29
_{I've decided I want silence, this old case ain't cutting it there.}

7/1/2009 12:00:54 AM

No one reads post 49, so...

Quote :

"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)?"

7/1/2009 1:37:09 AM

Here is a good fan roundup that I would trust. http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=170224&highlight=120mm+fan I personally run medium rpm yate loons on my radiators and they are silent. I bought 2 years ago so there might be some better ones now.

As for having a good water cooling setup for about $100...its not possible. A good pump costs $75, the cpu block will be ~$50-$100, tripple 120mm radiator ~40, + tubing, clamps, reservoir, etc. Check in this forum ( http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=70 ) and search around on what is recommended for what type of processor and what overclock you are shooting for.....IF you still wish to watercool your cpu.

[Edited on July 1, 2009 at 1:57 PM. Reason : link]

7/1/2009 1:55:42 PM

^there's plenty of all-in-one cpu cooling packages for under $100. I had a thermaltake one once. They work alright but a nice $40-50 air cooler will do just as fine. Plus water cooling isn't really necessary anymore unless you plan to overclock really high.

7/1/2009 3:10:43 PM

^^Thanks, awesome links. Looking at a Silverstone FN121, largely because of that first article (with Blue LED, since it matches the stock side 80mm the case already has): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835220031
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156062

I'd seen a lot customer reviews on Newegg saying that various other Silverstone fans would very consistently fail within about 3 months, but this particular one seems more reliable.

7/1/2009 4:16:26 PM

I have 2x 1.5 TB drives. What would be the best way to backup/create a restore point incase one drive failed? Should I just use RAID 1?

[Edited on July 1, 2009 at 10:42 PM. Reason : f]

7/1/2009 10:42:20 PM

w00t. got the computer delivered yesterday that I ordered awhile back. It runs super smooth on XP. Obviously with an onboard graphics card atm, it won't be used for much gaming or anything (maybe Sims 3 with the fiancee ) but the computer arrived with no complaints and the monitor will be great for watching TV shows on and stuff. Very happy with my purchase for the price!

7/7/2009 1:31:19 PM

^^yes, if one drive fails and all you have is 2 drives, RAID 1 is the easiest

Quote :

"Scythe S-Flex F 1600RPM - S-FDB bearings kick ass. Very, very little extraneous noise, relatively inexpensive, no positional oddities like sleeves, and fairly well sealed. They also don't have the radiator slow-down that the Minebeas exhibit. But they're also not empirically as good in open air. However, the entire S-Flex range is among my favorites. Very, very good fans that don't make extraneous noises nor cost an a lot."

This is all I use. I have like 12 of them... I use them in every custom PC build, nothing better IMHO... it's all because of the S-FDB bearings. I get them here:
http://search.store.yahoo.net/cgi-bin/nsearch?catalog=svcompucycle&query=scythe%20s-flex

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 3:15 PM. Reason : ,]

7/7/2009 3:10:05 PM

at work they just upgraded our workstations to the hp z800

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/31/hp-z800-workstation-supports-sli-multi-os-newest-xeon-processor/


[Edited on July 14, 2009 at 4:38 PM. Reason : <3 new toys]

7/14/2009 4:38:05 PM

Man, I'd be happy to have an upgrade to computer equipment that was new in the 90s at my job.

7/14/2009 8:27:06 PM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136359&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL071409&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL071409-_-HardDrives-_-LC5A-_-22136359

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136317&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL071409&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL071409-_-HardDrives-_-L0A-_-22136317

I have coupon codes for $10 off each one. They both have free shipping.

Can anyone recommend an external enclosure to use with either of these drives?

7/15/2009 2:32:33 PM

^ there was some enclosure discussion here
http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=570320

7/15/2009 3:20:45 PM

Sammy 1½TB drives, two for $two hundred (or $120 each)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152175

8/7/2009 1:30:52 AM

just placed my order with newegg!!!

core i7 920
MSI x58m mobo
nzxt tempest case
msi gtx260 superclocked gpu
seagate 500gb 7200rpm hdd
lsp 650 pro psu
ocz 3gb ddr3 ram (will upgrade soon, part of combo deal)

does anyone think that it would be worth it to get another gtx260 and SLI them?

[Edited on August 8, 2009 at 2:03 PM. Reason : oh yeah]

8/8/2009 2:01:55 PM

^ no

8/8/2009 5:53:12 PM

yeah, that's what I figured

8/9/2009 12:52:08 AM

Why are you putting a micro board in such a large case?

Going micro causes issues if you do go sli. You eliminate all other pci slots becuse the dual slot cards.

