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Official "I need a new PC!!" 2009 Edition

K

kagete

Member
Hey guys, what does everyone think of the ff laptop for $750 at newegg? I'm not too hot about Acer's build quality but the specs are pretty hard to beat for the price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115592
Acer Aspire 5739
Core2 Duo T6500 @ 2.1Ghz
4GB DDR3
1GB Nvidia Geforce GT130M
15.6" 16:9 screen, unfortunately it's 6lbs

Yes, I have a desktop that I bought a year ago with some help from GAF (E7200, 4850).
Yes, I have a netbook for surfing and light tasks.
Yes, I have an older gaming notebook (T5500, 7600Go).
Yes, I also game on an Xbox and PS3.

But my first two PCs are in a different state and my current gaming notebook I have with me right now is starting to die (HP, screen hinge cracked open) so I need something to tide me over. Is the lappy worth it for the price?

Many thanks in advance. Cheers!


Edit: or this one for $600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115571

Acer Aspire 6920
Core2 Duo T5900 @ 2.2Ghz
4GB DDR2
512MB Nvidia Geforce 9500M GS
16" screen, unfortunately it's 7.7lbs
 
Q

Quadratic

Member
I haven't OC'd my i7. Mainly because the stock speeds are fine with me. Depending on your stepping (D0 seems to be the most reliable OCer) mileage may vary with your overclock. And I would advise you OC with an aftermarket cooler. The one that comes with the i7 is fine for stock speeds but not very good for OCing.
 
B

BoloTheGreat

Banned
I have a brand New PC, Go me!!

Q6700 @ 3.66 GHz.

4GB DDR2 Dominator 1066

XFX 1GB 4870 XXX OCed to 800 MHz.

650W Causair PSU

P45 Asus PQ5-E (Crossfire, in case i feel like another 4870 ;) )

Xilico Windtunnel V2

Xigmatek HDT

1TB Seagate.
 
M

Monroeski

Unconfirmed Member
Thinking of grabbing this Mini 10 from the Dell Outlet -

Genuine Windows XP Home
1 GB DDR2 SDRAM 1 DIMM
32 GB Solid State Hard Drive, 2.5MM
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500
Processor: Intel Atom Processor Z530 (1.6GHz/533MHz FSB/512K Cache)
Integrated 1.3M Pixel Webcam
6 Cell Primary Battery
10.1 inch HD WideScreen Glossy Laptop Screen (1366x768)
System Color - Jade Green

Cost is $429, though I haven't gone searching for any discount codes yet (of which I understand there are usually a ton available at any given time). Will be using it basically just for internet and storing pictures when on the road. Seem like a decent deal?

They have a pretty good number of them for only $279 right now, which I honestly think would probably be fine for my needs, but the techie in me wants to try out that solid state drive (and a case color other than black), the processor in this one is faster than the atom 1330 in most of the cheaper ones, and this one has the 1366x768 screen (rather than 1024x576 in the other ones).
 
B

brain_stew

Member
That solid state drive will probably be slow as shit. I've seen very few netbooks with an SSD worth a damn, and have had zero issues using a netbook with a 2.5" mechanical drive. Save your cash imo.
 
M

Monroeski

Unconfirmed Member
brain_stew said:
That solid state drive will probably be slow as shit. I've seen very few netbooks with an SSD worth a damn, and have had zero issues using a netbook with a 2.5" mechanical drive. Save your cash imo.
Click to expand...
Really? Isn't it supposed to be one of the main selling points for SSDs that they're faster?
 
B

BravoSuperStar

Member
When are the freakin ION netbooks coming out? I thought it was supposed to be the end of july. Still haven't seen or heard anything on them for the longest time. I know they are using a modified chipset from the ION net-tops, but damn what is taking so long>?
 
M

madmook

Member
Monroeski said:
Really? Isn't it supposed to be one of the main selling points for SSDs that they're faster?
Click to expand...
The brand and model of the SSD can be a vast difference in terms of performance and power efficiency.
 
C

CoilShot

Member
I was just wondering if this would be a waste of money if I upgrade from a 4830 512MB to a 4890 1GB. The reason why I was going to was because I need that extra kick for AAx4 & AFx16. I would only be playing at 1680 by 1050 if that matters.
 
godhandiscen

godhandiscen

There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
CoilShot said:
I was just wondering if this would be a waste of money if I upgrade from a 4830 512MB to a 4890 1GB. The reason why I was going to was because I need that extra kick for AAx4 & AFx16. I would only be playing at 1680 by 1050 if that matters.
Click to expand...
Do it. I have a more powerful card for that resolution and sometimes it isn't enough for me.
 
