PC Hardware Thread: Now With 100% More Folding!

[Horticulture]

Stinkychops alerted me to an issue with Radeon 5000-series cards:

I've been doing a fair amount of research and I'd just like to say that at present, gigabyte, MSI and Asus boards (although quite possibly all MB's) have issues when working with 5770's and 5890's and in between. Errors such as bar screens, huge cursor, freezing, blank screens and E's appearing when websurfing. There is no fix, although many people report MB flashing fixes the issue.

It may be related to power-saving features on the cards. At any rate, it's something to keep in mind if you're looking at ATi's recent offerings. There's a hotfix [http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/ATICatalyst912Hotfix.aspx] driver available which supposedly addresses some of these issues.

 

[Horticulture]

Ok, back with more stupid questions.

My friend was wondering, on the first page you say that the budget does not do much except add a few extra appearance things. So does that mean the mid-range is only very slightly better then the budget? And would the budget play games like AVP (new one), crysis and all those just fine?

I am also a little confused on this whole thing.

Also, do the cases make a difference? Say if I buy the case for teh budget and build my way up to the High end would that hurt anything if I keep the budgets case? Or if I have a mid-range case and use all the budget crap?

Thank you.

The differences in performance between the budget and more expensive builds really depend on the game and resolution you're using. If you have a demanding game and a big, high-resolution monitor, the more expensive builds may make gaming a lot smoother. Most games, especially below 1080p (1920x1080) or so won't be affected beyond having to disable a few bits of eye candy. The budget PC meets AvPs recommended specs, though I can't say for sure if you'll be able to run well at high settings. Crysis will run quite nicely at high, but not maxed, settings up to 1920x1200.

Cases do make a difference, for several reasons. First, high-performance video cards and CPU coolers are very large, and you need a case that they'll physically fit into. Second, larger and more expensive cases tend to have better ventilation to keep your system cool-a major issue with fast computers. Finally, some cases (like the budget one) come with bundled power supplies that tend not to be very powerful. These have to be replaced to run very powerful video cards like the 5870s in the high end build.

That said, if you have a budget somewhere between the builds, let me know what it is and the resolution you plan to play games at and I'll see if can give you more specific advice.

 

[Horticulture]

I have yet to get Windows 7 however I cannot find a single place that sells it cheaper then 120$. Also my father keeps yelling at me saying I forgot a "Sound Card" which I honestly have no idea what that is. He used to build computers for a living and I just might be braindead.

I had to go with some of the cheaper items because I am low on cash. The only real hard things to get would be the GPU and the OS since they are far more expensive then anything else.

Back in the dark ages, it was necessary to buy a separate sound card for a computer. All new motherboards today come with a decent sound chip on board, so there's no need for a discrete card.

I was wondering though, I remember I bought 4 gigs of DDR3 RAM back in 08. I do not know what kind they were, however I was wondering if I could install that into the computer? Or do I need to buy a brand new set of RAM?

It should run fine. You can probably use your old hard drive, as well.

I have no idea what the "resolution" is however. I just install a game, set it to the best settings and play it. I dont really care for all the over-clocking people do and quite honestly it confuses the hell out of me.

In my Display Settings my Resolution is: 1152 by 864 pixels on an 18 inch monitor. I dont know if that helps at all.

Resolution is the number of pixels (tiny colored dots that compose an image) vertically x horizontally. The reason it's important is that it takes a more powerful video card to put out an image over more pixels. This means that to run a given game on maxed settings at 1920x1080 (1080p) takes a faster card than what's required to run the same game at your monitor's resolution of 1152x864.

The good news here is that because you're using a lower resolution, you'll be well served by the budget build's 5770 or even the slightly cheaper less expensive power supply [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102865], as well.

 

[Horticulture]

Ah alright. I just thought I was going crazy about the sound card thing. However I want a new hard drive. Mine is just too small to play the games I want. I can have maybe 4 to 5 games on the computer before running out of room or well nearly out of room.

