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[Spiderjericho]

snip

That's the 4890 I bought. I hope it does stay cool. I'm not planning to overclock.

Also, I have one of those Seagate external hard drives. I'm thinking about cracking it open and using the hard drive in my PC. Has anyone done this?

 

[MWS Natural]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121311

Buy this card man. 6 huge heatpipes, two huge fans and it pumps th eheat out the back and includes a modified PCB with voltage tuning and better caps.

For someone who tends to worry about heat, you're not going to find a more suitable card, great price this weekend and a nice factory overclock (with plenty potential for more) as well.

http://www.dvhardware.net/news/asus_radeon_hd_4890_custom_nh.jpg[IMG]

This is the best GPU on the market atm as far as I'm concerned. It comes with the DVI-HDMI adapter in the box which I know is important for your setup.[/QUOTE]


Thanks for the advice but I just jumped on [URL="http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=AT-489TX1G&c=fr&show="]this[/URL] for $207. So after getting my refund from newegg I'll save almost $50 bucks :lol

r

 

[CoilShot]

Can someone recommend me a graphics card that is cheap and can run out a 300 watt power supply? Or would I be better off getting a new power supply(I have a spare 500 Watt)?

I should also note this isn't my computer it for my nephew's pc. He just needs a decent dedicated video card since he is using a crappy internal video card.

 

[brain_stew]

Can someone recommend me a graphics card that is cheap and can run out a 300 watt power supply? Or would I be better off getting a new power supply(I have a spare 500 Watt)?

I should also note this isn't my computer it for my nephew's pc. He just needs a decent dedicated video card since he is using a crappy internal video card.

4670:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102820

no external PSU required, will play all modern games at decent settings (many on high/max at 1280x1024/720p and below) native HDMI, very small and all for $55. Perfect card to add to any OEM PC.

Crysis on high at 720p/30fps is totally doable:

Any multiplat should be noticably better looking/performing on his PC now (so long as it has a dual core CPU and 2GB or more, which it should) even though he's only spent $55. Pretty incredible all things considered.

 

[Me_Marcadet]

Help me please gaf, my sapphire 4850 dual Slot heatsink is overheating

The problem is it overheats only with Dead Space. When I play this game the temp keep rising very fast until the card shutdown itself after fifteen minutes.
When I run the crysis benchmark for nearly an hour it doesn't even reach 95°.

How is it possible ?

 

[Ryoma-Echizen]

jett
Can you upload a small fragment of the video?

Right now I'm watching some 1080p anime blu-ray rip being accelerated on my integrated HD3300 (790GX) and it's smooth as silk. The cpu utilization is 2%.

Without DXVA around 45% running on CoreAVC(a bit less of image quality)

Athlon X2 5400+ 2.8Ghz.


Me_Marcadet
What catalyst are you using?
If it's the last one 9.6 try antoher, 9.3-9.5 for exm. Also search on http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx or the game site a hotfix or patch.


GuessWho
Phenom II 550 3.1Ghz (equals a E8400 for far less money ;P )
Gigabyte MA770 UD3 / 790X UD4 (with luck this mobo can converte the 550 dual core in a quad monster)
2x2GB A-Data DDR2 800
Corsair VX450

Around $300. You don't need more for gaming or change the 550 for a 720BE/940BE if you want to play some RTS / GTAIV.

--------

Athlon II 240-245 ($68-75) vs C2D E5300-E5400 ($72-85) Athlon II owns
http://en.hardspell.com/doc/enshowcont.asp?id=6438&pageid=4872

 

[aktham]

So after some thought and work, I managed to squeeze my 8800 GTS (G92) into my little ass minitower workstation PC (dual 20WMGX2 monitor setup). I can now justify getting another videocard on my gaming PC that's a big upgrade to my previous card. Last time I asked, you guys said the 4890 was the best upgrade and bang for my buck, still holds true I assume?

The 8800 GTS (G92) is now running at 1680x1050 and is smoking everything maxed out, except crysis and warhead

I don't have a videocard on my gaming PC now, so the next card (4890?) will be running 1920x1200/1080 depending when I game on the PC monitor/plasma. Will be enough at that resolution? or should I wait on the DX11 cards and decide then? opinions are much appreciated

*waits for PC guru named brian stew*

 

[FromTheFuture]

So I just ordered a new computer to put together myself. My question is... was i supposed to buy a thermal compound for the CPU? I purchased a CPU cooler but i'm not sure if it comes with a thermal compound.

