Official 2008 "I Need A New PC" Thread
- Thread starter Kosma
- Start date
So random stupid question that I shouldn't be asking but since I've got a new machine on the way I figured "Why not!"
I decided to pull the trigger on a Dell Inspiron 530 that they have going for $499 (Q6600, 3 gigs of DDR2 RAM). It's not the greatest machine in the world (far far from it really) but considering that I'm coming from an Athlon 64 2600+ with a gig of RAM and an AGP 6600 it's a pretty huge upgrade for me. I'm going to be slapping in an 8800 GT in there mostly due to budget constraints but I'm vaguely curious about potential performance in Crysis/Crysis Warhead. I realize that I'm definitely not going to be able to run it at the highest settings ever but what would I expect at something like, say, 1280x960 with medium/potentially high settings as far as FPS?
Also, I get this feeling I should ask in the Warhead topic but I've seen a lot of people ask that there and ugh I feel stupid even asking but this thread has basically inspired me to get a new PC this year even with my limited budget so I can at least say that.
I decided to pull the trigger on a Dell Inspiron 530 that they have going for $499 (Q6600, 3 gigs of DDR2 RAM). It's not the greatest machine in the world (far far from it really) but considering that I'm coming from an Athlon 64 2600+ with a gig of RAM and an AGP 6600 it's a pretty huge upgrade for me. I'm going to be slapping in an 8800 GT in there mostly due to budget constraints but I'm vaguely curious about potential performance in Crysis/Crysis Warhead. I realize that I'm definitely not going to be able to run it at the highest settings ever but what would I expect at something like, say, 1280x960 with medium/potentially high settings as far as FPS?
Also, I get this feeling I should ask in the Warhead topic but I've seen a lot of people ask that there and ugh I feel stupid even asking but this thread has basically inspired me to get a new PC this year even with my limited budget so I can at least say that.
duffey said:
Eh?
My 8800GT runs it at 30 fps on CCC lvl 5 (aka Enthusiast)
BUT, If I knock shaders to mainstream I can get 50fps, and it's oh so smooth while imo looks better. (On first two levels anyway)
1680x1050 btw
*p.s. Check if the Power Supply included can run the GT
border said:
More importantly, does it even have a PCI-express x16 slot for a video card? If it's the integrated graphics model, it may not, since integrated graphics motherboards usually don't. If it's got a cheapo video card, it definitely has a slot.
Also, it uses a 300W power supply. If it's a GOOD 300W power supply, it should be no problem to run the 8800GT. Otherwise it could be an issue. I know the 375W power supply in the XPS 420 runs the 8800GT great though.
Yeah, I was gonna say -- that's an awesome deal if you can actually put a new videocard in it, but all their Inspirion systems have integrated graphics.Zzoram said:
When you try to configure an Inspirion it gives you the choice of getting a PCI-E card, but I dunno if that means the default system is going to have one.
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...&oc=DDDADG4&s=dhs&dgc=CJ&cid=24471&lid=771659border said:
See if that link works. If not, lemme know and I'll try to fix the link for you. Note though: It comes with no monitor and an integrated video card but does have a PCI-e x16 slot so you can slap something a little better in it.
Oh cool so I shouldn't have a problem at a lower resolution then.hazaro said:
Also I've checked with people on the Something Awful forums, it's a standard 350W power supply that definitely runs with the GT and if nothing else at least down the road I'll be able to swap the thing out for something with more wattage which is the current plan once I get some more money rolling in.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121253
$169.99 + Alone in the Dark (shitty game but free)
-$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$139.99
As for power consumption, Anandtech's test shows that a full system with the HD4850 at load uses 227W. Your 300W power supply is probably okay (if it's a good quality one) considering their test computer was running and overclocked Quadcore.
$169.99 + Alone in the Dark (shitty game but free)
-$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$139.99
As for power consumption, Anandtech's test shows that a full system with the HD4850 at load uses 227W. Your 300W power supply is probably okay (if it's a good quality one) considering their test computer was running and overclocked Quadcore.
Ok, so I just read about this C2D E5200 after I had been thinking for a while about getting an E7200. Did the E5200 just come out or something? The main difference between the two is that the E5200 has 2MB cache and 800MHz FSB, while E7200 has 3MB and 1066MHz. Otherwise, they have the same stock frequency. Some forums have people saying they can OC the E5200 higher than the E7200. Is the higher cache and FSB worth the extra $35? Every other thread I've read about this seems to split right down the middle on the topic. I mainly just want a chip that I can OC to around 3.0-3.2GHz easily and with the stock HSF (ideally with just the included thermal pad and not third party paste), but also combined with 4GB of RAM and a 9600GT to be able to play Crysis at medium settings reasonably.
