Support NeoGAF

[mclem]

Here's a mild poser. I've been toying with getting the prebuilt (going against *every single* geek bone in my body, but hey) Warbird system from Yoyotech mentioned by Brainstew back in Post #9780; at the moment I'm holding out a little because 7 is *so* imminent I may as well wait until they come with it by default rather than having to install Vista and then a short time later install 7.

However, there's a small issue, and the issue is my bedroom. It's unusually hot; not stifling, but rather warm, particularly in the height of summer - I'd estimate 26-29 degrees C; it doesn't help that I share the room with the house hot water tank. My current PC is prone to overheating, although I'm well aware that it's quite poorly cooled. I'm wondering if, in light of all that, I ought to avoid a system that's overclocked by default.

 

[Kyuur]

Kyuur, check out my post here:
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/ncix-custom-built-computers-700-1000-gaming-computers-760568/

Your profile says you're a student. What faculty are you in? If you're in a technical one, then you might qualify for free Windows 7. If not, you'll qualify for cheap Windows 7 ($30 - $35). Do not buy Vista with Free Upgrade.

A student of the high-school variety, unfortunately. Windows 7 for cheap is a no-go for me.

Those computers look great and I'm going to look around NCIX a whole lot more! Thank you so much Firestorm. The only thing that slightly bothers me is the idea of a Mini-Tower... just how small are they? My current computer is a Mini-HP that my grandparents bought a while ago and it's nearly impossible to change out parts due to it being so cramped. Will I have problems with that?

 

[Hawkian]

Here's a mild poser. I've been toying with getting the prebuilt (going against *every single* geek bone in my body, but hey) Warbird system from Yoyotech mentioned by Brainstew back in Post #9780; at the moment I'm holding out a little because 7 is *so* imminent I may as well wait until they come with it by default rather than having to install Vista and then a short time later install 7.

However, there's a small issue, and the issue is my bedroom. It's unusually hot; not stifling, but rather warm, particularly in the height of summer - I'd estimate 26-29 degrees C; it doesn't help that I share the room with the house hot water tank. My current PC is prone to overheating, although I'm well aware that it's quite poorly cooled. I'm wondering if, in light of all that, I ought to avoid a system that's overclocked by default.

Even if it comes overclocked, you can underclock it to stock speeds if it will give you peace of mind.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

So, I've been looking at PSUs to go with my new GFX card (like u gaize recommended). But would a 550 W PSU be enough to power two 3,5" SATA HDDs, a DVD-RW, 8 GB DDR2 RAM, a Radeon HD 5770 1 GB GDDR5 and eventually a Phenom II X4 940, or should I get one with 600 W or more?

And, uh, since I can get a Radeon HD 5770 for about the same price as a HD 4870, I guess I should get the HD 5770?

 

[Druz]

CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified

CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000)

MSI P55-GD80 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model

SAMSUNG P2370 High glossy black 23" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor

Is my current build. Not gonna bother with a DVD-ROM just yet and I'm cringing at the though of plunking $380 on a video card. Any thoughts on 5750 in Crossfire? Any thoughts on RAM that isn't overkill like mine?

 

[Firestorm]

A student of the high-school variety, unfortunately. Windows 7 for cheap is a no-go for me.

Those computers look great and I'm going to look around NCIX a whole lot more! Thank you so much Firestorm. The only thing that slightly bothers me is the idea of a Mini-Tower... just how small are they? My current computer is a Mini-HP that my grandparents bought a while ago and it's nearly impossible to change out parts due to it being so cramped. Will I have problems with that?

I have that case and everything fits fine. Only issue is my GTX 275 which is really long (10.5" I believe) which means one of my HDD bays is unusable. That's fine as there are still 4 free ones (using 2 now). You can look at larger towers. Like this one:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24294&vpn=SONATA III 500&manufacture=ANTEC&promoid=1192

Do not buy the power supply in this case as the Sonata III comes with a great PSU.

Or this one:
http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/115378/COOLERMASTER/RC_690_KKN1/

CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified

CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000)

MSI P55-GD80 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model

SAMSUNG P2370 High glossy black 23" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor

Is my current build. Not gonna bother with a DVD-ROM just yet and I'm cringing at the though of plunking $380 on a video card. Any thoughts on 5750 in Crossfire? Any thoughts on RAM that isn't overkill like mine?