U

UraMallas

Member
Basically, the main thing is that I want to be able to buy a rather large monitor in the neighborhood of 24"-26" and need an upgrade to my power supply and video card, from what I've been told. I have a PCI Express spot on my motherboard. This link has some bundles on NewEgg that I'm interested in. Note that I don't need bleeding edge graphics but would like to be able to play Gears PC and Halo 2 PC. I was thinking of getting one of the bundles around $100.00 and was wondering which one of them was the best on that page because I really don't know. Here are the ones I'm looking at and if someone has a better idea or wants to try to nudge me up a tier, that's fine. Just remember that I want to be able to use a 24"-26" HD monitor and play games that came out around Gears PC and Halo 2 PC.
  • Thermaltake TR2 RX W0134RU 550W Power Supply - Retail
  • GIGABYTE Radeon HD 4350 GV-R435OC-512I Video Card - Retail
  • $109.98
  • Thermaltake W0093RU 500W Power Supply - Retail
  • EVGA GeForce 9500 GT 01G-P3-N959-TR Video Card - Retail
  • $119.98
  • APEVIA WIN-500XSPX 500W Power Supply - Retail
  • PNY XLR8 GeForce 9800 GT EE VCG98GTEE5XEB Video Card - Retail - Retail
  • $124.98
I'm pretty noobish with this kind of stuff so any constructive criticism or questions that I didn't answer would be helpful.

Ura's EDIT: On evil solrac v3.0's advice I will put my specs (as I know them) here, for reference.

  • AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 6000+ 3.00 GHz
  • 3GB DDR2 Dual-Channel Memory
  • NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE
  • 320 GB Hard Drive
  • Running Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit (SP1)
 
T

Technosteve

Banned
The Corsair 650TX and Corsair 520TX is on sale for 99.99 + rebate it is a Seasonic manufactered power supply, so pretty much the best oem you can get unless you get a pc power and cooling power supply.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
Seems like the right place to ask...

I find myself needing a new motherboard for my server, but I need it to have at least an 8x PCI Express slot. I'm assuming that the ones which have 16x slots (usually used for graphics cards) will work?
 
T

TheHeretic

Banned
Psychotext said:
Seems like the right place to ask...

I find myself needing a new motherboard for my server, but I need it to have at least an 8x PCI Express slot. I'm assuming that the ones which have 16x slots (usually used for graphics cards) will work?
Click to expand...

Yes it will. PCIE is fully backward and forward compatible, even from 1.0 to 2.0.
 
B

brain_stew

Member
Monroeski said:
Really? Isn't it supposed to be one of the main selling points for SSDs that they're faster?
Click to expand...

Most of the SSDs in Netbooks use the same chips you'll find in bog standard SD cards and they're dog slow.
 
B

brain_stew

Member
UraMallas said:
Basically, the main thing is that I want to be able to buy a rather large monitor in the neighborhood of 24"-26" and need an upgrade to my power supply and video card, from what I've been told. I have a PCI Express spot on my motherboard. This link has some bundles on NewEgg that I'm interested in. Note that I don't need bleeding edge graphics but would like to be able to play Gears PC and Halo 2 PC. I was thinking of getting one of the bundles around $100.00 and was wondering which one of them was the best on that page because I really don't know. Here are the ones I'm looking at and if someone has a better idea or wants to try to nudge me up a tier, that's fine. Just remember that I want to be able to use a 24"-26" HD monitor and play games that came out around Gears PC and Halo 2 PC.
  • Thermaltake TR2 RX W0134RU 550W Power Supply - Retail
  • GIGABYTE Radeon HD 4350 GV-R435OC-512I Video Card - Retail
  • $109.98
  • Thermaltake W0093RU 500W Power Supply - Retail
  • EVGA GeForce 9500 GT 01G-P3-N959-TR Video Card - Retail
  • $119.98
  • APEVIA WIN-500XSPX 500W Power Supply - Retail
  • PNY XLR8 GeForce 9800 GT EE VCG98GTEE5XEB Video Card - Retail - Retail
  • $124.98
I'm pretty noobish with this kind of stuff so any constructive criticism or questions that I didn't answer would be helpful.

Ura's EDIT: On evil solrac v3.0's advice I will put my specs (as I know them) here, for reference.

  • AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 6000+ 3.00 GHz
  • 3GB DDR2 Dual-Channel Memory
  • NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE
  • 320 GB Hard Drive
  • Running Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit (SP1)
Click to expand...

