godhandiscen
There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
previous page.dude said:
-
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
Broken Arrow
Member
Does anyone know of a great online store, like Newegg, that ships internationally?
Cause HW prices here are insanely high...
Thanks
Cause HW prices here are insanely high...
Thanks
E8400 seems to be the best choice for gaming, since it overclocks pretty consistently to 3.6GHz on stock voltage, and 4+ with higher volts and a better heatsinkfan. Clockspeed is still more important than number of cores for gaming.
I think an 8800GT 512 is still a good choice if you can get it for <$200, and the HD4850 will probably become the new favourite in the $200-250 range.
I think an 8800GT 512 is still a good choice if you can get it for <$200, and the HD4850 will probably become the new favourite in the $200-250 range.
TheHeretic
Banned
Zzoram said:
Clock speed maxes out at around 3.0 - 3.2 Ghz for video gaming. Theres really no advantage in going to 4 Ghz unless you are talking about encoding or such.
This may be premature to ask, but I will be building my new PC in the next few months.
1) Is the 4870 a good option (with a crossfire motherboard) vs the GTX280? I know the 280 is more expensive (more powerful?) but if I want to play Crysis at MAX (including 4xAA) would it be playable at ANY resolution?
2) would I have to get 2 4870's right away for Crysis? would it surpass one GTX280? Is there a big advantage to using 2 cards in crossfire?
Thanks for the help.
1) Is the 4870 a good option (with a crossfire motherboard) vs the GTX280? I know the 280 is more expensive (more powerful?) but if I want to play Crysis at MAX (including 4xAA) would it be playable at ANY resolution?
2) would I have to get 2 4870's right away for Crysis? would it surpass one GTX280? Is there a big advantage to using 2 cards in crossfire?
Thanks for the help.
Kccitystar
Member
Well, I've got a story.
I haven't upgraded shit in my PC since 2004 with a RAM upgrade and a DVD-RW drive. My PC is running on an ATHLON XP processor and a RADEON 9800XT. Surely it's dated but it does what I want....albeit slowly.
Now, I think it's time to seriously get with the times and make a more efficient PC that can do it all while keeping flexibility. I'm planning on building a MicroATX powerhouse that can save some space around my room, and this is what I have so far under $800 (sans tax and shipping):
I've made two builds, an AMD build and an intel build:
AMD:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9856928
intel:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9856288
What does GAF think? Coming from an older PC, right now at this point anything is good. :lol
I haven't upgraded shit in my PC since 2004 with a RAM upgrade and a DVD-RW drive. My PC is running on an ATHLON XP processor and a RADEON 9800XT. Surely it's dated but it does what I want....albeit slowly.
Now, I think it's time to seriously get with the times and make a more efficient PC that can do it all while keeping flexibility. I'm planning on building a MicroATX powerhouse that can save some space around my room, and this is what I have so far under $800 (sans tax and shipping):
I've made two builds, an AMD build and an intel build:
AMD:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9856928
intel:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9856288
What does GAF think? Coming from an older PC, right now at this point anything is good. :lol
Bulla564 said:
No one knows for sure.
Just wait until June 25 to ask that question. It just brings out the beaten and scarred ATI fanboys. After 2 generations, they finally have something to be excited about. However, I could say after seeing the less-than-stellar GTX280 benchmarks that you have a good reason to wait
DarkAngelYuna
Banned
Get the intel machine but with a 8800gt at least, not that crap in the link.Kccitystar said:
Hi! I'm ordering a PC for one of my cousin with a limited budget (approx. 750$) and would like to have the opinions of our PC guys here at Neo GAF. Please help me to know if this system would be perfect for the price.
I know there's a 50$ fee for making up the system, but I don't want to risk playing with his CPU and Mobo. Another thing, I will use Ncix.com for ordering since I always had good services from them and I'm Canadian. He already has a good HDD and a DVD Burner, so we don't need to buy new one.
