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[TheHeretic]

Gigabyte EP45-UD3L ATX LGA775 P45 DDR2 PCI-E 2PCI SATA2 HD Sound GBLAN Motherboard - the make on the receipt.

heres the link from ncix

the e7400 seems to be well within my price range, I am going to see if I can find some sort of techbench run comparing my cpu or something similar, to it.

You are looking at more than twice the performance with a 7400, and it will get you out of the trap of having a serious bottleneck in a lot of games.

The E5200 is still popular because it overclocks like mad. If you are really adverse to putting any more money into your build getting an E5200, strapping a monster HSF to it and overclocking the fuck out of it isn't a bad option.

 

[Kinitari]

You are looking at more than twice the performance with a 7400, and it will get you out of the trap of having a serious bottleneck in a lot of games.

The E5200 is still popular because it overclocks like mad. If you are really adverse to putting any more money into your build getting an E5200, strapping a monster HSF to it and overclocking the fuck out of it isn't a bad option.

I'm willing to drop the duckies for a 7400 - looking up the duo 7400 and comparing it to the quad 8200 - it seems like the 7400 would be a better choice, as the quad 8200 is referred to as 'stunted'. Question about OCing though - i've never OC'd before and I keep hearing horror stories about computers blowing up, is it dangerous/difficult? Mind, I know my way around a computer a little bit, but the actual building of the rig is a new experience for me.

 

[MoFuzz]

I'm looking at this e8400 - which does seem to be one of the, if not the most, popular cpu on ncix, I am going to see if I can get some comparisons between that and
This quad 8200 for the same price, if I am going to get a performance boost, and then see if I can find a price match/wait until 6pm.

Not sure how comfortable you are with overclocking, but I did see that you were eyeing some aftermarket CPU heatsink/fans. In that case, an overclocked E5200 Pentium dual core, which can be had for about $80, will have very comparable performance in games with even an E8400 when paired with your Radeon 4870.

Pair that with any $30 - $35 CAD cooler, and you'll be golden. Again, it boils down to your comfort level with oc'ing.

EDIT: Argh, beaten.

 

[Kinitari]

Not sure how comfortable you are with overclocking, but I did see that you were eyeing some aftermarket CPU heatsink/fans. In that case, an overclocked E5200 Pentium dual core, which can be had for about $80, will have very comparable performance in games with even an E8400 when paired with your Radeon 4870.

Pair that with any $30 - $35 CAD cooler, and you'll be golden. Again, it boils down to your comfort level with oc'ing.

EDIT: Argh, beaten.

Similar performance to an 8400 eh? That does sound like the cheaper route, that would only run me something like 115 total instead of 200. But like I said earlier, OCing is not something I've ever done, I know my mobo can overclock, but it makes me a tad bit nervous. I probably need to read up on OCing, and see what sort of heatsink/cpu fan's would be ideal.

 

[Psychotext]

Go with the VaporX or Toxic series, they have superior quiet cooling. I don't see any of them on that site though.

Possible that they're not sold in the UK, but I'll have a look around. Thanks.

 

[TheHeretic]

I'm willing to drop the duckies for a 7400 - looking up the duo 7400 and comparing it to the quad 8200 - it seems like the 7400 would be a better choice, as the quad 8200 is referred to as 'stunted'. Question about OCing though - i've never OC'd before and I keep hearing horror stories about computers blowing up, is it dangerous/difficult? Mind, I know my way around a computer a little bit, but the actual building of the rig is a new experience for me.

The Q8200 isn't a great choice, its too slow out the gate and is pretty expensive for what it is.

Overclocking is easy and safe as long as you understand what you are doing. People who ruin their PC's are usually hardcore overclockers who don't care or bios fiddlers who make a terrible mistake. I've never heard of anyone ruining their CPU out the gate, that usually takes time even with the most insane of overclocks.

If you can build a rig you are more than qualified to venture into overclocking. Its just playing with settings and doing a lot of monitoring, its not hard to do at all. Of course, there are always people here to talk you through it. One thing you will need though is a quality HSF to get any real overclock going (most of the time, anyway).

The E5200 will go up to 3.6 to 4ghz, which makes it more than good enough for pretty much all games, your GPU is the limit at that point. An E7400 is better but the HSF adds to the cost, and the difference between the CPU's isn't big enough to make up for the speed difference. It depends on your budget really.

