Initial D World - Discussion Board / Forums
   
Welcome Guest ( Log In | Register )Resend Validation Email

DJ Panel ( Server Stats )   Song History   Initial D World Chat Room (Discord)   Broadband Stream
RADIO BROADCAST » streaming at 96kbps with 4 unique listeners, playing m.o.v.e - LET'S ROCK!!

       

  Important Rules
• Please do NOT post knowingly false information. Violators will be issued an actual warning.
• Please do NOT copy and paste articles from other websites. Link and short description is ok, but please do not copy and paste pages of info. Violator will be issued a verbal warning.
• Do NOT post any torrents and/or links to pirated copies of software here. Violator will be issued a verbal warning.
• Discussions about illegal materials such as ROMs, WAREZ and methods of copying copyrighted materials are not encouraged in this subforum.

» FORUM MODERATOR : FORUM MODERATOR

2 Pages  1 2  ( Go to first unread post )

Views: 5,305  ·  Replies: 29 
> Need advice, Looking to build a decent gaming rig
brian mayhem
  Posted: Jun 25 2011, 11:47 AM


IDW Goldmember
**********

Group: Advanced Members
Posts: 4,294
Member No.: 13,958
Joined: Oct 22nd 2005
Location: Binghamton, New York





I have never look into getting a decent build going until after attending MLG Columbus. The crowd for SC2 was unreal and I have decided to get into it.

Problem is my laptop is ancient and It cannot really handle much. So, I was looking at some of the prebuilds you can get from various websites like velocitymicro, tigerdirect, and cyberpower.

I dont have much of a budget to work with because of the baby being on the way.. No real preferences in terms of case appearance, but I'd like enough to run SC2, Steam games, and to run a HDPVR and Black Magic Intensity for use on TwitchTV, JTV.

Any takers?
Lebon14
Posted: Jun 25 2011, 01:07 PM


🎧
**********

Group: Advanced Members
Posts: 6,594
Member No.: 18,005
Joined: May 25th 2006
Location: Canada





Well, I'm pretty sure you can find a nice combo with latest Intel CPUs.

I went on Velocity Micro and chose the cheapest gaming machine :
http://www.velocitymicro.com/wizard.php?iid=157

It was good but.......... there's no graphics! (well, on-board sucks for gaming)
I would select the Nvidia GeForce GTX550 Ti. OK performance and OK price.

The price is 1054$.

Again on that site, you could go out of the gaming section and try the "Home & Digital Media" for cheaper computers.

-> Selected cheapest "Vector" computer
+Changed CPU cooler for 25$
+Added a graphic card (go gor the GTX450)
984$

The cheapest is an AMD Athlon II Setup. It's OK but the thing is, for recommanded graphics for Starcraft 2, on cheaper setup, they offer only cheap settings so... EDIT : Well, they offer the AMD Radeon 4850. Does the job. But upgrading that CPU for a quad-core for 85$ might be a deal and... upgrade that Power Supply to 550Watts because if you wanna upgrade later, you won't hit a "I don't have enough juice" wall. And 25$... With those two upgrades, it's 809$.

Anyway, a good tip for you is check the Intel setups (any Core i CPUs) with anything except integrated graphics. If you want an AMD setup, check out Phenom II setups with dedicated graphics (NOT integrated).

Peace out.

This post has been edited by Lebon14 on Jun 25 2011, 01:11 PM
Proud Contributor of IDW Forums and the Music Section Revival Project
Kiroshino
Posted: Jul 5 2011, 05:41 PM


IDW Goldmember
Group Icon

Group: FORUM MODERATOR
Posts: 2,453
Member No.: 34,203
Joined: Oct 22nd 2009
Location: NJ, USA





System Builder Marathon, March 2011: $500 Gaming PC
Though now the Phenom II x4 955 and/or 965 Black Edition comes to about the same price. My choice would be upgrading to a 890FXA motherboard for some future potential, and the power supply to at least 550W. New Egg usually has some good deals on power supplies; just ordered an Antec 750W for $55 after rebate.

System Builder Marathon, June 2011: $500 Gaming PC
Pretty much an Intel i3 version of the above.

You can also find decent used set-ups on Ebay for under $500 if you're a little patient. You can also find used graphic cards on Ebay for under $100 (ie 4850x2, 4870x2, 200 and 400 series GTX, etc.).