I have also heard that the northbridge on that MSI board gets hella toasty and will cause problems if left in stock condition. Most put their own thermal paste on and add a antec spotcool fan to fix the problem. But most are in a smaller case so you might not have a problem there.

I am actually looking to build a matx system using a i7 920, evga x58 sli micro, gtx275 in a lian li a05. I was looking at getting 2 gtx260's but wanted an hardware raid card so a single faster card was better in my case.

8/9/2009 9:22:00 PM

^I went with the micro because it was a combo deal from newegg with the video card. I'm aware of the hot northbridge and already have some arctic silver 5 to replace it, but I may just place another case fan blowing right over it anyway.

I started the build with an $800 budget, and have already surpassed $1100.... oh well

8/11/2009 4:40:40 PM

^ I know that pain. Bing had 10% cash back on newegg yesterday so I pulled the trigger. CB helps but so does not buying a new PC.

8/11/2009 9:00:08 PM

http://bensbargains.net/deal/110457/

1.5 TB 7200rpm for $80.

8/11/2009 9:09:08 PM

^ it's not loading for me right now...is that the seagate deal?

i'll be honest...since their snafu/coverup/poor fix from before, i avoid seagate...also, it's more like $86 after tax...also also, it was a dead deal when you posted it

i picked up those samsung 5400rpm 1.5tb green drives for $90 a few weeks back...tom's hardware ranked them as some of the fastest, ESPECIALLY considering that they're only 5400rpm...i can't imagine using a 1.5tb as a boot drive (mine are all storage), so that was a much better deal (for me, anyway)...right now, WD and samsung are all i'm buying

[Edited on August 12, 2009 at 9:17 AM. Reason : .]

8/12/2009 9:15:07 AM

Anyone wanna build me a computer?

Price range $600-700.

I'd like to be able to do some audio stuff with it and maybe a little gaming. Definitely be able to play The Old Republic and Diablo III, but those don't seem to be Crysis level gaming.

Would be easiest if there was something on TigerDirect or Newegg that i could just slam a new vid & audio card in, but i don't really keep up with whats new in computer technology.

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

8/17/2009 10:33:13 PM

^do you need a monitor too?

8/17/2009 10:59:40 PM

i have a monitor but its like 22" and CRT. I'll get an LCD at a later date.

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

8/18/2009 2:27:50 AM

My friend gave me a list to do a computer build. I haven't kept up with all the new tech that much at all so I probably need help. Looking at it, he wants to spend around 1300. I can see a few changes doing a quick review of it.

I'll just copy and paste the list he has so far and put my comments in parenthesis

Monitor - Dell SP2309W 23" Flat Panel Widescreen Monitor with WebCam http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Dell/SP2309W/

Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 v2 (69A-00001) - http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Wireless-Laser-Desktop-69A-00001/dp/B000H14IDC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=pc&qid=1245627152&sr=1-2 (saw the review of it and didn't look good, anyone recommend me something that is good)


Creative SB0090 Sound Blaster Audigy PCI Sound Card w/ SB1394 Firewire - http://www.amazon.com/Creative-SB0090-Blaster-Audigy-Firewire/dp/B000XD47DU


(The follow is a copy and paste of his newegg wishlist so all can be found in newegg.) (Anyone know a better graphics card for near the same price?) ( I know nothing much about what below) So any comments or recommendation is appreciated.

GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
$174.99


MSI N9600GT-MD1G GeForce 9600 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
$89.99


PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7
$129.99


AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX
$190.99

Patriot Viper 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PVT36G1600ELK
$134.99


Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
$89.99

ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
$67.14



(Any recommendation of a case or case/power combo etc would also be good) What is a good size power supply?) Thanks for any help. (Also if you see any incompatibility tell me)

[Edited on August 28, 2009 at 4:47 PM. Reason : .]

8/28/2009 4:44:35 PM

Quote :

"Looking at it, he wants to spend around 1300."

Get an i7?

8/28/2009 5:48:05 PM

Or wait for i5, it's right around the corner.

8/28/2009 6:12:32 PM

I think I will use the top build at this link http://forums.slickdeals.net/showpost.php?p=22321879&postcount=4561

but what is the best keyboard mouse combo for the money?

[Edited on August 28, 2009 at 7:57 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on August 28, 2009 at 8:09 PM. Reason : .]

8/28/2009 7:56:46 PM

^^ i'm still not sure i understand their new naming convention...it would make sense that i3 would be their lower line (celeron/atom), i5 would be their middle line (pentium) and i7 is their top-of-the-line (core products)...but then i read this:

Quote :

"Arrandale (32-nanometer mobile) will appear as the Core i3 but will ultimately span the Core brand to include Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7. Clarkdale (32-nanometer desktop) will be available under the Core i3 and Intel Core i5 brands, Calder said."

lynnfield are i5 or i7, clarkfield mobile are all i7, and arrandale is i3...jeebus, i need to get back in the game

[Edited on August 29, 2009 at 9:32 AM. Reason : .]