 

[MoFuzz]

Similar performance to an 8400 eh? That does sound like the cheaper route, that would only run me something like 115 total instead of 200. But like I said earlier, OCing is not something I've ever done, I know my mobo can overclock, but it makes me a tad bit nervous. I probably need to read up on OCing, and see what sort of heatsink/cpu fan's would be ideal.

That's right, they're both based on 45nm Wolfdale architechture, but the Core 2 has a larger cache.

I should re-emphasize that the performance would be most comparable in games, where the GPU is taking the brunt of the workload.

CPU heavy apps like any kind of audio or video encoding (ripping blu-ray, dvd, mp3s) as well compression or decompression of files (winzip, winrar) will benefit from the more expensive CPU's.

But for games definitely, an oc'ed E5200 will rip through em.

 

[Psychotext]

Go with the VaporX or Toxic series, they have superior quiet cooling. I don't see any of them on that site though.

Found them in the UK... I think.

These are right yeah?
Vapor-X : http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductID=1040375
Toxic: http://www.it247.com/product/1/SAPC...890-graphics_adapter-Radeon_HD_4890-1_GB.html

Of course, no-one seems to have them in stock.

 

[Kinitari]

The Q8200 isn't a great choice, its too slow out the gate and is pretty expensive for what it is.

Overclocking is easy and safe as long as you understand what you are doing. People who ruin their PC's are usually hardcore overclockers who don't care or bios fiddlers who make a terrible mistake. I've never heard of anyone ruining their CPU out the gate, that usually takes time even with the most insane of overclocks.

If you can build a rig you are more than qualified to venture into overclocking. Its just playing with settings and doing a lot of monitoring, its not hard to do at all. Of course, there are always people here to talk you through it. One thing you will need though is a quality HSF to get any real overclock going (most of the time, anyway).

The E5200 will go up to 3.6 to 4ghz, which makes it more than good enough for pretty much all games, your GPU is the limit at that point. An E7400 is better but the HSF adds to the cost, and the difference between the CPU's isn't big enough to make up for the speed difference. It depends on your budget really.

I have been reading up a lot on the e5200 and overclocking it, and it seems to be that most agree it is about on par with an 8400. And like you said, it's very important to get a good heatsink/cooler for the CPU, lots of stuff about heat pipes and what have you - there are some recommended coolers on ncix I am currently browsing through, trying to get a good grip on the situation. I think I'm going to go the e5200 + OC route, save myself about 130 bucks for only a small drop in performance.

I really am enjoying myself building the computer, and I was surprised as to how... easy it was. I assumed it would be a bit scarier plugging in the PSU, but I did it first try - checked up online before turning it on, and everything was right. I guess OCing isn't out of my league. Now to look for some good prices.

That's right, they're both based on 45nm Wolfdale architechture, but the Core 2 has a larger cache.

I should re-emphasize that the performance would be most comparable in games, where the GPU is taking the brunt of the workload.

CPU heavy apps like any kind of audio or video encoding (ripping blu-ray, dvd, mp3s) as well compression or decompression of files (winzip, winrar) will benefit from the more expensive CPU's.

But for games definitely, an oc'ed E5200 will rip through em.

Audio and video encoding isn't something I really do too often, I had to turn a VCD (that my mom brought from Ethiopia) into a DVD a little while ago, did it all on this laptop, and the encoding was slow, but not unbearable. Damn Windows DVD maker, it seemed to be the slowest, but it had the coolest menu option .

But anyway, I don't really do too much encoding or decompressing, at least nothing that would hindered by a slower speed. The games are where it's at. Maybe when I pop in the Witcher again, it will actually perform well.

 

[TheHeretic]

I have been reading up a lot on the e5200 and overclocking it, and it seems to be that most agree it is about on par with an 8400. And like you said, it's very important to get a good heatsink/cooler for the CPU, lots of stuff about heat pipes and what have you - there are some recommended coolers on ncix I am currently browsing through, trying to get a good grip on the situation. I think I'm going to go the e5200 + OC route, save myself about 130 bucks for only a small drop in performance.

I really am enjoying myself building the computer, and I was surprised as to how... easy it was. I assumed it would be a bit scarier plugging in the PSU, but I did it first try - checked up online before turning it on, and everything was right. I guess OCing isn't out of my league. Now to look for some good prices.