Keep in mind that I have very little experience in building computers. This is just from my own research over the past few weeks.

This post has been edited by Kiroshino on Jul 5 2011, 05:41 PM
Type 100
Posted: Jul 5 2011, 05:49 PM


IDW Senior Member
*****

Group: Members
Posts: 93
Member No.: 37,520
Joined: Jun 21st 2011
Location: aboard the Argama





You'll want a good CPU to run StarCraft 2. The GPU will boost running everything else you like on Steam.

Try building your own rig.

The SBM June 2011 $500 Gaming rig mentioned above looks good and well-balanced for the purpose. Intel's current Sandy Bridge CPUs run rings around AMD's aging Phenoms; even the cheapest Core i3-2100 or i3-2105 should be enough.

If you can spend a little more on the GPU, a decent GTX560 card should be better than the 6850 for a similar price point.

This post has been edited by Type 100 on Jul 5 2011, 05:52 PM
Lebon14
Posted: Jul 5 2011, 05:53 PM


🎧
**********

Group: Advanced Members
Posts: 6,594
Member No.: 18,005
Joined: May 25th 2006
Location: Canada





I like the Core i3 Sandy-bridge rig. Nice cheap future proof rig right there.

This post has been edited by Lebon14 on Jul 5 2011, 06:01 PM
Proud Contributor of IDW Forums and the Music Section Revival Project
Type 100
Posted: Jul 5 2011, 08:07 PM


IDW Senior Member
*****

Group: Members
Posts: 93
Member No.: 37,520
Joined: Jun 21st 2011
Location: aboard the Argama





Just in case you need help with actually building your own PC:
http://techreport.com/articles.x/13671
Kiroshino
Posted: Jul 6 2011, 03:24 AM


IDW Goldmember
Group Icon

Group: FORUM MODERATOR
Posts: 2,453
Member No.: 34,203
Joined: Oct 22nd 2009
Location: NJ, USA





That article really comes in handy for me. Thanks for the share! happy.gif

Something I noticed right away: I put way too much thermal compound between the CPU and heat sink. Any adverse affects of this?
outlaw-2
Posted: Jul 6 2011, 11:22 AM


Always Lurking...
**********

Group: Advanced Members
Posts: 1,760
Member No.: 20,050
Joined: Sep 6th 2006
Location: Singapore





QUOTE (Kiroshino @ 7 hours, 58 minutes ago)
That article really comes in handy for me. Thanks for the share! happy.gif

Something I noticed right away: I put way too much thermal compound between the CPU and heat sink. Any adverse affects of this?

Yes, and in a bad way. instead of transferring heat to the heatsink, too much of it makes it act like an insulator, producing more heat. I recommend you to take it out, wipe off and clean the surfaces with a cloth and isopropyl alcohol. Recommended amount would be something like a small pea-size.

Some vids about how the thermal compound spreads...

YOUTUBE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXLu1Ms-q4 )


One problem about having too much thermal compound.

YOUTUBE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzXWxCZBVLI )


But I got to ask, what's your heatsink model, and what thermal compound are you using?

For me, I'm using Arctic Cooling MX-4 here and a Coolermaster Hyper TX-3.
Type 100
Posted: Jul 6 2011, 04:29 PM


IDW Senior Member
*****

Group: Members
Posts: 93
Member No.: 37,520
Joined: Jun 21st 2011
Location: aboard the Argama





Kiroshino: No problem, glad to help out a fellow builder.
I've yet to build a rig from scratch myself, but I've dismantled my existing Core 2 Quad Q6600 rig down to the motherboard to put on a heatsink. I'm also planning a Sandy Bridge-based build.

outlaw2: Nice choice. The Hyper TX3 is pretty good for its size and price; that's what I used on my Q6600. It's great for smaller cases that won't accommodate a typical ~160mm-high heatsink.

This post has been edited by Type 100 on Jul 6 2011, 04:29 PM
Kiroshino
Posted: Jul 6 2011, 05:09 PM


IDW Goldmember
Group Icon

Group: FORUM MODERATOR
Posts: 2,453
Member No.: 34,203
Joined: Oct 22nd 2009
Location: NJ, USA





The one I used too much of: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835100007

The one I just bought: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835100017

Just using whatever came stock with the processors. My cousin overclocked the Phenom II x4 940 BE to 3.5Ghz and hasn't had any problems. I run the Phenom x4 9550 stock and it's been fine.

