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The Official PC building thread - 4th Edition
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Senior Member
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29. April 2012 @ 10:37 |
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You can have your whole profile (Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Favorites, and so on...) on another disk or partition without issue then all you have to do is image your OS drive and in 20 minutes you're up and running.
OS -> C: drive
Profile -> D: drive
Programs -> E: drive
and so on...
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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29. April 2012 @ 11:49 |
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Accidentally click on something you shouldn't have?
I really hate false download links. ---->DOWNLOAD<----
False links have taught me to watch the lower area of firefox when I hover over a link. It tells me what I'm about to click ;)
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 29. April 2012 @ 11:51
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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29. April 2012 @ 11:59 |
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Ahh, but that would require more storage, and more storage means more drives, and more drives means more money :P
I have used Norton Ghost before to good effect. And probably will at some point but it takes me what 30-45 minutes to a perfectly clean install... An hour because I was watching TV too lol. That includes all utilities and tools up to date. I'd say it's reasonably close to the speed of copying over an image and poking around the web updating your stuff anyway.
Omega: Kinda, this actually happened in a search for 3rd party 360 controller drivers. I had to manually install them into the windows\system32\drivers and windows\inf folder, then install a front end GUI. All to be able to set a deadzone on an aging left joystick lol.
Ironically, the file with the virus was what I needed. I suspect I actually picked it up from the site I went to for the download, as the drivers work fantastically and I can now use my left joystick for emulators again :D
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 29. April 2012 @ 12:14
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Senior Member
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29. April 2012 @ 14:42 |
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Originally posted by Estuansis:
Ahh, but that would require more storage, and more storage means more drives, and more drives means more money :P
No it wouldn't, why?
You have the same amount of data on the same size drive, you just distribute it across 3 partitions instead of 1. It is the smartest way to setup your system, businesses do just that, at least most do. The only times I've setup a system all on my drive/partition is when the people are too novice and not capable of learning to install new programs to the D: or E: or F:... drives. With XP this was no problem as you could easily change the default locations for Program Files & Common to another drive. With Seven it is a bit more difficult without running into issues, but can be done.
I use to use Ghost but it has never been great and only has gotten worst. I use True Image but Paragon makes a good tool too as well as some free programs that are decent. I have a friend that like Windows 7 Backup but for me it is to limited on what you can backup and what you can recover. He just does a full system backup and for that it is fine.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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29. April 2012 @ 20:12 |
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Most of my programs, games and other files are indeed installed to another drive. In this case the I:\ drive. But a small certain amount of programs rely on OS shell integration for functionality, and thus need to be reinstalled to the OS drive after every format.
If I were to make a disk image of a clean install, I would need a place to store the image, thus storage space, which is at a premium for myself currently. Plus the installed programs on said image would be out of date ie it's just as quick to reformat and update my files manually anyway.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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Senior Member
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29. April 2012 @ 21:19 |
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The few programs, and there aren't many that won't install to another drive partition, would not take that much space on your OS partition and would compress to (2) - (4) DVD's for backup. That certainly should not be a big deal or cost much even at a $1 per disk if you used premium disc's. And as to storing them that also should not be an issue even with 25 DVD's it's just a small cake spindle.
If programs are out of date they are out of date whether you re-install or not so I don't see that to be an issue out of the ordinary, or it sure shouldn't be. Even AV Suites will still update or ask for a new key if they are out of date.
At any rate it is always faster to re-image than re-install. I backup all of my partitions on all of my PC's that way I'm covered and it works very well when the shat hits the fan. I plan on using BD's for my new backups since they are cheap and much larger but for now I just backup to DVD.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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29. April 2012 @ 22:26 |
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DVDs are ludicrously slow :P
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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29. April 2012 @ 22:34 |
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I prefer hard drives now, but given the problem (Wink wink), buying them is out of the question. Unless vital of course.