Audio and video encoding isn't something I really do too often, I had to turn a VCD (that my mom brought from Ethiopia) into a DVD a little while ago, did it all on this laptop, and the encoding was slow, but not unbearable. Damn Windows DVD maker, it seemed to be the slowest, but it had the coolest menu option .

But anyway, I don't really do too much encoding or decompressing, at least nothing that would hindered by a slower speed. The games are where it's at. Maybe when I pop in the Witcher again, it will actually perform well.

These guys are the definitive HSF experts: http://www.frostytech.com/

I personally use the Xigmatek S1283, it keeps my Q6600 (which is a heat monster) at bay with a nice overclock from 2.4 to 3.4. Its one to look out for and one of the best.

The Sunbeam Core Contact freezer is another monster that isn't very expensive at all. Its the best performer out there as far as I know. It has some variants, the guys who make it sent out the specs to different companies, another name I know of is Spire Thermax II, which is identical.

The main difference realistically is how they are mounted. Some HSF's use a back plate, which means you have to remove the motherboard and screw it in. Others pop in using push pins. The Xigmatek is a push in, the Sunbeam is a backplater. Whilst removing the motherboard sounds harder the push pins are fucking annoying and it can get hairy when you are jamming those things in to your motherboards distress. A backplate is more secure and easier, if not more of a hassle.

Those are the two I personally recommend.

Edit: this is the thermal paste to own: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=26895&vpn=MX-2T&manufacture=Arctic Cooling

Edit2: The red scorpion edition of the Xigmatek performs slightly worse than the original due to the alloys used. Something to keep in mind.

 

[Kintaro]

I have a new HDD and 8 GB of Ram on the way to pretty much fill out my machine. Anything else and I'll need a new motherboard.

Good times.

 

[Kinitari]

These guys are the definitive HSF experts: http://www.frostytech.com/

I personally use the Xigmatek S1283, it keeps my Q6600 (which is a heat monster) at bay with a nice overclock from 2.4 to 3.4. Its one to look out for and one of the best.

The Sunbeam Core Contact freezer is another monster that isn't very expensive at all. Its the best performer out there as far as I know. It has some variants, the guys who make it sent out the specs to different companies, another name I know of is Spire Thermax II, which is identical.

The main difference realistically is how they are mounted. Some HSF's use a back plate, which means you have to remove the motherboard and screw it in. Others pop in using push pins. The Xigmatek is a push in, the Sunbeam is a backplater. Whilst removing the motherboard sounds harder the push pins are fucking annoying and it can get hairy when you are jamming those things in to your motherboards distress. A backplate is more secure and easier, if not more of a hassle.

Those are the two I personally recommend.

Edit: this is the thermal paste to own: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=26895&vpn=MX-2T&manufacture=Arctic Cooling

Edit2: The red scorpion edition of the Xigmatek performs slightly worse than the original due to the alloys used. Something to keep in mind.

Wowza, so much to take in, but I get it all - my old rig did have a backplate for the heatsink, so I know what it looks like - and considering I just threw together a rig, new case, psu, mobo, memory and GPU - taking out the mobo again isn't going to break my back - and pushing pins into those holes in my mobo sound scary, I'd probably punch a hole through it. They're also both priced the same it seems, so i'll probably lean towards the sunbeam.

I have a new HDD and 8 GB of Ram on the way to pretty much fill out my machine. Anything else and I'll need a new motherboard.

Good times.

People keep confusing me for you, change your name plz.

 

[Kintaro]

People keep confusing me for you, change your name plz.

Negative. Been here for over 10 years. You first.

 

[MWS Natural]

Found them in the UK... I think.

These are right yeah?
Vapor-X : http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductID=1040375
Toxic: http://www.it247.com/product/1/SAPC...890-graphics_adapter-Radeon_HD_4890-1_GB.html

Of course, no-one seems to have them in stock.

They the Toxic stays soldout here in the states as well it really is the best 4890 available. The standard 4890 is audible at around 40rpm but I can crank the fan up on the Toxic to 70rpm before I can hear it. Check the review here on it.

 

[TheHeretic]

They the Toxic stays soldout here in the states as well it really is the best 4890 available. The standard 4890 is audible at around 40rpm but I can crank the fan up on the Toxic to 70rpm before I can hear it. Check the review here on it.

I've heard that too. Sapphires a company i've never paid much attention to but they really hit a home run with that model.

