Honestly, DDR3 1600 is not that great because the timings are horrid...you'd be better off with a slower DDR3 with faster timings IMO.
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Honestly, DDR3 1600 is not that great because the timings are horrid...you'd be better off with a slower DDR3 with faster timings IMO.
How would I find Slower DDR3 memory with faster timings?? Does that kind of combination even exist???
Well, I'll be...it's been awhile since I've looked at DDR3 memory since I can't use it, but last time I looked, 1600 was still 8 at best; things have changed, since apparently it goes all the way down to 6.
I should really stop this tendency of referring to old posts.
Anyway, I'm thinking of getting this. I think I'm done with SLi. None of nVidia's boards have rock solid dependability across the board.
I have a Gigabyte board in this house, ran great for a very long time (10 years) before finally giving out. Still have it, not that it does any good anymore.
I'm thinking it's about time I upgrade my desktop's graphics card, but I don't really know what I'm looking for. My current motherboard has 2 empty PCI and 1 empty PCI-E x16 slots, currently running on an integrated card. Computer specs here. I don't know what the power supply is exactly, but I'm guessing it's either 300 or 400W, going by the "Hp a1245c replacement power supply" ads I'm finding through google. If possible, I'm looking to spend around $100 dollars for the card, but I can work through the summer if need be to upgrade everything else, too. Also hoping to play Fallout 3 at least medium settings. Any ideas?
You may want to take a good look at the XFX Radeon HD 4770.
It's cheap, it plays all gams on maxed out settings (even crysis and Far Cry 2) with the lowest FPS of 30.
If you're packing a 300W to 400W Power Supply, this would also be a good choice as to save on power necessary to run it. It's a 40nm.
Would be nice if you could reveal your computer specs. No biggy though..
That's perfectly fine. It won't hinder performance enough to a degree that you'll really notice. the single card on it's own would utilize it's performance capabilities just as good as it would if it were under PCI-E 2.0
PCI-E 2.0 has a wider amount of bandwidth and would become more useful under SLI or Crossfire situations due to such extreme bandwidth sucking under those situations.
EDIT: in short PCI-E 2.0 is backwards compatible
Also, I took a good look at your specs and it looks like it'd be smooth sailing for you if you got it.
Yes, but his CPU is a major bottleneck...his system is very similar to mine, but his CPU is 200MHz faster than mine. An HD4770 would not be a good choice because a lot of power is wasted. With something like, say, a 9800GT, there is less power wasted, even though the CPU is still maxed.
Um no. The 4770 toasts the 9800GT. The 4770/4850 compete with the 9800GTX+. If I were to upgrade my computer, I would probably get a 9600GT, but no more than a 9800GT. 9600GT is a hair shy of the 9800GT, but $20-$40 less.
Also for a note on the forum, You are better off with a Geforce 250 vs the 9800GTX+ since it pretty much is just a remake.
a little off topic, but there it is...
And at that you are better off with an HD4770, which is ~$50USD cheaper and runs a hair shy of it, though it does best it in some areas.
It can, though it will stumble, which gets very grating after awhile.
Whats the difference between 4 pin and 3 pin fans?
Sorry for link posting, don't know if this would help:
http://www.intel.com/support/motherb.../cs-012074.htm
I think 4 pins usually means the fan is variable speed and can be adjusted...3 pins means it's either on or off.
There aren't many motherboards with more than 1 4-pin socket :(
That's because the 4 pin fan plug is usualy for the cpu fan, not case fan.
I have yet to see a 4 pin case fan.
My understanding is the 4th pin is for temperature seeking, for the fan to find what temp the cpu is.
A few of the cpu heatsinks ive got use a thermocouple on the bottom of the fan for sensing the heat of the heaksink.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Akasa...cone-pins-incl
I was thinking of these...
Hey, lets try making constructive posts some time
tia
(the 4 pin fan head is for pwm fans, and it accepts 3 pin fans too)
yea but 4 pins in 3 pin sockets dont do PWN
What about a 4850, or would it be even more power wasting/harder on my system? I missed the 4770's for $99 so was looking through newegg today trying to finally decide on what to get, and I noticed that the cheapest 4850 is $99.99, ($74.99 with the given promo code and rebate) right now, while the only 4770's available are $119.99(there are a couple 4850's for the same price with either rebates, extended warranties, or games).
E:
Just looked at the 4770's again and there's one for 109.99
E2:
Looks like the above sold out in a matter of hours, there's still one for 119.99
I said "I think", which means I am not sure. Whatever the case, if you know better, please share with the rest of us, especially for the sake of the one who asked the original question. You are not being funny or witty, you just look like a moron with a post like that.
