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[Allan Holdsworth]

Need netbook recommendations. 10inch, 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM should be good.
Have my eyes on the Asus 1000HE, but wondering if there's something better for a similar price.

 

[Shambles]

You're not hurting by any means with a 9800 GTX+. Might as well wait for the DX11 cards to flesh themselves out. Also you'd give yourself time to see how the i5 chips turn out as well.

 

[Smokey]

Okay Okay...either today or tomorrow I'll be getting the ASUS system from Best Buy (unless I punk out which is entirely possible :/ )

Reminder of the specs:

i7 920 2.66 ghz (easily overclockable to 3 ghz)
9GB RAM
1 TB HD
Nvidia GTX260


Monitor:

23'' Dell SP2309W
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-7641

can do up to 2048 x 1152 resolution, and has a HDMI port which is what I wanted. Read review on CNET got 4/5 stars at a relatively good price..$269.

The last time I was REALLY into PCs and gaming was back when I had a top of the line Geforce 3 system:lol

So what tools would I need to DL to overclock the 260? Same with the i7.

Thanks for any help.

 

[crimsonheadGCN]

I've decided that I'm going to sell my old processor and get an upgrade to either an e8200 or q9400. Which processor would be the better upgrade from a e7200 @ 2.53GHz? I won't be overclocking and the reason why I'm doing this is because I've seen some really good deals at Micro Center for processors ($100 for an e8200 and $120 for a q9400).

 

[Zaptruder]

Okay Okay...either today or tomorrow I'll be getting the ASUS system from Best Buy (unless I punk out which is entirely possible :/ )

Reminder of the specs:

i7 920 2.66 ghz (easily overclockable to 3 ghz)
9GB RAM
1 TB HD
Nvidia GTX260


Monitor:

23'' Dell SP2309W
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-7641

can do up to 2048 x 1152 resolution, and has a HDMI port which is what I wanted. Read review on CNET got 4/5 stars at a relatively good price..$269.

The last time I was REALLY into PCs and gaming was back when I had a top of the line Geforce 3 system:lol

So what tools would I need to DL to overclock the 260? Same with the i7.

Thanks for any help.

Buy a Solid State Drive. If you're going to spend that much money, then spend a couple hundred more and get a performance increase worth upgrading for.

 

[brain_stew]

Okay Okay...either today or tomorrow I'll be getting the ASUS system from Best Buy (unless I punk out which is entirely possible :/ )

Reminder of the specs:

i7 920 2.66 ghz (easily overclockable to 3 ghz)
9GB RAM
1 TB HD
Nvidia GTX260


Monitor:

23'' Dell SP2309W
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-7641

can do up to 2048 x 1152 resolution, and has a HDMI port which is what I wanted. Read review on CNET got 4/5 stars at a relatively good price..$269.

The last time I was REALLY into PCs and gaming was back when I had a top of the line Geforce 3 system:lol

So what tools would I need to DL to overclock the 260? Same with the i7.

Thanks for any help.

Do not buy that monitor. Get something with a 1080p resolution, easier on the graphics card and it'll save you from a whole host of potential headaches. DVI and HDMI are literallly the same connection just DVI doesn't carry audio, having HDMI on a monitor isn't at all necessary, although plenty $200 monitors will include a HDMI input anyway.

You'll overclock the processor in the BIOS and only in the BIOS, Never go against this rule.

You want to download EVGA Precision to clock that GTX 260 (should be able to get as much as a 20% clock out of it if you're lucky) and OCCT to stress test both your CPU and GPU.

 

[Coldsnap]

So after trouble shooting my PC i have come to a semi confident conclusion that my videocard is broke. Due to my computer sounding like its posting but I just cant see it, computer starts, fans on, makes 1 beep (1 beep means sucessful boot), but I still see nothing.

What card should I get?
I have/had this: LeadTek WinFast GT8600

Motherboard I have: Gigabyte

I didn't have a problems with what the card could do, although when upgrading a part I'd rather pay the extra and buy something that will stay in my computer for ahwile. I'd spend say $140 comfortably and $200 if I could justify it.

