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[godhandiscen]

completely untrue

Not for the 4870x2. The most I got out of that card was 5fps in the Crysis benchmark. Also, it could be because it was a double card, a copying data was the bottleneck.

Maybe THAT card, but it completely effects ingame performance. What are you talking about.

I haven't OC'd the 295GTX yet. I don't know if it is different with this card.

 

[Hazaro]

Not for the 4870x2. The most I got out of that card was 5fps in the Crysis benchmark. Also, it could be because it was a double card, a copying data was the bottleneck.


I haven't OC'd the 295GTX yet. I don't know if it is different with this card.

Does trackmania even use SLi?

 

[godhandiscen]

Does trackmania even use SLi?

Maybe. It for sure doesn't use Crossfire. My friend gets only 5fps less than 4870x2 with his single 4870 1GB. Maybe the 20fps gains over the 4870x2 are because SLI is actually employed.

 

[YuriLowell]

Can anyone tell me how well GTAIV runs with the latest patch?
Thinking about picking it up with the Steam Deal.

6400+ AMD @3.5
8800GT
4Gigs of Ram.

Thanks.

 

[brain_stew]

As someone considering putting together an i7 system in an attempt to ensure the system's upgradable a few years down the line... Does anyone think that a lack of USB 3.0 is going to be a big drawback for that?

Not in the slightest, eSATA is much more preferable for external HDDs anyway due to the lack of any CPU overhead, and the sustained transfer speeds. If you find you need USB 3.0 then it'll only be a matter of adding a PCIe 1x card anyway.

 

[Hazaro]

Can anyone tell me how well GTAIV runs with the latest patch?
Thinking about picking it up with the Steam Deal.

6400+ AMD @3.5
8800GT
4Gigs of Ram.

Thanks.

Check the GTA IV thread, they said the gains are pretty solid. With a 8800GT your graphics are fine, not sure how well your OC'd 6400 will handle it though.

 

[YuriLowell]

Check the GTA IV thread, they said the gains are pretty solid. With a 8800GT your graphics are fine, not sure how well your OC'd 6400 will handle it though.

I am really thinking about either getting a E8400 or a Phenom II and OC'ing it.

Let me know what would be a better investment.

 

[brain_stew]

Well, I was planning on an i7 build but a firesale nearby left me instead with a Dell Pro Workstation T3400 for much less than a custom build would cost me.

Q6600 / Quadro / 4x1GB DDR2 / X38 board [PCIE: X16x1,X8x1] / 525W PSU

Because it's a pro workstation it doesn't look nearly as proprietary as standard Dell builds. All of the PSU motherboard plugs look standard, there is clearly room for two slot cards, no proprietary cables that I can see. But the PSU has me wondering a little bit:

+5v/22A, +3.3v/17A, +12VA/18A, +12VB/18A, +12VC/18A (525W max output)

Does that seem to be enough for a GTX285, 4870x2, or GTX295? Any? Forum comments seem to indicate they are conservative with their stronger PSUs.

The only other issue is it has dual 6pins, no 8pin. Are converters safe? I keep seeing "no way, 1 week only" and "absolutely 100% harmless" comments.

Pretty slim build otherwise; I have a single SATA DVD drive and small hard drive, might add an SSD later but that's about the limit. I'm using a 22 inch panel, I'd like to not cheap out on the card.

You should be fine I'd imagine. Like you say, Dell's ratings are usually very conservative and a triple 18a rail PSU is quite high end anyway. Using a 6-8 pin converter is fine.

Can anyone tell me how well GTAIV runs with the latest patch?
Thinking about picking it up with the Steam Deal.

6400+ AMD @3.5
8800GT
4Gigs of Ram.

Thanks.

The new patch does make quite a nice difference. On the Intel side my advice would be a 3ghz Core 2 Duo or any Core 2 quad. Considering the healthy overclock you've got on your X2 you should be fine.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

I am really thinking about either getting a E8400 or a Phenom II and OC'ing it.