If you don't want to spend $380, why not $280 on the 5850 and grab another one when it's cheap?

 

[Druz]

If you don't want to spend $380, why not $280 on the 5850 and grab another one when it's cheap?

Will do

 

[FoxSpirit]

Why no DVD-ROM? Can you even buy CD-ROMs nowadays?

Not to mention a CD/DVD writer is $30.

 

[Nabs]

the i5 750 is only $140 or $150 @ microcenter. i added it to my cart w/ a few other items and it changed to $140.

i'm thinking of either going w/ that or the i7 860 for $229

 

[Danne-Danger]

Quick question:

Is there any point to getting Vista 32-bit for gaming? Given that I only have 2GB of ram, would that be a problem with Vista being such a memory hog?

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Quick question:

Is there any point to getting Vista 32-bit for gaming? Given that I only have 2GB of ram, would that be a problem with Vista being such a memory hog?

Why not just get Windows 7 instead of Vista?

 

[Firestorm]

Quick question:

Is there any point to getting Vista 32-bit for gaming? Given that I only have 2GB of ram, would that be a problem with Vista being such a memory hog?

Get Windows 7 64-bit if your CPU is 64-bit (Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Phenom II, i5, i7).

 

[Danne-Danger]

Why not just get Windows 7 instead of Vista?

Because I can get 32-bit for free and would have to pay for Vista 64/Windows 7.

It would be temprorary (so I can play Shattered Horizon), I just don't want to do it if it has a significant impact on performance.

 

[Daigoro]

Good to hear it worked out. What OS are you running if I may ask? Just kinda curious.

vista 64 ultimate.

i just realized this morning that part of my problem (the driver issue, not the original performance issue) was completely my fault. i had the XP64 drivers, not the Vista ones downloaded. so thats where the issue trying to install new drivers came from. ug! :lol

still dunno what the original issue was though. everything went ballistic after i tried to play Stalker that morning.

maybe it was a corrupt driver to begin with.

thanks.

 

[Druz]

Why no DVD-ROM? Can you even buy CD-ROMs nowadays?

Not to mention a CD/DVD writer is $30.

Because everything is downloadable nowadays. Games included, so I don'tknow what I'd need one for right away.

 

[Broseybrose]

Because everything is downloadable nowadays. Games included, so I don'tknow what I'd need one for right away.

to install your OS?

 

[Druz]

to install your OS?

I already have 7 installed on my new HD, won't need to do it again when the rest of the parts arrive

 

[equap]

is the i7 750 a good cpu for gaming, photoshop, transcoding mkv to ps3, and light video editing??

it's the cheapest of the i series....i'd get the 860 but it's too expensive on newegg (no microcenter near by).

 

[Druz]

is the i7 750 a good cpu for gaming, photoshop, transcoding mkv to ps3, and light video editing??

it's the cheapest of the i series....i'd get the 860 but it's too expensive on newegg (no microcenter near by).

the i5 750 is hilariously good. The 80 dollar increase for the i7 860 is unjustified.

 

[Salaadin]

Ok bit of an issue...

I got my mobo speaker in today. Booted up and I hear the short "normal" beep but the moment it hits the "detecting OS" screen, I get a screechy long, continuous beep. The guide mentions that long and continuous is caused by the gfx card not being inserted properly. It doesnt mention anything about a short beep followed by the long one, though. Also, I get picture from the gfx card just fine.

Could it be something else? could it just be yelling at me because I have no OS installed yet?

 

[Druz]

Ok bit of an issue...

I got my mobo speaker in today. Booted up and I hear the short "normal" beep but the moment it hits the "detecting OS" screen, I get a screechy long, continuous beep. The guide mentions that long and continuous is caused by the gfx card not being inserted properly. It doesnt mention anything about a short beep followed by the long one, though. Also, I get picture from the gfx card just fine.

Could it be something else? could it just be yelling at me because I have no OS installed yet?

I'm pretty sure the first beep is just telling you it POSTed correctly. The second beep is from whatever your mobo tells you it is. Make sure you aren't mis translating, shit can get pretty loud when you have stuff improperly installed/cpu heatsink not properly distributing heat etcetce

 

[Salaadin]

It was whisper quiet until I installed that mobo speaker. Can I just unplug it and pretend like nothing is wrong?

