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[MoFuzz]

Do you think this will do the trick?

The +12V rail looks a little weak on that Delta PSU, it's only 24 amps total between the two. I'm guessing it's the pack-in that came with the Sony Vaio. You'll want at least a combined 30 amps on the +12V rail to run that video card.

A 400-500 watt supply should be fine as long as it's a quality made unit. Reputable brands like Corsair, Seasonic, OCZ, BFG are more important than the total watts advertised.

How about this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371023

It's about $10 more, but that's a small price to pay for a reliable, efficient power supply that won't blow up on you and fry your components along with it.

Then again, it sounds like this PC is at the end of its life cycle in terms of what you can upgrade with it. If you wanted to spend about $25-$30 more you could get something that could power your next build should that be something you'd want to do in the near future.

 

[Draff]

So based on Firestorm's recommendations, I'm looking at replacing my computer finally.

This is basically what I'm considering right now and my main priority is a quiet computer capable of some mid-level gaming. How does this look?

Antec P183
Antec CP-850 (overkill?)
P55 Bundle Deal Core I5 750 2.66GHZ CPU G.SKILL 4GB DDR3-1600 C7 Gigabyte P55-UD3R Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB
XFX Radeon HD 4890

Scythe Mugen 2 CPU cooler
Arctic Cooling Accelero Twin Turbo VGA Cooler to replace the stock cooler on the 4890

I'm a bit over-budget but so far, do you think the system will be quiet enough?

 

[SapientWolf]

So based on Firestorm's recommendations, I'm looking at replacing my computer finally.

This is basically what I'm considering right now and my main priority is a quiet computer capable of some mid-level gaming. How does this look?

Antec P183
Antec CP-850 (overkill?)
P55 Bundle Deal Core I5 750 2.66GHZ CPU G.SKILL 4GB DDR3-1600 C7 Gigabyte P55-UD3R Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB
XFX Radeon HD 4890

Scythe Mugen 2 CPU cooler
Arctic Cooling Accelero Twin Turbo VGA Cooler to replace the stock cooler on the 4890

I'm a bit over-budget but so far, do you think the system will be quiet enough?

I would take the 5770 over the 4890, and that bundle deal isn't really a deal unless the shipping is free. And even then, you could get the same prices on Amazon. They just artificially inflated the prices before they "discounted" them.

Yes, the 850 is ridiculous overkill unless you plan on doing crossfire but a lower rated PSU might run louder/hotter.

 

[equap]

is this a good brand? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817226001

i never heard of it.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

is this a good brand? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817226001

i never heard of it.

I'd definitely buy a brand that is well known instead.

 

[SapientWolf]

I'd definitely buy a brand that is well known instead.

That, or make sure that it has thermal protection, over voltage protection, over current protection and overload protection. That way it will just shut down if there's something wrong instead of destroying everything in your PC.

 

[equap]

this is the MB i'm thinking about http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128404

and i'm looking up RAM for it right now but the spec of the MB says "Memory Standard DDR3 2200/1333/1066/800"

can i use RAM at different speed like 1600 (more selections)??

 

[Lostconfused]

this is the MB i'm thinking about http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128404

and i'm looking up RAM for it right now but the spec of the MB says "Memory Standard DDR3 2200/1333/1066/800"

can i use RAM at different speed like 1600 (more selections)??

Except core i5 CPUs max out at 1333MHz ram speeds right now i think. So RAM speed is not a big deal right now, unless you are very serious about overcloking.

Edit: Also what kind of a video card are you planing to use? Any of the more current video cards probably wont fit well with that motherboard, there is no room between the PCI-E slot and the RAM slots unless you use the 2nd down.

 

[equap]

Except core i5 CPUs max out at 1333MHz ram speeds right now i think. So RAM speed is not a big deal right now, unless you are very serious about overcloking.

Edit: Also what kind of a video card are you planing to use?

the 5770. you think that will fit with the Micro ATX? the MB doesn't have to be uATX.

i5 is max out at 1333MHz?? but the spec of the MB has a 2200 speed...is that for overclocking or something?

