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Official "I need a new PC!!" 2009 Edition
- Thread starter VictimOfGrief
- Start date
IDE DVD drives are fine. As long as your HDD is SATA. I remember using old IDE harddrives when my new PC was build and everything was performing like shit.Baloonatic said:
If you save money by not buying a HDD and DVD drive I'd recommend upgrading the mobo or videocard to a 4870, again though, it's not really necessary. You found out the specs of the PSU yet?
Baloonatic
Member
Teetris said:
I'm not sure if the HDD is SATA or not to be honest... I think it probably is, it's not all that old.
I can use my old case as well, so just need to buy a separate PSU. I was thinking this one?
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/124922
I've also picked out a more expensive mobo:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150880
That should be good enough I think.
It all comes to 418 pounds now, so I might go for a Q6600 for an extra 20 instead of the E8400.
I got that mobo. It's perfect as long as you don't want proper 5.1 surround. Also, only get the quad qore if gaming's not your main priority.Baloonatic said:
That PSU isn't really reliable from what I've heard. If you want to be absolute set on the PSU front, get this. Never cheap out on the PSU
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/131052
Baloonatic
Member
Teetris said:
I can't afford to pay that much for a PSU to be honest. Would this one do?
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135159
brain_stew
Member
Baloonatic said:
Yeah that's fine. This is a great budget PSU as well, can't be beat for the price:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150596
Baloonatic
Member
brain_stew said:
Thanks man, I'll look into it.
Anyone know if Western Digital are a good brand of HDD? I'm kind of thinking I should just bite the bullet and get a new one as my old one was so slow. 5+ minutes to boot up properly
thesoapster
Member
Tain said:
Well, if you're just changing clock speeds, I wouldn't worry too much. Go in small increases while the computer stays running stable. You will, however, get considerably better cooling performance out of an aftermarket fan/heatsink.
VictimOfGrief
Banned
Link: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-40nm-desktop-gpus-line-up-for-2009/6359.html?doc=6359
Snip:
This transition to 40nm will first take place with their high end GT212 GPU in Q2 follows by the mainstream GT214 and GT216 as well as value GT218 in Q3. GT212 will be replacing the 55nm GT200 so you can expect pretty short lifespan for the upcoming GTX295 and GTX285 cards.
After a lot of debate, I think these are the final specs of my rig. I would like to wait for the i7's to come down in price,but I'm talking about the computer that everyone in my house will be using... and if we take in consideration that the old one is pretty much dead, I won't be able to wait.
Intel E8400 CPU
Intel DP35DP Motherboard
4 Gb worth of DDR2 RAM PC2-6400
Either a GeForce GTX 260 or a GeForce 9800GTX -I won't be doing benchmarks or trying to get Crysis to run with everything on High. Maybe I'll stick to the 9800 and upgrade later on. What's your take?-
Acteck Zenux case -with 600W Power Supply-
HDD WD 550GB
DVD-RW Lite-On
LX310 Logitech Mouse and Keyboard
What do you think guys? As I said, I won't be doing some X-TREME PC Gaming... I just want something nice where I can play COH, TF2, Left4Dead, StarCraft 2, etc.
Intel E8400 CPU
Intel DP35DP Motherboard
4 Gb worth of DDR2 RAM PC2-6400
Either a GeForce GTX 260 or a GeForce 9800GTX -I won't be doing benchmarks or trying to get Crysis to run with everything on High. Maybe I'll stick to the 9800 and upgrade later on. What's your take?-
Acteck Zenux case -with 600W Power Supply-
HDD WD 550GB
DVD-RW Lite-On
LX310 Logitech Mouse and Keyboard
What do you think guys? As I said, I won't be doing some X-TREME PC Gaming... I just want something nice where I can play COH, TF2, Left4Dead, StarCraft 2, etc.
Baloonatic
Member
Should I stick with XP x64 or move onto Vista x64? I assume Vista has more compatibility issues with programs?
brain_stew
Member
Baloonatic said:Thanks man, I'll look into it.
