[ParityBit]

With a modern PSU, that's kind of outdated. These new 80+ power supplies with active PFC are much more efficient that that. Although being so lenient does give you headway if you're just guessing. The best way to truly know what a person needs is to buy a Kill-A-Watt and measure your requirements directly. Especially with the prices of UPS as you scale up, a Kill-a-watt will pay for itself after your first UPS purchase. And it's a great little tool to have around.

Something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1...6918607&sr=1-3

[JB1981]

What do u guys think of this bundled upgrades on new egg?

Also the AMD FX 6100 $139.99 has great reviews there. Much cheaper than intel i5. That much worse ?

[1-D_FTW]

Something like this? http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1...6918607&sr=1-3

I live in Florida and there's lot of lightening strikes in the summer evenings. So I've used UPS for years. The only time I ever purchased a CyberPower it was dead in like 6 months.

Maybe they're a decent brand, but I always just go for the cheapest APC branded one after that failed experiment. And I determine what I need by taking measurements from the wall using a kill-a-watt. I just think it's a waste of money to guess as to what kind of VA you need.

What do u guys think of this bundled upgrades on new egg? Also the AMD FX 6100 $139.99 has great reviews there. Much cheaper than intel i5. That much worse ?

It's 60 dollars cheaper. If you're gonna spend as much as your above build was, do you really wanna be CPU bottlenecked over 60 dollars?

Honestly, if money is an issue, you're better off stalking the deal sites and purchasing a couple components at a time. There are deals out there and you can significantly cut costs if you're not married to the idea of getting everything in one shipping container. Or ordering everything on the same day.

[TheExodu5]

What do u guys think of this bundled upgrades on new egg? Also the AMD FX 6100 $139.99 has great reviews there. Much cheaper than intel i5. That much worse ?

Yes, that much worse.

[MisterNoisy]

Something like this? http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1...6918607&sr=1-3

I've got the 1350VA version of that UPS, actually (got it for 20% off with a Newegg coupon code) and the display on it is telling me that my PC (OC'd 2500K + GTX570 for now, 2 LED/LCD panels) is currently drawing 162W. The 600W/1000VA unit in your link would power it for 10-12 minutes at that load off the battery - plenty of time to save work and shut down. Modern hardware is pretty good at reducing power draw in light-load situations.

[haikira]

Helping a friend, pick out some new parts for his dad's PC, to speed it up. If someone could help me out, as I'm super nervous, when it comes to giving out PC advice.


Here's the motherboard, in his dad's pc.

http://icomputing.ecrater.co.uk/p/11...50-motherboard

Here's the CPU we're looking at.

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/product/In...Fan_36493.html

Also if anyone could point me in the way, of good Ram for the motherboard, that would be great too.

Cheers in advance guys.

[MrBig]

I live in Florida and there's lot of lightening strikes in the summer evenings. So I've used UPS for years. The only time I ever purchased a CyberPower it was dead in like 6 months. Maybe they're a decent brand, but I always just go for the cheapest APC branded one after that failed experiment. And I determine what I need by taking measurements from the wall using a kill-a-watt. I just think it's a waste of money to guess as to what kind of VA you need.

Yeah, I live in Florida as well and love the security I get from using a laptop with a battery as my main computer (though I had to buy another battery because not draining the battery and just keeping it plugged in killed it). I won't be getting one at the moment as I'll be moving across the country soon, so I'll see what kind of up-time I get over there before making the investment.

[1-D_FTW]

Helping a friend, pick out some new parts for his dad's PC, to speed it up. If someone could help me out, as I'm super nervous, when it comes to giving out PC advice. Here's the motherboard, in his dad's pc. http://icomputing.ecrater.co.uk/p/11...50-motherboard Here's the CPU we're looking at. http://www.tekheads.co.uk/product/In...Fan_36493.html Also if anyone could point me in the way, of good Ram for the motherboard, that would be great too. Cheers in advance guys.

Do you know what speed CPU he has in it now? I'm assuming this isn't for gaming, right? How much RAM does he have? If he's just doing light office work/web surfing and it's sluggish, it could be from not enough RAM and Windows just getting gunked up. A Windows re-install and/or some more RAM might do wonders for what he already has.

