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

Z

Zaraki_Kenpachi

Member
I'm having trouble with my computer... When I boot up now it goes to a black screen and it says your hard drive may need to be checked for consistency and then it goes through 3 steps and then boots into windows. It only started to do it recently and everything seems to be working fine except for it doing that. Is my hard drive going to die or what's going on?

DMPrince said:
i want to throw my PC out the door :\

Got the CPU cooler but it's so hard to attach it to the retention bracket. there must be an easier way.
Click to expand...

Retention bracket? What cooler did you get?
 
H

Helmholtz

Member
I should be doing hw said:
Can someone recommend a good keyboard and mouse combo? Or is just a Microsoft one good enough?
Click to expand...
Are you specifically looking for a combo? If you're using them for gaming, and want something beyond a basic mouse/keyboard, you might want to buy each separately. Personally any keyboard will do imo, but I'd recommend a mouse like the logitech G5 or mx518. Otherwise anything should do combo wise, but for games (particularly fps) I'd recommend getting a solid mouse.
 
S

scorcho

testicles on a cold fall morning
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
I'm having trouble with my computer... When I boot up now it goes to a black screen and it says your hard drive may need to be checked for consistency and then it goes through 3 steps and then boots into windows. It only started to do it recently and everything seems to be working fine except for it doing that. Is my hard drive going to die or what's going on
Click to expand...
are you only using Windows, or dual/triple booting with other systems? if your drive is NTFS and you have other OSs that have r/w support for NTFS they may be triggering Windows' built-in disc checker.
 
I

I should be doing hw

Member
Helmholtz said:
Are you specifically looking for a combo? If you're using them for gaming, and want something beyond a basic mouse/keyboard, you might want to buy each separately. Personally any keyboard will do imo, but I'd recommend a mouse like the logitech G5 or mx518. Otherwise anything should do combo wise, but for games (particularly fps) I'd recommend getting a solid mouse.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice. I realised that I really dislike regular keyboards after using a laptop exclusively for so long. I prefer the thin, flat buttons as opposed to the clunkier ones I see on PC keyboards.
I found the Razor Lycosa to answer my prayers :lol So now I will start hunting for that mouse, starting with the ones you listed. Cheers.
 
Z

Zaraki_Kenpachi

Member
scorcho said:
are you only using Windows, or dual/triple booting with other systems? if your drive is NTFS and you have other OSs that have r/w support for NTFS they may be triggering Windows' built-in disc checker.
Click to expand...

I'm dual booting xp/windows 7 but it's been that way since the RC started. I haven't booted into my XP partition in probably over a year... Not sure why it started in the past week.
 
M

MotherFan

Member
Ok, I have not seen any real tech question threads for PCs so I thought I would ask this here. I have a Phenom II x2 BE 550 3.1ghz stock and want to OC it to about 3.4. I have the AMD overdrive utility and it seems like it is simple to do, but I want to make sure I don't screw it up. It looks like, since it is a BE, all I have to do is raise the multipliers, but how do I know when I have to change the voltage and how much hotter the cpu will run?

Its running between 33-40 idle depending on the room temp and I have not seen it hit 50 even on load. It is on the stock cooler as well and I don't really want to upgrade to a better one unless it will be necessary.

So, what risks am I running and should I really even try it? I have OC'd GPUs in the past, but I guess I am a bit more nervous about doing it to a cpu.


Also, I have decided on getting a 5770 1g as an upgrade over my nvidia 9500gt 1g I have not seen benchmarks where they have been compared, but how much of an increase can I expect? I am hoping to play games like the witcher, DA,l4d and such (as well as emulated ps2 games) on high or max settings on my 1080p TV in the living room :D

Thanks for the help!
 
B

brain_stew

Member
MotherFan said:
Ok, I have not seen any real tech question threads for PCs so I thought I would ask this here. I have a Phenom II x2 BE 550 3.1ghz stock and want to OC it to about 3.4. I have the AMD overdrive utility and it seems like it is simple to do, but I want to make sure I don't screw it up. It looks like, since it is a BE, all I have to do is raise the multipliers, but how do I know when I have to change the voltage and how much hotter the cpu will run?