 

[K.Jack]

It was whisper quiet until I installed that mobo speaker. Can I just unplug it and pretend like nothing is wrong?

Sure, why not? :lol

 

[evlcookie]

Does anyone here have water cooling / use it?

There seems to be a major drop in price on the thermaltake xaser VI models at the moment in australia and one joint is offering the case + the thermaltake Bigwater 780e Water cooling system built in. It sounds way too good to pass up. Some reviews state that the WC cooling isn't as awesome as custom rigs but better than air cooling.

I was looking at a new case for my system and this thing seems to be a beast in size, features and it now comes with a water cooling system.

So for those who use water cooling, how is it? Just some personal experiences would be great. I can of course rip it out if it sucks and replace it with a better cooling system down the line, unless they glued it in or something :lol

 

[Salaadin]

I read around online and cant find anyone with the same issue as me. Im confused.

I removed the gfx card and turned it on, got a series of different beeps that indicate gfx card error according to the manual.

I removed the mobo battery to reset CMOS and removed then re-inserted the RAM, put the gfx card back in and rebooted again.

The PC started up, I got the regular post beep. The PC then reset itself and gave me the regular post beep again. I turned away at this point so I couldnt see what happened next but I heard the regular post beep again (A good 5-10 seconds later) and then the long, continuous grinding beep that I had earlier.

Everything seems fine. Fans all work, Ram is detected. PC has been running 10 mins now with no issues.

EDIT: Also just set the BIOS to stop boot up if any BIOS error is detected. Its still booting to the "install OS" screen fine.

EDIT 2: Now with sound! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaArOPQN8Qk

 

[Khalid-S]

I am currently building a gaming pc. my budget is around 1500 dollars.

Intel Core i7-920 = $288
Intel P55 Micro ATX = $109
Radeon HD 5870 = $389
OCZ Obsidian 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 = $83
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200 RPM = $94
COOLER MASTER Centurion. SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 460W Power Supply = $84

Total is around 1050 right now. I can go up to 1500 dollars.. any better parts available for good prices? I'm thinking about a better case but I don't know which one to buy.

And Core i7 920 or 950?

Thanks in advance.

 

[SuperAwesome]

you can't use that CPU with that mobo, different sockets. i7 9xx = 1366 (X58); i7 7xx-8xx = 1156. (P55)

 

[Hawkian]

On liquid cooling:

I have it. Basically, it goes like this: If you're gonna get it, get it right. My old PC also had it but it was literally the cheapest liquid solution on the market. It was a maintenance nightmare and eventually the water block screamed to death, and I just switched back to air cooling. This PC came with it preinstalled, but it uses a much better unit (you can't see the liquid, but I can tell the tubes themselves are much higher quality, the radiator is quieter too) and my CPU temps really, really rock. I have ample room for when I'd like to overclock.

So basically, it's only worth it if you can spend the money to make it worth it. And for that money, you could probably get an air or passive solution that wasn't much louder. So, it's really up to you- just don't skimp if you decide to go for it.

 

[Druz]

I read around online and cant find anyone with the same issue as me. Im confused.

I removed the gfx card and turned it on, got a series of different beeps that indicate gfx card error according to the manual.

I removed the mobo battery to reset CMOS and removed then re-inserted the RAM, put the gfx card back in and rebooted again.

The PC started up, I got the regular post beep. The PC then reset itself and gave me the regular post beep again. I turned away at this point so I couldnt see what happened next but I heard the regular post beep again (A good 5-10 seconds later) and then the long, continuous grinding beep that I had earlier.

Everything seems fine. Fans all work, Ram is detected. PC has been running 10 mins now with no issues.

EDIT: Also just set the BIOS to stop boot up if any BIOS error is detected. Its still booting to the "install OS" screen fine.

EDIT 2: Now with sound! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaArOPQN8Qk

I would immediately suspect heatsink/cpu stuff. Can you get into BIOs and check your temps? Though my Abit board makes it sound like a ambulance siren

 

[Salaadin]

I would immediately suspect heatsink/cpu stuff. Can you get into BIOs and check your temps? Though my Abit board makes it sound like a ambulance siren

System Temp is 30-32C
CPU (i5 750) is 37-38C
All fans are running.


Someone suggested it was a bad capacitor and told me to send it back but I wanna troubleshoot a little more to be sure. I also sent an email off to Gigabyte.

