06-08-2009, 04:05 PM
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#2
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,273
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I think it looks like a great PC for the money. Things seems to be changing relatively slowly in the industry right now, so I don't really know of anything that's changed that would affect that system. For the price, it's a great deal and should do what you want fairly well.
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__________________
"Behind this mask, there's an idea... and ideas are bulletproof." -V for Vendetta
My blog - The Last Bastion
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06-08-2009, 05:06 PM
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#3
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,860
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Better all around comp than mine and I can play most games fine.
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06-08-2009, 07:34 PM
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#4
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,666
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I'd recommend the following changes...
AMD X2 7750 $60 (+0) - touch slower core speed, but newer architecture, higher cache, and faster overall
OCZ 4 gig DDR2-800 $36 post rebate (-4 post rebate) - touch better timing and heat spreaders
Corsair CMPSU-650TX $90 post rebate (+10 post rebate) - touch more power, much higher amps (52a vs. 35a)
Total changes = + 6 (post rebate) |
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06-08-2009, 08:10 PM
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#5
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 28
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Great suggestions, Rabb1t. I will definitely switch those out. The only bit that makes me nervous about my build is the motherboard. After looking at the reviews on all the parts, I feel very confident with ordering all except the motherboard because less than 50% gave it 5 eggs, and lots have had trouble with it frying and booting up. It's a great deal! But I don't want to have a motherboard that'll fry on me. Any suggestions? Or should I stick with the ECS A780GM-A AM2+/AM2 AMD780G HDMI ATX Motherboard?
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06-08-2009, 09:03 PM
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#6
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,666
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Unfortunately my suggestion on that would be quite a bit more. (Which is why it wasn't mentioned.)
Evga 113-M2-E113 at $90 is what I've got in my current lower builds.
It's a big cost step up, but you've got the advantage of a HybridPower GPU boost if you choose to pair it with an Nvidia graphics card. (It effectively creates SLI with the on-motherboard 8200 with whatever add in card you get.) |
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06-08-2009, 09:54 PM
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#7
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 28
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Actually, I really like that suggestion. So, since the motherboard has a Geforce 8200 onboard it would do an SLI combo with the Radeon I'm purchasing? Would you say that extra $30 is worth the graphic boost? And if I did switch to that MB, which Nvidia GPU would be comparable to the Radeon?
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06-09-2009, 07:48 PM
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#8
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,273
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I doubt you'd get an ATI and an Nvidia to work together in any fashion. 
Those dual-chip fancy tricks are only within the same manufacturer's products...so it would have to be two Nvidia chips or two ATI, as far as I know.
The onboard won't do you any good, but I think you'll do just fine with the discrete card you picked out (as long as you're gaming at reasonable resolution like 1280x1024 or 1680x1050).
Just to let you know, Newegg's return policy and service is great if you happen to get a DOA item on any of your choices...not a big deal. Also, don't put too much stock in the reviews on Newegg. They can be useful...but I'll bet a good portion of the negative reviews on something like a motherboard are from two things -
1. People who don't understand how to set it up, don't read directions, and screw something up in the BIOS.
2. People who fry the board with static electricity when taking it out of the packaging.
Get yourself a static wrist strap, leave the BIOS at defaults unless you really NEED to change something...and you'll probably be just fine with almost any motherboard you pick out. |
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__________________
"Behind this mask, there's an idea... and ideas are bulletproof." -V for Vendetta
My blog - The Last Bastion
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06-10-2009, 04:40 PM
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#10
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,273
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Personally, I'm scared of open-box products.
It's also more of a TV-oriented monitor, with the 16:9 ratio and "1080p" label. *shrug* It's probably fine. |
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__________________
"Behind this mask, there's an idea... and ideas are bulletproof." -V for Vendetta
My blog - The Last Bastion
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06-10-2009, 05:47 PM
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#11
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,666
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quikfire
So, since the motherboard has a Geforce 8200 onboard it would do an SLI combo with the Radeon I'm purchasing?
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Nope. Not going to happen. As Foz pointed out, you can't cross manufacturers when running dual card. If you wanted to run SLI you must change to an Nvidia GPU. HybridPower will only SLI with other Nvidia cards, and it will only do so with certain ones. (I believe the series 9 and up.)
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Would you say that extra $30 is worth the graphic boost?
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You would probably be better off spending +$30 straight on a graphics card. Pretty much a boost from a chip that entry level would only help other entry level graphic cards, like a 9500 GT or 9600 GT may see a boost, but something like a 9800 GT and up likely would see no gain because they already have enough power on their own.
