625 replies to this topic

[RedSoxFan9]

How's this SSD?  I'm looking for a top quality SSD in the 120 Gb range.  

I've been having trouble with my Vertex 2 120gb and will probably send it in to OCZ.  I figure I might as well order a SATA III drive while I'm waiting since I was going to get one anyways.

For the time being, I'm using an HDD

[forsayken]

I've heard really good things about the Crucial M4 drives. I'm not sure if they are better than that Samsung but I've heard nothing about Samsung SSDs. The M4 drives have a lot more reviews and are 5/5 eggs.

$150:
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820148442

Seems pretty damn hot to me unless I am missing something. If I could buy this, I might consider it. The same drive is $190 in Canada.

[RedSoxFan9]

forsayken, on 26 February 2012 - 10:30 PM, said:

I've heard really good things about the Crucial M4 drives. I'm not sure if they are better than that Samsung but I've heard nothing about Samsung SSDs. The M4 drives have a lot more reviews and are 5/5 eggs.

$150:
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820148442

Seems pretty damn hot to me unless I am missing something. If I could buy this, I might consider it. The same drive is $190 in Canada.

Shit, it already went up $25.  I'll probably just go with the Samsung.

[TheLeon]

I'm finally (almost) ready to drop some cash on solid rig. I've budgeted myself for about $800 on the PC itself, but I would be willing to go up to around $900 if it would mean seeing a noticeable performance increase. The main use will be gaming, and basically my goal is that I can buy any game on the market now and in the near future without having to worry about it running fine. That's a reasonable expectation for my budget, right? Any help with putting a shopping list together would be super.

[cusideabelincoln]

TheLeon, on 27 February 2012 - 12:38 PM, said:

I'm finally (almost) ready to drop some cash on solid rig. I've budgeted myself for about $800 on the PC itself, but I would be willing to go up to around $900 if it would mean seeing a noticeable performance increase. The main use will be gaming, and basically my goal is that I can buy any game on the market now and in the near future without having to worry about it running fine. That's a reasonable expectation for my budget, right? Any help with putting a shopping list together would be super.

Windows part of budget?



Also does no one read the OP?  START YOUR OWN THREAD!

[forsayken]

RedSoxFan9, on 27 February 2012 - 12:35 PM, said:

Shit, it already went up $25.  I'll probably just go with the Samsung.

It says $130 now which shoves this price right into the territory of $1/GB. 83% of reviews give it 5/5 eggs.

[RedSoxFan9]

The Samsung drive is listed 3 times on newegg (desktop, notebook, and plain), and comes with Batman AC and a sata cable, which I need.  The notebook version has 95% 5 star ratings.

http://www.newegg.co...name=SATA%20III

The Crucial drive looks good though.

[Dipship31]

Ugh still trying to get my rig to work just right and now I can't get the vid card to work. Here's the rig I got:

http://secure.newegg...Number=23532467

First go around we had a bad motherboard so we swapped that and everything worked, but the graphics card wasn't being responsive at all. So we thought maybe since we had a bad mobo that may have fried the graphics card. So I just got my replacement one today and the replacement isn't working either! Does anyone see anything wrong with the set-up here like maybe I order incompatible parts regarding the gfx card? Or is there a certain way I need to be setting it up? I've just been plugging it into the PCI-E and when I try to install the drivers it says it isn't recognizing any card. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[cusideabelincoln]

Three things to check:

1.  Make sure the monitor is connected to the video card and not the onboard graphics (which will be located near the USB ports).

2.  Make sure the power connectors are connected to the video card.  They are located on the rear of your card, and there are cables on the PSU that will fit it directly.

3.  You probably have this one, but if not, make sure the 4 (or 8) pin CPU power connector is connected on the motherboard.  The 4 pin will be square, the 8 pin rectangle, and it will be located near the CPU socket.

[Dipship31]

Heh I actually figured out I wasn't plugging the power source directly into the card! Should've just read the damn instructions! I was putting it together with a buddy of mine who's in IT and he must of just spaced that these newer cards need the power source going directly into them. Now the thing is running great! I kind of want something to test it out on. Is there a Battlefield 3 demo anywhere that's still available to try? I tried googling it, but can't find anything

[forsayken]

Dipship31, on 01 March 2012 - 09:01 PM, said:

Heh I actually figured out I wasn't plugging the power source directly into the card! Should've just read the damn instructions! I was putting it together with a buddy of mine who's in IT and he must of just spaced that these newer cards need the power source going directly into them. Now the thing is running great! I kind of want something to test it out on. Is there a Battlefield 3 demo anywhere that's still available to try? I tried googling it, but can't find anything

No BF3 demo but you can try Hard Reset demo or the original Crysis. Those are fairly demanding games.