 

[letsbereasonable]

So I just ordered a new computer to put together myself. My question is... was i supposed to buy a thermal compound for the CPU? I purchased a CPU cooler but i'm not sure if it comes with a thermal compound.

Which cooler was it? The last cooler I bought had the compound already on it.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

HELP!! I SCREWED UP!!

i was installing my 2 GTX 260s on my system, and with all the unhooking re-hooking of wires i think i messed up! when i turn on the pc, there are no error messages coming from the motherboard, i hook the monitor up and i get no picture, the usb ports in the back arent powering my keyboard or mouse either.

I dont think i damaged anything but i cant be sure that i connected everything properly and i'm pretty sure i have enough power to hook everything up.

specs
EVGA GTX 260 216
EVGA 780i
8 Gigs G-skill RAM
NZXT PP 800

also, when the fans werent spinning when i hooked up the new cards. i tried the old ones again and while the fans where working, i still had the same no image problem.

 

[jett]

jett
Can you upload a small fragment of the video?

Right now I'm watching some 1080p anime blu-ray rip being accelerated on my integrated HD3300 (790GX) and it's smooth as silk. The cpu utilization is 2%.

Without DXVA around 45% running on CoreAVC(a bit less of image quality)

Athlon X2 5400+ 2.8Ghz.

If you have a PS3 it's the latest GT5 trailer. I also tried this one out: http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/5/0/15092c6c-5af1-4208-b5e2-54af6f1009a4/T2_1080.exe

It's a trailer of T2. Runs perfect on WMP, weirdly enough runs like ass on MPC-HC, under every setting. CPU use is around 30% in WMP, so I guess it still isn't being accelerated through the video card. I really have no idea what to do anymore. Could it be because I use WinXP? Bleh.

 

[TheHeretic]

For those of you with the Q6600, what are your idle and max CPU temps?
I just had to replace my motherboard and I never checked what my original temps were. Everything is the same as before except the motherboard but my idle CPU temps are at 52(c) which seems insanely high to me.

Also what is a normal temp for 8800GT.

Idle 35C, OCCT 58C, Usual load 40-50C depending on the weather.

I'm using a custom cooler and higher than stock voltages though. The safe maximum temperature for the CPU is a little over 60, though intel lists 70. The CPU runs very hot with the stock cooler, a friend of mine with a stock cooler and without overclocking idled at over 50.

So after some thought and work, I managed to squeeze my 8800 GTS (G92) into my little ass minitower workstation PC (dual 20WMGX2 monitor setup). I can now justify getting another videocard on my gaming PC that's a big upgrade to my previous card. Last time I asked, you guys said the 4890 was the best upgrade and bang for my buck, still holds true I assume?

The 8800 GTS (G92) is now running at 1680x1050 and is smoking everything maxed out, except crysis and warhead

I don't have a videocard on my gaming PC now, so the next card (4890?) will be running 1920x1200/1080 depending when I game on the PC monitor/plasma. Will be enough at that resolution? or should I wait on the DX11 cards and decide then? opinions are much appreciated

*waits for PC guru named brian stew*

I'm not brain stew unfortunately for you but the 4890 is the best card out there right now and its not too expensive. The 4890 has 1GB of VRAM and will do fine at any resolution you could conceivably throw at it. I would have waited for DX11, having the exact same GPU as you, but if you need or want to get one now the 4890 is perfect.

 

[Schrade]

Well...I tried MPC-HC and it still lags in parts. I'm using a VC-1 video I got from the playstation store as testing, for what it's worth. I tried several of the playback options in the guide you linked to but runs the same as in all the other players.

VC-1 from the Playstation Store? Do tell.. as far as I know everything is H.264 there.

 

[jett]

VC-1 from the Playstation Store? Do tell.. as far as I know everything is H.264 there.

Oh it said "VC1" when I checked the file properties on the PS3. Anyway, I FIXED IT! I had to disable every single filter in MPC-HC with the exception of DXVA, and that did the trick. Woot. I was worried my video card was borked there for a second. Thanks to everyone for the help.

 

[FromTheFuture]

Which cooler was it? The last cooler I bought had the compound already on it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200036
I was originally going to buy a Freezer 7 Pro, but someone recommended this to me instead and i completely forgot about the compound. I'll probably have to buy compound right? Where could i buy that in an actual store?

