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[Firestorm]

Do not rely on a net book as your primary computer, trust me on this.

With the i5s and 58xx cards coming out next month, I don't see why he wouldn't be able to hold on for just a few weeks on a netbook.

 

[Crazymoogle]

That and it seems they don't even sell the G2 anymore, at least it doesn't come up with a search for Intel X-25, those are just way overpriced G1s. And when you do a search by the part number ending with G2, it comes up as a deactivated item. I think you'll just have to look elsewhere for it... something's up with them.

It will magically reappear when they get stock again. Same thing happened with the 120GB Vertex awhile back.

 

[dionysus]

Is an intel SSD significantly better than the other brands?

 

[Minsc]

Is an intel SSD significantly better than the other brands?

Most reviews think so, when it comes to lower performance over time and how responsive the drive is under more intensive multitasking and small read/writes (the vast majority of computer use).

Here's a good, recent, 27-page read from anandtech, I'd definitely recommend checking over it, it explains a lot of stuff, not just SSD specific things. Kinda doom and gloom for SSDs & TRIM right now, but some interesting tidbits things like the drives will lose their magnetic pull long before they run the risk of write wearing.

 

[peppermints]

Manufacturer and model?

It is an Asus G50V A1

 

[Fixed1979]

I have some old VCR tapes from about 10-15 years ago that I've been meaning to bring over onto the PC. With winter fast aproaching I thought that now's the time. So anyone have any experience with this, or know the best way to get started? I know it's an open ended question, but all I have is my PC, and a bit of computer knowledge...just not in the area of capture.

 

[nataku]

I don't really need a new PC (waiting on Diablo 3, plus a few other PC games) but I do need new RAM.

I've been getting BSOD in Vista the past couple days, Memory Management, Page Fault in non-paged area, that kind of thing. I've had these in the past, and it was the RAM that did it. For whatever reason, the Crucial Ballistix RAM has gone bad a second time. I got Crucial to replace it the first time, but I don't want to bother with it again since this second set died too.

I have an old 2x1GB set I can put in to replace this 2x2GB set, but it's also Crucial Ballistix. Oddly, it works fine and I have no issues with it, but I want the extra 1.5GB (32bit Vista).

What's a good brand now? I've read Crucial has kind of gone down hill lately, and they have issues with Gigabyte boards. I'm using a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L, if that helps.

On a related note, is it possible having 4GB installed on a 32bit system causes the RAM to go bad? I know it sounds kind of weird, but it is Windows... Having two sets die within 6 months sounds kind of weird. I had the 2x1GB set installed for over a year and it never went bad.

 

[Servizio]

I have a GeForce 7800 GTX 512MB in my gaming computer and I got the idea that a fun way to upgrade without going whole hog would be to grab another one and SLI them, but apparently nowadays these cards are rarer than unicorns and the only one I found was a used one on eBay, flashed for OSX. Something like sixteen bids, at $75.

Any thoughts on where to pick one up easier than that?

 

[Hazaro]

Please don't do that and just buy a newer card for the same price.

It'll be 3-4x the performance without issues and use half the power.

What's a good brand now? I've read Crucial has kind of gone down hill lately, and they have issues with Gigabyte boards. I'm using a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L, if that helps.

On a related note, is it possible having 4GB installed on a 32bit system causes the RAM to go bad? I know it sounds kind of weird, but it is Windows... Having two sets die within 6 months sounds kind of weird. I had the 2x1GB set installed for over a year and it never went bad.

G.Skill and Corsair are what I would use. I had to RMA RAM I bought from another person and the turn around for RMA was 3 days total + I didn't even have a receipt so they've earned my money. Corsair is also great with customer service so I hear.

Ballistix were changed from being double sided memory to single sided (cheaper and not as good), but in terms of reliability the chips weren't so stable and thus many users have had their Ballistix die on them over time.

I've used 4GB on my 32 bit system for 2 years and it's still going fine.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

I have a GeForce 7800 GTX 512MB in my gaming computer and I got the idea that a fun way to upgrade without going whole hog would be to grab another one and SLI them, but apparently nowadays these cards are rarer than unicorns and the only one I found was a used one on eBay, flashed for OSX. Something like sixteen bids, at $75.

Any thoughts on where to pick one up easier than that?

at $75 whats the point?

Unless you are stuck to using AGP, just get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134074

Works better than two 7800GTX's

G.Skill and Corsair are what I would use. I had to RMA RAM I bought from another person and the turn around for RMA was 3 days total + I didn't even have a receipt so they've earned my money. Corsair is also great with customer service so I hear.
.

