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[Metalic Sand]

DDR3 = 3x clock frequency

So 667 x 3 = ~1.8GHz, which sounds about right.

Ahhh, thanks. Still learning

 

[MickeyKnox]

Well after being strapped for cash a good while, I'm finally ready to fix my rig.

Need a new PSU to start with at least, needs to be able to handle a 4870x2, looking at the corsair 1000hx, $275 is basically the most I'd want to spend, if anyone else has a good recommendation it'd be appreciated.

 

[HCgamer]

Hi, what is the best graphics card I can install in my Dell Optiplex GX270 mini tower? I currently have 4 gb ddr pc3200 ram and a pentium 4 3.0 ghz processor installed. I will upgrade my current 40 gb hard drive to two WD6400AAKS drives or two WD6401AALS drives in the near future. I realize I may not be able to play current games on this machine. Outrun 2006 Coast to Coast and Resident Evil 4 are the two games I want to play on my pc.

 

[brain_stew]

Well after being strapped for cash a good while, I'm finally ready to fix my rig.

Need a new PSU to start with at least, needs to be able to handle a 4870x2, looking at the corsair 1000hx, $275 is basically the most I'd want to spend, if anyone else has a good recommendation it'd be appreciated.

That's huge overkill. Corsair's 650w PSU will handle that just fine but since you've got the cash to spend and its currently very well priced might as well go with the 750w version. It'll handle two 4870X2s no bother:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

 

[Digital-Hero]

Hi, what is the best graphics card I can install in my Dell Optiplex GX270 mini tower? I currently have 4 gb ddr pc3200 ram and a pentium 4 3.0 ghz processor installed. I will upgrade my current 40 gb hard drive to two WD6400AAKS drives or two WD6401AALS drives in the near future. I realize I may not be able to play current games on this machine. Outrun 2006 Coast to Coast and Resident Evil 4 are the two games I want to play on my pc.

Your CPU is your limiting factor. The Geforce 7800GT is a good card but you wouldn't be really even taxing that. Someone please chime in with a better recommendation if you have one.

 

[brain_stew]

Hi, what is the best graphics card I can install in my Dell Optiplex GX270 mini tower? I currently have 4 gb ddr pc3200 ram and a pentium 4 3.0 ghz processor installed. I will upgrade my current 40 gb hard drive to two WD6400AAKS drives or two WD6401AALS drives in the near future. I realize I may not be able to play current games on this machine. Outrun 2006 Coast to Coast and Resident Evil 4 are the two games I want to play on my pc.

Aren't those SATA drives? Very unlikely that old Dell tower supports SATA connections. Any money you throw into that old thing is money wasted imo. Much better off saving for something decen. $500 can get you a rig that'll play anything out there.
I din't like the sound of "mini tower" either, doubt you'd even be able to fit a full size PCIe card anyway.

Just googled, yup no SATA controller, looks like it has no AGP or PCIe socket and even if it did it'd need a low profile card.

DO NOT SPEND ANY MONEY ON THIS PC.

I really can't emphasis that enough, sometimes it pays to start again.

 

[godhandiscen]

So the 4890 defeats the 275 in the most complete comparison I have seen to date. I had bashed the 4890 before, but it seems that Nvidia 's 275 isn't nearly as powerful. The 4890 stock is almost competing with the 285 at $100 less, and no word on the 4890 OC'd. Nvidia is going through some tough times.

Comparison by Anandtech

 

[Digital-Hero]

So the 4890 defeats the 275 in the most complete comparison I have seen to date. I had bashed the 4890 before, but it seems that Nvidia 's 275 isn't nearly as powerful. The 4890 stock is almost competing with the 285 at $100 less, and no word on the 4890 OC'd. Nvidia is going through some tough times.

Comparison by Anandtech

Thanks for the link. Looks like I may have to sell my 4850.

 

[Minsc]

So might as well throw my work in progress up. Probably won't be ordering any time soon, but if you want to provide any direction it's appreciated.