For the hell of it, I also tried disconnecting the HDD and DVD drive. Still makes the noise. If I tinker with the HSF and CPU, am I going to need more thermal paste? I dont have any yet but its easy enough to get.

EDIT: Did I mention this? Its not the gfx card. I removed it completely and the buzzing still happens. Ill check the CPU tomorrow. I have work tomorrow and need to sleep. Thanks.

 

[equap]

System Temp is 30-32C
CPU (i5 750) is 37-38C
All fans are running.


Someone suggested it was a bad capacitor and told me to send it back but I wanna troubleshoot a little more to be sure. I also sent an email off to Gigabyte.

For the hell of it, I also tried disconnecting the HDD and DVD drive. Still makes the noise. If I tinker with the HSF and CPU, am I going to need more thermal paste? I dont have any yet but its easy enough to get.

more doesn't help and sometime will hurt the cpu.

i've learned that you should apply just enough and spread the paste so that it's almost transparent...paper thin.

 

[Swag]

I'm thinking about a better case but I don't know which one to buy.
Thanks in advance.

I got this with mine : Case

Cool, silent, efficient, and pretty easy to put together. I got mine with a PSU combo though so it brought the price down to like 221.99 for both.

Are there any guidelines to go by when buying a monitor, I'm leaning towards this but really dunno what any of those numbers mean :lol

 

[x3sphere]

the i5 750 is hilariously good. The 80 dollar increase for the i7 860 is unjustified.

The 860 has HT. Worth it if you will be running things that take advantage of 8 threads - such as x264 encoding. HT brings a nice speed up there. For games it won't make a difference though.

 

[ninjavanish]

Having a shit run of luck. My PS3 YLoD yesterday and today my gaming PC went into sleep mode and now it will not wake up (coma mode?). To top it all off, today is my birthday.

Symptoms:
Computer went to sleep and I cannot wake it up
Force restarting using the power or reset button does not wake the computer up
Monitor in "power save mode" and does not respond to restarting computer
USB wifi adapter shows activity (lights turn on) when I restart
USB keyboard and mouse do not show activity (lights do not turn on)

Solutions I've tried:
Unplugged tower, plugged back in, nothing.
Unplugged graphics card, booted, plugged in graphics card, reboot, nothing.
Try mouse/keyboard in all different USB ports (including the one that works for wifi adapter), nothing.

Has anyone else had this same problem with their PC and do you know of a solution?

 

[brain_stew]

Here's a mild poser. I've been toying with getting the prebuilt (going against *every single* geek bone in my body, but hey) Warbird system from Yoyotech mentioned by Brainstew back in Post #9780; at the moment I'm holding out a little because 7 is *so* imminent I may as well wait until they come with it by default rather than having to install Vista and then a short time later install 7.

However, there's a small issue, and the issue is my bedroom. It's unusually hot; not stifling, but rather warm, particularly in the height of summer - I'd estimate 26-29 degrees C; it doesn't help that I share the room with the house hot water tank. My current PC is prone to overheating, although I'm well aware that it's quite poorly cooled. I'm wondering if, in light of all that, I ought to avoid a system that's overclocked by default.

That system comes with some seriously beefy CPU cooling by default. Even at 4ghz, I'd actually be surprised if it didn't run cooler than your standard Dell box. I really can't understate how much of an upgrade a cooler with 4 copper U shaped heatpipes + 2 120mm fans is compared to stock cooling. Your CPU will be generating more heat, sure, but your cooler will get rid of that heat a hell of a lot quicker, so its a none issue.

If that doesn't quash your fears then spend the extra £40 to upgrade to the Lian Li case which has better airflow, and will make your PC all the more durable to boot. Heck, forget that and just pay the £100 for the full 3 year "parts and labour + upgrade service" warranty, so even if it does crap out you'll get it fixed for free anyway.

26-29C only seems hot because we live in the UK, that's considered par for the course elsewhere in the world, and yet people all over the place OC thier systems just fine.

 

[nubbe]

The 860 has HT. Worth it if you will be running things that take advantage of 8 threads - such as x264 encoding. HT brings a nice speed up there. For games it won't make a difference though.

In video encoding one gains 3~6 frames per second while encoding with HT so it would make encoding a video a few minutes faster.
For home users that encodes on occasion and don't use 20 or so passes while doing so... it is a waste to buy a i7.

