-express card slots work?

With socket 775 yes, with a core i7 rig, Intel's X58 chipset will support it just fine. However, honestly, there are plenty of drawbacks to running an Nvidia motherboard and SLI is very rarely enough to make up for them. What resolution will you be laying at? You should really try and avoid a dual card setup if you can, they're far more trouble than they're worth.

 

[brain_stew]

I'm going to repost something that got lost about 4 pages back... somebody just answered 1 of my questions and that's it. I'm asking your help guys, I will really appreciate it.

I'm probably building a new rig during December. You can laugh at my nVidia 5200.

Because I'm not in the States, I won't be able to order from NewEgg or any online retailer -the import duties would be prohibitively high-. Feel free to suggest parts, but I'll have to look for them in Brick-n-Mortar stores here.

Um, the internet stretches beyond the US you know? Whereabouts are you based exactly? There'll almost certainly be a decent online retailer in your country.

 

[godhandiscen]

GPU:

GeForce GTX 280 1Gb PNY
-So I've read that the GTX 280 is the big daddy of GPUs at the moment. I'm whiling to invest in a top of the line GPU so that I can keep using it, with relatively ease, for years. In the NewEgg reviews some people said that there was an overheating problem with that model and brand... have you guys heard anything?

Not even close.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-4870-x2,2073.html

Also, depending on how much you OC your processor the GTX260+ or 9800GX2 are better options. If you don't mind the driver instability which seems to annoy a lot of people who use ATI cards (not in my case, but the evidence is there), then go for the 4870x2 for the strongest GPU, but in that case choose the dual core processor at 3.0GHz and OC it a lot to not bottleneck your GPU.

edit: Given your monitor's resolution the 4870 1GB, 9800GX2, and GTX260+ are your best options. Also, go dual core if your aren't that experienced at OC'ing your processor. Also, there is no point in using SLI at your monitor's resolution.

 

[H.Cornerstone]

With socket 775 yes, with a core i7 rig, Intel's X58 chipset will support it just fine. However, honestly, there are plenty of drawbacks to running an Nvidia motherboard and SLI is very rarely enough to make up for them. What resolution will you be laying at? You should really try and avoid a dual card setup if you can, they're far more trouble than they're worth.

Yeah, I am getting a LGA 775 and 260 gtx. Problem is all the sli mobos I am looking at that support 1066 ram, none are x58 chipset, all 780 or 750i. I am hoping to play on my TV, which runs at 1920 by 1080.


I would still like to do SLI in the future with the 260 gtx as in one year they should be about $150 and a easy, cheap, nice way to upgrade my video card and make it better.

 

[Labombadog]

I really hope I can find a great deal on a GTX260 216 tomorrow. Or a 4870 1gb or a 4850x2. :lol

 

[brain_stew]

Yeah, I am getting a LGA 775 and 260 gtx. Problem is all the sli mobos I am looking at that support 1066 ram, none are x58 chipset, all 780 or 750i. I am hoping to play on my TV, which runs at 1920 by 1080.


I would still like to do SLI in the future with the 260 gtx as in one year they should be about $150 and a easy, cheap, nice way to upgrade my video card and make it better.

Using SLI as an upgrade path is NEVER a smart move, you'll almost certainly be better off buying a faster single card then trying to hobble together two outdated GPUs. A GTX 260 216 is an excellent GPU for 1080p, you'll be more than happy with it, and it offers excellent value at the moment.

Just go with a P45 chipset, you'll be pleased that you did. Cheaper, greater stability and much better overclocking. A "possible" (perhaps even misguided) SLI upgrade isn't worth sacrificing all that imo.

 

[H.Cornerstone]

Using SLI as an upgrade path is NEVER a smart move, you'll almost certainly be better off buying a faster single card then trying to hobble together two outdated GPUs. A GTX 260 216 is an excellent GPU for 1080p, you'll be more than happy with it, and it offers excellent value at the moment.

Just go with a P45 chipset, you'll be pleased that you did. Cheaper, greater stability and much better overclocking. A "possible" (perhaps even misguided) SLI upgrade isn't worth sacrificing all that imo.

I really don't overclock, that really isn't an issue to me. And the benchmarks show that going SLI with a 260gtx adds close to 100 fps at 1080p....

 

[SapientWolf]

Wow at the CF 4850 beating the 280. Those are quickly dropping towards the $100 mark while the cheapest 280 is still around $400. It may be the exception to the "Don't do SLI/CF" rule.

 

[H.Cornerstone]

So is the general consensus instead of spending $120 more on a mobo that does SLI, I should just buy a inexpensive p45 intel chip and use that $120 on a gtx 280?

