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[DaCocoBrova]

get a new case, that thing is custom designed to put dell parts inside, you will have problems getting the cooling right and where do you put hard disks in that beast

At the bottom. There are two bays. I really like the case. It's really quiet. Oh well. The CPU is too much of a bottleneck. Prevents 60fps on some games which really drives me nuts.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

At the bottom. There are two bays. I really like the case. It's really quiet. Oh well. The CPU is too much of a bottleneck. Prevents 60fps on some games which really drives me nuts.

The case is probably not what makes it quiet.

 

[ep85]

I'm ballin' on a budget and want to do a slight upgrade. I want to keep my Dell Dimension 9150 case, but I want to put in a motherboard that can take a much better CPU (currently it has a Pentium D, first gen dual core CPU). What options do I have?

Here's what it looks like...

Sorry to shit in your cornflakes but older dell machines used btx-form motherboards. Most modern motherboards are atx/micro-atx. Tried looking on newegg and I couldn't even find a btx motherboard.

So yeh, start looking for a new case.

 

[brain_stew]

Remember that motherboards for Intel are also a bit more expensive. But yeah, if you want to overclock, go for the I5. Otherwise, the cheaper Phenom's have an great price/performance ratio, especially if you are mainly using it for games.

A quality P55 board won't hold a major premium over a good high end AM3 board really. Sure you can get a lot of low end boards that support the Phenom iis but then you lose a lot of stuff in the process, making the comparison a little less than fair.

 

[Binabik15]

Remember that motherboards for Intel are also a bit more expensive. But yeah, if you want to overclock, go for the I5. Otherwise, the cheaper Phenom's have an great price/performance ratio, especially if you are mainly using it for games.

Isn´t overclocking draining a lot more extra watts? Part of shelling out more for a 5850 would be the low idle wattage, I want my hardware only raging during heavy loads and a more eco-friendly behaviour for simple browsing tasks.

How many games would profit from a i5 750 (the only one the shop I´d probably buy from lists) compared to a cheaper phenom x4 945/955?

 

[DaCocoBrova]

Sorry to shit in your cornflakes but older dell machines used btx-form motherboards. Most modern motherboards are atx/micro-atx. Tried looking on newegg and I couldn't even find a btx motherboard.

So yeh, start looking for a new case.

My hope was that there was a higher spec Dell machine w/ the same form factor that had a motherboard that was capable of accommodating a faster CPU. Time to read this thread and find a barebones type of deal.

 

[brain_stew]

Isn´t overclocking draining a lot more extra watts? Part of shelling out more for a 5850 would be the low idle wattage, I want my hardware only raging during heavy loads and a more eco-friendly behaviour for simple browsing tasks.

How many games would profit from a i5 750 (the only one the shop I´d probably buy from lists) compared to a cheaper phenom x4 945/955?

The i5 range use much less power than the Phenom ii range, and are seriously aggressive in reducing their idle consumption. Pretty impressive considering how powerful they are. If you don't want to delve into OCing then turbo mode is seriously cool, it'll only kick in when its needed but will give a serious peak performance increase in applications that aren't heavily multithreaded. It gives you a lot of benefits of OCing but without any of the drawbacks.

 

[Binabik15]

The i5 range use much less power than the Phenom ii range, and are seriously aggressive in reducing their idle consumption. Pretty impressive considering how powerful they are. If you don't want to delve into OCing then turbo mode is seriously cool, it'll only kick in when its needed but will give a serious peak performance increase in applications that aren't heavily multithreaded. It gives you a lot of benefits of OCing but without any of the drawbacks.

So is a i5 750 good enough to feed a 5850?

What mobo would be decent (read: as cheap as possible, but better than just "it doesn´t melt ). What kind of RAM is the best bang/buck?

 

[McBacon]

Hey GAF. I'm a little disappointed with my rig when playing some of the newish releases. I have:

GeForce 8800 GTS 512Mb
2 GB of RAM
Intel Core 2 Duo
Windows 7

I'll play something like Mirror's Edge at about 1600 x 1200 resolution, and about 2x AA, and graphics and textures on high and it will run, but then it will splutter, or crash, and I get sad again.

