PC Hardware Thread: Now With 100% More Folding!

[Lord Krunk]

I'll remember this; thank you very much.

Of course, good luck with your build.

By the way, how well do you think this will run? How long do you think it will last me for (with regards to gaming)?

Out of the box, those parts are a hair faster than the machine I'm running, which runs everything I play (UT3, CoH, DoW2, COD4, everything Source, FO3, Crysis) maxed at 1920x1200. I do have to turn off anti-aliasing on Crysis , so performance will be stellar, though it depends on the exact games you like to play.

Regarding lifespan, I doubt you'll even have to turn settings down for at least a year. Plus, oveclocking that processor is trivial and should get you into the mid-3 gHz range without any additional cooling for added lifespan.

Sounds great; exactly what I want from it. I won't be using this completely for gaming as well, so I think it will serve me quite well.

Upgrades should be pretty easy as well, I think.

 

[Liverandbacon]

Whats the best computer I can get for around $1500.
Mostly for gaming. I would like fast boot times.

What kind of dollars? US, Australian, somewhere else?

Edit: And also, what stores are you able to buy from?

 

[Horticulture]

Whats the best computer I can get for around $1500.
Mostly for gaming. I would like fast boot times.

What kind of dollars? US, Australian, somewhere else?

Edit: And also, what stores are you able to buy from?

Yeah, sorry. Australian dollars. I'm in Western Australia, if that helps.

CPU: AMD Phenom II 940 (3 gHz quad-core) [http://www.austin.net.au/ProductList/ProductDetail/tabid/104/ProductCode/CPU-AM2P2-940/Default.aspx] $340
Motherboard: Gigabyte 790GX [http://www.austin.net.au/ProductList/ProductDetail/tabid/104/ProductCode/MBGAMA79GPDS4H/Default.aspx] $210
Memory: 4GB Corsair DDR2-1066 @ 5-5-5-15 [http://www.austin.net.au/ProductList/ProductDetail/tabid/104/ProductCode/RD210664KC5/Default.aspx] $90
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 275 [http://www.austin.net.au/ProductList/ProductDetail/tabid/104/ProductCode/GCGTX275896GVH/Default.aspx] $400
Optical: Pioneer DVD-RW $30
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint 500GB [http://www.austin.net.au/ProductList/ProductDetail/tabid/104/ProductCode/H3S500HD502IJ/Default.aspx] $90
Case: Antec Nine Hundred [http://www.austin.net.au/ProductList/ProductDetail/tabid/104/ProductCode/CAS-AN900/Default.aspx] $185
PSU: Corsair 620W Modular [http://www.austin.net.au/ProductList/ProductDetail/tabid/104/ProductCode/PSU-COHX620/Default.aspx] $175
=$1520

If you want to shave very last second off of your boot times, you could step up to a WD Caviar Black 1TB [http://www.austin.net.au/ProductList/ProductDetail/tabid/104/ProductCode/H3S1000WD11FALS/Default.aspx] for $240, but stepping down to the more modestly priced (and still reasonably quick) Samsung gave the funds to upgrade the CPU to an AMD Quad (I started the build with an Intel e8400, a 3 gHz dual-core), matching motherboard, and upgrading from a GTX260 to a 275.

Sounds great; exactly what I want from it. I won't be using this completely for gaming as well, so I think it will serve me quite well.

Upgrades should be pretty easy as well, I think.

If you haven't ordered your parts yet, check the site I referenced for chops' build. It was in a bumped thread from way back when and might have better prices on a few components.

 

[Lord Krunk]

If you haven't ordered your parts yet, check the site I referenced for chops' build. It was in a bumped thread from way back when and might have better prices on a few components.

Thanks for the help, but unfortunately, they are all based in Western Australia. I live in New South Wales, you see.

If you can find any stores in Sydney that are better than MSY though, please don't hesitate to contact me.

 

[Gruthar]

One thing I think I ought to mention with PSUs, and that is that the number of rails is not really a huge deal. Except for the really expensive high-end server PSUs, all the rails tap into the same transformer, and so the additional rails in mainstream PSUs do not really provide any more stability than a single rail. The reason we have multiple rails is because of a safety guideline (UL I think, it's in the ATX spec if anyone is bored enough) that recommends that no user accessible set of wiring carry more than 240VA of power. All that entails is putting current limiters on the different rails, nothing more. Some manufacturers ignore or bend this 'rule' a bit -- you can buy a high-output single rail PSU if you don't want to load balance your rails. But it's a minor safety concern, not a performance issue.

Also, in a modern multi-rail setup, the CPU rail is never shared. That much is guaranteed by the ATX spec.

 

[Horticulture]

One thing I think I ought to mention with PSUs, and that is that the number of rails is not really a huge deal. Except for the really expensive high-end server PSUs, all the rails tap into the same transformer, and so the additional rails in mainstream PSUs do not really provide any more stability than a single rail. The reason we have multiple rails is because of a safety guideline (UL I think, it's in the ATX spec if anyone is bored enough) that recommends that no user accessible set of wiring carry more than 240VA of power. All that entails is putting current limiters on the different rails, nothing more. Some manufacturers ignore or bend this 'rule' a bit -- you can buy a high-output single rail PSU if you don't want to load balance your rails. But it's a minor safety concern, not a performance issue.

Also, in a modern multi-rail setup, the CPU rail is never shared. That much is guaranteed by the ATX spec.

Added to the PSU section.