 

[Cheeto]

So is the general consensus instead of spending $120 more on a mobo that does SLI, I should just buy a inexpensive p45 intel chip and use that $120 on a gtx 280?

Nah I think a 9800GX2 is a better bet, and cheaper to boot.

 

[ghst]

So is the general consensus instead of spending $120 more on a mobo that does SLI, I should just buy a inexpensive p45 intel chip and use that $120 on a gtx 280?

or 260 if you're being value conscious.

 

[rc213]

I am building a PC for a friend and would love to give them room for upgrades.

Gigabyte EP43-DS3L $80, Intel Dual Core E5200 $78.50 and Kingston 2GB PC6400 $27

ASUS M3A78 $80, Phenom 9600 $104, Kingston 2GB PC6400 $27

ASUS M3A78 $80, Phenom 8450 $99, Kingston 2GB PC6400 $27

What do you guys think, Obviously this will be run at stock to avoid any issues.

 

[brain_stew]

Nah I think a 9800GX2 is a better bet, and cheaper to boot.

512MB framebuffer and SLI issues are serious drawbacks not to mention the ridiculous heat and power demands. Honestly the GTX 260 (216) is more than enough for 1080p and the 280's price premium for a very small upgrade just isn't worth it. Just save the cash for a future upgrade.

I am building a PC for a friend and would love to give them room for upgrades.

Gigabyte EP43-DS3L $80, Intel Dual Core E5200 $78.50 and Kingston 2GB PC6400 $27

ASUS M3A78 $80, Phenom 9600 $104, Kingston 2GB PC6400 $27

ASUS M3A78 $80, Phenom 8450 $99, Kingston 2GB PC6400 $27

What do you guys think, Obviously this will be run at stock to avoid any issues.

Research into which AM2+ boards are confirmed to be compatible with Phenom 2 and go with one of them + a cheap Athlon X2 for the time being. A 2.7ghz X2 can be had for less than $56 and is still a very decent CPU for today's games. Yet you still have some very good future upgrade options for a time when quad cores are more useful.

Go with 4GB of RAM as well, its so cheap and there'll be a noticeable difference with any system.

Edit: There you go, that's a list of all the motherboards that will support the new AM3 Phenom ii CPUs which look to be a massive upgrade from AMD's current offerings. An Athlon X2 + AM3 compatible motherboard will really have you sitting pretty when it comes to future upgrades.

http://www.overclock.net/amd-motherboards/416023-full-list-am3-cpu-ready-motherboards.html

 

[brain_stew]

Delete

 

[Lv99 Slacker]

Quick question:

This mobo (GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P)/this ram (G.SKILL). Are they compatible?

 

[PhoenixDark]

I'm trying to connect the pins and I'm totally swamped. Many of the connectors from the case aren't mentioned in the motherboard's manual, and I don't have certain connectors (like USB for instance; there are pins on the mobo but I don't have any connectors for them).

I have stuff like -VCC, +VCC, -D, +D, and Ground connectors. I see Ground pins listed in the manual but that's it. I've connected the LED ones where they seem to go but I don't know what to do now

my mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157130

 

[Cheeto]

I'm trying to connect the pins and I'm totally swamped. Many of the connectors from the case aren't mentioned in the motherboard's manual, and I don't have certain connectors (like USB for instance; there are pins on the mobo but I don't have any connectors for them).

I have stuff like -VCC, +VCC, -D, +D, and Ground connectors. I see Ground pins listed in the manual but that's it. I've connected the LED ones where they seem to go but I don't know what to do now

my mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157130

Double check your case, the front USB, power switch, and other connections should have leads coming from them...they might be tucked away.

 

[behem0th x]

Anyone have any info on the Acer Aspire 8930G...?

I've been going nuts looking for a decent deal for black friday and such... there was basically nothing even remotely special at all. Apparantly this is the year of the HDTV (already have two), and those silly netbooks (not a fan of expensive junk pcs). So, basically I just started looking for the most compitent and decent priced laptops I could find. The Sager I spec'd out was a little too costly (trying to keep it below $1500)... as were the dell's, hp, alienware. Acer seems to be the best bang for the buck unless I'm just missing some other stellar builders.

My friend told me he saw something on G4 a few months ago about a company on teh internets that you can completely spec out a laptop for cheaper than anywhere else.. Be this bullshit?

Anyways, does anyone have any experience with it, or maybe someone could suggest something comparable.?