Buy this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

and this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824

If you need dual link DVI, then get this card instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770


Heck, this card doesn't even require external power, would probably work just fine even without a PSU upgrade, might be worth a shot:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500113


The 4350 and 9500GT are utter shit compared to these cards. Several times worse.
 
K

kagete

Member
Bumping for payday!

kagete said:
Hey guys, what does everyone think of the ff laptop for $750 at newegg? I'm not too hot about Acer's build quality but the specs are pretty hard to beat for the price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115592
Acer Aspire 5739
Core2 Duo T6500 @ 2.1Ghz
4GB DDR3
1GB Nvidia Geforce GT130M
15.6" 16:9 screen, unfortunately it's 6lbs

Yes, I have a desktop that I bought a year ago with some help from GAF (E7200, 4850).
Yes, I have a netbook for surfing and light tasks.
Yes, I have an older gaming notebook (T5500, 7600Go).
Yes, I also game on an Xbox and PS3.

But my first two PCs are in a different state and my current gaming notebook I have with me right now is starting to die (HP, screen hinge cracked open) so I need something to tide me over. Is the lappy worth it for the price?

Many thanks in advance. Cheers!


Edit: or this one for $600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115571

Acer Aspire 6920
Core2 Duo T5900 @ 2.2Ghz
4GB DDR2
512MB Nvidia Geforce 9500M GS
16" screen, unfortunately it's 7.7lbs
Click to expand...
 
D

Daigoro

Member
got a technical question. hopefully someone here will have some ideas.

i reformatted and installed Vista on one of my HDD's, the C drive. i have a seperate HDD with music, pictures, and other files on it (the "Z" drive).

how can i get vista to recognize the Z drive? all i see is the C drive where i installed vista and i want to be able to access files from Z.

i tried to set up a raid in the bios several different ways, but it refused to boot into Windows in this setup, and i had to reformat/reinstall Vista to get it to work. ive had both of these drives set up in a Raid 0 config before and it worked like a charm.

any ideas?
 
B

BravoSuperStar

Member
Daigoro said:
got a technical question. hopefully someone here will have some ideas.

i reformatted and installed Vista on one of my HDD's, the C drive. i have a seperate HDD with music, pictures, and other files on it (the "Z" drive).

how can i get vista to recognize the Z drive? all i see is the C drive where i installed vista and i want to be able to access files from Z.

i tried to set up a raid in the bios several different ways, but it refused to boot into Windows in this setup, and i had to reformat/reinstall Vista to get it to work. ive had both of these drives set up in a Raid 0 config before and it worked like a charm.

any ideas?
Click to expand...


go to control panel, admin tools, computer management and then disk management and make sure it's detected, then try right clicking on it to activate.
 
D

Daigoro

Member
SuperEnemyCrab said:
go to control panel, admin tools, computer management and then disk management and make sure it's detected, then try right clicking on it to activate.
Click to expand...

im at work now, so i cant check it, but ill do that ASAP when i get home.

it is listed under the Device Manager fyi, but i dunno if that matters.

thanks a bunch for your help.

(ps. that Mushkin ram i got with my mobo works perfectly even before i tweaked voltages and timings. it also looks amazingly cool and goes perfect with the color scheme of the board. i lucked out! thanks for your advice back there though.)
 
T

Technosteve

Banned
lowlylowlycook said:
I guess with i5s on sale in Taiwan we should hear about Intel's new procs being launched soon?
Click to expand...


you know if there is any sites that released benchmarks, i'm about to make a trip to pick up a 200 dollar i7-920 tomorrow if the i5's or the lower model i7's are cheaper same OC capabilities i'm going to kick myself in the balls.
 
J

Jamesfrom818

Banned
kagete said:
Bumping for payday!
Click to expand...

Try this one. Its just a little higher than your price range.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220559

Code: 
Model
Brand 	ASUS
Series 	F50 Series
Model 	F50Sf-X1A
General
Operating System 	Windows Vista Home Premium
CPU Type 	Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 2.1G
Screen 	16"
Memory Size 	4GB
Hard Disk 	320GB
Optical Drive 	DVD Super Multi
Graphics Card 	NVIDIA GeForce GT 220M
Video Memory 	1GB DDR2 VRAM
Dimensions 	14.96" x 10.43" x 1.4-1.64"
Weight 	6.3 lbs.
CPU
CPU Type 	Intel Core 2 Duo
CPU Speed 	T6500(2.10GHz)
CPU FSB 	800MHz
CPU L2 Cache 	2MB
Display
Screen Size 	16"
Wide Screen Support 	Yes
Resolution 	1366 x 768
Operating Systems
Operating System 	Windows Vista Home Premium
Graphics
GPU/VPU 	NVIDIA GeForce GT 220M
Video Memory 	1GB DDR2 VRAM
Graphic Type 	Dedicated Card
Hard Drive
HDD 	320GB
HDD RPM 	7200rpm
Memory
Memory 	4GB
Optical Drive
Optical Drive Type 	DVD Super Multi
Optical Drive Interface 	Integrated
Communications
LAN 	10/100/1000Mbps
WLAN 	802.11 bgn
Ports
USB 	4
Video Port 	1 x VGA, 1 x HDMI
Audio Ports 	Yes
Audio
Audio 	Integrated Sound card
Speaker 	Internal Speakers