Thinking about one from this class: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ption=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

 

[D-Pad]

So I'm taking up computer programming and I'm looking for a laptop that'll be able to handle some of the things I'll be doing (I'm guessing some beginner level C++ stuff). So maybe somthing that can run one of those Microsoft Visual programs and Open Office? I'll be carrying this around quite a bit, so something that can handle a few bumps and falls will be nice.

I know I want to be able to play a game or two on it (namely, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3) and be able to run graphic editing programs such as the Gimp and maybe a 3D object editor like Blender. This might be pushing it, but I'd also like to use it for sound/music composition if possible.

So anyone out there able to point me to a few durable, yet affordable laptop items that'll fit my needs? I'm really behind the whole PC/Notebook scene and don't really know where to begin looking.

 

[cleveridea]

Okay Okay...either today or tomorrow I'll be getting the ASUS system from Best Buy (unless I punk out which is entirely possible :/ )

Reminder of the specs:

i7 920 2.66 ghz (easily overclockable to 3 ghz)
9GB RAM
1 TB HD
Nvidia GTX260


Monitor:

23'' Dell SP2309W
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-7641

can do up to 2048 x 1152 resolution, and has a HDMI port which is what I wanted. Read review on CNET got 4/5 stars at a relatively good price..$269.

The last time I was REALLY into PCs and gaming was back when I had a top of the line Geforce 3 system:lol

So what tools would I need to DL to overclock the 260? Same with the i7.

Thanks for any help.

GTX 260 should be straightforward with ntune

http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=585&pgno=1

CPU is done through the BIOS, here's someone with 3.4 GHz on a stock cooler. There is an option in the Asus computer's BIOS to enable the advanced parameters needed for a manual overclock (vs their easy automatic 2.93 GHz).

http://pietschsoft.com/post/2008/11...tial-Thoughts-Overclocking-Windows-Vista.aspx

Let me know how it goes.

 

[AstroLad]

I haven't actually used it with SFIV myself (too broke to buy it atm!) but those names are pretty irrelevant really, they're just corresponding to the 360 pad. The buttons on the Saturn pad will be seen as "button 1" "button 2" by your PC not, x,y,z. So set c and z to whatever is usually hard punch and hard kick in the 360 version (probably the shoulder buttons).

If you can't work it out that way, just set it ingame to use the keyboard, then use something like joy2key or Pinnacle game profiler to map your Saturn buttons to the relevant default keyboard keys:

http://www.pinnaclegameprofiler.com/

Thanks, I'll go ahead and try that--it is annoying that all I can find in-game is the 360 setup.

 

[Mr. Lemming]

I'm finally building the PC I've said I was going to build for a year and a half.

Came up with this at Newegg

CPU - Intel Core i7 920
MB - ASRock X58 Extreme (as soon as it comes in...)
RAM - OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600
GFX - SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269VXLE Radeon HD 4890 1GB
PSU - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX
Case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5
HD - 1 TB Western Digital Caviar Black
Media - Sony Optiarc DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA
Cooling - Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler + Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound

Totals to just under $1100.

I went with a larger power supply so I have the option of going Crossfire down the road, probably once the DX11 cards mature. I'm also planning on getting a SSD when Win7 launches. Hopefully the Intel models will be more available by then.

One concern I have with this build is the Vapor-X has terrible reviews on Newegg compared to a more reference-like 4890. Other reviews I've read say it should have awesome cooling but I'm worried I'll get a bad card. Any recommendations either way?

Also I'm looking for a monitor. I've been considering a Dell 2408WFP, as it is a relatively cheap non-TN monitor but I'm worried about using it for games. My other choice at the moment is one of Samsung TOC models. I've enjoyed Samsung products in the past so I comfortable with the brand but they are all TN panels. Again any suggestions?

 

[Bobo]

Right, here goes. I want to buy a pre built gaming PC. My budget is £600 including monitor and OS etc (1080p hdmi, 16:9/ will also be used occasionally for PS3 so has to be HDCP? Compliant, at least 19”) as for the OS am I best waiting for Win7? It will be used predominantly for PC racing Sims, so 60fps at 1080p is essential. Audio requirements: Dolby Digital DTS 5.1 via optical. I have very limited experience and knowledge of building a PC, so I would prefer buying a ready made system.