 

[TheHeretic]

Wowza, so much to take in, but I get it all - my old rig did have a backplate for the heatsink, so I know what it looks like - and considering I just threw together a rig, new case, psu, mobo, memory and GPU - taking out the mobo again isn't going to break my back - and pushing pins into those holes in my mobo sound scary, I'd probably punch a hole through it. They're also both priced the same it seems, so i'll probably lean towards the sunbeam.

Yeah it really is a pain to install. The push pin system isn't very good and the epic design of the S1283 doesn't help :lol

Mostly people dislike back plates because they have cable management going and removing the motherboard is a huge pain. If you are still building you'd probably rather screw something in than risk snapping your motherboard: I know I would! (You probably wouldn't be able to snap it but my forehead got pretty sweaty). You might as well get the best, which the Sunbeam is.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

i have this RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

it says the voltage is 1.8v-1.9v, yet when i check the BIOS and HWmonitor it says anywhere from 1.49V to 1.62, could this be causing the random shutdowns that i had last night?

 

[TheHeretic]

i have this RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

it says the voltage is 1.8v-1.9v, yet when i check the BIOS and HWmonitor it says anywhere from 1.49V to 1.62, could this be causing the random shutdowns that i had last night?

The bios setting is on auto, which should be fine. Go into your BIOS and set it manually to 1.9 to be sure.

 

[BeeDog]

Posted this in the High Def topic, but since it's relevant here too (I think), I'll post it here aswell, since I'd like to place an order fast:

Alright, looking to buy a new monitor, and been ogling some various brands. One particular screen I've come to fancy is the BenQ M2400HD, it's been getting some good reviews, and it has some great connectivity options.

My issue though is that its native resolution is 1920x1080, that is, a 16:9 aspect monitor. My question to you guys is, is there anything I should worry about on the PC side if I decide to go for this one? The reason I'm asking is that I'm used to 16:10 monitors (resolutions at 1680x1050, and 1920x1200 etc.), and wonder if a 16:9 native monitor will bring forth compatibility issues with games (in general). Anyone know?

Oh, and I'm all ears for further suggestions; the monitor should preferrably be a 24-incher widescreen, and depending on the answer to my question above, either 16:9 or 16:10. Thanks in advance.

 

[TheHeretic]

Posted this in the High Def topic, but since it's relevant here too (I think), I'll post it here aswell, since I'd like to place an order fast:

Alright, looking to buy a new monitor, and been ogling some various brands. One particular screen I've come to fancy is the BenQ M2400HD, it's been getting some good reviews, and it has some great connectivity options.

My issue though is that its native resolution is 1920x1080, that is, a 16:9 aspect monitor. My question to you guys is, is there anything I should worry about on the PC side if I decide to go for this one? The reason I'm asking is that I'm used to 16:10 monitors (resolutions at 1680x1050, and 1920x1200 etc.), and wonder if a 16:9 native monitor will bring forth compatibility issues with games (in general). Anyone know?

Oh, and I'm all ears for further suggestions; the monitor should preferrably be a 24-incher widescreen, and depending on the answer to my question above, either 16:9 or 16:10. Thanks in advance.

Two of my friends own that monitor, its very good.

There will be no compatibility problems, if games support widescreen they support 16:9. Its more of a standard now than 16:10 to be honest.

I prefer the extra height of 16:10, but its not that big of a deal. Going 16:9 won't present any problems.

 

[BeeDog]

Two of my friends own that monitor, its very good.

There will be no compatibility problems, if games support widescreen they support 16:9. Its more of a standard now than 16:10 to be honest.

I prefer the extra height of 16:10, but its not that big of a deal. Going 16:9 won't present any problems.

Thanks for the fast answer man, appreciate it. Will wait for some more inputs if possible before completely deciding (wanna see if there's a shared consensus ).

 

[MWS Natural]

Posted this in the High Def topic, but since it's relevant here too (I think), I'll post it here aswell, since I'd like to place an order fast:

Alright, looking to buy a new monitor, and been ogling some various brands. One particular screen I've come to fancy is the BenQ M2400HD, it's been getting some good reviews, and it has some great connectivity options.

My issue though is that its native resolution is 1920x1080, that is, a 16:9 aspect monitor. My question to you guys is, is there anything I should worry about on the PC side if I decide to go for this one? The reason I'm asking is that I'm used to 16:10 monitors (resolutions at 1680x1050, and 1920x1200 etc.), and wonder if a 16:9 native monitor will bring forth compatibility issues with games (in general). Anyone know?