Now, Kaiser, about the video card; go with the 4850, since it and the 4770 are almost dead even. Also, you'll probably upgrade the whole system somewhere down the line, so the extra power is appreciated. It will only stumble if you crank the settings all the way up, and at that it should be pretty smooth in between stumbles, and having more RAM can reduce said stumbles.
Is it worth getting a 5.1 sound card if I only have some crappy pair of speakers.
Lol no, you will only get the benefits of 5.1 surround sounds if you have 5.1 speakers, you won't get any improvement from 2.0 to 5.1 if you only have a pair of stereo speakers.
The chain is only as strong as the weakest link. That applies to audio.
Therefore, no, don't bother.
So if I improved sound, I need improved sound I would need both a sound card AND a new sound system, not only one of them?
Yes, that is correct. In some instances even, you won't hear much improvement over integrated because the speakers themselves aren't good enough, so don't get an el cheapo set of 5.1 speakers either. I recommend the following sets:
In order of increasing price:
Logitech X-30 (if you can find it) or X-540
CreAtive T-6100
Logitech G-51
Logitech Z-5300e
Logitech Z-5500 (pricey)
X-230 is just a 2.1 version of the X-530, which I have. But yes, it is exceptional sound quality, especially considering I got the set for a mere $65. =D
Kaiser, careful with power. The recommended wattage is always way over what it actually takes, and given that your CPU is 89W instead of the 130W that they are probably expecting, you have some elbow room. I seem to remember posting a link to a chart with power draw for all GPUs from the GeForce 6 series' time to present.
I bought a newer processor for my computer (Acer Aspire AM1201 with AM2 socket, only a few months old) and I'm upgrading from a single-core Athlon LE-1620 to a dual-core Athlon 64 X2 5600+ AM2, and I just realized I need to know a couple of things.
First off, what is the likeliness of my motherboard accepting a single-core processor but not a multi-core? I seriously doubt it since the computer's only a couple months old, but I figured it'd be important to ask.
Secondly, does a processor replacement EVER require an OS reinstallation? I've had mixed responses on this and since this is my first processor upgrade, I'd rather not assume anything.
It shouldn't require OS reinstallation, since Vista is locked to the motherboard, and not the CPU. It might, however, require OS reactivation. As for not accepting dual cores, this shouldn't be an issue, and even if it is, it's nothing a simple BIOS flash won't fix.
"You must spread some reputation around before giving to Warsaw again." lol... anyhow, thanks very much for the info, and OS reactivation is one thing I did hear about in those mixed replies. Thanks again!
EDIT: No reactivation, no problems whatsoever, it just booted as if it's been running this processor all along.
"Sir, I won't say I told you so, sir!"
=D
It only asks for reactivation after you change a good portion of components. When I swapped out RAM, added a hard drive, and added a sound card, I was prompted to reactivate Windows XP. My sound card then fried itself so I'm back on shitty AC97 again...:saddowns:.
Ahh. In this computer I've now swapped the power supply, added a graphics card, replaced the processor and taken out 1gb of ram to replace it with 4gb. However, I did all of those at separate times, so I guess I sneakily avoided reactivation.
I installed the RAM and sound card simultaneously, and that's when I was prompted. The HDD addition didn't do anything.
Damn looks I'm going to have to get a video card without any external power connectors, since it can't work with my default PSU even with adapters. The 9800 GT EE offers the best performance in that respect right?
The best card without power cords is the Radeon HD4670. All others require a PCIe connector. It is a very respectable card in its own right though.
The 4670 is better than the 9800 GT? I know the 9800 GT EE has a 50 MHZ under clock, but isn't it still better than 4670?
It isn't better, but what are you currently using?
The 4670 is not better than the 9800GT at all, but if you can't use a card that requires a PCIe power connector, the 4670 is as good as it gets...
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814133279
That's a 9800 GT without a external power connector right? :confused2:
I daresay you might be right. It says nothing about external power connectors in the specifications, and I cannot see any power connectors from the pictures provided. I haven't seen a 9800 without them, but then I was a little taken aback that my 9500 didn't, so you can't go by me. If those pictures are accurate, though...
Well before PNYwent with a reference 9800 GT with 6 pin power connector. But they changed the card to one without it, though they obvious forgot to change the specifications info like the decrease in core and shader clock. I guess what I'm asking is, is this card as good as a reference 9600 GT or worse than it? The 9600 GT is only slightly below the level of the stock 9800 GT right?
Well, this is a relatively new and interesting development...I guess that makes this the best card without a connector. Go for it. =D And yes, performance difference between the 9600GT and 9800GT is close to nothing.
