Official 2008 "I Need A New PC" Thread

So I didn't do the fan trick, but I installed the ASUS OSD application that came with my card. Now my card is at 46*C in idle (idle for me means running a very performance intensive dreamscene in each monitor), but I hate the loud noise. What is the sweet spot? I might uninstall it if the noise is this persistant.
 
JSnake said:
Question: I've been told my Corsair CMPSU-450VX can run a HD 4870. Is this true? If so, I've heard that the 4870 requires an eight-pin connector which the 450VX doesn't have. How would I connect the card?
Click to expand...

Don't worry, 450W is fine. I'm running my HD4870 on a 500W.

As for connectors, the HD4870 uses two 6-pin, it's the HD4870x2 that uses an 8-pin and 6-pin.
 
godhandiscen said:
So I didn't do the fan trick, but I installed the ASUS OSD application that came with my card. Now my card is at 46*C in idle (idle for me means running a very performance intensive dreamscene in each monitor), but I hate the loud noise. What is the sweet spot? I might uninstall it if the noise is this persistant.
Click to expand...

The latest version of the official ATI catalyst drivers is going to add fan control.

I found for me, the sweet spot is 35% fan, it's mildly louder, and a lot cooler.
 
Zzoram said:
Don't worry, 450W is fine. I'm running my HD4870 on a 500W.

As for connectors, the HD4870 uses two 6-pin, it's the HD4870x2 that uses an 8-pin and 6-pin.
Click to expand...

Oh. Well I think the 450VX only has one 6-pin connector.
 
JSnake said:
Oh. Well I think the 450VX only has one 6-pin connector.
Click to expand...

That's fine. The HD4870 comes with one of those adapters, to turn the oldschool molex power connector (which goes in old IDE harddrives) into a 6-pin GPU power connector.

You could do that, or get an HD4850. The HD4850 is still a great card, and only around 20% slower for like 40% less money. That said, it depends on your resolution, I find the HD4870's extra kick just enough to make games like Crysis playable on max at 1680x1050, whereas the HD4850 might be a tad too slow.
 
Does anybody have the BenQ V2400W? I have only heard good things about it, and I'm planning on purchasing a new monitor before years end. Opinions?

http://benq.com/products/LCD/?product=1313

It seems to have everything I'm looking for: 24", 1080x1200, 1:1, fast response time, and little background bleeding compared to other TN panels.

Recommendations? My budget is $400-500
 
ahoyhoy said:
My laptop started acting weird about 2 months ago, like taking longer to boot and load programs and such. Sometimes it would fail to boot entirely. About a month after the problems started, I realized the hard drive was failing, and ordered a replacement (easy install and only about 60 bucks).

Oh, and nice choice in Mobo's chespace. Plenty of ports and overclocks with ease.
Click to expand...
Actually, my laptop does that too (fail to boot sometimes.) I was thinking there might be something wrong with my HDD. I would get it replaced, but I acutally need a working computer for school.

Plus, I want to spread the problems out a little bit. Maybe I could get a brand new laptop through warranty ^^

Full Recovery said:
Does anybody have the BenQ V2400W? I have only heard good things about it, and I'm planning on purchasing a new monitor before years end. Opinions?

http://benq.com/products/LCD/?product=1313

It seems to have everything I'm looking for: 24", 1080x1200, 1:1, fast response time, and little background bleeding compared to other TN panels.

Recommendations? My budget is $400-500
Click to expand...
Is that new? I've never heard of that one. I think BenQ makes good monitors in general, though. I have the FP241VW.
 
OK cool. Maybe I'll ask for a 4870 for Christmas. Although I don't know if it'd be worth it when I already own a 4850. Especially when my max res is 1280x720.

Also, my Mobo is a Gigabyte GA-73VM-S2. It uses the 610i chipset. I tried OCing my E8400 to 3.6ghz on the stock fan but got BSODs upon Windows bootup so I assume this board's OCing potential is limited. But can I at least do a light OC such as 3.2ghz? Or is this board utterly useless for OCing?
 
JSnake said:
OK cool. Maybe I'll ask for a 4870 for Christmas. Although I don't know if it'd be worth it when I already own a 4850.

