22

I'm helping my coworker to piece together a new setup... is there any big advantage to get a quad-core Phenom versus a four?

10/9/2008 1:02:48 AM

What is the computer going to be used for? Work, Rendering, Games, Internet, etc.... That will determine everything else.

10/9/2008 8:11:24 AM

Quote :

"is there any big advantage to get a quad-core Phenom versus a four"

you mean a three core versus a four?

10/9/2008 11:20:06 AM

Get an e8500. The sad thing is the higher end intel dual cores are sometimes just as fast as the amd quad cores.

10/9/2008 12:49:11 PM

^^

yes

10/9/2008 8:33:09 PM

well it should be obvious, you get 1 extra core with the quad core. the three core cpu's are only sold to reach a lower price point

10/9/2008 10:42:51 PM

The three core CPU's are made when one of the cores on a quad fails to work. So the turn off one off the failed core and make it a tri-core. All it is is AMD trying to have less waste.

10/10/2008 2:13:52 AM

^the processor industry has been doing that for ages (with cache), it's called the celeron and sempron, essentially it's to not produce waste, and results in cpu's at a lower price point

[Edited on October 10, 2008 at 1:15 PM. Reason : .]

10/10/2008 1:12:14 PM

is the 9800gtx+ still my best buy for the money?

i RMAed mine to newegg and they refunded it - i guess they don't have any more like it available.

so now should i get http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121284 which is $160 AR or something else?

10/15/2008 2:49:59 PM

yes

next best bet is a GTX 260 or 4870, but they run $220-230

[Edited on October 15, 2008 at 2:55 PM. Reason : .]

10/15/2008 2:52:21 PM

I have this.... and it's 164.99 AR.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130388

The memory clock is lower.... but, you get twice the memory to make up for it.

[Edited on October 15, 2008 at 3:21 PM. Reason : ]

10/15/2008 3:19:37 PM

what the heck is the difference in all these?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&Description=4870&bop=And&Order=PRICE

i know some have builtin hdmi ports and stuff but i just need a standard dual dvi one and want it to last long. don't care to overclock it or anything.

10/15/2008 3:46:19 PM

^^the core is slower, the memory is slower, and it has 16 less stream processors, so it is indeed slower, more memory doesn't necessarily make it faster (in certain applications)

visiontek is the only ATI manufacturer that i know of that has a lifetime warranty

[Edited on October 15, 2008 at 3:58 PM. Reason : .]

10/15/2008 3:48:52 PM

yeah but their version has the built-in HDMI port that i don't want because it takes away one of the DVI ports

any order of rank for these other companies?

10/15/2008 4:27:53 PM

Sapphire is the largest of them all, and often do a lot of the ATI-branded cards, rumored to have the worst CS/RMA process.

1. Sapphire / ATI
2. Visiontek / HIS / Asus
3. Diamond / Gigabyte
4. MSI / Powercolor
5. Everybody else

Good deal on a 9800GT:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130384

[Edited on October 15, 2008 at 4:55 PM. Reason : .]

10/15/2008 4:49:07 PM

cool just got the ASUS one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121276

10/15/2008 5:30:12 PM

you'll love the 4870...

why not the HIS, better fan, better reviews?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161236

[Edited on October 15, 2008 at 5:51 PM. Reason : .]

10/15/2008 5:50:42 PM

i've never heard of HIS tbh

10/15/2008 6:09:26 PM

what could you guys build for me for $500. I already have monitor (and keyboard and mouse of course) and I have this power supply:

OCZ Modstream 520W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104155

I dono if that would be enough these days.

Im basically looking for something that is a solid computer, but it doesnt need to be ridiculously fast. I have a 3800+ venice core in my current desktop that is dying on me with 2gigs of RAM and a 7800GT.

It doesnt even need to be that much faster than that, but I feel like $500 could build something decent these days. The only games im playing these days are easy on the graphics. I play WoW like one day a week to keep up with old friends and would like to play the game on maxed out settings (which I assume should also be easy). I also use photoshop a good bit.

My biggest setback is I have no disc for an OS around here. Id love XP Pro but I guess it comes down to what I can get cheapest.


