PC Discussion Thread - All PC related in here.

[sickboy 13]

X1950Pro or XT, would be my choice.

[*] Price

[*] Performance is extremely well

[theedge_jinx 1]

I can't seem to find an X1950XT with AGP configuration. There's only pro. And please state why you would choose the ATI card. Personal preference or you got anything concrete like a performance chart/comparison to back that up?

[sickboy 13]

I can't seem to find an X1950XT with AGP configuration. There's only pro. And please state why you would choose the ATI card. Personal preference or you got anything concrete like a performance chart/comparison to back that up?

Edited my post. For performance charts etc; Google is your friend.

[frogg 0]

AGP Video cards perform VERY badly in ArmA.

Most likely, you will be disappointed in the performance you get with a new card (if it's AGP). Other games will run great, but ArmA will still struggle.

If it's possible, I would SERIOUSLY recommend purchasing a PCI-E motherboard (and CPU if necessary). You will get a bigger performance boost with a cheaper PCI-E card than you will with an AGP X1950/7950GT.

The AGP bottleneck is just a seriously limiting factor for ArmA

[Bunks 0]

Its AGP and it wont help you much. Arma is a funny game in how it performs. It will only run as good as is lowest part in the chain (so to speak). If you stick a better card in a crappy Mobo with slow memory and HD, all you will get is a few extra bumps in details and resolution but still at around the same frame rates you get now.

Buying an AGP card now is like buying a snowball in the winter, your paying top dollar for something that is worthless. Sorry, but they are overpriced right now, and you could put that money away and save up till you can get a decent Pci-e system for only two or three hundred bucks more than the card itself in just a few months.

For example, I just saw 2gigs of Corsair ram for $64, and a 1950pro(pcie) for $116, and a Sata3 HD for $50. All of this would cost less than that card alone.

Get yourself a low end Mobo with a 650 or 965 chipset and the new e2160 C2D for less than $90 each and all you will need is a decent PSU. So for basically another $200 more than an overpriced AGP card, you would see a much greater impact in your gaming experience and you wont be at a dead end in 6 months with those parts like you are now.

Sorry to be so brutal, but I have a hard time not yelling STOP when I see someone heading for a cliff.

[shadow 6]

Moving to O-T and merging with existing PC discussion thread.

[Balschoiw 0]

Quote[/b] ]AGP Video cards perform VERY badly in ArmA.

I have a GeForce 7600 GT AGP, run everything on normal -> high.

In fact some AGP versions are even faster than the PCI Express versions, so I really can´t follow you there.

A lot of manufacturers are releasing AGP versions of cards as they see that not everyone is willing to buy a new Mobo just because he wants to have latest gfx.

I have upgraded from ATI 9700 Pro to Leadtek GeForce 7600 GT AGP and Arma runs like a charm. Not to mention that the card is really big bang for little buck (130 Euro).

Oh yes, and I do not get any graphic problems with Arma at all, unlike other users with modern PCI express cards here.

[Bunks 0]

The AGP or PCI-e is not a perfomance based one (although it is clear the PCI-e does have benefits in Bandwidth which is more of a factor in Arma than anyone seems to think) but the fact that older technology is now more expensive and shorter lived.

My other PC has an x850 AGP and ran fine once I OC the processor and added a new HD to it. Prior to that, OC the video card did nothing for performance because it wasnt the weakest link in the system. Arma is CPU and Bandwidth intensive with GPU being more of a factor of adding detail and viewdistance WITHOUT LOSING FRAME RATES. Bandwidth (meaning memory, NB,SB, and HD interface) is a serious limiting factor in gameplay. AGP systems are already limited in this area, so if your system plays well its because everything is probably well balanced and you get the most out of it. Adding a high end AGP card may well be like putting an 8 cylinder engine in a golf cart.

Ive done testing with multiple cards in the same system and even payed to have it tested by a tech site. So this isnt my opinion but one provided by hard data and my own cold cash.

[Balschoiw 0]

Just a small question for the geeks.

I got a 512 MB DDR Ram module from a friend who said it´s broken.

I put it into my comp to check and when starting up game to test the comp froze completely after a while.

I checked the RAM and it was very hot. I removed the module and played again with no issues. The temperature made me think so I added a 80mm fan directly over the RAM section, put the "broken" RAM module back in and tried again. I played for about 1 hour with no issues at all.

Could it be that a RAM module overheats, even if not overclocked ?

Could that be the cause for the freeze ?

[redpride 0]

Yes overheated RAM modules are the most common cause of RAM failures , some are built to tolerate more extreme conditions than others, usually the cheap brands suffer from overheating problems.

Either store you PC in a more vented area or install a fan over RAM modules.

[wex-q 0]

Or buy some memory heatsinks, looking like this:

The work to a certain degree. There is also a manufacturer (forgot which) that has a fanconnector with a neck that you can twist and turn around to place the fan whereever you need it in the case.

Pretty smart thing, I'll look for it.

EDIT: The Antec Spotcool is a smart gadget:

Read more here

[redpride 0]

Or you can do what I did and save yourself some money by using a steel wire clothes hanger and turn it into a bracket and mount a spare CPU fan onto it then secure it over the modules.

