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Official 2008 "I Need A New PC" Thread

S

SRG01

Member
Armitage said:
I'm in Canadia, $1000 max budget. Already have a monitor and speakers, and mouse.

I want to play Fallout 3, Supreme Commander/FA, and Crysis. Going to be running on a 19" 720p lcd tv.

WHAT SHOULD I BUY GAF?
Click to expand...

$1000 is plenty. :lol I can easily put together a decent system that will play that for well under $1000 CDN.

edit: Forgot the parts: E5200, motherboard to taste, 2-4GB RAM (again to taste), and 4830/4850.
 
A

Armitage

Member
Here's what I've got so far:

CPU: E7200
Motherboard: Gigabyte something-or-other.
RAM: Kingston valueram 2x2 gb.
GPU: HIS Radeon HD 4850
HD: Seagate Barracuda 250gb
PS: Enermax Liberty ELT500AWT
Case: Coolermaster Centurion 590

I don't really know which motherboard to get. I'm clueless about this stuff now. Anyways it comes to about $800 which is almost perfect.
 
F

FromTheFuture

Member
Is there any good documentation on how to actually assemble the PC? I plan on building my own to save money and for the experience within the next month. This would be my first time. I will most likely have some help, but i also want to do something myself, and not turn them into expensive bricks.

I do have a few rising questions, however, since i don't keep up with the PC at all until now.

My current build (what i plan to order):
My limit was ~800$, which it is with shipping and tax... parts themselves cost ~700$, and everything else adds ~100$. NewEgg has tax on New Jersey :(.

But anyway, some questions:
  1. Should i swap out any of my hardware for something better/around the same price?
  2. More specifically, how is the Radeon 4850 HD? Is it worth it or is there a better alternative?
  3. Does Windows 7 pose any threat to me if i build a Vista 64 PC right now? I don't know when Windows 7 comes out or if its supposed to be amazing, but I've heard some talk about it.
  4. Would now be a good time to build a PC or am i better off waiting for a little? If so, when would be a good time to buy? (Like say, if some price drops may occur soon)
  5. I had another question, but i forgot it, so yeah.

Edit. Well crap, everytime i check my cart on NewEgg (which is often), the damn price goes up ~10$. This sucks. (ok not really)
Edit2. Added links to all my parts incase someone wants to purchase some of the stuff i'm getting...
 
F

FromTheFuture

Member
Armitage said:
Here's what I've got so far:

CPU: E7200
Motherboard: Gigabyte something-or-other.
RAM: Kingston valueram 2x2 gb.
GPU: HIS Radeon HD 4850
HD: Seagate Barracuda 250gb
PS: Enermax Liberty ELT500AWT
Case: Coolermaster Centurion 590

I don't really know which motherboard to get. I'm clueless about this stuff now. Anyways it comes to about $800 which is almost perfect.
Click to expand...
Eh? Couldn't help but notice that i'm getting some better stuff than you are for about the same price... you should check my post above. If you live where NewEgg ships, i've found them to be the cheapest place of all. I'm thinking you can maybe upgrade some stuff if you can find it all for cheaper.
 
A

Armitage

Member
FromTheFuture said:
Eh? Couldn't help but notice that i'm getting some better stuff than you are for about the same price... you should check my post above. If you live where NewEgg ships, i've found them to be the cheapest place of all. I'm thinking you can maybe upgrade some stuff if you can find it all for cheaper.
Click to expand...

Can't get Newegg in Canada, and it's in Canadian dollars which makes it seem more expensive than it is.
 
F

FromTheFuture

Member
Armitage said:
Can't get Newegg in Canada, and it's in Canadian dollars which makes it seem more expensive than it is.
Click to expand...
Ah.. makes sense. But I thought CAD was catching up to USD and at this point everything in Canada is overpriced? Sucks.
 
T

Tain

Member
I was told I should overclock my E7200.