Here's what I put together on NCIx.com :
Thanks,
Eric
I know there's a 50$ fee for making up the system, but I don't want to risk playing with his CPU and Mobo. Another thing, I will use Ncix.com for ordering since I always had good services from them and I'm Canadian. He already has a good HDD and a DVD Burner, so we don't need to buy new one.
Here's what I put together on NCIx.com :
Thanks,
Eric
brain_stew
Member
Swap out the 8800GT for the newly released 4850, it should be a good 30-40% better for an extra $20. Personally I'd go the Core Duo route, there's simply more performance and overclocking overhead this way. Something like an E7200 and Gigabyte P35 DS3L is very cheap (shouldn't be too much more than your current choice) and will perform great at stock. Stick on a aftermarket cooler like the Akasa 965 or Arctic Freezer Pro and watch that thing fly, should reach 3.4ghz+ quite easily. The DS3 is a great board for clocking and it makes it a lot easier than you'd imagine. Even if you want to keep the thing at stock (I wouldn't but its not my PC) it should perform better and give you the option to upgrade to a speedy Intel Quad Core later on.
Teknopathetic
Member
Yup, definitely try to go for a E7200 C2D.
Just so people are aware, you can get $55 off with a 4850 + Phenom 9600 combo; pretty good alternative to all the Intel recommendations imo.
edit: link http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102747
edit: link http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102747
brain_stew
Member
Vaporak said:
For those into encoding and multitasking its a good deal but not exactly an ideal gamer's CPU.
Im gonna be getting a new computer soon, probably early August. Building one myself is out of the question, so what sites do you guys recommend for custom building my pc? Im looking at cyberpower, maingear, and velocity micro. The prices also seem to go in that order as well, with velocity being the most expensive. Any other additional websites that are good? Im looking for the best balance of price/quality.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136038
Anybody have any experience with DFI mobo's? They're generally rated pretty high on New Egg, and I was wondering what GAF thought of them.
Anybody have any experience with DFI mobo's? They're generally rated pretty high on New Egg, and I was wondering what GAF thought of them.
Outdoor Miner
Member
Well, pending expense approval from the Miss', this is what I'm buying before the day is over
Case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 534
Power Supply - Antec earthwatts EA500 500W
Mobo - ASUS P5Q-E ATX Intel Motherboard (Crossfire compatible)
Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
RAM - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
Video Card - ASUS Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Optical Drive - LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA
CPU HS - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro
Operating System - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit DVD
Total w/ 3-day shipping = 950.55
Probably overkill for 1280x1024 gaming. My monitor upgrade to a 22" 1680x1050 LCD will occur before the year is done.
Edit- Just realized newegg is running a combo deal on an ASUS Radeon HD 4850 + Asus P5Q-E (crossfire version of the original mobo I had planned on). Yay for $30 savings!
Case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 534
Power Supply - Antec earthwatts EA500 500W
Mobo - ASUS P5Q-E ATX Intel Motherboard (Crossfire compatible)
Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
RAM - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
Video Card - ASUS Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Optical Drive - LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA
CPU HS - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro
Operating System - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit DVD
Total w/ 3-day shipping = 950.55
Probably overkill for 1280x1024 gaming. My monitor upgrade to a 22" 1680x1050 LCD will occur before the year is done.
Edit- Just realized newegg is running a combo deal on an ASUS Radeon HD 4850 + Asus P5Q-E (crossfire version of the original mobo I had planned on). Yay for $30 savings!
Oldschoolgamer
The physical form of blasphemy
Does anyone know why Western Digital's customer service is such ass? My 500 gig HD is failing and I need a new one, but, I haven't gotten a return email nor did anyone answer the phones today.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003
Just bought this PSU for my set up (4850, E8400, 1 250GB HDD, 3 DVD/CD drives). I don't plan to OC a whole lot. I just don't want to gimp on the wattage. The amount of amps on the 12V rail sound sufficient enough. I don't know, I just want some clarification that it was a good/right choice.
Just bought this PSU for my set up (4850, E8400, 1 250GB HDD, 3 DVD/CD drives). I don't plan to OC a whole lot. I just don't want to gimp on the wattage. The amount of amps on the 12V rail sound sufficient enough. I don't know, I just want some clarification that it was a good/right choice.