 

[Ysiadmihi]

Not exactly hardware related, but is anyone else having issues with the latest Vista 64-bit drivers from Nvidia causing the computer to lock up when idle for a few minutes?

 

[Hazaro]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200036
I was originally going to buy a Freezer 7 Pro, but someone recommended this to me instead and i completely forgot about the compound. I'll probably have to buy compound right? Where could i buy that in an actual store?

It has compound on it, just mount it correctly on the motherboard before you install the mobo in.

Idle 35C, OCCT 58C, Usual load 40-50C depending on the weather.

I'm using a custom cooler and higher than stock voltages though. The safe maximum temperature for the CPU is a little over 60, though intel lists 70. The CPU runs very hot with the stock cooler, a friend of mine with a stock cooler and without overclocking idled at over 50.

Idling at 50C?
Should check and reseat that, even gross over-voltage compensation shouldn't do that.

 

[AstroLad]

So my old laptop is finally on its last legs (backing up my files right now). Going to put a desktop PC together and order today, but I'd be loathe if I didn't run it by GAF first. Thinking about just getting a 285 instead of the 2 295s (this is my typical overkill):

POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts
CPU: Intel Core i7-950 3.06 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366
FAN: CoolerMaster V8 Gaming CPU Cooling Fan (Extreme Silent Operation at only 22dBA + Overclock Proof)
MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) EVGA X58 3X SLI Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA,Dual GbLAN,USB2.0,Dual IEEE1394&7.1Audio
MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module (Corsair Dominator)
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX295 1.7GB 16X PCIe Video Card (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO2: NVIDIA GeForce GTX295 1.7GB 16X PCIe Video Card (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
HDD: Single Hard Drive (300GB Gaming Western Digital VelociRaptor 10,000RPM SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache WD3000GLFS)
CD: LG GGW-H20L 6X Internal Super Multi Blue Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter & HD DVD-ROM Drive (Black Color)

 

[dionysus]

So my old laptop is finally on its last legs (backing up my files right now). Going to put a desktop PC together and order today, but I'd be loathe if I didn't run it by GAF first. Thinking about just getting a 285 instead of the 2 295s (this is my typical overkill):

POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts
CPU: Intel Core i7-950 3.06 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366
FAN: CoolerMaster V8 Gaming CPU Cooling Fan (Extreme Silent Operation at only 22dBA + Overclock Proof)
MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) EVGA X58 3X SLI Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA,Dual GbLAN,USB2.0,Dual IEEE1394&7.1Audio
MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module (Corsair Dominator)
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX295 1.7GB 16X PCIe Video Card (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO2: NVIDIA GeForce GTX295 1.7GB 16X PCIe Video Card (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
HDD: Single Hard Drive (300GB Gaming Western Digital VelociRaptor 10,000RPM SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache WD3000GLFS)
CD: LG GGW-H20L 6X Internal Super Multi Blue Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter & HD DVD-ROM Drive (Black Color)

Crysis at 300 fps? Excellent rig though. Since money is no issue, I would toss in a 120GB SSD. Your hard drive is going to be a bottleneck they way you have it.

 

[AstroLad]

Thanks, I'll take a look. Any monitors recommended? I'd like something no more than 22".

 

[Minsc]

Thanks, I'll take a look. Any monitors recommended? I'd like something no more than 22".

If money is no object with the SSDs, I'll save you a little time, you can't get much better than RAID0 Intel X-25 80 GB or 160 GB drives. I should add they are said to be releasing a new model in a few months though, might be worth waiting.

 

[dionysus]

Is there any tangible benefit for a 2ms monitor over a 5ms?

 

[brain_stew]

So after some thought and work, I managed to squeeze my 8800 GTS (G92) into my little ass minitower workstation PC (dual 20WMGX2 monitor setup). I can now justify getting another videocard on my gaming PC that's a big upgrade to my previous card. Last time I asked, you guys said the 4890 was the best upgrade and bang for my buck, still holds true I assume?

The 8800 GTS (G92) is now running at 1680x1050 and is smoking everything maxed out, except crysis and warhead

I don't have a videocard on my gaming PC now, so the next card (4890?) will be running 1920x1200/1080 depending when I game on the PC monitor/plasma. Will be enough at that resolution? or should I wait on the DX11 cards and decide then? opinions are much appreciated

*waits for PC guru named brian stew*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121311

Is the card for you, on weekend special, so be quick!!