Case/PSU
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready Certified Active PFC

Motherboard/CPU/RAM
EVGA 132-BL-E758-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

Video Card
EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3

HDD
Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G1C5 80GB SATA Internal SSD or (if the price doesn't drop enough to get 2 X25s)
OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC SSD
Athena Power BP-SATA2221B 3.5" tray-less for Dual 2.5" SATA HDD

DVD/Misc
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DVD Burner with LightScribe
LG Black/White 6X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R External Blu-ray Burner (depending on how quick it drops another $100 or so)
Windows 7 Pro 64-bit

More or less your run of the mill i7 setup I suppose, but I can't pass on the SSDs, even if they're partially flawed. I saw the price drop ~$200 in a little over a month, and with any luck it'll go another $150 or so down, and I can RAID 0 two of them

I really can't justify spending any more on a video card with DX11 right around the corner, I'll let the DX11 cards hit and then upgrade to a higher level card, a 260 should be quite an improvement from a 1950 Pro until then

 

[godhandiscen]

I would recommend against the Antec 900/1200. They collect too much dust and increase the heat inside your PC.

 

[Labombadog]

I would recommend against the Antec 900/1200. They collect too much dust and increase the heat inside your PC.

What case would you recommend then?

 

[Minsc]

I would recommend against the Antec 900/1200. They collect too much dust and increase the heat inside your PC.

Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

This was my second choice, any better?

 

[MWS Natural]

Lanbox arrived today, everything fits fine, didn't have to remove the HDD cage to accommodate the 4870.

http://i40.tinypic.com/2ex0imx.jpg[IMG]

Replaced my Thermalright cpu cooler with that Scythe Shuriken since it was too tall.[/QUOTE]


Looks good, let me know how you handle the cable management because mine is atrocious.

 

[Hazaro]

Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

This was my second choice, any better?

I would never spend more than $50 on a case personally (I picked up a RocketFish while it was on sale [Rebranded Lian Li]). While the P182 is a nice case I'd have to go with the 690 since it's painless to work in has great airflow and it solid.

It's also half the price with free shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

*Also unless the OCZ SSD has the chip problems fixed don't get that. I'd just stick with a single Intel and get a 1 TB or 640GB HDD. If you need more room you can always buy another SSD later.

** Save $20 and get the non-superclocked version of your card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434

Takes no effort to OC it to SC speeds or higher.

*** Get a TRUE 120 instead of the V8, it's smaller and is better. Cheaper too.
****Get some ICD7 instead of AS5 so you can say your paste is made of diamonds. It's also better for temps, is non conductive, non capacitive, and has no burn in time. Plus it's made from diamonds.

 

[godhandiscen]

What case would you recommend then?

I don't know. I just had a horrible experience with the Antec 900.

Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

This was my second choice, any better?

A friend has it and he says he had trouble installing his PSU there, and it was also hard to do the cable management inside.

Sorry I cannot recommend a case, I just know about crappy experiences.

 

[Crazymoogle]

*Also unless the OCZ SSD has the chip problems fixed don't get that. I'd just stick with a single Intel and get a 1 TB or 640GB HDD. If you need more room you can always buy another SSD later.

The Vertex is the good one. 32/64MB cache depending on the size you buy. Just make sure to upgrade to the latest firmware if it doesn't come with it stock.

 

[Lastone]

Hi, what is the best graphics card I can install in my Dell Optiplex GX270 mini tower? I currently have 4 gb ddr pc3200 ram and a pentium 4 3.0 ghz processor installed. I will upgrade my current 40 gb hard drive to two WD6400AAKS drives or two WD6401AALS drives in the near future. I realize I may not be able to play current games on this machine. Outrun 2006 Coast to Coast and Resident Evil 4 are the two games I want to play on my pc.

Get a Ati radeon 4670, low power and heat and doesn't need a 6-pin connector. Runs most of my games on high at 1280x1024 (no aa or anything though). I'm assuming you have a pci-e slot of course.

 

[Hazaro]

Lanbox arrived today, everything fits fine, didn't have to remove the HDD cage to accommodate the 4870.

Replaced my Thermalright cpu cooler with that Scythe Shuriken since it was too tall.