EDIT: Go with this if you actually want a competent gaming notebook

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220576&Tpk=g51vx-x1a

Code: 
Model
Brand 	ASUS
Series 	G Series
Model 	G51VX-X1A
General
Operating System 	Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
CPU Type 	Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 2.53G
Screen 	15.6"
Memory Size 	4GB
Hard Disk 	320GB
Optical Drive 	DVD Super Multi
Graphics Card 	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M
Video Memory 	1GB VRAM DDR3
Communication 	Gigabit LAN and WLAN
Card slot 	1 x Express Card
Dimensions 	14.6" x 10.3" x 1.3-1.6"
Weight 	7.26 lbs.
Other Features 	30days Zero Bright Dot LCD
CPU
CPU Type 	Intel Core 2 Duo
CPU Speed 	P8700(2.53GHz)
CPU FSB 	1066MHz
CPU L2 Cache 	3MB
Display
Screen Size 	15.6"
Wide Screen Support 	Yes
Resolution 	1920 x 1080
Operating Systems
Operating System 	Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Graphics
GPU/VPU 	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M
Video Memory 	1GB VRAM DDR3
Graphic Type 	Dedicated Card
Hard Drive
HDD 	320GB
HDD RPM 	7200rpm
Memory
Memory 	4GB
Optical Drive
Optical Drive Type 	DVD Super Multi
Optical Drive Interface 	Integrated
Communications
LAN 	10/100/1000Mbps
WLAN 	802.11 bgn
Bluetooth 	Yes
Ports
Card Slot 	1 x Express Card
USB 	4
IEEE 1394 	1
Video Port 	1 x VGA, 1 x HDMI
Other port 	1 x E-SATA
Audio Ports 	Yes
Audio
Audio 	Integrated Sound card
Speaker 	Internal Speakers
Input Device
Touchpad 	Yes
Keyboard 	Standard
 
B

BravoSuperStar

Member
Daigoro said:
im at work now, so i cant check it, but ill do that ASAP when i get home.

it is listed under the Device Manager fyi, but i dunno if that matters.

thanks a bunch for your help.

(ps. that Mushkin ram i got with my mobo works perfectly even before i tweaked voltages and timings. it also looks amazingly cool and goes perfect with the color scheme of the board. i lucked out! thanks for your advice back there though.)
Click to expand...

Nice. :D
 
M

Metalic Sand

who is Emo-Beas?
My phenom 2 X3 720BE has been getting around 55C to even 60C. Is this REALLY BAD?

Seems very hot. I use to get temps in 40C when playing high graphical games. Could the jump just be Summer time? AC is on in the house and i have 2 Fans in the comp.


Any possible cause for this 20C jump. This is kinda making me worried. Mite need to buy a nice heatsink? My Proc is overclocked to a simple 3.2 Ghz.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
TheHeretic said:
Based on what? Your opinion? Their testing methodology is the most variable free i've ever seen. Unless you have some evidence to back up what you are saying stop confusing people with idiotic one note remarks.
Click to expand...
Ok, since I'm back.

Taking a peek at the top 10, the TRUE 120 is not on the list.

Furthermore the TRU 120 inferior in every possible aspect beats the TRUE120 (The Extreme Version), yet is higher up. Again with the Xigamtek HS.

Could this be BECAUSE of their absolute coherence to data and not fudge anything? Could ambients or collected air made the temperature difference?
Entirely.

But the top 10 list does not have the top 10 Heatsinks I would WANT to buy. That's why I said what I said.

*i5 still looks too expensive for me, glad C2D's still hold up well, need more GPU news (Or Crysis 2 :D )
 
N

nib95

Banned
My new baby!

i7 920 d0 stepping OC'd to 3.9ghz @1.27v
12Gb OCZ Platinum 1333mhz ram
Asus P6T Deluxe mobo
2x1TB RAID set up (adding an extra faster drive for my Windows 7 install later)
GTX 275 OC'd fairly heavily
Corsair HW 750w PSU
Antec 902 case
Noctua NH-U12P cooler
X-fi Xtreme music Sound card (old)
Aego M 2.1 speakers
HP LP2475w Monitor


PC4.jpg


PC1-1.jpg


PC3.jpg


PC2-1.jpg


Loving it so far!
 