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And if I did switch to that MB, which Nvidia GPU would be comparable to the Radeon?
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According to Tom's, somewhere around the GTS 250 would do it.
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Is it a good idea to purchase an open-box product?
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It's an ok idea for teh cheap, but likely not a good idea in terms of what you will get or what kind of coverage you'll have.
I'd recommend you instead look at an Asus VW192T+ 19" 1680x1050 at $120 for teh cheap or Acer X233Hbid 23" 1920x1080 at $190 if you want nicer res.
Note that I'd recommend you target a bit more GPU power if you want to go 1920x1080, something like the ATi 4870 $190, Evga GTX 260 Core 216 $170 post rebate, or the Evga GTX 275 $245 post rebate.
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Originally Posted by Fozzik
It's also more of a TV-oriented monitor, with the 16:9 ratio and "1080p" label.
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Not true anymore. We are at the point where the industry is starting to merge and manufactuers are moving away from (PC) 16:10 pannels to 16:9. Recent word is that they have already stopped production of 16:10 laptop pannels and are only doing 16:9 from now on. Though there aren't a lot of 16:9 (1920x1080) screens out yet, there is a movement away from the original 16:10 1920x1200 screens.
The model Quikfire linked is indeed one of the early 16:9 PC targeted screens, not one of the older style TV targeted ones which also happened to do PC input.
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06-10-2009, 06:06 PM
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#12
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 28
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Thanks guys for the responses! They have been extremely helpful!
I have another question. Should I go with Vista? Or should I purchase XP and wait for Windows 7? It seems like many customers are saying that it would be better to wait for Windows 7 and purchase XP because of its stability, etc. Some say that older games are more difficult to run on Vista. I have not had any real experience with Vista so I wouldn't know. I was planning on purchasing it just because it is the next OS.
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06-10-2009, 09:12 PM
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#13
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 317
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quikfire
Thanks guys for the responses! They have been extremely helpful!
I have another question. Should I go with Vista? Or should I purchase XP and wait for Windows 7? It seems like many customers are saying that it would be better to wait for Windows 7 and purchase XP because of its stability, etc. Some say that older games are more difficult to run on Vista. I have not had any real experience with Vista so I wouldn't know. I was planning on purchasing it just because it is the next OS.
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Go ahead and download the Win 7 RC1, run that that til Win 7 releases Oct 22nd  I would not bother spending the money now when you have a free alternative, and I especially would not bother with Vista......Win 7 is sooooo much better I've been running the beta and now RC1 since january, I think I've actually bugged maybe 4 things in all that time (at least 3 of which did get fixed in the RC) . It is very stable and I would honestly pay for it now as is.
Oh and of course go 64 bit, seems programmers are finally starting to realize that we've had x64 chips for a good long time now Particularly now with Win 7, x64 drivers working very well these days.
Hehe, having it at home is bad tho. I literally cringe every day at work when I boot up XP
Edit: Doh! Here's the link to get Win 7....
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win.../download.aspx
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06-12-2009, 01:26 AM
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#14
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 28
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Last edited by Quikfire : 06-12-2009 at 04:15 AM.
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06-12-2009, 05:49 AM
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#15
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,273
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My favorite anti-virus -
http://www.eset.com
Not that it matters, just thought I'd mention it. I've found Webroot's products to be highly crappy in the past. I did a quick check of the sites I use to compare anti-virus products and none of them mention Webroot, so I can't really say whether they've improved or not.
Everything else looks good to me...besides the power supply being WAY overkill. Up to you though. If you're happy with the price, go for it. |
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__________________
"Behind this mask, there's an idea... and ideas are bulletproof." -V for Vendetta
My blog - The Last Bastion
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06-13-2009, 09:09 PM
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#16
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 28
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06-14-2009, 05:40 AM
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#17
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,273
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Not a good brand at all, as far as I know. I'd avoid it.
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__________________
"Behind this mask, there's an idea... and ideas are bulletproof." -V for Vendetta
My blog - The Last Bastion
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06-15-2009, 01:25 AM
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#18
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,666
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quikfire
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I'd say change over to a WD Caviar Black 640 gig at $75. It's a touch more, but you get a higher cache and bigger drive.
As mentioned already, I'd recommend Win 7 Release Candidate now for teh free, then buy it and install the release version near the end of the year. (Of course, this is on the condition you can download it and burn it to a bootable disk, which I'm assuming you can.)
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