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[Gully State]

I've heard nothing but good things about the Accelero, strap a 800rpm 120mm fan on its back and you've got a very efficient and silent cooler. I presume it fits on the 4850? Never looked into it myself.

Supposedly it does. I'm a little worried however b/c I've read that some people got retail packages without enough heatsinks for the videocard RAM.

 

[1-D_FTW]

I've used an accelero on my last two cards and LOVE it.

 

[brain_stew]

Supposedly it does. I'm a little worried however b/c I've read that some people got retail packages without enough heatsinks for the videocard RAM.

Not a problem just pick up a pack of these for $3.14 shipped:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15361

They work great, got some installed on my old 4850 myself. Might be worth having anyway to ensure your VRMs are suitably cooled.

 

[Hazaro]

Supposedly it does. I'm a little worried however b/c I've read that some people got retail packages without enough heatsinks for the videocard RAM.

There's 8 sinks, and usually 8 RAM chips, they do display them on the package so I think you will be ok.

The cooler is amazing though, good luck finding it in stock somewhere.

 

[Gully State]

Should I get the dual VGA fan or is there a better option?

 

[brain_stew]

Should I get the dual VGA fan or is there a better option?

Better off sticking with a low RPM 120mm fan, should be much quiter, cheaper and cool better. Just attach it with a couple zip ties.

 

[Hazaro]

Should I get the dual VGA fan or is there a better option?

You can just run it passive if you want.

I used fishing line to tie a butchered 80mm to mine

 

[Gully State]

Noob question: What direction should the fans be oriented? Should it blow air into the heatsink or should it blow hot air generated from the videocard away?

 

[Hazaro]

Noob question: What direction should the fans be oriented? Should it blow air into the heatsink or should it blow hot air generated from the videocard away?

Into.

 

[Gully State]

Thanks for the answers guys, much appreciated.

 

[Slavik81]

Dude you may have just been given bad ram. I wouldn't settle for the 1066Mhz.

Oh, yeah. That was the problem.

I just picked up a new set and am RMA'ing the old RAM. The new RAM passes memtest with flying colours using the same settings the old RAM failed on. You guys were dead on. On the net, it costs me nothing despite having to pay shipping and 15% fee on the RMA refund, as the price of the RAM has dropped dirastically since I bought it.


A clean reinstall of Windows 7 and Steam shows that the system freeze on server list refreash is pretty fundimental. Perhaps I'll just avoid using the server list and jump into games from my friends list instead, because I have no idea what's wrong. Next things to try: Admin mode, a wired ethernet connection, Vista compatability mode (set myself from the box so I can chnage it back), disabling the firewall, disabling UAC.

 

[BigJonsson]

Phenom IIs are more powerful, overclock better, and use less power than the original Phenom series. They're just a better value all around -- even though an X3 720 is a bit more expensive, it'll make up the difference by running better and keeping up with new games for a longer period of time.

The GPU isn't as dramatic of a change, but the GTX 260 should be a good ~10% performance bump for only $10 more.


Any particular reason you need an Intel processor? AMDs are a better bang-for-your-buck at the midrange these days.

If you want to go Intel, I'd aim for something like this. Depending on the discount you get from your uncle (and whether you plan to reuse your case/power supply), you might be able to upgrade the GPU to a GTX 260, or bump the processor up to an E8400 and still come in under budget.

Always used Intel. I trust the brand more

 

[Slavik81]

It's my wireless card. It works perfectly when I bridge through my laptop's wireless. Bad drivers, perhaps? It seems to work perfectly for just about everything else...

EDIMAX EW-7128G IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Card

Reading more reviews, it seems that despite excellent 32-bit performance, the card causes quite a few lockups on Vista x64. That's too bad, because the card hardware is golden. $25CAD is half the price of its alternatives and it performs fantastically when it doesn't cause random crashes.

 

[Hazaro]

It's my wireless card. It works perfectly when I bridge through my laptop's wireless. Bad drivers, perhaps? It seems to work perfectly for just about everything else...

