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_{My Antec case of 5 years is still goin' strong, a SOHO 1000... the power supply, also an Antec didn't last as long. Now have a 750W Corsair since last Winter.}

5/20/2009 8:54:13 PM

How come processors only get up to 3Ghz?
I noticed the minimum to play games coming out is in the mid 2Ghz range and a lot of new processors are still low 2Ghz range.
What are they coming out with after quad core? I'm not looking to buy a computer until this winter at least so hopefully I can get a i7 quad core processor and motherboard for less than 250$ by then.

5/21/2009 8:46:08 PM

I want to upgrade my computer from 4 gigs of ram.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267

I'm thinking about another 4 gigs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227400

Will these be compatible?

5/23/2009 6:26:46 PM

Why wouldn't you just buy the same kit? It even has free shipping.

5/23/2009 6:32:26 PM

^^^ I highly doubt you need to shell out the $$ for an i7 system. You're going to pay $texas for the cpu, another $texas for an intel-based mobo, and $texas for 3 sticks of DDR3. If you want quad core get a Q6600 or the AMD Phenom II X4 920/940

[Edited on May 24, 2009 at 3:25 AM. Reason : ^]

5/24/2009 3:25:24 AM

It all depends on how much is going to be spent. I believe you can put together a pretty good i7 build for $700-800. For a gaming computer, that's pretty reasonable.

5/24/2009 3:37:38 AM

I need advice on 2 things. I'm looking to get a new LCD for my computer - would prefer whatever is the best bang for the buck at around 22"-24". Here's 2 I was looking at:

LG 23" $200 (if ordered by tomorrow)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005125

Samsung 23" $219
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001317

Any opinions on either or suggestions for something else?


#2 - Need opinions on a wireless keyboard and mouse. I need something with good range and reliability within that range. It will be used at a desk as well as for a HTPC; so needs range of my living room area. I was thinking of the Apple wireless keyboard but I'm not sure if that will work or not. I have a PC that I built running Windows XP, and it does not have bluetooth as of yet. What do you guys think?

5/24/2009 5:05:15 PM

I've got the Samsung, had it about two months. It's sweet, get it. Hell if I'm using the extra resolution over 1080p for anything

5/25/2009 11:11:23 AM

How hot do your hard drives get, particularly your laptop hard drives.

5/31/2009 9:46:37 PM

I have taken my T60 drive out and it is warm, but not hot. Poor laptop airflow and design will probably be the biggest factor on how hot a laptop hard drive gets.

5/31/2009 11:36:20 PM

Halp

Grandma needs a new computer. $500 max budget. No monitor needed.

She's f'in awful about having 293048 things open and not realizing why it's so damn slow. Doesn't really do anything with video or anything else too processor intense. Basically it's 8923 email, itunes & cd/dvd copying and whatever other pointless shit she keeps open in the background.

I'd also be interested in looking at pre-built models from dell or whoever. The warranty and support line would save me a few trips out there to work on stuff they could help her with.

6/9/2009 1:55:47 PM

If you don't want to build one, just check out the dell desktops. They start at $299. Make sure to get enough ram (probably 4 gigs) if she likes having everything open at once.

http://www.dell.com/home/desktops

6/9/2009 1:59:55 PM

Yeah. I'm aware that dell has a website.

6/9/2009 2:00:30 PM

Well there's really only one or two dell desktops at the $500 range.

6/9/2009 2:12:50 PM

I was more thinking there may be something on special that wasn't obvious on the site.. like something could have popped up on slickdeals recently that would justify just buying something from them and being done with it. Otherwise I'll stick to building something most likely.

So, any suggestions on components?

6/9/2009 2:15:01 PM

ttt

6/11/2009 8:12:52 PM

This post is two-fold. One to respond to/suggest to ScHpEnXeL regarding the $500 limit.