Its running between 33-40 idle depending on the room temp and I have not seen it hit 50 even on load. It is on the stock cooler as well and I don't really want to upgrade to a better one unless it will be necessary.

So, what risks am I running and should I really even try it? I have OC'd GPUs in the past, but I guess I am a bit more nervous about doing it to a cpu.


Also, I have decided on getting a 5770 1g as an upgrade over my nvidia 9500gt 1g I have not seen benchmarks where they have been compared, but how much of an increase can I expect? I am hoping to play games like the witcher, DA,l4d and such (as well as emulated ps2 games) on high or max settings on my 1080p TV in the living room :D

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

Don't ever OC in software, use the BIOS.
 
F

Firestorm

Member
I should be doing hw said:
Hmm, it seems both the Logitech G5 and the MX518 both have cords. I'm really after a cordless mouse.
Click to expand...
Look at the Revolution MX or if you want something smaller, the Revolution VX.
 
S

Smokey

Member
brain_stew said:
Well its a really nice rig and all but you're paying nearly $500 too much in my eyes. You can actually spec up a better gaming rig for $500 less, and what exactly do you need 12GB of RAM for? If you don't have a specific use for it, then you don't need it, trust me. 6GB is a heck of a lot of RAM.
Click to expand...

why is the i5 better for gaming than the i7?
 
D

Dead Prince

Banned
oh well. can't put in new CPU cooler. the bracket doesn't want to stay snapped on. i guess i'll keep it just for fun put in stock cooler for now. at least i got new PSU installed thank god.

I really need one where it screws down.
 
T

TrAcEr_x90

Member
Just finished upgrading my HP I got from last year. Put another 750gig hd and windows 7. Tonight I got in the mail my new video card. A radeon 5770, thankfully i got it to fit in the case. It freakin rooooocks. Despite having all of valves games, plus borderlands pc, I really didn't play too much, but now running all the games at super high settings is just awe inspring. Just played some left4dead and goooooodamn it looks good!
 
Minsc

Minsc

Gold Member
Smokey said:
why is the i5 better for gaming than the i7?
Click to expand...

It's not so much the i5 750 that's better than the i7 920 (it's a toss up, sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't), it's the fact that going with an i5 is a lot cheaper for the same performance (more or less).

Since it's a lot cheaper, you have extra money to spend elsewhere, like on the 5850 he mentioned which will be a huge improvement in a gaming rig, especially over a GTX 260, like the person had spec'd. Switching out his GPU can net I think a 50% improvement in framrate in some situations, while switching out the CPU is basically irrelevant to gaming.
 
B

bogg

Member
I'm looking for a good psu, is OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600W a good choice?
It's more than enough for my current setup, but I want a psu that I will still be able to use when I upgrade or build a new pc.
 
drkOne

drkOne

Member
Was thinking about doing a RAM upgrade on my PC (2GB right now), and it seems the prices on DDR2 6400 pairs went up to almost double.
Any reason on why this happened?
I remember seeing 2x2GB for around £35 back then, but now it's hard to find one for less than £70.

Did another type of RAM become the "standard" and thus cheaper?
 
R

Romance Pie

Member
bogg said:
I'm looking for a good psu, is OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600W a good choice?
It's more than enough for my current setup, but I want a psu that I will still be able to use when I upgrade or build a new pc.
Click to expand...

OCZ make a good PSU, and you can't go wrong with Corsair, Seasonic, Enermax or Antech. High efficiency, quiet, and modular are things to look for.

600 will be plenty for the future as companies are going for lower power consumption.
 
R

rohlfinator

Member
bogg said:
I'm looking for a good psu, is OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600W a good choice?
It's more than enough for my current setup, but I want a psu that I will still be able to use when I upgrade or build a new pc.
Click to expand...
I've been using that PSU for a few months now and have had zero problems (though I imagine problems tend to spring up more with age).

