PC Discussion Thread - All PC related in here.

[echo1 0]

Thanks Cameron good advice I'll definitely be going with the GTX and possibly over clocking it in the near future. The reason I chose was a P4 was if I am not satisifed with a P4 I know that my motherboard can support a quad core extreme if i ever need to upgrade it. Also from going to gtx instead of ultra ill be saving over 200 dollars which is quite good.

The GTX im getting is made by BFG and its OC2.

Why not just get a better processor to begin with then? Its well worth whatever money you have to spend. Even a Core 2 Duo is better than a P4.

[Supernova 0]

What kind of quad core processor would you recommend me to get ?. The one I had in mind was a QX9650.

[echo1 0]

Nah, a waste of money. Just get a Q6600. What about getting an 8800GT? About as fast as the 8800GTX, and much cheaper (last time I checked)

[Supernova 0]

If I do decide to get a quad core I would want to overclock it but I still want to have excellent performance so out of the following quad core processors which one would be best overall (I will not settle for a dual core or core 2 duo):

Q6600

Q6700

QX6850

QX6700

QX6800

QX9650

Edit: GT why ? I want to be able to play the latest games and many reviews have shunned the GT/GTS series. I am prepared to pay around 500 for a GTX (overclocked to match ultra).

[echo1 0]

Q6600 are well known for their overclokability, not that you would need to do that for a while, they are very fast as it is.

I'd love to see the reviews that said that GTS or GT cards suck. Any decent review Ive read says that theyre the best value for money you can get, and they're consistently recommended as the card of choice on most sites. Paying €500 for a graphics card is absolutely pointless - they go out of date too quickly to justify the cost. €250-€300 is the best price.

[Supernova 0]

Q6600's are very cheap being about at maximum $ 300 but from what I have read in reviews comparing the Q6600 to the QX9770 (that one is a real bankrupter) the QX9770 comes out on top. But If I were to use a QX9770 for OFP and also used a Q6600 would there be much/huge difference ?. I'm not crazy yet to pay 1300+ for a QX9770 when a QX9650 is practically the same and yet hundreds of dollars cheaper. I have noticed some members on this forum have a Q6600 but no one with a higher cpu ?

[echo1 0]

Q6600's are very cheap being about at maximum $ 300 but from what I have read in reviews comparing the Q6600 to the QX9770 (that one is a real bankrupter) the QX9770 comes out on top. But If I were to use a QX9770 for OFP and also used a Q6600 would there be much/huge difference ?. I'm not crazy yet to pay 1300+ for a QX9770 when a QX9650 is practically the same and yet hundreds of dollars cheaper. I have noticed some members on this forum have a Q6600 but no one with a higher cpu ?

Of course a 3.2GHz chip with a 1600MHz FSB is going to be faster than a 2.4GHz chip with a 1066MHz FSB, you dont need a review to tell you that... The question is; why should you spend more than 600% extra (€200 vs €1250 on the place I buy such things) to get about 50% extra performance? Overclock if you must, but you never really will notice the difference - Graphics card is the most important, then RAM. As long as your processor is sufficiently fast, you should be alright.

[Supernova 0]

Indeed good point you make there. Spending over 1000+ for a CPU is practically unheard of. One thing I cannot seem to figure out is the CASE any suggestions ?

[echo1 0]

Antec P180s are quite good. What PSU are you getting?

[Supernova 0]

Indeed my current desktop case is an Antec (Black with Antec name spelled with round holes). The PSU is a Thermaltake 1200 Watt Tough Power Modular (PS W0133RU).

[echo1 0]

Unless you still want to use SLi, you could probably save some money by getting a less powerful PSU (600W or so)

[Supernova 0]

Well I was actually thinking about that when choosing my PSU that if 1 video card won't suffice for me I will need SLI and then the PSU will need to be greater than a 600W (especially if its GTX/ULTRA). It's possible you could say that the system I am choosing is designed to be very upgradeable in the future and adaptable.

[echo1 0]

Thats fair enough, its just that I dont think SLI is a very useful thing. The performance varies greatly from game to game, and in some cases is slower than using a single card. It is always going to be better to buy a new card then it is to track down another old card off ebay once your card has become obsolete. Its always going to be better to buy a single high end card than two medium cards (buying two high end cards is a waste of money) It also consumes more electricity and generates heat and such, and restricts your choice of motherboard.

[Supernova 0]

Indeed , and unless we have tons of money to throw out (hence being a russian oligarch) buying a 5,000 dollar system is just crazy. As a matter of fact for fun I customized an alienware computer and it ran me to about 7000 I showed it to my friend and he fell out of his chair and cursing afterwards thought it was insane that anyone would want to buy such a computer. This makes alot of sense because no matter how much money you invest the technology will be obsolete/old very soon and deppreciate.

[456820 0]

I'm just wondering, what is a good temperature for a graphics card?

currently my 8800 is running at 57 degres celcius and is idle. When playing games like ArmA it goes up to about 65+.

I know for a CPU this is quite hot but what about graphics cards, should I need to worry?

[Supernova 0]

what kind of 8800 series do you have there ?

[456820 0]

Its an EVGA 8800 GTS.

[echo1 0]

I'm just wondering, what is a good temperature for a graphics card?

currently my 8800 is running at 57 degres celcius and is idle. When playing games like ArmA it goes up to about 65+.

I know for a CPU this is quite hot but what about graphics cards, should I need to worry?

Perfectly normal. Graphics cards tend to have higher ambient temperatures, and higher limits than <s>normal cards</s> (EDIT: CPUs). If it starts going into the 80s or 90s, then you should be worried.

[Supernova 0]

Well all I can say its not unheard of having those temperatures especially for the GT+ series. You're generally fine then.

[CameronMcDonald 146]

That temp is fine mate, my graphics card idles at 57 and goes to 63 under load.

@Universal - case wise, Coolermaster Cosmos S or Stacker series, IMHO. Antec are also hard to beat.

[Supernova 0]

I saw a Thermaltake mozart and was practically inlove with it. Btw what kind of CPU coolers do any of you use (stock , or non stock ?)

[jakerod 254]

Windows Vista Service Pack #1 and Gaming (Gamespot)

An article that gamespot posted a few days ago about the "improvements" that Windows Vista Service Pack #1 is going to bring. From what i've gathered from it Windows XP Service Pack #2 is better in most categories especially while using Nvidia cards.

[456820 0]

Just a quick question...

I was told that I should try to stop using IDE and fully move over to SATA. But is it worth buying a new CD Drive just to get out of IDE? Will I notice enough difference for it to be worth it.

If so, then what is a good CD/DVD drive to look for? What are the main things that make a good drive?

Cheers.

[Supernova 0]

It's worth it in my opinion and they are dirt cheap. The brand I recommend for DVD is LG. SATA is worth every penny , i may have the crappiest computer in the world but I still use SATA.

[sickboy 13]

I'm thinking about getting a 9800GX2, simply because the 92 cores are cooler (less heat), the extra memory, hdmi features and the ability to sell my old card for a nice price still.

However, I read 100's of posts months ago that ArmA has pretty poor SLI support, basicly no gains when enabling SLI.

Which would kinda make it useless to go for 9800GX2 (as it's 2 cards on 1 board, with SLI).

Anyone can confirm that ArmA (v1.11beta+) will not have any gains with SLI?

System Specs:

PC Power & Cool Silencer 750 watt (1*60A 12v rail)

Intel Core 2 Quad 3333mhz

Intel X38, 1666mhz FSB

8GB DDR2-1000 5-5-5-15

OS: Vista x64 SP1 Ultimate