+1 for G.Skill I swear by their quality and customer service, I remember my computer was being lame with me and I narrowed it down to the RAM, this was my old gaming rig that went thru hundreds of gaming hours so I had to RMA one of them since I have lifetime warranty and they sent a new one back so fast I was gaming again in no time.

 

[open_mouth_]

I have a 2005 built PC with an '08 graphics card that has been holding up pretty OK with games like Prince of Persia and DMC4, but before I upgrade, I'm really worried about having to install all my programs/games all over again. I guess it's not a huge deal, but damn, I would just prefer to be able to carry my Windows XP over to the new system.

Does anyone know of any way to bypass the "lock" that XP has against updating one's motherboard/cpu???

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

welp firestorm! i got osx up and running : D

i partitioned my second drive [320 caviar blue] into 3 sections for different oos's

1] kalyway 10.5.2
2] osx leopard 10.5.8
3] osx snow leopard 10.6

once i had kalyway nailed down i had to go through a few trial-and-error runs with leopard but i've got it now. snow leopard once again would not install and i'm still researching why so for now i have a small 36gb partition for kalyway and the rest has been expanded to fit leopard

the only things i haven't got running are my network and sound. i'm addressing network issues first tho, and judging by the type of onboard ethernet ports on my mobo, it looks like i'll have to drop about $30 to circumvent it altogethe rand buy a USB-to-ethernet adapter, which seems to resolve all issues that can't be fixed manually. even tho it's not something people haven't conquered, installing the right driver and modification on my mobo yielded far too little research and almost no direction on what to even begin with. i got to a point where i learned it would take a month of understanding in order to get online with my computer ;p

i'll stick with a simple usb adapter. and i'm currently posting from my windows drive-- that adapter is for tomorrow

 

[Swag]

I'm thinking of running a dual monitor setup ( One screen displaying a game, other displaying other applications Chrome etc.) on the computer I'm building. Wondering how well the Radeon HD 4890 [Link] works in that situation.

I'm probably going to be running World of Warcraft on 1 screen permanently if that helps. Need to know if this works before buying a second monitor

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

network and sound running!

i had a small catch with my gpu drivers but got that nailed down, too. looks like my osx install is totally complete :]

now if only i could get snow leopard to run like this i could finally settle down with the computer lol

 

[MWS Natural]

Anyone notice a difference when upgrading from 4GB to 8GB of RAM? Have been thinking of ordering a few upgrades this week.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

OK, I'm putting stuff together today. I'm checking a couple things before I start:

- I plan to put Windows 7 on a 1 TB drive and Mac OS on a 250 GB drive.
- What's the simplest, best way to format and partition these drives for this setup?
- I'm assuming the Win partition should use Microsoft's latest format, the one they made for Vista with the extra security features (or is there something even newer now?). I assume all the Windows apps and games should go on here too, so this partition should be pretty big.
- I'll format the Mac partition however the hackintosh guides recommend it. I'm assuming all the Mac apps would go on that partition too.
- Where should I put mp3s, photos, etc so they can easily be accessed under either OS? A second partition on the 1GB drive?

Tentatively, I'm thinking:
1GB drive
- Windows, apps, games partition: 250 GB, in Microsoft's latest format
- Data files partition: 750 GB, in ... NTFS?
250GB drive:
- Mac OS and apps

Also, I have a second 250 drive, which I hadn't decided what I would do with yet.

 

[Hazaro]

I'm thinking of running a dual monitor setup ( One screen displaying a game, other displaying other applications Chrome etc.) on the computer I'm building.

Just plug the monitors into the card and everything will be good to go. Just run set-up with the drivers and it'll work with no troubles.

Anyone notice a difference when upgrading from 4GB to 8GB of RAM? Have been thinking of ordering a few upgrades this week.

Maybe in Photoshop or modeling if you were using gigantic files or have more than 4GB to load with SuperCache.

*Parrallax - I did partitioning once, but that I found out I am not good with that. I just stuck everything on a single drive NTFS after messing around with it. Much easier.

 

[Pctx]

Haven't had any time to read....


What's the word on DX11 mobile cards hitting market?
Let me preface this with the fact that I am selling my i7 rig in the next 6 months as I'm moving over seas and need a powerful rig for the next 3-5 years.

 

[zoku88]

The new i7s and the i5 are more impressive than I originally thought they would be ^^

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3634

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Haven't had any time to read....