Anyone know if Western Digital are a good brand of HDD? I'm kind of thinking I should just bite the bullet and get a new one as my old one was so slow. 5+ minutes to boot up properly
Buy a Samsung F1 1TB, insane bang for buck and one of the quickest drives on the market.
Baloonatic
Member
zoku88 said:
Are there any particular advantages in having Vista, though?
brain_stew
Member
Baloonatic said:
Vista x64. A fundamentally better OS and you're actually going to be getting better compatability, XP x64 never received full suport like Vista x64 has.
K.Jack said:
K.Jack you are God's gift to mankind!!!!!!! Thank you VERY MUCH for the heads up on the mobile scene!
Yeah, I don't expect to see 'em in any of the Dells, Sonys, etc, but I am a Sager customer. I have bought and will continue to buy Sager laptops, since their HQ office is literally within 30 miles of where I live.
That being said, do you suspect Sager will have the luxury of carrying the 4870 mobile cards once production has started? They have been very good at carrying top of the line stuff and was one of the very first brands to put the nVidia 7900Go in their machines.
What are you thoughts?
Baloonatic
Member
Ok, I've got my final components picked out.
E8400
4850
OCZ 4GB DDR2 800MHz
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L iP45
Western Digital 250GB HDD
OCZ Stealth Xtream 500W PSU
DONE. Hopefully it will all work together.
Oh, can SATAI cables be used with a SATAII HDD?
E8400
4850
OCZ 4GB DDR2 800MHz
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L iP45
Western Digital 250GB HDD
OCZ Stealth Xtream 500W PSU
DONE. Hopefully it will all work together.
Oh, can SATAI cables be used with a SATAII HDD?
D
Deleted member 30609
Unconfirmed Member
I've been getting some random shut downs recently, and I think it is heat related and might concern my power supply. The computer literally just stops working, straight to a black screen, and the only way to get it working again is to remove the power cord from the back of it for a minute or so then put it back in. Strangely, removing it from the wall-socket doesn't work, only removing the connection to the actual PC does any good.
Here's a cap of Speed Fan when my PC is all but idling (might've had a Chrome window open at the time):
My GPU is an nVidia 9800GTX+.
Now what's worrying me here is the motherboard seems ABSURDLY hot. Any idea what might be causing this? I'm using a 500 Watt power supply and my case is relatively cheapish (there are no additional fans in there). The air flow through it isn't ideal, but the temperature still seems too high. The GPU temp is probably a carry over from when I was playing Crysis a couple of minutes ago, but as of about 20 minutes after the computer restarted, the temperature hasn't gone down at all.
If the problem is as simple as buying a new fan then could someone fill me on what I should be looking for in a fan? Thanks.
EDIT: Oh my mobo is a Intel DG31PR.
Here's a cap of Speed Fan when my PC is all but idling (might've had a Chrome window open at the time):
My GPU is an nVidia 9800GTX+.
Now what's worrying me here is the motherboard seems ABSURDLY hot. Any idea what might be causing this? I'm using a 500 Watt power supply and my case is relatively cheapish (there are no additional fans in there). The air flow through it isn't ideal, but the temperature still seems too high. The GPU temp is probably a carry over from when I was playing Crysis a couple of minutes ago, but as of about 20 minutes after the computer restarted, the temperature hasn't gone down at all.
If the problem is as simple as buying a new fan then could someone fill me on what I should be looking for in a fan? Thanks.
EDIT: Oh my mobo is a Intel DG31PR.
asking in this thread because its related to this and you people are smrt!
I got vista 64bit and I have been trying to install my games on my hard drive that doesnt have the OS on it, because its bigger and i got it to dedicate to games.
Steam and Warhammer online are installed on it.
It made me install crysis and red alert 3 on the one with windows though, why?
it said it would be unstable any other way, is it lying to me?
I got vista 64bit and I have been trying to install my games on my hard drive that doesnt have the OS on it, because its bigger and i got it to dedicate to games.