EDIMAX EW-7128G IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Card

Reading more reviews, it seems that despite excellent 32-bit performance, the card causes quite a few lockups on Vista x64. That's too bad, because the card hardware is golden. $25CAD is half the price of its alternatives and it performs fantastically when it doesn't cause random crashes.

Vistaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Cheap or old products (That were totally awesome) sometimes run into some problems.

I was thinking about upgrading to Win 7, but I should check if my 8 year old sound card will work with it or cause me trouble.

Most big websites you don't have to pay restocking fee btw. I know newegg didn't charge me the 5 times I've returned things to them. I would think NCIX would as well.

*Glad the new RAM is error free though.

 

[Sleeker]

howdy yall
i'm saving up to build myself a gaming PC, but im new to it so i have some beginner questions.

Whats the significance of buying an intel CPU or an AMD CPU?
do some mobos not work with certain brands?

ive seen DDR3 Ram at both 1333Mhz ,1600 and 18000Mhz
Whats the deal with this, will it make a big difference?

What kind of PSU should I be looking for?

 

[mAcOdIn]

It's my wireless card. It works perfectly when I bridge through my laptop's wireless. Bad drivers, perhaps? It seems to work perfectly for just about everything else...

EDIMAX EW-7128G IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Card

Reading more reviews, it seems that despite excellent 32-bit performance, the card causes quite a few lockups on Vista x64. That's too bad, because the card hardware is golden. $25CAD is half the price of its alternatives and it performs fantastically when it doesn't cause random crashes.

Have you tried this?
http://www.ralinktech.com/ralink/Home/Support/Windows.html
Specifically this one: PCI/mPCI/CB
(RT256x/RT266x) The one's from Edimax are 2.1.2.0 while the ones from Ralink are 2.1.3.0.

I have a D-link card and the drivers for it were total ass but I got the drivers released from Atheros for my model on Vista 64 and shit it runs great.

 

[mAcOdIn]

howdy yall
i'm saving up to build myself a gaming PC, but im new to it so i have some beginner questions.

Whats the significance of buying an intel CPU or an AMD CPU?
do some mobos not work with certain brands?

ive seen DDR3 Ram at both 1333Mhz ,1600 and 18000Mhz
Whats the deal with this, will it make a big difference?

What kind of PSU should I be looking for?

Oh yeah.

AMD and Intel CPU's do not fit in each others motherboards, so it's imperative that you get an Intel CPU and an Intel motherboard. Intel and AMD both produce motherboards but they also license out the rights to manufacture motherboards to other companies as well so there's lots of options. Further there's several companies that also design motherboards for AMD and Intel processors that do not use Intel or AMD's designs like Nvidia.

So for CPU's you'll want to decide on which CPU you want, find out it's socket, then decide on which chipset you want for that socket and then narrow down your choice between what companies build motherboards with that chipset for that socket.

Confusing at the beginning huh?

The RAM is also important since it's not backwards compatible. DDR3 for instance will fit in any DDR3 motherboard and if you got faster ram than your cpu and motherboard can handle the ram will just be clocked at whatever speed your mobo and cpu do support, but you can not put DDR3 memory in a DDR2 motherboard or vice versa.

It might just be easier if you say which you'd prefer, intel or AMD and give a budget and get some suggestions and work from their.

 

[Sleeker]

I dont know what the difference between Intel and AMD are, so i'd need someone to explain that for me.

 

[Slavik81]

Have you tried this?
http://www.ralinktech.com/ralink/Home/Support/Windows.html
Specifically this one: PCI/mPCI/CB
(RT256x/RT266x) The one's from Edimax are 2.1.2.0 while the ones from Ralink are 2.1.3.0.

I have a D-link card and the drivers for it were total ass but I got the drivers released from Atheros for my model on Vista 64 and shit it runs great.

Yes, actually. However, it still freezes.Thanks for pointing that out, though. I almost never noticed those, and it would have been very useful to try had I not.

At present, my laptop is the most expensive ethernet bridge I've ever bought.
(It seems to serve that duty often...)