 

[Lostconfused]

the 5770. you think that will fit with the Micro ATX? the MB doesn't have to be uATX.

i5 is max out at 1333MHz?? but the spec of the MB has a 2200 speed...is that for overclocking or something?

Sorry I still haven't thoroughly figured out how RAM works so i am an idiot concerning this. But I can tell you that the 5770 won't fit in the top PCI-E slot because the RAM will get in the way. And you need to get ram thats rated at 1.65V or lower, it has something to do with the voltage the CPU will be under and if the ram is higher than 1.65V there is supposedly risk of burning out the CPU. Again i am not entirely solid on this so do your own research as well, unless somebody else here has better explanation/details.

 

[Romance Pie]

Sorry I still haven't thoroughly figured out how RAM works so i am an idiot concerning this. But I can tell you that the 5770 won't fit in the top PCI-E slot because the RAM will get in the way. And you need to get ram thats rated at 1.65V or lower, it has something to do with the voltage the CPU will be under and if the ram is higher than 1.65V there is supposedly risk of burning out the CPU. Again i am not entirely solid on this so do your own research as well, unless somebody else here has better explanation/details.

The 5770 will fit fine in the top slot, by a mm or two. Just stick in the ram first then add the vid card after.

All DDR3 is 1.65 volts by default. When OCing the ram, you would bump up the voltage to help with stability and that can damage the CPU.

 

[Lostconfused]

The 5770 will fit fine in the top slot, by a mm or two. Just stick in the ram first then add the vid card after.

Ok fine, well then an nvidia GTX video card would definitely not fit or at least mine didn't.

 

[Druz]

I sick of the 5850s being out of stock. I saw them in stock this morning but didn't see the significance. I wanted an XFX one for the lifetime warranty but its been deactivated on Newegg.

 

[Bananakin]

I figure I'd be stupid to buy a new pc without getting gaf's opinion. So here's my current build:

CPU: Core i5 750 - $234
Video card: Radeon HD 5750 - $160
Motherboard: MSI P55-CD53 - $135
Ram: 4GB (2x2GB) G.SKILL Ripjaws DDR3-1333 - $105
Case: Antec Sonata III w/500W power supply - $149
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - $125
HD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200 RPM SATA2 - $54
SSD: OCZ Vertex 60GB SATA2 - $246
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223B/BEBE 22X DVD+-RW - $34
Monitor: Samsung 2343BWX 23IN Widescreen 2048x1152 - $209 (this was simply the cheapest 23in - don't know anything about monitors)
Total (including $50 assembly fee at NCIX): $1502

Now, I'll be price matching all these parts at other sites, so I should be able to drop a good $100 at least from that. If the prices seem a bit high, it may be cause I live in Canada. Also, keep in mind though that this won't be a gaming computer at all. Makes it a bit weird to ask people on a gaming forum, I know, but you guys seem to have a lot of general computer knowledge.

What do you think?

 

[Druz]

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.

Shit thats what I mean when I said it sounds like an ambulance. My fans regularly don't start or spin slowly for some reason. Turned off the notifications to fix it. I could have helped you this whole time but I'm dumb.

 

[Red]

Any suggestions for a "good" wireless keyboard/mouse solution for gaming? I'm thinking a G7 as a mouse, I hear the battery isn't great but it comes with an extra set and I don't mind having to switch them if they're rechargeable. Haven't come up with much for a keyboard, though. Rechargeable batteries are a plus. Looking for as little input lag as possible.

 

[Darkflight]

Okey dokey, I now have all the components picked out - note I haven't price matched any of this yet.