Should I do this if I'm sticking with the stock heatsync? And by how much should I be thinking?
 
eXistor

eXistor

Member
I could start a new thread but I figure I should ask here first:

I have a problem with my PC. I had one put together last year with some pretty decent stuff. Problem is I've almost never been able to install anything without getting CRC errors. Some games have worked (Crysis/ Warhead, STALKER and Clear Sky) but most others I simply can't install becasue of these damn CRC errors. I tried downloading the games that I bought and then installing, but same shit. Basically I'm screwed software-wise.

After some research I think I've found the problem and it's my harddrive. Apparantly CRC errors could mean (they can mean a lot of things though) that my HD has physical problems and that obvisouly means I can never install anything properly.

I have 5 years warranty on the HD, but I really don't want to send it in for replacement as I really can't miss it.

My question is this: If I buy a new HD and choose to install the games on that, would that work? My windows (Vista btw) is obviously installed on the other HD as is all my other stuff, would that cause new problems?

Thanks.
 
S

Supa

Member
Hi guys, I'm buying a new PC next week. :D

I figured I'd drop the specs in this thread to hear your opinions. While I'm no computer expert, I'd like to think I have done my homework. I'll be using it for entertainment (gaming, movies), it's also a work PC meant to minize loading times and noise. The expenses aren't an issue since it has to last at least three years. Here's the list:

Housing: Silentmaxx ST-11 Pro Silent Midi Tower Black(NoPSU) (Fanless Option?)
Power: Silentmaxx Fanless PSU 560Watt, ATX2.0
Motherboard: Asus P6T Deluxe, S1366, X58, 6xDDR3, PCIe, ATX
Processor: Intel i7 920 2.66GHz, 4.8GT/sec, 8MB, S1366, Boxed, Cooler (2.93Ghz?)
Harddisk: Intel X25-M SSD 80GB, 2.5", SATA, MLC (for the Vista install)
2nd Harddisk: OCZ Solid SSD 60GB, 2.5", SATAII
Memory: OCZ Platinum 6GB(3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666, 1333MHz
Videocard: ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2: Asus EAH4870X2 2x1GB, 2xDVI, PCIe
Keyboard: Logitech Cordless Desktop MX5500 Revolution
Mediaplayer: LG GGW-H20L 6x Blu-ray Writer/HD-DVD Rom, SATA
Soundcard: on the motherboard
Networkcard: on the motherboard
Controller: on the motherboard
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, SP1, 64bit
Software: Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student, Retail
Monitor: Samsung T260HD 26" TFT, 5ms, HDMI, TV, Black
Headset: Creative HS-1200 Digital Gaming Wireless Headset
Drawingtablet: Wacom Bamboo Graphic Tablet

I'm especially interested to hear if anyone has any suggestions for improvements on the PC's main hardware.
 
vpance

vpance

Member
So is it a good time to buy a new PC? I heard Intel just had price cuts on their CPUs, but hasn't reached retail yet.

CPU would be E8400, and I was thinking an HD4670 for now just to get by at the moment and get something better later on. What's the roadmap for Nvidia and ATI?
 
M

madmook

Member
vpance said:
So is it a good time to buy a new PC? I heard Intel just had price cuts on their CPUs, but hasn't reached retail yet.
Click to expand...
I think it has, I bought and already installed a Q9650 the other day. They used to be over $500, but all the sites now have it at the new lower pricepoint, and the same goes for the other models that got pricedrops.
 
vpance

vpance

Member
madmook said:
I think it has, I bought and already installed a Q9650 the other day. They used to be over $500, but all the sites now have it at the new lower pricepoint, and the same goes for the other models that got pricedrops.
Click to expand...

Looks like there's not much change in price for the dual cores. Think I'll just go for it now. Now I just dunno if I should shell out $300 for a GTX 260 since there's not too much I want to play at the moment.
 
