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1xPCIe vs 2xPCI Graphics cards
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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5. August 2008 @ 14:16 |
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No email notifications from this thread for some reason, that's weird...
Performance-wise, brands aren't different much for graphics cards. Some may be overclocked, but if anything I veer away from those as a few of them have proven to be less reliable than their standard counterparts. For ATI I generally recommend Sapphire, HIS and Asus for cards. That's not to say that others are bad, but these companies have a proven track record.
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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5. August 2008 @ 20:33 |
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Avoid powercolor. I personally have an Asus. The packaging is nice :) lol
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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5. August 2008 @ 20:35 |
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Nice, but VAST! Lengthways the box for my Asus graphics card wouldn't fit through the doorway...
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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5. August 2008 @ 22:23 |
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lol
That just means you have a small doorway! haha
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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6. August 2008 @ 06:50 |
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Member
1 product review
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6. August 2008 @ 08:39 |
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HA! See a site told me the PowerColor outperformed a few of its tested counterparts... Good to know... I knew PowerColor was a meh brand but that review threw me for a loop. I think I'm picking up on this stuff pretty quick.
Thanks guys. I was actually looking at a few HIS cards, and I know any deal involving Sapphire and Asus are worth it.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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6. August 2008 @ 08:41 |
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Powercolor are all well and good (they're no faster, if the card performed better it was obviously an overclocked version) but they don't offer a warranty of their own, so be careful of that.
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Member
1 product review
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6. August 2008 @ 09:01 |
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heh, haven't really been paying attention to warranty as of yet, but its a big part of my decision making. Companys that know they've built a long lasting product usually have a warranty that shows it... and vice versa.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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6. August 2008 @ 09:03 |
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Indeed, hence companies like Corsair offering five years, and companies like Powercolor not offering one at all.
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Member
1 product review
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6. August 2008 @ 11:14 |
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I was kinda disappointed with my ram for this PC. It came with a 2GB stick of crucial... I was thinking of buying 2x 2GB of Corsair and selling the crucial but instead bought a second crucial stick...
But it comes with a lifetime warranty I guess... Only major prob is that in some cases u gotta tweak some stuff as the memory only registers like 1.3GB of 2 in some cases... seems to be rare but crucial offers info/guides on how to rectify this if it happens to you... odd problem heh...
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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6. August 2008 @ 11:16 |
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Crucial memory seems to have had all sorts of problems lately, I've stopped recommending it.
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Member
1 product review
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6. August 2008 @ 11:26 |
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Quick Question... for same price which is better?
Seagate ST3250410AS 250GB Barracuda 7200.10 SATA-II 16MB (5YR MFG - 1YR MB)
or;
Western Digital SATA2 250GB 16MB Cache 7200RPM WD2500KS (3year)
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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6. August 2008 @ 11:28 |
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Both good really. I've had good luck with WD hard drives, and they're quiet. Seagate drives are also excellent, but tend to be noisier.
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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6. August 2008 @ 12:42 |
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I would take the seagate. Better warranty, plus better Access Times. I knwo they are BARELY different, but if it's the same price then why not lol.
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Member
1 product review
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6. August 2008 @ 16:09 |
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One store sells both but if far away, the other only sells the WD but is very close... I think I'll just get the WD if theres minimal differences and save myself a trip :D
Plus I like quiet... my old comp is VERY loud...
Also, would it be worth getting an HD cooler and PCI card cooler for about $30 combined?
HD Cooler: http://www.greenlyph.com/new/product_inf...163cd4abb57e11e
PCI Card Cooler: http://www.greenlyph.com/new/product_inf...163cd4abb57e11e
Are these worth it? I know the cooler it is the better it will perform and all but I'm going to be running a fairly stock system and wasn't sure if its good to get these now or just put it off till I get a good vid card and Overclock the system.
Edit> Bah I know I don't need the PCI Fan yet as I'm gonna have built in video for a month or so... but is the HD fan a good thing to have right away?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 6. August 2008 @ 16:17
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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6. August 2008 @ 18:28 |
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PCI bracket fan cards never usually do that much good to be honest, you're best off ignoring them.