Rip this apart PC-GAF if you would

Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz Socket 1366 8MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166528...roduct_reviews - £441.18inc vat

Sapphire Technology ATI Radeon 5870 HD 1GB DDR5 PCI-Express DVI (Includes Colin McRae: Dirt 2 Voucher) - http://www.dabs.com/products/sapphir...efs=4294950394 - £299.00 inc vat

Asus Triton 88 Socket i7, 775, 754, 939, AM2+ Processor Cooler - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158469 - £51.15inc vat

x2 (Already have 1x 1TB drive) - Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/173804 - Now £56.96 inc vat

ASUS Rampage II Extreme iX58 Socket 1366 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard - £257.09inc vat - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/160932

Corsair 1000W HX PSU - 6x PCI-E, 10x SATA - Modular Design with 5 Year - £160.82inc vat - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143019

Corsair 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz XMS3 Memory CL9(9-9-9-24) for i7 motherboards - £109.99inc vat - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152637

£1376.19 - not including delivery and not price-matched with other sites

As I mentioned in my previous post when I didn't have the motherboard and memory picked out, I will be using my coolermaster stacker 830 case which should hopefully be sufficient for all of this (its bloody huge and awesome)

 

[nubbe]

Also, keep in mind though that this won't be a gaming computer at all.

What do you think?

Gonna use it for Youtube and Porntube?
A HTPC?

Rip this apart PC-GAF if you would

I'll rip at the i7 right away.

Also, the PSU is excessive. A good 600W PSU is good enough for everything.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Okey dokey, I now have all the components picked out - note I haven't price matched any of this yet.

Rip this apart PC-GAF if you would



As I mentioned in my previous post when I didn't have the motherboard and memory picked out, I will be using my coolermaster stacker 830 case which should hopefully be sufficient for all of this (its bloody huge and awesome)

I agree with nubbe. Get a different power supply, that one is just a waste of money. You can find a strong reliable one with 600W that is enough for your system. I think the processor is a waste of money, one of the ones I think is overpriced. Either get the 2.66Ghz i7 if you're bent on an i7 or get a cheaper i5.

I figure I'd be stupid to buy a new pc without getting gaf's opinion. So here's my current build:

CPU: Core i5 750 - $234
Video card: Radeon HD 5750 - $160
Motherboard: MSI P55-CD53 - $135
Ram: 4GB (2x2GB) G.SKILL Ripjaws DDR3-1333 - $105
Case: Antec Sonata III w/500W power supply - $149
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - $125
HD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200 RPM SATA2 - $54
SSD: OCZ Vertex 60GB SATA2 - $246
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223B/BEBE 22X DVD+-RW - $34
Monitor: Samsung 2343BWX 23IN Widescreen 2048x1152 - $209 (this was simply the cheapest 23in - don't know anything about monitors)
Total (including $50 assembly fee at NCIX): $1502

Now, I'll be price matching all these parts at other sites, so I should be able to drop a good $100 at least from that. If the prices seem a bit high, it may be cause I live in Canada. Also, keep in mind though that this won't be a gaming computer at all. Makes it a bit weird to ask people on a gaming forum, I know, but you guys seem to have a lot of general computer knowledge.

What do you think?

Is there something in particular you plan on using it for? I would get a better company's harddrive than seagate but that is my own general dislike towards them. The rest seems good in general. I don't know if I'd get a SSD but that's just personal opinion. Have you looked at the intel SSD for prices? Unless something changed they were by far the best so far and all in the same price range.

 

[Minsc]

I agree with nubbe. Get a different power supply, that one is just a waste of money. You can find a strong reliable one with 600W that is enough for your system. I think the processor is a waste of money, one of the ones I think is overpriced. Either get the 2.66Ghz i7 if you're bent on an i7 or get a cheaper i5.



Is there something in particular you plan on using it for? I would get a better company's harddrive than seagate but that is my own general dislike towards them. The rest seems good in general. I don't know if I'd get a SSD but that's just personal opinion. Have you looked at the intel SSD for prices? Unless something changed they were by far the best so far and all in the same price range.

Reviewers (such as anandtech) have basically said buying a blazing fast new computer without getting a fast SSD is like buying a porsche or sports car and not leaving 1st gear.

