Originally Posted by wasabi5858 6GB OCZ Plat memory

i see tons of issues with ocz ddr3 ram.
you should research that specific model for complaints.
IMO there are plenty of other solid brands to go with instead of taking the risk with ocz.

Originally Posted by kilm It's what we least suspected! =/

Yea, I wasted $40 on sending it to the shop, but I guess I'm glad I did, otherwise I would have RMA my mobo, which it turns out is just fine lol

Right now Frys has the Gigabyte X58A-UDR3 (Same MB as me) and i7 930 for $364.99 AR ... damn good price if you ask me

http://latimes.p2ionline.com/shoppin...26_7346295.jpg

I paid $209 for the MB alone.

Ended up getting some megahalems for free so swapping out my fan.... should be interesting to see if the temp drops.

Hey all, question from a PC Gaming newbie. I'm on the market to build my first low budget gaming rig and I was trying to cut costs by utilizing parts that I already own. Specifically, would I be able to use my old hard drive currently installed with Windows Vista as my booting drive in a new machine? I'm trying not to have to buy a copy of Win7 OEM ( and I want to be legit =] ) so I'd appreciate any workarounds as well. As far as I know, the main issue would be drivers not matching up with the new components/motherboard. Would an upgrade to Windows 7 prior to swap help anything?

Thanks!

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Originally Posted by seanj652 Hey all, question from a PC Gaming newbie. I'm on the market to build my first low budget gaming rig and I was trying to cut costs by utilizing parts that I already own. Specifically, would I be able to use my old hard drive currently installed with Windows Vista as my booting drive in a new machine? I'm trying not to have to buy a copy of Win7 OEM ( and I want to be legit =] ) so I'd appreciate any workarounds as well. As far as I know, the main issue would be drivers not matching up with the new components/motherboard. Would an upgrade to Windows 7 prior to swap help anything? Thanks!

You could, but you want to make sure you boot in safe mode and remove all the former device drivers and everything.

It's generally a lot easier if you just reinstall the OS when you want to transfer drives.

Originally Posted by kilm You could, but you want to make sure you boot in safe mode and remove all the former device drivers and everything. It's generally a lot easier if you just reinstall the OS when you want to transfer drives.

I've heard that the OEM OS that comes with the computer is tied to the specific motherboard in some way? Is that true?

Hi all!

I'm stuck with a socket 775 motherboard for awhile, but I want to upgrade my processor.

Go with a Core Duo E8500 ($190 on Amazon), or a comparably priced Quad Core (maybe Q9400, $200)?

Will the Quad give me more bang for my buck?

I'd probably go with the quad core. Paying almost $200 for a dual core just doesn't make sense anymore. With games right now the performance boost is probably going to be hit or miss, but things like encoding and multitasking will benefit more from the extra cores.

Hello again, so after doing some searching I put together a list of some components I plan to use for my first gaming rig. If you could, could you comment on the following parts?

Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT12864BA1339

AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor ADX620WFGIBOX

Rosewill TU-155 II 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with 500W Power Supply

GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Keep in mind that this is my first build and I'm on a low budget. XD I mainly want to know if this motherboard will be decent to upgrade in the near to distant future so it'll last me a while. Also, no hard drive or media drives are listed as I'll be ripping them out of another machine I have lying around.

Thanks! =]

PS - Oh! And the motherboard has on onboard Rad. HD 4250. Would that be suitable for the lowest settings on most games? ><;

Originally Posted by seanj652 I've heard that the OEM OS that comes with the computer is tied to the specific motherboard in some way? Is that true?

yes and no. the os isnt tied to anything specifically, but if youre using a recovery disk from HP (for example), it may not be a clean OS and already have specific drivers and such installed from the get go. but in theory you can use the OS on any machine after some tinkering with the drivers.

now the license is another issue. windows is generally 1 license per PC, and theyve gotten pretty good about keeping track with that with the windows genuine advantage. so you might find that when activating vista on the new machine M$ will tell you that its already been activated. youll have to call in and explain that you replaced the motherboard, or something like that, for them to give you an activation code.

Originally Posted by seanj652 Hello again, so after doing some searching I put together a list of some components I plan to use for my first gaming rig. If you could, could you comment on the following parts? Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT12864BA1339 AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor ADX620WFGIBOX Rosewill TU-155 II 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with 500W Power Supply GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard Keep in mind that this is my first build and I'm on a low budget. XD I mainly want to know if this motherboard will be decent to upgrade in the near to distant future so it'll last me a while. Also, no hard drive or media drives are listed as I'll be ripping them out of another machine I have lying around. Thanks! =] PS - Oh! And the motherboard has on onboard Rad. HD 4250. Would that be suitable for the lowest settings on most games? ><;

the onboard 4250 will be able to run a lot of games (on mid to low settings). but you might be better off getting a cheaper motherboard and a separate video card. youll get better performance with games and you should be able to find a combo that wouldnt be that much more expensive.

MOBO ASUS M4A78LT-M LE AM3 $65 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131619
GPU SAPPHIRE 100293L Radeon HD 5570 1GB $87 ($77 after MIR) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-874-_-Product

only $50 ($40 after MIR) more than the mobo you picked out, but youll have significantly better gaming performance.

I plan on building a new computer soon. It's been a few years since my last one, and I'm planning on building one that will last me for a few years with minimal upgrades.
I'll be running it with my 1680x1050 monitor. I already have a 1 TB hard drive I bought a few months ago that I'll be using.
As for the other parts I'm planning on using an Phenon 2 X6 and a Radeon 5870.