Basically out of the box I want:
-Intel Core Duo 2.5ghz (or maybe something comparable as far as battery efficiency and speed).
-250-320GB HDD -(7200 would be nice)
-Bluray-reader (don't need a writer)
-4GB DDR3
-64-bit vista home
-A comparable GPU to the one on this acer. GeForce Go 9700M GT
-Good quality speakers (the acer has a little 5.1 action in that little box)



Things I couldn't care less about:
-Low Jack ( a few things I was looking for included this when it should obviously be an add-on only)
-fingerprint security reader (I figure if I lose it or it gets stolen, it's my own damn fault).
-webcam
-bluetooth ( I don't even know what the hell to do with this, headset?? wtf).

thanks even if you just read the first sentence.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Ok I connected the power switch pin properly and was able to turn the computer on, but once it booted up I didn't hear any fans running. The Windows XP screen popped up on the monitor and was loading for a few minutes before I manually shut it off.

Any ideas?

 

[LordK]

Ok I connected the power switch pin properly and was able to turn the computer on, but once it booted up I didn't hear any fans running. The Windows XP screen popped up on the monitor and was loading for a few minutes before I manually shut it off.

Any ideas?

I'm not quite sure what's wrong. Are you asking why no fans are running? If that's the case, there's a 3 pin connector on your mobo that your cpu fan plugs into.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Ok I was able to get everything working. It took ages to finish but I did it, despite numerous fuck ups. Thanks for the advice guys

I have a 120mm case fan running as well as a 80mm side fan. I'm going to install another 80mm fan tomorrow (on the top of the case). Right now the temperatures are readings as:

System: 32c
CPU: 31c
AUXL 17c
HD0: 34c
Core 0: 41c
Core 1: 39c

Looks good, but another fan won't hurt heh

 

[el Diablo]

Scratch that, got help already

 

[bdgamer]

I'm planning on getting a Q6600 soon (seeing as how its the cheapest quadcore right now) and was wondering which graphics card to get - GTX 260 or 9800GTX+?

I use a 22" monitor with 1680x1050 resolution and will be using the card to play all the games coming out in 2009 and (hopefully) beyond (if the PC can play them that is).

So guys, which do you suggest? Both of them fall within budget.

p.s. I might even upgrade to a 24" monitor in the coming year... so that has to be taken into consideration!

p.p.s. NVIDIA only. No ATI. Yes, I'm a fanboy.

 

[bee]

I'm planning on getting a Q6600 soon (seeing as how its the cheapest quadcore right now) and was wondering which graphics card to get - GTX 260 or 9800GTX+?

I use a 22" monitor with 1680x1050 resolution and will be using the game to play all the games coming out in 2009 and (hopefully) beyond (if the PC can play them that is).

So guys, which do you suggest? Both of them fall within budget.

p.s. I might even upgrade to a 24" monitor in the coming year... so that has to be taken into consideration!

p.p.s. NVIDIA only. No ATI. Yes, I'm a fanboy.

gtx 260 216

 

[IronicallyTwisted]

260 core 216 is a better card than the 9800 by a significant margin. Its more expensive though.

 

[dave_d]

I am wondering about one question. Anybody here ever successfully hook up that audio connector on the latest Geforce cards to a system using Intel HD audio or is that impossible? (My 9600 GT has a connector for SPDIF in but I think only NVidia mother boards have a the appropriate connector.) I'm thinking I'd have to buy an audio with SPDIF TTL out to do it.

 

[Kadey]

I'm planning on getting a Q6600 soon (seeing as how its the cheapest quadcore right now) and was wondering which graphics card to get - GTX 260 or 9800GTX+?

I use a 22" monitor with 1680x1050 resolution and will be using the game to play all the games coming out in 2009 and (hopefully) beyond (if the PC can play them that is).

So guys, which do you suggest? Both of them fall within budget.

p.s. I might even upgrade to a 24" monitor in the coming year... so that has to be taken into consideration!

p.p.s. NVIDIA only. No ATI. Yes, I'm a fanboy.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130400
EVGA Core 216 $260 free Far Cry 2 and Lifetime warranty. And shipping too I think. Great deal.

 

[brain_stew]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130400
EVGA Core 216 $260 free Far Cry 2 and Lifetime warranty. And shipping too I think. Great deal.

That deal is insanely good. I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to any GAFer, you won't be disappointed. Some insane bang for buck on offer there.

 

[Hazaro]

Or for $40 less you can get the non Core 216 version, which after overclocked does the about the same frames as an OC'd 216.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130370

Difference is about 3-5 fps where it matters (Sub 40)

 

[RaoulDuke]

Research into which AM2+ boards are confirmed to be compatible with Phenom 2 and go with one of them + a cheap Athlon X2 for the time being. A 2.7ghz X2 can be had for less than $56 and is still a very decent CPU for today's games. Yet you still have some very good future upgrade options for a time when quad cores are more useful.