Those Ballistix look single sided to me, I'd run memtest 86+ on them and blame them for anything down the line if you have issues later on.

Just a heads up in advance, they should be fine for a while though.

Box looks very slick. Nice set up

 

[Kipe]

I'm planning on buy these parts in the next few days:

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216
Rosewill RG530-2 530W
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale
OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066

Is the 530W PSU enough power for my system?

 

[brain_stew]

I'm planning on buy these parts in the next few days:

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216
Rosewill RG530-2 530W
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale
OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066

Is the 530W PSU enough power for my system?

This is a much better bet:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817702011

 

[TheHeretic]

I'm planning on buy these parts in the next few days:

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216
Rosewill RG530-2 530W
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale
OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066

Is the 530W PSU enough power for my system?

530 Watts are enough. Seasonic is the best brand, Antec is close behind (many Antecs are rebradnded Seasonics anyway).

 

[Hazaro]

I'm planning on buy these parts in the next few days:

Is the 530W PSU enough power for my system?

530w is yes, but now since PSU prices have come down so much there's no point in not buying a top brand name PSU.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Those Ballistix look single sided to me, I'd run memtest 86+ on them and blame them for anything down the line if you have issues later on.

...eh? Clearly has front/back heatsinks, and the spacing looks even if you're worried about double-sided memory chips. I'd be more worried about the DIMM taking too much area heat from the CPU heatsink, but if the airflow is good it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[rohlfinator]

So the 4890 defeats the 275 in the most complete comparison I have seen to date. I had bashed the 4890 before, but it seems that Nvidia 's 275 isn't nearly as powerful. The 4890 stock is almost competing with the 285 at $100 less, and no word on the 4890 OC'd. Nvidia is going through some tough times.

Comparison by Anandtech

Yeah, it looks like a pretty decent upgrade over the 4870. Tech Report's benchmarks put the 4890 "OC" version about on par with the 285 at 1920x1200 and below, occasionally outpacing it at lower resolutions. It looks like they were able to push an extra 10% or so out of it after overclocking, too.

I dunno if the price premium over the 4870 is worth it right now, but it's starting to seem like a better value when you consider the rebates and OC potential.

 

[Tideas]

the 4890 would only be viable if it drops down to like $200.

4870 512 $149, 1 gig $179, and 4890 $200.

I just wish i7 mobo would drop a bit. The cheapest is still $200, wtf.

 

[Milpool]

Those Ballistix look single sided to me, I'd run memtest 86+ on them and blame them for anything down the line if you have issues later on.

Just a heads up in advance, they should be fine for a while though.

Box looks very slick. Nice set up

Thanks. The ram is double sided, though I can see why you thought it was single due to the angle, plus a resized image. Not much cause for concern with single sided ballistix anyway unless you push the voltage.

 

[Ravenn17]

Anybody know how to fix a bad pool header in Vista 64 bit? I'm checking my event log, but I'm kinda lost on what to look for.

 

[adg1034]

I wish I could help, man.

--
Anandtech just put up their sporadic Midrange Buyers Guide. Some good stuff in there, especially if you're interested in getting into PC gaming.

 

[Hazaro]

...eh? Clearly has front/back heatsinks, and the spacing looks even if you're worried about double-sided memory chips. I'd be more worried about the DIMM taking too much area heat from the CPU heatsink, but if the airflow is good it shouldn't be a problem.

I had a Big Typhoon previously and it does sent quite a bit of air around, the temps for RAM should be lower than if it was a normal sink imo.

Thanks. The ram is double sided, though I can see why you thought it was single due to the angle, plus a resized image. Not much cause for concern with single sided ballistix anyway unless you push the voltage.

I had a set of single sided RAM once and the difference is pretty small to me, you seem like you know what you are doing though

 

[rass]

I wish I could help, man.

--
Anandtech just put up their sporadic Midrange Buyers Guide. Some good stuff in there, especially if you're interested in getting into PC gaming.

thanks, Fredescu is putting me on the right track and guides like this are helpful too

 

[Hazaro]

thanks, Fredescu is putting me on the right track and guides like this are helpful too

This too

http://techreport.com/articles.x/16438

 

[Minsc]

*** Get a TRUE 120 instead of the V8, it's smaller and is better. Cheaper too.
****Get some ICD7 instead of AS5 so you can say your paste is made of diamonds. It's also better for temps, is non conductive, non capacitive, and has no burn in time. Plus it's made from diamonds.

