There are modular psu's which means you can unplug unneeded cables.

3/20/2009 7:12:05 PM

^Those are the best. My gpu load temps are now lower than it was previously idling at.

3/20/2009 7:33:22 PM

yeah I like those a lot. I just built my first PC so there was a learning curve about what I liked and didn't like. I just realized i could sneak some cables behind my motherboard, doing so dropped my idle temperature about 4 degrees.

3/20/2009 10:08:23 PM

New Budging Gaming rig

I'm a little out of the loop on this. Used to build a new box every year but surprisingly now that I've graduated and have a nice job I seem to have less money to build one, car payment, student loans, etc.

Anyway, I'm still running a p4 3.4HT, MSI mobo (forgot model), ATI x1800XT, 2 gigs DDR2, SB X-Fi and various other irrelevant parts.

I'll likely re-use case, power supply (Antec 431W or 500W I'd have to check that if i go SLI), drives and such and slowly replace them as needed to turn the old PC into a media center.

What I'm currently looking at with the recent price drops are the Sapphire 1GB 4870, AMD Phenom X3 decent motherboard, BIOSTAR seems to have good bang for buck and 4 gigs of decent DDR2.

Thoughts?

3/21/2009 1:40:02 PM

Are you looking for Phenom or Phenom II? I'd stay away from the triple core either or.

Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128376

Proc
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103249

Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

and I'd also roll with that 1G Sapphire 4870.

3/21/2009 5:05:17 PM

I'm also building a new rig on a very tight budget. So far, it looks like I'm going to come in at just barely under $600. I had considered buying an i7 from CyberPower, but I changed my mind when I saw how much that'd run me. Here's what I'm doing:

Intel Q8300 Quad Core, 2.5ghz processor
Asus P5N-D motherboard
BFG Tech 9800GTX OC graphics card
4 gigs (2x2) Kingston Hyper X DDR2 1066mhz RAM
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU cooler
20x DVD+/- R/RW dual layer burner with Lightscribe
Apevia Telstar Jr. case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144214)
Silverstone 800w power supply (being given to me)

Already have the HDD, monitor, sound card, network card, and OS. Would want to eventually add another DVD drive and probably a multi-card reader.

This feels like a substantial jump from what I've been running for the past 4+ years:

Intel Pentium 4 3.4ghz
Abit IC7-MAX3
BFG Tech GeForce 6800GT
2 gigs HyperX RAM (don't remember exactly which speed)
stock cooler

The shipping cost on the case is really pissing me off. I wish I could find it locally, but there's very little chance of that. TigerDirect carries it, but they don't have this one in either store in the area. I want this one specifically so I can try a case mod idea on it.

I am very, very loyal to manufacturers which have good warranties on their products, and I have had excellent results from BFG Tech graphics cards and Kingston HyperX RAM. I'm very disappointed that Abit is getting out of the motherboard business or I'd have continued to use them as well.

One question, though. The P5N-D calls for DDR2 800mhz RAM. Using 1066mhz isn't going to be incompatible, is it? This and the case are the last 2 pieces to buy.

3/21/2009 7:51:22 PM

I'd think about going with this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115131 instead of the Q8300 because of the extra cache and overclockability. Even if you're not overclocking, the extra cache will still help. I went from a 6800GT to a 8800GTS and was like WTF at the performance jump, you're gonna be slightly amazed haha.

edit: I'd also look at getting the GTS250 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130468 instead of the 9800GTX just because its the new rebranded 9800GTX+ and has slightly higher mem clocks for about the same price, but w/e.

[Edited on March 21, 2009 at 8:13 PM. Reason : .]

3/21/2009 8:08:50 PM

Anyone have a 8800gtx they want to sell me? Mine performs around the same as the 9800gtx+ so i'd offer ~$150.

I've been wanting to update it and for now (until i switch to i7/ddr3/PCE2 etc) i think the best solution would be to find a cheap 8800gtx and do sli. 2 8800's in sli perform almost as well as 2 260GTXs. I have no idea why but it's true according to Tom's hardware at 1920 by 1200. Better than a GTX280 too.

3/21/2009 9:26:55 PM

how much money do you guys spend a year on this stuff

3/21/2009 11:28:08 PM

Being a mechanical engineering student it's thousands less than some of my friends spend on modifying their cars.

3/21/2009 11:58:42 PM

^^^^ Yeah, I actually considered doing both of those things, but I got extremely good deals on the components I bought because I got them in bundles. I had hoped to be able to get the Q9400, but I got the Q8300, cooler, and thermal paste for a lot less than just the processor itself. I had been playing numbers games for about a good 3 months before I finally started pulling the trigger on any of this. Ultimately, it came down to being able to get the combination of an Asus board, BFG graphics card, and HyperX RAM more so than the processor itself.

