Official 2008 "I Need A New PC" Thread

Kadey said:
I suggest you really really be cautious. Good thing for the net, you can read up on things. When I first took it upon myself to learn to do it and being more aware of how PCs work, I fried $2000+ worth of components because of ignorance. I'm laughing about it now but I was crying then.
Click to expand...

How'd that work?

I wouldn't think you could of fried everything to have it not working unless you did something silly to the PSU.

When I started I swapped my HDD for a new one when I shut down and then thought I saw my RAM stick loose, so I took it out and put it back it.

Turns out I forgot to turn off the switch in the back although it was shutdown, whoops.
 
chespace said:
Really really looking forward to building my rig.
Click to expand...


My advice is to not rush things, just take your time and get everything right. I remember when I first got my Athlon 64X2 system, I rushed home after work and threw everything together and bent the pins on the processor because I wasn't paying attention.
 
Any reason to not use a Phenom X4 9600? Is the TLB bug going to be problem for me?

Use will me mainly web surfing, mp3 encoding, video encoding and some light gaming once I can pick up a decent gaming card.
 
When is next refresh of 48xx series due out? I am wondering if they will have fanless ones then. I really like the 3650 in my HTPC that's fanless. Sooo quiet.
 
I have an issue with my current PC build and I'm hoping you guys can offer some insight on how to troubleshoot this...


The Setup
Ultra X-Connect Modular Power Supply 500 W (about 4 years old)
MOBO: P5Q Pro LGA 775
Processor: E8400
Video card: Visiontek 4850
Mem : Cosair DDR2-800 1GB (2 sticks)
OS: Vista 32-bit

The Problem
1-Random reboots- This can occur frequently or can be spaced by several hours of well behaved performance
2- After the reboot, the videocard fan will just go nuts are start spinning loudly and 2 red light LED's will start blinking on the videocard.
3- Today for the first time, my motherboard suddenly stopped recognizing my hard drive. After turning off the PSU and rewiring the modular wires on the power supply end, it was rectified.

What I've done so far
Checked the ram with memtest86- passed all tests
Check CPU temperatures with Coretemp, Asus probe- both in the same range (~39C idle, 44C 100% Load)
Check GPU temperature using Catalyst and used the fan profile hack to get temperatures down (now at 46C idle/66C 100% GPU load)

So I figure I've ruled out everything except a faulty mobo and a failing PSU (my best guess is the PSU). One thing I should mention is that this PSU has a 20 pin connector and a 4 pin connector. I have a 24 pin adaptor but I've just been plugging the 4pin into the 8 pin slot. Currently I ordered an 8 pin adaptor and I hope this rectifies the instability, but my gut feeling is that I'll have replace the power supply. Are there any other avenues for me to consider?
 
Gully State said:
I have an issue with my current PC build and I'm hoping you guys can offer some insight on how to troubleshoot this...


The Setup
Ultra X-Connect Modular Power Supply 500 W (about 4 years old)
MOBO: P5Q Pro LGA 775
Processor: E8400
Video card: Visiontek 4850
Mem : Cosair DDR2-800 1GB (2 sticks)
OS: Vista 32-bit

The Problem
1-Random reboots- This can occur frequently or can be spaced by several hours of well behaved performance
2- After the reboot, the videocard fan will just go nuts are start spinning loudly and 2 red light LED's will start blinking on the videocard.
3- Today for the first time, my motherboard suddenly stopped recognizing my hard drive. After turning off the PSU and rewiring the modular wires on the power supply end, it was rectified.

What I've done so far
Checked the ram with memtest86- passed all tests
Check CPU temperatures with Coretemp, Asus probe- both in the same range (~39C idle, 44C 100% Load)
Check GPU temperature using Catalyst and used the fan profile hack to get temperatures down (now at 46C idle/66C 100% GPU load)

So I figure I've ruled out everything except a faulty mobo and a failing PSU (my best guess is the PSU). One thing I should mention is that this PSU has a 20 pin connector and a 4 pin connector. I have a 24 pin adaptor but I've just been plugging the 4pin into the 8 pin slot. Currently I ordered an 8 pin adaptor and I hope this rectifies the instability, but my gut feeling is that I'll have replace the power supply. Are there any other avenues for me to consider?
Click to expand...