Let me know what would be a better investment.

if the cpu you have is an AM2 socket, is your motherboard a AM2/AM2+ board?

If so Phenom II would be the better way to go financially since its on par with a E8500 in terms of gaming.

 

[brain_stew]

if the cpu you have is an AM2 socket, is your motherboard a AM2/AM2+ board?

If so Phenom II would be the better way to go financially since its on par with a E8500 in terms of gaming.

I'll go along with this as well. If your board can handle a Phenom 2 then its an excellent upgrade path.

 

[Wired]

So about two days ago I realised my HD was (possibly) dying on me, for a while random saves in Fallout 3 had been sort of messed up and showed up as "save #000" without a picture or something but I had put it down to Fallout 3 just kicking me in the nuts. Anyhow, a bit later a game simply stopped working from one day to the next and at this point I was going "wtf, you bitch", although the realization didn't come until my machine bluescreened at bootup the next day. According to the logs errors started popping up after about seven or so days and then it took me another five days to realize it. At this point some programs refused to start, or be uninstalled for that matter.

So I ordered another drive which arrived today (yay, lucky) since I refuse to without a computer for the week (probably more) it would take to RMA this bitch, guess I'll send it in next week. Now, reinstalling windows, or a new drive don't take so long... but damn formating the damn thing takes forever... I don't want to go through this again.


Thinking about it the drive had been making a sort of sharp klicking sound every time I turned off the computer, it always worried me but what are the odds of it being broken from the get go, right?

Disclaimer: spellchecker not installed, have to restart Firefox but I had to get this off my chest first.

 

[Hazaro]

Disclaimer: spellchecker not installed, have to restart Firefox but I had to get this off my chest first.

I know Western Digital offers an Advanced RMA where they ship you a new drive first.
Check your company. I'm pretty sure once you order and RMA it takes only like 3 days or something. Seagate/Western Digital

 

[YuriLowell]

I dont think my board can roll with a Phenom 2, because it says something about the FSB going lower on the gigabyte website.

 

[bitq]

I'm about to build my first system. I'm going for a budget model:

e8400
radeon 4850
4gb ddr2
velociraptor

I want to keep the price low, while still having room for upgrades. How important is it to have a ddr3 motherboard? And do core2duo cpus work in i7 motherboards? Is there anything specific I should get so I can upgrade in the future?

 

[Antagon]

I'm about to build my first system. I'm going for a budget model:

e8400
radeon 4850
4gb ddr2
velociraptor

I want to keep the price low, while still having room for upgrades. How important is it to have a ddr3 motherboard? And do core2duo cpus work in i7 motherboards? Is there anything specific I should get so I can upgrade in the future?

There's practically no difference between ddr2 and ddr3 if you get an e8400 processor. So just go for a ddr2 main board. And I7 uses a different socket then the intel duo / quad cores processors, so you can't exchange them.

 

[Hazaro]

I'm about to build my first system. I'm going for a budget model:

e8400
radeon 4850
4gb ddr2
velociraptor

I want to keep the price low, while still having room for upgrades. How important is it to have a ddr3 motherboard? And do core2duo cpus work in i7 motherboards? Is there anything specific I should get so I can upgrade in the future?

E5200/E7300 if overclocking E8400 if not.
4850
4GB G.Skill
640GB drive instead
"How important is it to have a ddr3 motherboard?" Not important
"Do core2duo cpus work in i7 motherboards?" No

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

any difference in these RAM sticks??

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231219

and this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

 

[YuriLowell]

Okay so looking at my motherboard it can take phenom X4s.

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/CPUSupport_Model.aspx?ProductID=2434

It says something about HT going down in speed.

So could I theoretically use a phenom II?

 

[bitq]

E5200/E7300 if overclocking E8400 if not.