Oh, and I'm all ears for further suggestions; the monitor should preferrably be a 24-incher widescreen, and depending on the answer to my question above, either 16:9 or 16:10. Thanks in advance.

16:9 is really the new standard monitors are going to now. If you find a good deal on a 24incher go with it but the $75-$100 price jump from 23 to 24 is way to much for me. If I were you I would wait because I see a great monitor deal on slickdeals.net each week. I got my 23inch Samsung for $140 shipped.

 

[BeeDog]

16:9 is really the new standard monitors are going to now. If you find a good deal on a 24incher go with it but the $75-$100 price jump from 23 to 24 is way to much for me. If I were you I would wait because I see a great monitor deal on slickdeals.net each week. I got my 23inch Samsung for $140 shipped.

I'm Eurotrash so I don't know how valid Slickdeals is for me, but thanks anyway for the heads-up.

On a small side-note: I was ogling some Samsung screens before; I purchased the T220, and when I took it home I cracked up the service menu and I noticed it had the C panel (the worst one) inside. Took it back, got myself a new screen, and it also had the shitty C panel. So I returned it and said fuck it (the image quality was HORRIBLE), I'll never buy Samsung monitors again.

I have a small follow-up question now: WideScreenGamingForum classes "full" widescreen compatibility for a game to these resolutions. If I go for a 16:9 monitor, I'd obviously want to confine myself to 16:9 resolutions (like 1600x900 for example) since my GFX card might not muster the native full-HD res. Are the lower 16:9 resolutions well-supported too?

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

The bios setting is on auto, which should be fine. Go into your BIOS and set it manually to 1.9 to be sure.

could it be causing my random shutdowns? or is that a CPU, MOBO thing?

 

[riceandbeans]

I'm on the edge of getting a 24inch LG monitor for about $150 when Resident Evil 5 rolls around for the PC, but with 120hz displays starting to catch on, it looks better to wait it out until these puppies drop to an affordable price.

 

[TheHeretic]

could it be causing my random shutdowns? or is that a CPU, MOBO thing?

Could be anything really, it could even be your OS. Is the thing powering down? It could be your PSU working overtime. If the whole thing is shutting down its a MOBO or PSU problem most likely. CPU errors generally give you a bluescreen.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Could be anything really, it could even be your OS. Is the thing powering down? It could be your PSU working overtime. If the whole thing is shutting down its a MOBO or PSU problem most likely. CPU errors generally give you a bluescreen.

it just blinks off, i dont know how it will behave tonight but we'll see. i'm hoping it's the CPU water cooler pump that came loose (cause it was giving off a good amount of heat yesterday)

edit: also, when i tried to turn it back on, it will turn on for a couple of seconds then shut off again.

 

[TheHeretic]

it just blinks off, i dont know how it will behave tonight but we'll see. i'm hoping it's the CPU water cooler pump that came loose (cause it was giving off a good amount of heat yesterday)

edit: also, when i tried to turn it back on, it will turn on for a couple of seconds then shut off again.

If the CPU is overheating the motherboard could be shutting itself down to prevent damage, definitely check your cooling.

 

[yanhero]

Wow! NCIX has Intel X-25M 80GB for $250CAN.
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=39806&promoid=1016

 

[Psychotext]

I've got another quick question on the Vapor-X 4890. I've been able to find the OC and normal versions in stock, with a difference of about 20 GBP (35 USD).

Is the OC version worth the extra, or is it likely I'm going to be able to get the same clock speeds out of the standard version? It's not a lot of cash difference, but I don't know the company selling the OC version and what reviews I've been able to find of them aren't greatly encouraging. That said, the company selling the normal version don't have a great rep either.

Stupid world. :lol

 

[Dilli666]

Go with the normal version. You can easyily get the missing mhz out of this card.

 

[Psychotext]

That's what I was thinking... Of course, knowing my luck I'll probably get a dud. :O

 

[Minsc]

Wow! NCIX has Intel X-25M 80GB for $250CAN.
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=39806&promoid=1016

That's the first edition, G1. G2 is the new revision, that's even faster (and still waiting to be put back on the market). The G1 is $230 w/ free shipping from new egg, so I guess that's a pretty good CAN price.

Wonder if the X-25M G2 will cause G1 prices to drop much further, $150 would be pretty sweet for a X25-M G1, first generation is still really fast!