 

[Median]

Hey all, I tried overclocking my Q6600 to 3.00GHZ today, and decided to revert back to stock speed once I saw my temperatures were up around 70+ degrees. I figure it's time to replace my stock Intel heatsink and get an aftermarket one. Does anyone have any suggestions for good ones? I'm not looking to spend too much money, just enough to get my temps down to something more manageable. Also, is there anything I need to do when removing/replacing it other than applying new thermal paste?

 

[Grayman]

Is there any tangible benefit for a 2ms monitor over a 5ms?

You would have to test with your own eyes to know. Somewhere on the net there are images that can illustrate the ghosting of each but I don't have them readily available.

 

[Xdrive05]

Hey everyone, what is the projected release of the next round of GPUs from nvidia? I remember reading some tech speculation but I have no idea when these things are supposed to be coming out.

I just bought a BFG GTX 260 55nm core 216, and the only "Trade Up" cards they have available right now are about twice as expensive with not much more performance. Any chance of the next gen cards within the next three months or so?

 

[Grayman]

Hey everyone, what is the projected release of the next round of GPUs from nvidia? I remember reading some tech speculation but I have no idea when these things are supposed to be coming out.

I just bought a BFG GTX 260 55nm core 216, and the only "Trade Up" cards they have available right now are about twice as expensive with not much more performance. Any chance of the next gen cards within the next three months or so?

I thought nvidia was sleeping on newer cards and ati was going to beat them to DX11 and those ati's are not even likely to be out in the next 3 months.

 

[fatigues_gasolini]

Thanks, I'll take a look. Any monitors recommended? I'd like something no more than 22".

Take a look at this

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-7438

I have one, and its 22" widescreen true 1920x1080.

 

[TheHeretic]

So my old laptop is finally on its last legs (backing up my files right now). Going to put a desktop PC together and order today, but I'd be loathe if I didn't run it by GAF first. Thinking about just getting a 285 instead of the 2 295s (this is my typical overkill):

POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts
CPU: Intel Core i7-950 3.06 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366
FAN: CoolerMaster V8 Gaming CPU Cooling Fan (Extreme Silent Operation at only 22dBA + Overclock Proof)
MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) EVGA X58 3X SLI Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA,Dual GbLAN,USB2.0,Dual IEEE1394&7.1Audio
MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module (Corsair Dominator)
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX295 1.7GB 16X PCIe Video Card (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO2: NVIDIA GeForce GTX295 1.7GB 16X PCIe Video Card (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
HDD: Single Hard Drive (300GB Gaming Western Digital VelociRaptor 10,000RPM SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache WD3000GLFS)
CD: LG GGW-H20L 6X Internal Super Multi Blue Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter & HD DVD-ROM Drive (Black Color)

2 x 295's isn't worth it unless you are so wealthy money means nothing to you (which may be the case). You've got 4 GPU's running there which is horribly inefficient. One 295, one 285 or even one 4890 are more reasonable options as the next GPU's are coming up and the rest of your rig is insanely good. You might as well put two high performance drives in RAID at this point as well.

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

alright here we go, i've gotten myself into a huge web of conflict

i've found a $900 macbook pro (late 2008), with essentially these specs + an extra 2gb ram and a 320gb scorpio drive in it

before this i was intent on building a completely new desktop pc. why? because i've been out of pc gaming for like a billion years and can afford a setup at around $900-1000. i've look at options in every direction to even putting together a hackintosh and dual booting that way, but it's going to have to be one or the other

what i want to know is how this would match up to a desktop rig built around an i7 processor and 4890 gpu. i'd also LOVE it if anyone could throw up a list of components for a rig like that which would stay within my price range. while i understand that a quad-core processor is going to mean a huge difference in processing power and running games, the machine is also going to be used for intensive video editing and post-process rendering, which is another draw to putting together a powerhouse against having something portable and a bit weaker

why a mac at all? because of final cut pro and it's proprietary uses, and mostly that in the first place. and while cs4 will do nearly everything fcp can, nobody in the industry uses it as a standard. so if anyone could help sort out this mess between a longing for pc gaming but overall value v. benefit conflict, i'll S your D

 

[brain_stew]

Quite simply it wouldn't in way shape or form. There's close to an order of magnitude diffeence between an 8600m and a 4890.

Even the $500 PC would absolutely stomp all over that thing in games and pretty much anything else.

A Hackintosh or some sort of virtualisation solution looks to be your best option I would guess.

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

Quite simply it wouldn't in way shape or form. There's close to an order of magnitude diffeence between an 8600m and a 4890.