My current plan:
ASUS M4A89TD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

XFX HD-587A-CNF9 Radeon HD 5870 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Eyefinity 6 (Comes with 850 Watt PSU, though if anyone has any recommendations for a separate 5870 and PSU at around the same price please tell me)

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT90ZFBGRBOX

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7Q-8GBRM

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM


I haven't decided on a case yet, if anyone has a decent full tower case in the $100 to 150 range that can fit the 5870 please let me know.
As I said I want to build with the the 5870 and the Phenom II X6. Pretty much everything else is up in the air right now, if anyone has any better suggestions please let me know. I'm also thinking about getting a Blu Ray reader if I can get one cheap enough, if not I'll just use the DVD Drive from my old computer.

Originally Posted by Kaijufan I haven't decided on a case yet, if anyone has a decent full tower case in the $100 to 150 range that can fit the 5870 please let me know. As I said I want to build with the the 5870 and the Phenom II X6. Pretty much everything else is up in the air right now, if anyone has any better suggestions please let me know. I'm also thinking about getting a Blu Ray reader if I can get one cheap enough, if not I'll just use the DVD Drive from my old computer.

I recommend the Silverstone FT02 I posted earlier. That will give you all the room you need w/ the best thermal/quiet design.

Sure it's a bit over your budget, but you really shouldn't skimp when it comes to cases. After all a case can last multiple builds.

Originally Posted by Zoglog I recommend the Silverstone FT02 I posted earlier. That will give you all the room you need w/ the best thermal/quiet design. Sure it's a bit over your budget, but you really shouldn't skimp when it comes to cases. After all a case can last multiple builds.

they shouldve made that case the littlest bit bigger.

Originally Posted by Zoglog I recommend the Silverstone FT02 I posted earlier. That will give you all the room you need w/ the best thermal/quiet design. Sure it's a bit over your budget, but you really shouldn't skimp when it comes to cases. After all a case can last multiple builds.

I'll check it out, I can afford to go a bit over budget if I have to.

Originally Posted by paz9x they shouldve made that case the littlest bit bigger.

I think if it was slightly longer that would be preferable. Simply because the DVD slot at the very top does come near the MB. However I had no issues w/ my SLI setup. However w/ my particular board 3 way SLI would not have been possible (Not that 3 way SLI is ever worth it).

Other than that the case has more than enough room and in places where it really counts. My P180 overall wasn't that much smaller than this case and wiring/working with that thing that thing was a nightmare. (despite it being a great case)


By the way here's a pic of it w/ a 5970 which is the biggest card to date.

Originally Posted by Zoglog I think if it was slightly longer that would be preferable. Simply because the DVD slot at the very top does come near the MB. However I had no issues w/ my SLI setup. However w/ my particular board 3 way SLI would not have been possible (Not that 3 way SLI is ever worth it). Other than that the case has more than enough room and in places where it really counts. My P180 overall wasn't that much smaller than this case and wiring/working with that thing that thing was a nightmare. (despite it being a great case) By the way here's a pic of it w/ a 5970 which is the biggest card to date.

yeah, im talking like 1/2inch bigger. i really like the design on those besides the air rising, i think that orientation makes cable management a lot easier.

if i come across a deal on one of them ill buy one.
my haf922 cools awesome, but the filter issue is a pain and its a bit loud.

If you want to stay closer to your budget Kaijufan, you could look at the Silverstone Raven RV02 too. It's basically the same case as the FT02, just with a bit more plastic on the exterior.

Also you could save about $100 by just going with the 1GB version of that video card and the same power supply. If you're gaming at 1680x1050 you really aren't going to run into much need for the extra memory.

The Silverstone Raven RV02 looks great though it may be a bit too big for my desk, I'll have to measure it out. The Silverstone FT02 looks good to though it is a bit more, I think I would rather get a cheaper case and a blu ray drive.

And I was thinking of getting a 2GB 5870 to help it last longer before I would be able to replace it or buy a second card. If you don't think I'll need 2 GB 2-3 years down the road I may switch to the 1 GB version. I don't plan on switching monitors anytime soon, I'm still very happy with the one I have right now.

yes paz9x, the cable management on that thing is a dream.

Kaiju:
I don't think you'll need anything more than 1GB at the moment. Also down the road by the time that 1GB is not enough, your card will be obsolete by then anyway. Hell the cards I use are 512MB and they still run 1920x1080 BFBC2 Just fine.

The Raven is not bad since it has the same layout minus the aluminum appearance and HD cage.
HD cage is pretty stupid anyway so that's not too big an issue. But the gamerish plastic of the raven made me go for the fortress.

Btw blu-ray drives will drop in price pretty quickly in the coming months I'm sure. I've seen them go down in price pretty rapidly. I probably won't get a BD drive in a long time now that HD storage is so vast and cheap nowadays. Probably not until they start only selling games on BD for PC.

I can't speak 100% for the future, but in all the reviews I've seen there isn't much to be gained from going from 1 to 2 GB in any games today especially on a 1680x1050 monitor. I really think its sort of unlikely that your video card's memory is what will hold you back in a few years if you intend on using that same monitor.

Here's part of a review that will show you the difference between the 1 and 2GB versions of the 5870 to show you how little difference you'll likely see between the two: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3621/a...ion-reviewed/6