F

Firestorm

Member
2ce1c7k.gif


Does everything on the CPU look right for a Q9550? Using an OCZ Gladiator instead of stock fan. Running at stock speed at the moment. Min is while relatively idle. Max is while running Prime95 for 8 mins.

What I'm confused about is fans. I have the two Antec fans that come with the Antec 300 plus a Zalmann fan running but it only detects two of them...
 
T

TheHeretic

Banned
nib95 said:
My new baby!

i7 920 d0 stepping OC'd to 3.9ghz @1.27v
12Gb OCZ Platinum 1333mhz ram
Asus P6T Deluxe mobo
2x1TB RAID set up (adding an extra faster drive for my Windows 7 install later)
GTX 275 OC'd fairly heavily
Corsair HW 750w PSU
Antec 902 case
Noctua NH-U12P cooler
X-fi Xtreme music Sound card (old)
Aego M 2.1 speakers
HP LP2475w Monitor
Click to expand...

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
 
R

rohlfinator

Member
Firestorm said:
What I'm confused about is fans. I have the two Antec fans that come with the Antec 300 plus a Zalmann fan running but it only detects two of them...
Click to expand...
I'm not 100% sure on this, but I don't think the two stock Antec fans in the 300 plug into the motherboard at all. I think the two you're seeing there are your Zalmann and the PSU fan.
 
T

TheHeretic

Banned
Firestorm said:
Does everything on the CPU look right for a Q9550? Using an OCZ Gladiator instead of stock fan. Running at stock speed at the moment. Min is while relatively idle. Max is while running Prime95 for 8 mins.

What I'm confused about is fans. I have the two Antec fans that come with the Antec 300 plus a Zalmann fan running but it only detects two of them...
Click to expand...

Temperatures look fine. Thats a quiet HSF which means poorer performance for less noise.

The CPU is running fairly hot though having a custom HSF on it. It might be the cooler, it might be the installation, it might be perfectly normal. Did you use excessive thermal paste, not enough of it, or install it poorly? Might be worth checking.

The temps are very safe, just not all that low having custom cooling.
 
L

Lime

Member
Metalic Sand said:
My phenom 2 X3 720BE has been getting around 55C to even 60C. Is this REALLY BAD?

Seems very hot. I use to get temps in 40C when playing high graphical games. Could the jump just be Summer time? AC is on in the house and i have 2 Fans in the comp.


Any possible cause for this 20C jump. This is kinda making me worried. Mite need to buy a nice heatsink? My Proc is overclocked to a simple 3.2 Ghz.
Click to expand...

I have a X3 720 BE, and my temp is normally around the 40 mark. You should probably check if the CPU is properly installed or if the heatsink is loose. Otherwise, I'd recommend this heatsink, called Arctic Xtreme, if you want to get a new one:

15999d1211821002-arctic-cooling-freezer-xtreme-vorgestellt-arctic_cooling_freezer_xtreme_cpu_cooler_01.jpg
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
kagete said:
Hey guys, what does everyone think of the ff laptop for $750 at newegg? I'm not too hot about Acer's build quality but the specs are pretty hard to beat for the price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115592
Acer Aspire 5739
Core2 Duo T6500 @ 2.1Ghz
4GB DDR3
1GB Nvidia Geforce GT130M
15.6" 16:9 screen, unfortunately it's 6lbs

Yes, I have a desktop that I bought a year ago with some help from GAF (E7200, 4850).
Yes, I have a netbook for surfing and light tasks.
Yes, I have an older gaming notebook (T5500, 7600Go).
Yes, I also game on an Xbox and PS3.

But my first two PCs are in a different state and my current gaming notebook I have with me right now is starting to die (HP, screen hinge cracked open) so I need something to tide me over. Is the lappy worth it for the price?

Many thanks in advance. Cheers!


Edit: or this one for $600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115571

Acer Aspire 6920
Core2 Duo T5900 @ 2.2Ghz
4GB DDR2
512MB Nvidia Geforce 9500M GS
16" screen, unfortunately it's 7.7lbs
Click to expand...
In that Acer's price range, the best notebook is:

Toshiba A505 - $799
Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 2.1Ghz
4GB DDR2
ATI Mobility Radeon 4650 1GB DDR3
250GB HDD
 
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