I think you're on the right track with the PSU, but there is one other thing you can try, just for shits and giggles. With problem #3, that can sometimes be a sign of a bad battery. Find out what battery your mobo uses (probably a CRC2032) and replace it. See if that manages to calm your system down a bit.
 
RuGalz said:
When is next refresh of 48xx series due out? I am wondering if they will have fanless ones then. I really like the 3650 in my HTPC that's fanless. Sooo quiet.
Click to expand...
:lol

The 4850 idles at 80C.
 
Chiggs said:
I think you're on the right track with the PSU, but there is one other thing you can try, just for shits and giggles. With problem #3, that can sometimes be a sign of a bad battery. Find out what battery your mobo uses (probably a CRC2032) and replace it. See if that manages to calm your system down a bit.
Click to expand...

I'd go with PSU as well
 
Any suggestions on a solid sub $100 PSU or resources on how to determine what constitutes a good PSU? This was supposed to be a budget build but with the PSU potentially going nuts, I just don't have the funds to splurge on a top of the line one ( nor do I think I need one).
 
Gully State said:
Any suggestions on a solid sub $100 PSU or resources on how to determine what constitutes a good PSU? This was supposed to be a budget build but with the PSU potentially going nuts, I just don't have the funds to splurge on a top of the line one ( nor do I think I need one).
Click to expand...

Oh shi free shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Modular: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001

Both very good quality builds with a 5 YR Warranty

*edit: :lol
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Btw...is there any way to rule out the mobo being the culprit without purchasing a PSU? As you can probably tell, I really don't want to buy a new PSU if I don't have to.
 
Gully State said:
Thanks for the suggestions. Btw...is there any way to rule out the mobo being the culprit without purchasing a PSU? As you can probably tell, I really don't want to buy a new PSU if I don't have to.
Click to expand...


Do you have a spare Video card that uses less power? 2 Hard Drives or 2 DVD Drives? Try running the pc on the bare minimum to see if problems persist.


I will say you are pretty lucky that your pc even boots considering you have a 20 pin connected in the 24 pin plug and a 4 pin 12v in the 8 pin plug.
 
SapientWolf said:
:lol

The 4850 idles at 80C.
Click to expand...

Well that's why I am hoping a refresh of those cards, maybe with 45nm or smaller process would help. I guess I can always try to get one with larger fan that spins at lower speed to keep the noise down. Although the tower I got keeps most of the noise in, I still prefer to keep all my components as silent as possible.
 
RuGalz said:
Well that's why I am hoping a refresh of those cards, maybe with 45nm or smaller process would help. I guess I can always try to get one with larger fan that spins at lower speed to keep the noise down. Although the tower I got keeps most of the noise in, I still prefer to keep all my components as silent as possible.
Click to expand...
I bought a $35 Zalman cooler for my 4850, it isn't fanless, but it is definitely silent...and it cools the way more than the stock cooler was able to.
 
I finally got around to gutting my old system so I can rebuild it. I think I may have figured out what was wrong with it. I notice that on the 20-pin mobo power connector, there are three browned connectors on both the PSU cable side and the mobo connector side. I'm guessing my PSU was turning bad or something? Throughout the last few months of its life, the PC would occasionally just give me the POST beeps that I couldn't decipher based on online lists, but I'd always just shut it down and restart it and have it be fine. It was just this last time that it never quite got to the point that it could start.

Now I just need to track down some antistatic bags to put all this old stuff in in case I decide I find a use for it.
 
RuGalz said:
When is next refresh of 48xx series due out? I am wondering if they will have fanless ones then. I really like the 3650 in my HTPC that's fanless. Sooo quiet.
Click to expand...

Considering how hot the current 48xx are running, I'd be surprised to see a passively cooled version.