8/29/2009 9:23:50 AM

Well, I don't have the need to build a new computer right now, but I did snag a PNY GeForce 9800GT w/ 512mb of 256-bit GDDR3 and a BFG Tech 450 Watt power supply the other day.

It's working very well son, I'm quite impressed.

8/29/2009 9:41:13 AM

so as i'm considering building myself a new workstation, i'm wondering if i should upgrade to 8 or more gigs or RAM. anybody doing this? run into any problems with it?

9/2/2009 9:58:12 PM

^ i'm running 8gb (4x2gb) of DDR2-800...nothing fancy, just the mid-grade corsair that was on sale every other week a couple of months ago (after rebates it was only $30)

i don't notice a difference until i'm doing something like video work or photoshop or something

if you're going to build a new computer, consider DDR3 and go with 6gb...that should put you in a pretty position

9/3/2009 7:38:29 AM

Load it up. Video editing and photoshop like ram. The only down side is you cant overclock lots of ram really high. Though it didn't sound like you were going to do that anyway. Also with that much ram you can eliminate your page file to free up some disc space.

9/3/2009 9:28:29 AM

i'm not an overclocker so yeah that won't matter. but probably lots of big sql databases and virtual machines to eat up all that RAM.

eliminating the page file altogether sounds like a bad idea though. i'll have at least 500 GB drive so I think I can spare the 4-8 gigs a page file might want. see http://serverfault.com/questions/23621/any-benefit-or-detriment-from-removing-a-pagefile-on-an-8gb-ram-machine/23684#23684

[Edited on September 3, 2009 at 10:46 PM. Reason : linky]

9/3/2009 10:38:04 PM

just built an i5 750 rig yesterday

1.5TB Seagate HD

ASUS P7P55D LE motherboard

4 GB OCZ (I want more but it was part of the newegg package deal so i aint complainin)

and I threw a GeForce 9500GT (I know, but I aint a gamer) in there because I needed dual DVI outs


oh and Vista 64 Ultimate of course


after i built it I realized that I may want to use it as a Hackintosh, so I did a little googling and found out that my motherboard doesn't play nice with the builds that are out there right now, but that will probably change in a month or two.

9/30/2009 9:03:43 AM

if you want to go hackintosh you should have gotten Gigabyte mobo.

Quote :

"oh and Vista 64 Ultimate of course"

should have gotten Windows 7 Ultimate instead

9/30/2009 10:44:42 AM

yea.. why the hell would you buy waste your time with vista right now?


[Edited on September 30, 2009 at 11:18 AM. Reason : ]

9/30/2009 11:18:16 AM

jadn are you in the states? i could have hooked you up decently with a new spare 9700 (i think?) that i got from a old RMA....

9/30/2009 12:00:44 PM

^^^ Yeah, found that out after I had already bought the board. Not a huge deal though, I'm not gonna break down emotionally if I can't do Hackintosh with it.


^^ I didn't PAY for Vista Ultimate. I have an old copy. How am I supposed to install Win 7 Ultimate when it isn't available at retail yet? And I'll be damned if I'm hosting a faggy Win 7 party.

^ damn, yeah i am.

9/30/2009 10:59:03 PM

Brought another old eMachine back to life w/ this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157166

<sub>w/a P4-516 @2.93 GHZ, 2x 1GB Corsair XMS DDR2-800, & 560GB between three spare hard drives

Far better than '07's Socket 478 2.6 GHZ Celeron-powered Biostar polished turd resto</sub>

10/14/2009 12:31:54 AM

Just posted a thread on Tom's Hardware. This is my first PC build and I'm looking at ~$1500
Any input would be appreciated.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Next week hopefully. I don't have to have the parts ready for Win7 launch, but the sooner the better.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (Team Fortress 2, eventually Starcraft 2, SW: The Old Republic), General Internet surfing (I watch a good deal of HD videos on Hulu, Gametrailers), some light photoshop/windows movie maker (nothing professional).

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I have a USB keyboard and mouse, so those aren't needed for OS installation, but I'll probably buy new ones soon.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Not a big deal, but if I had to pick I'd go with newegg. (I'm in the US)

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel CPU. A HD that won't fail on me. I'm pretty sure I want Windows 7 (pro, 64).

