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The (new) Official PC building thread!
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Senior Member
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4. February 2008 @ 11:56 |
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Problems...beep...beep...help
Build 1 Intel/Nvidia
ASUS Striker II Formula 780i Chipset
Q9300/Q9450
Corsair DDR2-800 4GB(2x2GB) XMS2 DHX
XFX 8800GT 512MB
Antec TruePower Quattro 850w
Antec 900 gaming case
Build 2 Intel/ATI
ASUS Maximus Formula X38 Chipset
Q9300/Q9450
Corsair DDR2-800 4GB(2x2GB) XMS2 DHX
Sapphire HD3870 512MB(Thinking of CF)
Antec TruePower Quattro 850w
Antec 900 gaming case
Trouble:
- I like Nvidia's latest 780i chipset but
- Can't 3-Way SLI with 8800GT
- GTX/Ultra is too expensive
- I like X38 chipset, because
- I don't have to worry about getting a new mobo for 3-4 years but
- X38 or even P35 chipsets doesn't support SLI, CrossFire Only
- I like 8800GT because it's faster than HD3870
- 2 8800GT is faster than CF HD3870 or even HD3870 X2
- If i do get Intel/ATI Build i'm worried because if
- Nvidia produce a newer and faster card my mobo can't support SLI
Any solutions that can help me, i want the latest chipset mobo's eg. 780i and X38.
I've have been researching and asking for solutions/help for couple of months now, and still haven't made up my mind. I started from a budget pc to a mid-end pc now i'm going for a high-end, and i'll stay on the high end side, but i'm jumping around, "Should i get Nvidia or ATI gpu, should i getIntel or Nvidia chipsets?"
Please guys help me here. and keep in mind that i'll be gaming on a 24" monitor (1920 X 1200 resolution)
SEX
Now Ive got your attention please read my post above
Own: Computer, PS2, PS3, PSP and Asus UX32VD i5 Ultrabook
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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4. February 2008 @ 12:07 |
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Get an X38 chipset and a single 8800GT. My HD3870 on the rare occasions that it works can play anything at 1920x1200 except for Crysis on max, and even then you can put the shaders and shadows to medium and not suffer too badly.
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AfterDawn Addict
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4. February 2008 @ 12:09 |
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sam if you don't mind I'm gonna make these suggestions for change on the system you put together for dougal79.
@dougal79,
RAM
HDD
P/S
and NO Sound card....saves £48.81 before shipping charges of course. ;) SO that moves the total to £531.17 (which is a bit closer to the £500 budget you wanted) for the minor changes I've suggested and most of the system that sam posted. ;) HTH...... good luck...
....gm
edit:
change RAM link and that changes the price by about £10 more.....sorry for the over sight Pepp.....
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 4. February 2008 @ 19:35
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Senior Member
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4. February 2008 @ 12:19 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
Get an X38 chipset and a single 8800GT. My HD3870 on the rare occasions that it works can play anything at 1920x1200 except for Crysis on max, and even then you can put the shaders and shadows to medium and not suffer too badly.
Then what happens to the other PCI-E 2.0 X16 slot? Then there is no use for it. It really feels odd, but if i buy HD3870 then it's slower...
SEX
Now Ive got your attention please read my post above
Own: Computer, PS2, PS3, PSP and Asus UX32VD i5 Ultrabook
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Member
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4. February 2008 @ 12:20 |
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OK cheers guys.
Would i not be best using my existing sound card?
Its an Audigy SB 4 & i have a 320GB HDD & a 250GB HDD.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 4. February 2008 @ 12:26
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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4. February 2008 @ 12:45 |
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Ah, yes you would, that sound card's fine. The hard disks are also fine, but it'd be best if you got an additional hard drive for your new OS. It needn't be big, something like an 80GB Barracuda would do the job fine.