Your best bet is getting something like the Accelero S1/S2 for use as an aftermarket cooler.
 
okay, I think I've settled on my file server build. give me some impressions!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129041
Antec Mini P180 Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131330
ASUS M3A78-CM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780V Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227195
OCZ Vista Upgrade 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182067
Rosewill RX750-S-B 750W ATX12V v2.2 & EPS12V v2.91 SLI 8800GTX SLI CrossFire Ready Active PFC PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103289
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Brisbane 2.8GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core black edition Processor

going for low power consumption, quier and lots of sata ports. Will be running opensolaris.
 
otake said:
okay, I think I've settled on my file server build. give me some impressions!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129041
Antec Mini P180 Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131330
ASUS M3A78-CM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780V Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227195
OCZ Vista Upgrade 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182067
Rosewill RX750-S-B 750W ATX12V v2.2 & EPS12V v2.91 SLI 8800GTX SLI CrossFire Ready Active PFC PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103289
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Brisbane 2.8GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core black edition Processor

going for low power consumption, quier and lots of sata ports. Will be running opensolaris.
Click to expand...

Isn't that power supply massive overkill? How many HDDs you planning on running?
 
TheExodu5 said:
Isn't that power supply massive overkill? How many HDDs you planning on running?
Click to expand...

I will be powering 3 drives at first. will probably add another one later on. thing about the power supply is that its a combo deal. power supply + athlon x2 proc = $164.99
 
All my parts have shipped from La Puenta, CA!

Now I gotta play the UPS tracking game until Friday. :D

EDIT: Scratch that, they're already in Portland, OR. Should get to Seattle by tomorrow hopefully.
 
In the scenario I mentioned above, which was the more likely culprit, the PSU or the mobo? Both sides of the 20 pin connector are charred in 3 places, and though I assume it's more likely the PSU that tried to fry the mobo, is it possible the mobo could have caused it?
 
I've never ruined anything with static and I never use anti-static spray/wristbands.

Work on a table of good height so you don't bend down much (dining room works) in an uncarpetted room. Touch and hold the faucet of your sink for 2 seconds, it's grounded (connected to pipes underground) which should discharge any static you might have. Do this every now and then. Wear a plain t-shirt (non-wool) and shorts or jeans.

Install the PSU first, make sure it stays off (should be switched off by default) and unplugged. Your video card and motherboard will come in antistatic bags. When attaching the memory and CPU and HSF to your motherboard, have it sitting on top of the antistatic bag. Make sure each of the 4 pins on the HSF are FULLY through, it usually makes a click when it goes through. It will not be easy to push those pins in, you need to apply some pressure. It is recommended that you push the pins in 2 at a time, diagonally, but any way is fine as long as you get them all fully through. This is very important because you need the HSF (and the thermal paste on it's bottom) to be seated tightly against your CPU for optimal heat transfer.

Read the manual about your motherboard. Pop the grate out of the back of your Case, so the motherboard's ports can fit through the hole. Secure the motherboard with screws, and use the color coded grate included with the motherboard to line up with the ports you have sticking out the back.
 
Is there a point when RAM really isnt a factor? I have 4gb on Vista Ultimate 64, and was planning to go to 8GB when I get a new motherboard in December. Should I just stay with 4GB? Would games use more of it?
 
gamerecks said:
Is there a point when RAM really isnt a factor? I have 4gb on Vista Ultimate 64, and was planning to go to 8GB when I get a new motherboard in December. Should I just stay with 4GB? Would games use more of it?
Click to expand...

4GB is plenty, no games can use any more at the moment, even in DX10 and 64-bit. Maybe go to 8gb in a year or two if something comes out that uses it.
 
gamerecks said:
Is there a point when RAM really isnt a factor? I have 4gb on Vista Ultimate 64, and was planning to go to 8GB when I get a new motherboard in December. Should I just stay with 4GB? Would games use more of it?
Click to expand...

stay with 4. it only makes a difference in server apps not regular PC gaming or desktop use.
 
So what's the deal with the Windows Vista ranking system? I put in my 4870 1GB last night, and my system RAM goes from 5.5 to 5.7. :lol
 
ahoyhoy said:
Anyone know what kind of PSU I would need to handle two 4870's 512 Mb's? Currently I'm running my two PCI-E connectors into my one 4870, but can this handle two, or should I upgrade?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015
Click to expand...