Edit: And regarding the post right above mine, is it really pointless to have a 610W PSU then? Is it going to be constantly drawing 610W, even when it doesn't need anywhere near that much power? I hate wasting electricity so much, and my system is just going to have the above mentioned things, in addition to three hard drives and one or two opticals.
Edit: And regarding the post right above mine, is it really pointless to have a 610W PSU then? Is it going to be constantly drawing 610W, even when it doesn't need anywhere near that much power? I hate wasting electricity so much, and my system is just going to have the above mentioned things, in addition to three hard drives and one or two opticals.
I gotta say this sounds like a pretty sweet deal, if indeed it does have a PCI-e slot. Has Dell told you this, or just the folks at Something Awful?duffey said:
Do you just have to go into the BIOS and disable the integrated video, or will it bypass that for you automatically with a card installed?Also, is it shipping with 32 or 64-bit Vista?
DarthWoo said:
Are you skimping on other parts, trying for a budget build?
If so then sure go for the E5200, some of the later batches of the E7200 clock for crap. 2MB vs 3MB doesn't do much at all for almost all games.
I had an improvement of 0-2 fps from a E7200 @ 3.6 and a E8400 @ 3.6 (3 and 6MB respectively)
I've read the specs, it definitely has the slot. Also seen pictures too!border said:I gotta say this sounds like a pretty sweet deal, if indeed it does have a PCI-e slot. Has Dell told you this, or just the folks at Something Awful?
Also, is it shipping with 32 or 64-bit Vista?
I'd assume you'd have to go into BIOS to disable the card but I also don't quite know how Vista works with that but to be on the safe side I'm just going into BIOS to do that.
Also, 32-bit.
DarthWoo said:
It only draws and converts what it needs.
The conversion efficiency of a PSU is highest in the 30-80% range.
A 600w drawing 300w will be more efficient than a 300w drawing 300w, saving you money.
There are specific lines of 80+ (80% efficiency of AC to DC) of PSU's just for this.
DarthWoo said:
No. The watt rating of power supplies rarely matters. It's the amps on the 12V rail, and the stability of the rail that matters. The bigger power supplies tend to have multiple 12V rails and way more connectors, 8-pin and 6-pin, for multiple beastly video cards. Cheaper power supplies have only one 12V rail and probably just a single 6-pin connector.
Cards like the 8800GT and HD4850 only need the sinlge 6-pin, the HD4870/GTX260 needs two 6-pin, and the GTX280 needs the 8-pin and a 6-pin.
I have a 500W power supply and I run an HD4870 using 2 of the 6-pin power connectors.
Yes, there's the efficiency issue too. PSU's rated 80+ are over 80% efficient most of the time. As mentioned before, they are most efficient when not being pushed to the limit. The energy costs can make quite a difference over a few years, especially if you leave your PC on most of the day or all the time like many people do.
Cool deal -- I'm still debating between something like this (cheap pre-built + good video card) and putting together $900-1000 system capable of running Vista and OSX Leopard. Do you still have to wire your PSU to your graphics card, or has PCI-e fixed that? If the system has integrated graphics, I guess you might need to set up the wiring for that yourself.duffey said:
Please keep us posted so we can hear how it works out.
Yeah you still have to wire it but it's a simple connection so it's not all that bad. Either way I was debating the same thing (re: pre-built versus building it myself) but I ended up deciding that I really needed to be on a strict budget and I'm not going to be doing any super-serious gaming other than like, WoW and the various Source games and games from gog.com so I went with this. I'll have the machine in next week so I'll have some impressions then alongside some pictures if I can find my camera.border said:
Demigod Mac
Member
Monitor buying time. Regrettably, it's looking like finding a good CRT is impractical at this point. So for the first time, I'm looking at LCDs.
I tried Viewsonic's VLED221wm, and to my huge disappointment, the viewing angle on this screen is so bad that the edges of the screen get discolored (red hue) even when you look at the screen dead center. There was noticeable discoloring at every conceivable angle I tried. A tragedy, because this screen nailed everything else image quality wise.
So what else is there? I've been a loyal Viewsonic customer for seven years (though this experience left my faith in them badly damaged).
I hear good things about Dell and HP monitors.
Image quality is a priority for me. Consistency is a priority: if the top of the screen is slightly darker than the bottom, no deal. If certain areas of the screen are more red or blue than other parts, no deal. I really do not want a glossy finish. Preferred 20-22" size, although I might be willing to go with a 24". Budget, probably $400-600.
I tried Viewsonic's VLED221wm, and to my huge disappointment, the viewing angle on this screen is so bad that the edges of the screen get discolored (red hue) even when you look at the screen dead center. There was noticeable discoloring at every conceivable angle I tried. A tragedy, because this screen nailed everything else image quality wise.
So what else is there? I've been a loyal Viewsonic customer for seven years (though this experience left my faith in them badly damaged).
I hear good things about Dell and HP monitors.