Yeah, I live in Florida as well and love the security I get from using a laptop with a battery as my main computer. I won't be getting one at the moment as I'll be moving across the country soon, so I'll see what kind of up-time I get over there before making the investment.

I should also add that I never buy these things for retail. Best Buy/Office Max/Office Depot/Staples tend to run sales on APC brands. So if you know what size you need and you're patient, you can usually get one for a real nice price.

[haikira]

Do you know what speed CPU he has in it now? I'm assuming this isn't for gaming, right? How much RAM does he have? If he's just doing light office work/web surfing and it's sluggish, it could be from not enough RAM and Windows just getting gunked up. A Windows re-install and/or some more RAM might do wonders for what he already has.

Here are the specs my friend gave me.

CPU CPU TypeIntel Pentium 4 640, 3200 MHz (16 x 200)
Ram System Memory1024 MB (DDR2-533 DDR2 SDRAM)

Thanks for the speedy response.

EDIT: My friend says they ran ccleaner on it. Also cleaned up what programs come up, on startup. They haven't formatted though.

[MrBig]

Here are the specs my friend gave me. CPU CPU TypeIntel Pentium 4 640, 3200 MHz (16 x 200) Ram System Memory1024 MB (DDR2-533 DDR2 SDRAM) Thanks for the speedy response. EDIT: My friend says they ran ccleaner on it. Also cleaned up what programs come up, on startup. They haven't formatted though.

I'd buy a 4gb kit of DDR2 ram (8gb kits of DDR2 were absurdly priced last I checked), and then put him on a fresh install of Windows 7 (assuming he's on XP and would be OK with upgrading). Not sure how much of an upgrade you can do without going to a new socket.

[haikira]

I'd buy a 4gb kit of DDR2 ram (8gb kits of DDR2 were absurdly priced last I checked), and then put him on a fresh install of Windows 7 (assuming he's on XP and would be OK with upgrading).

Cheers. My friend sounds more than up, for this option.

Thanks for all the advice guys. This thread never fails.

[MrBig]

Cheers. My friend sounds more than up, for this option. Thanks for all the advice guys. This thread never fails.

For the RAM get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231122

And a copy of W7 HP x64 will run you $100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116986

[haikira]

One last thing actually.

On the page for the motherboard. I noticed this. "Supported Memory: DDR2 400/533Mhz". Is it over to pick ram for it, which is higher than 533Mhz?

[1-D_FTW]

With that computer, I'd just buy the RAM. And if he doesn't mind, a fresh install of XP. Don't really see the point in him spending 100 dollars on WIndows 7 (as much as I personally like it).

[haikira]

With that computer, I'd just buy the RAM. And if he doesn't mind, a fresh install of XP. Don't really see the point in him spending 100 dollars on WIndows 7 (as much as I personally like it).

Forgot to mention. He's already on Win7.

[teh_pwn]

Helping a friend, pick out some new parts for his dad's PC, to speed it up. If someone could help me out, as I'm super nervous, when it comes to giving out PC advice. Here's the motherboard, in his dad's pc. http://icomputing.ecrater.co.uk/p/11...50-motherboard Here's the CPU we're looking at. http://www.tekheads.co.uk/product/In...Fan_36493.html Also if anyone could point me in the way, of good Ram for the motherboard, that would be great too. Cheers in advance guys.

Not sure if dual core is going to put much life into this PC. Many apps are still single thread heavy, and per core performance may actually be SLOWER with one of the early dual core processors compared to a late Pentium 4. It's nearly a decade old. Cheapest of cheapest desktops today would beat it 20x.

Considering how old it is, a component is likely to die within a couple of years. PSU, motherboard, etc. I would just take the hit now and get an i5 or even i3 desktop for $400-$500 if it's strictly for general use.

[MrBig]

The RAM should work at least, you just wouldn't be able to run it at 800mhz.

Not sure if dual core is going to put much life into this PC. Many apps are still single thread heavy, and per core performance may actually be SLOWER with one of the early dual core processors compared to a late Pentium 4. It's nearly a decade old. Cheapest of cheapest desktops today would beat it 20x. Considering how old it is, a component is likely to die within a couple of years. PSU, motherboard, etc. I would just take the hit now and get an i5 or even i3 desktop for $400-$500 if it's strictly for general use.