Go with 4GB of RAM as well, its so cheap and there'll be a noticeable difference with any system.

Edit: There you go, that's a list of all the motherboards that will support the new AM3 Phenom ii CPUs which look to be a massive upgrade from AMD's current offerings. An Athlon X2 + AM3 compatible motherboard will really have you sitting pretty when it comes to future upgrades.

http://www.overclock.net/amd-motherboards/416023-full-list-am3-cpu-ready-motherboards.html

can anyone recommend one of these boards that supports crossfire?

 

[godhandiscen]

can anyone recommend one of these boards that supports crossfire?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131339
This is the best AMD mobo right now. Supports AM3 with a bios revision, and also CrossFireX.

 

[brain_stew]

Or for $40 less you can get the non Core 216 version, which after overclocked does the about the same frames as an OC'd 216.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130370

Difference is about 3-5 fps where it matters (Sub 40)

Whilst I'd disregard the OCing part (as the 216 could similarly be OCed as well and still has more SPs), if you can't stretch to $260, that is a hell of a deal. Far Cry 2 is easily worth at least $20 to any gamer, so you're getting a card that was $400 a few short months ago for essentially half price. Insane. What a difference competition makes.

ATI definitely beat Nvidia this round but these massive price cuts have really turned things on their head and made Nvidia an excellent choice for many price brackets now. Nvidia must be losing money on that card, a 1.8 billion tranasistor chip plus 896MB of GDDR3 is anything but cheap to manufacture.

 

[Esperado]

Far Cry 2 is on Amazon for 17.95 right now!

 

[Cday]

/facepalm

Ever heard of screws Intel?

As simple as they try to make it. I had a terrible time installing the CPU cooler the other day. I'm surprised the Mobo didn't snap in two.

 

[Ventrue]

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/staff/tony/Vindicator%20mods/clip1.JPG
/facepalm

Ever heard of screws Intel?

As simple as they try to make it. I had a terrible time installing the CPU cooler the other day. I'm surprised the Mobo didn't snap in two.

Yeah those things are really annoying and they break easily.

 

[Hazaro]

Whilst I'd disregard the OCing part (as the 216 could similarly be OCed as well and still has more SPs), if you can't stretch to $260, that is a hell of a deal. Far Cry 2 is easily worth at least $20 to any gamer, so you're getting a card that was $400 a few short months ago for essentially half price. Insane. What a difference competition makes.

ATI definitely beat Nvidia this round but these massive price cuts have really turned things on their head and made Nvidia an excellent choice for many price brackets now. Nvidia must be losing money on that card, a 1.8 billion tranasistor chip plus 896MB of GDDR3 is anything but cheap to manufacture.

Apparently (Maybe? I read it somewhere,plus looks at some user speeds) the extra SP's can hinder the clocks the 216 can get.

Like I said it doesn't matter anyway since your frames are already so up there. It's better to save $40 imo.


------
PC help time.
------

When I play Team Fortress 2, and ONLY Team Fortress 2 (8+ Hours of Fallout 3, or Crysis, or FarCry 2, or L4D demo does this).

It happens anywhere from 10 minutes of playing, to waiting 4 hours to strike.

The game freezes, the sound loops, then my display goes to 800x600 and with 8 bit color giving me a message that nv4_disp.dll has failed (Or quit working).

After this happens I can hear TF2 playing fine, with chat and game sounds working perfectly, but can't reselect it.

I also do NOT get a BSOD from it, only rejecting me back to desktop.
AVG is usually running. I will start disabling it when playing.

Windows XP2

E7200 @ 3.8
GTX 260 @ stock
4GB Corsair DDR2
Asus P5B [Vanilla] (Could this old P965 chipset have anything to do with it?)
Nvidia 178.13 drivers

 

[bee]

Apparently (Maybe? I read it somewhere,plus looks at some user speeds) the extra SP's can hinder the clocks the 216 can get.

its the other way around, the newer 216 cores clock better and now the 216 is a faster card than a 4870 1gb

 

[Hazaro]

its the other way around, the newer 216 cores clock better and now the 216 is a faster card than a 4870 1gb

Shows what I know. Any idea on nv4 error?