Image quality is a priority for me. Consistency is a priority: if the top of the screen is slightly darker than the bottom, no deal. If certain areas of the screen are more red or blue than other parts, no deal. I really do not want a glossy finish. Preferred 20-22" size, although I might be willing to go with a 24". Budget, probably $400-600.
Teetris said:
Go to Control Panel, System, Hardware tab, Device Manager. Look under IDE controllers for your IDE controller (not the ones that say Primary or Secondary or Channel 0/Channel 1, you want the parent device, should be called something like "<manufacturer name> PCI IDE Controller"). Right click it and go "Update driver". Then tell it you want to choose the driver to use and select "Standard PCI IDE" from the list. Then OK out of that lot and reboot.
I don't recommend doing a Windows Repair, since it will leave your system files in a half-updated, half-not-updated state. If you don't want to do the procedure above then I suggest doing what others recommend and backing up and formatting and doing a clean install.
What are SSE4 and Virtualization, and do they have any bearing on average use or gaming (or 3D modeling)? I tried reading the Wiki articles on both but the SSE4 was gibberish to me, and Virtualization was too many different things. Apparently, depending on which spec sheet you read from Intel, the E5200 doesn't have those (and probably other functions) and I'm not sure if the E7200 does either.
Gully State
Member
Question:
I'm planning on overhauling my current PC by just replacing the mobo/CPU/GPU/RAM. I would like to wipe my hard drive completely clean before connecting it to the new mobo. How would I go about doing that?
I'm planning on overhauling my current PC by just replacing the mobo/CPU/GPU/RAM. I would like to wipe my hard drive completely clean before connecting it to the new mobo. How would I go about doing that?
I would install all the new hardware (including the hard drive) and upon your first boot up enter the BIOS and set it to "Boot from CD-ROM." Then place a copy of your OS of choice in the CD Drive and restart the computer. Follow the onscreen instructions yada yada and select reformat drive when you install the OS.Gully State said:
Gully State
Member
Epix said:
Thanks a lot..
Ok, this is way back to just very basic stuff now, since I'm pretty much decided on a CPU but the first page doesn't mention any of this. If I'm getting a CPU that has 800MHz FSB and my RAM is 800MHz, what restrictions does that put on my choice of mobo? If I got a higher FSB, that just means that it won't run to the same potential as if I had higher CPU and RAM, but it will still run, correct?
lachesis
Member
duffey said:
I was at one point looking at that machine - make sure if you have pciex16 at least. It did seem like it had AGP port, but you know... AGP's pretty much obsolete, and you won't be able to upgrade the video card. PCIEx16 would be nice - and I highly doubt it would have PCIEx16 2.0 ver....
lachesis
Member
border said:
Just say no to these wire excuses, man!!!
When you do build your system, perhaps you might want to look at modular PSU. It means the cables (mostly) are separate, and can be detached from PSU if you don't need. Minimum amount of cables to manage for better airflow and cleaner inside. They are tad bit more expensive, but very awesome to have.Also, the wire connectors are very distinctive in its shape depending on the voltage. Generally there are about 3-4 kinds - for the MB power (big wide thingie), molex (for HDDs and fans, DVDs etc), and 6pin for your VGA card. (more or less a square shape).
I feel like this needs to be posted here for you guys:
AnandTech
Debunking Power Supply Myths
http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3413&p=2
AnandTech
Debunking Power Supply Myths
http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3413&p=2
Okay, so I was using NCIX's system builder tool and this is what I have so far:
Any thoughts/changes? (I won't be buying this system for another month at least... until I get a paycheque
)
edit: Er, crap. I forgot the HSF. :lol Any suggestions?
Code:
Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 Dual Core Processor LGA775 2.5GHZ 800FSB 2MB Retail Box $94.99
Gigabyte EP43-DS3L ATX LGA775 P43 FSB 1600 OC 1PCI-E 2PCI DDR2 OC SATA2 HD Sound GBLAN Motherboard $108.99
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-18 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory $49.99
Palit Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E Video Card $177.99
Compucase 6C28B ATX Case Black 4X5.25 2X3.5 4X.3.5INT W/ Front USB & Audio No PS $37.78
Antec Earthwatts 430W Power Supply ATX12V V2.0 20/24PIN Active PFC 80PLUS 80MM Fan $72.89
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 16MB Cache Hard Drive OEM 5YR MFR Warranty $57.72
Samsung SH-S223F Black SATA DVD+RW 22X8X16 DVD-RW 22X6X16 16X/12X DL INT DVD Writer OEM $32.59
No assembly $0.00
YOUR TOTAL
All quoted prices are in CANADIAN DOLLARS $632.94Any thoughts/changes? (I won't be buying this system for another month at least... until I get a paycheque
)edit: Er, crap. I forgot the HSF. :lol Any suggestions?