Posts by boldcanyon14

Glad to see Alilovic finally getting some momentum... He was actually playing well for once. And Buntic? Total respect to him. 🙏

I just finished digging through this performance breakdown, and honestly, it’s exactly what I expected—which is to say, a bit of a headache. We’re looking at how various cards stack up, specifically testing the GTX 580 vs the rest of the field, and some of these numbers are pretty eye-rolling if you actually care about value. The comparison between the GTX 580 vs ATI Radeon hd 5770 Nvidia GT210 Nvidia GT430 Nvidia GTX460 Nvidia GTS450 ATI Radeon HD 5450 shows a massive gap, but that’s kind of the point, isn't it? If you're running an Intel i7 870, you're clearly trying to push something decent, so seeing these budget cards struggle even to break a sweat in GTA IV. is just depressing. It feels like every time a new benchmark drops, we're just chasing diminishing returns. You see the testers pushing the GTX460, and while it holds its own, it’s clear where the ceiling is. It’s the same old story: you pay a premium for top-tier performance, or you settle for something that barely keeps the frame rate steady. Nothing revolutionary here, just more data to help us realize how much money we're throwing at silicon.
I just stumbled across this piece on Visual Dreamers about the upcoming Radeon HD 5970. It’s pretty wild to think we're actually approaching this level of hardware. Honestly, looking at how fast things are moving, I can't help but feel a bit cynical about whether our current setups will even matter by the time these cards actually hit the shelves in full force. It feels like every time we get comfortable with what we have, the goalposts move again.
I’m stuck between a few options and could really use some input from the group. I've been looking at my current setup and trying to figure out if it's worth upgrading or if I should just pivot to something else entirely. The main dilemma is whether to stick with what I have or jump toward something like the GTX 460. I've also been eyeing the ATI Radeon hd 5770 Nvidia GT210 Nvidia GT430 Nvidia GTX460 Nvidia GTS450 ATI Radeon HD 5450, but I'm not sure if that's a smart move given how much things change. I'm running an Intel i7 870 right now, which is decent, but I feel like I'm hitting a wall in certain titles—specifically when I try to run GTA IV. It's frustrating because you want to enjoy the game without everything stuttering like crazy. What do you guys think? Is there a specific card that offers the best bang for my buck right now, or am I just throwing money into a black hole? Any advice would be appreciated.

This one looks solid to me. It’s got a bit more kick than your current build, which is smart if you're planning on upgrading stuff down the road..
Honestly, there isn't much to complain about here either. I wouldn't touch anything cheaper than this, assuming you can even find anything decent for less money 🙂 here's a review for the second one CLICK

And what kind of budget are we talking about here? What else is left on your parts list? 🙂

Look, if you're looking at monitors with TN panels—which is basically just code for "the cheap stuff"—you aren't going to see a massive jump in picture quality. They're all pretty much cut from the same cloth. Personally, I’d just focus on how many ports it actually has, so you aren't stuck with a paperweight down the road. Don't settle for just a VGA port; try to find something with at least DVI, or maybe even HDMI if you can swing it. Looking at these two, they both only have D-sub inputs. If that's really your only choice, then go with one of those.
Now, about the PC itself. You aren't going to be running any heavy games on this rig, but for just surfing the web, it should get the job done. Honestly, I'd rather look for something else entirely, just so I could get a DVI connection, which I'm assuming your graphics card is going to require anyway.

http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=8449
http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=9039

Damn, props to them... they absolutely crushed him. 😁
Yeah, I mean, I'm pretty sure the CX430 doesn't even hit 78% efficiency, so...

but at least it’s got an 80 Plus certificate😁

This might sound like a pretty stupid question, but why isn't there a Seasonic option listed upfront? Everyone knows they make killer power supplies, and if I recall correctly, they even manufactured some for Corsair. So... yeah. Just asking, please don't come for me. 😁
Is anyone actually going to check the front page and notice the lack of Seasonic? Because right now, Seasonic is basically the gold standard everyone recommends.

darkowl72 said:click here ---> 😁

Man, how did I manage to forget about such a solid site? Thanks for the heads-up... 😁 lmgtfy

http://www.techspot.com/review/209-ati-radeon-hd-5770/
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...r5-review.html
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon...0-review-test/

Takes all of two seconds to find on Google...
If you're actually seriously considering picking up something new, I’d personally lean toward the GeForce GTX 460 768 if I were you. From what I can gather, the prices are sitting right around...