S

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
Supa said:
Hi guys, I'm buying a new PC next week. :D

I figured I'd drop the specs in this thread to hear your opinions. While I'm no computer expert, I'd like to think I have done my homework. I'll be using it for entertainment (gaming, movies), it's also a work PC meant to minize loading times and noise. The expenses aren't an issue since it has to last at least three years. Here's the list:

Housing: Silentmaxx ST-11 Pro Silent Midi Tower Black(NoPSU) (Fanless Option?)
Power: Silentmaxx Fanless PSU 560Watt, ATX2.0
Motherboard: Asus P6T Deluxe, S1366, X58, 6xDDR3, PCIe, ATX
Processor: Intel i7 920 2.66GHz, 4.8GT/sec, 8MB, S1366, Boxed, Cooler (2.93Ghz?)
Harddisk: Intel X25-M SSD 80GB, 2.5", SATA, MLC (for the Vista install)
2nd Harddisk: OCZ Solid SSD 60GB, 2.5", SATAII
Memory: OCZ Platinum 6GB(3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666, 1333MHz
Videocard: ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2: Asus EAH4870X2 2x1GB, 2xDVI, PCIe
Keyboard: Logitech Cordless Desktop MX5500 Revolution
Mediaplayer: LG GGW-H20L 6x Blu-ray Writer/HD-DVD Rom, SATA
Soundcard: on the motherboard
Networkcard: on the motherboard
Controller: on the motherboard
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, SP1, 64bit
Software: Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student, Retail
Monitor: Samsung T260HD 26" TFT, 5ms, HDMI, TV, Black
Headset: Creative HS-1200 Digital Gaming Wireless Headset
Drawingtablet: Wacom Bamboo Graphic Tablet

I'm especially interested to hear if anyone has any suggestions for improvements on the PC's main hardware.
Click to expand...
I don't know if 140GB is going to cut it for a work system. You might also want to invest in water cooling, because you definitely need some kind of cooling solution for a fanless PSU, and I don't think that case is packed with fans. Silentmaxx uses FSP as an OEM, so no worries there. I would also ditch the gaming headset for a pair of Sennheisersand a clip on mic.
 
E

evil solrac v3.0

Member
ok, need recomendations on a video card. since victim _of_grief is busy arguing in that dumb "10 to improve PC gaming" thread.

my budget for a video card is about 300-350 dollars. i want top of the line and be able to push 1920x1200 resolutions on all my games with crysis being able to do 30+ FPS(if i can get crysis to do that, all my games should be fine)

so...
fire away.
 
S

Slavik81

Member
FromTheFuture said:
Ah.. makes sense. But I thought CAD was catching up to USD and at this point everything in Canada is overpriced? Sucks.
Click to expand...
It was, but...

us.png



EDIT: Whoops. Sorry. I didn't notice this was the 2008 thread.
 
C

Coldsnap

Member
Whats the best method to sell a PC that you built? Craigslist? Add in comic stores?

Last year I built a $1,000 PC setup and havn't played one game on it yet, haha. Its just really taking up a lot of space in my apartment, looking to sell it.
 
godhandiscen

godhandiscen

There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
Well, you can add the prices of the parts to get a sum, also compare to similar offerings from vendors, use a vendor configurator to get a configuration similar to the pc you want to sell, and see what they are charging.

Also, this is the 2008 thread.

Here is a link to the 2009 one. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=346008
 
L

luiztfc

Member
Guys, quick question about PSU

I'll buy my new PC this week:

i7 920
Asus P6T
HD 5870
2 GB RAM 1333
1TB HD
Case Coolermaster Gladiator
PSU OCZ 600W or 700W

I do intend to overclock it to @3.8 and add 3x2 GB Triple Channel 1600 (but not for the next three months as I won't be able to afford it).

So, what PSU should I choose? The 600W or the 700W?
 
L

luiztfc

Member
Holy crap, that wasn't intentional. I had to google the thread and didn't realize it was the 2008.

But well, I'm man enough to face my punishment.
 
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