I like this idea. I will definitely be overclocking. By the time this becomes a bottleneck (not for a long time I'd think), I'll want a ddr3 compliant cpu anyway, or whatever other fancy thing they've come out with. I was going to OC an e8400 to 4Ghz or so, but this is a better choice. Seems like you can get 3.5Ghz out of the e5200 no problem.

4GB G.Skill

Why G.Skill? I can find a better deal on corsair.

I was probably going to go for this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

I like this idea. I will definitely be overclocking. By the time this becomes a bottleneck (not for a long time I'd think), I'll want a ddr3 compliant cpu anyway, or whatever other fancy thing they've come out with. I was going to OC an e8400 to 4Ghz or so, but this is a better choice. Seems like you can get 3.5Ghz out of the e5200 no problem.



Why G.Skill? I can find a better deal on corsair.

I was probably going to go for this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

where?

 

[bitq]

where?

That corsair I linked is only 26.99 after the rebate. I didn't see G.Skill that cheap.

 

[brain_stew]

I like this idea. I will definitely be overclocking. By the time this becomes a bottleneck (not for a long time I'd think), I'll want a ddr3 compliant cpu anyway, or whatever other fancy thing they've come out with. I was going to OC an e8400 to 4Ghz or so, but this is a better choice. Seems like you can get 3.5Ghz out of the e5200 no problem.



Why G.Skill? I can find a better deal on corsair.

I was probably going to go for this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

Then the E8400 is a terrible choice imo. A 3.5ghz E5200 is going to be more than enough for any dual core optimised game. By the time games start demanding more than that, they're going to be quad core optimised and small notches in CPU speed just aren't going to keep up.

Eithe rgo E5200 or Q6600 now if you plan to OC, avoid the E8400, its extra speed in dual core applications just isn't needed. Around 3ghz is the sweet spot, after which you're not going to be noticing any differences from a faster CPU unless you've got a ridiculous multi GPU rig.

I'd drop the Velociraptor as well. Its small boost in speed just isn't worth the extra noise, space constraints and cost. A 1TB Samsung F1 can be had for around $100 yet is still incredibly fast. If you're at all concerned about "bang for buck" then investing in a velociraptor is a very bad move.

 

[bitq]

Then the E8400 is a terrible choice imo. A 3.5ghz E5200 is going to be more than enough for any dual core optimised game. By the time games start demanding more than that, they're going to be quad core optimised and small notches in CPU speed just aren't going to keep up.

Eithe rgo E5200 or Q6600 now if you plan to OC, avoid the E8400, its extra speed in dual core applications just isn't needed. Around 3ghz is the sweet spot, after which you're not going to be noticing any differences from a faster CPU unless you've got a ridiculous multi GPU rig.

Sounds good, thanks.

 

[brain_stew]

Sounds good, thanks.

I'm actually running a 3.5ghz E5200 + 4850 rig myself and couldn't be happier.

 

[Wired]

I know Western Digital offers an Advanced RMA where they ship you a new drive first.
Check your company. I'm pretty sure once you order and RMA it takes only like 3 days or something. Seagate/Western Digital

You may be right, though I'll just contact the retailer and send it back to them. In any event, no matter how fast they would have been I wouldn't have had time to send the drive before yesterday anyway. So I'd probably not seen the replacement before the middle of next week at the earliest. Too long :lol

Besides, it's not as if you can ever have too much HD space.

 

[godhandiscen]

Ok time to seriously troll Nvidia: Their control panel is shit. The application profiles save randomly and activate randomly. It is also less intuitive and they require a third party application to monitor temperatures, change fan settings, and overclock.

Is there a way to dock a Nvidia control panel shortcut on the right bottom corner of the screen like ATI CCC does? Also, is there a way to active 3D settings by just pressing a button? So far this shit is really lacking, and I cannot force 4xAA on Warhamme Online, the one game I do play. Help please? Ohh, and the GTX295 is slower than the 4870x2 on DoW II, I have already confirmed this (hopefully due to drivers). Yesterday I was super happy. Today I am regretting many things I miss from ATI. If I cannot force 4xAA in WAR, I will seriously regret trading my 4870x2. Please help.

