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[A Twisty Fluken]

I would keep it. A 3Ghz (Or 4 OC'd) Core 2 should be pretty solid for a ways to come.

I'd shoot for a GTX 260 or 4870 on your preference. Then maybe grab a new card next year.
At 1920x1080 you might want a little more though.

Thanks for the insight. The case I'm using is going to limit me to 9.25" cards though it can handle double slotters, so I was under the impression that ruled out a "little more."

 

[Hazaro]

Thanks for the insight. The case I'm using is going to limit me to 9.25" cards though it can handle double slotters, so I was under the impression that ruled out a "little more."

Does it state that?

9.5" is where your options are at.

Otherwise it's SLi / xFire at that resolution.

*Ok that's what the website says.
You could do Crossfire 4850's, but see if it can support 9.5" as you'll have more options.

 

[fresquito]

I'm thinking about getting a gaming mouse, but I'm lost. I'm not competitive player, but I feel my mouse is playing against me at the moment. So I'd like some insight on what are some good choices. I don't want to spend much money, and I'm not trying to get the best of the best. I just want a mouse that feels more responsible than your usual wireless office mouse.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hazaro]

I'm thinking about getting a gaming mouse, but I'm lost. I'm not competitive player, but I feel my mouse is playing against me at the moment. So I'd like some insight on what are some good choices. I don't want to spend much money, and I'm not trying to get the best of the best. I just want a mouse that feels more responsible than your usual wireless office mouse.

Thanks in advance.

What are you using now?
Budget?
Mousepad / Surface?

I'd have to say MX Revolution because it is awesome and I love it, but the MX518 is a popular choice. Gaming mice go on sale pretty regularly also.
*Plus it has a 3 or 5 year warranty, and you get a new warranty when they replace yours.
Good stuff.

 

[rass]

What are you using now?
Budget?
Mousepad / Surface?

I'd have to say MX Revolution because it is awesome and I love it, but the MX518 is a popular choice. Gaming mice go on sale pretty regularly also.

I second MX revolution, used to have one at work. I just got a G9 and I love it, but even I realise that i spend twice as much as i needed to

 

[Minsc]

Logitech G5 here, like to be able to control the tracking of the mouse on the fly. And it's nice to be able to use weights in the mouse, I don't like them to be light. I guess they don't sell them any more, but Microsoft and Logitech both make excellent gaming mice imo, and you'd be hard pressed to go wrong with either company.

 

[Barso]

I am looking to buy a PC from a company in the UK called MESH.
The PC I am looking at is the XGS 920SLX.
Could you have a look at it and tell me if it's worth buying and if anyone could help with advising me if the company are decent enough to buy from
Thanks to all your help and replies.
It's much appreciated.

Some help from anyone in the UK would be invaluable

 

[rass]

Logitech G5 here, like to be able to control the tracking of the mouse on the fly. And it's nice to be able to use weights in the mouse, I don't like them to be light. I guess they don't sell them any more, but Microsoft and Logitech both make excellent gaming mice imo, and you'd be hard pressed to go wrong with either company.

when i picked up my pc the other day I hadnt chosen peripherals yet and for a mouse the guy at the counter recommended a G5, so you can get them in Aus at least

 

[Diablohead]

About mice, I ordered a Gigabyte GM-M6800 Dual Lens Gaming Mouse for £7.99, yeah it's cheap and yeah it's probably not as good as a £49 mouse but at least it has a nice shape, more buttons and higher DPI then my current mouse. If I can use this old cheap mouse well this one will feel like gold to me :lol

 

[fresquito]

Thank you. I think MX518 fits my criteria better than any other one commented so far. I'm guessing I want a mouse that can perform better than your usual <10€ but I'm not willing to pay more than 45€ for it. I'd feel dirt if I spend more on my mouse than on my GPU :lol (I have an 8600GT).

Edit: Up until now I've used the one coming inside the EX110 pack (800dpi).

 

[Darklord]

I need some help GAF!

I got my HDMI to DVI cable today, plugged it into my monitor and PC and...doesn't work. What the hell? It says no cable is connected. I'm using a BenQ 2200HD. I don't get it, DVI to DVI is fine.