I was originally thinking of swapping the heat sink out for a Cooler Master Hyper 212+. Seems to get good reviews.
Lebon14
Posted: Jul 6 2011, 11:55 PM


🎧
**********

Group: Advanced Members
Posts: 6,594
Member No.: 18,005
Joined: May 25th 2006
Location: Canada





QUOTE (Kiroshino @ 6 hours, 45 minutes ago)
The one I used too much of: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835100007

The one I just bought: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835100017

Just using whatever came stock with the processors. My cousin overclocked the Phenom II x4 940 BE to 3.5Ghz and hasn't had any problems. I run the Phenom x4 9550 stock and it's been fine.

I was originally thinking of swapping the heat sink out for a Cooler Master Hyper 212+. Seems to get good reviews.

I'm using the Arctic Silver thermal compound here. No problems at all! I don't know why you changed thermal compound... just remove it and try again.
Proud Contributor of IDW Forums and the Music Section Revival Project
outlaw-2
Posted: Jul 7 2011, 12:06 AM


Always Lurking...
**********

Group: Advanced Members
Posts: 1,760
Member No.: 20,050
Joined: Sep 6th 2006
Location: Singapore





QUOTE (Type 100 @ 7 hours, 37 minutes ago)
Kiroshino: No problem, glad to help out a fellow builder.
I've yet to build a rig from scratch myself, but I've dismantled my existing Core 2 Quad Q6600 rig down to the motherboard to put on a heatsink. I'm also planning a Sandy Bridge-based build.

outlaw2: Nice choice. The Hyper TX3 is pretty good for its size and price; that's what I used on my Q6600. It's great for smaller cases that won't accommodate a typical ~160mm-high heatsink.

Well, funny thing is that I used the Hyper TX-3 in the push-pull configuration, the 2nd fan being a Zalman. Though, my processor is an AMD Phenom II X6 1100T O_o.

And Kiroshino, you kidding me? Arctic Silver 5 is one of the best thermal compounds ever, though its biggest disadvantages would be its conductivity with the electrical components, and the fact that you need at least 200 hours of curing time for the compound to settle in before it can really perform.

At least you made a good move choosing the Arctic Ceramique thermal compound. The other alternatives you might want to have a look would be the Arctic Cooling MX-2, and MX-4.

MX-4 review
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/986/...erformance.html

MX-3, MX-2, and Gelid GC-2 review comparison
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/798/...erformance.html

And once again, another good move choosing the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ as well, just that you might need to put a tad more thermal compound as it has small ridges between the copper pipes and the flat surface. My Hyper TX-3 has the same issue as well, and I added a tad more of the thermal compound so it'll fill up the ridges.

And Type 100, well, my casing could accommodate bigger heatsinks. (Ikonik SOHO1 here), just that I wanted some accessibility to some components. I'd even chose the Hyper 212+ if my mobo's components were more spread out. (Biostar A780L3G mobo here)

Kiroshino
Posted: Jul 7 2011, 10:03 AM


IDW Goldmember
Group Icon

Group: FORUM MODERATOR
Posts: 2,453
Member No.: 34,203
Joined: Oct 22nd 2009
Location: NJ, USA





QUOTE (Lebon14 @ Today, 2:55 AM)
I don't know why you changed thermal compound... just remove it and try again.

Ran out. I thought you were supposed to use the whole tube. >.<

Just wanted something cheaper. The Ceramique should do a decent enough job.

200 hours of running time to cure, or just time? If it's the former, that means I should still be able to pull the CPU off the heatsink...

And I never bought the Hyper 212+. Just was thinking about it, but since stock has proven to work for the past few years, I don't think I need to change it.
outlaw-2
Posted: Jul 7 2011, 12:06 PM


Always Lurking...
**********

Group: Advanced Members
Posts: 1,760
Member No.: 20,050
Joined: Sep 6th 2006
Location: Singapore





QUOTE (Kiroshino @ 2 hours, 3 minutes ago)

200 hours of running time to cure, or just time?