[Edited on October 15, 2008 at 7:45 PM. Reason : ]

10/15/2008 7:27:11 PM

I've got a good old fashion 1.7 GHZ AMD processor that I bought probably back in 2002, and it's still running strong, but it's starting to get sluggish due to only have 1.5 GB ram.

What are some dependable + cheap types of RAM these days? I have a max cap of 3 GB on this board, and want to go ahead and bump it up all the way.

I'm able to use PC2700/DDR333, PC2100/DDR266, and PC1600/DDR200 on the slots

Thank ya.

10/16/2008 7:58:12 AM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148089

10/16/2008 9:54:34 AM

n/m, it was SO-DIMM

[Edited on October 17, 2008 at 12:35 PM. Reason : .]

10/17/2008 12:34:17 PM

^ The slickdeals posting? Yeah, I saw that today too

^^ http://shop3.frys.com/product/5388228?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG is this the same?

[Edited on October 17, 2008 at 1:48 PM. Reason : .]

10/17/2008 1:35:00 PM

yes to both

10/17/2008 2:10:58 PM

there's a reason we have this thread. bttt

good deal on the E8500 w/ Antec True Power Trio 650W PSU
http://shop3.frys.com/product/5759392

[Edited on October 23, 2008 at 9:39 PM. Reason : .]

10/23/2008 9:31:30 PM

^Thanks for the info. I'm going to let that other thread die and throw all my info here from now on.

Here is what I am looking at so far:

Processor: E8500 (I impulsed on your link ) - Purchased
Mobo: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299)
Video Card: ASUS EAH4850 TOP/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121272)
PSU: Antec True Power Trio 650W PSU - Purchased

-----------------

Remaining items...

Case
I'm not looking for anything too fancy. Just something that will keep good air circulation and supports what my mobo does. I really have no idea what makes one better than another. (I was looking at about $50 for one, but can be coerced as needed)

CPU Cooler
I figured I'd want to go with something other than what comes standard with the processor (correct me if I am wrong). My friend suggested one for $50 (can't remember what is was off the top of my head). Any other suggestions?

RAM
The board I want supports up to DDR2 1200. Since there is not much selection in that range (and I've heard ASUS boards can be picky with RAM) I am looking more at 1066 unless there are better options.
I currently plan on installing XP Pro (32-bit) on this box whenever I assemble it. So IIRC there is some sort of ~3.2GB limitation. So I'm looking at 4GB of RAM for the time being.
Looking at the Corsair Dominator. I found two sets with the only difference being the second supports EPP. Any reason not to go for the second one?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145197
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145214

Hard Drive
I really don't know when that "little extra" is costing me much more than it is worth. I want to do this one right for the OS and programs and then get a second later down the line for typical storage.
I know I want it to be SATA. My friend suggested doing a 10K RPM. I also wanted it to be 3GB/s. The only one I can find is the Western Digital Velociraptor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136296
Paying ~$1 per GB is a bit more than I wanted. Are there any other options?

10/25/2008 9:16:43 PM

Case
Antec 300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Cooler Master 590
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119152

CPU Cooler
Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme- The absolute best air cooling. You should be able to get the E8500 to 4.0+GHz with no heat problems. Unfortunately this cooler has disappeared. No one has it in stock and the places that do are really expensive. I bought mine for $50+shipping. Most places are running around $70 that have it in stock. Newegg hasn't carried thermalright products in a year. The link is to the basic 120, since no one that I have dealt with has the Extreme in stock. The second ones is the black edition which supposedly cools better because of the outside black coating.
http://www.svc.com/ultra-120.html $46
http://www.svc.com/ultra-120-extreme.html $55 out of stock
http://www.svc.com/ultra-120-extb.html $75

Tuniq Tower- basically the same as the Thermalright Ultra 120 except $5-10 cheaper with about 1C higher temps.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001 $46

Zalamn 9500 & 9700 series - Good coolers, but overpriced for the performance. Usually $5-10 more than the Tuniq Tower and Thermalright Ultra 120 and don't cool as well.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118003 $42
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223 $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118020 $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019 $55

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro - A very good budget cooler. $27
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