What's the word on DX11 mobile cards hitting market?
Let me preface this with the fact that I am selling my i7 rig in the next 6 months as I'm moving over seas and need a powerful rig for the next 3-5 years.

AMD has their HD 5xxx series hitting very soon, I think end of this month?

Also you may be interested in Core i5's which are gonna be cheaper and faster for the same price. Motherboards are gonna start really low too!

I'm currently reading the Anandtech article and it seems Intel has really got their game on with Core i5

 

[Hazaro]

The new i7s and the i5 are more impressive than I originally thought they would be ^^

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3634

Woo, not happy about them saying my stuff is obsolete though :lol

 

[evlcookie]

Very possible an i5 + a 5850 is my next upgrade. Must stay patient !

 

[godhandiscen]

The new i7s and the i5 are more impressive than I originally thought they would be ^^

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3634

Yep, the 870 beats the 975. However, The LGA1336 socket is getting six core processors in a matter of months

Woo, not happy about them saying my stuff is obsolete though :lol

Obsolete, meaning that there is no possible benefit in buying less performance at a higuer price.

 

[BrodiemanTTR]

Well then, this'll be the final specs of my new PC:

CPU: C2D E7200 2.5Ghz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052

RAM: 2GB G.Skill DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231121

GPU: eVGA GeForce 9800 GT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130435

Mobo: XFX Nvidia nForce 750i SLi
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813141016

PSU: Rosewill Green Series 630w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182185

And bringing up the rear...my old 200GB (now 130GB thanks to some corruption) IDE hard drive. Plus some spiffy new case fans as well. Bringing over my old case, disc drives, and getting Windows 7 Pro thanks to my school's MSDNAA membership (my school working for me? woulda thunk it).

It's definitely a step below what I had been shooting for in several respects, but money got unexpectedly very tight at the end, and a PC of 1/4th this caliber would still run circles around the replacement PC I've been using for over a year now (1Ghz P4, Radeon 9200, 256 freakin megs of RAM). And all for only $273.75. I do, however, regret having to settle for various dead end sockets and standards (LGA 775, DDR2).

The way I see my upgrade path, my most urgent need is a new main SATA hard drive. Hopefully this will be very soon. After that I might pick up another 2GB of RAM, then start thinking about replacing my older disc drives with new and improved SATA versions.

 

[Stop It]

Very possible an i5 + a 5850 is my next upgrade. Must stay patient !

Indeed, the future is very bright, i7+ performance, only cheaper, I'm glad I waited.

In other news, I finally upgraded my old CPU cooler (I was using a Gigabyte NeonCooler 775 up until now), ocUK had the very nice Zalman CNPS 9500A-LED for £13 (£19 inc delivery), so I had to bite.

I'm glad I did, my Q9400 (Currently clocked at 3.68Ghz, final aim is 4Ghz by the end of the year) now is so much cooler, at load (the 1Hr OCCT test), my CPU used to top out at 62-64c, now with the Zalman it hasn't wetn above 50c in the same test. The fact that it also has a fan controller remote control helps too, as does the fact that it looks really nice.

 

[BoloTheGreat]

Hmmmm... not sure about US pricing but the 4870 is probably a much better card for the money than the 9800GT, it CERTAINLY is lighyears ahead in the UK. The 1GB version will run practically anything for just £113, i game at 1280 x 1024 so for me that will max crysis with 4X AA.

 

[Stop It]

Hmmmm... not sure about US pricing but the 4870 is probably a much better card for the money than the 9800GT, it CERTAINLY is lighyears ahead in the UK. The 1GB version will run practically anything for just £113, i game at 1280 x 1024 so for me that will max crysis with 4X AA.

You're right, for a few more $ BrodiemanTTR could get a Powercolor HD4870, which would be much, much faster.

Edit, if he must go with Nvidia, Newegg has the EVGA 9800GT Superclocked edition For the same price as the normal one.

 

[BrodiemanTTR]

You're right, for a few more $ BrodiemanTTR could get a Powercolor HD4870, which would be much, much faster.

But could I have bought it from my friend and former roommate for $60? Nope. The only components I paid full retail price for were the RAM and the new case fans. Not how I would have preferred it but cutting corners became a necessary evil.

 

[Stop It]

But could I have bought it from my friend and former roommate for $60? Nope. The only components I paid full retail price for were the RAM and the new case fans. Not how I would have preferred it but cutting corners became a necessary evil.

Fair enough, going by the links I thought you were buying them from Newegg, humble apologies.

 

[BrodiemanTTR]

Fair enough, going by the links I thought you were buying them from Newegg, humble apologies.