If he's just using it for general office use a $56 purchase to extend it's life a year or so would be fine, since he hasn't been driven insane by using the rig so far. But yeah I'd tell him to start putting money aside for a new computer.

[teh_pwn]

I'm amazed the PC has lasted as long as it has. The only Dell PCs from the Pentium era days around where I work are still alive because they've had things like the PSU replaced.

[Horsemama1956]

Not sure if dual core is going to put much life into this PC. Many apps are still single thread heavy, and per core performance may actually be SLOWER with one of the early dual core processors compared to a late Pentium 4. It's nearly a decade old. Cheapest of cheapest desktops today would beat it 20x. Considering how old it is, a component is likely to die within a couple of years. PSU, motherboard, etc. I would just take the hit now and get an i5 or even i3 desktop for $400-$500 if it's strictly for general use.

A 3Ghz Core 2 Duo is plenty for a none gamer. There is no comparison to a Pentium 4 in any situation.

[teh_pwn]

A 3Ghz Core 2 Duo is plenty for a none gamer. There is no comparison to a Pentium 4 in any situation.

Hmm, you're right in this case. This processor is about 2x per core compared to a Pentium 4.

There are early core 2 duos that were slower. For example:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?...00+%40+1.83GHz
vs
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?...tium+4+3.80GHz

In a single thread app, the p4 wins because per core the p4 performs like 20% faster. But you're 3GHz qualifier is probably right. I've forgotten the clock rate history.

[Horsemama1956]

Unless he runs Passmark all day, then even a 1.8Ghz C2D will feel snappier then a P4 at 3.8 in a modern OS.

[TheExodu5]

I have a laptop with a T2500 @ 2.0GHz (early Core Duo...before Core 2 Duo), and an 80GB SSD. Feels incredibly snappy, thanks to the SSD. :)

[Dirtdog07]

Can someone please explain Load-Line Calibration to me? This is my first time overcloacking my 2500k and I am trying to follow Clunk's guide.

Should I enable using Auto or disable it?
Is the term VCore they are referring to the CPU Manual Voltage?
If I disable it, is that what I should be increasing over the recommended starting 1.12v?

Thanks

[Foliorum Viridum]

Guys, I want to sell my old CPU... trouble is it's absolutely STUCK to my old CPU cooler.

It's a 955 Black Edition with the stock cooler. I've tried holding a hairdryer to it for about 20 minutes but it will not budge. Any ideas?

[Sethos]

Guys, I want to sell my old CPU... trouble is it's absolutely STUCK to my old CPU cooler. It's a 955 Black Edition with the stock cooler. I've tried holding a hairdryer to it for about 20 minutes but it will not budge. Any ideas?

Thermal adhesive is a bitch.

Can you fire up the PC it's located in? Because running a Prime95 blend test for 30 minutes would help you. If not, just remember to apply some twisting movement when trying to pry it off as you can't pull it clean off with that adhesive crap. Just don't overdo the twisting.

[Azzurri]

What does it mean if certain youtube video's just show a green screen? Is it my VC?

[Foliorum Viridum]

Thermal adhesive is a bitch. Can you fire up the PC it's located in? Because running a Prime95 blend test for 30 minutes would help you. If not, just remember to apply some twisting movement when trying to pry it off as you can't pull it clean off with that adhesive crap. Just don't overdo the twisting.

Nah, no chance of putting it back in the case. It took me long enough to get my i5 2500k and 212 in there safely. Not taking them out again!

I'll try a bit of twisting, I guess.

[MooMoo]

Can someone recommend a guide or explain themselves how to go about setting up a SSD/HDD setup? Since it's an entirely new desktop, I'll be starting from scratch (i.e. won't have to worry about transferring files over from an old HDD or anything).

[MrBig]

Can someone recommend a guide or explain themselves how to go about setting up a SSD/HDD setup? Since it's an entirely new desktop, I'll be starting from scratch (i.e. won't have to worry about transferring files over from an old HDD or anything).

http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/s...-for-ssds-hdds

[keeblerdrow]

Does anyone here have any recommendations for a USB hub? I have a teeny one right now and just the weight of the cords attached to it pull it off the back of my desk making me have to fish it up just to plug or unplug things. The design of it also precludes me from being able to tape or putty the thing into place on the desk. I'm looking for something that has a little weight to it or something I can use a little putty on a bottom surface to make it stick to the desk. I don't need a lot of ports, 4 or 7 would be nice. Aesthetics are nice, but not necessary; Maybe a black or silver coloring if it works out. If there is a USB hub that can appeal to my geek sensibilities (no Tardis, please) or one that pulls double duty like one I saw on Amazon that was a pen holder and a hub, that would be fun and a possibility. I don't care about USB 3.0 in the hub so it's optional. Biggest concern: needs a decent length of chord from the back of my computer to the hub itself. 1m or more would be nice. I am trying to get some USB ports on the opposite side of the desk from where my CPU is placed.