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! |
Senior Member
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29. April 2012 @ 23:16 |
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Slow? What kind of excuse is that? You backup and retrieve, you don't run on the DVD's. I can re-image within a half hour to an hour verses a whole day to re-install everything, SLOW????
Pretty lame... :)
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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30. April 2012 @ 02:59 |
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Nope check my posts :) I can have it done and up to date within about an hour, from blank drive to like it never happened.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 30. April 2012 @ 03:00
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Senior Member
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30. April 2012 @ 11:39 |
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Yup did, so if you have no programs to install or just a couple it can be less than a half hour to backup, like 20 minutes, so again slow doesn't enter in and a backup image is still much faster.
I have on one of my PC's over 300-400 games and I always have my profile on another drive, I setup shortcut's for Quick Launch on the Task Bar, and customize Icons & Branding of the PC's. Besides ton of programs for the Arts, CAD work, Office stuff, Programming, and other stuff.
It's up to you what you want to do but your excuses don't fly, it is still better, safer, and faster to image your system and have your OS stand alone with profiles and programs on other drives.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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30. April 2012 @ 17:13 |
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This PC is somewhat of a "control hub" for 3 other PCs and two laptops. It NEEDS OS integration with several programs, ie context menus, file associations, the like. In the end it ends up being a lot quicker for me to simply reformat with a USB drive and install everything fresh. I have used a disk image before and while convenient, DOESN'T SERVE MY PURPOSES.
I can change a lot of directories but I can't change where games save, nor can I change where programs keep inis or cfgs, so I end up needing an up to date backup of My Documents and several other folders anyway. This is something an image CANNOT do.
Yes, I have all of my games and non-essential programs on other drives. That was never an issue. There are only some 20 programs that need re-insalling and again they fit on a flash drive that costs no money to write to and can be used infinitely. Optical media has its uses but practical it is not. I need to keep my stuff updated, and even rewritable optical media is just not practical (read)FOR MY USES.
Likewise Shortcuts are not a big issue as I use RocketDock, which has a portable ini and can be transferred to other installs easily. Again, this ini is something I need an up to date backup of, something which an image is not practical for. Likewise my desktop is constantly changing, and a full image of my OS drive is not practical for tracking these small changes. It is much more practical for me to make a backup at the time of reformatting.
And what's more, operating this way doesn't require me to use storage space keeping outdated images of my OS.
And excuse me but my excuses? I'm not making any excuses. I'm telling you what is. Please don't turn this conversation into another one of those. Nobody here is making "excuses" for anything, nor should I have to be made to feel like my replies to you are "excuses." If you don't understand what I'm saying, or don't agree with my methods of doing things, please feel free to ask me to elaborate. I am willing to expand as much as needed to come to an understanding.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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Senior Member
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30. April 2012 @ 17:40 |
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Actually it is something an image can do and does. True Image can/will keep your images up to date with incremental updates and will keep track of ALL changes including links, ini's and so on.
Again storage space is pretty lame it really doesn't take much space at all.
Excuses, storage, time, and can't do up to date recovery are ALL lame excuses, that is what it is!
Again if you don't want to backup that is fine but your reasoning is suspect at best.
Sorry to disagree but thems the facts.
Great deal on True Image right now at NewEgg.
Acronis True Image Home 2012 - 1 User For System Builder - OEM ($50+$2shp)
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ddp
Moderator
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30. April 2012 @ 18:31 |
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leave it alone as i don't need this squabble right now as i'm dealing with an influx of credit card scammers.
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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2. May 2012 @ 15:14 |
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Well i'm definitely seeing my Quad core as dated now. Flash based games seem to hit the CPU a fair amount. And when I'm encoding/transcoding, it can cause a fair amount of lag. So either I need a dedicated encoding box, or a 6 - 8 core beast :) The temp agency finally got me the job I wanted! I don't know if it'll last, I hope so. If it doesn't, I'll begin strongly considering pumping gas/petrol. I prefer a seriously easy secondary job :p my primary kicks my butt LOL! Finally, I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel ♥
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! |
Senior Member
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2. May 2012 @ 16:20 |
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I always use a dedicated machine for transcoding, however you can dial back your transcoding to use only 2 cores and leave the other 2 for daily use during your transcoding. That might mean no flash games though? LOL
CONGRATS!!!!! Way to go on the temp job and even if it is short once they get you working they seem to keep you going with something else when your job is close to up. There may be lags of off-time but your in the door now and that is a good thing.
