The Workshop - Help For Complete System Builds

AMD Phenom II...Ram Problem....

sabouras — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:28:05 GMT

I' m not sure about the Ram....

Case: CoolerMaster HAF 922

PSU: Chieftec Super CFT-1000G-DF

MoBo: MSI 790FX-GD70

CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 965

CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 2

GPU: Gigabyte 5870 GV-R587D5-1GD-B

HDD: Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB

DVD-RW: LG GH22LS50

Ram: OCZ Black Edition AMD Ready 4GB Kit DDR3-1600 (OCZ3BE100C8LV4GK)

Ram: Dominator 4GB DDR3-1600 Intel Core i5/i7 Ram Kit (CMD4GX3M2A1600C8)

Ram: Dominator GT 4GB DDR3-1600 Intel Core i5/i7 Ram Kit ( CMG4GXM2A1600C7)

Any suggestions ???

Clem's new computer: Your ideas are humbly requested

ClemSnide — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:13:05 GMT

"The time has come," the Walrus said,

"To talk of many things.

Of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax,

Of cabbages and kings;

And why the sea is boiling hot

And which graphics card to use."

---with apologies to Lewis Carroll

My current rig is nothing to be proud of. It was an emergency replacement unit, ordered frantically and somewhat naively, to replace a good solid system running Windows XP on a Via Systems motherboard and an AMD processor. I won't say that Captain Clunker is all bad, but it has some odd issues-- like I've never been able to get the SATA working on it except by accident with a PATA drive holding the boot information. It's what makes me stay away from Asus and nVidia-- each of them played the blame game when it came to getting drivers for it. And the ATi Radeon 3850 (AGP 8x) card in it has never given me anything but joy, so that helps keep me in the ATi camp. But enough whingeing.

The sale prices are coming down the pike, and I've started accumulating good deals for a new system build. This will be my first complete homebrew (though I've swapped and upgraded parts before), so your input is graciously requested. While I'd like to make it powerful enough for gaming over the next (say) six years, I don't want it to be a jet engine-- I like my peace and quiet. I'll probably wind up overclocking it slightly, but nothing radical or extreme or whatever word the kids are using these days. And of course, budget is always a concern.

I guess the way to describe my goal is "midrange with pretentions." Certain parts of it, like the SSD and graphics card, will be higher-end than the rest of the system, but that's in service of making it a better gaming machine for the money. And by gaming, I mean World of Warcraft 90% of the time. Thus I can get away with one good video card instead of two.

Parts I already have:

Corsair 620W modular power supply
OCZ Agility 60 GB SSD (OS drive, most-used games and apps)
Western Digital Caviar Green 1 TB mechanical HD (data, less-used applications)
Samsung SH-223 optical drive (22x DVD/CD RW)
Logitech MX Revolution wireless optical mouse
Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
Dell SP2008WFP, 20" diagonal widescreen at 1680x1050
Logitech speaker set
MediaGear 16-in-1 card reader (because I still have a camera that uses SmartMedia)
CoolerMaster HAF 932 full tower case
Intel Core i7 860 processor
Prolimatech Megahalems with Noctua NF-P12 fan

Parts I'm strongly leaning toward:

Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R motherboard
ATi Radeon 5850 graphics card
OCZ Gold PC12800 DDR3 memory

Why:

Gigabyte motherboards are heavier than the other leading manufacturers, which I like-- more copper means less resistance means more power where you want it. The UD3R has what I need: one PCIe 16x; one PCIe 4x (in case those PCIe-based SSDs come down in price), and more than enough USB and SATA ports. Its price is also about average for the feature set. Sure, I'd like the UD5, but that's $80 more.

People have noted that the 4890s, which I had still thought about, were not as futureproof as the DX11-compliant 5xxx series. And I think that the 5850 fits right into the price/performance sweet spot.

As I noted, I won't be overclocking this out the wazoo, so CL8 memory is fine. The OCZ memory comes to $80 per 4 GB after a rebate, so I think it wins the price/power comparison.

