PC Discussion Thread - All PC related in here.

[Colossus 2]

I was afraid of that, it's is however strange this wasn't a problem with the Gigabyte MB and its iCool program.

Many thanks.

[wooly-back-jack 10]

I have these headphones and I have a problem with them, although the sound is great for me it is not so good for people trying to listen to me on voip or ventrilo.

They can hear the game coming through my mic as if I am sat there with my speakers on full lol.

I find this strange as the headphones are enclosed and hug your ears

here is a pic of them

http://www.gamegear.be/images/plantronics_audio365.jpg

[link as it is bigger than allowed image size]

[maddogx 13]

I see two possible causes:

1. You have the wrong audio source set in Windows, i.e. stereo mix instead of microphone.

2. The microphone and main audio wires in the headset itself aren't sufficiently isolated from each other, causing cross-talk. That means the audio signal being sent from your computer to the headset is being transferred directly to the microphone wire.

Can't thing of anything else that could be causing this.

[echo1 0]

In addition to what MadDog said, are you sure you didnt plug the plugs into the wrong sockets?

[wooly-back-jack 10]

Thanks Maddog you made me check the settings on my 5.1 external sound card.

for some reason on the mic settings wave volume was right up, lowered that and I've been told it seems fine now :)

[Sertorius21 10]

I'm looking at higher-end AM3 motherboards, specifically an ASUS Crosshair III. I'd be getting it for $130, instead of $200. Is this a good deal, or can I get something better in the $100-$130 price range?

[Supernova 0]

I'm looking at higher-end AM3 motherboards, specifically an ASUS Crosshair III. I'd be getting it for $130, instead of $200. Is this a good deal, or can I get something better in the $100-$130 price range?

It's a great deal considering the bundle/package included in the ROG motherboard.

[Sertorius21 10]

1. I know this brings up the old nVidia/ATI debate, but does anyone have an opinion regarding the performance of the GTX 275 vs the HD4890? CPU will be an AMD Phenom II X4 955, the motherboard will probably be an ASUS M4A79T Deluxe (I got a better deal on this than on the Crosshair III. Plus the Crosshair is out of stock :p ).

2. I know AMD has the 'Dragon' platform, but is that actually something worth pursuing (Assuming I buy the HD4890)? And if I do so, should I switch to something with the 790GX chipset?

What I'm currently looking at:

Mobo: ASUS M4A79T Deluxe

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955

GPU: GTX 275 or HD4890

PSU: Corsair 650TX

RAM: 4x2GB DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)

Edited July 7, 2009 by Sertorius21

[sesdelta38 10]

Obviously the Alienware aurora PC is expensive! When you add customizations to it, it adds up the price! My mom refuses to have us build our own PC and insists on having us buy a PC. Can anyone recommend a good pre-built PC and have a link to guide about building a PC. Building a PC does sound good, but it sounds like a lot of work to me.

[MehMan 0]

It's not. Do NOT buy a prebuilt PC. You overpay it and it's usually not as good as a custom built rig.

[sesdelta38 10]

It's not. Do NOT buy a prebuilt PC. You overpay it and it's usually not as good as a custom built rig.

Any good guides about building a gaming PC then?

EDIT: We decided that we will build a gaming PC as I was talking to my mom and she said to write down the requirements for ArmA 2. I hope it's as easy as you guys say it is. The Newegg website looks like a good place to buy parts, but can anyone recommend specific parts like graphics, processors, motherboards etc., that would be good?

Edited July 7, 2009 by sesdelta38

[NoxNoctum 10]

I'm upgrading my computer, my old Geforce 7900 GS 256mb finally died.

What should I get to replace it? The most demanding game I'll play on it will ARMA 2 easily, and possibly OFP: DR (depending on how that turns out), as well as Red Orchestra: Heroes of Stalingrad (which will be on the new unreal engine and should be pretty demanding though perhaps not as much as ARMA 2)

I don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money, but get something that will allow me to run ARMA 2 at pretty high settings with a lot of units going around.

Haven't been keeping up with hardware developments recently so really have no idea.

[MehMan 0]

What's your budget?

[echo1 0]

I'm upgrading my computer, my old Geforce 7900 GS 256mb finally died.

What should I get to replace it? The most demanding game I'll play on it will ARMA 2 easily, and possibly OFP: DR (depending on how that turns out), as well as Red Orchestra: Heroes of Stalingrad (which will be on the new unreal engine and should be pretty demanding though perhaps not as much as ARMA 2)

I don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money, but get something that will allow me to run ARMA 2 at pretty high settings with a lot of units going around.