Way to go Kevin....
Stevo
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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2. May 2012 @ 16:28 |
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I know I can dial it back. But I also prefer a little schedule integrity when it comes to encoding :p Thanks for the encouragement :)
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! |
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Tyrgalon
Newbie
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7. May 2012 @ 11:38 |
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Im planning to build a quality gaming PC.
Budget: < 2000?
Sadly Im not very knowledgeable concerning pc hardware, so advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance, Tyrgalon
ps. Made a own thread, but can´t post the link as a new member :/
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_jump.cfm/931578/5691638 edited by ddp
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 7. May 2012 @ 15:25
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AfterDawn Addict
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7. May 2012 @ 19:11 |
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Tyrgalon
You can build a darn good gaming rig for $2000. You can easily spend a lot more too. We have members with multiple Dual Video cards, in CrossFire or SLI, and that can fluff up that price tag real quick. :)
Since you are building a gaming PC, I would recommend a SataIII SSD for your boot drive. 120GB drives are now as low as $105 at Newegg, but you have to shop carefully. That same $105 drive costs $120 when bundled with a 3.5" mounting bracket, and Acronis Disk Cloning software, well worth the extra $15
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211569
I've installed a couple of the Adata drives, and they are fast. I have a SataIII Patriot Pyro 60GB in my AMD 6-core, and it's as fast as the Adata.
Then there's your video needs. Perhaps the best buy in nVidia video cards today is this GTX 550 Ti: I found one on sale for $90 at Newegg, back in March. Just keep in mind that you can easily spend many times that for a top end Video card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125409
I can't really comment much on Ati cards, because most of the cards I've bought have been nVidia
You might wonder why I didn't start with the CPU? It's simple, because all of the above components show what you choose to do with your computer. These items echo your needs, so you can tailor the Motherboard, CPU, Memory, into all that it can be! Besides, you'll have a better idea of how much power supply you'll need as well!
We all used to run out and buy the next, latest and greatest CPU, and make it into a gamer. Today with so many different Video, CPU and Memory options available, it helps keep you focused on what you are trying to accomplish with your build, without a lot of chance of making expensive mistakes.
Best Regards,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
 This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. May 2012 @ 04:21
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Senior Member
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7. May 2012 @ 21:57 |
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2 grand? Damn, did you come to the right place, you'll have fun doing it to.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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9. May 2012 @ 07:56 |
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I wouldn't say 'cure', more 'treatment'. :P
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ddp
Moderator
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9. May 2012 @ 15:37 |
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spammer spammed
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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9. May 2012 @ 16:38 |
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To allay any fears/suspicions, just added a new WD30EZRX to my system over eSATA using my Icybox. Picked up by the system, formatted as GPT, 2.72TB showing correctly without incident. As easy as any other disk, but I will say that AHCI is enabled for my eSATA ports already, so that could potentially be a stumbling block for some.
As it happens a local store in london I can visit on the way to work happened to be the only place currently with any stock of the 3TB WDs, and not only that, it was only £1 more than the current best price, at £145 (equivalent of $195 pre-tax).
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. May 2012 @ 16:38
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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9. May 2012 @ 17:24 |
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So your icybox recognizes it. Good to know. External cases/enclosures that support 3Tb+ seem to be either rare, or item descriptions simply don't specify whether it can handle it or not. Newegg definitely needs to upgrade their site. At least last time I checked!
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! |
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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9. May 2012 @ 17:25 |
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Well, this is eSATA, so there isn't really anything for the external enclosure to do. By the looks of it though, USB2 doesn't care either.
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