In retrospect I think I would have gone with a smaller capacity -- looking at the power consumption of the 5800 series and Lynnfield (my next likely upgrades), I doubt I'll ever get anywhere near 600W.
 
D

Dead Prince

Banned
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
I'm having trouble with my computer... When I boot up now it goes to a black screen and it says your hard drive may need to be checked for consistency and then it goes through 3 steps and then boots into windows. It only started to do it recently and everything seems to be working fine except for it doing that. Is my hard drive going to die or what's going on?



Retention bracket? What cooler did you get?
Click to expand...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004
 
K

KittyKittyBangBang

Member
drkOne said:
Was thinking about doing a RAM upgrade on my PC (2GB right now), and it seems the prices on DDR2 6400 pairs went up to almost double.
Any reason on why this happened?
I remember seeing 2x2GB for around £35 back then, but now it's hard to find one for less than £70.

Did another type of RAM become the "standard" and thus cheaper?
Click to expand...

I am in the same boat, I have been looking to put another 2GB stick in my rig and saw most went from ~25 to ~45 dollars in what seems like overnight

I think manufactures are trying to compensate for hike in manufacturing and chip costs.

The memory market has had rock-bottom prices for so long that they need to start trying to be profitable. Im just bummed I didnt get 4GB of RAM on the cheap while I could
 
C

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
Mkay, so, I got my new CPU, and there was indeed already applied cooling paste on the CPU cooler. But do I have to clean the CPU with rubbing alcohol to remove particles before putting the cooler on top of it?
 
ACH1LL3US

ACH1LL3US

Member
So..here is the system I am building , any ideas if this will be loud? Was hoping to keep it as quite as PS3.. any recomendations on how to make this a better build please let me know! :

Processor: Intel Core i7-920
Motherboard: EVGA E760 CLASSIFIED "Overclocker's Pick"
Video Card: Sapphire 5870 VAPOR-X
Memory: CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT 6GB (3 x 2GB)DDR3 1600 7,7,7,7,20
Hard Disk: {2 X} OCZ Agility EX Series OCZSSD2-1AGTEX60G 2.5" 60GB in RAID 0
DVD Burner: SONY BLU RAY
Monitor: Apple 20 inch Cinema Display
Keyboard: Logitech Illuminated Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech Performance MX
Mousepad: FUnC
Gamepad: Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller
Case: Silverstone TJ03
Power Supply: Seasonic X-750 modular PSU
CPU Heatsink: Corsair H50 with Feser/ Noiseblocker 120/55mm low speed 1250 rpm fan 21 dba
Rear Fan: {2x} Noiseblocker 80mm 1700 rpm M8-S2 14 DBA
Top Fan: Corsair H50 with Feser/ Noiseblocker 120/55mm low speed 1250 rpm fan 21dba
Front Fan: Noiseblocker 120/25 mm 1250rpm NB-Multiframe 1250 rpm 19 dba
 
Minsc

Minsc

Gold Member
Blackvette94 said:
So..here is the system I am building , any ideas if this will be loud? Was hoping to keep it as quite as PS3.. any recomendations on how to make this a better build please let me know! :

Processor: Intel Core i7-920
Motherboard: EVGA E760 CLASSIFIED "Overclocker's Pick"
Video Card: Sapphire 5870 VAPOR-X
Memory: CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT 6GB (3 x 2GB)DDR3 1600 7,7,7,7,20
Hard Disk: {2 X} OCZ Agility EX Series OCZSSD2-1AGTEX60G 2.5" 60GB in RAID 0
DVD Burner: SONY BLU RAY
Monitor: Apple 20 inch Cinema Display
Keyboard: Logitech Illuminated Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech Performance MX
Mousepad: FUnC
Gamepad: Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller
Case: Silverstone TJ03
Power Supply: Seasonic X-750 modular PSU
CPU Heatsink: Corsair H50 with Feser/ Noiseblocker 120/55mm low speed 1250 rpm fan 21 dba
Rear Fan: {2x} Noiseblocker 80mm 1700 rpm M8-S2 14 DBA
Top Fan: Corsair H50 with Feser/ Noiseblocker 120/55mm low speed 1250 rpm fan 21dba
Front Fan: Noiseblocker 120/25 mm 1250rpm NB-Multiframe 1250 rpm 19 dba
Click to expand...