Even the $500 PC would absolutely stomp all over that thing in games and pretty much anything else.

A Hackintosh or some sort of virtualisation solution looks to be your best option I would guess.

that's what i thought. what's bugging me is that with a MBP on hand and a way to work wherever i am, a great big door would be opened in the way of freelance work where i could potentially make a lot more profit out of that purchase and then later build something

would you mind drawing up a components list for a pc in that price range ($1000), tho? i hate to be a bother but at this point i'll leave things in the hands of those wiser than me

after doing a lot of reading up on bootcamp and crossover it seems like i'll be able to get by on most of today's games at around medium settings, which is a disappointment since pc gaming has always drawn me in with the possibility of maxing shit out

hackintoshes are month-long headaches and a slew of what-if's, and it would be the best middleman option, but the big draw of portability and apple's all-too expensive software are what have me snagged ;p

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

posting this again in the hopes someone can help.

tried installing two new video cards, when i turned on the system, wold not get picture, USB ports wouldnt power on the keyboard, mouse. and would only get a FF code on the MOBO (evga 780i) i re-installed the old graphic card, fan would spin but still no picture. any suggestions?

 

[TheHeretic]

alright here we go, i've gotten myself into a huge web of conflict

i've found a $900 macbook pro (late 2008), with essentially these specs + an extra 2gb ram and a 320gb scorpio drive in it

before this i was intent on building a completely new desktop pc. why? because i've been out of pc gaming for like a billion years and can afford a setup at around $900-1000. i've look at options in every direction to even putting together a hackintosh and dual booting that way, but it's going to have to be one or the other

what i want to know is how this would match up to a desktop rig built around an i7 processor and 4890 gpu. i'd also LOVE it if anyone could throw up a list of components for a rig like that which would stay within my price range. while i understand that a quad-core processor is going to mean a huge difference in processing power and running games, the machine is also going to be used for intensive video editing and post-process rendering, which is another draw to putting together a powerhouse against having something portable and a bit weaker

why a mac at all? because of final cut pro and it's proprietary uses, and mostly that in the first place. and while cs4 will do nearly everything fcp can, nobody in the industry uses it as a standard. so if anyone could help sort out this mess between a longing for pc gaming but overall value v. benefit conflict, i'll S your D

Comparing a desktop to a laptop isn't exactly fair, either you want one or the other. I wouldn't build you an i7 rig because in my opinion i7 isn't worth it and Phenom II quads are much better value, but myself and others could throw around options for you. Of course with video editing DDR3 and an i7 will make a difference, it just depends on your expectations.

I like Macs a lot. I like the way they look and feel, and I love OS X. However they are weaker systems and should not be used for gaming. Hackintosh is a decent option except the video drivers are custom and mostly terrible, which is problematic all around.

If you want to play the latest games buy a PC and live with the software solutions available to you. For anyone not interested in gaming/Windows specific software, I would absolutely recommend a mac.

A desktop PC will be faster than a Mac and much better for gaming. Is this better value? I think value is a useless term for PC's and Macs, I use both and find them both to be enjoyable platforms.

I'll do a rough sketch of a build for you in a minute.

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

Comparing a desktop to a laptop isn't exactly fair, either you want one or the other. I wouldn't build you an i7 rig because in my opinion i7 isn't worth it and Phenom II quads are much better value, but myself and others could throw around options for you. Of course with video editing DDR3 and an i7 will make a difference, it just depends on your expectations.

I like Macs a lot. I like the way they look and feel, and I love OS X. However they are weaker systems and should not be used for gaming. Hackintosh is a decent option except the video drivers are custom and mostly terrible, which is problematic all around.

If you want to play the latest games buy a PC and live with the software solutions available to you. For anyone not interested in gaming/Windows specific software, I would absolutely recommend a mac.