 

[Hazaro]

I need some help GAF!

I got my HDMI to DVI cable today, plugged it into my monitor and PC and...doesn't work. What the hell? It says no cable is connected. I'm using a BenQ 2200HD. I don't get it, DVI to DVI is fine.

Jiggle connections
Restart
Change input
Check it's in jack 1 of GPU

 

[Darklord]

Jiggle connections
Restart
Change input
Check it's in jack 1 of GPU

Tried all of that. I might give it another go later. It wouldn't be something like my GPU(MSI 260GTX) doesn't work with it or some crap would it?

 

[Hazaro]

Tried all of that. I might give it another go later. It wouldn't be something like my GPU(MSI 260GTX) doesn't work with it or some crap would it?

I have my GTX 260 hooked up to my monitor via DVI->HDMI so I doubt it, esp if it was working with DVI.

 

[Minsc]

Tried all of that. I might give it another go later. It wouldn't be something like my GPU(MSI 260GTX) doesn't work with it or some crap would it?

All I can suggest is to eliminate the possibility of it being the monitor's HDMI jack. Have you verified the HDMI port of the monitor to work from a source other than your PC?

 

[Darklord]

All I can suggest is to eliminate the possibility of it being the monitor's HDMI jack. Have you verified the HDMI port of the monitor to work from a source other than your PC?

No. I could try it on another PC, my older one.

 

[Boonoo]

Did you try flipping through the different connections on your monitor? I'm not sure about the model you have, but on my BenQ it lets you cycle through its different inputs. Maybe it didn't auto detect this time.

 

[Darklord]

Did you try flipping through the different connections on your monitor? I'm not sure about the model you have, but on my BenQ it lets you cycle through its different inputs. Maybe it didn't auto detect this time.

You...can do that? How exactly? I thought if you plugged one in it you just work right away. That could very well be the problem(At least I hope, it's a simple solution!).

 

[Minsc]

So I'm looking through memory again, and is it correct that's as far as gaming is concerned, there's basically no difference between 9-9-9-24 & 8-8-8-24 or 7-7-7-24 for that matter? I understand that the lower numbers have lower latencies, but this really doesn't matter for gaming right?

Some of the 9-9-9-24 sticks are nearly half the price as the 8-8-8-24 sticks, and Corsair's memory seems as good as any one else's as far as brand name goes?

 

[Diablohead]

So I'm looking through memory again, and is it correct that's as far as gaming is concerned, there's basically no difference between 9-9-9-24 & 8-8-8-24 or 7-7-7-24 for that matter? I understand that the lower numbers have lower latencies, but this really doesn't matter for gaming right?

Some of the 9-9-9-24 sticks are nearly half the price as the 8-8-8-24 sticks, and Corsair's memory seems as good as any one else's as far as brand name goes?

I can't see it being much of an improvement with the faster sticks myself, it's like nanoseconds faster.

 

[Boonoo]

You...can do that? How exactly? I thought if you plugged one in it you just work right away. That could very well be the problem(At least I hope, it's a simple solution!).

On mine, the input switch button is the same as the enter button (when you're in the settings menu). It seems it's mainly for switching between multiple inputs, but maybe yours is caught up or something.

 

[EviLore]

So I'm looking through memory again, and is it correct that's as far as gaming is concerned, there's basically no difference between 9-9-9-24 & 8-8-8-24 or 7-7-7-24 for that matter? I understand that the lower numbers have lower latencies, but this really doesn't matter for gaming right?

Some of the 9-9-9-24 sticks are nearly half the price as the 8-8-8-24 sticks, and Corsair's memory seems as good as any one else's as far as brand name goes?

Go for the cheaper ones, yeah.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

So I'm looking through memory again, and is it correct that's as far as gaming is concerned, there's basically no difference between 9-9-9-24 & 8-8-8-24 or 7-7-7-24 for that matter? I understand that the lower numbers have lower latencies, but this really doesn't matter for gaming right?

Some of the 9-9-9-24 sticks are nearly half the price as the 8-8-8-24 sticks, and Corsair's memory seems as good as any one else's as far as brand name goes?