And another to get an opinion on the computer build I was going to suggest in that range because im sorta interested in it myself after seeing what I could build for ~$500 on dell's site

FREE Genuine Windows Vista® Business Bonus w/ XP Professional downgrade Installed a $99 value
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E7400 (2.8GHz, 3M, L2Cache, 1066FSB)
1 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 1 Year NBD On-Site Service
250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
No Pre-installed Productivity Software
Norton Internet Security™ 2009 30 Day Trial
Dell 20 inch Widescreen S2009Wb Full HD Flat Panel Monitor
3GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHZ - 1x2GB 1x1GBYou could add another 1GB on the cheap
Single Drive: 16X (DVD+/-RW) Burner Drive
256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 -supports DVI,HDMI,VGA Connections
No Media Reader
No Modem Option
Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio

Thats $520. To me that seems like a very solid deal for what you are getting. With that processor and 4GB of RAM I feel like that would be blazing running XP, especially since I don't game anymore and would just be using it for photoshop, word, excel, and basic scratch music recordings. All of which I did (plus gaming) on a computer that was not nearly as powerful as this.

My current desktop that died on me compared to this:

Both would be running XP Pro

Old: 2GB DDR 400 DRAM
Dell: 4GB of DDR2 800 SDRAM

Old: 2.4Ghz single core AMD, 512KB L2 Cache, don't remember fsb
Dell: 2.8GHz dual core intel, 3M L2Cache, 1066FSB. and I could consider the upgrade to 3.0GHz, 6M L2Cache, 1333FSB for only $70 bucks if you all think thats a justified $70

So I know its not all top of the line stuff, but someone correct me if I am wrong: That hardware running XP Pro would be a pretty solid general home/office use computer build.

6/16/2009 8:17:34 AM

Wow, looks good to me. Any other opinions on it? She doesn't need a monitor but for that price she might take one anyways

6/16/2009 8:35:51 AM

oh, and for yours and anyone else's interest, that computer is a Dell Vostro 420 Tower.

6/16/2009 12:27:54 PM

hey can anyone point me to a Vista 64 compatible internal wireless G card? I'm ordering parts for an HTPC for a friend and at the last minute forgot to include a wireless card. Something on newegg preferably.

I'm pretty sure Vista will auto recognize most cards now and download the driver, but i just want to make sure.

6/16/2009 6:50:39 PM

Please suggest cheaper or better components for this build. I have been out of the game lately but think this is worthy. Its for working from home running AutoCad and setting up a raid 5 solution for maximum data retention. AND Gaming...DuHhhh

$279.99 - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

$229.99 - ECS BLACK SERIES X58B-A LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135229

3 @ 89.99ea = $269.97 - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

$164.99 - MSI N260GTX-T2D896-OCv4 GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127430

$234.00 - CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory with Airflow Fan Model TR3X6G1866C7GTF
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145240

$129.99 - Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2C 64-bit for System Builders
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116378

$51.99 - Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme - 775-BP
http://www.jab-tech.com/Thermalright-Ultra-120-eXtreme-775-BP-pr-4388.html

$5.00 - Thermalright Ultra 120 Series Fan Holder
http://www.jab-tech.com/Thermalright-Ultra-120-Series-Fan-Holder-pr-4356.html

2 @ $3.70 = $7.40 - YATE LOON 120mm Case Fan - D12SH-12 - High Speed
http://www.jab-tech.com/YATE-LOON-120mm-Case-Fan-D12SH-12-High-Speed-pr-3771.html

TOTAL = $1,403.32 + tax

PS: anyone got any cupon codes for the egg or jab-tech for my build
I am not opposed to go else where for goods if they are cheaper after shipping.

[Edited on June 16, 2009 at 10:35 PM. Reason : prices]

6/16/2009 10:14:47 PM

Are you planning on doing a bunch of overclocking? The cpu cooler isn't a necessity. Intel stock coolers aren't horrible for stock speeds on the i7.

Also stick a velociraptor in there for your OS drive, and do the tB's for storage (raid 5 is you're doing 3 maybe?).