Also, my Mobo is a Gigabyte GA-73VM-S2. It uses the 610i chipset. I tried OCing my E8400 to 3.6ghz on the stock fan but got BSODs upon Windows bootup so I assume this board's OCing potential is limited. But can I at least do a light OC such as 3.2ghz? Or is this board utterly useless for OCing?
Click to expand...

Generally speaking, the best overclockers for Intel CPUs are Intel chipset boards, which support Crossfire but not SLI, so it makes sense to go Intel/ATI. You may just have a bad overclocker like me, I can get to 3.3GHz but any higher and I fail a Prime95 24-hour test. You increase voltage to increase stability at higher speeds, but that increases heat and risks physical damage you need to be careful.

Why are you getting an HD4870 if you already have an HD4850? For the same money, you could probably get a decent Intel P45 chipset Crossfire mobo (GA-EP45-DS3R) and a second HD4850.
 
Zzoram said:
Why are you getting an HD4870 if you already have an HD4850? For the same money, you could probably get a decent Intel P45 chipset Crossfire mobo and a second HD4850.
Click to expand...

I was only thinking about getting one. I'd also need a new PSU if I was to use Crossfire.
 
godhandiscen said:
If the 900 is anything to go by, he wont be able to install that fan with a 4870x2.

edit: I heard the 1200 was just taller than the 900 (got one), so I might be wrong.
Click to expand...


It will work. The card will actually go under the wind tunnel fan on the 1200.
 
zoku88 said:
Is that new? I've never heard of that one. I think BenQ makes good monitors in general, though. I have the FP241VW.
Click to expand...

I think this model came out in the spring/early summer. I'm mainly going to use it as a external display for my macbook, but I'm also planning on using it as a secondary display for my ps3/x360 when the hdtv is in use.
 
My Antec 900 doesn't quite have enough room for the middle windtunnel fan, since the HD4870's power connectors are just barely in the way.
 
I got some sort of weird generic monitor but oh well. It does 1920x1200 and is 24" for only 250 bucks. :P

I am close to opening this stuff...

EDIT: Just opened the case... and my god I am intimidated. What have I gotten myself into.... :lol
 
Chiggs said:
It will work. The card will actually go under the wind tunnel fan on the 1200.
Click to expand...
Makes sense.

Zzoram said:
My Antec 900 doesn't quite have enough room for the middle windtunnel fan, since the HD4870's power connectors are just barely in the way.
Click to expand...
Now imagine a 4870x2 :(


I think I might end up purchasing a 1200 later on since it looks to be the ultimate case.
 
I doubt anyone in this thread cares that much, but I figured I'd share a little bit about the Dell box that arrived today, in case any lurkers have an interest in an easy, cheap, pre-built system:

Inspiron 530
2.4 Ghz Intel Quad Core
6GB DDR2 RAM
Vista 64-bit Home Premium
640 GB SATA Hard Drive

$540 shipped from The Dell Outlet Store. Sticker price was $479 and it was marked "Scratch and Dent" but for the life of me I can't even find any cosmetic defects on the box. Right now you can get the same config for $489 at the Dell Outlet, but they are regular refurbs rather than "Scratch and Dent" refurbs. Just search for "Inspiron 530" with a minimum of 6000MB of RAM.

I bought an nVidia 8800 GT on clearance for around $110, and the Dell box included PCI-e slot and a 12V rail to support it. So cost of everything in total was around $650. It sounds like a jet taking off when you hit the power button but once it's booted it runs super-quiet.

Pictured with my 360, just to give you an idea of size:

comp3.jpg


comp4.jpg


One PCI-e slot is open, plus there are 2 more regular PCI slots to fill.

comp1.jpg


comp2.jpg
 
bee said:
its ok if a complete dust magnet but the ultimate case? :lol
Click to expand...
I've only heard great things about it, and yeah, I dust the 900 once a month. Messing around with it is a hobby for me at this point (and way less expensive than cars). Which is the ultimate case in your opinion?
 
Wow, this Corsair TX750W is super nice.

Classy packaging and high quality build all the way through.

Nice. I can't believe I'm putting in a PSU into this crazy case.

One question: Although I haven't gotten to it yet, how does the Antec 1200 work with the DVD-RW drive? There's a steel grill on the front panel that doesn't open... how do I even install the DVD drive in there, much less have it open so I can put in a DVD?
 