So, any advice about the RAM compatability, please? DDR2 800 vs DDR2 1066?

3/22/2009 12:04:57 AM

^ standard ram speed for that motherboard is 800.

3/22/2009 6:45:35 PM

So I should just stick with the DDR2 800? I have no plans to overclock since I only know enough to be dangerous to my own machine.

Quote :

"I went from a 6800GT to a 8800GTS and was like WTF at the performance jump, you're gonna be slightly amazed haha."

I'm really excited thinking about it. I don't play too many PC games these days, but I am looking forward to Starcraft 2. I would like to see what a better card could do with an older game like Battlefield 2142. Titan mode used to just crawl with the 6800GT.

3/22/2009 8:30:31 PM

yea, just get this then http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122 and you'll be fine.

3/22/2009 8:58:04 PM

what's the best chipset for core 2 duo processors? (lga 775)

i need a new computer build in general....

3/27/2009 4:31:16 PM

depends on what you need

P45 - tested/stable/overclocking
nforce780/790 - overclocking/SLi

3/27/2009 4:53:46 PM

It's been a year and a half since I built my computer (with lots of help from neodata686), and I haven't really been keeping up with hardware advances since then. What's the current "dream build" for you guys? I'm just curious.

3/28/2009 3:15:41 AM

p45 seems to be the better choice, going with a 4780 1gb, so i don't need SLI. cool thanks.

im parting one right now, not high end but decent:

wolfdale something core 2 duo (depends on prices of other bits)
4gb ddr2
4780 1gb
p45 chipset mobo

parts i have
2 500 gb sata 2.0 drives
dvd burner ide

500 watt psu
case

etc

3/29/2009 11:42:16 AM

oops that was me, got it limping along on a 4200.... had to clear the cmos...

you should be ok with the stock cooler from Intel

[Edited on March 30, 2009 at 12:38 AM. Reason : s]

3/30/2009 12:23:43 AM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229086

what do you guys think about this as a recommendation for someone looking to upgrade a 7 year old VAIO that will mainly play WoW? If they use the components pictured, I see and MSI board and and EVGA 9800GT. I added all the components separately into the cart and they came out more expensive, but the only thing that really would worry me is quality of RAM and the PSU.

3/31/2009 11:40:20 PM

if you are worried about the quality ram and psu, youd probably be building it yourself and not ordering a pre-built

4/1/2009 12:18:46 AM

yeah that was worded a bit off. I don't want to tell someone to pull the trigger on this and have it shit the bed on them a month later.

4/1/2009 12:19:50 AM

true enough...

ill part up a 'dream build' here

sort of water cooling and such....

max build

Qty. Image Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price

1 Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 965 Nehalem 3.2GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601965

Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 965 Nehalem 3.2GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601965 - Retail
Model #:BX80601965
Item #:N82E16819115200
Return Policyrocessors (CPUs) Return Policy
In Stock

$1,019.99 -$20.00 Instant $999.99
1 OCZ Platinum 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1333LV12GS

OCZ Platinum 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1333LV12GS - Retail
Model #:OCZ3P1333LV12GS
Item #:N82E16820227401
Return Policy:Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock

$349.99 $349.99
1 EVGA 141-BL-E759-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SLI Classified Intel Motherboard

EVGA 141-BL-E759-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SLI Classified Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #:141-BL-E759-A1
Item #:N82E16813188047
Return Policy:Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock

$469.99 $469.99
1 ASRock X58 Supercomputer LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

ASRock X58 Supercomputer LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #:X58 Supercomputer
Item #:N82E16813157150
Return Policy:Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock

$309.99 -$15.00 Instant $294.99
4 SAPPHIRE 100251SR Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

SAPPHIRE 100251SR Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #:100251SR
Item #:N82E16814102768
Return Policy:Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate

$429.99 $1,719.96
1 ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler

ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail
Model #:CNPS9900LED
Item #:N82E16835118046
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$89.99 -$15.00 Instant $74.99
2 ENERMAX REVOLUTION85+ ERV1050EWT 1050W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

ENERMAX REVOLUTION85+ ERV1050EWT 1050W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Model #:ERV1050EWT
Item #:N82E16817194039
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate

$325.99 -$15.00 Instant $621.98
1 SILVERSTONE TJ07-BW Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

SILVERSTONE TJ07-BW Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #:TJ07-BW
Item #:N82E16811163067
Return Policy:30 Day Return Policy
In Stock

$369.99 $369.99
4 Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:WD3000HLFS
Item #:N82E16822136322
Return Policy:30 Day Return Policy
In Stock