And please don't pay for windows XP 64 bit. Go ahead and get Vista ultimate 64 bit, or windows 7 64 bit. You don't want to deal with the support and trouble that comes with XP 64 bit. With a nice i7 build you won't have any trouble with Vista 64, and pretty much everything is supported on it now.

-If you're concerned about CAD on Vista 64 don't be. I run Autocad 64 bit and Solidworks 64 bit on Vista 64 with 8 gigs of ram and they work wonderfully. Plus gaming will be much better on Vista 64 than XP.

[Edited on June 16, 2009 at 10:56 PM. Reason : .]

6/16/2009 10:53:52 PM

I'm looking to build a HTPC. How would you guys recommend I approach this?

I was thinking of starting with a throw-away pc and pick up slick-deal parts. I only need it to display 720p, but I need the end result to be quiet and cool.

I have a 1.5 TB HDD, IDE DVD Burner, and TV Tuner card(on its way).

I'm thinking the best way to go about this would be:
1.Find a <$150 computer that someone is upgrading to i7 from.
2.Replace the the videocard (if its pci-e) to the ATI4350, if necessary.
3.Replace the soundcard to something that supports LCPM 5.1.
4.Replace the case to something HTPCish.

All in all, costing me less than $300. I've never attempted to piece a pc together over time, so any advice is appreciated.

6/16/2009 10:54:57 PM

Hey neodata686 thanks for the fast response.

Quote :

"Are you planning on doing a bunch of overclocking? The cpu cooler isn't a necessity. Intel stock coolers aren't horrible for stock speeds on the i7."

I am going to overclock it to 4ghz for everyday use which is why I put the cooler in there.

Quote :

"stick a velociraptor in there for your OS drive, and do the tB's for storage "

I did look at a primary boot drive but since this will be for work mostly, it needs redundancy (raid 1). I have two older 30Gb raptors that are fill up easily now-a-days with 4gb games as the normal. So I said I might as well get a mobo with raid5 so I can have the redundancy I want and then just add a partition for 400gb for the work partition and 1.5gb for my file server I have always wanted.

Quote :

"don't pay for windows XP 64 bit If you're concerned about CAD on Vista 64 don't be"

First Off this computer is for my wife who works from home. She requested XP. I am not concerned with programs working or bug issues. I run vista64 at work and its a fine OS. I have also worked on XP64 at work and thought it was fine. Though I know what your talking about because we had some issues in the beginning. I think I just need to convince her that vista is fine and format my e6600 machine to vista so she can get used to it before I make her a new computer.


Whats a good power supply that doesnt cost $200+ dollars that will support 600W from the wall effectively? I was over on http://www.xtremesystems.org and saw that overclocking the above system was pulling almost 600W on a kilowatt meter. I was wanting something in the $100 range but quality and efficency are first, price second.

6/17/2009 8:10:20 AM

anybody wanna help with my < $500 build??

6/17/2009 8:27:39 AM

Quote :

"anybody wanna help with my < $500 build??"

I thought that was solved by CalledToArms

Quote :

"And another to get an opinion on the computer build I was going to suggest in that range because im sorta interested in it myself after seeing what I could build for ~$500 on dell's site FREE Genuine Windows Vista® Business Bonus w/ XP Professional downgrade Installed a $99 value Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E7400 (2.8GHz, 3M, L2Cache, 1066FSB) 1 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 1 Year NBD On-Site Service 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ No Pre-installed Productivity Software Norton Internet Security™ 2009 30 Day Trial Dell 20 inch Widescreen S2009Wb Full HD Flat Panel Monitor 3GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHZ - 1x2GB 1x1GBYou could add another 1GB on the cheap Single Drive: 16X (DVD+/-RW) Burner Drive 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 -supports DVI,HDMI,VGA Connections No Media Reader No Modem Option Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio Thats $520. "

Thats too hard to beat with 1 year free warranty. If the $520 is too much you can sell the 20" monitor for $75ish.

[Edited on June 17, 2009 at 10:21 AM. Reason : .]