Each bay cover pops out. Choose one for the drive, and pop it out.

I'm just sitting here watching the baseball game with GAF open, so if you need anything, just post.
 
Okay, I'm in need of a new PC.

I'm looking for something decent (not exceptional) with a corresponding decent price.

Basically, I want it to be able to run something like CoD4 comfortably, but don't really play enough PC games to justify spending exorbidant amounts. My main interests are playing some games and making music- but I already have a good sound card I can put in.

What should I be looking for with CPU etc?

What's a decent but good value video card to suit my needs?

I'm relatively clueless when it comes to comps, so any help would be much appreciated!
 
1). I want to install the DVD drive on the very top slot (above the air filters). I can't seem to pop out the metal grill. Am I supposed to use force to pop them out or is there something I'm missing?

EDIT: Duh, I undid a couple of screws.

2). Does it matter which cage I install my 2 HDDs? The very bottom cage or the one just above that? Which is better for how my mobo will go in?
 
chespace said:
1). I want to install the DVD drive on the very top slot (above the air filters). I can't seem to pop out the metal grill. Am I supposed to use force to pop them out or is there something I'm missing?

2). Does it matter which cage I install my 2 HDDs? The very bottom cage or the one just above that? Which is better for how my mobo will go in?
Click to expand...
1) You just need to push it from behind iirc.
edit: there you go.
2) The slots at the height above the videocard will be the best. That way you will have the air channels unblocked going to the video card and the PSU. Also, since your PSU isn't modular, you will need space in the bottom air channel to dump all the cables that you are not using there.

Does your mobo come with a memory heat pipe?
 
chespace said:
1). I want to install the DVD drive on the very top slot (above the air filters). I can't seem to pop out the metal grill. Am I supposed to use force to pop them out or is there something I'm missing?

EDIT: Duh, I undid a couple of screws.

2). Does it matter which cage I install my 2 HDDs? The very bottom cage or the one just above that? Which is better for how my mobo will go in?
Click to expand...
Yep, sorry, it had screws. I'm grabbing the pdfs for your stuff, so I can give you better answers next time.
 
godhandiscen said:
I've only heard great things about it, and yeah, I dust the 900 once a month. Messing around with it is a hobby for me at this point (and way less expensive than cars). Which is the ultimate case in your opinion?
Click to expand...

the high end lian-li and silverstone cases aren't going for nearly double the price of the 1200 for no reason
 
Poimandres said:
Okay, I'm in need of a new PC.

I'm looking for something decent (not exceptional) with a corresponding decent price.

Basically, I want it to be able to run something like CoD4 comfortably, but don't really play enough PC games to justify spending exorbidant amounts. My main interests are playing some games and making music- but I already have a good sound card I can put in.

What should I be looking for with CPU etc?

What's a decent but good value video card to suit my needs?

I'm relatively clueless when it comes to comps, so any help would be much appreciated!
Click to expand...

Here are a few components which will help you run CoD4 and most 07' games on high settings, while still being able to manage games like Crysis on Medium/High comfortably.

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143119

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131275

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

Insert Hard drive, DVD Drive, and Monitor of choice in whatever case you can salvage.
 
The Antec 900 is great, but all the grills means a lot of dust gets in, although it also means great air flow. I dust the outside every few days, and I haven't dusted the inside yet.

How do you dust the inside without building static? Just wipe off dust with your washed fingers? I know you shouldn't spray air too close to any circuitry since it can damage things.
 
So far so good. Installed PSU, DVD, and finishing up the HDDs.

Think I'll pack this up and do the mobo/CPU/HSF at home.

This Antec case is CLASS dude. Very nice fit and finish.

Love it. And it's fun building your own PC... it's been so long for me. :lol
 
ahoyhoy said:
Here are a few components which will help you run CoD4 and most 07' games on high settings, while still being able to manage games like Crysis on Medium/High comfortably.

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143119

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131275

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

Insert Hard drive, DVD Drive, and Monitor of choice in whatever case you can salvage.
Click to expand...