There are some really in-depth articles out there on this, and basically what i've read is it's not worth the extra $$$ for lower timings. You cannot tell the difference in real world usage.

 

[Darklord]

On mine, the input switch button is the same as the enter button (when you're in the settings menu). It seems it's mainly for switching between multiple inputs, but maybe yours is caught up or something.

It worked! Well that was simple. Thanks.

Although, I can't tell any difference. :lol
Is there really that little difference between DVI and HDMI? Or do I need to watch some movies/games before I can tell a difference?

 

[BravoSuperStar]

It worked! Well that was simple. Thanks.

Although, I can't tell any difference. :lol
Is there really that little difference between DVI and HDMI? Or do I need to watch some movies/games before I can tell a difference?

The difference is HDMI can carry audio, DVI is video only. Image quality should be exactly the same.

 

[madmook]

It worked! Well that was simple. Thanks.

Although, I can't tell any difference. :lol
Is there really that little difference between DVI and HDMI? Or do I need to watch some movies/games before I can tell a difference?

Technically, there shouldn't be any difference, dunno where you read that. They're both the same digital signal, its just that HDMI can also carry an audio signal.

I use my PS3 on the HDMI port of my 2200HD.

 

[Darklord]

The difference is HDMI can carry audio, DVI is video only. Image quality should be exactly the same.

Hmm, so I just screwed around for nothing. I should have just left the DVI cable in! Ah well, I might as well leave the HDMI in now anyway.

It's at least not possible to get a worse picture, right?

 

[bigmit3737]

How much does the MX518 Usually run for?

I am thinking of getting that or the G5.


Do you guys think the Q9550 Will drop in price by the end of May?

If not, I am thinking of just getting a decent dual core and then pick up a Quad Core for my board when I7 becomes mainstream, bring down the prices of the P45 processors for my board.

 

[Minsc]

Thanks for the help with the memory, I want to hold out till Windows 7 comes out, but I've started assembling/updating a list of parts with prices, so I am going to be testing my will soon.

As long as my current card doesn't get any more faulty, and Starcraft 2 isn't released, I should hopefully make it till windows 7 releases and avoid having to deal with installing everything twice. Then DoW 2 is calling, as well as a bunch of other games I'm long overdue to play. Just a few more months...

 

[madmook]

The Q9550/9650 just had a pricedrop a couple months back, so I doubt there'll be another one by the end of May.

 

[rohlfinator]

How much does the MX518 Usually run for?

I am thinking of getting that or the G5.

When I was looking at it a month or two ago, it was pretty much universally $40. Even eBay only had it for a few bucks cheaper.

 

[MadOdorMachine]

Can someone please help with a new computer I'm building. I can't get the BIOS to see my harddrives anymore. There are two that are missing (80GB & 500GB) that were originally detected, but now they have disappeared from the BIOS. Both drives had Windows installed on them at one point. I don't know if that would affect it or not. I do have one drive that is being detected, so I know the wiring is good. Is there anyway to format a drive from the BIOS or DOS?

 

[Zombie James]

Video card arrived First thing I plan on doing is replaying HL2 and Ep1/Ep2. I bought my old system around the time of HL2's release so that was alright, but it really struggled with Ep1 and especially Ep2. Time to crank those settings up!

 

[NinjaFridge]

Video card arrived First thing I plan on doing is replaying HL2 and Ep1/Ep2. I bought my old system around the time of HL2's release so that was alright, but it really struggled with Ep1 and especially Ep2. Time to crank those settings up!

The 4770? Can you post some impressions later?

 

[John_B]

That frame would be awesome for 2.5 SSD drives, but would it be impossible to get them anywhere? The warranty is void if you remove the Raptor drive from it, so it's probably not something people do.

 

[MoFuzz]

Having my 5 year old rig just die on me gave me the nudge I needed to assemble a new one. I guess it was about time anyways, I was using an Athlon XP 2500+ w/ 512 MB RAM, Abit motherboard and Radeon 9200 :lol

It's just about complete, but would like some input. The comp will be primarily be used for everyday web use, multimedia and newer 3D games: Fallout 3, Mass Effect, Left 4 Dead, Crysis, etc. No photo or video editing, really.