The games: Older games like Rfactor, LFS and GTR etc, I’d imagine I would hit 60fps with no problems, but also upcoming games such as NFS Shift and future games I have my worries about reaching 60fps. Other games such as Fallout 3, Mirror’s edge and Valve games I don’t really care for the frame rate so long as it’s at least 30fps although 60fps would be great, with AA and nice graphics. Please note I don’t follow PC tech closely, and I don’t really know the “bang for buck” ratio so please forgive my ignorance.

Rough specs: Now I’m only just guessing here…
Quad core Intel
4 GB ram
ATI GPU? 4870?
Win7
750GB HDD
Audio output: Dolby Digital DTS 5.1 via optical
19“ - 24” 16:9 HDMI monitor

Am I aiming too high with my budget or can I really get 1080p/60FPS for £600? It’s worth noting I probably won’t be buying until November/December. Any help or suggestions would be really appreciated.

 

[BigDubs]

Hoping to get some help. I'm getting sub par performance in games with my new system. Although my 3d vantage marks appear to be appropriate (3DMark Score P19250 CPU Score 30583 Graphics Score 17134, performance preset, physx on), in game performance is not. The company of heroes performance test with all settings on max at 1680 x 1050 gives and average of 49fps. The SP Crysis demo on High settings with no AA hovers around 25fps at 1680x1050. I've tried different drivers but haven't had any luck thus far.

Here are my system specs:

Operating system Windows 7 Beta
Processor AMD Phenom™ II X2 550
Processor clock 3108 MHz
Motherboard GA-MA770T-UD3P
Graphics card NVIDIA GeForce Galaxy GTX 295
Memory 4096 MB ddr3 1333mhz
Power supply
corsair hx 1000W

Any ideas on what to try would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[inner-G]

Right now, I have:

AMD 64 X2 5400
4GB DDR2
9800gt 1GB

Would I get much of a boost if I upgrade to:

AMD Phenom ii X4 955
same RAM
4890 1GB?

or should I just wait for the DX11 cards and newer (cheaper) i7's?

The 955 seems to bench really close to the i7 920 on a lot of stuff.

 

[godhandiscen]

Right now, I have:

AMD 64 X2 5400
4GB DDR2
9800gt 1GB

Would I get much of a boost if I upgrade to:

AMD Phenom ii X4 955
same RAM
4890 1GB?

or should I just wait for the DX11 cards and newer (cheaper) i7's?

The 955 seems to bench really close to the i7 920 on a lot of stuff.

Yes, you would get a very noticeable boost. Also, I think the Corei5 will rival the Phenom II and be at the same price level, if you want to consider it, and for that you only have to wait for a couple more weeks. If you want to wait for DX11 cards, you would be waiting until November, when ATI will roll out, however Nvidia isn't launching until March.

 

[TheHeretic]

Right now, I have:

AMD 64 X2 5400
4GB DDR2
9800gt 1GB

Would I get much of a boost if I upgrade to:

AMD Phenom ii X4 955
same RAM
4890 1GB?

or should I just wait for the DX11 cards and newer (cheaper) i7's?

The 955 seems to bench really close to the i7 920 on a lot of stuff.

The X4 955 is an AM3 processor, requiring DDR3 ram. Get an X4 940 instead, same performance but cheaper. And the performance increase would be noticeable. Waiting for DX11 cards is a good idea unless you specifically need better performance.

 

[Ceebs]

The X4 955 is an AM3 processor, requiring DDR3 ram. Get an X4 940 instead, same performance but cheaper. And the performance increase would be noticeable. Waiting for DX11 cards is a good idea unless you specifically need better performance.

Isn't the ram based on the board? AM3's can run on AM2+ boards you can use DDR2 with those as long as the board will take the AM3 chip. At least that was my understanding of it.

 

[Pctx]

Need netbook recommendations. 10inch, 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM should be good.
Have my eyes on the Asus 1000HE, but wondering if there's something better for a similar price.

Acer Aspire One 1669

I've had one now for what... 4 months? shit you not battery with word or just document stuff... battery life is 8-12 hours on Win7 RC1. Insane.

