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The (new) Official PC building thread!
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Senior Member
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29. January 2008 @ 04:34 |
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pcusergod, I myself cannot offer you any tech help but I might be able to give you some basic advise.
You see I'm pretty much in the same boat as you are, I categorize myself as a computer dummy and not in the downgrading sense just adding a little humor, people like us can use as much of it as we can getting into this high tech game, I also use my computer knowledge by adding baseball terms, like I think I am finally out of the dugout and approching first base, and if I'm not mistaken you sound to me like your still wondering around in the parking lot, and again please don't take this as rude, I'm trying to add a little reality here.
I also want to add you could not be in better hands as far as computer advise, especially this thread, not only are these people extremly smart on this subject, I also found them to be very helpfull and most are very patient when it comes to dummies like myself, most also will gladly give you extra help by going to private messages or if you think you might be getting off topic a little bit whichever you always have that option by doing it yourself or another member will ask you to do so.
I know some people have mentioned to you about getting rid of your rig and just build your own, I know you have mentioned something about your Mom might be upset something or other, I know that might make things a little complicated for you, If I'm not mistaken I think your a very young man? if so I don't know if you will want to piss Mom off but giving a full explantion will help, hell you might even consider letting her read this thread about the advise your getting her about your problem, I think if it was my Mom I would want her to read it, she would probably understand more about the change you need to make by reading what the other members have to say than you just explalning things on your own, at least give it a shot.
I think the other members on this thread would also agree that you bieng a newbie to tech things about computers trying to build a computer in your stage probably is still out of your league, I myself will attempt to do so in the summer as my son will also be home from school and he knows more about this than I do and we will do it together, and most of all use this thread as advise in doing so, I would'nt even attempt on removing a screw unless I was on-line with these people here.
In the meantime, the rig you bought even though I'm no techie I know enough that the machine you bought and pardon the pun it's really a piece of crap, saying crap I mean for a kiddie doing homework etc. this thing is probably great especially for what you paid, but for the things you want to use it for beleive me it's crappola, you also got vista, yukkie, I still can't believe outlets sell vista machines with such low grade ram, graffics etc. when vista demands power, the people behind sellings pc's like that ought to be slapped.
It also sounds to me that you are limited on cash, and probably Mom is helping you with most of it, correct me if I'm wrong. You will not be able to build anything descent for under $600 anyway, besides trying to do it on your own which I would not recommend I would hire a person maybe a friend or a friend of a friend, or a good friend as as favor, no money exchange on one that knows about builds, and you guys can do it together.
I'll tell you what I did, and yes I did get friendly hollered at by most members on this thread on the route I took, and don't forget they were just looking out for me cause mostly they are right, I bought a refurbished rig from globalcomputer.com, same people as tigerdirect.com, it was a gateway the guys from here helped me pick out from several models that I had in mind, I got mine for $350 and $48 in shipping, I know it's a piece of crap compared to building your own, but the one I got not only looks brand new it runs like one and to my suprise it is really fast, not as fast as the rigs these guys build here but faster than anything I ever owned, also I wanted an xp, to much bull involed with vista, I also don't know if a refurbished one would run some of the games you are mentioning, but I would bet it would be a lot easier to upgrade and cheaper than the rig you got now.
And if and when you would be ready for your own build I would be willing to bet that you would be able to sell your refurbished rig for at least 3/4 of what you paid and keeping it in good shape don't forget helps. And don't just take my advise on all this I'm sure most guys here will add much more goodies to your brain on other idea's, just be carefull about the building your own part, first make sure your finacially ready and build savvy to do so before you make an attempt, like I said before, your in the best hands as far as getting started with what you will need and so on, these guys love doing this, it gets thier adrenalin going on helping people with a build.
And last, don't forget with any refurbished rig mostly you can make out ok, just make sure you are dealing with a good company, cause with refurbs sure you can get sent a lemon, the one I got which runs great but I can already hear my hardrive grinding, it sounds like a teletype machine e.g. especially when I defragment etc. but I did purchase an extra year replacement on parts if anything goes wrong, it was only 45 bucks.
So don't forget, you got several options here, my advise to you if it means anything, is first see if you can get rid of what you got cause its a dog, if not the people here will help you in what you can do with it to get you going with what you want to do, and most important, as I learned, I do not purchase a damn thing as far as anything to do with computers without talking to these guys first, I would'nt buy a screw unless asking for advise on what kind from where etc. it will save you time, money, and aggrevation believe me. Hope I helped a little, if I did it will be the first time I helped with anything on this thread. Good luck.