 

[mAcOdIn]

I dont know what the difference between Intel and AMD are, so i'd need someone to explain that for me.

It really comes down to design. They both do the same things, but each company has several different lines with different levels of performance and feature sets. At this point in time there's virtually no difference in features between the two companies but there is a difference between the type of performance you can get for how much money but that said Intel currently has the fastest chip if money's not an object. To go over all the things that separate them is a little beyond a forum post but to the end user they're pretty minor since at the end of the day it's going to run windows or linux.

If you can tell us your budget as well as what you plan to do with the PC then we could in turn see whether an AMD processor or an Intel processor is the over all better value.

@Slavik81 that sucks sorry to hear that.

 

[Sleeker]

Well i'm thinking about going to around $2000 AU, which in US dollars is about $1500.
I could go higher if im convinced its worth it.

Ive already picked out a case, RAM, KB/M, HDD which sits around $550 ($430 US)

So right now I'm looking for a GPU, CPU, Mobo and PSU

 

[Lime]

Well i'm thinking about going to around $2000 AU, which in US dollars is about $1500.
I could go higher if im convinced its worth it.

Ive already picked out a case, RAM, KB/M, HDD which sits around $550 ($430 US)

So right now I'm looking for a GPU, CPU, Mobo and PSU

Techreport's System Guide is very good at informing you what the best options are, whether you want a budget PC or a high-end performer.

http://techreport.com/articles.x/16721/2

I would personally go with a AMD Phenom II 720 Black Edition, a AM3 motherboard, with a Radeon HD4890 and 8GB DDR3 RAM. It's cheaper than a i7 build and more future proof than (and same price as) a E8400 build.

 

[Sleeker]

thankyou!
i'll keep those in mind

 

[brain_stew]

howdy yall
i'm saving up to build myself a gaming PC, but im new to it so i have some beginner questions.

Whats the significance of buying an intel CPU or an AMD CPU?
do some mobos not work with certain brands?

ive seen DDR3 Ram at both 1333Mhz ,1600 and 18000Mhz
Whats the deal with this, will it make a big difference?

What kind of PSU should I be looking for?

Each individual CPU will fit a specific motherboard socket, just make sure you buy a motherboard that is compatible with your CPU and you'll be fine, we'll keep you right.

Intel and AMD both produce some nice CPUs, the better choice for you depends on your budget and needs.

The PSU you want depends entirely on the build your putting together but remember that the wattage figure means very little. Its how much power it can deliver on its 12V rail(s) that really matters.

RAM speed has a very small impact on performance, though faster RAM can often be handy if you plan to OC as the extra headroom makes things much easier. If you're on a budget DDR2 is still a fine choice.

Well i'm thinking about going to around $2000 AU, which in US dollars is about $1500.
I could go higher if im convinced its worth it.

Ive already picked out a case, RAM, KB/M, HDD which sits around $550 ($430 US)

So right now I'm looking for a GPU, CPU, Mobo and PSU

With that sort of budget you definitely want to go the core i7 route. The 920 is the CPU to go for, you may want to look into picking up a nice heatsink/fan for it, the Noctua is a particularly nice choice.

HDD wise you might as well go 1TB with that budget. Either a Samsung F1 or WD will suit you just fine.

Get a 3x2GB DDR3 set.

For the GPU I'd go for a Radeon 4890, or a GTX 260 (216) if you want to save some cash. Depends on your resolution really.

 

[Minsc]

Do people with ATI cards actually like the CCC? It's so damned annoying and bugged, that it alone is responsible for me not wanting to get another ATI card for my next PC, and I don't even really use it now (Omega drivers). Just my limited encounters with it have caused a deep hatred for it.

 

[brain_stew]

Do people with ATI cards actually like the CCC? It's so damned annoying and bugged, that it alone is responsible for me not wanting to get another ATI card for my next PC, and I don't even really use it now (Omega drivers). Just my limited encounters with it have caused a deep hatred for it.