3 12V rails rated at 20+ amps? Yeah, that'll power pretty much any rig you can find. You might need to use some adapters but you should be fine. If you only have 2 PCIe connectors I'd recommend running one to each card then, filling the other slots with the adapters.
 
Chiggs said:
So what's the deal with the Windows Vista ranking system? I put in my 4870 1GB last night, and my system RAM goes from 5.5 to 5.7. :lol
Click to expand...
Total score = the lowest score out of all the parts, doesn't make much sense.
 
gamerecks said:
Is there a point when RAM really isnt a factor? I have 4gb on Vista Ultimate 64, and was planning to go to 8GB when I get a new motherboard in December. Should I just stay with 4GB? Would games use more of it?
Click to expand...

My advice Game--- Stay at 4GB... if you plan on overclocking.


If you plan on just using stock speeds... then more is better.

The more I read into the timings and overclocking and such, the more I understood why most high end gamer rigs only push 2GB of RAM instead of 4GB these days, they have more control over the timings and push the overclock higher.

Right now the only thing that taxes my memory is Photoshop, Firefox, iTunes, outlook, VLC and whatever else I have open. I can use up close to 3.5GB of RAM, but never slows or chokes my system.

Anyways, things to consider.
 
Chiggs said:
So what's the deal with the Windows Vista ranking system? I put in my 4870 1GB last night, and my system RAM goes from 5.5 to 5.7. :lol
Click to expand...
Check mine out.

After my overclock, my Raptor drive is now the slowest part of my machine. :lol
2z6w4lg.jpg
 
brain_stew said:
3 12V rails rated at 20+ amps? Yeah, that'll power pretty much any rig you can find. You might need to use some adapters but you should be fine. If you only have 2 PCIe connectors I'd recommend running one to each card then, filling the other slots with the adapters.
Click to expand...

thats not how it works you cant just add up the rails and say it has 67 amps, isn't earthwatts the basic budget range of antec? a high quality 620w psu like the corsair has 50amps, i'd imagine that antec has less, it may run it may not imo
 
I seem to be having trouble getting my motherboard to align with the screw holes. They're in the right spot, but just about 5mm away. I think the I/O shield is blocking it. Is the shield supposed to have a sort of shiny, foamy pad on the back? Is it alright to just try and push the motherboard back until the closest screw will fit, then use the leverage from that screw to get the rest in?
 
bee said:
thats not how it works you cant just add up the rails and say it has 67 amps, isn't earthwatts the basic budget range of antec? a high quality 620w psu like the corsair has 50amps, i'd imagine that antec has less, it may run it may not imo
Click to expand...
No, Basiq is the basic budget range of Antec.

Earthwatts are made by Seasonic so they are very high quality PSUs. The 380 and 430 are a fine choice if you don't want to spend as much as Corsairs, or if you for some reason need to buy from an actual store, though if you are going to spend $80+ on an Earthwatts 500 you might as well get the Corsair 450VX anyway.
 
Metal Gear?! said:
No, Basiq is the basic budget range of Antec.

Earthwatts are made by Seasonic so they are very high quality PSUs. The 380 and 430 are a fine choice if you don't want to spend as much as Corsairs, or if you for some reason need to buy from an actual store, though if you are going to spend $80+ on an Earthwatts 500 you might as well get the Corsair 450VX anyway.
Click to expand...

its for running 2x4870

there's no way it has over 60amps
 
Okay. I've been out of the PC hardware loop for a while (mainly with regard to CPUs), but I'm starting to think about upgrading again.

Back in January 2007, I built my current rig:

  • E6400- 2.13 GHz (not really overclocked; every time I try, my system seems to lock up on reboot, and reset the multiplier/FSB values to defaults. I know this is a symptom of a temperature issue, but I haven't been motivated enough to replace my Scythe Ninja heatsink)
  • 2GB DDR2 800
  • 512MB GeForce 8800GT (upgraded from an X1950 Pro)

Last time I checked, the Q6600 was right near the sweet spot of the price/performance ratio for Intel CPUs (hovering around $200-250 per unit). I am more up to date on video cards, and I've been hearing great things about the HD 4870, but I don't know if I want to spend another $250 on a video card right now.