$229.99 $919.96
2 Western Digital WD20EADS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Western Digital WD20EADS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:WD20EADS
Item #:N82E16822136344
Return Policy:30 Day Return Policy
In Stock

$299.99 $599.98
4 SAMSUNG T240HD Rose-Black 24" 5ms HDMI Widescreen HDTV Monitor

SAMSUNG T240HD Rose-Black 24" 5ms HDMI Widescreen HDTV Monitor - Retail
Model #:T240HD
Item #:N82E16824001280
Return Policy:LCD Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock

$429.99 -$80.00 Instant $1,399.96
1 RAZER Mamba Black 7 Buttons USB Laser Gaming Mouse - Dual Mode Wired/Wireless Functionality

RAZER Mamba Black 7 Buttons USB Laser Gaming Mouse - Dual Mode Wired/Wireless Functionality - Retail
Model #:RZ01-00120100-R3U1
Item #:N82E16826153048
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$129.99 $129.99
1 Logitech G15 USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard

Logitech G15 USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail
Model #:920-000379
Item #:N82E16823126034
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$89.99 $89.99
1 BELKIN F8GFPC200 N52TE Tournament Edition

BELKIN F8GFPC200 N52TE Tournament Edition - Retail
Model #:F8GFPC200
Item #:N82E16826169019
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$69.99 $69.99
Subtotal: $8,111.75

quad x2 crossfires.... 4 10k rpm HD's in raid 10(1+0) + 2 2TB HD's

you can add a massive LCD/Plamsa tv for the main screen on one of those awesome ergonomic desks/chairs with a pro quality receiver amp speakers and sub.

/message_topic.aspx?topic=560359

[Edited on April 1, 2009 at 12:25 PM. Reason : things]

4/1/2009 12:20:47 PM

Quote :

"1 OCZ Platinum 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 "

Only 1333 MHz? Why? QPI will go high enough on most oveclocks to get up to 1600MHz speeds.

Quote :

"1 EVGA 141-BL-E759-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SLI Classified Intel Motherboard 1 ASRock X58 Supercomputer LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard"

Most of the boards will all give you the same overclocks, those little inputs and features that are irrelevant to me are the only things that separate them.

Quote :

"4 SAPPHIRE 100251SR Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 "

Quad Crossfire=4x HD4870=2x 4870X2
Dual GTX295s are currently the highest-end video card arrangement.

Quote :

"1 ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler"

Zalman tends to be a little more expensive than others with similar performance. I don't like to pick heatsinks that have a built in fan either.

Quote :

"4 Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive 2 Western Digital WD20EADS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive"

No Intel X25M or other SSDs?

Quote :

"4 SAMSUNG T240HD Rose-Black 24" 5ms HDMI Widescreen HDTV Monitor"

TN display for a top of the line computer build?

[Edited on April 1, 2009 at 11:41 PM. Reason : :]

4/1/2009 11:35:34 PM

Yeah that was a shitty build.

4/2/2009 12:12:12 AM

meh, i just blazed through it picking shit, i don't have the time or the inclination to do one properly.

btw: http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3538&p=3



all the gizmos on that board are ones you have to use, since you won't have space for anything else...

i looked briefly at SSD's but again didn't want to spend the time really looking at them hard.

as for the ram, i mostly just looked for a matched 12gb set of ddr3, looking again briefly i'd change that to pc3 16000 instead (2000 vs 1333)

[Edited on April 3, 2009 at 10:14 AM. Reason : i don't see your build. why don't you make one up?]

4/3/2009 10:13:04 AM

God, I just ordered my new PC parts. I haven't spent this much on a PC in almost 4 years (actually, I've never spent this much), but fuck it, why not.

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136322

LITE-ON Black BD Combo Drive Model iHES208-08 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106292

PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

DFI LP UT X58-T3eH8 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136063

OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

COOLER MASTER ATCS 840 RC-840-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119187

And for CPU cooling:

http://www.jab-tech.com/Thermalright-IFX-14-pr-3846.html + http://www.jab-tech.com/Thermalright-LGA-1366-Bolt-Through-Kit-for-IFX-14-pr-4389.html + 2xhttp://www.jab-tech.com/Yate-Loon-140mm-Case-Fan-D14SM-12-pr-3594.html

Using an ATI 4870 1GB video card I bought a few months ago too. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

4/3/2009 1:09:54 PM

^ what was total of all that?

4/3/2009 1:12:09 PM

i like your cooling Shrike.

4/3/2009 2:31:13 PM

haha yeah, my last cooler was made by Thermalright (huge copper bastard) and I like their products. Should be able to hit 4Ghz if all goes well.

4/3/2009 3:26:19 PM

I think I'm going to step up my processor from an AMD 4200+ x2 to the Kuma-core 7750. Should spare me the PITA of trying to run an AM2+ *without full support for AM2+ on an AM2 board) on my Asus M2N-SLI DX from two years ago.