Would some more RAM make me happier? Or am I just in need of a complete overhaul? I'm not looking to play Crysis with all settings maxed, but I'd like to play games with nice graphics without too many splutters and crashes.

 

[RocketDarkness]

Random query: I'm planning on ordering a new hard drive to install Windows 7 on, since I get it free thanks to MSDN. I was wondering, under what conditions would you have to reinstall the operating system? Whenever you swap CPU? Whenever you swap motherboard? Just wondering, in case I decide to update my CPU from a dual-core to something more modern.

My intuition says only if you swapped from 32 to 64-bit or vice versa, but I figured I'd ask you guys.

 

[rohlfinator]

So is a i5 750 good enough to feed a 5850?

Yes, definitely.

What mobo would be decent (read: as cheap as possible, but better than just "it doesn´t melt ). What kind of RAM is the best bang/buck?

Any of the cheap Gigabyte, Asus, or MSI boards would probably be a good choice -- if it's one of those brands and has decent reviews on Newegg, it'll be fine.

Same with RAM, look for something cheap with decent reviews. If you want to do serious overclocking you might need higher-grade stuff, but RAM has seriously diminishing returns as it gets more expensive.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Hey GAF. I'm a little disappointed with my rig when playing some of the newish releases. I have:

GeForce 8800 GTS 512Mb
2 GB of RAM
Intel Core 2 Duo
Windows 7

I'll play something like Mirror's Edge at about 1600 x 1200 resolution, and about 2x AA, and graphics and textures on high and it will run, but then it will splutter, or crash, and I get sad again.

Would some more RAM make me happier? Or am I just in need of a complete overhaul? I'm not looking to play Crysis with all settings maxed, but I'd like to play games with nice graphics without too many splutters and crashes.

2gb more of ram is a good idea, should be dirt cheap. I'd also consider a new video card. A new 5850 is $260, or you can pick up a 4890 for under $200 now.

Random query: I'm planning on ordering a new hard drive to install Windows 7 on, since I get it free thanks to MSDN. I was wondering, under what conditions would you have to reinstall the operating system? Whenever you swap CPU? Whenever you swap motherboard? Just wondering, in case I decide to update my CPU from a dual-core to something more modern.

My intuition says only if you swapped from 32 to 64-bit or vice versa, but I figured I'd ask you guys.

New CPU, no. New motherboard, yes.

 

[Firestorm]

He doesn't live in the US, but $260 what the hell. That should make it $280 in Canada. Why is it $350 >=(
Edit: nvm they lowered prices to $299!

Random query: I'm planning on ordering a new hard drive to install Windows 7 on, since I get it free thanks to MSDN. I was wondering, under what conditions would you have to reinstall the operating system? Whenever you swap CPU? Whenever you swap motherboard? Just wondering, in case I decide to update my CPU from a dual-core to something more modern.

My intuition says only if you swapped from 32 to 64-bit or vice versa, but I figured I'd ask you guys.

You won't have to re-install if it's like Vista, but you may need to call them to get a new CD Key.

 

[Krakatoa]

Hi Guys,
I just upgraded to a 4890 and I have an old GFX card if anyone is interested? It's an ATI Radeon XT1900XT.

I realize this should have gone in the free to good home thread, but I see a few people trying to build a budget PC. And this GFX card certainly beats the onboard VGA.

anyway let me know if your interested and i will get it shipped out tomorrow. Also sorry US only.

 

[SapientWolf]

Hey GAF. I'm a little disappointed with my rig when playing some of the newish releases. I have:

GeForce 8800 GTS 512Mb
2 GB of RAM
Intel Core 2 Duo
Windows 7

I'll play something like Mirror's Edge at about 1600 x 1200 resolution, and about 2x AA, and graphics and textures on high and it will run, but then it will splutter, or crash, and I get sad again.

Would some more RAM make me happier? Or am I just in need of a complete overhaul? I'm not looking to play Crysis with all settings maxed, but I'd like to play games with nice graphics without too many splutters and crashes.