I am really thinking about either getting a E8400 or a Phenom II and OC'ing it.

Let me know what would be a better investment.

Go for the higuer end Phenom 2. It overclocks better, and you will need this ability since your motherboard most likely lacks the SB700 chip.

 

[YuriLowell]

So it looks like if you throw in an AM2+ mobo into my machine, it will slow down the mobo quite alot.

Looks like I will upgrade and get an intel chip.

So how much are the 45nm Quads?

EDIT: After looking around it looks like it will take a phenom 2, but HT speed goes down.
Does Hyper Transport speed affect alot of things in the system?

 

[K.Jack]

Ok time to seriously troll Nvidia: Their control panel is shit. The application profiles save randomly and activate randomly. It is also less intuitive and they require a third party application to monitor temperatures, change fan settings, and overclock.

Is there a way to dock a Nvidia control panel shortcut on the right bottom corner of the screen like ATI CCC does? Also, is there a way to active 3D settings by just pressing a button? So far this shit is really lacking, and I cannot force 4xAA on Warhamme Online, the one game I do play. Help please? Ohh, and the GTX295 is slower than the 4870x2 on DoW II, I have already confirmed this (hopefully due to drivers). Yesterday I was super happy. Today I am regretting many things I miss from ATI. If I cannot force 4xAA in WAR, I will seriously regret trading my 4870x2. Please help.

Go for the higuer end Phenom 2. It overclocks better, and you will need this ability since your motherboard most likely lacks the SB700 chip.

What forceware are you using?

 

[godhandiscen]

What forceware are you using?

I downloaded it yesterday. 181.22

So it looks like if you throw in an AM2+ mobo into my machine, it will slow down the mobo quite alot.

Looks like I will upgrade and get an intel chip.

So how much are the 45nm Quads?

Wait, what? So you throw a mobo in your mobo, so that you that your computer can compute while it computes?

Spoiler

I think I killed it.

No, I don't understand what you said.

 

[bitq]

I'm actually running a 3.5ghz E5200 + 4850 rig myself and couldn't be happier.

Any recommendations for a motherboard?

 

[K.Jack]

I downloaded it yesterday. 181.22

Okay I'm using the same. How is the 295 doing in DoW II? Are you holding 60+ on Ultra settings?

 

[YuriLowell]

I downloaded it yesterday. 181.22

Wait, what? So you throw a mobo in your mobo, so that you that your computer can compute while it computes?

Spoiler

I think I killed it.

No, I don't understand what you said.

hahaaha. I should have read that more clear in my brain.

It looks like Gigabyte put out a firmware update that says the board will support Phenom X4's, but gigabye is not clear if it will support Phenom IIs.

They also say when you use a socket am2+ CPU the mobo will going down in hypertransport speed.

It says on the compatibility list that the Phenom X4 9650 is supported but I dont see anything higher at all.

 

[godhandiscen]

Okay I'm using the same. How is the 295 doing in DoW II? Are you holding 60+ on Ultra settings?

Nope. I was able with the 4870x2. It dips to 45 with the 295. However, I was hosting 3v3 all computers besides me, so it could have been my Corei7 which I haven't overclocked that much, only 3.3GHz.

hahaaha. I should have read that more clear in my brain.

It looks like Gigabyte put out a firmware update that says the board will support Phenom X4's, but gigabye is not clear if it will support Phenom IIs.

They also say when you use a socket am2+ CPU the mobo will going down in hypertransport speed.

It says on the compatibility list that the Phenom X4 9650 is supported but I dont see anything higher at all.

Which compatibility list are you checking? Also, don't worry about hyper transport and all those figures. Those are numbers that AMD uses to pimp some sort of superiority over Intel, but they really don't affect much. Just slap a Phenom II 940, you won't regret it. Getting a new motherboard from Intel, unless its a Corei7, will be pointless since Intel is phasing out the Core2 platform. Do not upgrade to that.