Any suggestions? Anyone using anything currently that they just love?

[piratepwnsninja]

OK guys, I'm playing PC musical chairs with my families computers and would like to know what the order of these video cards would be, in terms of performance.

ATI Radeon 7570
ATI Radeon 4850
Nvidia 9800GT

Just trying to figure out which I put in whose machine. Thanks for any help.

[Dissonance]

Done my first build.

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB
8GB RAM
Coolmaster Haf 912 Case
Seasonic S12II 620W PSU
500GB HDD
+ monitor, OS, KB+M = $970

I'll be playing on 1440x900 because I tend to get motion sickness playing on bigger screen that close. If it matters, I live in Canada. How is my build?

[cilonen]

OK lets try this....Thanks for all the help! So this is all the crap I bought. (RAM changed though) CPU : i7 3770k Ivy Bridge CPU Cooler : Corsair H100 Motherboard : ASus P8Z77-V Deluxe RAM : G.Skill Ripjaws X Series (F3-14900CL9Q-16GBXL 4 x 4GB) SSD : Samsung 830 256 GB Power : Corsair Professional AX850 GPU : EVGA GTX 680 SC (x 2) Case : NZXT Phantom White HHD : WD 1TB Monitor : Asus VG278 Keyboard : Corsair Vengence K60 Optical Drive : LG WH12Ls39 blu-ray burner Speakers : Klipsch Promedia 2.1 Mouse : Logitech G9X Soundcard : Asus Xonar DX And this is my first ever attempt at real wiring. Once I get things all setup I will post it with my new desk/setup!

Rockin' :-)

[1-D_FTW]

OK guys, I'm playing PC musical chairs with my families computers and would like to know what the order of these video cards would be, in terms of performance. ATI Radeon 7570 ATI Radeon 4850 Nvidia 9800GT Just trying to figure out which I put in whose machine. Thanks for any help.

4850 is a little better than the 9800GT. The 7570 is an OEM only card. Who knows. I'd place money on it being last.

[Maddox]

Hey guys, my friend is looking for a PC for around £400-450 and i promised i would help him pick the parts. The only problem is i haven't kept up to date with PC hardware for the last year or so and was wondering if you lot could give me a hand?

[Hazaro]

Hey guys, my friend is looking for a PC for around £400-450 and i promised i would help him pick the parts. The only problem is i haven't kept up to date with PC hardware for the last year or so and was wondering if you lot could give me a hand?

Reading the first post is a good place to start.

[evilpigking]

Ok guys, thanks so far to everyone, few last questions.

So I've got everything in the case except the GPU which hasn't arrived yet. It looks like everything is working. Got into bios, installed windows on ssd.

So I guess the question is what else should I take care of before stating it is good to go (other than putting the gpu in)?

Are there programs I should install and run to test for errors? Update the bios? etc.

Thanks again.

I should note I have not activated windows yet. Waiting for GPU

[Fallout-NL]

What do you guys think?


This is the build that's going with the Asus DCII GTX670 TOP I've got on order. I think the Corsair case looks a little more robust than the Fractal Design R3 option.

As for the motherboard, the biostar EX3 option isn't available here. So I'm going with either Asrock or Gigabyte. Still debating whether it's worth it to spend another 40 over the cheaper Z77 boards like the Asrock Z77 Pro4 or the Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H.

In terms of room... will that motherboard/case combo properly accomodate the full sized 670?

[Shambles]

Done my first build. AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB 8GB RAM Coolmaster Haf 912 Case Seasonic S12II 620W PSU 500GB HDD + monitor, OS, KB+M = $970 I'll be playing on 1440x900 because I tend to get motion sickness playing on bigger screen that close. If it matters, I live in Canada. How is my build?

