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Official 2008 "I Need A New PC" Thread

A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
Hazaro said:
Ah.. the MX revolution.

I don't think I can live without 3 buttons on my thumb again :lol (5 technically I disabled 2)

Solid for 12 feet away, the only downside is you have to perfectly align it up to charge after about 9 months. I should probably ask for a replacement base and Logitech will oblige me :D
Click to expand...

i was having trouble charging my dinovo and they just sent me a brand new one straightaway; both work now go figure
 
lachesis

lachesis

Member
Heh... I'm still using usb keyboard which came with my Dell 6 years ago, and some crummy logitec wireless mouse, which loses its signal within 3-5 ft distance. It's either I have A LOT of wavelengths going through in my house, or maybe my mouse just sucks. :(

Then again, I can't get a good cell phone signal in my place - it's not like a dungeon - so I guess I must be living in a bermuda triangle of lost signals. ;) Thus, I'm rather hesistant to buy anything wireless these days. :(
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
zoku88 said:
I've JUST noticed this. I didn't really know what it wasn't charging before :lol :lol

EDIT: did they make a bluetooth version of the mouse?
Click to expand...

Not sure, there are 2 versions I think (06 and 07)

I just called them and since it's a "high-end" item I would need to send it back to them :(

I might do it later, but there is no going back when you get something like this.

lachesis said:
Heh... I'm still using usb keyboard which came with my Dell 6 years ago, and some crummy logitec wireless mouse, which loses its signal within 3-5 ft distance. It's either I have A LOT of wavelengths going through in my house, or maybe my mouse just sucks. :(

Then again, I can't get a good cell phone signal in my place - it's not like a dungeon - so I guess I must be living in a bermuda triangle of lost signals. ;) Thus, I'm rather hesitant to buy anything wireless these days. :(
Click to expand...

The MX transmitter is super super tiny and goes through an inch of solid wood to get to my mouse, probably not much but I do have a DD-WRT router dumping wireless internets that is only 3 feet away from it. Still get 12 feet of fantastic reception.
 
B

border

Member
lachesis said:
Well, border - as far as I can tell from nearly 10 years of Gafing, I second that there's no way you can mess up.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the vote of confidence, at least :D

I'd like to try building my own PC, but the way I see it is that if I fuck something up I will have to have a professional tech come in and fix it. And that will cost $80 easily. So if I can have someone else build the system for $80, I might as well.

At the moment I'm not sure if I'd be to good setting up multiple hard drives, getting all the cables and electrical wiring right......plus I'm not too experienced starting from a dead-blank hard drive, getting an OS up and running, etc.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
border said:
Thanks for the vote of confidence, at least :D

I'd like to try building my own PC, but the way I see it is that if I fuck something up I will have to have a professional tech come in and fix it. And that will cost $80 easily. So if I can have someone else build the system for $80, I might as well.

At the moment I'm not sure if I'd be to good setting up multiple hard drives, getting all the cables and electrical wiring right......plus I'm not too experienced starting from a dead-blank hard drive, getting an OS up and running, etc.
Click to expand...

Put in CD.

Type Key.

Wait 15 minutes.

Hit enter a lot.

Name computer.

Log in.
 
R

Rahnter

Member
I built a cheap pc last week and wanted some opinions.

CPU: AMD X2 2400 Brisbane $25
MB: ECS A780VM-M2 $50
Mem: 2x1 Gigs Corsair $27
Case: Athenatech HTCP $52

With a cpu fan and dvi cables it came to $170ish after rebates. Using old K/m. and connected to my LCD tv.

However, I was looking at getting the 4850 for $130 with a 500 psu which should put me at a bit less than $350. Or should I get the 3870? Or 8800GT? I know nothing when it comes to video cards.
 
lachesis

lachesis

Member
Well it comes with stock fan, although I can't really vouch for the stock fan's performance - but should run fine with stock speed. If you are looking into OCing in the future, perhaps you might consider getting an aftermarket cooler. Just running stock speed? Stock fan should be just fine.

As far as I understand, "Retail" box comes with fans, while "OEM" CPUs just comes with CPU itself, no fans and no/limited warranty, I believe. You got the "retail" version.
 
Z

Zzoram

Member
Rahnter said:
I built a cheap pc last week and wanted some opinions.

CPU: AMD X2 2400 Brisbane $25
MB: ECS A780VM-M2 $50
Mem: 2x1 Gigs Corsair $27
Case: Athenatech HTCP $52

With a cpu fan and dvi cables it came to $170ish after rebates. Using old K/m. and connected to my LCD tv.

However, I was looking at getting the 4850 for $130 with a 500 psu which should put me at a bit less than $350. Or should I get the 3870? Or 8800GT? I know nothing when it comes to video cards.
Click to expand...

If you can get a 4850 for $130 totally go for it. It's faster than the 8800GT, which is faster than the 3870.
 