A desktop PC will be faster than a Mac and much better for gaming. Is this better value? I think value is a useless term for PC's and Macs, I use both and find them both to be enjoyable platforms.

this is basically the conclusion that i've reached at this point-- it's apples and oranges, especially with the desktop vs laptop consideration. you've at least helped me scratch off hackintosh as an option

but throw! throw! if you provide a list of options and what you consider to be the most valuable build, then i will have a lot more room to work with- because at this point i'm between an unmodifiable MBP and an unknown desktop pc build. i'd love to have some more concrete options, as far as specs go

and i as well appreciate the benefits of both macs and pc's. i've done a load of video editing on the most recent g5's, but have never owned anything other than my 6 year-old compaq that's on it's way out. still, the value of a handcrafted pc does indeed 'stomp all over' a mac in the world of gaming, and even if i do pick up this MBP, that doesn't mean i'll be out of the market to build a pc within the next month or so

this $900 deal tho, that's only good for a week

 

[TheHeretic]

For Spinnington:

CPU - Phenom II 940 - $189 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P - $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387

Spoiler

These two can be combo'ed.. Lucky! http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.211640

GPU - HIS 4890 - $190 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276

RAM - 8GB G.Skill DDR2 1066 - $100 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

HDD - 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black - $99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

CASE - Cooler Master somethingorother - $80 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

PSU - Corsair HX520 - $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001 (expensive but the best of its class)

Total: $878, and to be honest this is the "beefiest" computer i'd be comfortable building in this market. This is quick and dirty but its a good estimate of what you'll get for your money, and I splurge a little on some components. This will wipe out all the games on the current market, its extremely powerful, and the CPU is very overclockable. A 30 dollar custom cooler will push it to 4ghz territory.

Edit: Poor motherboard choice, revised. Better deal on RAM.

PS: If you want to overclock your 940 this is cooler to get. Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer. Rated the 3rd best AMD cooler on the market by Frostytech! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

For Spinnington:

CPU - Phenom II 940 - $189 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P - $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387

Spoiler

These two can be combo'ed.. Lucky! http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.211640

GPU - HIS 4890 - $190 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276

RAM - 8GB G.Skill DDR2 1066 - $100 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

HDD - 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black - $99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

CASE - Cooler Master somethingorother - $80 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

PSU - Corsair HX520 - $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001 (expensive but the best of its class)

Total: $878, and to be honest this is the "beefiest" computer i'd be comfortable building in this market. This is quick and dirty but its a good estimate of what you'll get for your money, and I splurge a little on some components. This will wipe out all the games on the current market, its extremely powerful, and the CPU is very overclockable. A 30 dollar custom cooler will push it to 4ghz territory.

Edit: Poor motherboard choice, revised. Better deal on RAM.

alright awesome :]

that's a pretty tempting build and will greatly help me focus on what decision to make. if anyone else feels like trying their hand at a build for me i'd be more than grateful, but this i'd happily build in a heartbeat if i was certain to build a PC just yet

 

[Xdrive05]

For Spinnington:

CPU - Phenom II 940 - $189 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P - $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387

Spoiler

These two can be combo'ed.. Lucky! http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.211640

GPU - HIS 4890 - $190 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276

RAM - 8GB G.Skill DDR2 1066 - $100 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

HDD - 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black - $99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

CASE - Cooler Master somethingorother - $80 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

PSU - Corsair HX520 - $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001 (expensive but the best of its class)

Total: $878, and to be honest this is the "beefiest" computer i'd be comfortable building in this market. This is quick and dirty but its a good estimate of what you'll get for your money, and I splurge a little on some components. This will wipe out all the games on the current market, its extremely powerful, and the CPU is very overclockable. A 30 dollar custom cooler will push it to 4ghz territory.

Edit: Poor motherboard choice, revised. Better deal on RAM.

PS: If you want to overclock your 940 this is cooler to get. Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer. Rated the 3rd best AMD cooler on the market by Frostytech! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004

Welcome to the P2 940 club! Love that thing.

Last Thurs. I received the following:

CPU - Phenom II 940 - $189 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

Motherboard (came free with the CPU) - ECS 780gm-a Ultra - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135235

RAM - 8GB G.Skill DDR2 1066 - $100 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

GPU - BFG NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 OC MAXCORE 896MB PCIe 2.0 - http://www.bfgtech.com/bfgrgtx260mc896oce.aspx

NOTE: About that G.Skill RAM, I bought 4 sticks and one was bad. I'm setting up the RMA process tonight in fact. Also, it really does need 2.0-2.1v to run right. My motherboard defaulted the vdimm to 1.8 and I couldn't get it to boot with this RAM until I bought some cheap Kingston to get me into the BIOS with (which I then upped the voltage and all is fine). This probably has more to do with my using a cheap mobo than anything else, 'cause I updated the mobo BIOS and the new bios defaults the vdimm appropriately on CMOS reset.

 

[TheHeretic]

Welcome to the P2 940 club! Love that thing.