I seriously hope someone can help me with this problem. I didn't think it was necessary to make a new thread.
I'll be brief:
Ran an HDMI from my video card to the Plasma TV in the bedroom.
Here is my video card:
My video card has the small audio connector that connects to my motherboard. Here is my motherboard:
With Windows XP installed it worked beautifully. I set up "Clone Display" so I would play a movie on my pc - make it full screen and I can watch it on the plasma in the bedroom and it would look great and it would pass audio perfectly.
The problem:
Installed Vista Ultimate 64. I can no longer pass audio via HDMI. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the 64bit drivers for both my mother board and the gpu and still I cant get audio.
Im about to eat the cash i spent on Vista and go back to XP so that it will work again. But before I do that I figured I would ask the PC gurus here if anyone has any idea how to fix this?
I'll be brief:
Ran an HDMI from my video card to the Plasma TV in the bedroom.
Here is my video card:
My video card has the small audio connector that connects to my motherboard. Here is my motherboard:
With Windows XP installed it worked beautifully. I set up "Clone Display" so I would play a movie on my pc - make it full screen and I can watch it on the plasma in the bedroom and it would look great and it would pass audio perfectly.
The problem:
Installed Vista Ultimate 64. I can no longer pass audio via HDMI. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the 64bit drivers for both my mother board and the gpu and still I cant get audio.
Im about to eat the cash i spent on Vista and go back to XP so that it will work again. But before I do that I figured I would ask the PC gurus here if anyone has any idea how to fix this?
Lose the 8800GT. For $179, its really overpriced. Go with a 4850 for 5 bucks less. Other than that, I'd rather go with a E6850/6750 and a cheap p35 mobo but that'll add around $200 more to your budget.AIRic said:
Also compare prices with DirectCanada, run by the same guys as NCIX.
Have you thought about dual booting until you find a permanent solution?The Chef said:I seriously hope someone can help me with this problem. I didn't think it was necessary to make a new thread.
I'll be brief:
Ran an HDMI from my video card to the Plasma TV in the bedroom.
Here is my video card:
My video card has the small audio connector that connects to my motherboard. Here is my motherboard:
With Windows XP installed it worked beautifully. I set up "Clone Display" so I would play a movie on my pc - make it full screen and I can watch it on the plasma in the bedroom and it would look great and it would pass audio perfectly.
The problem:
Installed Vista Ultimate 64. I can no longer pass audio via HDMI. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the 64bit drivers for both my mother board and the gpu and still I cant get audio.
Im about to eat the cash i spent on Vista and go back to XP so that it will work again. But before I do that I figured I would ask the PC gurus here if anyone has any idea how to fix this?
If I was in your situation, I'd backup-> reformmat w/2 partitions -> have one for xp and one for vista.
Kind of a terrible solution, but its the only thing i could think of. You'd just switch OSes when you wanted to watch it on the TV.
I'm assuming you upgraded your copy of xp... so you MAY have to install it on one partition and not update it. Then install it on a second partition -> upgrade to Vista.
Outdoor Miner
Member
Kccitystar
Member
Chiggs said:
I'm looking to spend at the most below $900...and because I want my PC to be an all purpose rig (gaming, video production, etc), I'm looking for processing power and RAM.
Alright guys, my birthday is coming up and I've managed to talk/connive some loved ones into helping me get a laptop (it's purpose is for work and casual related purposes. Mainly work though) which leaves me free to start work on a strictly gaming desktop. Strictly gaming. Meaning very, very little non gaming items will ever touch this rig.
While that may sound weird to some, I actually work better this way (if I sit down in front of a laptop, my brain thinks "work". Desktop, my mind thinks "play").
So, now I can start working on enjoying the endless cycle of tuning and retuning a gaming desktop. My first part of the puzzle is a motherboard and CPU. Since ATi looks to have won this round, I find myself wonder if I should pick up a Crossfire mobo or wait and see if their high end chip makes the crossfire solution pointless.