Acer builds quality stuff and have been very impressed with mine.

 

[Pctx]

What do you guys recommend for fast 3.5" HDDs?

WD Black 7200.11 drives. 640GB is like 9% less than a Raptor for a great price.

If you really want speed, wait for the new Intel SSD's to come out after their buggy launch.

 

[TheHeretic]

Isn't the ram based on the board? AM3's can run on AM2+ boards you can use DDR2 with those as long as the board will take the AM3 chip. At least that was my understanding of it.

Yeah thats correct. The only difference between the 940 and the 955 is that one is compatible with DDR3 boards and the other is not (besides a tiny increase in clock speed). In that respect its pointless to put a 955 on a board without DDR3 support or where DDR3 will not be used.

 

[Ceebs]

Yeah thats correct. The only difference between the 940 and the 955 is that one is compatible with DDR3 boards and the other is not (besides a tiny increase in clock speed). In that respect its pointless to put a 955 on a board without DDR3 support or where DDR3 will not be used.

I could see it if you were just upgrading the CPU as a stopgap until you upgrade the rest of the system, but yeah it does seem pointless otherwise.

That said my new system should be here tomorrow, went with the Phenom II X2 550 and a 4870 to keep it on the cheap. Can't wait to test it out.

 

[TheHeretic]

I could see it if you were just upgrading the CPU as a stopgap until you upgrade the rest of the system, but yeah it does seem pointless otherwise.

That said my new system should be here tomorrow, went with the Phenom II X2 550 and a 4870 to keep it on the cheap. Can't wait to test it out.

Yeah, but DDR3 RAM does next to nothing performance wise so buying a CPU with the intent of moving onto a new motherboard is very wierd. Newer motherboards won't enable better GPU's, you'd only do so for a new CPU really, in which case you'd have to buy a new motherboard anyway.

The 550 is a great chip btw. Some of them can be unlocked into quads! (unlikely though )

 

[Ceebs]

The unlocking cores was not really my intention, but the fact I was seeing that 3.7-3.8 OC's on the 550 were pretty common did seem like a positive though, especialy for a $100 chip. I need to order an aftermarket heatsink/fan now.

 

[TheHeretic]

The unlocking cores was not really my intention, but the fact I was seeing that 3.7-3.8 OC's on the 550 were pretty common did seem like a positive though, especialy for a $100 chip. I need to order an aftermarket heatsink/fan now.

It doesn't really work anyway. In almost all cases the cores are dysfunctional in some way. Its pretty amazing there are 4 cores on there though, those crazy kids at AMD!

Its an epic overclocker. Frostytech.com are the experts on HSF's, definitely check it out.

 

[TheHeretic]

Yeah I know about Vista ...don't wanna get a copy of 64.

Thanks for the advice man! Yeah, I mostly game at a max res of 1280x800. Will be for the long forseeable future.

So you think I should just upgrade my CPU at least? ...are Quadcores even really relevant yet when it comes to utilization in current software?

At that resolution your GPU is almost too good :lol

I don't think you should upgrade your CPU. I'd wait until your setup runs dry and then make an entire upgrade of everything, probably in about a year. For now you can overclock your CPU, which means buying a $30 heat sink with fan, installing it and tweaking with your settings to get more performance out of it. 2.4ghz is quite slow. This won't have a huge impact on most games but it will help CPU heavy games.

However, if you aren't willing to do that for whatever reason wait it out. Few games use quad cores and you would be buying expensive and already outdated technology (your motherboard doesn't support the latest intel offerings) with little gain. Your setup isn't a dinosaur and there's no imperative to start spending money, unless you want to, but you don't need to.

I'd be buying a new monitor before anything else

 

[Hazaro]

It doesn't really work anyway. In almost all cases the cores are dysfunctional in some way. Its pretty amazing there are 4 cores on there though, those crazy kids at AMD!

Its an epic overclocker. Frostytech.com are the experts on HSF's, definitely check it out.

Frostytech's results and testing are seriously flawed, HS's that are not top are there.

 

[TheHeretic]

Frostytech's results and testing are seriously flawed, HS's that are not top are there.

How is their testing seriously flawed?