200 hours of running time I was meant to say. Sorry about that.
Kiroshino
Posted: Jul 7 2011, 07:46 PM


IDW Goldmember
Group Icon

Group: FORUM MODERATOR
Posts: 2,453
Member No.: 34,203
Joined: Oct 22nd 2009
Location: NJ, USA





Well, it came off with a little effort. Bent a few pins in the process. Straightened them out and the system booted, but I did get a BSoD... :/

Power supply I got was way too big for the HPE case. Broke the case face plate and the quick connect latches for the optical drive in the process of installation. Motherboard was definitely not set up for a huge graphics card. It manages to cover all of my SATA ports. I forced a couple in, but the GPU fan has been cutting up the SATA cables.

No problems with the custom rig yet except slow boot times.

Do case fans blow into or out of the case?

Edit:

Apparently, rear fans are supposed to suck air out of the case. I'll need to reverse that tomorrow. Shouldn't be too much of a problem in the mean time.

This post has been edited by Kiroshino on Jul 7 2011, 09:37 PM
Type 100
Posted: Jul 7 2011, 10:32 PM


IDW Senior Member
*****

Group: Members
Posts: 93
Member No.: 37,520
Joined: Jun 21st 2011
Location: aboard the Argama





QUOTE (Kiroshino @ 2 hours, 45 minutes ago)
Do case fans blow into or out of the case?

It depends on mounting position and on what you want to achieve.

Conventional wisdom states the following:
Front = intake
Bottom = intake
Rear = exhaust
Top = exhaust

The rear fan mount is almost always an exhaust. However I've heard of people doing things differently with the other fan mounting locations.
khat17
Posted: Jul 12 2011, 04:07 PM


IDW SIMPLETON
**********

Group: Advanced Members
Posts: 1,168
Member No.: 17,668
Joined: May 7th 2006
Location: Mandeville, Jamaica





I'm late on this and it's all been answered already, so I'm jumping in and right back out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7rPqCvCt0g

Personally I use the spread method. Sometimes I also spread some on the heat sink depending on the scenario, but most times it's just on the CPU.

Any of the products by Arctic Silver or OCZ will work IMO.

As for your fans - as mentioned above you can place them according to your needs.

http://www.iceteks.com/articles.php/casecooling/1

http://www.heatsink-guide.com/casecool.htm
Kiroshino
Posted: Jul 21 2011, 06:37 AM


IDW Goldmember
Group Icon

Group: FORUM MODERATOR
Posts: 2,453
Member No.: 34,203
Joined: Oct 22nd 2009
Location: NJ, USA





FallOut 3 freezes on me after an hour of playing. I think something is overheating 'cause air flow is pretty much non-existent in my current case. Should really get a new case, preferably with a bottom-mounted PSU and enough room to handle regular-sized ATX boards. Or, just take the PSU and GPU out, put back the old stuff, and start building from scratch.
Sensation!
Posted: Jul 21 2011, 07:36 AM


As expected of country grown vegetables
Group Icon

Group: Special Snowflake
Posts: 2,330
Member No.: 19,520
Joined: Aug 14th 2006
Location: Redondo Beach, CA.





Turn up the fan on your graphics card and see if that'll fix it. For long gaming sessions, i never leave my cards on auto, i usually crank the fans up to 70-100%

most heat related gaming crashes are usually the GPU, so giving it a helping hand might eliminate your issue. I also wouldn't worry about the life of the fan either, as long as you aren't leaving it at 100% constantly, you'll be replacing it because it became obsolete rather than a hardware failure.

also, a new case that sounds like it can hold plain standard ATX sounds like a good idea lol
Kiroshino
Posted: Jul 21 2011, 08:00 AM


IDW Goldmember
Group Icon

Group: FORUM MODERATOR
Posts: 2,453
Member No.: 34,203
Joined: Oct 22nd 2009
Location: NJ, USA





Dumb question, but is that something you do in the BIOS or is there a utility for that?

Yeah, my current case only fits micro-ATX, the reason why it's so cramped.

Edit:

Picked up an old Gateway Essentials case from 1999 thinking I could use it. Other than being a very solid case, the whole thing was held together either by rivets or plates of steel, including the motherboard mounts and I/O plate. Rear fan was probably a 80cm, which I don't have. That was a bummer.

Then, I went to my computer, took out the PSU and GPU, swapped back in the original PSU, and gave it back to my dad. Should work fine now as a desktop web browser.