As for the HDD cooler, hard drives run perfectly cool enough if your case has a front intake fan blowing across them. If it doesn't, an HDD cooler is a wise purchase.
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Member
1 product review
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7. August 2008 @ 11:56 |
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The fan is pretty cheap... not great air flow so I was thinking... I was gonna have the Hard Drive close to my Cd Drive bays, and mount a fan in the open slot and take off the grill cover... This would be so that It would push the warm air taken from the hard drive by the HDD cooler and push it out the front. Is this a good idea or not practical?
Here's a rough diasgram:
Obviously blue arrows is cool air, red is warm and the green line is the hard drive/cooler.
Would this be worth the effort? Or would it be best to have the fans pull air in the front pushing the warm air out the back?
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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7. August 2008 @ 12:01 |
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The pic isn't working.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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7. August 2008 @ 12:02 |
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Fuel, if you want the full image, take the last link 'direct link to image' - if you want us to see the preview page, just type the URL rather than using the square bracket syntax.
It's not a good idea to have a front exhaust fan, unless you use a side intake fan, you will have more air coming in than out, by all means use this bay system but you may as well have it blowing in rather than out.
Have you considered a Scythe Kama Bay?
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=532631
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Member
1 product review
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7. August 2008 @ 15:10 |
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I figured having the front fan going out would be best, but sometimes theres tricky things that seem simple, not so, which is why I asked if its better to suck air in. I'm planning on having at least 1 side mounted fan sucking air in, rear fan and PSU fan blowing out, bottom front vent would suck in and the fan(s) in the bays blow out (as well as the HDD fan blowing heat up to the bay fans to exit it)
I figured more air going out was better as it would create a suction effect to more efficiently remove the warm air inside...
The pic is found here:
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/8962/powerupij7.png
Also, with this setup... would it be best to have 2 side fans? Side by side sucking air into the front and back? Cause I was thinking I could drill 2 holes in my side case, and mount 2x 120mm fans.
This sound good?
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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7. August 2008 @ 15:14 |
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You can't have unevenly matched airflow in case and it work to your advantage really, you can't force more air out if it can't get in fast enough! :)
General convention is:
Front/Side/Bottom: in
Rear/Top/PSU: out
If you have bigger/faster fans blowing in than out, you can afford to have fewer of them, but they key is in the balance.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 7. August 2008 @ 15:15
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Member
1 product review
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7. August 2008 @ 17:35 |
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Right on, thats why I was wondering if I should have fans in front push the heat from the hard drive fan out or back to the rear fans... I wasn't sure if I'd be interrupting the air flow...
I never really thought Of mounting a fan on the top...
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Member
1 product review
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9. August 2008 @ 07:38 |
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Got the New Comp up and Running... My local Comp store got me a great deal on a WD 500GB HD rather than the 320GB. They said I wouldn't need the HD fan and that this drive is even faster and runs cooler, plus they gave me thermal paste for free... So I got more and spent less money... thats what I like about them, they will actually tell you NOT to buy things if you don't need it.
So anyways, I'm up and running. I just wanna make sure my Temps and fans are working right.
I'm using SpeedFan for this.
Fan1: 2431 RPM
Fan2: 2890 RPM
Temp1: 17C
Temp2: 23C
Temp3: -128C (obviously something wrong with compatibility with SF and my Mobo?)
HD0: 26C (usually between low 20's and mid 30's)
Core: 6C (usually between 6 and 12)
My fans seem a little loud and the RPm a little high... shouldn't these be around 2000 RPM? Especially since my CPU fan is rated for 2200 RPM... But my case fan is rated for 2600 RPM... But since I'm running cool, I'd like to slow it down... (cause its also the cheap one from my old comp I spent $10 on thats rated for an ugly 30dBa)
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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9. August 2008 @ 08:23 |
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Well if it's too loud then make the a little slower.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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9. August 2008 @ 09:21 |
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Fans often spin faster than rated. The Freezer 7 Pro's 2400rpm commonly runs at 2700, and the 1000rpm Nexus case fans I use actually run at 1080-1100.
As for your case fan, noise not only depends on the speed, but also the size. A 2600rpm 80mm fan will be a bit noisy but acceptable, a 2600rpm 120mm fan will be practically deafening.
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