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Originally Posted by dfg Looking for some advice please... Want to build a cheap (~$500) gaming rig based around this barebones kit from Tigerdirect: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...?EdpNo=7220551 Could anyone recommend a video card that would work well with the above? I don't need anything beastly, just enough to make previous year's games (L4D2, TF2) run smooth and shiny at 1680x1050. I've read "a very powerful video card will be useless in a low-end Gaming PC, you want to balance the components to avoid having your CPU bottleneck your video card", but I can't interpret the info I look at well enough to determine where the bottleneck would be. Any suggestions greatly appreciated; thanks!

With that power supply, you're going to be pretty limited. You might look at the GTS450, a decent card that will work with a 400W PSU.

This EVGA card is $100 after rebate. It's not the lifetime rebate version, but I think they come standard with a 2 year warranty.

If you wanted to upgrade the PSU, maybe go with this Corsair and then get a slightly better videocard like this ASUS card for a little better performance.

So I've been reading that the 1155 mobos are not going to be out till late April at best. It makes me think I should just stick with a 950 and get it now. While the 3d work I will be doing can take advantage of the power I don't know if the difference is big enough for me to wait that long. .

Any thoughts from those more in the know and possibly one who is also 3D rendering?

EDIT: I may just go get the 2500k from Micro Center for 180 and it preforms just under the 2600. Get the mobo later maybe.

Originally Posted by Lawyers Guns N Money With that power supply, you're going to be pretty limited. You might look at the GTS450, a decent card that will work with a 400W PSU. This EVGA card is $100 after rebate. It's not the lifetime rebate version, but I think they come standard with a 2 year warranty. If you wanted to upgrade the PSU, maybe go with this Corsair and then get a slightly better videocard like this ASUS card for a little better performance.

Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I think the drawbacks of that kit aren't worth the convenience. I may just follow a build I found from a link in this thread.

Hello cheap ass gamers

I have a request, I am doing some research on a new gaming rig and have settled on this (at bottom) and was wondering what you guys thought or if you could find me a better deal.
Thanks in advance!

1.00 mon-24-asu-029 Asus VE248H 24in 2ms LED 219.00 219.00

1.00 cpu-1366-950-ci7 i7 950 3.06G Quad Core Retail 319.00

1.00 mb-1366-asu-007 Sabertooth X58 DD3 AL ATX 217.00 217.00

1.00 m-12g-133-c-k3d3 12G(3x4G) DDR3 PC10600 1333MHz Crucial

1.00 hdi-wd-1000-s3-64 WD 1TB 64M 7200 SATA3 Caviar Black

1.00 vg-pce-ati-285 Sapphire Radeon HD6850 1G 100315L 198.00

1.00 cas-clm-007 Coolermaster HAF 922 Black NoPS ATX 99.00

1.00 pow-antec-ea750eps Antec EarthWatt 750W EPS EA750 119.00

1.00 sf-msos-7-hp64 Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM 124.00

1.00 o-drw-lit-038 Lite-ON IHAS124-04 24X SATA 26.00 26.00

1.00 bb-labor Labor (Note: Each computer BIOS is 20.00 20.00

Originally Posted by mis0soup Hello cheap ass gamers I have a request, I am doing some research on a new gaming rig and have settled on this (at bottom) and was wondering what you guys thought or if you could find me a better deal. Thanks in advance! 1.00 mon-24-asu-029 Asus VE248H 24in 2ms LED 219.00 219.00 1.00 cpu-1366-950-ci7 i7 950 3.06G Quad Core Retail 319.00 1.00 mb-1366-asu-007 Sabertooth X58 DD3 AL ATX 217.00 217.00 1.00 m-12g-133-c-k3d3 12G(3x4G) DDR3 PC10600 1333MHz Crucial 1.00 hdi-wd-1000-s3-64 WD 1TB 64M 7200 SATA3 Caviar Black 1.00 vg-pce-ati-285 Sapphire Radeon HD6850 1G 100315L 198.00 1.00 cas-clm-007 Coolermaster HAF 922 Black NoPS ATX 99.00 1.00 pow-antec-ea750eps Antec EarthWatt 750W EPS EA750 119.00 1.00 sf-msos-7-hp64 Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM 124.00 1.00 o-drw-lit-038 Lite-ON IHAS124-04 24X SATA 26.00 26.00 1.00 bb-labor Labor (Note: Each computer BIOS is 20.00 20.00

Def dig the build & andd FYI Micro Center has i7s on sale year round. the 950 is $200 there.

thanks I am new to the game so any help would be greatly appreciated, what I want to know is this a good build also I what could I add to make it better, I use mostly Photoshop and after effects but would love to play some Diablo 3 and COD 7, and do I need liquid cooling and a SSD to load the OS on would this help.