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Senior Member
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4. February 2008 @ 12:54 |
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SEX
Now Ive got your attention please read my post above
Own: Computer, PS2, PS3, PSP and Asus UX32VD i5 Ultrabook
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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4. February 2008 @ 13:23 |
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Ok, Crysis ran fine with only 2GB of RAM so I wondered if that was the issue. Put the other 2GB back and ran the game with the case side off and the GPU fan forced at a higher speed - passed through the trouble section fine, went to save the game and the game hung-ish. I couldn't move or press anything but the console responded and the frame rate etc. stats page was still running. Found lots of "could not..."etc. errors in the console - methinks my less than legitimate version of the game may have bugs. I'll try getting a proper copy of the game and see what's what. FEAR still lags a bit, but always did to a certaine extent. Going to try COD next and if that works fine, i'm satsified. COD4's an important game to get running though, as it's played lots at my LAN party. FEAR isn't, and Crysis isn't often. CSS at least runs better than before, so I can take pride in that.
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Senior Member
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4. February 2008 @ 13:35 |
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it has to be the games, not your hardware.
Why Nvidia cards, Chipsets run so hot?
SEX
Now Ive got your attention please read my post above
Own: Computer, PS2, PS3, PSP and Asus UX32VD i5 Ultrabook
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AfterDawn Addict
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4. February 2008 @ 13:52 |
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dougal79,
If you use the P35-DS3R, try the on board HD sound first! It's awesome. I didn't even put my SB Live sound card in this one. It has Coax and Optical S/PDIF. I using the Coax as I can't find my Optical cable at the moment. I borrowed one from my next door neighbor, to check to be sure it works after reading that some didn't. The cable will turn up. Sampling rates are 44.1, 48, 96 and 192KHz, although my 5.1 ProLogicII Surround Amp only goes as high as 96KHz. The surround capabilities go as high as 7.1. I have some music I use to test my sound that covers pretty much the entire dynamic range, and trust me when I say you don't want to be playing 16 and 32 foot bass notes on an empty stomach! LOL!! Not at any decent volume level, anyway! The Audio also supports both Blew Ray and HD DVDs!
The motherboard works just as advertised and gives an awful lot of bang for the buck! Highly recommended!
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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4. February 2008 @ 13:57 |
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The onboard audio's great for films and music, but for games, it's a bit suck. It seems to get bogged down by games that have too many sounds going on at once and some get missed out. No gamer needs an X-Fi card, but somewhere in the middle would be nice.
GTR: nvidia chipsets and graphics cards typically get hot because nvidia like to push the limit of what they can fit with a small heatspreader, and usually give you a naff stock heatsink. Of course, some motherboard manufacturers (particularly) Asus put proper heatsinks on their chipsets, but ultimately you wonder why they have to go to such lengths. The heatsink on my P35-DS3R is probably marginally smaller than my old P5N-E SLI and yet is much cooler (suffice to say you can touch it when your PC's playing games and it won't give you blisters)
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Member
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4. February 2008 @ 13:59 |
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OK mate, thanks for the advice.
Just out of curiosity what speaker setup do you have?
Im using the Harmon/Kardon Soundsticks II, but looking for something that bit louder.
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AfterDawn Addict
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4. February 2008 @ 14:26 |
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sammorris,
Quote:
The onboard audio's great for films and music, but for games, it's a bit suck.
I had the same problem when I first installed the MB. I discovered that mine came set for 7.1 through the HD Audio manager. Once I took care of that,it seems to work fine. If you use the analog, game sounds do seem get lost when the sound activity is high. Mine is set up to be able to use one or the other at the push of a button. I have a 4 year old Sony Digital Audio control Center Model STR-K660P 420 Watt PL-II 5.1 surround system, and I don't plan on changing it any time soon, and you know just how fussy I am about my music! LOL!!
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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4. February 2008 @ 15:00 |
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Dougal79: I use the logitech Z-5500s, ridiculously loud at max, awesome sound quality, 5.1 and supporting digital (although not dts, not properly anyway), they're not even THAT expensive. The only thing you have to be wary of is that they're not shielded against electromagnetic interference, so if your house is prone to that, you may hear the occasional pop from them. other than that though, they're fine.0
To put it into perspective, volume 15 of 40 is pretty damn loud (certainly a volume level you wouldn't want to use late at night) and I've tested that the sound quality is good as far as 30. I only didn't go further because it hurt my ears! XD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120
Note: 97% of nearly 1000 reviews on newegg are Excellent or good.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 4. February 2008 @ 15:01
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AfterDawn Addict
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4. February 2008 @ 15:02 |
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Originally posted by dougal79:
OK mate, thanks for the advice.