Steam and Warhammer online are installed on it.
It made me install crysis and red alert 3 on the one with windows though, why?
it said it would be unstable any other way, is it lying to me?
HamPster PamPster
Member
Random question:
My computer is a 5 year old Dell that only has a AGP slot for graphics cards (currently I'm just using the integrated graphics)
All I really want to play is Civ 4
DxDiag says I have a Pentium 4.
Can I just upgrade the graphics card or should I just spring for a new PC? If I keep my current PC I would need to add a second hard drive and a DVD drive since the HD is sub 40 gigs and filled and the DVD drive is broken (and probably more ram as well for Civ 4)
My computer is a 5 year old Dell that only has a AGP slot for graphics cards (currently I'm just using the integrated graphics)
All I really want to play is Civ 4
DxDiag says I have a Pentium 4.
Can I just upgrade the graphics card or should I just spring for a new PC? If I keep my current PC I would need to add a second hard drive and a DVD drive since the HD is sub 40 gigs and filled and the DVD drive is broken (and probably more ram as well for Civ 4)
Baloonatic
Member
Teetris said:
Man, I'm pretty scared D: I've replaced video cards, hard drives, RAM etc. before, but never made a whole system. I know where everything goes, it's mainly connecting all the wires to the right places I'm worried about. Expect me on here panicking anyway.
Will my mobo manual contain diagrams per chance? That would be pretty nice...
Baloonatic said:
I was in the same spot last Spring but all went well. The mobo manual (Asus) was really helpful for everything though it was more or less matching what the plugs said to what the board said.
The CPU fan was a fucking bitch. I thought I broke something when it made a big CRACK but all looks and runs fine.
bee
Member
Baloonatic said:
think of it as expensive lego, never be afraid to use a lot of force. if you haven't got a removeable mobo tray, get the anti static bag the mobo comes in and put it on a desk or something and assemble the cpu/cooler/ram while its outside the case
when you fit the cpu cooler, push two diagonally opposite pushpins in together at the same time then do the other two
make sure you put the mobo backplate in the case before putting the mobo in also remember to connect the 4 pin cpu power cable, those are the two things most people forget
Baloonatic
Member
CPU is definitely the thing I'm most worried about as I've never fitted or removed one before. If I get stuck then I guess there will be guides on the net to help me out.
Oh yeah, and is there anything I have to do after it's all fitted and powered up? I'm going to be using my old hard drive first so I can back stuff up and transfer it to the new one. Already has an OS on it obviously, so will it just start normally?
Oh yeah, and is there anything I have to do after it's all fitted and powered up? I'm going to be using my old hard drive first so I can back stuff up and transfer it to the new one. Already has an OS on it obviously, so will it just start normally?
Baloonatic
Member
Installing Windows now... Hope it works.
The CPU fan was a complete wanker to get in.
The CPU fan was a complete wanker to get in.
bee
Member
Baloonatic said:
haha
never had a problem with the pushpins myself, i guess cos i always assemble on a removeable mobo tray where its outside the case and properly screwed down still, having said that the system thermalright uses on its true coolers is a lot better in every waydid you go into pc health monitor in bios and check the cpu temp? i always do that 1st and let it idle and check the temp doesn't rise a lot so you know the heatsink is fitted properly, but i guess if it isn't shutting down you're ok
Baloonatic
Member
bee said:haha
did you go into pc health monitor in bios and check the cpu temp? i always do that 1st and let it idle and check the temp doesn't rise a lot so you know the heatsink is fitted properly, but i guess if it isn't shutting down you're ok
I'll do that once Windows has finished installing. My old HDD didn't work as it was so I've formatted it and am installing XP to it. Gonna stick Vista on the new one I think.
95%!
I just bought a new PC
It's not really a high end system but it is pretty powerful for what it is.