Why would you buy the 8800GTS for $180 when you can get the HD4850 for less? It makes even less sense when you chose a motherboard that supports Crossfire and not SLI.
 
border said:
I doubt anyone in this thread cares that much, but I figured I'd share a little bit about the Dell box that arrived today, in case any lurkers have an interest in an easy, cheap, pre-built system:
Click to expand...
I don't know what kind of 8800 you got but definitely get Rivatuner if you're concerned at all about fanspeeds/temps on the thing. My 8800 was a PNY and booted up and stayed at 29% fanspeed no matter what I was doing and I thought that was a little low so I bumped it up and it idles at 49C now which is pretty nice.

Have you tried Crysis on that yet? I've only got Warhead but it runs really nice on Gamer settings.
 
Zzoram said:
The Antec 900 is great, but all the grills means a lot of dust gets in, although it also means great air flow. I dust the outside every few days, and I haven't dusted the inside yet.

How do you dust the inside without building static? Just wipe off dust with your washed fingers? I know you shouldn't spray air too close to any circuitry since it can damage things.
Click to expand...
I've been spraying air for months now and it has never damaged any component.
 
Hmm, so I am at the motherboard stage so I think I'll take a break for dinner and head home.

One question: I'm looking at these Seagate 3.5" HDDs and it doesn't look like they have any power connections (like those old IDE HDDs). Am I missing something? The HDDs came with this power plug dongle looking converter. What do I power these HDDs with?

Aight, be back later.
 
chespace said:
Hmm, so I am at the motherboard stage so I think I'll take a break for dinner and head home.

One question: I'm looking at these Seagate 3.5" HDDs and it doesn't look like they have any power connections (like those old IDE HDDs). Am I missing something? The HDDs came with this power plug dongle looking converter. What do I power these HDDs with?

Aight, be back later.
Click to expand...

I figured it was best to put the motherboard in before other stuff like the power supply or hard drives, since they can get in the way.

The hard disks are, I'm assuming, SATA. You just connect the little cables, one apiece, from each drive to the motherboard.
 
chespace said:
Hmm, so I am at the motherboard stage so I think I'll take a break for dinner and head home.

One question: I'm looking at these Seagate 3.5" HDDs and it doesn't look like they have any power connections (like those old IDE HDDs). Am I missing something? The HDDs came with this power plug dongle looking converter. What do I power these HDDs with?

Aight, be back later.
Click to expand...

SATA drives connect 2 different cables, one for data transfer, one for power. I think one is L-shaped, maybe both. These cables are WAY easier to plug in than the old IDE band and Molex power.
 
Has there been any word for awhile whether the 4850 x2 is coming out? I wanted to get one for a rig I'm putting together, and I thought it was supposed to be out in September...

If I have to choose between a 4870 and a GTX 260, the 4870 is going to be faster out of the box but the 260 is going to overclock quite a bit higher, correct?
 
dr3upmushroom said:
If I have to choose between a 4870 and a GTX 260, the 4870 is going to be faster out of the box but the 260 is going to overclock quite a bit higher, correct?
Click to expand...

gtx 260 216

4870 512mb

$30 difference between the two, the geforce has almost twice the memory and the performance seems fairly similar between the two although the 4870 is probably a bit faster overall
 
bee said:
gtx 260 216

4870 512mb

$30 difference between the two, the geforce has almost twice the memory and the performance seems fairly similar between the two although the 4870 is probably a bit faster overall
Click to expand...

I posted this previously...You can find the 4870 for cheaper ($225- you don't have to deal with rebates either).

Gully State said:
If you're going to spend $270 on the 4870 512MB, you might as well put in the extra 10-20 bucks for the 1 gig version. And if not, bestbuy is selling 512 MB version for $225.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8894048&st=visiontek&lp=4&type=product&cp=1&id=1212192380239
Click to expand...
 
dr3upmushroom said:
Has there been any word for awhile whether the 4850 x2 is coming out? I wanted to get one for a rig I'm putting together, and I thought it was supposed to be out in September...

If I have to choose between a 4870 and a GTX 260, the 4870 is going to be faster out of the box but the 260 is going to overclock quite a bit higher, correct?
Click to expand...

Get the HD4870 1GB, it's up to 10% faster than the 512mb version, and I think it has the unlocked bios that allows bigger overclocks. The HD4800s actually overclock great, but the reference designs all had a bios capping the overclocking lower.