 

[inner-G]

Ok, so I'm looking at boards for the 940.

What do you think about this one: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4523591&sku=G452-1011
Do you think that the southbridge heatsink could get in the way of a video card?

 

[Ninashka]

So I'm taking up computer programming and I'm looking for a laptop that'll be able to handle some of the things I'll be doing (I'm guessing some beginner level C++ stuff). So maybe somthing that can run one of those Microsoft Visual programs and Open Office? I'll be carrying this around quite a bit, so something that can handle a few bumps and falls will be nice.

I know I want to be able to play a game or two on it (namely, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3) and be able to run graphic editing programs such as the Gimp and maybe a 3D object editor like Blender. This might be pushing it, but I'd also like to use it for sound/music composition if possible.

So anyone out there able to point me to a few durable, yet affordable laptop items that'll fit my needs? I'm really behind the whole PC/Notebook scene and don't really know where to begin looking.

I would like to know the answer to this question too.

 

[kitch9]

Yes, you would get a very noticeable boost. Also, I think the Corei5 will rival the Phenom II and be at the same price level, if you want to consider it, and for that you only have to wait for a couple more weeks. If you want to wait for DX11 cards, you would be waiting until November, when ATI will roll out, however Nvidia isn't launching until March.

The only thing that worries me about i5 is the MB socket....... Where is it going? AMD will use AM3 for a while yet..

 

[vanty]

Is this set up all good? I should be ordering it tomorrow night.

CPU - AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P
Case - Antec Three Hundred
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB
Video - Sapphire Radeon HD4890 1GB
RAM - Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) 800MHz DDR2
PSU - Corsair HX-520 520W

 

[TheHeretic]

Is this set up all good? I should be ordering it tomorrow night.

CPU - AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P
Case - Antec Three Hundred
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB
Video - Sapphire Radeon HD4890 1GB
RAM - Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) 800MHz DDR2
PSU - Corsair HX-520 520W

Built like a pro! Is this from newegg, because there are a few changes I would recommend considering. DDR2 1066 is about as cheap as DDR2 800, often you'll find the difference in price is a few dollars. Ram speed is mostly useless anyway, but if you can get the same for cheaper you might as well.

The PSU is the best in its class, its what I own and has never failed me! I do prefer this case, the CM 690, to the Antec 300. Heres its listing: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137. They are pretty much the same price and both excellent, I do think the CM 690 is superior though. It comes down to aesthetics and what appeals to you. The Antec 300 has no personality, some people like that, I don't.

 

[Romance Pie]

I'm finally building the PC I've said I was going to build for a year and a half.

Came up with this at Newegg

CPU - Intel Core i7 920
MB - ASRock X58 Extreme (as soon as it comes in...)
RAM - OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600
GFX - SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269VXLE Radeon HD 4890 1GB
PSU - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX
Case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5
HD - 1 TB Western Digital Caviar Black
Media - Sony Optiarc DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA
Cooling - Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler + Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound

Totals to just under $1100.

I went with a larger power supply so I have the option of going Crossfire down the road, probably once the DX11 cards mature. I'm also planning on getting a SSD when Win7 launches. Hopefully the Intel models will be more available by then.

One concern I have with this build is the Vapor-X has terrible reviews on Newegg compared to a more reference-like 4890. Other reviews I've read say it should have awesome cooling but I'm worried I'll get a bad card. Any recommendations either way?

Also I'm looking for a monitor. I've been considering a Dell 2408WFP, as it is a relatively cheap non-TN monitor but I'm worried about using it for games. My other choice at the moment is one of Samsung TOC models. I've enjoyed Samsung products in the past so I comfortable with the brand but they are all TN panels. Again any suggestions?

Looks like a pretty solid setup.
Think you would be better off with the Samsung monitor as that Dell had reports of bad input lag. We all have troubles with vidcards along the way so thankfully we have warranties if they don't work. My only other though is maybe look at the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 cooler as that has a 1366 option now.

 

[nib95]

I'm finally building the PC I've said I was going to build for a year and a half.