 

[YuriLowell]

Nope. I was able with the 4870x2. It dips to 45 with the 295. However, I was hosting 3v3 all computers besides me, so it could have been my Corei7 which I haven't overclocked that much, only 3.3GHz.


Which compatibility list are you checking? Also, don't worry about hyper transport and all those figures. Those are numbers that AMD uses to pimp some sort of superiority over Intel, but they really don't affect much. Just slap a Phenom II 940, you won't regret it. Getting a new motherboard from Intel, unless its a Corei7, will be pointless since Intel is phasing out the Core2 platform. Do not upgrade to that.

There was a list on the gigabyte site, but it looks old and out dated.

I am going to order a phenom 2 once my Federal Tax Return comes back.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Hmm...the good news on my build is that it's actually using a Q6700 (good news on a Dell where overclocking is more of an electrician's job, and better news for the price I paid). I still need to buy a better hard drive and video card, but I suppose that's inevitable.

The bad news is that despite having the product key, the drive was wiped without an install disc. Are the XP/MCE discs signed to specific keys or just the magical key library? I figure I can use nlite to make a custom install DVD out of my MCE discs...(since I remember nlite allowing you to downgrade MCE into XP somewhere...)

I guess I could also just go Windows 7 64, but I need something rock solid for iTunes and Far Cry 2.

 

[Slavik81]

Not in the slightest, eSATA is much more preferable for external HDDs anyway due to the lack of any CPU overhead, and the sustained transfer speeds. If you find you need USB 3.0 then it'll only be a matter of adding a PCIe 1x card anyway.

Good point...

 

[godhandiscen]

Ok, I can't figure out how to force AA in Warhammer Online. What can I try? Also, isnt the Nvidia control panel icon supposed to dock to the bottom right corner of my screen? When I close the application, no icon remains on my screen. This doesn't act like CCC at all.

edit: Please help. This shit is bad. The card feels like a downgrade if I cannot achieve the same image quality.

 

[bitq]

Alright guys, here's the system I've picked out. Let me know if you have any more suggestions, or if you see any glaring problems.

Antec Sonata III case (includes 500w EarthWatts PSU)
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Motherboard
Intel e5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz Processor
Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 1GB
WD Caviar Black 640GB
G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 1066 RAM

The total comes to just under $600 on Newegg.

I'm really looking forward to playing some Left 4 Dead

 

[ProfessorLobo]

Alright guys, here's the system I've picked out. Let me know if you have any more suggestions, or if you see any glaring problems.

Antec Sonata III case (includes 500w EarthWatts PSU)
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Motherboard
Intel e5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz Processor
Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 1GB
WD Caviar Black 640GB
G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 1066 RAM

The total comes to just under $600 on Newegg.

I'm really looking forward to playing some Left 4 Dead

Does this include Windows? It seems kind of spendy considering the parts.

EDIT: Actually that sounds about right. You might want to get a better processor to let your videocard breath. That's just my two cents.

 

[brain_stew]

Alright guys, here's the system I've picked out. Let me know if you have any more suggestions, or if you see any glaring problems.

Antec Sonata III case (includes 500w EarthWatts PSU)
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Motherboard
Intel e5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz Processor
Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 1GB
WD Caviar Black 640GB
G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 1066 RAM

The total comes to just under $600 on Newegg.

I'm really looking forward to playing some Left 4 Dead

Ditch the 1GB card. The 4850 doesn't have the bandwidth to handle it. Either stick with a 512MB 4850 or move up to a 1GB 4870.

Switch the RAM for DDR2 800. The E5200's internal FSB will crap out before 360mhz, so there's no need for RAM any faster than DDR2 800.

Add this $20 cooler, to aid your overclocking:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200035

Does this include Windows? It seems kind of spendy considering the parts.

EDIT: Actually that sounds about right. You might want to get a better processor to let your videocard breath. That's just my two cents.