My HD4870 512mb can only OC from 750mhz core to 790mhz, but people who bought versions with unlocked bios, or flashed their bios, have gotten like 850mhz on stock voltage.

Yes, the HD4870 is faster out of the box than the GTX260, and cheaper, so it's a great buy.
 
ahoyhoy said:
Yeah, didn't realize that the 4850's have fallen by like 1/3rd of what they were in June :lol

Replace the 8800 GTS with this or some other 4850. With CCC 8.10 CoD4 and most recent games should be very manageable.
Click to expand...

The HD4850 can more than "manage" CoD4 at 1920x1200 with 4xAA

17130.png
 
Zzoram said:
Get the HD4870 1GB, it's up to 10% faster than the 512mb version, and I think it has the unlocked bios that allows bigger overclocks. The HD4800s actually overclock great, but the reference designs all had a bios capping the overclocking lower.

My HD4870 512mb can only OC from 750mhz core to 790mhz, but people who bought versions with unlocked bios, or flashed their bios, have gotten like 850mhz on stock voltage.

Yes, the HD4870 is faster out of the box than the GTX260, and cheaper, so it's a great buy.
Click to expand...

So the 4870 will actually clock higher? If I oc'd a 4870 to 850mhz like you said, how close in performance would that come to a GTX 280? Also, does the 1GB PowerColor 4870 that just came out have a good enough cooler to clock that high, or would I have to get a better one?

And just to make sure, is the 4850 x2 dead at this point? I'm getting a 24" monitor and it seems like that would have been the card to get.
 
dr3upmushroom said:
So the 4870 will actually clock higher? If I oc'd a 4870 to 850mhz like you said, how close in performance would that come to a GTX 280? Also, does the 1GB PowerColor 4870 that just came out have a good enough cooler to clock that high, or would I have to get a better one?

And just to make sure, is the 4850 x2 dead at this point? I'm getting a 24" monitor and it seems like that would have been the card to get.
Click to expand...

The 4850 x2 may still come out, it's uncertain what's holding that up.

The 4870 1GB is better than the GTX280 in some games, both at stock speeds. The 4870 1GB has the advantage of being quite a bit cheaper than the GTX280 though, so it's a better deal for the money.

I have no idea how well an OC'd 4870 compares to an OC'd GTX280, I would guess the GTX280 is still faster, since it costs about 50% more.

As for which will OC better, that's largely down to luck. Some GPUs just OC better than others, you could get a great OC'er or a terrible one.
 
chespace said:
So far so good. Installed PSU, DVD, and finishing up the HDDs.

Think I'll pack this up and do the mobo/CPU/HSF at home.

This Antec case is CLASS dude. Very nice fit and finish.

Love it. And it's fun building your own PC... it's been so long for me. :lol
Click to expand...

Can't wait to see the final build. The Antec 1200 is a superb case all around; definitely one of the best on the market.

Zzoram said:
The 4850 x2 may still come out, it's uncertain what's holding that up.
Click to expand...

Rumors are that it's dead.
 
Guys, what's the word on Vista vs XP performance?

My friend is convinced that Vista is noticeably slower in Games than XP.
I, on the other hand, think that Vista is en par, or even faster than XP, now that ATI and NVidia have enough experience with Vista.

Any recent Benchmarks available?
 
border said:
$540 shipped from The Dell Outlet Store. Sticker price was $479 and it was marked "Scratch and Dent" but for the life of me I can't even find any cosmetic defects on the box. Right now you can get the same config for $489 at the Dell Outlet, but they are regular refurbs rather than "Scratch and Dent" refurbs. Just search for "Inspiron 530" with a minimum of 6000MB of RAM.
Click to expand...


Nice. Thanks for this.

How much room is in there for a newer post 8800 grfx card? How's the PSU and is there wiggle room for a beefier one?
 
Des0lar said:
Guys, what's the word on Vista vs XP performance?

My friend is convinced that Vista is noticeably slower in Games than XP.
I, on the other hand, think that Vista is en par, or even faster than XP, now that ATI and NVidia have enough experience with Vista.

Any recent Benchmarks available?
Click to expand...

It used to be a lot slower, not any more... Still depends on the game though.

Edit: update with a more recent comparison.
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2302500,00.asp
 
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