Came up with this at Newegg

CPU - Intel Core i7 920
MB - ASRock X58 Extreme (as soon as it comes in...)
RAM - OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600
GFX - SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269VXLE Radeon HD 4890 1GB
PSU - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX
Case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5
HD - 1 TB Western Digital Caviar Black
Media - Sony Optiarc DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA
Cooling - Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler + Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound

Totals to just under $1100.

I went with a larger power supply so I have the option of going Crossfire down the road, probably once the DX11 cards mature. I'm also planning on getting a SSD when Win7 launches. Hopefully the Intel models will be more available by then.

One concern I have with this build is the Vapor-X has terrible reviews on Newegg compared to a more reference-like 4890. Other reviews I've read say it should have awesome cooling but I'm worried I'll get a bad card. Any recommendations either way?

Also I'm looking for a monitor. I've been considering a Dell 2408WFP, as it is a relatively cheap non-TN monitor but I'm worried about using it for games. My other choice at the moment is one of Samsung TOC models. I've enjoyed Samsung products in the past so I comfortable with the brand but they are all TN panels. Again any suggestions?

Lol, my new build is almost the same. Only difference is I went with an Asus P6T Deluxe mobe, a Noctua cooler, an Antec 902 case and a BFG GTX 275 instead of the VaporX. The Batman PhysX effects sold me!

My suggestion about the panel? Don't go TN.

 

[Felix Lighter]

Dear god this thread is long.

I'm considering picking up a Desktop PC. It would primarily be a media center but I also plan on gaming with it, if I can get better performance than I do with my current laptop and stay within my budget.

I would like to stay around $1000, I would rather not build the PC if I don't have to. No monitor needed.

My laptop specs:
Core 2 Duo P8400 / 2.26 GHz
4 GB DDR3 SDRAM - 1066 MHz
NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[K.Jack]

How much longer do you guys see a 9800 GT equivalent lasting, @ 1440x900 or 1680x1050?

 

[John]

Wish I read this thread before buying; I got my rig from Newegg for about $850 after rebates, and was modelled after a rig I found on cheapassgamer.

GTX 260
Core2quad 2.66
4GB DDR2 RAM
600W supply
EP45-UD3P mobo

Course, now I come in here and see a better GPU for barely a higher price. "Barely higher" meaning it's the same price and doesn't come with Cryostasis and CoD5. :lol

 

[Pctx]

How much longer do you guys see a 9800 GT equivalent lasting, @ 1440x900 or 1680x1050?

Depends. 9800GT @ 1440x900 should be good for another 6-12 months until the DX11 cards start saturating the market.

 

[Doytch]

So the plan for the last while's been to get an i7, but I'm realising that it might not be the best use of my money. So I'm thinking of doing an upgrade, instead. I've got a P35 mobo (Gigabyte DS3R), so I was thinking of getting an E8400 to replace my E6600@3Ghz, and maybe a 4890 (or waiting a bit for DX11 cards?) to replace my 8800GTS. Meanwhile throwing in a matching pair of 1GB sticks (since my current 2x1GB sticks are fast enough to support the higher default FSB with headroom for OC anyway).

The only thing that'll stress this box will be games, and engines still seem to be dragging their heels on quad-core benefits, with the only notable exception that I know of being Far Cry 2. So, would an E8400 be fine, or should I get a Q8200/Q8400 for the same price?

 

[Pctx]

So the plan for the last while's been to get an i7, but I'm realising that it might not be the best use of my money. So I'm thinking of doing an upgrade, instead. I've got a P35 mobo (Gigabyte DS3R), so I was thinking of getting an E8400 to replace my E6600@3Ghz, and maybe a 4890 (or waiting a bit for DX11 cards?) to replace my 8800GTS. Meanwhile throwing in a matching pair of 1GB sticks (since my current 2x1GB sticks are fast enough to support the higher default FSB with headroom for OC anyway).

The only thing that'll stress this box will be games, and engines still seem to be dragging their heels on quad-core benefits, with the only notable exception that I know of being Far Cry 2. So, would an E8400 be fine, or should I get a Q8200/Q8400 for the same price?

Get an E8500/8600 if you have the money as the C2D's for your setup is great for gaming and gives you some overhead for OC'ing. I'd shy away from the Q8x series as they are cache and frequency gimped.