He's overclocking. At 3.5ghz, the processer most certainly won't be his bottleneck.

 

[bitq]

Does this include Windows? It seems kind of spendy considering the parts.

No, but I've already got a copy I can use. The total actually comes to about 600 including shipping. Spendy? Really?

 

[bitq]

Ditch the 1GB card. The 4850 doesn't have the bandwidth to handle it. Either stick with a 512MB 4850 or move up to a 1GB 4870.

Switch the RAM for DDR2 800. The E5200's internal FSB will crap out before 360mhz, so there's no need for RAM any faster than DDR2 800.

Add this $20 cooler, to aid your overclocking:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200035



He's overclocking. At 3.5ghz, the processer most certainly won't be his bottleneck.

My monitor has a native res of 1440x900. Do you think it's worth it to upgrade to the 4870?

The E5200 has a stock fsb of 200MHz right? (800/4) So if my math is right that means the multiplier is 12.5x. That doesn't sound right... What am I missing? Also, 360*4=1080 which is about 1066, which is why I should stick with ddr2 800, right?

[edit] okay I looked it up and the 12.5x ratio is correct.

 

[Albino_Samurai]

Guys, i could use a little technological help here....

My gaming system is as follows :

Enermax Galaxy 850 Watt
Asus Striker Extreme
WD Raptor 150GB
4x1 GB Corsair Dominator @ 800Mhz
Intel E6600 dualcore 2,4 Ghz overclocked to 3,2Ghz
ASUS 8800GTX
ASUS Physx card

The question i have i wich component should i upgrade to keep up to date?
Processor or Video?
I was thinking about getting a Q9650 but i'm not sure if my MotherBoard (Striker Extreme) can handle this processor.
Any help woul be much apreciated.

 

[bitq]

Revised list w/ brain_stew's suggestions:

Antec Sonata III case (includes 500w EarthWatts PSU)
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Motherboard
Intel e5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz Processor
Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB
WD Caviar Black 640GB
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 RAM
Rosewill CPU cooler

The total comes to $588 including shipping.

I'm still considering the upgrade to the 4870.

 

[godhandiscen]

Guys, i could use a little technological help here....

My gaming system is as follows :

Enermax Galaxy 850 Watt
Asus Striker Extreme
WD Raptor 150GB
4x1 GB Corsair Dominator @ 800Mhz
Intel E6600 dualcore 2,4 Ghz overclocked to 3,2Ghz
ASUS 8800GTX
ASUS Physx card

The question i have i wich component should i upgrade to keep up to date?
Processor or Video?
I was thinking about getting a Q9650 but i'm not sure if my MotherBoard (Striker Extreme) can handle this processor.
Any help woul be much apreciated.

Upgrade your GPU to a 4870 1GB or Nvidia GTX260 (core 216). That will help you the most. Also, according to newegg, your mobo supports quads. The processor you listed is among the recommended items.

Revised list w/ brain_stew's suggestions:

Antec Sonata III case (includes 500w EarthWatts PSU)
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Motherboard
Intel e5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz Processor
Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB
WD Caviar Black 640GB
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 RAM
Rosewill CPU cooler

The total comes to $588 including shipping.

I'm still considering the upgrade to the 4870.

The 4870 1GB can carry for two more year at high settings. I assume the 4850 won't be able to pull high settings next year.

 

[bitq]

The 4870 1GB can carry for two more year at high settings. I assume the 4850 won't be able to pull high settings next year.

There's an $80 difference between the two though... what about if I overclock the 4850?

 

[YuriLowell]

There's an $80 difference between the two though... what about if I overclock the 4850?

You can get a 4870 512 for like 150 now.

 

[bitq]

You can get a 4870 512 for like 150 now.

link?

 

[hylian_pirate]

^ http://techreport.com/discussions.x/16330

 

[ElfoMan]

Kadey, Hazaro, and VictimOfGrief: Thanks for the help with my airflow. I just got time to change my fans and do a little air blasting in my case.