 

[Cheeto]

I figure I'd be stupid to buy a new pc without getting gaf's opinion. So here's my current build:

CPU: Core i5 750 - $234
Video card: Radeon HD 5750 - $160
Motherboard: MSI P55-CD53 - $135
Ram: 4GB (2x2GB) G.SKILL Ripjaws DDR3-1333 - $105
Case: Antec Sonata III w/500W power supply - $149
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - $125
HD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200 RPM SATA2 - $54
SSD: OCZ Vertex 60GB SATA2 - $246
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223B/BEBE 22X DVD+-RW - $34
Monitor: Samsung 2343BWX 23IN Widescreen 2048x1152 - $209 (this was simply the cheapest 23in - don't know anything about monitors)
Total (including $50 assembly fee at NCIX): $1502

Now, I'll be price matching all these parts at other sites, so I should be able to drop a good $100 at least from that. If the prices seem a bit high, it may be cause I live in Canada. Also, keep in mind though that this won't be a gaming computer at all. Makes it a bit weird to ask people on a gaming forum, I know, but you guys seem to have a lot of general computer knowledge.

What do you think?

I think you're spending a ton more money than you have to if you aren't going to game on it.

 

[Firestorm]

I figure I'd be stupid to buy a new pc without getting gaf's opinion. So here's my current build:

CPU: Core i5 750 - $234
Video card: Radeon HD 5750 - $160
Motherboard: MSI P55-CD53 - $135
Ram: 4GB (2x2GB) G.SKILL Ripjaws DDR3-1333 - $105
Case: Antec Sonata III w/500W power supply - $149
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - $125
HD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200 RPM SATA2 - $54
SSD: OCZ Vertex 60GB SATA2 - $246
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223B/BEBE 22X DVD+-RW - $34
Monitor: Samsung 2343BWX 23IN Widescreen 2048x1152 - $209 (this was simply the cheapest 23in - don't know anything about monitors)
Total (including $50 assembly fee at NCIX): $1502

Now, I'll be price matching all these parts at other sites, so I should be able to drop a good $100 at least from that. If the prices seem a bit high, it may be cause I live in Canada. Also, keep in mind though that this won't be a gaming computer at all. Makes it a bit weird to ask people on a gaming forum, I know, but you guys seem to have a lot of general computer knowledge.

What do you think?

NCIX sale starts Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. You didn't look at sale prices for any of those so it should be a decent amount cheaper.

For CPU/Motherboard/RAM, this bundle is more appealing imo:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=43260&promoid=1192
$449.98 - $20 MIR. Gigabyte is a brand I trust more than MSI.

The case is on sale often for $109.99.

Only get Windows 7 from there if you are not a student. Otherwise, wait a bit and install Windows yourself.

I also dislike Seagate, so I'd get the WD Caviar Black 640GB if it's on sale again (was $66 last week, usually $73 on sale): http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=34286

What will the computer be used for if not gaming? That's a ton of money to spend if it's not going to play any games too.

 

[Bananakin]

Thanks for the responses. I'll be using it for day-to-day general computer use, of course, but the most computationally intensive stuff that I'll be doing is hd video editing, and dvd ripping. Realistically, I know that what I have there is probably overkill, but I just can't help myself when it comes to computers. Plus, I have the cash.

I'm torn about the SSD. On the one hand, every review I've read suggests that they're awesome. On the other hand, I could just drop that from my build without changing anything else and I'd pocket $250. As for OCZ vs. Intel, the problem there is to go Intel I'd have to bump it up to 80GB, and then I'd be looking at around $315 or more, iirc. Don't know if an Intel would be that much better to be worth it, especially since 60GB is plenty for OS+applications. In any case, I might decide to just forgo the SSD for now and pick one up somewhere down the road. That'd put the whole thing into a much more reasonable sub-$1200 range (with monitor and os, mind you).

As for Windows 7 - I'm no longer a student, but I do know plenty of people in university. I might be able to get it from one of them, once Microsoft starts up the Canadian equivalent to win741. My only concern was that I heard it only gave you one install, which I thought might prove annoying.

Firestorm - thanks, that bundle looks good. I'll be sure to check for sales tonight.

 

[nubbe]

If you are going to edit videos you might need more space.
So dropping the SSD for larger drives and striping them might be a better idea.