E5200 2.5 Ghz (obviously going to overclock it)
3 GB DDR2-800 RAM
GF 9800 GT 512 MB VRAM
640 GB SATA HDD
Probably good enough to play Crysis on low settings and games like Fallout 3 on medium settings at steady 30 fps. That's all I need for 2009 since I'm just a casual PC gamer. The only thing that bothers me a bit is the GPU since I don't know if there is much of a difference between a 9800 GT and a 9800 GTX.
It's not really a high end system but it is pretty powerful for what it is.
E5200 2.5 Ghz (obviously going to overclock it)
3 GB DDR2-800 RAM
GF 9800 GT 512 MB VRAM
640 GB SATA HDD
Probably good enough to play Crysis on low settings and games like Fallout 3 on medium settings at steady 30 fps. That's all I need for 2009 since I'm just a casual PC gamer. The only thing that bothers me a bit is the GPU since I don't know if there is much of a difference between a 9800 GT and a 9800 GTX.
Baloonatic
Member
Not detecting my graphics card :'( Someone help please.
Edit: Never mind, I clearly suffer from minor retardation.
Edit: Never mind, I clearly suffer from minor retardation.
Frenck said:I just bought a new PC
It's not really a high end system but it is pretty powerful for what it is.
E5200 2.5 Ghz (obviously going to overclock it)
3 GB DDR2-800 RAM
GF 9800 GT 512 MB VRAM
640 GB SATA HDD
Probably good enough to play Crysis on low settings and games like Fallout 3 on medium settings at steady 30 fps. That's all I need for 2009 since I'm just a casual PC gamer. The only thing that bothers me a bit is the GPU since I don't know if there is much of a difference between a 9800 GT and a 9800 GTX.
Man, are you going to be in for a surprise :lol
Baloonatic
Member
Teetris said:
Yeah forget it, I forgot the drivers :lol I was too excited that it was actually running.
Nice, a Sager man. What do you have? My current notebook is also a Clevo rebrand (my Prostar M860TU = Sager NP8660). I got within days of release, and it's nice having the most powerful 15.4" notebook on the planet. I got an inside deal from another reseller on a retail quality T9800 @ 2.93Ghz, so I'll be dropping that in next week.isamu said:
On to your question, @ CeBIT 2009 (March 3-8 of '09), Clevo will be revealing the successor to the DC901C (Sager NP9262), and it will have two MXM-IV slots and a new desktop platform (rumored to be the i7). There should be nothing stopping the inclusion of the Mobility 4870s. The company is also revealing a new 18.4" monster, the M98xNU, which will have dual 9800M GTX plus the new Nvidia chipset with the integrated GPU for power-saving modes.
The real question I have right now is what kind of exclusivity deal MSI have worked out with ATI. Also, at the launch of the M860TU and M570TU (Sager NP5796), Clevo wanted to be first to market with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870, but ATI couldn't get the cards together in time, and people who had ordered the notebooks with them were given free upgrades to the 9800M GT; whether the relationship between the two companies took a hit is a topic of speculation.
Worst case scenario is that we'll have to buy the cards aftermarket and install them ourselves. The 4850 is expected to cost somewhere in the range of $275 to $300 standalone, but take that with a small grain of salt because people who are held under NDAs have a funny way of hinting at things. I couldn't get anything concrete. The OCZ Whitebook should be refreshed with these 4850s around March.
I replaced my PSU about a week ago, and now when I shut down my PC, the PSU stays on and some components continue to be powered. I can turn everything off by holding the power button.
I don't think this has been this way since I installed it, I noticed it yesterday, I'm pretty sure this JUST happened.
I don't think this has been this way since I installed it, I noticed it yesterday, I'm pretty sure this JUST happened.
brain_stew
Member
Frenck said:I just bought a new PC
It's not really a high end system but it is pretty powerful for what it is.
E5200 2.5 Ghz (obviously going to overclock it)
3 GB DDR2-800 RAM
GF 9800 GT 512 MB VRAM
640 GB SATA HDD
Probably good enough to play Crysis on low settings and games like Fallout 3 on medium settings at steady 30 fps. That's all I need for 2009 since I'm just a casual PC gamer. The only thing that bothers me a bit is the GPU since I don't know if there is much of a difference between a 9800 GT and a 9800 GTX.