Here's what I've got so far:

Case: Coolermaster CM 690 Mid Tower Black ATX Case 5X5.25 5X3.5INT No PS Front USB Sound Firewire & eSATA
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H mATX LGA775 GF9400 DDR2 1PCI-E 2PCI SATA2 Video Sound GBLAN HDMI
GPU: onboard GeForce 9400 w dvi/hdmi/vga (for now)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Dual Core Processor LGA775 3.0GHZ Wolfdale 1333FSB 6MB Retail
RAM: G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK PC2-8500 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-15
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB
DVD/CD: Samsung 22x writer/reader

So based on this setup, I'm looking for suggestions on a monitor and GPU.

As far as monitor options, I was consdering either a 22" - 1680 x 1050 or 24" - 1920 x 1200. I'm currently using a 17" Samsung at 1280 x 1024 - not widescreen, would I notice a significant difference at 1680 or would it be better to shoot for 1920?

Of course, for gaming at those resolutions, I'll need a dedicated video card as well. I was thinking anywhere from a GeForce 9800GT up to GTX 275. Will this be feasible for at least 3 to 4 years though? Or is it just better off to wait for the new tech?

Also, how about a decent gaming mouse?

Budgetwise, I'd like to keep the spending to:

$200 - $350 for monitor
$150 - $300 for video card
$25 - $50 for a mouse - I prefer Logitech products

Keeping in mind that I'm located in Canada, and the most available retailer being NCIX/Future Shop/Best Buy. I'd rather deal with B&M stores unless a smoking deal is to be had online. Any suggestions or recommendations, GAF?

 

[ithorien]

EDIT - Nvm, think I ghetto fixed it.

 

[Zombie James]

The 4770? Can you post some impressions later?

Well i'm coming from a single-core Athlon64 @ 2GHz with a Geforce 6800 to a dual-core E5200 @ 3GHz and a 4770... i'm pretty sure I won't be disappointed by the performance. I got the XFX card, by the way:

http://www.xfxforce.com/en-gb/products/graphiccards/HD 4000series/4770.aspx

 

[Barso]

Hello, I am extremely new to the PC scene and would appreciate some clarity to the patching of games.
I know that when I play a 360 game it automatically downloads the latest patch which will contain all previous patches.
But like company of heroes it has about 10 patches, with the first being 200MB and the latest being 80MB.
Do I need to download all ten patches individually and install or is there a way to download all patches released and install in one large file.

 

[madmook]

Hello, I am extremely new to the PC scene and would appreciate some clarity to the patching of games.
I know that when I play a 360 game it automatically downloads the latest patch which will contain all previous patches.
But like company of heroes it has about 10 patches, with the first being 200MB and the latest being 80MB.
Do I need to download all ten patches individually and install or is there a way to download all patches released and install in one large file.

It depends on how the devs made it. Most games allow you to just apply the latest version, while others might require prerequisite patches/versions to be installed prior to the latest one.

I remember reading that retail dvd CoH was somewhat notorious for having a complicated patching process. So I bought the Steam version.

 

[Blackface]

There are some really in-depth articles out there on this, and basically what i've read is it's not worth the extra $$$ for lower timings. You cannot tell the difference in real world usage.

Higher frequency > tighter timings

 

[Shubit]

That frame would be awesome for 2.5 SSD drives, but would it be impossible to get them anywhere? The warranty is void if you remove the Raptor drive from it, so it's probably not something people do.

That would have been an overkill since SSDs really dont require much in ways of cooling.

You can get 2.5 to 3.5 adapters from different vendors, either simple brackets or full 3.5 conversion bays (for SATA backplanes).

Brackets:
Scythe 2.5 Twin Mounter 2.5 inch SSD in 3.5inch bay

OCZ OCZACSSDBRKT Solid State Drive 3.5" Adaptor Bracket

Converters:
ICY DOCK MB882SP-1S-1B 2.5" to 3.5" SSD & SATA Hard Drive Converter

Athena Power BP-SATA2221B 3.5" tray-less bay for Dual 2.5" SATA HDD Hot-Swappable Backplane Unit (you can install this one in a floppy bay and hot swap SSDs, holds two)

BYTECC BT-M240-BK Snap-In 2.5" SATA Double Drive Mobile Rack (same as above)

Or you could just use some doublesided sticky tape and stick the drive on the first convenient surface you can find.