AMD also dropped the price on their CPU's and released some power efficient ones.
But they aren't as hot for video editing as the i5.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3663&p=4

 

[D4Danger]

Not sure if this is the right thread but I didn't want to make a new one

Are any of the 2.4GHz wireless mice good enough for gaming? The last wireless mouse I had as about 3/4 years ago and it was total crap.

I'm looking at either the Microsoft Explorer Mouse or the Microsoft Wireless Mouse 5000.

Both are 2.4GHz and both use bluetrack. I just wondered if anyone has one/has used one and if they're any good.

 

[Red]

Not sure if this is the right thread but I didn't want to make a new one

Are any of the 2.4GHz wireless mice good enough for gaming? The last wireless mouse I had as about 3/4 years ago and it was total crap.

I'm looking at either the Microsoft Explorer Mouse or the Microsoft Wireless Mouse 5000.

Both are 2.4GHz and both use bluetrack. I just wondered if anyone has one/has used one and if they're any good.

I'm wondering the same thing, looking for a good wireless mouse/keyboard combo (don't have to be the same brand or anything, just have to work well together).

MS mice are terrible for gaming wired or wireless, go with logitech. I have a G5, which is wired and it's pretty much the best gaming mouse i've ever owned.

I'm using a G5 right now, too. It's fantastic. I hear the G7 is just as good, but that still leaves open the question of a keyboard (I recommend a logitech mouse, D4Danger).

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Not sure if this is the right thread but I didn't want to make a new one

Are any of the 2.4GHz wireless mice good enough for gaming? The last wireless mouse I had as about 3/4 years ago and it was total crap.

I'm looking at either the Microsoft Explorer Mouse or the Microsoft Wireless Mouse 5000.

Both are 2.4GHz and both use bluetrack. I just wondered if anyone has one/has used one and if they're any good.

MS mice are terrible for gaming wired or wireless, go with logitech. I have a G5, which is wired and it's pretty much the best gaming mouse i've ever owned.

 

[Firestorm]

DDR2 RAM is freakin' skyrocketing. Anyone have thoughts about this one?
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000JD9T96/

Edit: or these:
http://www.infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=352394

Thanks for the responses. I'll be using it for day-to-day general computer use, of course, but the most computationally intensive stuff that I'll be doing is hd video editing, and dvd ripping. Realistically, I know that what I have there is probably overkill, but I just can't help myself when it comes to computers. Plus, I have the cash.

I'm torn about the SSD. On the one hand, every review I've read suggests that they're awesome. On the other hand, I could just drop that from my build without changing anything else and I'd pocket $250. As for OCZ vs. Intel, the problem there is to go Intel I'd have to bump it up to 80GB, and then I'd be looking at around $315 or more, iirc. Don't know if an Intel would be that much better to be worth it, especially since 60GB is plenty for OS+applications. In any case, I might decide to just forgo the SSD for now and pick one up somewhere down the road. That'd put the whole thing into a much more reasonable sub-$1200 range (with monitor and os, mind you).

As for Windows 7 - I'm no longer a student, but I do know plenty of people in university. I might be able to get it from one of them, once Microsoft starts up the Canadian equivalent to win741. My only concern was that I heard it only gave you one install, which I thought might prove annoying.

Firestorm - thanks, that bundle looks good. I'll be sure to check for sales tonight.

Well, is there a reason you don't want to play games on the PC? Because if you're dropping money on a new PC I don't see why not. It would be an extra $100 for a 4890 or just extra $40. Or if you really want to stick with the 5xxx line, $35 for the 5770 which performs close to the 4870. The 5770 offered free shipping for your entire order last week so if they have that promo again it might be worth it as shipping is like $50+ to MB when I checked last.

Oh, and if you graduated recently from a technical program like Comp Sci or Engineering, it doesn't hurt to check and see if you can still log into the MSDNAA store for your faculty =P
http://www.msdnaa.net/search/schoolsearch.aspx

Edit: Actually the Sapphire 5770 can be price matched for $169.99: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102858

 

[alisdair]

Are any of the 2.4GHz wireless mice good enough for gaming?