Thanks for your help so far, and for whatever comes; in a few weeks Captain Clunker may meet his untimely end! (Note: I've been editing this as I buy parts, so some of the following comments may be about previous edits.)

Rig wish list

Mikejbev — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:47:25 GMT

Compiling a list of everything i want for a new PC, could you look through the list and let me know if it will work.

Please any suggestions welcome.

Flaming Blade ATX Raid Core I7 Motherboard

Intel Core I7 920 2.66ghz Processor + Artic Cooling Freezer Xtreme

BFG GTX275oc Graphics

Samsung Spinpoint F1 750gb Hard Drive

OCZ 700w Modxstream PSU

6gb OCZ Reaper DDR3

Soundblaster X-FI

Jumbo Rig Ideas Needed

Hanger9 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:11:11 GMT

Hello, I am new to HotHardware with this username(Can't remember password or email used).

I am getting a new apartment and job so I thought best way to celebrate would be with a new system. I haven't been involved in hardware in a long time so I am leaving it to you. Here are a list of my needs and uses for the system.

Hardware
6 Monitor Support Minimum
Nvidia for Linux support
Want to go with i7 920(Overclocked) but if there are better options let me know

Uses
Running Multiple Virtual Machines
Some gaming (not primary concern but its nice to have option :))
Linux/Windows System

Ok guys give me your ideas, and any questions you might have.

Cost constraints are currently around 1500 but willing to move up to 1800 if needed. This is not including monitors.

$500 AMD Gaming Build

kersmaka — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:25:57 GMT

Budget: $500 Purchase: 2-3wks Don't need: Mouse, Keyboard, Speakers, OS, Case Overclocking: Yes Retailer: Newegg.com Use: I'm mainly going to use this computer to play World of Warcraft and I want good FPS. CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor $178.99 (combo with MOBO) MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard (combo with cpu) GPU: AXFX HD-485X-ZDFC Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 $124.99 Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) $88.99 HD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" $49.99 Power: CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified $49.99 Thank you for your time, any help or suggestions with a $500 soft cap are appreciated.

Ice's i7 Build, would like advice on (1)PSU (2)Case

ice91785 — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:37:23 GMT

So guys, its been a while since I have been in the desktop world (back when a Core 2 Duo E6420 overclocked was close to top-dog and 3 gigs of RAM was overkill). Anyway, I was able to take advantage of this year's Intel Retail Edge packege -- they were selling i7 packages and I jumped in on one.

So far this is what my mind is made up on:

Intel's i7 920 CPU(already have)
Intel's DX58SO mobo (already have)
Vista Ultimate x64 w/free Windows 7 upgrade when released(already have)
OCZ Platinum 6GB (2GB x 3) DDR3 1600 (will be ordering)

=============================================================================

Now, with this in mind I would like the advice of all you experts out there. I picked HH Dave's brain a little bit on the case but here is what I am thinking about for cases (top down as far as $$):

=============================================================================

Next, I am a little hung up on my power supply also. I want super efficiency and solid rails obviously and prefer single +12V line. Currently I am torn between:

The PC P&C most becausese the efficiency is thorugh the roof! Not to mention top mfg in the power supply market in many eyes (albeit a little more power than I would need...)

=============================================================================

So there you have it, Ice think it'd be nice to get your advice, not once but twice

Dev's New Build

Dev — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 11:23:10 GMT

Ma budget is extendable to €600 (£500) but I won't change anything unless I can be show there is at least a 20+% impact on gaming. I will be buying from

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/

It is a British competitive e-tailer who've done well by me in the past.

Components that can be used in the next build

Case: Antect Sonata II

Power Supply: Enermax Liberty 620 Watt

Hard Drive: Seagate 250 GB

Componens to be replaced

Motherboard: Asus A8N SE

Processor: AMD San Diego 3700+

Graphics Card: Sapphire X1900XTX

The reason I'm upgrading is that while the X1900XTX has served me well, its performance in Crysis has determined it is time to move to the next card. I will either sell the used components or give them to a friend. All I'm looking for is any suggestions or alternative or anything I may have overlooked. Maybe some suggestions on Coolers for the CPU either. I may check if the motherboard allows overclocking first.