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AfterDawn Addict
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29. January 2008 @ 04:44 |
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Hey there Fred,
Quote:
I'll tell you what I did, and yes I did get friendly hollered at by most members on this thread on the route I took
Don't go counting me in that one! LOL!! I supported your choice for the reasons you gave! After all, it was your needs that counted, and you had very good reasons to take the route you did! We'll just have to wait till this summer to get even! ROFLMAO!!
Good to see you are still around!
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
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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29. January 2008 @ 04:47 |
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Good to see you again Fred, a very thoughtful post, congrats on that one. Hopefully we've given pcusergod something to mull over.
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Senior Member
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29. January 2008 @ 05:22 |
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I just hope I helped him a little, I wanna be clear that he knows you guys are my hero's when it comes to anything on pc's.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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29. January 2008 @ 05:24 |
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Haha, well, we do our best...
It's always pleasing to have some notable feedback rather than just the "ok thanks" and we never find out how the build went...
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Senior Member
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29. January 2008 @ 05:29 |
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oh no russ, I know you didn't lol, like I said, you guys were looking out for my best interest, I didn't take any of it as an insult of any kind, don't forget, you guys are right about it in the first place, I just fell under an unusuall circumstance, and besides, sometimes you need to be a little harsh to make sure people make the right decesion especially when your looking out for them.
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AfterDawn Addict
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29. January 2008 @ 05:43 |
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Fredbun,
Quote:
sometimes you need to be a little harsh to make sure people make the right decesion especially when your looking out for them.
Damn straight! ROFL!! Good to hear from you, Fred. Everything going OK? Hey, before you know it, it will be summer and you and your Son will be able to build that new computer. That alone is worth it all! Something rarely seen today, a Father/Son project. I believe that qualifies as "Quality" time!
We already have a new King of the hill with the Dual Cores in the E8400. It overclocks like a dream, runs cooler than the older Dual Cores (45nm) and has a 6MB Cache on the chip! By the time you are ready, you'll be in a better position, component wise than you would have been before. Lots of intelligent choices, with more coming!
BTW, I echo Sam about your post to pcusergod! Thank you for your recommendation!
Warmest 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
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Senior Member
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29. January 2008 @ 07:54 |
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Everything is ok russ, yes I think I did come across some of that dualcore info you have have mentioned, I get that funny feeling all kinds of new stuff will be out by summer time, I'm not worried, as long as you guys are around I know I will be kept up to date on whatever is out there.
Now that I have a little time, let me up date things a little, yes that gateway did come in 2 days after I ordered it, and no I didnt pay for any faster shipping, I ordered from global before they are pretty fast even though I didn't expect it that fast.
When it came in the packaging was nice and tight, nothing was missing everything was in order, the pc looked like it was brand new, didn't even have a minor scratch on it, the keyboard, mouse, was brand new as so were the little speakers, and so to my suprise, I also got the tuner, remote, and all acces. for the media center thing, I say suprised cause most people on customer reviews on this thing all said they never got the remote etc. oh well, whatever.
And of course as I mentioned before, my main bitch is the hardrive, is definatly gonna go soon I would think, I mean it is very loud, just like a teletype when it runs especially when things like defrag would run and others when it really goes to town on noise. I'm gonna call then on it cause even though I did purchase the extra year I did learn that before the 30 day mark it is easier to get a replacemant, if you recall when I got one for the nieghbor last year from the same people we thought the optical drive was bad, they were ready to send out a new one but didnt have to cause it was we were making some mistakes on it is why a problem, so I'll se what happins when I call.
There are some add ons also I need some advise on but I will get to that in a moment, after I set up the gateway, and I did forget how much of a pain in the ass it was to set up a new pc, all that crap like norton it had, macafee and so much other crap, and macafee was so damn hard to get rid of for some reason but finally did, I thought I was gonna have trouble getting rid of norton but I lucked out, and of course a lot of other crap and got rid of it all, updated everthing windows, added all the avg's, cleaners etc.
And of course after cleaning it up and going into system config utility and got rid of many start-ups, it was like off to the races with that baby, wow, suprised the hell out of me, you guys did say the ddr2 was gonna be faster, and I will want to add another gig.