6/17/2009 10:17:42 AM

Qty.	Image	Product Description	Unit Price	Savings	Total Price
1		XFX MBN790IUL9 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Model #:MBN790IUL9 Item #:N82E16813141009 Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return Policy In Stock Mail in Rebate13-141-009	$199.99	-$30.00 Instant	$169.99
1		Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Wolfdale 2.8GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7400 - Retail Model #:BX80571E7400 Item #:N82E16819115206 Return Policy:CPU Replacement Only Return Policy In Stock	$119.99		$119.99
1		Patriot Viper 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PVT36G1600ELK - Retail Model #:PVT36G1600ELK Item #:N82E16820220365 Return Policy:Memory Standard Return Policy In Stock	$85.99		$85.99
1		GIGABYTE GV-R485MC-1GI Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail Model #:GV-R485MC-1GI Item #:N82E16814125258 Return Policy:VGA Standard Return Policy In Stock Mail in Rebate14-125-258	$129.99		$129.99
1		Antec Basiq BP500U 500W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.01 Active PFC Power Supply - Retail Model #:BP500U Item #:N82E16817371004 Return Policy:Standard Return Policy In Stock	$69.99	-$10.00 Instant	$59.99
1		Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #:Three Hundred Item #:N82E16811129042 Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return Policy In Stock	$69.95	-$15.00 Instant	$54.95
Subtotal:					$620.90

6/17/2009 10:31:52 AM

unless im missing something or you are planning to use the existing stuff from her computer you are missing a hdd and a cd/dvd drive of some sort. There is also no OS listed.

6/17/2009 10:39:07 AM

yea

she just bought a new HD so i'll use that. OS is win 7..it's free right nwo

6/17/2009 10:41:31 AM

word. with that being said, I don't know what she'll gain in her use of the computer with that video card vs the one in the dell that I listed and I really don't know how to compare the Operating Systems. Same processor and 6GB of RAM running win7 vs running XP with the same processor and 3 or 4GB RAM (but needing less RAM). Thats a toss up that I can't make the call on since I don't really know anything about win7.

I will say though, that if you're willing to spend $620 on that, you could upgrade the dell that I posted to a 3.16ghz core 2 8400 and have:

3.16ghz dual core and 4GB of RAM running XP: $630 (1 year warranty, have the monitor to keep or sell, and not have to set it up yourself)
2.8Ghz dual core and 6GB of RAM running win7: $620

so I dono, its up to you. Not trying to sway you either way, just giving you some options.

6/17/2009 10:54:14 AM

yeah, that's just the first thing i came up with..need to look into it more. probably could find some if not all of the components cheaper too.

6/17/2009 10:55:22 AM

would it be unwise to use the windows 7 release candidate as your primary OS?

i was going to wait until the october release before building a computer (my frist time building a computer btw) but if using the RC until october isn't a terrible idea i might start buying the parts much sooner

[Edited on June 17, 2009 at 1:47 PM. Reason : .]

6/17/2009 1:47:14 PM

I mean.. I've been using it since the first beta came out with no real problems. Surely no where near the problems that I had with Vista

6/17/2009 1:50:37 PM

Quote :

"if using the RC until october isn't a terrible idea i might start buying the parts much sooner "

I would wait to get all your parts as long as possible. Prices come down every week making it cheaper in the long run.

6/17/2009 2:11:53 PM

well nvm on mine.. she just spent $500 on a shitty HP with no where close to the specs that even that dell was.

6/17/2009 4:00:04 PM

ugh

i'm still considering getting that dell for myself though heh

[Edited on June 17, 2009 at 4:11 PM. Reason : ]

6/17/2009 4:09:12 PM

it was like an E5300 processor, 2gb ram, 128mb video card, no monitor, etc

oh well

6/17/2009 4:10:55 PM

Quote :

"would it be unwise to use the windows 7 release candidate as your primary OS? i was going to wait until the october release before building a computer (my frist time building a computer btw) but if using the RC until october isn't a terrible idea i might start buying the parts much sooner"

I wouldn't buy parts over time, but this isn't a bad time to build a pc. However, the new ATI cards are coming out in Sept. and prices for this generation are already falling.