Spluttering and crashing sounds like an overheating problem or driver issues. You might want to update your drivers and check your temps. Make sure that your video card has plenty of airflow.

 

[Rogosh]

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=15398368

Here is a link to my pc build on newegg. This should be easier to read. Like i mentioned earlier, this is my first PC build, so any comments/wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Salaadin]

Are there any differences between XFX, Sapphire, etc. I see newegg has Sapphire 5850s in stock. Im still waiting but when Im ready to buy, Id like to know.

Probably wont get around to purchasing until November which will be good anyways since I can put Windows 7 on it right off the bat.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Are there any differences between XFX, Sapphire, etc. I see newegg has Sapphire 5850s in stock. Im still waiting but when Im ready to buy, Id like to know.

Probably wont get around to purchasing until November which will be good anyways since I can put Windows 7 on it right off the bat.

Only warranty, support. Physically the cards are the same. XFX lets you transfer the warranty to a 2nd person which is nice, and they have awesome support.

 

[Salaadin]

Only warranty, support. Physically the cards are the same. XFX lets you transfer the warranty to a 2nd person which is nice, and they have awesome support.

Ill stick with them then unless theyre still not in stock when Im ready and Im feeling impatient. Thanks.

 

[mug]

I'll play something like Mirror's Edge at about 1600 x 1200 resolution, and about 2x AA, and graphics and textures on high and it will run, but then it will splutter, or crash, and I get sad again.

Mirrors Edge is kind of a shit port for PC from my experience. More ram is necessary for Crisis, dunno about max detail though.

 

[x3sphere]

Hey GAF. I'm a little disappointed with my rig when playing some of the newish releases. I have:

GeForce 8800 GTS 512Mb
2 GB of RAM
Intel Core 2 Duo
Windows 7

I'll play something like Mirror's Edge at about 1600 x 1200 resolution, and about 2x AA, and graphics and textures on high and it will run, but then it will splutter, or crash, and I get sad again.

Would some more RAM make me happier? Or am I just in need of a complete overhaul? I'm not looking to play Crysis with all settings maxed, but I'd like to play games with nice graphics without too many splutters and crashes.

Try turning PhysX off if you haven't already. I get issues with it on sometimes, even with my GTX275.

 

[brain_stew]

Hey GAF. I'm a little disappointed with my rig when playing some of the newish releases. I have:

GeForce 8800 GTS 512Mb
2 GB of RAM
Intel Core 2 Duo
Windows 7

I'll play something like Mirror's Edge at about 1600 x 1200 resolution, and about 2x AA, and graphics and textures on high and it will run, but then it will splutter, or crash, and I get sad again.

Would some more RAM make me happier? Or am I just in need of a complete overhaul? I'm not looking to play Crysis with all settings maxed, but I'd like to play games with nice graphics without too many splutters and crashes.

Add 2GB of RAM, OC your CPU to 3ghz+ and get a new GPU, it'll feel like a compelte new rig and the outlay will not be very much at all.

Are there any differences between XFX, Sapphire, etc. I see newegg has Sapphire 5850s in stock. Im still waiting but when Im ready to buy, Id like to know.

Probably wont get around to purchasing until November which will be good anyways since I can put Windows 7 on it right off the bat.

All current 5850s are exactly the same, only difference is the bundles and warranty coverage.

 

[I should be doing hw]

Would this case be large enough to hold a 5850? Also do you think it would be roomy enough for good airflow? It's a pretty cheap case (in Aus) and I really dig how it looks, anyone had any experience with it or the NZXT brand?
http://www.skycomp.com.au/product.aspx?id=89614

Edit:
VW246H monitor got some very glowing reviews and considering how cheap it is, I'm going for that one.

 

[Polk]

Would this case be large enough to hold a 5850? Also do you think it would be roomy enough for good airflow? It's a pretty cheap case (in Aus) and I really dig how it looks, anyone had any experience with it or the NZXT brand?
http://www.skycomp.com.au/product.aspx?id=89614

5850 is shorter then 8800GTX so if the latter fits there, 5850 should fit without hassle.