Haven't been keeping up with hardware developments recently so really have no idea.

Probably a Radeon HD4890. If you can't afford that, get a HD4870. If you can't afford that, get a HD4850. If you can't afford that, save up till you can :)

[sesdelta38 10]

I know that in order to build a gaming PC, I will need a graphics card, sound card, hard drive, motherboard, memory, and a chasis, but what other parts are needed? Is there specific types of graphics card, hard drives, memory sticks, and motherboards etc., that would be good? Can anyone recommend a good CPU? I'm asking because I want to build a computer that can run ArmA 2, Crysis, Crysis Warhead, and World In Conflict. So can anyone help me here? Help will be appreciated!

[MehMan 0]

Give us your budget first and we can work it out!

[Sertorius21 10]

I know that in order to build a gaming PC, I will need a graphics card, sound card, hard drive, motherboard, memory, and a chasis, but what other parts are needed? Is there specific types of graphics card, hard drives, memory sticks, and motherboards etc., that would be good? Can anyone recommend a good CPU? I'm asking because I want to build a computer that can run ArmA 2, Crysis, Crysis Warhead, and World In Conflict. So can anyone help me here? Help will be appreciated!

1. To build a tower, you will need: A case, CPU, motherboard, Power Supply, Gfx Card, Sound Card (If you don't want surround sound, and the mobo has good integrated sound, a sound card is probably unnecessary), RAM, Hard Drive, a CD/DVD drive, and an OS (Probably Vista, unless you want to hold out for Windows 7).

2. It would really help if you could give a rough estimate of what kind of money you can spend on the tower. Even a very vague number would be helpful. The total cost of a tower can be anything from the high hundreds to several thousand dollars.

3. That said, if you're on a stricter budget, you'll want to start your search by looking at socket-AM3 AMD CPUs, preferably the Phenom II series (The Intel counterpart is the LGA1366 series, which is generally much pricier). Black Edition models are a little faster, and they are supposed to be friendlier to over-clocking. As for motherboards, NewEgg has got a bunch of AM3 motherboards here. I've always liked ASUS products, but I've also heard many good things about Gigabyte and MSI. You can also snag 4GB of RAM for a decent $65 (Link here). A graphics card is hard to pick out without a budget estimate.

Edited July 9, 2009 by Sertorius21

[MehMan 0]

Stupid VLC, how can I disable the double click adding to the playlist instead of playing the video feature?

[sesdelta38 10]

Give us your budget first and we can work it out!

My budget, which is actually my families budget is in the $1,000 range.

[Sertorius21 10]

I did a quick run through NewEgg, and I put together the following example system:

Case: Cooler Master HAF932 Full-Size Case

PSU: PCP&C Silencer 750W

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Quad-Core

Memory: 4GB (2x2GB) G. Skill DDR3 1333 RAM

GPU: XFX Radeon 4890 1GB

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM

D Drive: Lite-On DVD-ROM Drive

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

$990.11, including shipping and handling

That price includes a combo deal; if you buy the case and CPU together you get a $70 discount.

Edit: Regarding the sound card, the Gigabyte mobo already has an integrated sound chipset (a Realtek ALC889A). You could also probably cannibalize the sound card from your old computer. If not, and you don't like the sound quality of the integrated chipset, you can pickup a sound card for very little, provided you aren't looking for exquisite surround sound.

Edited July 11, 2009 by Sertorius21

[echo1 0]

That's a good spec, but you could save money by doing the following -

1) Get a smaller PSU - You're never going to need more than about 600W, even with headroom for upgrades. I assume a 600W version of the PC P&C PSU would be cheaper, or a Corsair HX620.

2) Don't bother with Vista - Get the Windows 7 RC instead and buy an OEM copy of it down the line when it comes out (RC is valid until next June)

From the money saved with the PSU, I'd go for a faster and larger HD, for example - the 750GB Samsung F1 is a very good choice.

[Sertorius21 10]

That's a good spec, but you could save money by doing the following -

1) Get a smaller PSU - You're never going to need more than about 600W, even with headroom for upgrades. I assume a 600W version of the PC P&C PSU would be cheaper, or a Corsair HX620.

2) Don't bother with Vista - Get the Windows 7 RC instead and buy an OEM copy of it down the line when it comes out (RC is valid until next June)

From the money saved with the PSU, I'd go for a faster and larger HD, for example - the 750GB Samsung F1 is a very good choice.