 

[gragy10]

So My First Build is now almost complete, just waiting for payday tomorrow then I'll make my gfx card decision.
I'm stuck on the familiar 4890 vs. GTX 275 dilemma and was erring towards the 275 (XFX model to be specific), until the size of the thing struck me.
My case is an Antec P183 - does anyone know if it'll fit without me having to ditch the upper HDD bay?

 

[Firestorm]

You won't be able to use the topmost hard drive bay with the GTX 275. You can still use the lower ones. I think there's four you'd still be able to use or so according to NewEgg user reviews.

I'd personally go with the GTX 275.

 

[TheExodu5]

At those prices? I'd definitely go with the GTX 275. You're getting XFX's awesome warranty to boot (though I'm not sure how well it applies to Euro purchases).

 

[gregor7777]

I'm looking for a semi-specific motherboard that meets a few requirements. If anyone has any recommendations I'd love to hear them.

• Socket 775
• 4 memory slots
• Needs to work with 667MHz DDR2
• I want it to overclock a E2180

Most of all I'd like to find it on the cheap. Probably going to look on ebay or something. Doesn't seem like Newegg has many boards that list 667MHz memory. Memory's cheap but so am I.

 

[Shambles]

I'm looking for a semi-specific motherboard that meets a few requirements. If anyone has any recommendations I'd love to hear them.

• Socket 775
• 4 memory slots
• Needs to work with 667MHz DDR2
• I want it to overclock a E2180

Most of all I'd like to find it on the cheap. Probably going to look on ebay or something. Doesn't seem like Newegg has many boards that list 667MHz memory. Memory's cheap but so am I.

Boards will support memory speeds below what they are rated at. The speed on the spec sheet is the boards maximum. Basically any Socket 775 board fits your criteria. Once you narrow your choices down to a few you will want to do a little research to how well others have found the overclocking of the board. Gigabyte and Asus are the main brands. I haven't dabbled with any other makers to comment on their quality.

 

[Firestorm]

Do you already have the RAM? If not, I can't see 5300 being much cheaper than 6400 or 8500

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231226
+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128372

 

[Cahill]

Building a new rig. Ordered this guy yesterday

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102847&Tpk=Saphire, 4890 2GB

...seems you gotta be quick with the Vapor/Toxic models. Thing sold out almost instantly once they got it in. Buddy has the same one and it's killer. I don't even have the rest of my system finalized yet but been watching for that card to arrive. Had to jump on it.

 

[gregor7777]

Boards will support memory speeds below what they are rated at. The speed on the spec sheet is the boards maximum. Basically any Socket 775 board fits your criteria. Once you narrow your choices down to a few you will want to do a little research to how well others have found the overclocking of the board. Gigabyte and Asus are the main brands. I haven't dabbled with any other makers to comment on their quality.

Bolded is the part I wasn't sure about. I thought I remember boards back in the day defaulting to a certain speed rather than reading the SPD of the memory then setting the bus speed.

Cool. In that case I have lots of options.

 

[gragy10]

At those prices? I'd definitely go with the GTX 275. You're getting XFX's awesome warranty to boot (though I'm not sure how well it applies to Euro purchases).

Cheers for the advice (you too Firestorm) - got the build all set up, just waiting to drop the gfx card in so looks like 275 wins. Figure there's bound to be niggles with a first build and so removing ati driver issues is one less variable..

 

[MWS Natural]

Building a new rig. Ordered this guy yesterday

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102847&Tpk=Saphire, 4890 2GB

...seems you gotta be quick with the Vapor/Toxic models. Thing sold out almost instantly once they got it in. Buddy has the same one and it's killer. I don't even have the rest of my system finalized yet but been watching for that card to arrive. Had to jump on it.

Hell yeah, I love mine. I have it OC'd to 975mhz stable with no errors in OCCT. The fan does not become audible until it hits 60 and it idles at 50degrees in my hotter than normal SFF case. The default 4890 I had used to idle at 65 degrees which was too hot for me so RMA'd it and got a Toxic. It's cool, quiet, stable and runs just under 1ghz. If I go with a ATI card for my next GPU it will definitely be from the Sapphire Vapor/Toxic series.