 

[I should be doing hw]

Thanks for the help. I'm now pretty sure I'm going to get a NXZT Tempest because it's got 6 fans as opposed to the previous ones 2. The other one apprently doesn't come with a front fan which is stupid and only has a side and rear one.
Seeing as I'm going to be overclocking I think airflow should be a high priority, no? The other one really didn't seem up to snuff, even though it looked really nice. But I also learned that the USB and etc ports are located on the bottom right of the case, which would suck as I'm going to be resting it on that side against a wall. The Tempest has all those ports, plus the power and reset buttons, located on the top of the case which is more conveiniant too.

 

[Firestorm]

Mirrors Edge is kind of a shit port for PC from my experience. More ram is necessary for Crisis, dunno about max detail though.

The hell? Mirror's Edge looks and seems to run amazing on PC.

 

[I should be doing hw]

Oh yeah, am I going to have to buy a modem or something for an Internet connection? Or do all mobos nowadays have them built in or something.

 

[Firestorm]

Oh yeah, am I going to have to buy a modem or something for an Internet connection? Or do all mobos nowadays have them built in or something.

Motherboards have the ethernet port built in.

 

[I should be doing hw]

No wifi?

 

[Cronos]

If I were you, I'd overclock the Core I7 processor, and buy a HD5870 instead of the 5850

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=15398368

Here is a link to my pc build on newegg. This should be easier to read. Like i mentioned earlier, this is my first PC build, so any comments/wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

 

[McBacon]

Thanks for the tips guys

 

[Swag]

What's the best Free way to update drivers? Tried manually doing it but couldn't find driver links, always got sent to programs that download them for you, but none of them are free.

 

[McBacon]

What's the best Free way to update drivers? Tried manually doing it but couldn't find driver links, always got sent to programs that download them for you, but none of them are free.

Either use Window's driver update service, or go to the websites of your different components. Everyone, like Nvidia and ASUS, are going to have all the drivers online.

 

[Swag]

Either use Window's driver update service, or go to the websites of your different components. Everyone, like Nvidia and ASUS, are going to have all the drivers online.

Is the Window's driver update service the one that is accessed through control panel or is it a stand alone program?

 

[Zaptruder]

Planning on making a beast. A classy beast. Gonna OC the CPU to 4GHz. Will want to upgrade to the 6core i9s in about a years time.

Don't plan on buying until late january, when the Lucid equipped mobos are available.

Comments? Suggestions?

LIAN LI PC-A71F Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
In Stock $239.99 $239.99

Update ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
In Stock $249.99 -$10.00 Instant $239.99

Update ASUS EAH5870/G/2DIS/1GD5/A Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported ... - Retail
$379.99 $759.98

Update LIAN LI PS-S850GE 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power ... - Retail
In Stock $169.99 $169.99

Update Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
In Stock $288.99 -$9.00 Instant $279.99

Update CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model HX3X12G1600C9 G - Retail
In Stock $269.99 $269.99

Update OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail
In Stock $229.00 $229.00

Update Western Digital Caviar Green WD15EADS 1.5TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
In Stock $119.99 $119.99

Update COOLER MASTER Intel Core i7 compatible V10 Hybrid TEC RR-B2P-UV10-GP 120mm CPU Cooler - Retail
In Stock $125.99 $125.99
Subtotal: $2,434.91

 

[Hajaz]

Planning on making a beast. A classy beast. Gonna OC the CPU to 4GHz. Will want to upgrade to the 6core i9s in about a years time.

Don't plan on buying until late january, when the Lucid equipped mobos are available.

Comments? Suggestions?