I have a Logitech MX Revolution Bluetooth mouse, which I can sort of recommend.

In normal operation it's completely fine, but every so often it completely drops out for about a second. I haven't been able to work out what's causing the problem, although moving the Bluetooth dongle from the back of the case to the front USB port seemed to help. If I still played online games competitively it would drive me insane.

Since I don't play competitive games, I'm really glad not to have a giant cable going across the room to my TV. And when it's working fine (which really is almost all the time, like 9/10 gaming sessions are glitch-free) there's no noticeable input lag. It's great.

 

[D4Danger]

MS mice are terrible for gaming wired or wireless, go with logitech. I have a G5, which is wired and it's pretty much the best gaming mouse i've ever owned.

I've always used Microsoft peripherals. I've had no problems with them in about 10 years so I've got no reason to change.

I'm also not the only person who uses this PC so those funky "gaming" mice are out of the question.

I have a Logitech MX Revolution Bluetooth mouse, which I can sort of recommend.

In normal operation it's completely fine, but every so often it completely drops out for about a second. I haven't been able to work out what's causing the problem, although moving the Bluetooth dongle from the back of the case to the front USB port seemed to help. If I still played online games competitively it would drive me insane.

Since I don't play competitive games, I'm really glad not to have a giant cable going across the room to my TV. And when it's working fine (which really is almost all the time, like 9/10 gaming sessions are glitch-free) there's no noticeable input lag. It's great.

Thanks for the input. I'm not playing competitively or anything. I just play Team Fortress 2 from time to time.

The last wireless mouse I had I bought when I got my new computer and I tried to play Half-Life 2 with it and it was like watching a slideshow at times. It would just jerk all over the screen and drop out constantly.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

I've always used Microsoft peripherals. I've had no problems with them in about 10 years so I've got no reason to change.

I'm also not the only person who uses this PC so those funky "gaming" mice are out of the question.

Nothing "funky" about it, it's a regular laser mouse with more options/buttons and a far superior scroll wheel.

MS mice have no "click" on the scroll wheel, which is what most FPS' use for weapon switch. It's just a smooth motion. This is unbelievably annoying when your in the middle of a game. They also usually have less buttons, meaning it's harder to assign functions. Also you can adjust the DPI of the logitech mouse on the fly with a button press. It also comes with weights so you can adjust how heavy or light it is. MS mice are great for general office use, gaming not so much.

 

[SapientWolf]

Reviewers (such as anandtech) have basically said buying a blazing fast new computer without getting a fast SSD is like buying a porsche or sports car and not leaving 1st gear.

Really? Doesn't W7 tend to cache what you need into memory anyway? RAM is faster than your HDD by several powers of 10, and processor cache is even faster than that.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Reviewers (such as anandtech) have basically said buying a blazing fast new computer without getting a fast SSD is like buying a porsche or sports car and not leaving 1st gear.

I understand the sentiment but for the price and the size of the drive if he's just doing normally putzing around on it and not gaming or anything is the hard drive speed that restrictive that it wouldn't make the most of his new computer? I know they're faster but if you're not doing much to take advantage of it it seems like an awful lot of money to spend on that component.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

DDR2 RAM is freakin' skyrocketing. Anyone have thoughts about this one?
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000JD9T96/

Edit: or these:
http://www.infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=352394

Well, is there a reason you don't want to play games on the PC? Because if you're dropping money on a new PC I don't see why not. It would be an extra $100 for a 4890 or just extra $40. Or if you really want to stick with the 5xxx line, $35 for the 5770 which performs close to the 4870. The 5770 offered free shipping for your entire order last week so if they have that promo again it might be worth it as shipping is like $50+ to MB when I checked last.

Oh, and if you graduated recently from a technical program like Comp Sci or Engineering, it doesn't hurt to check and see if you can still log into the MSDNAA store for your faculty =P
http://www.msdnaa.net/search/schoolsearch.aspx

Edit: Actually the Sapphire 5770 can be price matched for $169.99: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102858

How much is that ram normally if that's skyrocketing?