These things aren't on Newegg (the TRUE 120 has been discontinued?) and the ICD7 just isn't sold there, but the rest of the post was very helpful. I've changed the case to the one you recommended, it looks nice and is actually one of the only others out of everything there I like.

Does any one use full towers any more for gaming? Seem like such a hassle and waste of space. I could never justify one. If I thought I could do a SFF without restricting the stuff I could use (mainly video card), I'd probably go that route.

 

[Hazaro]

These things aren't on Newegg (the TRUE 120 has been discontinued?) and the ICD7 just isn't sold there, but the rest of the post was very helpful. I've changed the case to the one you recommended, it looks nice and is actually one of the only others out of everything there I like.

Does any one use full towers any more for gaming? Seem like such a hassle and waste of space. I could never justify one. If I thought I could do a SFF without restricting the stuff I could use (mainly video card), I'd probably go that route.

I know newegg doesn't carry the TRUE120, but plenty of other reputable stores do.

Tankguys has it and a few other cooling sites do as well.

ICD7 you can buy from any of these places: http://www.innovationcooling.com/dealers.htm

Neither is a big deal though.


Here's a pic of my case: A rebranded Lian-Li. For $40 I couldn't pass it up and it's so much easier to work in. The CM 690 is also very easy to work with, nothing like my old Cent 5.

 

[rass]

This too

http://techreport.com/articles.x/16438

cheers mate, had a quick read through that yesterday

 

[Hazaro]

cheers mate, had a quick read through that yesterday

You mean you read the OP? :lol

 

[rass]

You mean you read the OP? :lol

Yep! who'd have thought :lol - it'll be a month or maybe a little more before I can start buying, so Im reading everything i can, trying to make "informed" choices

 

[MWS Natural]

These things aren't on Newegg (the TRUE 120 has been discontinued?) and the ICD7 just isn't sold there, but the rest of the post was very helpful. I've changed the case to the one you recommended, it looks nice and is actually one of the only others out of everything there I like.

Does any one use full towers any more for gaming? Seem like such a hassle and waste of space. I could never justify one. If I thought I could do a SFF without restricting the stuff I could use (mainly video card), I'd probably go that route.

You can? You can fit any current video card in a Qmicra or Lanbox Lite SFF case. The only concession you would have to make with the lanbox would be the amount of internal HDD's and the type of CPU fan you would use. The Qmicra is a beast though, it can hold anything but is much pricier. I only have one 1TB HDD which I will move to an external and use the slot for two SSD's once Win 7 is released.

 

[Grayman]

I saw something new when I got my Aspire One back from the shop today(motherboard failed). Behind the service desk there was a case being worked on that was laid out horizontally, curved, and had no panelling. I saw one on the floor labeled as a skeleton case. These must get dusty easier but also be really easy to clean. Anyone tried one of these, they must keep fairly cool compared to regular cases.

 

[brain_stew]

 

[Metalic Sand]

I saw something new when I got my Aspire One back from the shop today(motherboard failed). Behind the service desk there was a case being worked on that was laid out horizontally, curved, and had no panelling. I saw one on the floor labeled as a skeleton case. These must get dusty easier but also be really easy to clean. Anyone tried one of these, they must keep fairly cool compared to regular cases.

Doesnt sound too good really. Pretty sure having something enclosed pushs alot more air therefore alot cooler.

 

[Fredescu]

http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=NzA0

Not sure I'd want one. I prefer to have my dust hidden from view.

 

[godhandiscen]

http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=NzA0

Not sure I'd want one. I prefer to have my dust hidden from view.

I considered that case, but I can only imagine how much dust would accumulate on the mobo. No way.

When is the GTX280 succesor showing up?

 

[RocketDarkness]

Download ATI Tool and run its "scan for artifecats" test. If it fails then it may be overheating or running at a clock that the chip can't handle.