HT and i7 is just about pointless for home users.

 

[Hawkian]

But it looks really cool how dxdiag says 8 cores :-[

 

[Salaadin]

I reset the HSF and CPU this morning and I still get the mobo speaker buzz. Im thinking that its the RAM or the mobo itself having problems and making the speaker buzz.

How trustworthy are mobo manufacturers RAM compatibility lists? The RAM Im using isnt listed but all the specs of it are correct. Gigabyte says right out that they dont test all RAM. Should I exchange for a type that is on the list? Id only be out the costs to send it back to newegg since the compatible stuff costs the same.

How good is newegg with their returns/exchanges? Am I pretty much guaranteed to be without RAM for at least a week if I exchange?

Is it possible to successfully boot a PC to post with no RAM installed? My logic here is that if theres no incompatible RAM inserted then the speaker shouldnt buzz (if the RAM is the issue) but Im wondering if it would even make it to post and since that buzz always seems to occur after post, I might not hear it anyways.

So far Ive booted without graphics card, DVD Drive, HDD, and wireless adapter and it still buzzed. I also tried booting without the keyboard plugged in, still buzzed. Reseat the RAM, tried both RAM sticks one at a time, still buzzed.

A friend of mine suggested I find another PC and listen to it post then replace that speaker with the one Im using and listen to it post again to see if it makes the buzz. He seems to think the speaker itself can be noisy. I doubt thats it but its worth a shot.

I want to try and rule out everything before I just send back the mobo.

 

[Hawkian]

Are you actually having any performance issues? I'm sure you don't want stress the machine, but can you get into windows and everything? Sorry if you already went over this.

 

[Salaadin]

Are you actually having any performance issues? I'm sure you don't want stress the machine, but can you get into windows and everything? Sorry if you already went over this.

Windows isnt installed yet. Im waiting on Win 7 and Should have that on Thursday.
A part of me wants to see how itll act when Win 7 is installed. Like you said, will I get performance issues or anything like that?

Right now, all I can do is enter the BIOS. Adjust the settings, view temps, etc. Everything there seems ok.
Fans all work. Lights are on.
Power switch and reset switch are are connected and working.
Mobo is screwed into the standoffs and not the actual case. Both cables from the PSU are connected.
BIOS detects all 4GBs of RAM.

What keeps striking me as odd is that the buzz seems to come after it posts. Every post beep Ive ever heard in my life sounds nothing like this buzz Im getting from the mobo speaker. It seems to post ok (short, small, "beep) and then goes into a full on screechy buzz a few seconds later. Heres the link again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaArOPQN8Qk

I cant find much like it on google, either. Everything relating to buzz almost always goes back to the actual components making the noise and not the mobo speaker itself. The closest was this: http://www.fixya.com/support/t164700-gigabyte_8knxp_motherboard_makes_built but theres no actual solution, though.

One other simple thing Im going to try is the PSU connections on the mobo. Ive done some wire management with some wires running thru pre-cut holes in the case. Im wondering if the wires are being pulled and maybe they arent as tightly connected to the mobo as they need to be.

EDIT:http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/ga-ep35c-dsr3-non-speaker-clicking-buzzing-humming-issue-27729/ Found this. I wonder if thats my issue

 

[DenogginizerOS]

I ordered a Velocity Micro Z30 recently. Should be here at the end of this month. It has:
1)Intel i5 750
2)Intel p55mtx
3)4GB DDR3 RAM
4)Nvidia GTX260
5)500GB HDD 7200RPM
6)Silver Aluminum Case
7) Windows 7 with no bloatware.
- $1183 shipped.
8)Samsung XL2370 - $270

Total plus tax on the monitor: ~$1474

Pretty happy. Can't wait to play Borderlands, L4D2, and Dragon Age.

 

[Hawkian]

Nice rig. I saw the price first and thought you got a little fucked til I saw you included the monitor. I'm sure you'll be very happy, it's gonna be pretty similar to my new rig and you can overclock that i5 like a whipping boy.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

Nice rig. I saw the price first and thought you got a little fucked til I saw you included the monitor. I'm sure you'll be very happy, it's gonna be pretty similar to my new rig and you can overclock that i5 like a whipping boy.

Thanks! The monitor is pretty amazing. I am not a huge Samsung fan but I could not ignore the specs, the reviews, or my eyes. I will hold off on the OC for now. I want to see more about these sockets over time.