Thanks guys

I don't think Nvidia's CUDA stuff is used in base photoshop or AE, but I have seen some compared benchmarks that show the GTX 5xx series beating out the 6850.

I would NOT go anywhere near liquid cooling. You should be able to keep your comp cool with fans. In most cases you're good with what came in the case. Sometimes a case will come with empty spots and you can add a fan or two to ensure good temps.

I hear good things about loading your OS and programs onto a small solid state then dropping media onto a large HD. I have no experience with it though.

ok so I am a total noob to this stuff and I thank you for all your help but one more question, I haven’t bought anything yet I am having a mom and pop store build it they have great revues, but I don’t know what I should be buying like I probably need a processor fan instead of a liquid cooler I am opting for a 60 ssd for my Photoshop and os, is the build a good build is there anything I should add to this to make it better?

asilofbkrst

Anybody know if standard monitors (not a TV/Monitor) accept signals from a remote? I'm curious because in the room I game, my PC is in the same room. Both my TV/Monitor and my TV are Samsung and this causes issues when flipping through inputs and turning on/off the television. The same thing happens with my harmony remote too and it's been driving me nuts for the past two to three years. So I'm caving in and selling my monitor to family or just use it at work and get a new monitor for my home computer.

I'm also wondering if the new Samsung LED TV's have the same signal as a Samsung LCD TV. I would assume so, but I'm trying to flesh out all my options before I purchase some kind of monitor for my computer.

Thoughts on my build? Gonna wait a few weeks on the sandy bridge obviously.

3.3Ghz Intel Core i5-2500 6MB Cache Quad-Core
Stock Intel LGA1155 Heatsink and Fan
Intel BOXDH67BL (Intel H67, HDMI, DVI, PCI-E, 5xSATA, 4xDDR3)
4GB (2GBx2) PC3 10666 DDR3 1333Mhz Memory Lifetime Warranty
1.5TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache Serial ATA300 (Major Brand)
22X LG SATA Dual Layer DVD+/-RW/CDRW w/Nero
1GB GeForce GTX 460 GDDR5 PCI-E Dual-DVI (Major Brand)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Thermaltake V9 Black Edition (5 5.25, 6 3.5) 4 Fans, Audio/USB
650watt Corsair CMPSU-650TX
Onboard LAN included
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 PCI-Ex

So I've finally decided on the Radeon 6870 for my next card. But I'm starting to worry a little as I think my motherboard/CPU is going to bottleneck the crap out of it.

I've got a Asus P5W DH Deluxe and a Q6600 (2.4ghz stock). The motherboard only has a PCI Express x16 1.0 slot. The 6870 is a PCI Express x16 2.1 card. Now I've read that this shouldn't be a big deal, that PCI Express x16 is backwards compatible and whatnot. But it can be hit or miss depending on the motherboard. My motherboard is pretty old and the latest BIOS update for it was October 2009 so I really doubt it has official support for PCI Express x16 2.1 cards.

I'm going to be overclocking the CPU today though to at least 3.0ghz (hopefully more), so that should definitely reduce the bottleneck, but would it be enough?

What do you guys think? Do you think the card will work in my motherboard? If it does, how much will the motherboard/CPU bottleneck it?

Other specs:
Windows 7 64-bit
BIOS version 2901
Antec 900 Case
Thermaltake 850w PSU
EVGA nVidia 8800GTS 512MB
Corsair 4GB RAM (DDR2 800)

EDIT:

Originally Posted by MSI Magus Thoughts on my build? Gonna wait a few weeks on the sandy bridge obviously. 3.3Ghz Intel Core i5-2500 6MB Cache Quad-Core Stock Intel LGA1155 Heatsink and Fan Intel BOXDH67BL (Intel H67, HDMI, DVI, PCI-E, 5xSATA, 4xDDR3) 4GB (2GBx2) PC3 10666 DDR3 1333Mhz Memory Lifetime Warranty 1.5TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache Serial ATA300 (Major Brand) 22X LG SATA Dual Layer DVD+/-RW/CDRW w/Nero 1GB GeForce GTX 460 GDDR5 PCI-E Dual-DVI (Major Brand) Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit Thermaltake V9 Black Edition (5 5.25, 6 3.5) 4 Fans, Audio/USB 650watt Corsair CMPSU-650TX Onboard LAN included Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 PCI-Ex

I would say that looks pretty decent. Couple of things:
-Have you thought about getting a CPU cooler? The stock ones do the job for stock clocks, but if you plan on getting more life out of your CPU and overclocking it, you'll need a third-party cooler.
-This may not be required, but maybe get a higher power PSU? I'm sure a 650w is fine and will do the job, but your card requires a minimum of 450w and you might running at the max your PSU can handle. Maybe get an 850w? Again, probably not required.