Current build

4/4/2009 11:38:44 AM

Quote :

"Being a mechanical engineering student it's thousands less than some of my friends spend on modifying their cars."

I feel like I got called out...and Noen youre in the same boat with me...lol

4/4/2009 5:21:50 PM

lol cars and computers?

4/4/2009 5:28:52 PM

I'm an EE and barely even know whats inside the PC i use.

It loads gmail fine though!

4/5/2009 12:15:53 AM

As an ME dropout I found computers to be a better fit

4/5/2009 10:51:59 AM

Help me build a new desktop.

Midtower at biggest
Asus MB (i know most people don't like these but mine on my desktop at home is still rockin it after like 7 years) Open to other suggestions tho
ATI vid card
AMD proc



I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

4/9/2009 2:40:24 PM

Disregard the last poast

Quote :

"Help me build a new desktop. For gaming Mid tower or smaller $800 or lesser"

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

4/9/2009 3:45:47 PM

This is a great time to build a PC. It's a buyers market right now because competition is about as good as it's ever going to get. AMD and Intel offer similar performance at equal price points. So do ATI and Nvidia.

You can pretty much just get whatever you happen to find a good deal on at the time. It really hasn't been this good in a long time. The only exception to this are systems built on Intel's Core i7 platform. It's on it's own planet when it comes to performance (and price).

Like I posted in the other thread, just start with the system's spec'd out in this article and go from there.

http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3542

[Edited on April 9, 2009 at 3:47 PM. Reason : :]

4/9/2009 3:46:42 PM

^^ how much do you want to spend. that'll help a lot.

4/9/2009 10:15:55 PM

which video card?

512mb Radeon HD4850 overclocked (MSI R4850-512M OC) - $105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127401

1gb GeForce GTS 250 (ASUS ENGTS250 DK/HTDI/1GD3) - $128 (with code EMCLRML45)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121309

i don't do an exceptional amount of gaming, and since my HTPC is also my gaming rig, i use my 720p plasma as my monitor (so performance at high resolutions isn't an issue)...i DO enjoy oblivion, assassin's creed, bioshock, etc...my HD3850 will run oblivion at 1280x720 and 4x AA without any hiccups, so either of these cards should be more than enough...my questions are in regards to:

1.) 512mb vs 1gb, does it really make much difference?
2.) heat generation (it's a microATX Antec P180 case, and airflow is good, but it's still small...less heat the better)
3.) idle power consumption (my HTPC is on most of the time, so the less power it uses, the better, of course)

4/11/2009 12:06:55 AM

EDUCATE ME

4/11/2009 11:49:04 AM

okay, so the GTS 250 (1gb only, apparently, since the 512mb version is still, essentially, a 9800GTX for all intents and purposes) uses less power at idle and load than the HD 4850...despite the decreased power draw, it runs noticeably warmer than the 4850, but it's also quieter

http://techreport.com/articles.x/16504/10

i guess my only other concern is the fact that, as far as i know, ATI is the only one producing DX10.1 compliant hardware, while NVIDIA still doesn't (which means, from my limited research, that the hardware might not support DX11, which will be included in win7)

4/11/2009 9:31:39 PM

Quote :

"I feel like I got called out...and Noen youre in the same boat with me...lol"

I have spent maybe 100 bucks modifying my cars over the past two years.

I'm still feeling like I wasted money on my new monitor, and it was only 280 bucks... and it's been almost 6 years since I bought the previous one. I guess I'm finally out of the mod scene I spend all my money now on *doing* things, instead of buying things.

4/12/2009 3:53:20 AM

^^ spend a little more and get the GTX 260. Its 160 AR with COD5 and Farcry2

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=1290343

4/12/2009 12:11:43 PM

Alright, so I'm putting together another gaming rig and I've decided to give AMD a shot with the Phenom II x4 940 processor. I've been reading around and there's some debate about which mobo chipset I should get, 790X vs. Nvidia. Anyone here that's done a build with this processor have any input or mobo recommendations of their own? Currently looking at the following:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387

4/20/2009 11:32:44 AM

one vote for the antec tx 1050b, only case i've ever kept closed.

4/21/2009 9:42:57 AM

dont waste any money on amd.

4/21/2009 9:46:41 AM

^

4/21/2009 12:38:24 PM

I've had the same attitude about AMD for the past several years, however the Phenom II X4 is one hell of a processor for the price. All reviews I've read say that it can't be beat at a sub-200-dollar price point.

4/21/2009 4:46:05 PM

my 9550 core2 is leeto burrito

4/21/2009 4:48:21 PM