Budget AMD Build

yodel — Sun, 17 May 2009 02:48:49 GMT

I need some advice on the following components I have purchased and if they seem like a good enough build.... My pc will be used for video playback/encoding (movie maker projects) - mutimedia playback, simply put - and practically no gaming on it ....

Here are the parts I will be getting soon :
CPU: AMD Athlon X7750 @ 2.7Ghz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103300
RAM: Kingston 2GB x 2 (4GB Total)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134636
MB: Asus M4A78 Plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131381
GPU: MSI ATI 4770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127432
PS: Rosewill 600W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182062
CPU Cooler: Artic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185125
HD: Western Digital Caviar 250GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136161
Case: Cooler Master 330 Elite
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119115
Thermal Grease: Artic Silver 5

I was kind of hoping if any of you have used this particular Motherboard /cpu /ram combo ? I just don't want to end up with a lemon - Let's just leave it at that!

Do you guys have any tips for novice pc builders as myself? The only thing i think I would be concerned about is how much articsilver to put on and spread on the cpu.... If anyone can give me heads up on that part of the pc buidling process that would be great!

I'll Just say that - i better get this pc built right or else i will rip my hair out!!! ;)

Thanks you guys for reading this thread!
- Yodel

parts list for 1st build

mitchello — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:22:51 GMT

hey I am doing a gaming system on the cheap and I need to verify that these parts will all work with each other.

I'm pretty sure they will but i thought I might just make sure.

please help

1) XION Simple Power 630W ATX Power Supply

2)EVGA GeForce 9500 GT Video Card - 1GB DDR2

3) Asus M4N78 Pro GeForce 8300 Motherboard

4) AMD Phenom X4 9600 Quad Core Processor

5)Corsair XMS2 4GB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz memory upgrade (will this work for memory or is it just for upgrading?)

6)Western Digital WD3200AAKS Caviar Blue Hard Drive - 3.5", 320GB, 7200rpm, 16MB, SATA-300, OEM

7)GMC R4 Bulldozer ATX Black Mid-Tower Case (love this case)

I know I cheaped out on the video card but thats pretty much all I can afford....

what are your guys thoughts on the R-4? I think it sounds great! plus its the best looking case out there, I think.

thanks

Another first build...

seippelk — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:18:03 GMT

Thanks for looking. This is going to be my first time builing a computer so I wanna make sure I am doing it right. My budget is around $1000 and I am building this to play video games. I dont need an OS or a mouse because I already have them but thats all I have so let me know what you guys think:

GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216)	$ 165.00	Graphics Card	900 MB
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500	$ 190.00	CPU	3.0 GHz
Antec Nine Hundred	$ 100.00	Case
Western Digital Caviar Black	$ 70.00	Hard Drive	500 Gig
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W	$ 120.00	Power Supply	850 Watt
XFX NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI	$ 140.00	Motherboard
SIIG IC-710012-S2 7.1	$ 35.00	Sound Card	7.1 24-bit 96KHz
OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM	$ 36.00	RAM	4 Gig
SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner	$ 26.00	CD/DVD Drive
Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms	$ 160.00	Monitor	22" 1680 x 1050
Logitech Pro 2000 Black 104	$ 30.00	Keyboard	Wireless


Total	$ 1,072.00

First Real Build, Core i7 and GTX 285

Thermal Span — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:10:59 GMT

Hello! This is my first post on these forums. I am looking into building a gaming rig this summer, and I wanted to to get some input on the parts. The Hot Hardware forums seemed like a fine place to seek advice. FYI I have experience working on computers, however, this is my first complete build so for all intents and purposes I'm a noob.

So, for this rig, I'm not looking for anything flashy. Just a reasonably priced and up to date set of hardware. So with that said, here's the list.