Other things you need to think about
CD/DVD/Blu-ray Drive (I think we all have agreed HD-DVD Died)
Mouse
Keyboard
Thermal Paste- most heatsinks come with some, but I decided to get OCZ freeze because it has the best heat transfer
Wireless Card
CPU and Case Fans
Monitor
Speakers
Fan Controller
Cabling
Gaming Accessories

Quote :

"Hard Drive I really don't know when that "little extra" is costing me much more than it is worth. I want to do this one right for the OS and programs and then get a second later down the line for typical storage. I know I want it to be SATA. My friend suggested doing a 10K RPM. I also wanted it to be 3GB/s. The only one I can find is the Western Digital Velociraptor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136296 Paying ~$1 per GB is a bit more than I wanted. Are there any other options?"

Most people agree that the price isn't justified by the speed increase. I would get a large density hard drive (500GB ore greater) for the price.

[Edited on October 25, 2008 at 10:56 PM. Reason : :]

10/25/2008 10:42:25 PM

^pretty much what he said, although i've never heard that about the black coating on the 120, that seems a bit far fetched....

case-
antec solo
antec p180
antec three-hundred (300)
antec _____

hard drive-
western digital 640GB drive, the fastest 7200rpm drive out there (wd6400aaks)

memory-
corsair dominator is the best out there, 1066 is more than enough, save your money the 1200 isn't worth it

cpu cooler-
what comes with the cpu (retail heatsink) is more than capable of cooling nowadays, but you can always do better, i have the arctic cooling freezer 7 pro and it works great, although anything zalman puts out for cooling is top notch as well, just trying to help save some money

[Edited on October 26, 2008 at 12:37 AM. Reason : .]

10/26/2008 12:32:55 AM

Quote :

"hard drive- western digital 640GB drive, the fastest 7200rpm drive out there (wd6400aaks)"

Make sure that you do not get the WD6400AACS. It is absolutely horrible. The power savings cuts the performance to 2.5" 5400rpm laptop hard drive range.

Quote :

"^pretty much what he said, although i've never heard that about the black coating on the 120, that seems a bit far fetched...."

It's the same Nickel coating that the 120 Extreme has, so I doubt it makes any difference. I was looking at the site and the were previewing an all copper 120.

http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_page/product_page/cpu/true-copper/product_cpu_cooler_t_copper.html

10/26/2008 11:52:02 AM

Quote :

"Cooler Master 590 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119152"

+1 vote for this case

I have it and I love it.

10/26/2008 6:03:33 PM

Alright, I finally have a list of all of the major components:

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121272
ASUS EAH4850 TOP/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$54.95

CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001
Tuniq Tower 120 Universal CPU Cooler 120mm Cooling Fan and Fan Controller/Heatsink

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145214
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)

HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218&Tpk=WD6400AAKS
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

CPU – Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8500 - BX80570E8500 Box CPU
PSU – Antec TruePowerTrio 650W PSU

---------------------

jcfox2 is right, though. I haven't put much thought into a lot of the other extraneous bits. I'll just list the ones that I don't have covered.

CD/DVD/Blu-ray Drive - Blu-ray can go to hell IMO. I'll probably want one DVD RW that doesn't suck. (My current DVD and CD drives stutter and then sound like they are lifting off any time I use them). Got a decent suggestion? (I wasn't planning on anything too extravagant here, but I suppose for gaming I shouldn't go low, eh?).

Mouse and keyboard: I'll check on these at a local store since I am so picky about keyboard feeling and 'click' sounds. (Then I'll probably get it online if the price is right ).

Thermal Paste - I've been debating on this. Most ppl suggest Arctic Silver 5 over the standard. Is the OCZ much better?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

CPU and Case Fans - The Tunic Tower comes with a fan, so that should be good there, right?
In terms of Case fans, the Antec 300 comes with a rear and top fan. It appears to have two additional openings on the front (120 mm for the HDDs) and one on the side (120 x 25 mm for Video Card). Should I go for fans in all these places?

Fan Controller - Not really sure what this is. I think that the Tunic Tower comes with one. Any considerations other that that?

Cabling - Blah, no idea here. Is one SATA cable the same as another? Can I assume that my Mobo and PSU will come with all the necessary power connecting cables, etc?

Thanks for all the assistance!