In terms of what I'm looking for, let's say I want to be able to play Far Cry 2 with excellent visual quality at 1920x1080.
PC-GAF GO!
 
Kadey said:
When I first took it upon myself to learn to do it and being more aware of how PCs work, I fried $2000+ worth of components because of ignorance. I'm laughing about it now but I was crying then.
Click to expand...
Hazaro said:
How'd that work?

I wouldn't think you could of fried everything to have it not working unless you did something silly to the PSU.
Click to expand...
Power supply connectors weren't keyed until the ATX standard, around ten years ago. Before then, it was physically possible to insert the power supply connector into the motherboard backwards.
 
VictimOfGrief said:
My advice Game--- Stay at 4GB... if you plan on overclocking.


If you plan on just using stock speeds... then more is better.

The more I read into the timings and overclocking and such, the more I understood why most high end gamer rigs only push 2GB of RAM instead of 4GB these days, they have more control over the timings and push the overclock higher.

Right now the only thing that taxes my memory is Photoshop, Firefox, iTunes, outlook, VLC and whatever else I have open. I can use up close to 3.5GB of RAM, but never slows or chokes my system.

Anyways, things to consider.
Click to expand...

I never touch the overclocking stuff, it freaks me out too much.
 
DarthWoo said:
I seem to be having trouble getting my motherboard to align with the screw holes. They're in the right spot, but just about 5mm away. I think the I/O shield is blocking it. Is the shield supposed to have a sort of shiny, foamy pad on the back? Is it alright to just try and push the motherboard back until the closest screw will fit, then use the leverage from that screw to get the rest in?
Click to expand...

You installed the motherboard standoffs right? Wierd, shouldn't pose that much of a problem fitting it in normaly.
 
Shubit said:
You installed the motherboard standoffs right? Wierd, shouldn't pose that much of a problem fitting it in normaly.
Click to expand...

You mean the raised screw holes? I didn't install any, but since this was an old system I'm gutting and rebuilding, there were already some in there.
 
Another rudimentary question: If a case fan can be plugged into the motherboard with the tiny connector, does it need to also be plugged into a molex? Not sure if the mobo connector is just for control/monitoring or if it provides power.
 
Got a question. I currently have an 8800 GT and am contemplating upgrading to a GTX 260, is this a decent match for my processor (which is an E8400). Should I just wait for the next round of GPU's to hit?

Mainly looking to upgrade so I can play DX10 Age of Conan 1650 x1080 smoothly.
 
DarthWoo said:
You mean the raised screw holes? I didn't install any, but since this was an old system I'm gutting and rebuilding, there were already some in there.
Click to expand...
You may want to take the motherboard out and make sure the standoffs are in the correct spaces.
 
This is taking way too long, and I've got another question. My case has removable hard drive cages, but I found that my video card is blocking the lower cage. The mobo has two PCI-e 2.0 slots, can I just use the lower one if I'm only using one video card? Only way I see around this is to have to remove the video card every time I want to change out hard drives. While this sounds like something that would only rarely happen, I need to salvage two old hard drives before everything is finished.
 
Cheeto said:
You may want to take the motherboard out and make sure the standoffs are in the correct spaces.
Click to expand...

I managed to get everything to fit, and it seems ok now. I guess that foamy thing is actually supposed to be there as some feature of the ASUS "Q-Shield", and if I hadn't actually had to push against it a little, the inputs would have seemed like they were sitting way too far inside the case looking in from the back.
 
I'm getting these weird glitches in Crysis where it looks like flashing gray/white lines are coming out of NPC's faces, like where they are facing. Here's an example.

24ez3au.jpg


Not sure if it is a hardware or software issue. NeoGAF advice?
 
ahoyhoy said:
I'm getting these weird glitches in Crysis where it looks like flashing gray/white lines are coming out of NPC's faces, like where they are facing. Here's an example.

http://i38.tinypic.com/24ez3au.jpg

Not sure if it is a hardware or software issue. NeoGAF advice?
Click to expand...

could be either, try changing graphics drivers. if that doesn't cure it then try underclocking graphics card memory

also make sure game is patched to 1.2
 
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