Core i7 920 (2.66 GHz)

A Foxconn Bloodrage GTI motherboard. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186169

EVGA GTX 285 1GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130480

6GB of Corsair XMS3 RAM (3x2GB) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145222

APEVIA 680W Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148022

WD Caviar 500GB at 7200rpm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

Lancool Metal Boned K7 case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112154

Vista Ultimate 64 bit.

I plan on upgrading to a SSD drive when the price drops some more.I was looking to save on the power supply and the APEVIA seemed reseasnable, though I've never heard of the brand before. I'm also unsure of what CPU cooler to get. I have no plans of overclocking and when I do most of my gaming, nightimes and winter, the temperature is fairly cool or cold. I don't want any cooler that's to bulky becuase I tend to go to some LAN parties. Suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks.

first PC build, need to verify parts

happity — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:01:28 GMT

okay, I have a list of parts for my first build and I need to verify that they will work together, please help me out

Western Digital WD5000AAKS Caviar Blue Hard Drive

mobo:

Gigabyte MA790X-UD4P Motherboard - AMD 790X, Socket AM3

CPU:

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Dual Core Processor - 3.10GHz, Socket AM3

Video Card:

PNY GeForce 9400 GT Video Card-1GB DDR2, DVI,VGA,PCI-Express 2.0

RAM:

Corsair 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory

thats the parts list, also, could anyone tell me how powerfull my powersupply would need to be for this build?

thanks

-happity

Need ideas for a new build!

Inflation — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:10:31 GMT

Okay so below is my current Rig.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz

CORSAIR XMS2 8GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM HD

Vista 64 Home Premium bit OS

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner

ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

XION Solaris XON-406 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

XFX PVT88PYDF4 GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V

Now I want to rebuild my system in about 9 months when I get back from Iraq. I'm wanting to get a nice 42 or 52 Inch hdtv 1080p to use as my monitor. This is going to be a gaming rig. I will have have a 5.1 surrond sound system with it also.

Anyone have any input on parts?

i7 build. Need some suggestions/advice.

stillmatic97 — Sat, 16 May 2009 16:29:18 GMT

Title says it all. Here is my beta shopping list from newegg:

Haf 932
WD Caviar Black 3.0 gb/s 500gb HD
Asus 23.6"
2x Sapphire 4890
LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2
Foxconn FlamingBlade LGA 1366 Intel X58
COOLER MASTER V8
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

Should I stick with the 2x 4890's? and I was thinking about getting a 150gb velociraptor for my vista 32 install drive.

Any suggestions would be GREAT.

cheapest of cheap pc build

nelsoncp21 — Wed, 13 May 2009 02:27:37 GMT

Hey guys my sister is in desperate need of a new pc. She has some dell that is like 7 years old on it's last leg. Problem is she is very tight on money since she just had a bathhroom remolded that turned into a nightmare and costs her thousands more to fix a screw up by some contractor who lied and wasn't licensed. Anyway, I am going to give her the parts I just won to help her out but I need to find the cheapest stuff I can get to make a complete build. She is no power user but does some very light casual gaming. Nothing graphic intensive. So what I need is

GPU,HDD,Case,PSU and optical drive. I know off the bat vista will cost about $90. She is not tech savey so Linux is out. The parts I came up with would run about $300 altogether but I wanted to see what ya'lls feedback was and see how different the lists you guys could come up with are. Been a long time since I was budget surfing.

I have Phenom 2 720, asus m4a78t-e and 2GB of ddr3. Seems like this powerfull board and cpu is almost gonna be neglected in her hands not being able to really stretch it's legs but since they ain't gonna cost her anything I figured it's just right.

New Gaming PC, Will it work?

Firehawk — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:15:17 GMT

OK im making a new computer for a friend and im wondering if this setup will work.