This gateway which will be our second pc, my hp is the first, I dont let anybody touch it, its not as fast as this gateway but its a really nice machine, I had it a year, I yike it, lol.
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/Tec...ectID=c00587142
The gateway will be for my kids, and for my kids only, the compaq which was our second pc, over the holiday both son and daughter were home with all the school friends, after the holiday I checked out our compaq it was loaded with viruses, oh man was I pissed, and I mean the kind you could not get rid off, the only option was to completely reformat, I havent had a virus on pc's since 2002 when we first started using computers, man was I pissed, my kids were back in school when I cought it, I e-mailed them both and said both of you twits are lucky you are not here now, maybe an ass wopping was in order lol, and of course I got, Dad we didnt do it, I must say my kids are good about not catching viruses, they learned how and why not long ago, and I wrote back said I don't give a shit, it was your friends and your responsibility, same as you did it youself so to speek, if you can't control your friends than don't invite them over, lol, its been a long time since I jumped on my bandits, but it was nessesary.
I was kinda scared to re-format the compaq, I did apply windows on it once back a year ago when we had to install a new hardrive, the old one died, but I never did a re-format on an exsisting hd, my son use to do all those things and of course he's not home, so Poppy had to do it, and poppy was scared shitless, I read all kinds of adds about it on google and some of the read was scarry, some reads were pretty complicated, actually after I did it, it really just sounded complicated, I had to reformat it 3 times cause the first two times I screwed up like started with the wrong disc's first, my son never marked which ones were suppose to go in first he just knew by sight, it was four disc's actually, I started with the second disc first, it worked, well kinda did, at the end you find out things werent right lol, than you learn the last two disc's you don't even need cause they were just crap stuff, all those stupid add ons you dont need and wind up have to uninstall anyway, but thats how we dummies learn, plus I marked the disc's this time for future remember me by lol.
But after I got it right, wow, did that baby run smooth, and I was really proud of myself, rewarded thyself with a couple of cold ones, and told both of my twits that the compaq is for friends that come over but still with supervision, and the gateway and my hp is way off limits period or ass whoppin time.
Now here is where I need some advise, first on the gateway, here is info on it,
http://assets.gateway.com/s/PC/R/1013953/1013953nv.shtml
I want to install another gig of ram, I did one before some years back on the compaq, it was easy, but I got confused a little on this one, here's why.
I went on newegg, and of course for this gateway it takes a DDR2 533 MHz PC4200 SDRAM or so it says, newegg asks what model etc and it will find you the ram you need or so they say, after giving them the model, I thought all the rams would say the same DDR2 533 MHz PC4200 SDRAM, but no, they said all different kinds which confused me, here is the page,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLis...3GT5268E&DEPA=0
as you can see there are different mhz, not all are 4200, some say 5400 some say 6400 etc, does this mean a 5400 or a 6400 is better or faster than a 4200 that my gateway has, and if it is and is it compatible with mine, does it mean e.g. a 6400 will not go together with my 4200 so to speek, will both sticks need to be the same number, am I making sense here? also, it looks like I have two 512's in, is it better to install another two 512 and fill up all four slots, or is it ok to get just another 1 gig plus my exsisting two 512's and fill 3 slots.
Anyway, please you guys tell me which way is best to go, also which ram should I pick, myself and the kids are not gamers, not big ones anyway but we do like speed, I don't need the most expensive but don't want to spend money on crap either, if something descent cost more well so be it.
So, should I get another gig with 4200, or would it be better to replace the 4200's and use two 6400 etc, you guys tell me and I'll follow.
And here is the page for the hp cause I want to do the ame with that also.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLis...20m7330n&DEPA=0
The hp is the same as the gateway, it has four slots of ddr, and its not ddr2, and it has two slots filled with 512's, and I'll tell ya whats odd, the ddr2's are suppose to be newer and faster, but when you look the ddr's are more expensive, isn't that odd?
And last, later I want to ask you guys about adding a optical rom to the gateway, want to do that later after I take care of the ram sitch first, phew, my hands are cramping up, getting old sucks, and thanks everybody and sorry for the long post.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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29. January 2008 @ 08:31 |
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http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/5660/first38703dmarkrg2.png
Sam is happy.... lol
This is at clock speeds
Ignore 3dmark believing my CPU is 3.55, it's at 3.16, I changed the multiplier to 8x, but most programs don't seem to have noticed.