 

[Niks]

Thanks! The monitor is pretty amazing. I am not a huge Samsung fan but I could not ignore the specs, the reviews, or my eyes.

That monitor certainly looks nice.. I was also looking at the DELL ST2410 that is 24"
Wich one would give the best IQ?

Hmm..
Decisions, decisions...

 

[DenogginizerOS]

That monitor certainly looks nice.. I was also looking at the DELL ST2410 that is 24"
Wich one would give the best IQ?

Hmm..
Decisions, decisions...

The XL2370 scored well in many reviews. It is a little hard to find right now but Best Buy has them. I am not a fan of Dell with their closing a plant locally that will cost about 1000 jobs right around the holidays.

 

[Frankfurter]

CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified

CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000)

MSI P55-GD80 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model

SAMSUNG P2370 High glossy black 23" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor

Is my current build. Not gonna bother with a DVD-ROM just yet and I'm cringing at the though of plunking $380 on a video card. Any thoughts on 5750 in Crossfire? Any thoughts on RAM that isn't overkill like mine?

850W is overkill, even for a 5850 oder 5870 Crossfire. I'd recommend ~650W for a Crossfire/SLI Setup.

 

[Minsc]

Nice rig. I saw the price first and thought you got a little fucked til I saw you included the monitor. I'm sure you'll be very happy, it's gonna be pretty similar to my new rig and you can overclock that i5 like a whipping boy.

Better make sure there's not a Foxconn socket before upping the voltages though, unless you want to end up with a fried CPU/Motherboard. Although it's an intel board, so probably doesn't have one?

 

[jordanv99]

I'm looking to build a new pc and don't have much (read: any) experience. My budget is about $1,050 including the monitor. I think I've got everything down that I need but I just want to make sure my PSU will be fine. Here's the list-

i5-750 - $160
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB - $75
Crucial 4 GB DDR3 - $80
GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD3R LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel - $140
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner - $31
Radeon 5850 - $260 (whenever it comes in stock)
23" monitor ~$180
=$926 +Shipping

That leaves me about $124 to spend on the case and PSU.

I just don't know what case and PSU to get. I'd prefer a case that doesn't have a door or has a door with a hinge on the right hand side (if those exist). I was thinking of getting the Antec Sonata III w/500w PSU from newegg for $110 but don't like that it has a door. Does anybody know of any good alternative case/PSU combo for under $120 I could get?

Last question: would a 500w PSU be enough for my setup? Thanks.

 

[Azure Dream]

So I took the suggestion of Brain_Stew and picked up this card for my aged rig, and a WD 750 Gig Caviar Black HD as well while it was on sale at NewEgg. The drive went in without issue and is functioning fine, then I put in the card... no video output, and the system clearly wasn't booting past a certain point. I tried output both through DVI and VGA, and with the case open, I could see the fan on the card was spinning, but after two or three install attempts, I rechecked the case, and it mentioned requiring a power supply of at least 400W. I pulled the power from my drives and tried a boot, still no visual.

For reference, my computer is a pretty much off-the-shelf Sony Vaio VGC-RA820G. The only major additions before this card were a 300 GB SATA Seagate HD, the WD 750 GB SATA I mentioned above, and an extra gig of RAM. I know it's old, that's been covered already.

Anyway, a new flier for NewEgg hit, and for $26 with free shipping I can get this power supply, 585W. Trouble is that I'm not sure if it's the right type of power supply for my PC. I've never purchased one before, so I'm not entirely sure what to look for. I just need something that will get the new card enough juice so everything will work happily along, this is probably the last upgrade I'll do to this computer. Do you think this will do the trick?

I snapped a shot of my current power supply's sticker for reference:

My motherboard's a PTGD-VX, if that helps.

 

[Salaadin]

Ok, went into BIOS and disabled all of the BIOS fan warnings. The buzz went away.

I then re-enabled one at a time and the culprits are System Fan 2, System Fan 1, and Power Fan.

With the case I am currently using, all of the fans (other than the CPU fan) connect directly to the PSU using 4 pin molex. I guess the mobo was detecting that there were no fans connected so it was giving off an error. I guess its safe to leave these disables since there isnt anything there, right?

All thanks to a poster on tomshardware. Im in love.