B

Brad

Member
Ok, I'm in the process of placing the parts on the motherboard. I've just installed the Intel 8400 CPU and I'm having trouble placing the cooling unit on top. It has for peg like things that go into the holes on the motherboard and I cannot get them to go in properly... any help? :D
 
bee

bee

Member
Brad said:
Ok, I'm in the process of placing the parts on the motherboard. I've just installed the Intel 8400 CPU and I'm having trouble placing the cooling unit on top. It has for peg like things that go into the holes on the motherboard and I cannot get them to go in properly... any help? :D
Click to expand...

use a lot of force and push 2 diagonally opposite pins in at the same time, then do the other 2
 
E

Epix

Member
Brad said:
Ok, I'm in the process of placing the parts on the motherboard. I've just installed the Intel 8400 CPU and I'm having trouble placing the cooling unit on top. It has for peg like things that go into the holes on the motherboard and I cannot get them to go in properly... any help? :D
Click to expand...
My advice is to take your time. It's going to take a little bit of work and more pressure then you think you should be pushing with. Don't get frustrated and throw your RAM across the room.
 
K

Kosma

Banned
Zzoram said:
If you can get a 4850 for $130 totally go for it. It's faster than the 8800GT, which is faster than the 3870.
Click to expand...

Listen to this man. But if you find the 8800 or 3870 for 100$ or less you won't be dissapointed either I think.

CPU: AMD X2 2400 Brisbane $25
Click to expand...

I'm just wondering how good the CPU you've chosen will perform for games.
 
B

BigKaboom2

Member
bee said:
use a lot of force and push 2 diagonally opposite pins in at the same time, then do the other 2
Click to expand...

And twist them clockwise as far as they will go before pushing them down. Definitely do the diagonal ones simultaneously as bee said.

EDIT: Whoops, you already did it.
 
lachesis

lachesis

Member
Brad said:
Well I've got the CPU cooler done with...now onto the RAM. Hopefully this is easier. :lol
Click to expand...


CPU Cooler - especially push-pin type is the worst. :( Rest of the construction should be much easier. Hope you are wearing gound strap or ground yourself occasionally. Highly doubt anything bad might happen, but you never know...
 
O

otake

Doesn't know that "You" is used in both the singular and plural
Brad said:
Ok I'm having trouble with the RAM, which I've installed before. Could it possibly be a compatibility problem?

My motherboard is

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=S458-1312

and my RAM

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=P33-5042


I hope it isn't. :(
Click to expand...
wrong ram. that motherboard is ddr3 only.

see http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135090&Tpk=ECS X48T-A Motherboard

Memory Standard DDR3 1600

which is more expensive but you can easily get.
 
B

Brad

Member
I believe so, I've tried both ways. I can't get both sides to click in. Only one or the other does. Am I just supposed to push straight down on either side?
 
Manp

Manp

Member
DDR3 will come in handy with Core i7 and future cpus but well prices are probably going down in the future, so in a year you'll probably be able to get better DDR3 memories for way less.

yeah it's probably better to return the mobo as Hazaro said

:)
 
N

Nemo

Will Eat Your Children
Tomorrow my E8400 and HD4850 system finally arrives. Been a while since I put together a PC, any tips? Will be putting everything on a GA-EP45-DS3L. I was told to be very careful and not bend any pins or the mobo's dead.
 
Manp

Manp

Member
Teetris said:
Tomorrow my E8400 and HD4850 system finally arrives. Been a while since I put together a PC, any tips? Will be putting everything on a GA-EP45-DS3L. I was told to be very careful and not bend any pins or the mobo's dead.
Click to expand...

pins? you mean the cpu socket? if so you should not worry

:)
 
R

Rahnter

Member
Kosma said:
I'm just wondering how good the CPU you've chosen will perform for games.
Click to expand...

Don't have a clue. It runs at 2.4ghz and I hear it can be overclocked to 2.8-3 easily. Honestly, I don't know much about pc hardware. But if the Cpu limits my system, I can easy replace it and use the 2400 as a back up.

Any advice is appreciated. I'm just trying to keep my build as close to $350 as possible.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Manp said:
DDR3 will come in handy with Core i7 and future cpus but well prices are probably going down in the future, so in a year you'll probably be able to get better DDR3 memories for way less.

yeah it's probably better to return the mobo as Hazaro said

:)
Click to expand...

It'll come in handy when I see some real benchmarks that effect me and don't cost twice as much.

Core 2 + 8 series ftw

Teetris said:
Yeah that. I figured the only way it could go wrong is if you put it in wrong.
Click to expand...

It has 2 slots on the side so you can't.
 
Manp

Manp

Member
Hazaro said:
It'll come in handy when I see some real benchmarks that effect me and don't cost twice as much.
Click to expand...

i'm only referring to the fact that future intel cpus with integrated memory controller will only support DDR3 memory. so it would be a bit more "future proof" as much as something like computer parts can be future proof :p

:)
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Manp said:
i'm only referring to the fact that future intel cpus with integrated memory controller will only support DDR3 memory. so it would be a bit more "future proof" as much as something like computer parts can be future proof :p

:)
Click to expand...

DDR still fetches golden prices :lol
 
R

Rahnter

Member
Like I mentioned earlier, I can get a 4850 for $130. Do you think there will be better deals through the holiday season? (Compared the prices drops of prior years) And the cheapest 8800GT that I can find is $105. What PSU should I be running? Currently have only a 270. And would oc the x2 2400 from 2.4 to 2.8/9 reap many benefits.