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Really? Doesn't W7 tend to cache what you need into memory anyway? RAM is faster than your HDD by several powers of 10, and processor cache is even faster than that.

It would be more accurate to say windows tries to cache what it thinks you are going to need. Having an SSD is like having your entire drive cached, more or less.

 

[Firestorm]

How much is that ram normally if that's skyrocketing?

I mean more that that's the only set I can find for <$60
Also found this: http://www.memoryhouse.com/products/3193/A_Data_Technology/ADQVE1B16K/

How's A-Data?

Edit: seems to have 600+ 5/5 reviews on Newegg and has heat spreaders. Think this might be a better bet. Also rated at a faster speed than the Kingston.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I mean more that that's the only set I can find for <$60
Also found this: http://www.memoryhouse.com/products/3193/A_Data_Technology/ADQVE1B16K/

How's A-Data?

It looks even more expensive in the US from searching newegg. :/ I don't know much about A-Data but I haven't heard anything horribly awful about them so maybe they're acceptable? How much more is a respectable brand?

 

[Crazymoogle]

I understand the sentiment but for the price and the size of the drive if he's just doing normally putzing around on it and not gaming or anything is the hard drive speed that restrictive that it wouldn't make the most of his new computer? I know they're faster but if you're not doing much to take advantage of it it seems like an awful lot of money to spend on that component.

The thing is, it's typical use that gets the biggest boost out of the SSD. Things like that pause on bootup between being able to navigate Windows and actually load an app? Gone. The SSD is boosting bootup, shutdown, and general responsiveness.

I'm not going to put it ahead of other important things (eg: a modern processor, Windows 7, 4GB+ of RAM) but I'd rather have a 60GB SSD (with a cheap regular data drive) and a GTX 260 than a 280/4890/5870, for instance.

 

[Dennis]

Nothing "funky" about it, it's a regular laser mouse with more options/buttons and a far superior scroll wheel.

MS mice have no "click" on the scroll wheel, which is what most FPS' use for weapon switch. It's just a smooth motion. This is unbelievably annoying when your in the middle of a game. They also usually have less buttons, meaning it's harder to assign functions. Also you can adjust the DPI of the logitech mouse on the fly with a button press. It also comes with weights so you can adjust how heavy or light it is. MS mice are great for general office use, gaming not so much.

That is not true of all the MS mice though. I am using the MS Sidewinder X8 and it has click scroll, on the fly DPI adjustment (up to 4000 DPI) and lots of programmable buttons. I know that MS peripherals get a lot of hate, but I love my mouse - great for gaming!

 

[Firestorm]

It looks even more expensive in the US from searching newegg. :/ I don't know much about A-Data but I haven't heard anything horribly awful about them so maybe they're acceptable? How much more is a respectable brand?

$85+ =/ I'm trying to keep costs low as the budget is $700 with assembly.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

$85+ =/ I'm trying to keep costs low as the budget is $700 with assembly.

Ah, that sucks. That's kind of been the going rate since I built mine about 2 years ago. :/

 

[BravoSuperStar]

That is not true of all the MS mice though. I am using the MS Sidewinder X8 and it has click scroll, on the fly DPI adjustment (up to 4000 DPI) and lots of programmable buttons. I know that MS peripherals get a lot of hate, but I love my mouse - great for gaming!

I stand corrected. I do know the mouse that comes with the wireless desktop combo's is not like that, though.

 

[Minsc]

That is not true of all the MS mice though. I am using the MS Sidewinder X8 and it has click scroll, on the fly DPI adjustment (up to 4000 DPI) and lots of programmable buttons. I know that MS peripherals get a lot of hate, but I love my mouse - great for gaming!

I just got the same mouse as well. Came from a wired Logitech G2 or G5, I can't remember right now, but the Logitech was perhaps the best mouse I've ever used.