Just out of curiosity what speaker setup do you have?
Im using the Harmon/Kardon Soundsticks II, but looking for something that bit louder.
My buddy got some of these about a year ago and they are LOUD among other things. lol. ;) Logitech THX-Z 5300
...gm
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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4. February 2008 @ 15:09 |
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Yup, they're the ancestors to the Z-5500s, also good. I had no idea they were that cheap in the US!
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GregI6
Member
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4. February 2008 @ 15:42 |
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I know this is probably stupid but maybe your gigabyte mobo doesnt like the 3870? Maybe it doesnt like the card being PCIE 2.0?
BIOS update or try jittering around with pci frequency?
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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4. February 2008 @ 15:48 |
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It can't be that. My motherboard works fine.
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GregI6
Member
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4. February 2008 @ 15:57 |
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Originally posted by abuzar1:
It can't be that. My motherboard works fine.
Faster clock rates causing it?
I'll search around for people with the same board to see if problems have been seen.
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4. February 2008 @ 16:33 |
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AfterDawn Addict
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4. February 2008 @ 16:39 |
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Originally posted by Pepp77:
Anyone had any experience with this ram - http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Component...d=26802
Sorry I haven't Pepp. BUT I've talked to a few of my "guru" friends and they say that Patriot RAM isn't as good as the NAME brand stuff. NOT saying it won't work but from what I've "heard" it doesn't OC well. ;) If it were me I would stick with mushkin, OCZ, Crucial, Corsair, and G.Skill.... JM2C on that... hth......
.....gm
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Member
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4. February 2008 @ 16:59 |
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Thats annoying as Toms Hardware supposedly rates it. Ive now got a spreadsheet with all the parts and prices and shops hyperlinked that Im looking at in it, and have just found this case which appeals to me:-
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Component...productId=30298
The more I look around the more Im getting to the conclusion that Im gonna have to build this myself to get close to my budget and specs which could be interesting LOL
Edit - Which reminds me what other English sites are there other than Xcase, Ebuyer, Aria, Scan, Misco and Overclockers.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 4. February 2008 @ 17:03
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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4. February 2008 @ 17:04 |
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Trust me, I did a LOT of research on this matter when my PC was originally made and I came to the conclusion that it's always best to build it yourself.
After faffing around with memory timings, overclock settings and putting things back the way they were, games seem to work fine again now.. That was weird. I'll try a different copy of Crysis, the game ran fine except for that crash...
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AfterDawn Addict
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4. February 2008 @ 17:22 |
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Originally posted by Pepp77:
Thats annoying as Toms Hardware supposedly rates it. Ive now got a spreadsheet with all the parts and prices and shops hyperlinked that Im looking at in it, and have just found this case which appeals to me:-
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Component...productId=30298
The more I look around the more Im getting to the conclusion that Im gonna have to build this myself to get close to my budget and specs which could be interesting LOL
Edit - Which reminds me what other English sites are there other than Xcase, Ebuyer, Aria, Scan, Misco and Overclockers.
spend the extra £5, and get the cm-690. you can also get a side window panel for about £11-12
MGR (Micro Gaming Rig) .|. Intel Q6600 @ 3.45GHz .|. Asus P35 P5K-E/WiFi .|. 4GB 1066MHz Geil Black Dragon RAM .|. Samsung F60 SSD .|. Corsair H50-1 Cooler .|. Sapphire 4870 512MB .|. Lian Li PC-A70B .|. Be Queit P7 Dark Power Pro 850W PSU .|. 24" 1920x1200 DGM (MVA Panel) .|. 24" 1920x1080 Dell (TN Panel) .|. |
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AfterDawn Addict
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4. February 2008 @ 17:59 |
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pepp77,
If you are going to use DDR2 800 memory, I would recommend this. If you don't plan on overclocking at all then it won't matter a whole lot what you use as long as it's a name brand!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146565
I'm hoping to get the 1066 version for mine in the next few months so I can overclock mine to 3.8. My G.Skill runs out of leggs after around a 10% OC! I can get it to about 900MHz and no more! I already know that The Ballistix (not the Tracers!) work, so I'll just have to wait! LOL!!
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 4. February 2008 @ 18:01
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