[Josh378]

Another 4 year build:

CPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115072
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157271
Memory: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231314
CPU cooler (because stock SUCKS): http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835103065

Total + 3 day shipping for everything free: $420.95

I think I made out like a Bandit and future-proofed my computer, especially in the motherboard section.

Thank you guys!!!

[forsayken]

Quick question: If you guys were going to be building now or very very soon, would you just go with Sandy Bridge or wait for Ivy Bridge to release at the end of April?

15% faster in ideal situations favouring CPU speed, slightly less power draw. Worth waiting? Cost for the 2500k equivilant is similar I believe. I presume it'll be closer to $250 for the first month or two.

[RedSoxFan9]

If you have a decent PC already, I'd wait.

[forsayken]

RedSoxFan9, on 16 March 2012 - 08:53 PM, said:

If you have a decent PC already, I'd wait.

It's for a friend of mine. He has nothing. I'm leaning towards waiting. 6 weeks is a long time though!

[SeVeN CDN]

Im looking at a few custom pc's and im wondering which is better processor series.
I7-2700k or AMDS FX 8150?

(null)

[cusideabelincoln]

2700K is better.

[TheLeon]

cusideabelincoln, on 27 February 2012 - 02:35 PM, said:

Windows part of budget?

Also does no one read the OP?  START YOUR OWN THREAD!

Funny story. I wrote out that whole thing, then realized that I probably should have made a new thread, but instead of backing out of the page I went ahead and posted it anyway, then promptly forgot the fact that I posted it at all. Sooo, yeah. Sorry 'bout that.
I still plan on building at some point, but that's probably still a few months away.

[RedSoxFan9]

I want to add 4 SATA ports to my NAS with a PCIe card.  Does anyone have a brand or model that they would recommend?  The reviews I have read are all over the place.

I have 2 and 3 TB HDDs, btw.

[SeVeN CDN]

Im looking at ether  upgrading my 9800gt to ether a gtx560 ti or a HD 7770.  Seems like the HD is a bigger bang  for my buck.

(null)

[cusideabelincoln]

7770 is not a good bang for the buck right now.  GTX 460, HD 6850, HD 6870 are around the same price and typically faster.

[DickSauce]

I just upgraded my 480 gtx to 680. I'm wondering if it would be a smart idea (i know complete overkill) to have my 480 gtx to be my dedicated physx card. I have a 1200 watt psu so I know it can handle it. Its just are the higher temps and sound worth it?

[cusideabelincoln]

I don't think it's worth it right now.  Games that use PhysX you can most likely play just fine enabled on the 680.  If you find you want more performance just sell your 480 and grab a 460 to use as a dedicated PhysX card, since it'll use about half the power.

[RedSoxFan9]

Would a 460 SE be a decent physx card?

[SeVeN CDN]

Im been trying to find a quad core thats socket lga755 for my motheboard. I recently upgrade my video card from a 9800 gt to a gtx 550ti(got it on sale for 90 bucks CDN) and it improved my pc alot. All i can find in my city for that socket is duals(which i already have). However i have found some used ones on ebay. Im just not sure if buying a used cpu is good idea?

(null)

[forsayken]

SeVeN CDN, on 17 April 2012 - 06:05 PM, said:

Im been trying to find a quad core thats socket lga755 for my motheboard. I recently upgrade my video card from a 9800 gt to a gtx 550ti(got it on sale for 90 bucks CDN) and it improved my pc alot. All i can find in my city for that socket is duals(which i already have). However i have found some used ones on ebay. Im just not sure if buying a used cpu is good idea?

(null)

I think used is all you're going to get. Q9300 or Q9400 shouldn't be too expensive though. The mother of all Core2 quads is the 9550 for price/performance. It's still perfectly capable to this day but quite expensive. I wouldn't put more than $100 into a LGA775 quad though at this point. $400 gets you 2500k/good mobo/8GB of RAM. It may be worth saving up for that if you can so you can go another 4 years.

If money is tight, you could move to an AMD quad. There are lots of combo deals on NCIX for $200 or less. They do new ones each week. Here are the current ones:

Phenom II 955 + mobo (no CPU cooler), $170:

http://ncix.com/prod...ls&promoid=1259

AMD Bulldozer FX 4100 + mobo for $190:

http://ncix.com/prod...ls&promoid=1259

I tried to check Newegg for bundles but I don't know how to find them. I don't think there are any CPU/mobo combos right now.