I need a new version of Everest that works with my GPU... and indeed I need a means of messing with the fan speeds. ATitool 0.27b can't do it on this card.
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pcusergod
Newbie
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29. January 2008 @ 08:42 |
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thanks for your help guys, I don't think I can spend that much on a computor. Mom already says we spent too much.
Can I maybe add betor parts to mine?
DP4ME
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Senior Member
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29. January 2008 @ 08:46 |
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pcusergod, if your definatly gonna be stuck with what you have beleive me these guys will help you with what you can do, where to find it and how much to spend etc. etc., one way or another you will get the help you need, let some guys get back home from work and settle in.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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29. January 2008 @ 09:03 |
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You can, but it'll be tedious and costly and ultimately probably won't result in a system quite as good as a proper one.
Firstly, lose windows vista and put xp on, that'll double your performance. Then add RAM, potentially swap the CPU too and the mobo if necessary. Upgrade the PSU and then you can fit a proper graphics card, assuming the case is well ventilated enough. The only parts probably worth keeping are the hard disk and DVD drive.
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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29. January 2008 @ 09:34 |
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You guys realize that he has a Conroe core Celeron? It's like a Pentium Dual Core just with a single core. You don't have a NEED to upgrade that right now. Right now you should probably get a better powersupply, and a 3850. Also change back to XP.
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GregI6
Member
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29. January 2008 @ 10:10 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/5660/first38703dmarkrg2.png
Sam is happy.... lol
This is at clock speeds
Ignore 3dmark believing my CPU is 3.55, it's at 3.16, I changed the multiplier to 8x, but most programs don't seem to have noticed.
I need a new version of Everest that works with my GPU... and indeed I need a means of messing with the fan speeds. ATitool 0.27b can't do it on this card.
Nice sam!
I was pushing 11220 on stock!
I got my keyboard, mouse and fan today so i can set up my room today and play Crysis.
Speak to you on MSN mate. Im at school.
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AfterDawn Addict
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29. January 2008 @ 10:14 |
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Fred,
I was looking at your setup and it seems that I would replace the RAM in your Gateway or at least add a matched pair of sticks to give you that 2GB total. If you add the 2GB to the 512 sticks you already have you'll have 3GB which is nice. I'm sure you won't be "OC'ing" so you'll be just fine. ;)
Link to RAM NOW remember if you leave the "old" RAM in there it will "down grade" the NEW RAM to it. That means it'll be PC-4200 speed NOT PC-5300. hth.....
ON THE HP:
link to PC-3200 RAM (2 x 512) Make sure of the "compatibility" on this RAM. Sometimes Mushkin doesn't play nice with certain mobo's. ;)
Link to PC-3200 RAM (2 x 1GB) SAme recommendations as 512 RAM...
I hope that answers some questions Fred. Like always don't hesitate to ask any more. :D
....gm
RUSSELL ..... L@@KY >>>>> link to PC-8500 RAM NOW quit hem-hawing around and buy some decent RAM. hehehe. :P
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 29. January 2008 @ 10:23
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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29. January 2008 @ 10:43 |
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Well, I'm having a play around with the cards at the moment (which includes trying to get my server running crossfire), so I'll speak to you when I can.
As it happens, neither of the cards are what I ordered.
The Powercolor SCS version is just the stock reference dual-slot design, and the stock dual-slot Sapphire I ordered uses the single-slot cooler, which I've just discovered is terrible. Not necessarily for cooling, but it runs at nearly maximum speed when idle...
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Senior Member
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29. January 2008 @ 10:50 |
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hey sam, nice score! So now you can play all the games you want at 2560x1600!
But hey, that score seems a bit low. I get 12k with 1 3870, but maybe it's the quad.
Anyways, can you turn a core off, does it work like CF?
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Senior Member
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29. January 2008 @ 10:58 |
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AfterDawn Addict
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29. January 2008 @ 11:04 |
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Quad cores boost your 3dmark by 2000 points, so my score seems reasonable.
As for the monitor, Hanns-G stuff is pretty naff usually, and given the resolution I'd say that price is about what I'd expect for that monitor.
Crossfire was a big failure, the PSU in my server made lots of sparkly noises when it tried to boot with two cards in. Evidently 300W is a bit too much for a 580W Hiper Type-R....
I really thought Hipers were better than that!
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AfterDawn Addict
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29. January 2008 @ 12:05 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
Quad cores boost your 3dmark by 2000 points, so my score seems reasonable.