[NeMeSiS 11]

Or you can do what I did and save yourself some money by using a steel wire clothes hanger and turn it into a bracket and mount a spare CPU fan onto it then secure it over the modules.

I used some pencils and tape, it looked ridiculous but it worked fine, and it made me feel like i was macgyver.

[redpride 0]

Or you can do what I did and save yourself some money by using a steel wire clothes hanger and turn it into a bracket and mount a spare CPU fan onto it then secure it over the modules.

I used some pencils and tape, it looked ridiculous but it worked fine, and it made me feel like i was macgyver.

lmfao yes that's the best feeling in the world

[Balschoiw 0]

Thx for clearing that up. The RAM module works flawless now with proper cooling. Say hello to 2.5 Gig RAM

You´re all thinking way to complicated guys.

All you need to fix anything in the world is just some plastic :

This is most likely the best tool for everything I can think of. I even fixed my broken exhaust pipe at the car with those wondertools and since then have a great stock in all available sizes

[wex-q 0]

M'key, this is what my system basicly will look like:

MoBo: Asus P5B P965 S-775 GBLAN ATX

CPU: E6600 (you know the specs)

RAM: 2x1GB Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Heatsink, PC2-6400

HDD: WD AV 320GB 8MB cache SATA/300 7200RPM

GFX: Asus GeForce 8800GTS 640MB HDTV DVI-I HDCP PCI-E

PSU: Cooler Master Extreme Power ATX12V 2.0 500W

So, I'm just looking for any opinion on my system, because it's pretty much maxed out my budget, but if you know better choices, please let me know.

wex

[froggyluv 2136]

System looks good except you might want to beef up the PSU. I had a 480w and was severely limited in Oc'ing anything especially with today's hungry video cards. Got a ocz 750 psu from tiger Direct for about $90 and it works great.

[echo1 0]

What are your choices when it comes to PSU? Something by Antec, Seasonic or Enermax would be better than a Coolermaster PSU

[wex-q 0]

Antec is there, but I'd need atleast 400W for the 8800GTS, and at those ranges, the Cooler Master is way better when it comes to the price.

Any opinions on the following models:

Antec SmartPower

Antec TruePower

Zalman APS Silent

Antec Neohe High Efficency

?

These are in the accepted price/performance range for me.

[echo1 0]

Ive read good things about the Antec TruePower, what wattage is it?

[wex-q 0]

480W, and it would fit my budget, not that much more expensive.

[echo1 0]

Thats a good one alright. One thing - there is no point in getting the 640MB version of the 8800GTS unless you have a hi-res monitor (20"+) and for hard disk I recommend the Samsung T166 500GB (cant think of the exact model name, its something like HD501)

[456820 0]

I hate shopping, you finally decide what you want and it all goes out of stock. Would have had this damn computer months ago otherwise

But anyway I have decided to re-pick those items that are out of stock and have a slightly new list.

Quote[/b] ]

Apollo Advance Custom Gamer-Black - £58.69

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=25650

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Retail - £140.94

http://www.aria.co.uk/Product....d=23828

Abit AB9 PRO i965 WiFi Edition - £97.47

http://www.aria.co.uk/Product....d=26487

OCZ 2GB PC2-6400 CL4 Flex XLC (2x1GB) - £117.44

http://www.aria.co.uk/Product....d=26599

EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 640MB - £281.94

http://www.aria.co.uk/Product....d=26694

OCZ 600W StealthXStream Power Supply - £52.92

http://www.aria.co.uk/Product....d=26933

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 PRO Intel Socket 775 - £11.69 inc.

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=20729

What do you reckon? Already bought one or two of the items such as the Arctic cooling freezer along with the CPU and case the rest of items were out of stock.

Would you recommend replacing anything or not? Cheers.

[echo1 0]

Looks good to go

[BF2_Trooper 0]

Widescreen monitor questions cause my old 17" LCD crapped out.

For some reason when I got my LCD monitor out of sleep mode it flickered for a while then just went black. It ain't my computer cause I'm using my old CRT on it right now as I type this.

I also tried my LCD monitor on another computer and the same thing - the screen remains black, but the ON button still shows the blue light which indicates that it's not on stand by mode. Normally if my monitor didn't receive any signal it would say so on the screen and then the ON button would turn yellow. I saw none of this. I switched it on and off and still nothing. Normally if I were to turn on the monitor I would see the BENQ logo, I did'nt see this either.

Everything was working fine with the monitor until today. This morning it was fine for a couple of hours, I then left my computer after which windows shuts down the monitor after 15 minutes of the computer remain idle. I come back a few hours later the monitor flickered back for a while then just went all black.

Anyways, it looks like I might just have to buy a new monitor so it may as well be a widescreen. So I have a few questions about widescreen monitors-

What's the typical resolution it should be set at and at what hertz?

Is it still necessary to turn on antialaising with widescreen resolutions?

Thank you. Any suggestions on what I can do with my crapped LCD monitor would also be appreciated.