I'm hoping for a computer upgrade, money is so fucking tight though, maximum is $150(note this is at christmas time when we have the $150 for the upgrade), I've done some searching but couldin't find much.
current specs:
GFX: Nvidia Geforce 4200 Ti. (old, but runs TF2 mid settings at 40 FPS, surprising actualy)
Processor: AMD 1.8 Ghz.
Ram: 1GB
Motherboard: I cannot remember, but it uses AGP 8X or so, no PCI-e slot, if anyone finds a good deal on a motherboard, processor, and GFX card that totals at $150 maximum please let me know.
I would give more info but I can't remember most my specs to save my life, and Steam crashes every time I try to check from there(also to lazy to open up my computer and actualy look).
E: If anyone has some old computer parts they arent using anymore give me a thought please.
Holy shit son...you've even got Rossmum and Heathen beat for ancient computer specs...
The best GPU you can get for the AGP 8x bus is either the HD 3850 or HD4650, not sure which is better off the top of my head though, since they are pretty much dead even on paper. 3850 has a slight advantage with its GDDR3 memory and 256-bit interface.
HD3850
HD4650
If I were you, I'd save up and get a new computer altogether. What is the exact name of your CPU, so I can figure out the socket (unless you have the socket name, then give me that).
That CPU is too slow for any newer video cards so don't bother.
If you can, save a little more until you have $200. Otherwise...
With $150164 on newegg,
cpu = 55
ram = 28
motherboard = 45
psu = 36
video = 55
:smithicide:
You're better off waiting till you can pocket some more money, unless you're in a hurry.
I agree. Not worth the money to upgrade UNLESS you have at least a Socket 939 and enough money to get an Athlon 64 X2 as well as some RAM and a video card, and at that point you would probably have enough money to buy at least an AM2- or LGA775-based system.
Alright... so I've been using my Athlon 64 X2 for a week and a bit now, and I'm mighty impressed with its performance in Windows, doing random things. I decided today to give it a bit of a load and I started up Gears of War PC. Ran all settings at high (except DX10 and Anti-aliasing) at 1152x720, just to start. Now, when I'm just hangin' around in Windows, or letting the computer idle, the CPU runs at 36 degrees celsius. When I started playing Gears, the CPU rose up to 57 Celsius and steadied there. I've read a bit from Googling and I see a lot of crap info (people who seem to be pulling info out their asses) on how hot my CPU should be running. What I want to know is, how hot SHOULD it be running, and what should I do to lower the temp it's running at?
EDIT: One website (The Heatsink Guide) states that the maximum temperature for an Athlon 64 X2 is 65 degrees. Of course, I'm not exactly sure how long it would last at that temp. What's a good temp under load?
Your load temp is fine as long as it's not going over 70c. The chip's at stock voltage so it won't burn up.
If you want to make it run cooler you can undervolt the CPU until it crashes prime95 stress test or get a better heatsink.
Your temps are about the same as my temps. I hit 39C idle and 57C under load. Seeing as both of us are using AMD Athlon 64 K8 CPUs, I'd say you're right at home at those temps (of course, I have a 130nm CPU and you have a 65nm, I presume).
Yep, it's a 65nm. Thanks for the info! I was a little nervous 'cause SpeedFan has all its temp warnings set to 50C by default, which I didn't realize. When it hits the warning temp, a little flame icon appears next to the component. Made me nervous :/
Need a good AM3/AM2+/AM2, 1 pcie 2.0 is acceptable.
You need a what now???
I'm guessing mech is looking to buy a motherboard, since I don't know a lot of other computer components that have a PCIe slot and an AMD processor socket.
I'm talking about a motherboard.
AM3 only or combo AM2+/AM3? AM3 dedicated grands you DDR3 access, while the other one gives you more CPU options.
AM2/AM2+/AM3 (all of these have DDR3 support, which is the only reason I list them and not the more well-known ones)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131391
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813153149
AM3:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130223
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128392
Yo peeps, I needs me a new 'putalator, since mines old and stuffz. I don't want to spend more than $500, it needs to be Dual(or greater) cored, 2.5ghz+, 4gigs Ram, and be able to support this nifty 4879 I gots me right here for $50.
Also, I don't need any HDD or DVD/CD drives. I do need a basic (lol popcan) case to hold it all in.
pm me with builds k thx <3
Alright, guys, I need to get a new machine to replace my two aging boxen. I'm posting this from my iPod, so not much detail right now. Just going to say my budget is low, I need nvidia graphics and the card must have two DVI outs (isn't that standard these days?). I'm already set on peripherals. I'll post more specifics tomorrow.
Dual dual-link DVI is standard right now but we're seeing more and more cards come out with HDMI and displayport. :-3
Please say your budget is over 200 dollars or you're not getting fuck all...