This post has been edited by Kiroshino on Jul 21 2011, 07:01 PM
Type 100
Posted: Jul 22 2011, 04:40 AM


IDW Senior Member
*****

Group: Members
Posts: 93
Member No.: 37,520
Joined: Jun 21st 2011
Location: aboard the Argama





QUOTE (Kiroshino @ Yesterday, 8:00 AM)
Dumb question, but is that something you do in the BIOS or is there a utility for that?

I'm not sure if it can tweak GPU cooling, but for almost everything else inside a PC case you can try out SpeedFan. It'll link up with the thermistors on your hardware (CPU, hard disks, GPU) so you can monitor temperatures, and you can tweak the speeds of your case fans if they're hooked up to the fan headers on your motherboard.

HWMonitor does the same thing but lacks fan control, as far as I know. It's usually for recording minimum and maximum temperatures per component, so it's more of a benchmarking tool.

Both utilities are free to download.

Some newer motherboards indeed have their own fan-control utilities in the BIOS, but it's more of an enthusiast-level feature. On cheaper mobos the most you'll get is real-time fan speed tracking.

Now if you want more control over your GPU, there are popular programs written for just them. MSI's Afterburner is the most popular one I know, but I have no idea if it's free.

HTH

This post has been edited by Type 100 on Jul 22 2011, 04:42 AM
Shirogane
Posted: Aug 5 2011, 10:50 PM


SCREEEEEEECHING INTENSIFIES
**********

Group: Advanced Members
Posts: 5,595
Member No.: 17,722
Joined: May 10th 2006
Location: Washington





Thought I'd post in here just to save some time, though I, too, am looking for a gaming computer, and someone had gave me a link to "CyberPowerPC." I am a bit skeptical when it comes to online stores, though here's what I made up just for shits and giggles.

SPOILER

(Kind of a little archaic, I know.)
The problem for me, is whether to take the dive and dish out $970 total (Shipping is included), or to go to a store and either buy a prebuilt or buy components. I'm kind of stuck in between.
Lebon14
Posted: Aug 6 2011, 09:59 AM


🎧
**********

Group: Advanced Members
Posts: 6,594
Member No.: 18,005
Joined: May 25th 2006
Location: Canada





It's not that archaic... the CPU, AMD A8-3850, is pretty new. But, it's far from being better than Intel's CPUs. The whole thing should do the job for most of today's games.
Proud Contributor of IDW Forums and the Music Section Revival Project
Shirogane
Posted: Aug 6 2011, 12:56 PM


SCREEEEEEECHING INTENSIFIES
**********

Group: Advanced Members
Posts: 5,595
Member No.: 17,722
Joined: May 10th 2006
Location: Washington





QUOTE (Lebon14 @ 2 hours, 56 minutes ago)
It's not that archaic... the CPU, AMD A8-3850, is pretty new. But, it's far from being better than Intel's CPUs. The whole thing should do the job for most of today's games.

I meant how the list is made. laugh.gif

But still, I'm faced with a dilemma. There are three ways I can do this:
  • Buy said computer via CyberPower for the first time
  • Go to this one store that is similarly priced but with new speakers thrown in
  • Go to Fry's and buy the components themselves and use an old case

That just made me indecisive.
khat17
Posted: Aug 6 2011, 01:09 PM


IDW SIMPLETON
**********

Group: Advanced Members
Posts: 1,168
Member No.: 17,668
Joined: May 7th 2006
Location: Mandeville, Jamaica





QUOTE (Kiroshino @ Jul 21 2011, 08:00 AM)
Dumb question, but is that something you do in the BIOS or is there a utility for that?

Yeah, my current case only fits micro-ATX, the reason why it's so cramped.

Edit:

Picked up an old Gateway Essentials case from 1999 thinking I could use it. Other than being a very solid case, the whole thing was held together either by rivets or plates of steel, including the motherboard mounts and I/O plate. Rear fan was probably a 80cm, which I don't have. That was a bummer.

Then, I went to my computer, took out the PSU and GPU, swapped back in the original PSU, and gave it back to my dad. Should work fine now as a desktop web browser.

You can set the fan speeds on ATI cards.

user posted image

Not sure about the nVidia cards as I don't have one anymore.

2 Pages  1 2