It is indeed terrible, since ATI Tray Tools doesn't work on Vista x64 I was forced into using it when I was using my 4850. Nhancer is like a million times better and is a big, big reason why I may stick with nvidia in the future, if only there was an ATI equivalent.

Honestly I'm much more impresed with Nvidia's driver team on the whole, they really seem to be trying to add value lately with stuff like PhysX, 3D vision, CUDA and SSAO. Stuff like that has definitely made my switch to the green side all the more sweeter.

 

[gregor7777]

ATT not working on Vista 64 is really a problem. I had to flash my card with RBE to get the clocks I wanted.

Luckily I had tested for stability with Vista 32 beforehand.

 

[TheRagnCajun]

It's my wireless card. It works perfectly when I bridge through my laptop's wireless. Bad drivers, perhaps? It seems to work perfectly for just about everything else...

EDIMAX EW-7128G IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Card

Reading more reviews, it seems that despite excellent 32-bit performance, the card causes quite a few lockups on Vista x64. That's too bad, because the card hardware is golden. $25CAD is half the price of its alternatives and it performs fantastically when it doesn't cause random crashes.

I'm glad you were able to diagnose your problem and you have good ram now

I've got problems of my own: do any of you have experience using old Hard drives in new computers? I didn't reformat or anything cause the system booted up just fine. I cleaned my registry and updated my drivers and BIOS, but games keep freezing on me. Its not a stability or overheating problem.

 

[brain_stew]

Just installed my X-FI XtremeGamer, loading the drivers now. My HD555s are getting excited.

 

[Sleeker]

I need to know what mobo to get that is compatible with the i7 920.

 

[Monroeski]

Can a 4850 run Crysis at full settings at 1680x1050? I'm getting the itch to overhaul my computer.

I ask because I'm thinking about building a new computer soon, but I just bought a 4850 around Thanksgiving or so so if I don't need to replace the vid card that would save me some money; at the same time, if I'm replacing literally everything else (except maybe my disc drives) then I may as well hit the vid card now as well. I've never really been a guy that needs to run everything at full settings, but I imagine if I have something that CAN run Crysis at full then it should be decently future proof.

I normally replace my computer every 3 years, and my current one is at about 2 years and 10 months. Funny thing is, I don't really plan the 3 year thing, it just seems like I start getting the itch at about that same time with every comp I have.

 

[TheRagnCajun]

Can a 4850 run Crysis at full settings at 1680x1050? I'm getting the itch to overhaul my computer.

I ask because I'm thinking about building a new computer soon, but I just bought a 4850 around Thanksgiving or so so if I don't need to replace the vid card that would save me some money; at the same time, if I'm replacing literally everything else (except maybe my disc drives) then I may as well hit the vid card now as well. I've never really been a guy that needs to run everything at full settings, but I imagine if I have something that CAN run Crysis at full then it should be decently future proof.

I normally replace my computer every 3 years, and my current one is at about 2 years and 10 months. Funny thing is, I don't really plan the 3 year thing, it just seems like I start getting the itch at about that same time with every comp I have.

If you want the extra performance, buy a crossfire compatible mobo and buy another 4850. Tomshardware did a feature on how two 4770's can basically beat out anything else in the price range, and since the 4850 is a little beefier, and given that you already have one card, I ready don't see a better cost/benifet route for you.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-4770-crossfire,2288-6.html

 

[Gully State]

Can a 4850 run Crysis at full settings at 1680x1050? I'm getting the itch to overhaul my computer.

I ask because I'm thinking about building a new computer soon, but I just bought a 4850 around Thanksgiving or so so if I don't need to replace the vid card that would save me some money; at the same time, if I'm replacing literally everything else (except maybe my disc drives) then I may as well hit the vid card now as well. I've never really been a guy that needs to run everything at full settings, but I imagine if I have something that CAN run Crysis at full then it should be decently future proof.

I normally replace my computer every 3 years, and my current one is at about 2 years and 10 months. Funny thing is, I don't really plan the 3 year thing, it just seems like I start getting the itch at about that same time with every comp I have.