 

[Archie]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145

I was wondering if this monitor is a good buy. I am thinking of buying it now and building my computer in the first quarter of next year when I get my tax return. (I got nailed with a traffic ticket and that threw a monkey wrench into my computer building plans. :lol)

 

[Hazaro]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145

I was wondering if this monitor is a good buy. I am thinking of buying it now and building my computer in the first quarter of next year when I get my tax return. (I got nailed with a traffic ticket and that threw a monkey wrench into my computer building plans. :lol)

Yes.

It doesn't have a 4.7 rating + 400 reviews + an award for nothing.

 

[Cday]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145

I was wondering if this monitor is a good buy. I am thinking of buying it now and building my computer in the first quarter of next year when I get my tax return. (I got nailed with a traffic ticket and that threw a monkey wrench into my computer building plans. :lol)

Yup, I have this monitor. It's great and you get it $20 cheaper than what I paid.

 

[Cheeto]

Apparently (Maybe? I read it somewhere,plus looks at some user speeds) the extra SP's can hinder the clocks the 216 can get.

Like I said it doesn't matter anyway since your frames are already so up there. It's better to save $40 imo.


------
PC help time.
------

When I play Team Fortress 2, and ONLY Team Fortress 2 (8+ Hours of Fallout 3, or Crysis, or FarCry 2, or L4D demo does this).

It happens anywhere from 10 minutes of playing, to waiting 4 hours to strike.

The game freezes, the sound loops, then my display goes to 800x600 and with 8 bit color giving me a message that nv4_disp.dll has failed (Or quit working).

After this happens I can hear TF2 playing fine, with chat and game sounds working perfectly, but can't reselect it.

I also do NOT get a BSOD from it, only rejecting me back to desktop.
AVG is usually running. I will start disabling it when playing.

Windows XP2

E7200 @ 3.8
GTX 260 @ stock
4GB Corsair DDR2
Asus P5B [Vanilla] (Could this old P965 chipset have anything to do with it?)
Nvidia 178.13 drivers

I haven't experienced the resolution change or the color depth change, but I was having some glitches in TF2 of the game freeze momentarily with the sound looping. It would happen for about 1-3 seconds at a time. I updated my audio drivers and started closing a lot of background programs before playing and that seemed to take care of it.

 

[godhandiscen]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145

I was wondering if this monitor is a good buy. I am thinking of buying it now and building my computer in the first quarter of next year when I get my tax return. (I got nailed with a traffic ticket and that threw a monkey wrench into my computer building plans. :lol)

Awful contrast. However, you won't notice the difference unless you compare it directly to a Samsung or something in that category.

 

[H.Cornerstone]

Whilst I'd disregard the OCing part (as the 216 could similarly be OCed as well and still has more SPs), if you can't stretch to $260, that is a hell of a deal. Far Cry 2 is easily worth at least $20 to any gamer, so you're getting a card that was $400 a few short months ago for essentially half price. Insane. What a difference competition makes.

ATI definitely beat Nvidia this round but these massive price cuts have really turned things on their head and made Nvidia an excellent choice for many price brackets now. Nvidia must be losing money on that card, a 1.8 billion tranasistor chip plus 896MB of GDDR3 is anything but cheap to manufacture.

That one one the deal is the old cards with only 192 cores, and not the 216, which apparently makes a huge difference in speed.

And has anyone ever had an ASRock, if so, how are they?

 

[Hazaro]

I haven't experienced the resolution change or the color depth change, but I was having some glitches in TF2 of the game freeze momentarily with the sound looping. It would happen for about 1-3 seconds at a time. I updated my audio drivers and started closing a lot of background programs before playing and that seemed to take care of it.

Can't update my audio drivers, only a set from 2005 work properly.

I ran memtest overnight, 25 passes, going to stress test ORTHOS blend after, then look at re-installing video drivers.

 

[brain_stew]

Shows what I know. Any idea on nv4 error?

That's an error with your Nvidia drver isn't it? Try some different video card driver versions and see how you get on.

That one one the deal is the old cards with only 192 cores, and not the 216, which apparently makes a huge difference in speed.

And has anyone ever had an ASRock, if so, how are they?

Well, yeah, but its $40 less so if you can't stretch to the 216 version its still a heck of a deal. The difference shouldn't be too great either, the rest of the card is the same and the original is hardly lacking in shader performance anyway.

As for ASRock I've heard some very dodgy things in the past. Considering ASUS and Gigabyte boards can be had for very reasonable prices and are so damn good, I wouldn't look anywhere else personally.

Awful contrast. However, you won't notice the difference unless you compare it directly to a Samsung or something in that category.

What's that going off the specs or personal experience? If its the specs then i wouldn't worry too much as maufacturer rated contrast ratios are wholly worthless and tell you very little about the PQ.