Are you buying a new motherboard or reusing an old one?

[MooMoo]

http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/s...-for-ssds-hdds

Thanks! I'll give it a look through once my parts are all here.

[DMczaf]

I'm upgrading my PC, but I am completely out of it when it comes to new CPUs. I've heard Ivy Bridge i5 runs hot compared to Sandy Bridge? I wanted to jump in to Ivy Bridge, but now I'm hesitating.

[MrBig]

I'm upgrading my PC, but I am completely out of it when it comes to new CPUs. I've heard Ivy Bridge i5 runs hot compared to Sandy Bridge? I wanted to jump in to Ivy Bridge, but now I'm hesitating.

The heat isn't the major issue, really. It is more than low enough to be managed, especially if you're going for a low or no overclock. If you can only find it for the going rate ($250 for the 3570k) then get the SB (2500k is ~$200) equivalent for much less. The performance gains aren't worth the cost at that price.

[teh_pwn]

I'm upgrading my PC, but I am completely out of it when it comes to new CPUs. I've heard Ivy Bridge i5 runs hot compared to Sandy Bridge? I wanted to jump in to Ivy Bridge, but now I'm hesitating.

Sandy can OC higher because it doesn't heat up as much with voltage. But Ivy has about 3% faster performance with clock rates equal. So at max OC they perform roughly equal. (4.5 GHz ivy, 4.8 GHz sandy on air from what I hear)

Considering Sandy CPUs are significantly cheaper than Ivy right now, go with Sandy. Though I'm not sure how Sandy OCs on Ivy chipsets so look into that. Or just avoid Ivy chipsets and get a Sandy motherboard (Z68, P67).

[suaveric]

Anyone feel like recommending some case fans? I just put together my new rig, i5 2500k with a 7850. I'm not overclocking and I'd prefer something that leans towards quiet vs performance. I need 3 120mm and one 140mm and if I could grab them off of amazon it would be great. Thanks!

[opticalmace]

Is there a general purpose laptop thread?

I was planning on replacing my old 14" dell (which I love, but the battery is shot and it's very heavy with an old core 2 duo). I was thinking of a 13" Macbook Air after the Ivy refresh. Generally would use for work (programming) and playing around on.

However, my dad offered me his 15.6" Acer. It has an AMD quad CPU, is about as heavy as the old Dell, but only has a 1366x768 display. My old Dell is 1440x900, and the MBA would be the same, which is preferable but maybe not a deal breaker. Also the Acer only gets a couple hours of battery life, versus a lot more in the MBA.

So I'm just trying to decide what to do. Take the free Acer from my dad and make do, or spend $1000+ on a Macbook later for something more portable. I have a desktop at work, so I strictly speaking don't *need* a laptop, but it would be convenient.

$1000 (or would it be more like $1200) is a lot of money when there's the option of the free, though less appropriate, laptop.

Any suggestions appreciated.

[DMczaf]

The heat isn't the major issue, really. It is more than low enough to be managed, especially if you're going for a low or no overclock. If you can only find it for the going rate ($250 for the 3570k) then get the SB (2500k is ~$200) equivalent for much less. The performance gains aren't worth the cost at that price.

Sandy can OC higher because it doesn't heat up as much with voltage. But Ivy has about 3% faster performance with clock rates equal. So at max OC they perform roughly equal. (4.5 GHz ivy, 4.8 GHz sandy on air from what I hear) Considering Sandy CPUs are significantly cheaper than Ivy right now, go with Sandy. Though I'm not sure how Sandy OCs on Ivy chipsets so look into that. Or just avoid Ivy chipsets and get a Sandy motherboard (Z68, P67).

Thanks. I was leaning toward just going with Sandy. Now it's time to start looking at mobos.

[Doc Holliday]

212 Evo question...

Am I supposed to be able to slightly shift the heat sink position. The screws feel tight enough but the heat sink can shift to the touch.

[kharma45]

whoops wrong thread!

[TheExodu5]

212 Evo question... Am I supposed to be able to slightly shift the heat sink position. The screws feel tight enough but the heat sink can shift to the touch.

That's fine.

[da_stabbah]

Thanks. I was leaning toward just going with Sandy. Now it's time to start looking at mobos.

pst....
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost...postcount=4354

I have some stuff you might be interested