LIAN LI PC-A71F Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
In Stock $239.99 $239.99

Update ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
In Stock $249.99 -$10.00 Instant $239.99

Update ASUS EAH5870/G/2DIS/1GD5/A Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported ... - Retail
$379.99 $759.98

Update LIAN LI PS-S850GE 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power ... - Retail
In Stock $169.99 $169.99

Update Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
In Stock $288.99 -$9.00 Instant $279.99

Update CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model HX3X12G1600C9 G - Retail
In Stock $269.99 $269.99

Update OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail
In Stock $229.00 $229.00

Update Western Digital Caviar Green WD15EADS 1.5TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
In Stock $119.99 $119.99

Update COOLER MASTER Intel Core i7 compatible V10 Hybrid TEC RR-B2P-UV10-GP 120mm CPU Cooler - Retail
In Stock $125.99 $125.99
Subtotal: $2,434.91

i dont think theyre gonna put Lucid chips on x58 mobos, atleast i havent read annything about it.
From what i heard the p55 architecture is better suited for it because of it not having a northbridge, reducing latency between the cpu and the lucid chip

very nice build though

 

[Polk]

Update ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
In Stock $249.99 -$10.00 Instant $239.99

You really need X58 MB instead of let's say P55 one? Sure you won't get 3 sets of DDR3, but that's almost all.

 

[Hajaz]

You really need X58 MB instead of let's say P55 one? Sure you won't get 3 sets of DDR3, but that's almost all.

for crossfire it is better to stick with x58 because of the two x16 pci configuration

 

[Binabik15]

No wifi?

I´d like to know that, too.

There are extra wifi network cards that you stick in, even if you have an ethernet port built-in, right?

And for bluetooth one of those cheap usb-things is enough?


PS: Thanks to you, too, rohlfinator, sir!

 

[Minsc]

Planning on making a beast. A classy beast. Gonna OC the CPU to 4GHz. Will want to upgrade to the 6core i9s in about a years time.

Don't plan on buying until late january, when the Lucid equipped mobos are available.

Comments? Suggestions?

LIAN LI PC-A71F Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
In Stock $239.99 $239.99

Update ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
In Stock $249.99 -$10.00 Instant $239.99

Update ASUS EAH5870/G/2DIS/1GD5/A Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported ... - Retail
$379.99 $759.98

Update LIAN LI PS-S850GE 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power ... - Retail
In Stock $169.99 $169.99

Update Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
In Stock $288.99 -$9.00 Instant $279.99

Update CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model HX3X12G1600C9 G - Retail
In Stock $269.99 $269.99

Update OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail
In Stock $229.00 $229.00

Update Western Digital Caviar Green WD15EADS 1.5TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
In Stock $119.99 $119.99

Update COOLER MASTER Intel Core i7 compatible V10 Hybrid TEC RR-B2P-UV10-GP 120mm CPU Cooler - Retail
In Stock $125.99 $125.99
Subtotal: $2,434.91

Just a fair warning, that upgrade to a core i9 may cost over $1,000, for what might amount to a miminal framerate improvement.

Edit: Also, the WD Caviar green drives are 40% slower than the Caviar black ones. Here's a review of them. They also come with a 3 year warranty, while the Black comes with a 5 year.

for crossfire it is better to stick with x58 because of the two x16 pci configuration

What kind of effect on the framerate would running the two cards SLI or xFire on 8x have, instead of 16x?

 

[Tonza]

I bought a new PC few weeks ago and I've been having these nvlddmkm errors pretty much all the time. My card is GTS250 and running Vista 32bit. It's weird because Aion hasn't crashed even once to that error but Crysis has once and Witcher about 5-8 times. Also in Crysis the tactical scope turned to rainbow colored blocks once.

Could the gfx card be faulty? I did overclock the card and now I've lowered them but I did have one nvlddmkm error since too.

Do Ati cards have this problem?

 

[Hajaz]

ATI HD 5870 Scaling Performance: X58 vs P55 Showdown

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3649

summary; p55 is fine for single card , x58 still better for crossfire/sli
offcourse it remains to be seen what kind of scaling the lucid equiped p55 mobos will offer compared to a regular x58 mobo

 

[Polk]

Do Ati cards have this problem?