I'd also say throw in 4GB (2x2GB) of RAM in your rig and get that beefed up as well.

Video card wise, if you can wait until the DX11 cards hit, do so. Your 8800GTS 256/512MB of VRAM?

Another upgrade that would be worthwhile is a faster 7200.11 HDD or SSD depending on what you have now.

That should keep you from having Core i7 blues.

 

[Doytch]

Get an E8500/8600 if you have the money as the C2D's for your setup is great for gaming and gives you some overhead for OC'ing. I'd shy away from the Q8x series as they are cache and frequency gimped.

I'd also say throw in 4GB (2x2GB) of RAM in your rig and get that beefed up as well.

Video card wise, if you can wait until the DX11 cards hit, do so. Your 8800GTS 256/512MB of VRAM?

Another upgrade that would be worthwhile is a faster 7200.11 HDD or SSD depending on what you have now.

That should keep you from having Core i7 blues.

My GTS is the 320 model. Decent enough OC on it, but it's showing its age. And yeah, I was thinking about throwing another hard drive at it, just to separate my data and OS partitions physically.

I think I'll probably end up waiting for the DX11 cards to come out, and taking stock of the landscape then. Doesn't really seem like now's a great time to do the kind of upgrade I want to do.

 

[Pctx]

My GTS is the 320 model. Decent enough OC on it, but it's showing its age. And yeah, I was thinking about throwing another hard drive at it, just to separate my data and OS partitions physically.

I think I'll probably end up waiting for the DX11 cards to come out, and taking stock of the landscape then. Doesn't really seem like now's a great time to do the kind of upgrade I want to do.

Well '09 is a transitional year for the hardware business. 775 is finally died down some, i7 and i5 are picking up some steam and DDR2/DDR3 prices are getting to be about the same.

Video card wise, it's a tough market because I've got a GTX 285 in my rig which I don't expect to replace until late 2010 or 2011 at the earliest, maybe even longer... but I can see your 8800GTS having some pains with some of the newer games.

 

[Shambles]

How much longer do you guys see a 9800 GT equivalent lasting, @ 1440x900 or 1680x1050?

The 9800GT is a great card and will continue to be after the next series of GPU's are released. It will be quite some time before PC games start being released that will make a 9800GT struggle on "good" quality settings. So unless you are quite hung up on Crysis I wouldn't bother for a while still.

 

[mjolnirsbane]

I just bought a GTX 285 Black edition about a month ago. I love it... but how in the hell would I be able to SLI it? Any advice on power supply/case, etc?

 

[JudgeN]

How much longer do you guys see a 9800 GT equivalent lasting, @ 1440x900 or 1680x1050?

It really depends on how you like your games to run. If everything has to be max settings and at 60 FPS then 9800GT isn't going to cut it. Hell if you're like this, you would have already replaced it like I did. But if your not max settings kind of guy then I would hold off till ATI 58x0 series this fall ( I think they are this fall).

 

[dionysus]

I am not sure if ATI has said anything about a release date. Wasn't it all just rumors from supposedly well-placed sources?

I would not be surprised if ATI's cards hit in the winter or spring.

 

[Curufinwe]

My GTS is the 320 model. Decent enough OC on it, but it's showing its age. And yeah, I was thinking about throwing another hard drive at it, just to separate my data and OS partitions physically.

I think I'll probably end up waiting for the DX11 cards to come out, and taking stock of the landscape then. Doesn't really seem like now's a great time to do the kind of upgrade I want to do.

I'm sticking with my 320MB 8800 GTS for a while longer. For one thing, the card that replaces it needs to be about the same length so it will fit inside my case without me having to move everything around to make room.

 

[Doytch]

Yeah, lately I've pretty much been playing Telltale stuff and EU3...which is what starting making me reconsider that i7 build I had planned. :lol E:TW was humbling my 8800, but I enjoy EU more anyway.

 

[godhandiscen]

The only thing that worries me about i5 is the MB socket....... Where is it going? AMD will use AM3 for a while yet..

You are right about that. Go with AM3.

 

[Hazaro]

How is their testing seriously flawed?

Because the top 10 heatsinks are wrong :lol