Product	Quantity	Price	Gst	Total
Western Digital 500G SATAII 7200 rpm HDD(16Mb Cache)		$91.00	$8.27	$91.00
CoolerMaster Ammo 533 case (No Power Supply) Black		$104.00	$9.45	$104.00
Antec TriCool 120mm Blue LED Case Fan with 3-Speed Switch		$28.00	$2.55	$28.00
Kingston DDR2 2G (Single stick)PC6400 800Mhz		$34.00	$3.09	$34.00
OCZ GameXstream 700W SLI Ready PSU		$199.00	$18.09	$199.00
Asus P5Q-SE ExpGate S775 P45 DDR2 FSB1600 PCIE2.0 GBLAN ATX		$179.00	$16.27	$179.00
Gigabyte GTX285 PCI-E 2.0 1GB DDR3 Dual Dual-Link DVI HDCP Fan		$579.00	$52.64	$579.00

Intel ATX E8400 CORE 2 DUO /3.0GHz/6MB/1333FSB/LGA775 instock $259.00 $269.00

(i already have a LG DVD drive

Will all of it work, and will the power supply be good enuf?

Also have i forgotten anything i might need?

Help appreciated :)

-Firehawk

Mod ideas and plans for a Smooth Creations LANShark

InfinityzeN — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:00:50 GMT

Ok, for those of you who don't know, I have ordered a Smooth Creations LANShark. And as anyone who knows me from way back can tell you, I can't let a system go just being stock (My last one before all my deployments ended up being a fully watercooled, 6800 Ultra, 3 LCD, 6 HDD monster)

Stock Build from Smooth Creations
Danger Den Tower 16 acrylic miniATX case, custom painted with a very wild "Blue Flame" paintjob
Intel Core i7 920 CPU on a DFI LanParty Jr x58 Motherboard
ATI Radeon 4870 1GB Videocard
6GB DDR3 1333mhz RAM (waiting on word of exact type)
Silverstone 750w PSU
WD 1TB Black HDD
ASUS 20x DVD+R Lightscript DVD Drive
Logitech MX5500 Keyboard/Mouse, painted in the same "Blue Flame" style as the case
Coolit Pure CPU Watercooler

So now comes the fun part. Figuring out just want I can stick in and tweak on this bad boy to make it even scarier then it already is. Right now I have just a short list, but hopefullly I'll get some input from you guys and go from there.

Short List Mods/Addons
HP w2408h 24" LCD Widescreen Monitor (Already got one, may get a second or just use one of the LCD I got hanging around.)
Logitech G51 5.1 Speakers (Already have)
+6GB DDR3 1333mhz RAM (Plan to match to type in system, prices I see for these kits are $120~$145.)
Logisys cold cathoid lights (Thinking a pair of these, in ether blue or UV. Maybe one of both? Will really bring out the paintjob and mobo is UV reactive.)
G.Skill Titan 128GB SSD (Got one already, can get a second. They are pretty small so I should be able to fit one or two in without much trouble)
Ramdisk VE RAM Drive (Take some of my 12GB RAM, use it for Ready Boost & Browser Catch, write on close/write backup to HDD every ~15 minutes)
External HDDs (I got a crap tone of these already, thinking hooking up a couple of 1TB ones for multimedia storage)

Considering sending the Monitor and Speakers to Smooth Creations to get matching paint.
Considering adding a Radeon 4650 w/ 2 DVI ports and 2 matching LCD I got sitting around.
OC'ing this thing a reasonable amount. It will already be crazy fast, but I gotta get my tweaking in.

So, any input, questions, comments?

showin off the goods!

nelsoncp21 — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:47:43 GMT

yes sir. I got some goodies to show ya'll. It's been awhile since I got some flashy new toys like this. I have to say though this time around was really a treat. Particularly the MB. I opened the box up and it was like bright rays of sun lit up the room and there was a choir in the background going AHHHHHH. Seriously though I was extremely impressed with all the bells and whistles to say the least and the packageing is by far superior to anything else I have seen to date. Asus really out did themselves in thinking of every little thing they could to make assembling this thing easier and packageing just about anything you could need. Now figuring out all the in and outs of this thing is another story in itself. I haven't worked out all the bugs yet but it's stable enough to post this and upload some photos so since I know you guys like pics so much here ya go.