Higher frequency > tighter timings

Past a certain point i.e. when your bandwidth isn't being saturated anymore (any tri channel setup currently) timings > frequency.

 

[Echoes of Pink]

I just finished building my first computer. It was single handed the most nerve racking experience I've ever had. I've been on an adrenaline rush for over 3 hours, and I'm exhausted. :lol

Anyway, I threw Ubuntu on it, and it has perfect hardware compatibility which is one of the important things to me.

Here is a question my question to the pc crew: I need to get a copy of windows, so I can start to game on this thing. I have a beta key for 7. Will I be able to play games well on 7 or will I have to buy vista as I wait for the official release of 7?

 

[Minsc]

I just finished building my first computer. It was single handed the most nerve racking experience I've ever had. I've been on an adrenaline rush for over 3 hours, and I'm exhausted. :lol

Anyway, I threw Ubuntu on it, and it has perfect hardware compatibility which is one of the important things to me.

Here is a question my question to the pc crew: I need to get a copy of windows, so I can start to game on this thing. I have a beta key for 7. Will I be able to play games well on 7 or will I have to buy vista as I wait for the official release of 7?

The RC is due out in less than a week afaik, so don't bother with the beta now. The RC should run most newer games fine if your drivers are supported, but you won't get any support if there are issues.

I know what you mean about the adrenaline. Any time something gets screwed up, I get the same thing, and don't want to be interrupted until it's all fixed. Life's been much calmer since I got True Image and have been keeping regular images of my OS and files.

 

[Zombie James]

Well this is a crock of shit. None of ATI's drivers support the 4770. The drivers on XFX's site don't support the 4770. The driver that comes on the driver disc that came with the video card doesn't support the 4770.

Awesome work, ATI.

 

[Echoes of Pink]

The RC is due out in less than a week afaik, so don't bother with the beta now. The RC should run most newer games fine if your drivers are supported, but you won't get any support if there are issues.

I know what you mean about the adrenaline. Any time something gets screwed up, I get the same thing, and don't want to be interrupted until it's all fixed. Life's been much calmer since I got True Image and have been keeping regular images of my OS and files.

So wait until the RC is released and then install it on my new computer? How would I get my hands on the RC? All I have is the beta key and the 7000 build.

Ubuntu will hold me over in the meantime.

 

[Zombie James]

Seriously, fuck off ATI. Who the hell releases a new piece of hardware without any driver support?

 

[madmook]

Seriously, fuck off ATI. Who the hell releases a new piece of hardware without any driver support?

Holy shit lol. :lol

 

[Minsc]

Seriously, fuck off ATI. Who the hell releases a new piece of hardware without any driver support?

I got that very same message last night :lol Oh well, part of the reason I'll be going with a 275 for the time being... until nVidia annoys me again. My solution if it helps was simply to run the setup.exe file it extracts to the C:\ATI\whatever\ manually, then it worked fine.

Don't ever delete that folder btw (or at least back it up somewhere first), because at least in XP, if you need to uninstall the driver to update or move to a different card it's dumb ass uninstaller needs files from that directory. I hate having folders like that on my computer, so I naturally deleted it immediately after, and when it came time to uninstall the driver, I couldn't do it very easily.

So wait until the RC is released and then install it on my new computer? How would I get my hands on the RC? All I have is the beta key and the 7000 build.

Ubuntu will hold me over in the meantime.

I really have no idea now that you mention it, I thought you just got them for free by signing up or registering somewhere. Didn't they do that with the beta? I remember seeing links to torrents posted on news sites, and I played with it briefly in a VM, but got bored quick.

 

[Zombie James]

I got that very same message last night :lol Oh well, part of the reason I'll be going with a 275 for the time being... until nVidia annoys me again. My solution if it helps was simply to run the setup.exe file it extracts to the C:\ATI\whatever\ manually, then it worked fine.

Alright, i'll give that a shot.