 

[Cahill]

Hell yeah, I love mine. I have it OC'd to 975mhz stable with no errors in OCCT. The fan does not become audible until it hits 60 and it idles at 50degrees in my hotter than normal SFF case. The default 4890 I had used to idle at 65 degrees which was too hot for me so RMA'd it and got a Toxic. It's cool, quiet, stable and runs just under 1ghz. If I go with a ATI card for my next GPU it will definitely be from the Sapphire Vapor/Toxic series.

Cool! Glad to see someone else really likes the card. I haven't built squat in YEARS and then it was mostly server shit. Finalized and ordered the rest of my new gaming rig parts today. Looking forward to giving the Saphire a run - soon -

 

[dasupremeone]

anyone else having issues with their 4890? e7300 2.66, 500W PSU, 2G Ram. xfx 4890 with 9.6 drivers. I went from Windows XP with a 9800 gt to Windows 7 RC 64 bit with 4890. Games under XP ran fine without a hitch, quite the opposite with Win 7

HAWX crashes
Crysis, not playable at all in DX9 at high settings nor at med
same with Warhead
COH Crashes within minutes
Bioshock is also a no go.

After doing a ton of research, I did a clean install of my drivers for my 4890, 9.6 drivers.

Hawx ran fine, did not try in 1900x1080 which is my monitors native res
Crysis crash as with Warhead
did not try COH nor Bioshock

The Bioshock issue is probably my sound drivers which I will update tonight, which may also fix the Crysis issue.
COH issue can be solved by turning all settings down from Ultra to High, which I will try tonight.
Also, ATI release their 9.7 drivers which gives a boost to Crysis, not sure if those drivers will solve my issues.
After all this, I might go back to XP and wait it out till Oct.

 

[yanhero]

For Bioshock, I think the fix was something silly like enabling all your recording devices in Windows 7. Just right click the sound icon in the task bar > click recording devices > right click each item and enable it.

 

[brain_stew]

So My First Build is now almost complete, just waiting for payday tomorrow then I'll make my gfx card decision.
I'm stuck on the familiar 4890 vs. GTX 275 dilemma and was erring towards the 275 (XFX model to be specific), until the size of the thing struck me.
My case is an Antec P183 - does anyone know if it'll fit without me having to ditch the upper HDD bay?

Why are you selecting that 4890? You can get an XFX 4890 for £130, easily besting both of those deals imo:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/167969

 

[larvi]

Anyone have any experience with the new E6300 wolfdale budget processor and how it compares with some of the others like the E5200? I'm building a budget gaming PC for my mom for her birthday (she plays stuff like HoMM, Oblivion, Witcher, etc) and found a deal at Frys for $109 for a boxed E6300 and MSI G31 mobo so I figured I would give it a shot. I also picked up a 4850 for $79 at newegg which should work well for her needs. I used some spare parts I had laying around, power supply, ram, etc. so I got away pretty cheap. Since I live 12hours away I don't plan on overclocking and just used the stock HSF.

 

[brain_stew]

Anyone have any experience with the new E6300 wolfdale budget processor and how it compares with some of the others like the E5200? I'm building a budget gaming PC for my mom for her birthday (she plays stuff like HoMM, Oblivion, Witcher, etc) and found a deal at Frys for $109 for a boxed E6300 and MSI G31 mobo so I figured I would give it a shot. I also picked up a 4850 for $79 at newegg which should work well for her needs. I used some spare parts I had laying around, power supply, ram, etc. so I got away pretty cheap. Since I live 12hours away I don't plan on overclocking and just used the stock HSF.

I think its a great little budget processer, used it for the $400 US build (along with a 4850 coincidentally).

An OCed E5200 still makes a cracking gaming CPU, and I'd say an E5200 + $20 aftemarket cooler is a better buy for those that are looking at overclocking, especially because of its really high multiplier.

If you're staying at stock then the E6300 is the more suitable processor, the nice boost in the FSB is probably a turn off for OCers but excellent if you're running at stock and the extra clock boost is pretty significant as well.

I'd have a look at the Athlon X2 250 as well, similar price here in the UK and a better buy imo. Either are really nice gaming CPUs despite their really low price.

 

[larvi]

Thanks, brain_stew. I had considered looking at AMDs but I've built several Intel systems recently so I figured I would stick with what I know since I will have to support it remotely if anything goes wrong. I'm still wondering why Intel reused the E6300 designation, I have an E6400 conroe in one of my computers here at home and initially thought it was the old conroe processor which I didn't want. Had to make sure it was a pentium and not a C2D on the box.