As for the monitor, Hanns-G stuff is pretty naff usually, and given the resolution I'd say that price is about what I'd expect for that monitor.
Crossfire was a big failure, the PSU in my server made lots of sparkly noises when it tried to boot with two cards in. Evidently 300W is a bit too much for a 580W Hiper Type-R....
I really thought Hipers were better than that!
Sam you better hope that Lp misses that post. hehehe. :P I know a few people that have the Hyper sam and they are less than "impressed" with it. ;) Ask Mort81, he's one of them. :P
You gonna have to get another P/S?? That would stink if you do. ;P I'll give you some recommendations if you like. hehehe. :D
....gm
j/k m8, don't take offense. ;)
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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29. January 2008 @ 12:10 |
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Nah, it was only an experiment, I never intended to keep both cards (and given the ridiculous amount of noise the Sapphire makes I certainly won't). The PSU in the server still works, it just can't handle those two cards. The power draw of the system under that circumstance was under 300W, so I'm going with the Hiper being naff, I stand by my previous arguments.
I may eventually replace it with a Corsair unit, but the Hiper's not loud at idle, so it can stay for a while...
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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29. January 2008 @ 12:15 |
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@greensman
nice link to that PC2-8500. i was wondering were you got it at??lol heck it is cheaper there than at the egg even with out the rebate. think its $110 at the egg.
you bout done with the wifes puter and ready to OC yours some?
edit to add:
ive just been looking at the mobo and the 1066 mem. i dont think the crucial is compatable with the GA-P35-DS3R
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 29. January 2008 @ 12:38
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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29. January 2008 @ 13:22 |
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OK, detailed thoughts on my 3870s. Overall, the performance of the cards is stunning, being able to play all the games I like at 2560x1600 in most cases with AA, sometimes up to 8x is awesome. The image quality of the cards is as superb as advertised, and for the money I'm impressed/
For the specifics:
Powercolor (reference cooler):
Overclockability: Core mediocre, memory excellent
Fan/cooling: Only 4 speeds, default controller is retarded for overclocking, but perfectly adequate (30mins gaming, load temps plateau at c. 80C). Typically the controller varies between speeds 1 & 2, 1 for idle and 2 in game. Speed 1 is pretty much dead silent, even by my standards, very impressive. Speed 2 is certainly acceptable, very similar to the xbox 360 in character (plastic-y whine) but much quieter, I'd guess around 27dB. Speed 3 is what you'd have to use if overclocking, it's certainly loud by my ears, but if you had high speed case fans it'd still be relatively insignificant, I'd say around 35-36dB. Speed 4 is astonishing. It's about as loud as the old X1900 series stock cooler was at max, but less annoying, and pushes huge volumes of air, the temperatures you can achieve with this setting are also mindboggling.
Overall, unless you're overclocking and like silence, the stock cooler on the 3870 really is excellent.
The Sapphire card however is awful. It doesn't overclock at all without producing artifacts, and the fan speed, whilst having 20 settings, only varies from 60% to 100% of the rpm the fan can run at. When you consider that 5% is 75% of the rpm, and the card switches between these two settings even at idle, it's very obtrusive and very annoying. I'm thoroughly disappointed with Sapphire on this one.
Looks like I'm keeping the Powercolor card, that's definitely a turn up for the books.
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29. January 2008 @ 13:46 |
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Rob I think you'll be ok with the PC2-8500 RAM but I would get what's on the list for complete COMPATIBILITY!!
Give this list a L@@K see. It's PC2-6400 RAM but it'll do what you want it to. :P
The only reason to get the PC2-8500 RAM is to push the OC to the next level. lol. I could have spent about $300 less on my system and had about the same thing. lol. I just wanted to go all out once in my life on something for me. :D
...gm
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AfterDawn Addict
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29. January 2008 @ 14:04 |
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Originally posted by greensman:
Rob I think you'll be ok with the PC2-8500 RAM but I would get what's on the list for complete COMPATIBILITY!!
It's PC2-6400 RAM but it'll do what you want it to. :P
I just wanted to go all out once in my life on something for me. :D
...gm
oh if i go with the PC2-6400 i will get the corsair(i think) i do like the looks of the balistic tracers...lol eyecandy...
like you said. i wanna go all out, i am gonna have the extra to spend (to an exstint)spend a little on myself for once..lol
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