I may get the Mid-range video card for free once I graduate later this year so I shouldnt need to worry too much on that. But I will wait on the HDD until after I built my computer, that way I can still play some of the games while I wait for it.

Thank you, you just saved me over 100$

Glad I could help. Happy building.

However do you know where I can get a cheaper version of the OS Windows 7? I would rather not spend over 100 bucks for it unless that is the only way.

If you qualify for MSDNAA [http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/academic/default.aspx] you can get licenses for about $15. Check with your school's CS/Tech department.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

I think it's worth mentioning to anyone new to PC gaming looking to build a computer: Any decent computer classed as 'mid-range' can still play most games on high settings, there's a myth that you need the most expensive PC out there to make your games look pretty. It's bull, to be frank. I'm a PC gamer, who keeps his PC mid-range, and I can max out 90% of games out there (except Anti-Aliasing which I always keep on 2x or 4x with almost every game, not that it makes a difference at my resolution of 1920x1080 anyway).

It's never broke the bank for me, ever. You just have to choose your parts carefully.

 

[Horticulture]

Ok, I found the problem with my games crashing, the PSU is not giving it enough power. I am going to get the Antec 300 'illusion' Case as well as the Corsair 850w PSU. However I have a question, it says it is compatible with i5 and i7, but, like the idiot I am, does that mean it only runs on those two things?

It'll work with other CPUs as well.

 

[Say Anything]

Holy gravedig, Batman!

Hey guys, I'm sorry to bring back such an old topic, but it's extremely helpful and I was looking to build a computer of my own for the first time. I think I've found everything I need, but I'm needing someone to look over my choices and help me be sure that a.) My choices are all compatible with each other and b.) I've made good hardware choices - good prices for the specifications.

Ultimately I would love to find an equally powerful computer for a lower price, but this is affordable. My main focus of this machine is the media capabilities - the TV Tuner and 2TB HDD are sort of essential for HD shows, movies, and my music. I am also wanting this to be a powerful gaming machine, which hopefully is accomplished by the dual core processor and video card, but I'm not looking to play Crysis on maximum settings - if I can get much lower prices for slightly less performance, I'd prefer that.

Any and all recommendations you can give me would be appreciated, even on simple opinions - if you feel I should be spending a little bit more money here or should be cutting back a lot there, or if there's a specifiaiton with a piece of hardware that I might of overlooked, please let me know. Also, of course, as I mentioned, if anyone could help me verify the compatibility between everything, it would be appreciated. Thanks guys.

Motherboard: MSI P43-C51 LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130252] - $80

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037] - $168

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277] - $110

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160] - $160

PSU: RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-630SS 630W ATX12V V2.2/ EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Modular LED Power Supply [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152035] - $80

Video Card: EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339] - $135

Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254023 [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254023] - $130

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136344] - $155

TV Tuner: AVerMedia AVerTVHD Duet - PCTV Tuner (A188 - White Box) MTVHDDUWB PCI-Express x1 Interface - OEM [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815100041] - $70

Optical Drive: SONY Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - OEM [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118031] - $19

Total Price: $1026

 

[Horticulture]

Holy gravedig, Batman!

Hey guys, I'm sorry to bring back such an old topic, but it's extremely helpful and I was looking to build a computer of my own for the first time. I think I've found everything I need, but I'm needing someone to look over my choices and help me be sure that a.) My choices are all compatible with each other and b.) I've made good hardware choices - good prices for the specifications.

Ultimately I would love to find an equally powerful computer for a lower price, but this is affordable. My main focus of this machine is the media capabilities - the TV Tuner and 2TB HDD are sort of essential for HD shows, movies, and my music. I am also wanting this to be a powerful gaming machine, which hopefully is accomplished by the dual core processor and video card, but I'm not looking to play Crysis on maximum settings - if I can get much lower prices for slightly less performance, I'd prefer that.

Any and all recommendations you can give me would be appreciated, even on simple opinions - if you feel I should be spending a little bit more money here or should be cutting back a lot there, or if there's a specifiaiton with a piece of hardware that I might of overlooked, please let me know. Also, of course, as I mentioned, if anyone could help me verify the compatibility between everything, it would be appreciated. Thanks guys.