Have you had a look at the card, any dust bulding up? Does your case have decent airflow?

Download Riva Tuner and let its hardware monitoring run whilst playing a game. Then check to see what sort of temps. you get during gameplay, we'll be able to let you know if they're too high.

Alright, sorry 'bout the delayed reply. There was a bit of dust buildup before it started having issues, but in general I try to dust it out every couple of weeks or so. The case may not have quite as much airflow as would be ideal, either.

That being said, I rad ATI tool and didn't find any artifacts. According to the Tuner, the core reached a max temperature of 84 degrees C, but generally hovered around 78 degrees. Though interestingly enough, it didn't go all pixelly this time. What are the temperature ranges I should be wary of?

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

I considered that case, but I can only imagine how much dust would accumulate on the mobo. No way.

When is the GTX280 succesor showing up?

uh..? don't you mean the GTX285? or is that the same basically? or do you mean the 300? series?

 

[Hazaro]

uh..? don't you mean the GTX285? or is that the same basically? or do you mean the 300? series?

I think he means single GPU.

*Temperatures in that load are normal, see if you can turn fan speed up though. (Rivatuner)

 

[brain_stew]

Doesnt sound too good really. Pretty sure having something enclosed pushs alot more air therefore alot cooler.

Yup, the "wind tunnel" effect can work wonders so long as you've got your cooling and air flow in order.

Alright, sorry 'bout the delayed reply. There was a bit of dust buildup before it started having issues, but in general I try to dust it out every couple of weeks or so. The case may not have quite as much airflow as would be ideal, either.

That being said, I rad ATI tool and didn't find any artifacts. According to the Tuner, the core reached a max temperature of 84 degrees C, but generally hovered around 78 degrees. Though interestingly enough, it didn't go all pixelly this time. What are the temperature ranges I should be wary of?

Those temperatures are well within spec. Most GPUs can handle temps in excess of 100C, so its not overheating. Must be something else wrong.

Assuming its still within its warranty period, I'd just get it replaced, worth the peace of mind at the very least.

 

[Metalic Sand]

So i thought i should ask. What should i look for in case fans? Anything particular?

Looking to buy a 80MM(Side)and 120MM(Front) to add to my case which only has a rear 120MM atm.


My temps are currently
GPU 36 Idle, 69-70 Load
CPU 21 Idle, 28-30 Load (Oced at 3.2 Ghz on Stock fan. Seems really good?)
HDD(Just 1) 34-38


This is from running WoW for 5 hours or so and FutureMark Vantage testing. havent tryed anything gaming wise thats beefy.

 

[brain_stew]

So i thought i should ask. What should i look for in case fans? Anything particular?

Looking to buy a 80MM and 120MM to add to my case which only has a rear 120MM atm.


My temps are currently
GPU 36 Idle, 69-70 Load
CPU 21 Idle, 28-30 Load (Oced at 3.2 Ghz on Stock fan. Seems really good?)
HDD(Just 1) 34-38


This is from running WoW for 5 hours or so and FutureMark Vantage testing. havent tryed anything gaming wise thats beefy.

If money isn't an issue get Noctua fans. If you want the best mix of silence, perforamance and price then Yate Loons can't be beat.

 

[Metalic Sand]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150007
So i noticed you can buy 10 of these for $12.90 shipped :lol

 

[Minsc]

You can? You can fit any current video card in a Qmicra or Lanbox Lite SFF case. The only concession you would have to make with the lanbox would be the amount of internal HDD's and the type of CPU fan you would use. The Qmicra is a beast though, it can hold anything but is much pricier. I only have one 1TB HDD which I will move to an external and use the slot for two SSD's once Win 7 is released.

Interesting, now I have to look in to that a little more and figure out where again I saw that mATX i7 board, and read up a little more. I just figured those monster video cards were going to be too much, but if indeed they fit, I guess you probably just sacrifice overclocking a bit perhaps, but thanks I'll have to look in to it a little more.

I'd only be putting in 2 SSD's and running everything else external, so space isn't much of a concern other than the video card and cooling like you said.