OVERCLOCKING: I've never done it before, but if there's a good tutorial this is definitely possible. No preference for Crossfire or SLI

MONITOR RESOLUTION: I don't have a monitor, so I'll need to buy one. I'm thinking something in the 22-28" range that will do 1920x1200. Attached speakers aren't necessary, but would be nice (the monitor will most likely sit on my coffee table in front of my couch).

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: PC doesn't need to be terribly quiet, it's going to be beside my couch in the living room where the TV (and my loud sound system) will usually be on. I've used the same laptop for 4 years (Thinkpad T43) and I finally have the funds to build a nice desktop rig. I'd like to keep it around $1500 give or take a few $100. That has to include the OS and monitor. I've never built a PC before, but I have replaced the RAM and GPU fan on my Thinkpad, so I'm not completely new to hardware.

I looked at tecmo34's Recommended Builds thread and this build sounds pretty good, but that thread is 2 months old and I wanted to research a bit more before buying anything. Prices change, better stuff comes out, etc.

Quote :

"Gamer: $1,062.90 CPU: Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215 MOBO:GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128404 RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231279 HSF: COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU ... - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006 GPU: XFX HD-585A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150442 DVD: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187 Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197 Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007 This build will allow you to play games at mid. to max. settings at a monitor resolution of 1900x1200 OS:Windows 7 Pro 64 bit - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758 Monitor: Hanns·G HG-281DPB Black 27.5" 3ms Widescreen LCD HDMI Monitor Built-in Speakers - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254026 "

[Edited on October 17, 2009 at 8:36 PM. Reason : links]

10/17/2009 8:29:20 PM

So you have a $1500 budget and only spend $1000? If you really have a budget of $1500 you can build the most bas a** i7 920, HD 5870 system but you choose the i5. end rant

You realize that you got a micro atx mobo and a mid tower case. I would have gotten a lain li mid tower for $100 but thats my preference. I think you should have combined the rip jaws with the GA-P55-UD4P. It would be $6 cheaper and you get a full atx mobo. Granted its not the best mobo but stays in the amount you originally picked out. Maybe get a second set of rip jaws to bump you up to 8GB for photo/video editing. Its only $100 and your well under the limit you set.

That cpu cooler will perform worse than the stock cooler. If your going to spend $30 on an aftermarket cooler then you might as well spend $60 on the top of the line megahalem http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/prmeforinso7.html or $50 on the TRUE if you can find a back mount for the 1156 core http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/thulex.html and then over clock that cpu like it deserves.

That graphics card is the best bang for the buck at this time. This is only speculation but if your trying to game at the highest settings on a 1920x1200 27.5" monitor, I think even that graphics card will have problems. You could go crossfire for $250 more but that mobo only has x8 & x8 in CF so you wont get the full benefit. I like the display though, I would buy it. Plus try this - $20 Promo Code EMCMLMP37.

10/20/2009 9:55:03 AM

LET ME POINT THIS OUT

YOU

ARE

=

YOU'RE

NOT

YOUR

10/20/2009 10:09:32 AM

I tried to edit it but it took me to long to type it with searching webpages for deals and such. So it said I can't edit it after 30min even when I posted it 15min ago. Oh well.

10/20/2009 10:32:50 AM

Quote :

"TO LONG"

10/20/2009 10:35:58 AM

i've had a very good experience with my gigabyte UD mobo. one small issue i've just recently had and i think its a drive issue is that my ide drives (opticals) seem to have dissapeared in windows explorer, they show up in the bios and programs that need 'X' disc in the drive to run, still run... found that odd, but i think it's most likely one of the old drives has crapped out finally. (a 8+ year old NEC cd burner)

10/20/2009 11:26:12 AM

Quote :

"(a 8+ year old NEC cd burner)"

You're really too cheap to buy a new $30 sata dvd burner?

10/20/2009 6:39:16 PM

Somone at Tom's Hardware suggested this heatsink:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

They also pointed out the micro-mobo and non-micro case. Here's a link to the thread:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/273010-31-first-time-build-1500-gaming-surfing

Quote :

" So you have a $1500 budget and only spend $1000? "

Sorry, didn't make it clear that the $1,062.90 figure didn't include the monitor and OS.

Just added everything to my shopping cart, but the video card has been "deactivated". Out of stock?

Everything but the video cards (and a cooler) bring it to $1200. It's okay if I go over my $1500 estimate, I just don't want to justify a full $2000 right now.

10/20/2009 6:53:46 PM

You can always worry about the heatsink later. The stock heat-sink will do fine for a little overclocking.

No velociraptor?

10/20/2009 7:30:06 PM

Not to rag on the VRs, but wtf is the point of them? If you want speed (access time and transfer speed these days), go SSD. If you want storage, buy some huge 7.2K drive for much cheaper.

10/20/2009 7:59:27 PM