Last Thurs. I received the following:

CPU - Phenom II 940 - $189 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

Motherboard (came free with the CPU) - ECS 780gm-a Ultra - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135235

RAM - 8GB G.Skill DDR2 1066 - $100 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

GPU - BFG NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 OC MAXCORE 896MB PCIe 2.0 - http://www.bfgtech.com/bfgrgtx260mc896oce.aspx

NOTE: About that G.Skill RAM, I bought 4 sticks and one was bad. I'm setting up the RMA process tonight in fact. Also, it really does need 2.0-2.1v to run right. My motherboard defaulted the vdimm to 1.8 and I couldn't get it to boot with this RAM until I bought some cheap Kingston to get me into the BIOS with (which I then upped the voltage and all is fine). This probably has more to do with my using a cheap mobo than anything else, 'cause I updated the mobo BIOS and the new bios defaults the vdimm appropriately on CMOS reset.

Nice, though i'm still in the Q6600 club :lol

Now that I think about it DDR2 1066 is a waste. Its not expensive anyway so it hardly matters, but a Phenom II 940 has a FSB of 200, whereas the RAM is running at 533. Pretty much pointless.

 

[AstroLad]

2 x 295's isn't worth it unless you are so wealthy money means nothing to you (which may be the case). You've got 4 GPU's running there which is horribly inefficient. One 295, one 285 or even one 4890 are more reasonable options as the next GPU's are coming up and the rest of your rig is insanely good. You might as well put two high performance drives in RAID at this point as well.

That was sort of what I thought, so I think I will go with the one 295. Thanks.

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

Total: $878, and to be honest this is the "beefiest" computer i'd be comfortable building in this market. This is quick and dirty but its a good estimate of what you'll get for your money, and I splurge a little on some components. This will wipe out all the games on the current market, its extremely powerful, and the CPU is very overclockable. A 30 dollar custom cooler will push it to 4ghz territory.

Edit: Poor motherboard choice, revised. Better deal on RAM.

alright i've touched up the build a bit, cutting fat in places and finagling in others. changes in italics:

CPU - Intel i7 920 - $280 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471, which can be combo'd with...
GPU - HIS 4890 - $190 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276, for a total of $455 instead of $470
Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P - $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387
RAM - 4GB G.Skill DDR2 1066 - $50 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166
HDD - 640GB Western Digital Caviar Black - $75 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
CASE - Cooler Master somethingorother - $80 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
PSU - Corsair HX520 - $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001
KB/M - Logitech PS/2 Keyboard - $14 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126017 / Logitech G5 - $50 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104076
COOLER - Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer - $40 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004

total is $1,017.80 shipped. i realize while i can combo the gpu and processor, that i'm only saving $15 instead of the $30 from the mobo/processor combo you posted, and en up paying more for the mobo becase of it. that, on top of the higher-priced i7;p the reason for that is if i do build this then it will be used intensively for video rendering in at least after effects, and the i7 will be more beneficial there. i took out 4gb or ram because its cheap to add later and this is the initial build. as well, i may not pick up that cooler right away-- but i did need to tack on a new kb/m because mine are nearly shot

if i were to simply change the combo back to the one you listed and simply switch processors, the total takes a plummet down to $833.39 territory-- shipped. what i guess i get to think about is whether or not that $185 difference is going to be worth it in the long run. then again if i stick with the 940 i may never know any better if i'm missing out on anything

 

[TheHeretic]

alright i've touched up the build a bit, cutting fat in places and finagling in others. changes in italics:
CPU - Intel i7 920 - $280 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471, which can be combo'd with...
GPU - HIS 4890 - $190 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276, for a total of $455 instead of $470
Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P - $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387
RAM - 4GB G.Skill DDR2 1066 - $100 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166
HDD - 640GB Western Digital Caviar Black - $75 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
CASE - Cooler Master somethingorother - $80 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
PSU - Corsair HX520 - $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001
KB/M - Logitech PS/2 Keyboard - $14 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126017 / Logitech G5 - $50 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104076
COOLER - Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer - $40 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004

total is $1,017.80 shipped. i realize while i can combo the gpu and processor, that i'm only saving $15 instead of the $30 from the mobo/processor combo you posted, plus the difference in price on the processors. the reason for that is if i do build this then it will be used intensively for video rendering in at least after effects, and the i7 will be more beneficial there. i took out 4gb or ram because its cheap to add later and thi sis the initial build. as well, i may not pick up that cooler right away-- but i did need to tack on a new kb/m because mine are nearly shot

if i were to simply change the combo back to the one you listed and simply switch processors, the total takes a plummet down to $833.39 territory-- shipped. what i guess i get to thin about is whether or not that $185 difference is going to be worth it in the long run. then again if i stick with the 940 i may never know any better if i'm missing out on anything

Yeah, that build doesn't work. For i7 you need a new, more expensive motherboard and DDR3 RAM, again, more expensive. If you want me to do an i7 build I will, but to keep in budget things will be cut. Its up to you.