Have apple's monitors gotten better? I remember them being pretty poor for gaming in the past (for the price).

The 5870s are supposed to be the quietest, loudest video cards. From what I read, they are much louder than other cards, when the fans are running at 100%, but they are the quietest as well, because even under full load, the fans do not need to run at past ~30%.
 
neoism

neoism

Member
Processor(Intel® Core™ i5 750 Processor (4x 2.66GHz/8MB L3 Cache))
Memory(8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1333 Memory
Video Card(ATI Radeon HD 5870 - 1GB - Single Card
Asus P7P55D PRO -- Intel P55 Chipset CrossFire and SLI Supported w/7.1 Sound, Dual-Channel DDR3, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, Three PCI-Ex16 MB
Motherboard(Asus P7P55D LE -- Intel P55 Chipset CrossFire
Power Supply(650 Watt -- Corsair CMPSU-650TX Power Supply - SLI Ready)
So, how's this, guys?
IE.. Crysis..
Should have it next week!
 
MoFuzz

MoFuzz

Member
Posted this in the o/t subnotebook thread, but I know more ppl check this one:

Is it fairly easy to do a re-format/re-install Windows on most netbooks?

I would like to do away with all the bloatware they come bundled with, and also partition the HDD the way I see fit.

I assume all that is needed is an external CD/DVD drive for Windows? I am eying the HP Mini 311 for anyone that has experience with that particular model.
 
B

brain_stew

Member
MoFuzz said:
Posted this in the o/t subnotebook thread, but I know more ppl check this one:

Is it fairly easy to do a re-format/re-install Windows on most netbooks?

I would like to do away with all the bloatware they come bundled with, and also partition the HDD the way I see fit.

I assume all that is needed is an external CD/DVD drive for Windows? I am eying the HP Mini 311 for anyone that has experience with that particular model.
Click to expand...

Was easy enough on my mam's Aspire one using a 360 HD DVD drive. You can do it from a mmory stick as well but its a little bit more of an involved process.
 
S

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
neoism said:
Processor(Intel® Core™ i5 750 Processor (4x 2.66GHz/8MB L3 Cache))
Memory(8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1333 Memory
Video Card(ATI Radeon HD 5870 - 1GB - Single Card
Asus P7P55D PRO -- Intel P55 Chipset CrossFire and SLI Supported w/7.1 Sound, Dual-Channel DDR3, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, Three PCI-Ex16 MB
Motherboard(Asus P7P55D LE -- Intel P55 Chipset CrossFire
Power Supply(650 Watt -- Corsair CMPSU-650TX Power Supply - SLI Ready)
So, how's this, guys?
IE.. Crysis..
Should have it next week!
Click to expand...
Do you have an Asus P7P55D PRO or an LE? Because I would downgrade to a 5850 before I downgraded to an P7P55D LE.
 
MoFuzz

MoFuzz

Member
brain_stew said:
Was easy enough on my mam's Aspire one using a 360 HD DVD drive. You can do it from a mmory stick as well but its a little bit more of an involved process.
Click to expand...

:lol That is the external drive that I'd be using. Thought I was the only one left who had one of these lying around.

There shouldn't be anything hardware-side that would prohibit this right? I'm always skeptical of this aspect when it comes to "name brand" prebuilt pc's, whether portable or desktop.
 
Minsc

Minsc

Gold Member
markot said:
Is there anyway to just copy the c: of my computer to a new HDD, or do I have to reinstall everything >.>?
Click to expand...