10/26/2008 9:31:30 PM

^so you're going to be overclocking? Because of the aftermarket heatsink?

Because with these 45nm 8 series you can overclock a good bit on the stock heatsink and be just fine (30-40c range). It's a waste of money to buy an aftermarket heatsink if you're not going to be massively overclocking.

[Edited on October 26, 2008 at 9:49 PM. Reason : .]

10/26/2008 9:45:32 PM

^^you don't need to worry about cooling if you go the tuniq tower & 300 case

dvd-rw, any one that's SATA, i'd say Asus/LG/Sony/Samsung are the best, Lite-On is good too, but i think they are a bit noisier than the rest, you really can't go wrong, just make sure it's sata.

thermal paste - AC5 is still some of the best, OCZ freeze is good too.

like i mentioned before (and neodata), the retail heatsink does the job just fine for cooling. the only reason to go aftermarket is for overclocking, or if you want a near silent cooling solution, but it's up to you, it's just an extra $60 or so you could save.

Quote :

"Cabling - Blah, no idea here. Is one SATA cable the same as another? Can I assume that my Mobo and PSU will come with all the necessary power connecting cables, etc?"

yes

[Edited on October 27, 2008 at 1:02 AM. Reason : ,]

10/27/2008 1:00:03 AM

Fan Controllers - they are put in a dvd drive bay to control all of the fans on the computer. You probably don't need one if you have less than 3 fans. I have 6 (120mm,110cfm,blue led) fans on my case and a 130cfm, 120mm fan on my cpu heatsink. If I had all of them turned up, my computer is loud.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&SubCategory=11&N=2000090011

By cabling, I was mainly talking about audio/video cabling. I have my computer hooked up to my 26" HDTV. I had to get a DVI-HDMI adapter when I had my 7900GT GPU. I also needed a HDMI cable. What are you using for a monitor/sound?

Quote :

" CPU and Case Fans - The Tunic Tower comes with a fan, so that should be good there, right? In terms of Case fans, the Antec 300 comes with a rear and top fan. It appears to have two additional openings on the front (120 mm for the HDDs) and one on the side (120 x 25 mm for Video Card). Should I go for fans in all these places?"

It's mainly a personal preference. I have my 6 case fans, because I think that the blue leds enhance the looks. I can move a lot more air through my case than most people, but it really makes nearly no difference in the temperatures.

Quote :

" Thermal Paste - I've been debating on this. Most ppl suggest Arctic Silver 5 over the standard. Is the OCZ much better?"

It depends on who you ask. I went with a 20 way comparison.
http://www.thecrucible.ca/reviews/thermal/

CD/DVD - I have a Samsung S-203B. I don't use it that much, so I am not sure how good it actually is and how long it will last. Mine has been replaced by the S-223F. Most of them are made in the same plant and are re-branded to whatever brand. If you want to get really technical, I can tie back almost all computer parts and TVs/Monitors back to one or two manufacturing plants.

10/27/2008 8:44:42 AM

bttt

10/29/2008 11:51:27 AM

another good deal:

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
+
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToCart.aspx?Submit=ADD&ItemList=Combo.136215

$258.99

-$20.00 Instant
-$30.00 Combo
-$15.00 Mail-in Rebate
-$40.00 Mail-in Rebate

=$208.99 shipped - $55 MIR = $153.99 TOTAL

10/29/2008 3:14:30 PM

Help me out, if that ^ motherboard has a memory standard of DDR2 1200, would the combo'ed memory of DDR2 1066 work with it?

10/29/2008 6:41:46 PM

oh hai

10/29/2008 7:01:00 PM

I'm looking to build a computer mainly for video editing and photo editing, decent for gaming as well. I know absolute dick about this, can someone point me in the right direction or help me get started.

10/29/2008 7:12:48 PM

double post

ban lock suspend

10/29/2008 7:17:32 PM

Quote :

"Help me out, if that ^ motherboard has a memory standard of DDR2 1200, would the combo'ed memory of DDR2 1066 work with it?"

yes, the "standard" means it will accept "up to" that speed of memory by default without overclocking.