 

[PauL o_O]

Does anyone have a recommendation on a desktop that could play a game such as Oblivion at it's highest graphic setting + mods?

 

[Horticulture]

Does anyone have a recommendation on a desktop that could play a game such as Oblivion at it's highest graphic setting + mods?

Any of the OP builds will handle Oblivion fine. What's your budget?

 

[oliveira8]

Does anyone have a recommendation on a desktop that could play a game such as Oblivion at it's highest graphic setting + mods?

Any of the OP builds will handle Oblivion fine. What's your budget?

Oblivion with mods can get quite the PC muncher tho. With my computer I can play Oblivion on Ultra High settings and get some FPS drops if things got to busy. But with mods like OOO or better cities who shot up the requirement settings even a good machine can gasp for breath sometimes.

Also I think that Paul_ budget is 1000$ from his other thread.

 

[Horticulture]

Does anyone have a recommendation on a desktop that could play a game such as Oblivion at it's highest graphic setting + mods?

Any of the OP builds will handle Oblivion fine. What's your budget?

Oblivion with mods can get quite the PC muncher tho. With my computer I can play Oblivion on Ultra High settings and get some FPS drops if things got to busy. But with mods like OOO or better cities who shot up the requirement settings even a good machine can gasp for breath sometimes.

Also I think that Paul_ budget is 1000$ from his other thread.

Ah, mods. The mid-range build with a Radeon 4890 [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127427] will give plenty of headroom to mod away.

 

[EZmacilx]

http://tomuchattention.com/?id=qst6qf48o223cglfq7frl6xddmyix4

 

[PauL o_O]

Does anyone have a recommendation on a desktop that could play a game such as Oblivion at it's highest graphic setting + mods?

Any of the OP builds will handle Oblivion fine. What's your budget?

Oblivion with mods can get quite the PC muncher tho. With my computer I can play Oblivion on Ultra High settings and get some FPS drops if things got to busy. But with mods like OOO or better cities who shot up the requirement settings even a good machine can gasp for breath sometimes.

Also I think that Paul_ budget is 1000$ from his other thread.

It's actually roughly 1700$ now!

 

[oliveira8]

Does anyone have a recommendation on a desktop that could play a game such as Oblivion at it's highest graphic setting + mods?

Any of the OP builds will handle Oblivion fine. What's your budget?

Oblivion with mods can get quite the PC muncher tho. With my computer I can play Oblivion on Ultra High settings and get some FPS drops if things got to busy. But with mods like OOO or better cities who shot up the requirement settings even a good machine can gasp for breath sometimes.

Also I think that Paul_ budget is 1000$ from his other thread.

It's actually roughly 1700$ now!

Thats a big budget. If you can strech it you can go for the 2000$ build.

 

[Horticulture]

It's actually roughly 1700$ now!

Now I'm really jealous

Tweaked the high-end build just a tad to fit it into your budget. It's actually a little under, in case you want to add a little extra (second hard drive/SSD, blu-ray, whatever) or just pocket the difference.

CPU+Cooler:Core i7 920 w/ Vigor Monsoon III [http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.183032]
MoBo:Foxconn Renaissance(X58+SLI) [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186161]
RAM:3x2 gigs OCZ DDR3-1600 [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365]
GPU:2xMSI Radeon 4890 [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127427]
HDD:WD Caviar Black 1TB [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284]
DVDioneer SATA DVD-R [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827129032]
PSU:Corsair 850W [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009]
Case: Antec Nine Hundred [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021]
(If you don't mind a massive case, the twelve hundred from the OP's high-end build will give your parts more breathing room.)

 

[IrrelevantTangent]

I'm trying to run WoW on my rather-old computer, but I don't know how to run it without lag, because my graphics card is clearly lacking when it came to playing the Free Trial version. I have two programs- CPU-Z and GPU-Z- that can determine my system specs, so if there's anything you need me to list, I can and will.

 

[Horticulture]

I'm trying to run WoW on my rather-old computer, but I don't know how to run it without lag, because my graphics card is clearly lacking when it came to playing the Free Trial version. I have two programs- CPU-Z and GPU-Z- that can determine my system specs, so if there's anything you need me to list, I can and will.

Are you looking at upgrades or trying to find the optimal settings for your system? If it's the former, list name and core speed from the CPU tab, chipset and graphic interface from the mainboard tab, and type and size form the memory tab. The only specs needed from GPU-Z are 'name' and 'bus interface.' Also let us know your budget and the brand, wattage, and amperage of your power supply if you can find them out (there may be a sticker on the back of your PC listing these).

If you're after settings or tweaks, hopefully someone else can help you out. I'm not a WoW player so I'm not much use for detailed info there.

 

[azadiscool]

Could you replace the GPU in the ~750 budget with a MSI R4870-T2D1G Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127400]? It is slightly better if you look at the specs, and has twice the memory. But are there any compatibility issues I should know about if I decided to use it?

 

[Horticulture]

Could you replace the GPU in the ~750 budget with a MSI R4870-T2D1G Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127400]? It is slightly better if you look at the specs, and has twice the memory. But are there any compatibility issues I should know about if I decided to use it?

Definitely no problems there, in fact any PCI-e video card will work with that build (maybe not a doulbe like a 4870x2 or gtx 295 because they need so much power). It looks like that card also has a better cooler and fan. I've heard especially good things about this card [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102825]'s cooling, which is the same price if you aren't fixed on the MSI.