First off we have the goodies in there boxes all dressed up with there chests stuck out.

Of course the first thing I unbox is the Asus Rampage II Extreme. They definately know how to package something to make it appear spectacular. The second you take it out of the box it's already tooting it's horn at you like it's something special. Here it is sitting in the showcase box I like to call it because well it's like it's sitting in a showcase. The box is pretty thick too. good luck damageing this thing during shipping. even the plastic window on the box is pretty sturdy.

Here's a pic again of the MB, 2x saphire 1GB 4870's and 3x2GB corsair dominator 1600mhz.

Another pic of the MB this time unboxed.

Here's a nifty little thing. Along with the box that held the MB there was another fashionable sturdy box inside the ASUS retail box. It kinda is like a chest as it has 2 doors sorta that open up revealing a large assortment of accessories to go along with the MB. Once again hats off to the packageing from ASUS.

The first thing I noticed when examining the board was the enormous size of the cpu socket. I heard that it was larger but I had no clue. Just looking at the size and quanty of pins is a dead giveaway that this whole socket and architexture has jumped a few steps on the evolution ladder. Asus also included a nifty little socket protector to ensure those pins don't get bent. For those who didn't see it in the manual ASUS seems pretty determined not to replace any rma's without that protector on the socket so don't loose it.

There are so many little things that asus really put into this board it's really hard to give it credit. They are just little things but if you have built more then a couple of systems then you really do appreciate the little things. I don't know that they warrant the huge price tag on this board but it does make you feel a little better about the money you just handed them. For instance, connecting cables for the front panel to the headers. everyone knows how much of a pain it is trying to plug those little connectors into those tiny pins with your bulky fingers. Asus even thought of that and included what they call the ASUS Q connector. It's basicly a socket with the same exact pins that are on the front panel header that you can connect your cables to while in the palm of your hand. you then just plug the socket into the header on the MB. The socket is even labeled and very visible unlike alot of MB headers I have worked with. They also have 1 for the USB and firewire headers too. Nothing fancey just a nice thought. check it out.

sorry it's a crappy pic but you get the idea. There are so many little extras like this. So here she is all hooked up sorta in an open bench enviroment. Basicly sitting on a box on my desk till I get the case done.

I am still trying to figure out all the BIOS settings not to mention using Vista really for the first time minus the beta version a cople years back. For the most part it's stable but it crashed on me when I was running 3Dmark vantage which came bundled with the MB by the way. Also the bios seems to keep wanting to automatically undervolt the cpu and ram. I had to manually raise the vcore and ddr vcore. I hope the other voltages are correct cause I am not sure what everything should be stock. The only thing that is really giving me a hard time is the sound. I can't set the X-FI for 5.1 for some reason it will only stay at 2.1 and even with that only the right front speaker works. I have updated drivers and all and everything is hooked up correctly. I was having issues with the front 2 speakers working on my sons computer I thought it was just the speakers going up. the sub,center and surround speakers all worked fine though. Now with this system the only speaker that will work is the front right speaker which wasn't working before. It's really weird.

SO there it is folks and if anyone has any helpfull tips for the BIOS for this thing I am all ears. OH yeah and since most of you have been thumbing around with VISTA for quite awhile and shortcuts or tips and tricks would be welcomed too.

New i7 Build...

ELSCORCHO! — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 07:06:13 GMT

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated, especially regarding the case.