Low settings? Downloadd CCC config, and you'll get very high level settings at a smooth 30fps @ 720p resolution. Most every other game will run maxxed out as well, GTA 4 is the only thing that's going to cause problems but that's because its a buggy POS. Update us on how your OCing goes, I'm running mine at a stable 3.62ghz with this $20 cooler. Good luck. The E5200 destroys every other CPU out there in terms of bang for buck if you're willing to OC, push it past 3.4ghz or so and watch that thing fly.
It's not running to reach a certain temperature. I let it run for like 20-30 minutes and it didn't shut off, and the computer had been running for less than an hour. The PSU fan stays on, the CPU fan stays on, and the main power light stays on. It continues to power the cd drive (you can open the tray) and I assume it may continue to power the hard drive.bee said:
Edit:... the problem may have fixed itself? Really weird.
Baloonatic
Member
Thanks a lot for all the help guys, everything's running great and Vista is pretty slick. Just downloading all my Steam games again and then I guess I'll give Crysis a go...
Can't wait to play The Witcher at a decent framerate as well, I went through that whole game when it first game out at like 20fps and 5+ minute loading times on LOW settings. No idea what sort of performance I'll get out of Crysis though.
Can't wait to play The Witcher at a decent framerate as well, I went through that whole game when it first game out at like 20fps and 5+ minute loading times on LOW settings. No idea what sort of performance I'll get out of Crysis though.
isamu said:
I just randomly popped in this thread, read this post, and checked out the Sager website. I ignorantly had no idea there were custom gaming laptop companies. I'm looking to replace my computer and have found that I just have no need for a roaring desktop anymore. I'd like to switch over to the laptop world for a variety of reasons and figured that many can just be plugged into a normal display.
Are laptops even close to up-to-speed with desktops? I'm not looking to be able to play Crysis or anything, but it would be nice to run WoW with everything cranked up at 1680x1050 (or TF2, CoH, etc...). I was thinking of waiting until the next Macbook Pro update, but maybe a custom PC laptop would give me way, way more bang for my buck.
Can anyone chime in with a quick synopsis of the gaming laptop situation?
rohlfinator
Member
Does anyone here have any experience with ATI's Hybrid Crossfire setup? I have an HTPC with the AMD 780g chipset, which apparently you can Crossfire with their HD 34xx cards. I ordered an HD3450 to try it out, and I'm wondering what kind of performance increases I can expect. It's really low-end compared to most modern graphics cards, but it's basically just a stopgap solution that will hopefully buy me a bit of performance in a few Source engine games until I build a new gaming PC sometime next year.
Also, just out of curiosity, what would be the practical differences between the Radeon HD 4850/4870/4850X2/4870X2? Are the higher end cards only really necessary for higher resolution displays, or would they still have a noticeable impact at say, 1680x1050 or lower? I'm kind of out of the loop when it comes to this kind of stuff...
Thanks all for the great thread! Lots of great tips in here, and I'll definitely be lurking in here a bit more as I get closer to buying a new PC.
Also, just out of curiosity, what would be the practical differences between the Radeon HD 4850/4870/4850X2/4870X2? Are the higher end cards only really necessary for higher resolution displays, or would they still have a noticeable impact at say, 1680x1050 or lower? I'm kind of out of the loop when it comes to this kind of stuff...
Thanks all for the great thread! Lots of great tips in here, and I'll definitely be lurking in here a bit more as I get closer to buying a new PC.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Is there a consensus on a good LGA1366 cooler?
I don't plan to do much if any overclocking, but people seem to think the stock cooler is pretty much shit given mechanical form.
You should also prepare for panic mode when I attempt my first install. A whole page of it.
I don't plan to do much if any overclocking, but people seem to think the stock cooler is pretty much shit given mechanical form.
You should also prepare for panic mode when I attempt my first install. A whole page of it.