1. Well, the PCP&C is currently on sale. It's normally $170, but NewEgg has got it going for $99.99. I should know, I just bought one yesterday :D .

Edit: I should add that a 750W PCP&C Silencer is a Tier 1 PSU, while the 610W version is a Tier 2 (And you only save $5). At the moment, I think the 750W is price-efficient overkill, though if the price goes up, a more modest Corsair or PCP&C would be a good idea.

Edited July 11, 2009 by Sertorius21

[-Snafu- 78]

Hi delta. I built my first computer a few weeks ago and it was easier than I thought it would be. Far better value for money than going for some pre-built piece of crap. Here's an i7 build I quickly put together which has the newest 1366 sockets and has a faster clock speed than the Phenom and it also has 6GB of RAM. It's similar to the one I built. Feel free to play about with the parts, but not the motherboard and CPU obviously. :)

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365

HIS H487FN512P Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161268

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136358

Sony Optiarc Black 2X BD-ROM 8X DVD-ROM 24X CD-ROM SATA Internal 2X BD-ROM Model BR-5100S

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118013

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

This all comes to $982.08 but will be more with shipping when you add that.

As I said it is similar to my build apart from the optical drive and HDD. As ch_123 said use the Windows 7 64-bit RC until the OEM version of it comes out, that's what I did. So far I haven't had any problems with the computer so far and ArmAII runs great on the standard high setting, I haven't played about with the advanced settings yet as I have been playing other games.

I suggest you go and visit at least one dedicated computer hardware forum for advice, one such as Tom's Hardware and ask them what they suggest and show them builds suggested to you. At the end of the day it is up to you, personally, I would go with an i7 build.

As for building it I bought a book which was most helpful as it is written in a non-robotic way that the part manuals are usually written in. However, do read all the manuals and the guide book you choose, read them carefully and with a bit of common sense you will do fine. Here are a couple books I have picked out (the one I used was a UK one so it isn't there), these are the most up to date ones as far as I can tell:

http://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-Yourself-Dummies-Computer/dp/0470196114/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247316939&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Build-Fix-Own-Beginners-Upgrading/dp/0789738279/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247316939&sr=1-4

Here are a couple that are 2-5 years old but I guess that shouldn't matter if it's just advice on building the PC once you get the parts:

http://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-Own-PC-4th/dp/0072255595/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247316939&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Perfect-Second-Robert-Thompson/dp/0596526865/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247316939&sr=1-3

When you come to actually build the PC be careful when it comes to static electricity as it can ruin your parts. If you are on a tight budget and don't want to spend money on anti-static protection here are a few tips. When you are working on the motherboard place it on its anti-static wrapping. Leave all parts in their anti-static protection until you need them. Work on a hard and flat surface. Frequently earth yourself to a nearby radiator or the PC case itself.

If you want to spend a little money on protecting your investment then you can purchase an anti-static mat and wrist strap for working on the PC.

http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-M3013-24x26-Desktop-Anti-Static/dp/B00009XT3H/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1247317638&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Anti-Static-Wrist-Adjustable-Grounding/dp/B00004Z5D1/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1247317747&sr=1-3

To build the PC you will need a screwdriver. That's it really, but if you have something to pick up screws that fall into the case (which will inevitably happen) then that will be useful. Some people might suggest a PC repair kit but apart from the screwdriver and tool for picking up lose screws you won't need the rest of the stuff it comes with.

Good luck with it and remember to read the instructions and use common sense, it will save you unnecessary headaches!

Edited July 13, 2009 by -snafu-

[MehMan 0]

My motherboard manual has instructions how to fit the CPU, my case manual has instructions how to fit everything but the cards and those are dead easy.

Also, don't forget thermal paste and generally speaking, box CPU coolers are shit(the ones that ship with the CPU), so I'd look into aftermarket replacements.

Also, will you need just the case or keyboard, mouse, monitor and speakers?

[-Snafu- 78]

Yeah, you don't really need the book but for his first build it might help him a bit. The CPU manual just had pictures and didn't tell me how hard I would have to push down on the catch to secure the metal plate (which was scarily hard) or that I would nearly have a heart attack with the sound of four almight 'snaps' securing the CPU fan into the motherboard making think I broke the damn thing. Otherwise, it's not needed.

Edited July 11, 2009 by -snafu-