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2500:1

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply

ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor

BFG Tech BFGEGTX2801024OCE GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3750330AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Will that case cool everything sufficiently?

i could use some advise

railrunner — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:59:46 GMT

4 years ago i built my first pc

P4 2.0 Ghz
Shuttle AV42 mainboard
mid tower ATX case with led fans
1 GB ddr sdram
geforce 5200 agp card
500 watt power supply

it's been a great solid rigg but it's getting seriously out dated and i was thinking of upgrading. when i started looking around i realized i have been way out of touch with the computer world and now i'm a bit unsure what to do. do i gut most of what i have and replace what i cant use or just start all from scratch? i was thinking i could just change my mobo processor and RAM but then i realized that eide isn't standard anymore and my hard drive and optical drives are all eide. most of the mobo's i look at only have one eide slot and the rest is sata. then there's the fact that agp is out the door now with PCI-E taking over. anyway i was wondering what you guys thought would be my best bet. i'm not a hardcore gamer but i do like to game some, and i like it to be smooth with good graghics. my wife does some picture editing and surfs the web like crazy and my daughter does the whole i-tunes mp3 thing. i was thinking of an asus m3a78 board with a phenom 8650+ 2.3 Ghz triple core or is that overkill? like i said i dont have a clue anymore. also how many watt psu is necessary now? any help would be great.

Computer Spec - Seeking Advice

NovusThi — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 12:43:39 GMT

Hey everyone,

I'm helping my cousin build a gaming computer and I've come up with 2 different specs. (The setup I'm looking at is composed of CPU, Mobo, GPU, HDD, Mem Ram - The rest I'll look into afterwards) His budget is limited to 1000 canadian dollars, thus why I'm referencing tigerdirect.ca.

I'm trying to figure out wheter everything will run just fine without any compatibility issues and if there's any gaps that could be improved within the budget limit. I appreciate all of your help.

Setup 1 - ATI GPU, etc.

CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 Processor BX80580Q8200 ($200) [link]

Mobo - Asus P5Q-E Green Motherboard ($208) [link]

GPU - HIS Radeon HD 4850 IceQ4 1GB PCIe w/DL DVI ($240) [link]

Mem RAM - 2 x Corsair Dual Channel TWINX 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 x 2048MB) ($150) [link]

HD - Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB Hard Drive ST31500341AS ($150) [link]

Setup 2 - Nvidia GPU, etc.

CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 Processor BX80580Q8200 ($200) [link]

Mobo - Asus P5N-D Motherboard ($159) [link]

GPU - XFX GeForce 9800 GTX + Video Card ($220) [link]

Mem RAM (8GB) - OCZ SLI-Ready Dual Channel 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory ($120) [link]

HD - Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB Hard Drive ST31500341AS ($150) [link]

Thanks,
Thi

re-casing a Dell 4300 Dimension

jbntx — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:01:48 GMT

I'm looking for the smallest PC case available that a Dell Dimension 4300 m/b, h/d, slots, and fan/power supply can fit in. Eliminating the optical and floppy drive is not a problem, but room for the DVD would be considered. Are there any vendors out there that sell generic cases that can allow for a custom config of the internals? I'll be seaching and shopping the net, but any reply with this kind of info will be MUCH appreciated.

jbntx

Looking for a new PC, recommendations needed

Namek — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:15:00 GMT

Hey.

I’m looking to purchase a new pc this week. I have to buy it this week.

I’m a little pressed for time so I need some advice.

I bought my current pc in January of 2005 and I kind of got screwed. So I need some help to make sure my new pc will be a far better deal than the last one.

Feel free to make any kind of suggestions and tell me your opinions. Any help is appreciated.

Anyway these are the PCs I’m looking into:

This is the one I want to get

iPentium Q6600 CORE 2 QUAD 2.4G 8M 1066
MB: ASUS P5QL PRO LGA775 1600
4 GB RAM DDR2 800MHz
ASUS GeForce9800GT 1Gb DD3 256bit
HDD 500GB SATA II 7200rpm

Other options include

1.
Core2Duo E6850 3.0 Ghz 2x2 Mb 800Mhz
MB: MSI Intel P35 NEO ICH9
4Gb RAM DDR2 800MHz
HDD 320Gb SATA II WD 7200
MSI NX8600GT T2D256E