Quote :

"I'm looking to build a computer mainly for video editing and photo editing, decent for gaming as well. I know absolute dick about this, can someone point me in the right direction or help me get started."

i think i already responded to your post, if you are serious about video editing, you just need to swap out the E8400 for a Q8200 or Q9300 depending on your budget

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V 2.0 Power Supply - Retail
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2-800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ
EVGA 512-P3-N873-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30
Logitech Z-2300 200 watts RMS 2.1 Speaker System - Retail
-OR- Logitech X-240 25 Watts 2.1 Speaker - Retail
SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

if you want more speed editing, look into the Western Digital Raptor or VelociRaptor series.
if you need more storage space, just buy (2) 640GB drives
if you need a super color accurate LCD w/out much adjustment, look at Dell Ultrasharps or Apple

[Edited on October 29, 2008 at 8:19 PM. Reason : .]

10/29/2008 8:13:52 PM

Cool, thanks.

Do you think I should get a case with a front FireWire port, or does it not really matter?

I'll definitely need firewire.

10/29/2008 9:19:06 PM

well then use the other case mentioned, the Cooler Master 590:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119152

it's only worth it if you'll use it all the time

10/29/2008 9:36:30 PM

Yeah, I'll be putting video on my comp very very often.

[Edited on October 29, 2008 at 9:41 PM. Reason : fsdf]

10/29/2008 9:41:35 PM

Quote :

" if you need a super color accurate LCD w/out much adjustment, look at Dell Ultrasharps or Apple"

Not true. Dell uses some really cheap TN panels in most of their ultrasharp monitors, specifically the 1708fp,1908wfp, 2008wfp, and 2009w. The only Dell Monitors I would buy is the 2405/2407/2408wfp, the 3007/3008wfp, the 2007fp, and the 2007wfp. The Apple Cinema Displays are good S-IPS panels, but they are more expensive than other S-IPS panels. Apple 23" Cinema is the same as the HP LP2475w. The HP has more inputs and is $250 cheaper. Apple monitors are overpriced. The mass market has spoken and said that they want cheap monitors and only premium brands will sell good monitors now.

[Edited on October 30, 2008 at 8:57 AM. Reason : correction]

10/30/2008 8:52:17 AM

^that's news to me, i thought all their Ultrasharp's were at least S-PVA, at least my old 19" was.

http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/s-ips-lcd-list.php

[Edited on October 30, 2008 at 11:45 AM. Reason : ,]

10/30/2008 11:43:36 AM

Quote :

"Not true. Dell uses some really cheap TN panels in most of their ultrasharp monitors, specifically the 1708fp,1908wfp, 2008wfp, and 2009w. The only Dell Monitors I would buy is the 2405/2407/2408wfp, the 3007/3008wfp, the 2007fp, and the 2007wfp. The Apple Cinema Displays are good S-IPS panels, but they are more expensive than other S-IPS panels. Apple 23" Cinema is the same as the HP LP2475w. The HP has more inputs and is $250 cheaper. Apple monitors are overpriced. The mass market has spoken and said that they want cheap monitors and only premium brands will sell good monitors now."

this is the kind of info i wanted in my new monitor thread! i need more info like this - where can i find it? i didn't even know s-ips and s-pva and whatever the fuck you guys just said existed. i have had an LCD panel before - a long time ago, and the ghosting and such was so bad. i just want to get something of high quality now but i don't know the distinctions in LCD panels and how they compare to CRT monitors now for color accuracy and such

10/30/2008 11:56:46 AM

all you need to know:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2049206#26495193

10/30/2008 12:41:05 PM

fucking a

those things are expensive!

10/30/2008 1:08:45 PM

need a new tv tuner card

my leadtek tv2000xp didn't work in vista properly so i tossed it out

looking to get a new one that works with vista 64bit properly and can get all the channels broadcasted over clearqam. i have one free pci-e x1 slot which i'd prefer to use

i tried getting a ati tv wonder 650 ( http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=205728807 ) but received a DOA product with transistors and shit broken off in the anti-static bag (it was obviously a returned product because the batteries were in the remote and they sent an extra IR receiver and everything), but now that I returned it, wondering if I should get the same thing again or reconsider adn get another one

any opinions?

11/1/2008 12:36:24 AM