With no AA and trilinear AAF, I was able to run the Crysis demo on high at 30 FPS which is borderline playable. For Crysis I would suggest getting a better card. The 4850 is great for everything else though.

 

[Gully State]

If you want the extra performance, buy a crossfire compatible mobo and buy another 4850. Tomshardware did a feature on how two 4770's can basically beat out anything else in the price range, and since the 4850 is a little beefier, and given that you already have one card, I ready don't see a better cost/benifet route for you.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-4770-crossfire,2288-6.html

I don't think the performance scales accordingly with 2x 4850 at least for Crysis. The benchmarks off tomshardware was largely unimpressive for Crysis.

 

[Sleeker]

Hows this sound so far?

Case: Apevia X-plorer $150 (US $113)
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 $478 (US $362)
GPU: GTX 260 $305 (US $231)
PSU: 500W Supplied with case $0
DVD: Generic (to be decided) $50 (US $37)
KB/M: Logitec wireless bundle $50 (US $37)
Screen: BenQ 24inch Supplied $0
RAM: 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 $165 (US $125)
HDD: Samsung 500 GB $85 (US $64)
Mobo: Asus P6T Deluxe $459 (US $348)

Total: 1742 (US $1320)

 

[TheRagnCajun]

I don't think the performance scales accordingly with 2x 4850 at least for Crysis. The benchmarks off tomshardware was largely unimpressive for Crysis.

I couldn't find much for 4850 in CF. Maybe Crysis is more video memory dependant than most games..

 

[TheRagnCajun]

Hows this sound so far?

Case: Apevia X-plorer $150 (US $113)
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 $478 (US $362)
GPU: GTX 260 $305 (US $231)
PSU: 500W Supplied with case $0
DVD: Generic (to be decided) $50 (US $37)
KB/M: Logitec wireless bundle $50 (US $37)
Screen: BenQ 24inch Supplied $0
RAM: 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 $165 (US $125)
HDD: Samsung 500 GB $85 (US $64)
Mobo: Asus P6T Deluxe $459 (US $348)

Total: 1742 (US $1320)

Are those Canadian prices? I wouldn't spend more on your processor than your GPU. Unless this isn't a gaming PC.

 

[Sleeker]

Are those Canadian prices? I wouldn't spend more on your processor than your GPU. Unless this isn't a gaming PC.

No theyre australian.
The prices are what theyre going for here

 

[TheExodu5]

Are those Canadian prices? I wouldn't spend more on your processor than your GPU. Unless this isn't a gaming PC.

I might agree with Cajun here. You'd be better off going $160 cheaper on the processor, and putting that extra money towards a higher end video card. The video card is always the best bang-for-buck performance increase when it comes to gaming.

 

[BigJonsson]

So far at newegg Canada I put this together

Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM 120 dollars

BFG Tech BFGEGTX260896OCE GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail 204 dollars

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail 68.49

BIOSTAR TForce TP43D2A7 LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail 103.49

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail 202 dollars


Total is 700 dollars right now

Will that motherboard really fuck up performance or should it do a good job?


Also looking at the

DFI BI P45-T2RS LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail for 130 dollars

or

GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail for 110



Would a 420 watt power supply run that processor/video card combo?

 

[brain_stew]

Arghhh!!! God damn Creative and their shitty drivers. Spent six hours so far trying to get these frigging drivers installed, endless freezing, bsods and they even managed to corrupt my Vista installation to the point where I couldn't even boot into safe mode!!!

One more attempt!!

 

[Sleeker]

I might agree with Cajun here. You'd be better off going $160 cheaper on the processor, and putting that extra money towards a higher end video card. The video card is always the best bang-for-buck performance increase when it comes to gaming.

What CPU and Graphics card combo would you recommend instead?

 

[Crazymoogle]

Jeezus, this Vertex is blazing. Left 4 Dead doesn't wait to load anymore. W7 seems to be writing a lot to my regular HDD for some reason (does indexing really hit it that much?) but the SSD just doesn't slow down for anything. Windows claims my memory is slowing down the system (by virtue of the lowest mark on the performance index) but that's unlikely to change given it's not an OC motherboard.