Apologies denied!

Newegg links were just for reference, 'cept of course for the RAM. Newegg doesn't even sell the 7200 anymore, which I find a little weird, considering they still carry lesser Intel C2D CPUs.

 

[Stop It]

Apologies denied!

Newegg links were just for reference, 'cept of course for the RAM. Newegg doesn't even sell the 7200 anymore, which I find a little weird, considering they still carry lesser Intel C2D CPUs.

*runs off into a corner to cry*

As for the CPU, I think Intel have replaced it, even the new Celeron E3300 is probably nearly as fast.

 

[jakonovski]

I'm pretty sure Radeon HD4890 1Gb is the best value for money as far as GPUs go. Doesn't cost much and has potential to rival and in some cases to even beat GTX285. What could be better?

 

[BoloTheGreat]

I'm pretty sure Radeon HD4890 1Gb is the best value for money as far as GPUs go. Doesn't cost much and has potential to rival and in some cases to even beat GTX285. What could be better?

2 4770s in Crossfire?

 

[BrodiemanTTR]

*runs off into a corner to cry*

As for the CPU, I think Intel have replaced it, even the new Celeron E3300 is probably nearly as fast.

Huh. Well, back when you could still buy the 7200, I remember reading reviews praising its speed and capacity for overclocking, so at the price I got it for I think I'll be pretty pleased. It's going to feel so good catching up on all the PC gaming I've missed and, dare I say, actually getting hyped up for new releases. I can play them on medium!

 

[jakonovski]

2 4770s in Crossfire?

Isn't that pretty much the same, in both monetary and performance terms?

 

[Hazaro]

Huh. Well, back when you could still buy the 7200, I remember reading reviews praising its speed and capacity for overclocking, so at the price I got it for I think I'll be pretty pleased. It's going to feel so good catching up on all the PC gaming I've missed and, dare I say, actually getting hyped up for new releases. I can play them on medium!

Depending on resolution you can play them on high!
Or with a higher res you can set shadows to low and everything else on high :lol

I've got an E7200 and it's a solid chip, had an 8800GT before my GTX 260 so you can just chill while the new stuff rolls out.

 

[BrodiemanTTR]

Depending on resolution you can play them on high!
Or with a higher res you can set shadows to low and everything else on high :lol

I've got an E7200 and it's a solid chip, had an 8800GT before my GTX 260 so you can just chill while the new stuff rolls out.

1280 x 1024! Thanks outdated 17" Samsung CRT! One day I will be rid of you too!

Ultimately it was a decision between a very inexpensive dead end upgrade to 775 and DDR2 or a more expensive upgrade to more forward-looking AM3 and DDR3. I think I found a machine that I can sit tight with until prices are driven south by new releases and I have more money at my disposal to upgrade.

 

[TemplaerDude]

The new i7s and the i5 are more impressive than I originally thought they would be ^^

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3634

FUCK. fuck fuck fuck fuck. god dammit. fuck you intel. i just got my 1366 based computer on paper a week ago. now its back to the bloody drawing board. god dammit.

 

[bogg]

FUCK. fuck fuck fuck fuck. god dammit. fuck you intel. i just got my 1366 based computer on paper a week ago. now its back to the bloody drawing board. god dammit.

You should thank them mate, they are saving you money.
The i5 750 is an amazing cpu for only $200, plus LGA-1156 based motherboards should be cheaper than the LGA-1366 based motherboards, you're saving something like $100-$200 here.
Invest $30 in a good heatsink to overclock that bitch and you are set!

 

[Yoshichan]

Hey guys, it's time for a new computer... I was wondering how the XFX GeForce GTX 260 666M 896MB holds up?

Also, is it worth getting Windows 7? How much RAM would be required for it?

And how good is Intel Core™ i5 Quad Processor i5-750 2,66GHz?

Thank you so much !

 

[lowlylowlycook]

Just to give a quick example of a budget i5 build (basically no SLI/Xfire)

Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz+GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 combo
HIS 4890
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB HD
Sonata III + 500W PSU
DVD drive

Total $789 before $10 MiR

 

[TemplaerDude]

what motherboard should i be looking at for these 1156 processors? the information i'm finding right now is scant.

 

[Hajaz]

id wait untill all major brands have released their p55 mobos.. shouldnt take long

 

[MoFuzz]

Well then, this'll be the final specs of my new PC:

I realize money is tight, but I really don't think getting 2GB of RAM, especially when it's as cheap as DDR2, is a good idea anymore.