From my original build to i7 will make it:

$94 for 6GB DDR3 RAM, $280 for the i7 920, $170 for the motherboard.

The price difference is about $180.

 

[dionysus]

Nice, though i'm still in the Q6600 club :lol

Now that I think about it DDR2 1066 is a waste. Its not expensive anyway so it hardly matters, but a Phenom II 940 has a FSB of 200, whereas the RAM is running at 533. Pretty much pointless.

The q6600 club is now a laughing matter. That makes me sad. Ah well, I am upgrading soon anyway.

The recent steam survey, http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey , shows quad cores at only 14%. The q6600 was a big waste of money when I bought it in 2008 cause even demanding games are necessarily going to be optimized to dual cores.

 

[dionysus]

alright i've touched up the build a bit, cutting fat in places and finagling in others. changes in italics:

CPU - Intel i7 920 - $280 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471, which can be combo'd with...
GPU - HIS 4890 - $190 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276, for a total of $455 instead of $470
Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P - $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387
RAM - 4GB G.Skill DDR2 1066 - $50 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166
HDD - 640GB Western Digital Caviar Black - $75 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
CASE - Cooler Master somethingorother - $80 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
PSU - Corsair HX520 - $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001
KB/M - Logitech PS/2 Keyboard - $14 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126017 / Logitech G5 - $50 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104076
COOLER - Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer - $40 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004

You need a motherboard with a 1366 socket. They are very expensive right now. I also think ddr3 RAM is required for i7.

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

Yeah, that build doesn't work. For i7 you need a new, more expensive motherboard and DDR3 RAM, again, more expensive. If you want me to do an i7 build I will, but to keep in budget things will be cut. Its up to you.

sad face, i totally overlooked that and the ram

nope, nevermind what we've got here is more than worthwhile. i know what i can afford and i was happy enough with what you put together!

just to be clear the motherboard would be the x58 at about $190 and then i'd be spending an extra $40 to bump the ram up to 6GB of G.SKILL memory as well, ya?

 

[dionysus]

sad face, i totally overlooked that and the ram

nope, nevermind what we've got here is more than worthwhile. i know what i can afford and i was happy enough with what you put together!

just to be clear the motherboard would be the x58 at about $190 and then i'd be spending an extra $40 to bump the ram up to 6GB of G.SKILL memory as well, ya?

yea, that will work.

 

[TheHeretic]

sad face, i totally overlooked that and the ram

nope, nevermind what we've got here is more than worthwhile. i know what i can afford and i was happy enough with what you put together!

just to be clear the motherboard would be the x58 at about $190 and then i'd be spending an extra $40 to bump the ram up to 6GB of G.SKILL memory as well, ya?

Yup

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

okay then that puts it between the two at $958.75

thanks a lot for the halp. now if only someone would make up my mind for me >_>

 

[TheHeretic]

okay then that puts it between the two at $958.75

thanks a lot for the halp. now if only someone would make up my mind for me >_>

I'd get the desktop. A $1000 desktop is far more powerful than a $1000 laptop, and especially a Mac. There is utility to consider though!

And no probs, building PC's is fun! Make sure you get brain_stews tick of approval though, hes with it and sometimes us builders make mistakes.

 

[Zaptruder]

Hey guys, I was thinking of creating a design productivity rig, but I'm unsure how 30" monitors work exactly.

My idea was to have a 30" 2560x1600 monitor in the middle, 2 20" 1600x1200 monitors in portrait as wing monitors. The 4th monitor would be a wacom cintiq 21" (also 1600x1200).

Question is, is it possible to get them all running as independent monitors?

Specifically, what I'm not sure about is, are there any video cards that can do 2560x1600 resolution from a single DVI port, or is that a limitation of the cable bandwidth itself? If that's the case, is there anyway to get 5 DVI cables connected to one machine?

Also do any games support this sort of irregular multi monitor resolution? Like a sick driving game where I can configure the wing monitor resolutions independently of the primary monitor.