Here is my CPU/Motherboard right now (well, hell...might as well throw in the whole set up)
MSI P665 Platinum
Intel E6300 1.86 Ghz Core 2 Duo
2 GB DDR 800
GeForce 9600 GT
250 GB HDD
I honestly can't recall my PSU.
Any thoughts about potential upgrades to both Motherboard and CPU?
While that may sound weird to some, I actually work better this way (if I sit down in front of a laptop, my brain thinks "work". Desktop, my mind thinks "play").
So, now I can start working on enjoying the endless cycle of tuning and retuning a gaming desktop.
My first part of the puzzle is a motherboard and CPU. Since ATi looks to have won this round, I find myself wonder if I should pick up a Crossfire mobo or wait and see if their high end chip makes the crossfire solution pointless. Here is my CPU/Motherboard right now (well, hell...might as well throw in the whole set up)
MSI P665 Platinum
Intel E6300 1.86 Ghz Core 2 Duo
2 GB DDR 800
GeForce 9600 GT
250 GB HDD
I honestly can't recall my PSU.
Any thoughts about potential upgrades to both Motherboard and CPU?
Chiggs
Gold Member
Kccitystar said:
Okay, MicroATX power...gotcha. Here are some recommendations:
Motherboard: Asus P5E-VM-HDMI - best MATX mobo ever.
Processor: Q6600 or Q9450.
Case: Thermaltake Lanbox - excellent SFF.
Video Card: Radeon 4850 or 4870.
Power Supply: Lot's of great options, but make sure you go with a modular unit.
gray_fox224
Junior Member
Chiggs said:
Would this recommendation be for gaming or a 'do it all PC?'
Well, I think I'm going to start things off with a new CPU.
I'm going to go with Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
Seems my current motherboard can run the processor just find and through discussion with some friends, there really isn't a need to upgrade to another motherboard at the current moment in time.
Is the stock cooler alright for this CPU or should I pick up an aftermarket cooler?
I'm going to go with Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
Seems my current motherboard can run the processor just find and through discussion with some friends, there really isn't a need to upgrade to another motherboard at the current moment in time.
Is the stock cooler alright for this CPU or should I pick up an aftermarket cooler?
irfan said:
Actually, DirectCanada and CanadaComputers are from the same people, not NCIX.
Kintaro said:
Normally, I'd stay the hell away from MSI motherboards, but since you're having no problems with it.....
Your CPU is fine, depending on what resolution you're running at. If you're doing 1280x720 or 1280x800, you should be alright. Maybe the 8800GT, since I'm not sure how much power the 4850 requires.
Okay you gaf techheads I've got a special and very specific request - I want a new pc in the coming months and about all I'll likely take from my current one is the hard drive (as a slave) and the video card (I"ll upgrade it later on). What I want is something that can run cool AND quiet.
Right now my 2005 built pentium 4 , even when nicely cleaned has immense troubles idling at anything colder then 20 degrees C above room temperature. This is annoying as basically once it gets warmer then 25 C outside I can't do much because playing a game tends to push the heat up a further 15 to 20 degrees, meaning that even in wintertime with an 18 degree room the pc will sit at 60 while gaming , in the summer though at 25 degree heat it closes games because it's rocketed past the heatzone warning of I think 65.
Basically I want a computer that can still play all the newest games but idle at say 35-40 degrees in 30 degree heat and not go hotter then 60 at any time ever. It can't be that hard can it ?
Right now my 2005 built pentium 4 , even when nicely cleaned has immense troubles idling at anything colder then 20 degrees C above room temperature. This is annoying as basically once it gets warmer then 25 C outside I can't do much because playing a game tends to push the heat up a further 15 to 20 degrees, meaning that even in wintertime with an 18 degree room the pc will sit at 60 while gaming , in the summer though at 25 degree heat it closes games because it's rocketed past the heatzone warning of I think 65.
Basically I want a computer that can still play all the newest games but idle at say 35-40 degrees in 30 degree heat and not go hotter then 60 at any time ever. It can't be that hard can it ?