2.
Athlon AM2 6000 3Ghz DualCore 2x1 cache 800MHz
MB: MSI K9N SLI-F V2 NVIDIA nForce 570 sli MCP
HDD 500 Gb SATA II 7200
4GB RAM DDR2 800MHz
2 x MSI NX8600GT-T2D256E

3.
Intel Core Quad Q6600 2.4G
82031 (?)
4Gb RAM DDR2 800MHz
HDD 500GB SATA II 7200
NVIDIA EN 9600/GT -512M
Intel P43 Chipset

4.
MB: ABIT IP35 - P
RAM: 4GB DDR II / 800MHZ
HDD: SEAGATE 320GB SATA II / 16MB cache
VGA: 9500 GT / 1GB / DVI / HDTV
CASE: 450W SH09A
CPU: INTEL CORE 2 DUO E7300

5.
HP dc5700 MT Intel® Pentium® D 945; 3,40 GHz; 512 MB RAM; 80 GB SATA 3,0 Gb/s 7200 rpm HDD; keyboard, mouse; Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 300

6.
HP dc5700 MT PD-945 80G 1.0G 4 PC Intel Pentium D-945, 80GB HDD 7200rpm SATA, No Floppy, DVD-ROM, 1.0GB PC5300 DDR2 (dual channel)

7.
HP
CPU: Intel Pentium E2160 Dual Core 1.8GHz/1MB/
MB: Intel GigaByte X48T-DQ6, DDR3/1600
RAM: 2GB DDR3/1333
HDD: 250GB, SATA2 7200rpm
VGA: PCI-E nx9600GT 1GB DDR3

8.
Intel® P965 + ICH8 chipset, 1066 MHz FSB
Core 2 Duo 3,0GHz 6MB
4GB RAM DDR2
HDD 320GBSATA II
VGA: GeForce 8400GS 512MB

Thank in advance 

Building a new rig

haplotheone — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:35:39 GMT

Hello everyone this is my first post and I hope you guys can help me,

I'm planning to build a new computer, and this time really build it myself!
so I am currently running on following pc:

operating system: MS windows xp pro
cpu: AMD athlon 64 3800+ clocked at 2,6 or so
gpu: Nvidea 7900GT
motherboard: MSI RS482M4-L

so let's all agree that this system had his glory days, but that they are over...

I asked a friend of my to to advise me a hardware configuration so he did. I asked him to stay below the €1500 budget, he advised me the following configuration:

case: ANTEC MT Nine Hundred Gamer Case
power: ANTEC Sig650W PSU
motherboard: ASUS P5Q-E motherboard
cpu: Intel Core2Quad Q9400 (2,66GHz, 1333FSB, 6MB Cache)
memory: KINGSTON 4GB RAM (2x2Gb)
harddrive: Seagate 1 Terrabyte HD (7200rpm, 32MB Cache)
gpu: ASUS EAH3850X2 HTDI 1GB
DVDRW: ASUS DVD RW 20x (SATA)

he said he could find me these parts for €1100 (taxes included)
so my question for you guys:
Do you have any comments on the parts, advise for changes or improvements (up to the total cost of €1500 IF NEEDED).

thanks already,

New Multipurpose Computer Build

jtm55 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:48:44 GMT

Hi All

I'm starting a new build & wanted to get you Guys opinions. This build will serve multiple purposes. It will be used for Gaming,Video Editing, Photo Editing, Media Server & last but not least Folding. Here are the parts

ASUS Z7S WS Dual LGA 771 Intel 5400 SSI CEB Server Motherboard

2ea Intel Xeon E5420 Harpertown 2.5GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 771 80W Quad-Core Processor

2ea Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 FB-DIMM ECC Fully Buffered DDR2 800

1ea DIAMOND 4870X2PE52G Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit

4ea HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000 HDS721075KLA330 (0A35154) 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional

HP LP3065 Black-Silver 30" 12ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor , which I already have.

2ea Thermaltake ITBU CL-P0303 CPU Coolers

CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2

Well anyway there it is, let me know what you think.