You need something like this, a drive imaging program. Acronis is probably one of the best ones, I've used it many a time to recover from driver installations from hell, without a hitch. There's some freeware ones out as well, but I can't vouch for their operation. It's also come in quite useful on RMAs for laptops, as you're not guaranteed to get your HD back with it's contents, which happened to me a few times. 10 minutes later, everything back to normal. Sure beats spends hours and hours installing and removing everything.
 
Minsc

Minsc

Gold Member
markot said:
Does it all work good afterwards?

Dont want it to be slower or anything!
Click to expand...

Well, there's no guarantee anything will work 100%, but you should have a 99% chance of everything working exactly the same (if it doesn't they ought to refund you, I'd hope). You don't get the speed benefits of a reinstall (starting fresh), but it certainly won't make anything slower.
 
E

evil solrac v3.0

Member
ok, my budget for next year is $1,000 US. i want a good full tower case, or at least a great case that will be able to fit 2 GTX 260s or one 5870 and have good airflow.

also, even though i brought WIN7 premium stuident edition will i be able to re-download next year and install it onto a new hard drive?
 
S

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
evil solrac v3.0 said:
ok, my budget for next year is $1,000 US. i want a good full tower case, or at least a great case that will be able to fit 2 GTX 260s or one 5870 and have good airflow.

also, even though i brought WIN7 premium stuident edition will i be able to re-download next year and install it onto a new hard drive?
Click to expand...
If you're going full tower you should probably go with an Antec 1200.

I wouldn't count on being able to download it more than once. You should download the software and burn it to a DVD. Win7 might make you call MS if you make too many changes to your hardware, but customer service can walk you through that process.
 
Animal

Animal

Banned
Man waiting for my baby to arrive is so painful :lol

I don't have a single computer that meets the minimum requirements of Dragon Age and I have a copy sitting right in front of me. Oh the torture!

I'm currently looking into getting a new mouse and keyboard and I haven't come accross anything that I really want.

I was hoping maybe some of you could give me some suggestions.

I currently have a Logitech G11 keyboard and a G5 mouse. the keyboard is the first revision and has really shitty coating on the keys. It really feels like a cheap plastic toy and sounds like one to boot. Some keys stop working sometimes at which point I'll pick up the keyboard with my two hands and twist the body a little. Works like a charm!

My trusty G5 still works perfectly to this day. I got it when it first came out and I was coming from an Mx510. I was very disappointed it only had one side button but I lived! I also felt a huge loss in accuracy because the laser wasn't placed front and center under the mouse which is what I'm used to.

I'm looking for a keyboard that is sturdy, has stiff keys, has backlighting and possibly some media controls.

For my mouse, I'm just looking for something that feels good with my small hands. The only hard requirement is that I have the laser/sensor placed front and center under the mouse.

Everything wired please.
 
S

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
neoism said:
?
Click to expand...


neoism said:
Processor(Intel® Core™ i5 750 Processor (4x 2.66GHz/8MB L3 Cache))
Memory(8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1333 Memory
Video Card(ATI Radeon HD 5870 - 1GB - Single Card
Asus P7P55D PRO -- Intel P55 Chipset CrossFire and SLI Supported w/7.1 Sound, Dual-Channel DDR3, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, Three PCI-Ex16 MB
Motherboard(Asus P7P55D LE -- Intel P55 Chipset CrossFire
Power Supply(650 Watt -- Corsair CMPSU-650TX Power Supply - SLI Ready)
So, how's this, guys?
IE.. Crysis..
Should have it next week!
Click to expand...
^
 
B

birdchili

Member
brain_stew said:
MX518? 8 buttons (which are all fully customisable per application if you download Uber options), better tracking than the more expensive G5 and super comfy for $20 less than your budget:Tpk=mx518[/url]
Click to expand...
i have the mx500, which looks really similar to this, and it's flawless. best mouse i've ever owned.
 
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