Of the two above, the 955 is very nice and a pretty good price. The 4100 has an edge because it is 3.6ghz over the 955's 3.2ghz.

Hopefully this helps a bit. Good luck finding a LGA775 quad though. You can still find them but prices might be higher because of people like you wanting to avoid getting a new motherboard for another year or two!

[SeVeN CDN]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah i think ill just wait then. Right now everything im playing runs great with the new video card. Diablo 3 is my next new game and my current build should be good enough

(null)

[TomCat]

I would go with the 960t over the 955.  You have a chance to turn your 960t into a 6 core processor.  I was able to unlock the two extra cores on my cpu

[SeVeN CDN]

well my Fiance is offering me 300 dollars to spend on upgrading my PC for our two year anniversary.

I have
Intel Core 2 duoE8400 3.0 Ghz
2X2gb DDr2 ram
650 W power supply
GTX 550ti(got it recently for 80 bucks CDN)

I was thinking of this upgrade
http://www.tigerdire...46&sku=P33-5305
http://www.tigerdire...33&sku=A79-1965
http://www.tigerdire...2&sku=M452-6253

Now do you think its worth the money and is my power supply gonna be strong enough?

[dualhunter]

The power supply is fine. Unless you have some games that are really bottlenecked by your current CPU you won't see much of a difference. If there's no way you're going to save up for something better, the upgrade from dual core to quad core should keep you going for a while.

The CPU is $10 cheaper on NCIX's weekly specials. They also have a Gigabyte motherboard + 8GB combo that would be slightly cheaper but the ram is rated slower (wouldn't worry too much about that) and I don't know how the motherboard compares to the MSI one.

[forsayken]

SeVeN CDN, on 01 June 2012 - 01:04 AM, said:

well my Fiance is offering me 300 dollars to spend on upgrading my PC for our two year anniversary.

I have
Intel Core 2 duoE8400 3.0 Ghz
2X2gb DDr2 ram
650 W power supply
GTX 550ti(got it recently for 80 bucks CDN)

I was thinking of this upgrade
http://www.tigerdire...46&sku=P33-5305
http://www.tigerdire...33&sku=A79-1965
http://www.tigerdire...2&sku=M452-6253

Now do you think its worth the money and is my power supply gonna be strong enough?

You will see a boost in threaded applications (games) but performance per clock is extremely similar between core2 and Phenom II. Games like Metro, Crysis 2, BF3 will now be playable at more than 30fps though.

It's too bad there aren't any good Sandy Bridge bundles. I believe NCIX has had $300 for a mobo/2500(maybe k).

I was able to find this for $305 without RAM:

i5 2400 + z68 ATX mobo:

http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16819115076
http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16813130614

RAM is another $50 for 8GB.

Sorry. I'm not really sure how I would maximize $300 for mobo/CPU RAM right now other than what you have listed. Especially if budget is $300 after tax.

There is also the 8-core Bulldozer (8120) for $180: http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16819103961 or the 6-core bulldozer (6200) for $160: http://www.newegg.ca...010&Tpk=fx-6200

I feel like I put all this together and there is no good advice here

[never_knows_best]

I'm looking upgrade cpu-mobo-ram and video by the end of summer. Current rig is a q6600, 4gb ddr2 and a hd6770. Two very general questions...

One, are there any upcoming 'refreshes' worth waiting until the end of summer (if not a little later) for?

Two, which also ties into one a bit, were I to upgrade one of those two in the next few weeks and save the other for later in the summer, should it be cpu-mobo-ram or video? I feel like my cpu is holding me back more than video at this point but I'm not really sure.

[SilverShadow]

Definitely upgrade the cpu/mobo/ram. I think you have waited long enough to justify the upgrade to the current stuff.

[forsayken]

never_knows_best, on 10 June 2012 - 12:05 AM, said:

I'm looking upgrade cpu-mobo-ram and video by the end of summer. Current rig is a q6600, 4gb ddr2 and a hd6770. Two very general questions...

One, are there any upcoming 'refreshes' worth waiting until the end of summer (if not a little later) for?

Two, which also ties into one a bit, were I to upgrade one of those two in the next few weeks and save the other for later in the summer, should it be cpu-mobo-ram or video? I feel like my cpu is holding me back more than video at this point but I'm not really sure.

I think the gtx 660 is coming out at the end of the summer. That's the affordable card to wait for I think.

[dbswisha]

The GTX 660 is ready to go, however due to overstock of the 570 Nvidia is holding it until August or so.

http://www.overclock...til-august/0_50