*snip*
Total Price: $1026

RAK's suggestions are right on the money, but I'll add a few of my own:

That hard drive is a good choice for a spacious media drive, but you might want a little more speed for launching applications/games. Using two faster 1tb drives [http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SKUSearch_v3.asp?px=DS&scriteria=AA76231] in RAID 0, or using one as an application drive, will give you some extra speed for a similar cost.

The HAF 932 is a great case-one of my favorite to work with, in fact. However, it's kind of expensive and very large. You could save a bit of cash going with a cheaper case [http://slickdeals.net/?sdtid=2054414&sdop=1&sdfid=9&u2=http://www.frys.com/product/6001838]. The linked one is solid and cools well, though it is a bit ugly...but it's also $100 cheaper.

I can't speak to the reliability of Raidmax PSUs, but OCZ makes pretty decent ones, and I noticed their 600w model [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010] on sale. Save some cash and gain some peace of mind with that.

I'll echo RAK on the CPU/board: specifically, look into an core unlocking [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130275].

There's a Radeon 5770 [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102858] that comes with a decent TV tunder, though it lacks the 2x digital tuners of the one you picked out (for watching/recording 2 shows simultaneously). It has one analog and one digital instead.

Finally, if you're going to use this as a multimedia PC, a bigger monitor will let you kick back to watch movies and get the most out of your video card. You can get a 23" 1080p [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254045] model without breaking the bank.

Edit: Might as well spend the extra $2 on a DVD burner [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204]...you never know when you'll need a recovery disc.

 

[Radelaide]

Is Folding @ Home also called World Community Grid? My friend runs that on his server and his PC.

Does anyone know where to get good, decent priced batteries for laptops?

 

[Say Anything]

Thanks guys for the tips. I've seldom heard of anyone recommending AMD and ATI over Intel and Nvidia but I suppose I'll broaden my horizons. I know the case is on the expensive side, but I definitely need a full sized case - I've heard of and even experienced my own problems from video cards and the like not having enough room in a mid-sized case. The rest of the stuff I'll check out and do some bargain shopping - thanks.

 

[Horticulture]

Is Folding @ Home also called World Community Grid? My friend runs that on his server and his PC.

Haven't heard of that. It looks like the same concept as F@H but run by a different group.

Does anyone know where to get good, decent priced batteries for laptops?

Newegg has 'em, but there may well be a cheaper site out there.

Thanks guys for the tips. I've seldom heard of anyone recommending AMD and ATI over Intel and Nvidia but I suppose I'll broaden my horizons. I know the case is on the expensive side, but I definitely need a full sized case - I've heard of and even experienced my own problems from video cards and the like not having enough room in a mid-sized case. The rest of the stuff I'll check out and do some bargain shopping - thanks.

Good luck building. If you prefer to go with Intel, the i3 530 [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115222] is fast and pretty inexpensive. The P55/H55 boards are a little more expensive than their AMD counterparts, though.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

Very nice thread.
I'm looking at building my own gaming desktop, but I don't really know that much about what I'm doing
I think I've done okay on finding akk the parts at reasonable prices, so if someone could check things over, check things are compatible and whatnot, that would be most awesome.

Motherboard- http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/asus-m4a79xtd-evo-790x-atx-motherboard-am3-socket-04144140-pdt.html £85

CPU- http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/amd-phenom-ii-x4-955-black-edition-processor-04820900-pdt.html £134

GPU- http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/bfg-nvidia-geforce-gts-250-pci-e-2-0-graphics-card-03711555-pdt.html £126

PSU- http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/cit-850w-black-edition-pc-power-supply-unit-04775880-pdt.html £60

RAM- http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-032-PA Its 3x2gb DDR3 1600 £150

HDD- http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-211-SE 1tb £65

Optical Drive- http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CD-090-LG £15

Case- http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-101-AN £42

I think thats everything, but as I say, I really don't know all that much XD