Originally Posted by DukeEdwardI So I've finally decided on the Radeon 6870 for my next card. But I'm starting to worry a little as I think my motherboard/CPU is going to bottleneck the crap out of it. I've got a Asus P5W DH Deluxe and a Q6600 (2.4ghz stock). The motherboard only has a PCI Express x16 1.0 slot. The 6870 is a PCI Express x16 2.1 card. Now I've read that this shouldn't be a big deal, that PCI Express x16 is backwards compatible and whatnot. But it can be hit or miss depending on the motherboard. My motherboard is pretty old and the latest BIOS update for it was October 2009 so I really doubt it has official support for PCI Express x16 2.1 cards. I'm going to be overclocking the CPU today though to at least 3.0ghz (hopefully more), so that should definitely reduce the bottleneck, but would it be enough? What do you guys think? Do you think the card will work in my motherboard? If it does, how much will the motherboard/CPU bottleneck it? Other specs: Windows 7 64-bit BIOS version 2901 Antec 900 Case Thermaltake 850w PSU EVGA nVidia 8800GTS 512MB Corsair 4GB RAM (DDR2 800) EDIT: I would say that looks pretty decent. Couple of things: -Have you thought about getting a CPU cooler? The stock ones do the job for stock clocks, but if you plan on getting more life out of your CPU and overclocking it, you'll need a third-party cooler. -This may not be required, but maybe get a higher power PSU? I'm sure a 650w is fine and will do the job, but your card requires a minimum of 450w and you might running at the max your PSU can handle. Maybe get an 850w? Again, probably not required.

I will look in to pricing for both. For the Cooler though since I do not plan to overclock its not something to worry about right?

Originally Posted by MSI Magus I will look in to pricing for both. For the Cooler though since I do not plan to overclock its not something to worry about right?

Probably not, then. If I were you, I'd just get one anyway, but I tend to overdo things. People thought I was MAD when I bought an 850w PSU when I built my PC in early 2008. And now I'd totally prepared for my next upgrades!

Originally Posted by DukeEdwardI Probably not, then. If I were you, I'd just get one anyway, but I tend to overdo things. People thought I was MAD when I bought an 850w PSU when I built my PC in early 2008. And now I'd totally prepared for my next upgrades!

Since I am not the most PC savy person id rather go slightly overboard then underboard. I mean id rather pay an extra $200 up front and go overboard then have something burn out later from not having enough fans or have a headache thanks to a weak PSU.

Originally Posted by MSI Magus Since I am not the most PC savy person id rather go slightly overboard then underboard. I mean id rather pay an extra $200 up front and go overboard then have something burn out later from not having enough fans or have a headache thanks to a weak PSU.

Don't worry about the PSU. The one you picked out is going to be more than enough for the build you have planned out. The motherboard you have picked out is only going to support a single graphics card and unless you're running a Crossfire or SLI setup, 650W is plenty.

Anybody have any experience with waiting for Amazon to get a video card back in stock? Days, weeks, months?

I know it's probably dependent on the manufacturer, but all the other parts for my new box are sitting here and I'm worried that by the time the vidcard comes, I'll find out some other piece is DOA and I'll be SOL on the RMA. ...tia lol

Originally Posted by dfg Anybody have any experience with waiting for Amazon to get a video card back in stock? Days, weeks, months? I know it's probably dependent on the manufacturer, but all the other parts for my new box are sitting here and I'm worried that by the time the vidcard comes, I'll find out some other piece is DOA and I'll be SOL on the RMA. ...tia lol

The GTX 560 I ordered from them was listed as "back in stock in 1 to 3 months" (I wasn't in a rush for it), though it shipped a little less than two weeks after I ordered it.

Originally Posted by dfg Anybody have any experience with waiting for Amazon to get a video card back in stock? Days, weeks, months? I know it's probably dependent on the manufacturer, but all the other parts for my new box are sitting here and I'm worried that by the time the vidcard comes, I'll find out some other piece is DOA and I'll be SOL on the RMA. ...tia lol

call them, they may be able to give you a more definitive period.

Thanks both of youse for the input. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a similar card because if I leave these boxes lying around my apartment much longer, the wife is gonna toss them and me out together.

Anyone know a good site other then ecollegepc for buying a pc if you are not building it yourself?