You are probably saving 15-20 bucks at best, and you are sacrificing a noticeable amount of performance. Plus, you ideally want two matched sticks of the same speed/brand, etc. So if you wait too long, that particular model may be discontinued and you'll end up with mis-matched RAM sticks.

If you're going to be running Windows 7 or Vista, the difference will be even more noticable than XP, as they are more resource-heavy.

Any particular reason why you went with the SLI motherboard? If you're only planning to use the one video card, Gigabyte and ASUS generally come more recommended than XFX, who is primarily a graphics card manufacturer.

Also, Rosewill PSU's are somewhat unproven, use at your own peril. Upgrade to a low-end Corsair or Antec if you can. Should only be about $50 for a 450-500 watter.

EDIT: Ugh, just realized you bought the parts from a roommate and not retail. Whatevs, maybe someone else reading is considering something similar. lulz.

 

[Fatalah]

I'm finally building my dream rig, but I'm stuck between two Intel chipsets. (Calling all hardware geeks)

1156 i7 860 vs. 1366 i7 920


Should I:

A) Get the 1366 920 knowing the 860 is a touch faster, but have the ability to upgrade to Gulftown CPU in the future.

B) Get the 1156 860 to have speed now. In the future, just get whatever fastest 8xx CPU is.


Some notes:

• The 1366 has triple channel memory compared to 1156's dual.
• 1366 in SLI/Crossfire uses 16x whereas 1156 drops to 8x.

• The 860 is .2ghz faster (also has a more aggressive TurboBoost feature) and uses 30w less than the 920.
• The 1156 system would be $80 cheaper due to the motherboard and 4gb ram instead of 6gb.

 

[Ecto311]

Can someone point out to me what I am missing with this computer setup.

I have a Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L motherboard with dual core support and the E5200 Pentium dual core processor in it right now. This computer came up from a HP stock board and a celeron 3ghz chip. I also added 1 gig (for now) of ram to match the FSB in speed.

I start up anything and it takes FOREVER, even wow wont even play at decent framerates. I can't understand why it is like this. The computer ran better before the upgrade and now it runs like shit.

Any ideas? I do have a standard stock ribbon plug hard drive but the game ran fine before so I don't think that is the problem. I also had slower ram but 2 gig of it before. Right now I have a 2 gig flash drive for a bit of speed as a boost drive. I also know the graphics card is good because as I said the game ran fine before.

Thanks for any ideas/help.

 

[SapientWolf]

Can someone point out to me what I am missing with this computer setup.

I have a Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L motherboard with dual core support and the E5200 Pentium dual core processor in it right now. This computer came up from a HP stock board and a celeron 3ghz chip. I also added 1 gig (for now) of ram to match the FSB in speed.

I start up anything and it takes FOREVER, even wow wont even play at decent framerates. I can't understand why it is like this. The computer ran better before the upgrade and now it runs like shit.

Any ideas? I do have a standard stock ribbon plug hard drive but the game ran fine before so I don't think that is the problem. I also had slower ram but 2 gig of it before. Right now I have a 2 gig flash drive for a bit of speed as a boost drive. I also know the graphics card is good because as I said the game ran fine before.

Thanks for any ideas/help.

Maybe you need to update your microcode/BIOS. It could also be a bad stick of memory.

 

[Pctx]

FUCK. fuck fuck fuck fuck. god dammit. fuck you intel. i just got my 1366 based computer on paper a week ago. now its back to the bloody drawing board. god dammit.

Who cares, a 920 OC'ed over 3.6 for $280 what... 6 months ago is a hell of a proc.

This was always going to happen and quite frankly, Gulftown will fuck over the i5 line anyways.

 

[zbarron]

Who cares, a 920 OC'ed over 3.6 for $280 what... 6 months ago is a hell of a proc.

This was always going to happen and quite frankly, Gulftown will fuck over the i5 line anyways.

Do we know the pricing yet? All but the 975 are being discontinued which just leaves a $1000 CPU. It also has to be priced higher than the 870 at $580 to not cannibalize those sales. I got a 920 for $200 a while back and I feel like my only upgrade path is going to be the extreme high end, which is not what I was expecting.

 

[jey_16]

need GAF's advice....got my new PC a few days ago....its got a Q9550

performance wise its fine although its a bit loud but i have no idea of how a PC of this type is meant to sound like

Speed fan shows the 4 cores running between 35c and 40c....GPU at 55c, its got 1 fan running at around 2240rpm

is this about what i should be expecting or can i reduce fan speed or lessen the noise in some other way