I'm still tired, just got a major shock, and it's pouring rain, so give me an hour or two to get my details down on what I'm looking for. I was never a hardware guy, and I've been working on 5+ year-old hardware (or the equivalent in 3-year-old budget), so I've got a ways to go.
Basically, I'm looking for something to bring with me to college, so it can't be too noisy. I want to be able to use both of my LCDs, as I'll try to bring both (and they should fit on my little desk).
e: Alright, here's the deal: I have ~$300 of my own expendable cash and at least $200 in other sources.
I'm looking for:
- Something that isn't too loud
- Dual DVI outputs
- nVidia graphics for optimal Linux compatibility
- No preference either way on CPU manuf.
- Needs HD space for Ubuntu and Windows 7.
- I don't need a burner, but I guess those are standard now...
- No specific needs on the case.
I already have two 22" LCDs and an acceptable keyboard and mouse combo.
e: I realize there's a $400-500 setup in the OP, but it hasn't been updated in four months...
psu $70
RAM $47, if you want 8GB get two sets.
motherboard + cpu combo deal $205
DVD burner $25buy a burner later lol
Case $40
HDD $48
nVidia 9800GT $90
~ $500 ~
:D
It's funny, that thing probably costs a lot less than all of my hardware, but it's ~20x more powerful than all of it. Don't you just love how technology evolves over time?
I think I can manage the burner, my upper end is a little loose.
I agree with his choices of hardware too. I would say just get a 9600GT since it's just about par with a 9800GT, but that 9800GT is the price of a 9600GT anyways, so just run with it.
Why a 9800 gt without external power connector, especially if he is going to buy a new PSU? It can't overclock for shit, not even a little.
When was the last time overclocking a GPU attained a noticeable performance boost? One or three frames isn't anything. Also, he wants it for Linux, which is not generally used for gaming first.
=|
Likewise, it's not terribly downclocked, so the same rule applies. Bringing it up to speed isn't going to net you much of a performance boost over what it already provides.
Ughhh it runs the same clocks as standard 9800GTs and can overclock.
Principle still applies regardless. This is all academic anyways. Just get the 9800GT, Bacon.
- I'm moving up from a bunch of ~1.6GHz single-core desktops with a GeForce FX 5200 and a Radeon x800 here.
- I'm still not going to do any hardcore gaming, maybe some Source stuff and HCE.
- I don't plan on overclocking anything.
I think the system will work fine for my needs. If it's ELECTRICALLY COMPATIBLE it WFM.
Indeed it will. The 9800GT is already overkill for Halo CE and can max out everything in any Source game (unless you intend to be playing at 2560x1600). You're golden. :aaaaa:
The price on the CPU/Mobo combo just went down another $10. Good thing I didn't buy it last night. Hopefully the burner I selected won't be out of stock tonight, as ever other drive I had in the cart was out of stock a few hours later...
just skip the burner until later then. they're not going to get cheaper :-3
My dad demanded I get a 1TB drive... so we took the featured 1TB Seagate off the front page of the Hard Drives section >_> It was $90.
Order complete, should ship in a few days.
Yay! Everything is here except my burner - no DOAs! Shutting down some things and move my old desktops, as well as my server...
throw windows 7 on it so you can feel it's supremacy :iamafag:
I already use Win7. Need to grab 64-bit ISOs of Ubuntu and Win7, actually... Testing everything out with one of my old Ubuntu USB sticks, it runs a beta or alpha of Ubuntu 9.04... Might do a test install off of it, but it's 32-bit. >_>
e: Formatting my 1TB drive...
Since my thread got closed: Thanks Con >:U
Quote:
Originally Posted by Teroh
Like already stated, it's not worth getting an upgrade right now. Save your hard earned cash, your hardware is A LOT better than what I started off with.
My box is coming two years old as well :/
If you were to upgrade it would need to be core i7, 64bit, all that good stuff if you want it to be a big upgrade
I'm upgrading to this:
Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128358
CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115036
Cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103055
Now, I plan on overclocking this baby to about 4.2 or 4.6GHz. I want to know what would be a good set of PC8500 2x2GB DDR2 memory if I plan on reaching these clocks on a stable level.
I'm looking at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145197
But, I"m not so sure.
NOTE!!!: Money is not a factor. I"m looking for performance in gaming. I already have a satisfactory Graphics Card
I have the same motherboard. I absolutely love it.
Also, killer heatsink.
This is as good as the e8400 and is easier to overclock, plus it is cheaper and doesn't use an obselete socket
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103680
Should be able to OC the e8400 to around 3.5ghz on stock, and 4+ghz on aftermarket iirc