As for using w7rc as your primary OS, I've actually had fewer crashes since switched. My netbook has used the beta since day 1 and never locked up once. (That's actually how this thread got started :p)

6/17/2009 6:45:50 PM

i didn't word that right

i was going to buy all the parts at once, just sooner than planned

6/18/2009 7:32:29 AM

What do ya'll suggest on a video card? The wife told me I could get one for fathers day, and I kinda like the deals on the HIS 4890 for $199.99. I am going to get an i7 and new mobo for Christmas/B-Day but I want to know what ya'll suggest for a vidcard. Currently I'm running a 6800 GS and its kinda getting long in the tooth. Really need to move on, but not sure if I should go with a cheaper card in the $120s range, bite the bullet on a $200 4890, or wait around a couple months and see if the price drops a lot. I have a lot of new games I want to play, but the card is a real bottleneck to my gaming now.

6/18/2009 8:58:14 AM

^ you just missed out on the 1gb 4890 OC for $160 from ewiz

6/18/2009 9:07:38 AM

Yea I know I watch SD religiously and saw that. I guess I should just be patient and wait for another deal to drop.

6/18/2009 9:58:25 AM

they will...as noted, ATI/AMD's new cards will be out in a few months and every day that goes by lowers the cost of the current ones

6/18/2009 10:02:15 AM

Quote :

"not sure if I should go with a cheaper card in the $120s range, bite the bullet on a $200 4890, or wait around a couple months and see if the price drops a lot"

I wouldn't get the 4890 according to this review http://hothardware.com/Articles/The-GeForce-GTX-275-and-HD-4890-go-HeadtoHead/ unless you just like ATI cards.

I would get one of these
$200 - PNY VCGGTX275XPB GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133268
or
$170 - XFX GX260NADBF GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150330

6/18/2009 10:32:41 AM

4890 for $136: http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?threadid=1408569

GTX for $130 (and tax): http://bensbargains.net/deal/104804/

[Edited on June 18, 2009 at 8:33 PM. Reason : links]

6/18/2009 8:30:18 PM

^Holy shit nice son. I was about to pull the trigger on the GTX275 that was posted above yours, but now with this, I am going for the 4890!

6/18/2009 10:05:04 PM

Alright, so I pulled the trigger on a new Dell..this is the first desktop I've owned that was a factory built. I just didn't want the small hassle this time, and now that I am pretty much out of gaming and most of my "intense" computer usage, I didn't need to find awesome deals on really powerful parts. I found what I felt was a great deal with a coupon for dell. 40% off of small business computers. Anyways...

All of this for $600 (im only listing the parts people would care about here prob):

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 (3.16GHz, 6M, 1333MHz FSB)
4GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHZ
250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
Windows XP Pro
Dell 20 inch Widescreen S2009Wb Full HD Flat Panel Monitor (I "upgraded" this a notch or two above the standard monitor that comes with the business models)
2 Year Warrant and 2 Year NBD On site service (obviously this drove the price up some but I hated not to have it)
Video is integrated but oh well.

Overall, considering its a factory built, that should fly on XP Pro and handle anything I do. I felt like that was a pretty decent deal from Dell. /shrug

6/21/2009 7:06:00 PM

i would've gotten the 22"... but sure that cost more.

now all you need is a dedicated video card

6/21/2009 7:56:25 PM

Nice

6/21/2009 7:58:22 PM

Going to be building one some time next month, have a handle on most stuff but know nothing about fans...

I do plan to be overclocking at least somewhat, anyone have a recommendation as to brands/series that are generally reliable?
Also, liquid cooling systems -- worth the additional price (speaking of the ones costing around $100, not the $300-400 ones)?

6/30/2009 9:04:49 PM