Right now I'm content with the integrated HD 3100, since all I'm playing is Spore. Some future games I'm looking to get are SC2 and LFD.

I haven't had a desktop since 2003, and hardly played pc games when I did. So any suggestions are appreciated.
 
J

jamesinclair

Banned
Quick question guys.

I bought a laptop 3 years ago (dell) and think its time for a new one.

My processor is 2.0Ghz

Im looking at the dell website, and the absolute best processor I found was 2.5ghz, with the most common being 2.3ghz.

Um, isnt this really slow? I have no idea what the speed actually means, but I figured that in three years it would have gotten much better.

Is the processor speed rating not linear? is 2.5ghz really 50 times faster than 2.0?
 
D

dave_d

Member
zoku88 said:
GHz myth...

More or less, the clock speed doesn't tell you the speed of a processor.
Click to expand...

Well you mean comparing clock speeds of different CPU architectures doesn't tell you speed. (You can't just compare the GHZ rating of say a P4 and a Core 2 but a 3.2 P4 is faster than a 2.4 P4.)

Basically to get back to the other person Intel changed CPU architectures when they went from Pentium 4's to Core 2. (So for example my Q6600 which is 2.4ghz is much faster than my old P4 2.4Ghz. but it's really comparing apples to oranges.)
 
T

TheCrow

Member
I need some help figuring out what I need to do to set up a HDTV as the second monitor. I have a 4870 and I bought a hdmi to dvi cable and it has just occurred to me that I might not get audio, but just video. Can someone just let me now if I have to buy something extra to get it to work.
 
J

jamesinclair

Banned
Alright guys, thanks, that makes sense.

Is there any way to figure out how much faster a core 2 2.4ghz processor is than my old pentium 4 2.0ghz processor?

Or does it not matter?

And how about when games list processor requirements?

Example:

F.E.A.R. Extraction Point Tech Info
Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz or equivalent processor or equivalent

There must be an equivalent chart...

Why couldnt they just go to pentium 5/6/7 and have 5ghz be better then 2.0ghz :(
 
Z

zoku88

Member
jamesinclair said:
Alright guys, thanks, that makes sense.

Is there any way to figure out how much faster a core 2 2.4ghz processor is than my old pentium 4 2.0ghz processor?

Or does it not matter?

And how about when games list processor requirements?

Example:

F.E.A.R. Extraction Point Tech Info
Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz or equivalent processor or equivalent

There must be an equivalent chart...

Why couldnt they just go to pentium 5/6/7 and have 5ghz be better then 2.0ghz :(
Click to expand...
Uhm, I think you're very confused.

Not even all P4's shared the same architecture... Much less a "p5" or a "p6"

Anyway, clock speed is only one aspect of speed (frequency.) I guess you could say that speed is clock speed times how much work you can do during a given clock cycle (the latter of which there is no 'number' for.)

You could say modern processors do more work during a clock than P4's. I'm sure this is over simplifying things.

You're being hung up on the phrase 'clock speed.' You have to remember that clock speed isn't actually a speed (distance/s) but a frequency (1/s)

EDIT: To answer your question, all Core 2's should be faster than your processor.
 
Z

Zzoram

Member
jamesinclair said:
Alright guys, thanks, that makes sense.

Is there any way to figure out how much faster a core 2 2.4ghz processor is than my old pentium 4 2.0ghz processor?

Or does it not matter?

And how about when games list processor requirements?

Example:

F.E.A.R. Extraction Point Tech Info
Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz or equivalent processor or equivalent

There must be an equivalent chart...

Why couldnt they just go to pentium 5/6/7 and have 5ghz be better then 2.0ghz :(
Click to expand...

The Core 2 Duo is roughly twice as fast per GHz I believe. That's not even considering the fact that it has 2 cores, so it would be even faster at multi-threaded applications/games.

Generally speaking, a 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo is the minimum spec for gaming, paired with a cheapo video card. If you're getting a higher end video card, you'll want to be 2.4GHz at least, preferably as high as you can go. The E8500 (3.16GHz) is probably the best for the money in terms of raw power per $ in the dual core range, sitting around ~$190.
 
S

SRG01

Member
Okay, so pulling the trigger (soonish) on a new system. Planned specs are E5200 paired with the 4850. Now, the questions are:

1. I plan to OC, so what's a good HSF and budget motherboard to go with?
2. Does the 4850 come in a 1GB DDR5 flavor?
 
J

jamesinclair

Banned
zoku88 said:
You could say modern processors do more work during a clock than P4's. I'm sure this is over simplifying things.

You're being hung up on the phrase 'clock speed.' You have to remember that clock speed isn't actually a speed (distance/s) but a frequency (1/s)

EDIT: To answer your question, all Core 2's should be faster than your processor.
Click to expand...

I figured theyd be faster, it was just too unbelievable that the technology had frozen. Honestly, I hadnt looked at computer specs for over a couple of years, so this really caught me off guard.

I blame Intel, they made processor speed the main focus for years
 
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