Well nvlddmkm suggests it nvidia error, so Ati won't have this problem obviously :lol

 

[Minsc]

ATI HD 5870 Scaling Performance: X58 vs P55 Showdown

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3649

summary; p55 is fine for single card , x58 still better for crossfire/sli
offcourse it remains to be seen what kind of scaling the lucid equiped p55 mobos will offer compared to a regular x58 mobo

Here's another review of 16x vs 8x.

The difference is not really that bad, c'mon. It's "better," on X58, yea, but by like 1 or 2% on average, which in some cases is less than 1 fps.

I feared it'd be more in the 20%+ area.

 

[Tonza]

Well nvlddmkm suggests it nvidia error, so Ati won't have this problem obviously :lol

Ofcourse I know that, but you know atikmdag.dll is the equivelant in ati cards.

And I've read about the fixes from dedicated sites to these errors but the fixes usually are really hit or miss. Some even suggest running with only one RAM stick or disabling cores from processor but that's crazy. Im not going to cripple my system like that.

 

[Minsc]

I think that that Lucid thing is going to open a whole new can of worms, as great as it has the potential to be. Why? It will be another set of drivers to depend on. If it doesn't use nVidia's or ATI's drivers, which I imagine it won't, you lose PhysX and any other driver features, you lose your nVidia tools and panels, and rely on Intel to put all those things in their drivers. Who knows what it will do to compatibility with older games as well. Hopefully it turns out great though!

 

[Binabik15]

A i5 750 is 25 euro more than a phenom 945, the cheapest gigabyte mobo is 25 more than the AM2+, the DDR 3 it eats is 15 euro more expensive than the DDR2 for 4 gigs. Unless I buy A-Data Value DDR3 which sounds like a cheap knock-off :lol But I know nothing about RAM brands, so teach me. Corsair, OCZ and Kingstone are more expensive for 4 gigs, in that order.

Worth paying at least 65 euro more for the in-game perfomance boost?

And 500 W or 600 W for i5 plus 5850?

It´s getting expensive :/

i5 total is 660 now, the other was 590.

 

[Zaptruder]

Just a fair warning, that upgrade to a core i9 may cost over $1,000, for what might amount to a miminal framerate improvement.

Edit: Also, the WD Caviar green drives are 40% slower than the Caviar black ones. Here's a review of them. They also come with a 3 year warranty, while the Black comes with a 5 year.



What kind of effect on the framerate would running the two cards SLI or xFire on 8x have, instead of 16x?

Hmm. Good call on the WD Caviar... it's obviously not going to be my application HDD, but nonetheless, it's still good to have decent performing drives in the comp. I'll be shifting the rest of the HDDs from my old comp, so I'll nonetheless have a bunch of crap(pier) drives in the machine.

i9 @ $1000 is pretty intense. I'll have to wait and see of course... but given that I will be taking advantage of hyper threading, that I will be going for 12GB ram, and do see potential in having 3 SLI/Xfire cards, and I do want a potential upgrade path irrespective of cost, it's really difficult for me to justify going with a P55 base.

OTOH, if the Lucid chip doesn't make its way onto the 1366 platform, then fuck me. It's a bitch, having my arm twisted, forcing me to choose between GPU and CPU/RAM.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

What should I manually set my ram at? It's DDR2 800 ram. It seems now that I've unlinked them, it will boot without giving me any beeps. Should I adjust my timings while overclocking?

 

[Minsc]

A i5 750 is 25 euro more than a phenom 945, the cheapest gigabyte mobo is 25 more than the AM2+, the DDR 3 it eats is 15 euro more expensive than the DDR2 for 4 gigs. Unless I buy A-Data Value DDR3 which sounds like a cheap knock-off :lol But I know nothing about RAM brands, so teach me. Corsair, OCZ and Kingstone are more expensive for 4 gigs, in that order.

Worth paying at least 65 euro more for the in-game perfomance boost?

And 500 W or 600 W for i5 plus 5850?

It´s getting expensive :/

i5 total is 660 now, the other was 590.

Probably not, the core i5 750 seems only slightly better in benches (and sometimes worse) than a Phenom II 955. However if you leave your computer on a lot, it does consume about 50W less (at idle and load).