I'm still adjusting to the Microsoft X8 (only been two or three days with no long gaming periods), but the response time is identical to the wired Logitech mouse, and it's just as accurate. It seems to have just as many buttons, the scroll wheel is no better or worse, and "clicks" from one notch to the next, and the recharging while being able to use it is a great feature. All in all, a good wireless mouse, and if I adjust to the form of it, it will be a great one.

You can actually individually adjust the setting of the three DPI on the MS mouse from any of the preset amounts. The logitech is just three? preset DPIs.

 

[AstroLad]

Yes the X8 is very good. Charge lasts forever and no lag. Just takes a few days to get used to the form but wasn't an issue for me. Been using it for a few months now.

 

[Minsc]

Yes the X8 is very good. Charge lasts forever and no lag. Just takes a few days to get used to the form but wasn't an issue for me. Been using it for a few months now.

I have to say the documentation on the mouse is awful though, I thought the thing was broken when the LCD screen wasn't turning green or operating like the help file said. Guess it's for other mice, the screen only stays red, and I realized it is working correctly, but that drove me nuts for a little while.

It will never top the logitech, but still I think it's one of the best wireless mice I've used (I had another MS and a logitech one as well, I practically have a mouse museum, must have 6 or 7 perfectly fine mice in my computer desk).

Never went so far as to get into RAZR and multi hundred dollar mice, addiction ain't that bad!

 

[Manp]

just finished putting together my new pc... well, not really new, just my old hardware (c2q 9650, 8gb of ram, ati 4850) with a new case (cm690 pure black with window), psu (corsair 750hx), heat-sink (thermalright ultra 120 extreme black) and some cosmetic improvements (better cable management) :lol

sorry for the crappy iphone pics:

i'm pretty happy with it

 

[Romance Pie]

just finished putting together my new pc... well, not really new, just my old hardware (c2q 9650, 8gb of ram, ati 4850) with a new case (cm690 pure black with window), psu (corsair 750hx), heat-sink (thermalright ultra 120 extreme black) and some cosmetic improvements (better cable management) :lol

sorry for the crappy iphone pics:

pics

i'm pretty happy with it

Nice and clean, where did you get the noise blockers from? I couldn't find them here so I had to get noctuas.

 

[Nabs]

i'm putting together a list of parts for my new build now... getting close. i am either going i5 or i7 860, and trying to get the 5850.

What's a good case to get if i choose a card like the 5850?

i'm also looking for a good psu to power it all. recommendations?

thanks guys.

 

[Hazaro]

I have a Logitech MX Revolution Bluetooth mouse, which I can sort of recommend.

I'm also not the only person who uses this PC so those funky "gaming" mice are out of the question.

Thanks for the input. I'm not playing competitively or anything. I just play Team Fortress 2 from time to time.

MX Revolution for sure. It's a fantastic fantastic mouse imo. I don't play competitive, but I am pretty good at TF2 using it

I also had the dropping problem on my old mouse, but the problem went away. I think updating my graphics driver is what did it. Make sure you install uberoptions as well as that unlocks a multitude of functionality for your mouse.

i'm putting together a list of parts for my new build now... getting close. i am either going i5 or i7 860, and trying to get the 5850.

What's a good case to get if i choose a card like the 5850?

i'm also looking for a good psu to power it all. recommendations?

I still recommend the CM 690 by default, it's a nice case, cheap, roomy, good airflow.
Right now, Corsair 550w - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004
Yeah you can get combo deals on OCZ or other PSU's with good ratings for a few less dollars, but this thing is powering your computer for life and I know my 520w has taken a couple power outages for me.

 

[SapientWolf]

i'm putting together a list of parts for my new build now... getting close. i am either going i5 or i7 860, and trying to get the 5850.

What's a good case to get if i choose a card like the 5850?

i'm also looking for a good psu to power it all. recommendations?

thanks guys.

Get an i5 750 over the overpriced 860. I would get a case with good airflow, like the Antec 900 or Thermaltake V9. The blessed names for PSUs are Seasonic, Antec, FSP Group, Corsair, PC P&C, Enermax and OCZ. Get something with at least 36A on the 12v rail. 500W should be enough for your system.