The real telling bit for the Vertex is that in the 24 second boot-time (from power-off), the moment the desktop appears, you can run apps without delay. No waiting for startup programs, antivirus, whatever. It almost needs a big "GO!" UI message. :lol

Now I see that a chinese company is selling PATA SSDs on eBay for the Thinkpad X40 series. I'm thinking about getting one of those for my X41 Tablet.

Would a 420 watt power supply run that processor/video card combo?

It might...but it really depends on the rails and PSU more than the total wattage.

Also, any particular reason why you are going for the 5400rpm green hard drive?

 

[Lime]

What CPU and Graphics card combo would you recommend instead?

I would say a Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition along with a Radeon HD4890 or Nvidia GTX275. The LG775 is a dead-end socket.

 

[Darklord]

I might agree with Cajun here. You'd be better off going $160 cheaper on the processor, and putting that extra money towards a higher end video card. The video card is always the best bang-for-buck performance increase when it comes to gaming.

Any card beyond a 260GTX is damn expensive in Australia it goes from like $300 > $450 > $600 > $900. At least they were a month ago when I got mine. Mine is very close to his specs too.

I recommend the i7. I have one and it's excellent, the card runs everything perfectly(even Crysis on very high DX10 64bit at 1080p...although don't expect 40fps) and will hold me over for a very long while.

 

[brain_stew]

I would say a Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition along with a Radeon HD4890 or Nvidia GTX275. The LG775 is a dead-end socket.

I really can't agree with this tbh. Whilst the X3 720 offers great bang for buck, if you've got the money for an i7 rig then you should really go for it, its leaps and bounds above everything else.

 

[Hazaro]

Can a 4850 run Crysis at full settings at 1680x1050? I'm getting the itch to overhaul my computer.

I ask because I'm thinking about building a new computer soon, but I just bought a 4850 around Thanksgiving or so so if I don't need to replace the vid card that would save me some money

You are good, video cards are really easy to upgrade anyway. Install a custom config for Crysis too

Arghhh!!! God damn Creative and their shitty drivers. Spent six hours so far trying to get these frigging drivers installed, endless freezing, bsods and they even managed to corrupt my Vista installation to the point where I couldn't even boot into safe mode!!!

One more attempt!!

Find custom drivers made by a guy. There was some recent thing where he asked for some Paypal donations and Creative told him to fuck off and closed everything.

Anyway he made drivers that worked so ask around for that.

GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail for 110

Would a 420 watt power supply run that processor/video card combo?

Get that mobo and it depends what PSU brand.

Hows this sound so far?

Case: Apevia X-plorer $150 (US $113)
PSU: 500W Supplied with case $0
HDD: Samsung 500 GB $85 (US $64)

I'd upgrade the HDD to a 640GB or 1TB, faster and more space for not much more.
Secondly swap the case and PSU for something else if you can, the 500w that comes with it is probably no good.
Seasonic or Corsair would probably be the easiest to find in your area.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Hows this sound so far?

Case: Apevia X-plorer $150 (US $113)
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 $478 (US $362)
GPU: GTX 260 $305 (US $231)
PSU: 500W Supplied with case $0
DVD: Generic (to be decided) $50 (US $37)
KB/M: Logitec wireless bundle $50 (US $37)
Screen: BenQ 24inch Supplied $0
RAM: 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 $165 (US $125)
HDD: Samsung 500 GB $85 (US $64)
Mobo: Asus P6T Deluxe $459 (US $348)

Total: 1742 (US $1320)

spend more money on your PSU. this is vital.

 

[Confusion Illusion]

I'm doing a budget upgrade and my CPU choices are Core2 Q8200, Q8400 or Q9400.
If can, I will go for the Q9400 otherwise I'm going to have to settle for the 8200 or 8400.

 

[Sleeker]

Yeah i dont really know what kind of PSU it is, just that its 500W.
I'll look into it after it arrives, but I really like the case it comes with.