Alright, thanks a ton. I honestly thought we were dealing with some massive underlying issue here 🙂.

AMD Phenom II X4 955be
Gigabyte 870a UD3 motherboard.
4 GB of DDR3 Kingmax.
The MSI N460 GTX Hawk. Honestly, seeing this card pop up again just brings back all those memories of trying to squeeze every last drop of performance out of aging hardware. It’s a classic, sure, but man, does it feel like a relic sometimes.
I've been looking at that Seagate BarraCuda 1 TB drive lately. Honestly, I'm not sure if it's worth the headache or if we're all just chasing ghosts at this point.

I asked because I’m still sitting on that original MSDNA account we all got back in college—it comes with its own CD key, but it only lets me download Windows 7 Professional. I was really banking on getting my hands on Ultimate, though. I've decided I'll just wipe everything and reinstall Pro from scratch, but I can't help wondering why the upgrade didn't just happen automatically. Part of me even thought maybe my graphics card was released after this version of Windows came out, so the system couldn't recognize it since I can't even get online yet. I won't be able to connect until I install the Ethernet drivers from the motherboard CD just to get some internet access, but honestly, I'm just not sure. 🙂 Look, sorry if I'm asking some rookie questions here, but this is my first time ever touching Windows 7.

I haven't actually messed around with that tool myself, but from what I gather, it’s basically just checking if your rig meets the specs to run Windows. My setup could definitely handle it, so no worries there. The thing is, nothing actually installed for me—it just sat there. Also, quick question: if I’ve got my own original Windows product key, does that work for any version, or am I stuck using it only for the specific one I bought?

So I just finished installing Windows 7 Ultimate, and the OS isn't picking up a single thing. All my buddies are telling me their graphics cards were recognized automatically right out of the box, but I’m sitting here with nothing. Anyone know what the deal is? Thanks.

Killer job, seriously. Nice one.
Yeah, I’m right there with you regarding the tension between the GTX 460 and the HD 6850. Especially now with that MSI card rocking the Twin Frozr cooler. I read somewhere that the non-overclocked versions are actually getting pretty close to the GTX 470 performance—especially when you factor in the price and power draw—which seems totally fine to me for $517. Plus, you can push the clocks way higher because that cooler is solid.

Honestly, we finally have some decent cards at decent prices. Not to mention you can snag a dual GTX 460 768MB setup for just a little more than $667, giving you great graphics for peanuts. It'd probably cost something close to $450, but this is way cheaper. And honestly, I don't think you'd even notice much difference between those two setups, except for the hit to your wallet 🙂

Alright, HUGE thanks for the advice. I think I'm actually going to go that route. Hopefully the guys over at Best Buy will be cool with putting it all together in a case without a power supply included. If that's even an option. I noticed you went back and edited your post to clear some things up for me too 😁

The guy sent me an email asking if they had any Cooler Master stock in, and they did—but now that I’m actually sending over my build specs, it’s suddenly out of stock. Great. -.- They don't have that Corsair 430W one either, and I'm pretty sure there isn't anything decent left around the $150 mark, right? (Newegg) I've already blown past my budget by $33, and if I stretch even further to grab that Corsair unit for $173, it looks like the MSI GTX 460 Hawk is going to be priced right out of the game. And that's just assuming I can even find a 460.
The dude at Newegg suggested a Corsair CX 500W as a better alternative to what I originally picked, but I really don't want that CX series. What should I do? 🙂

Quick question for you guys. Should I go with the Point of View gtx 460 for $140 or grab that MSI Hawk version for $516?
Is it actually worth paying extra for that fancy MSI overclocked model, or should I just stick with the POV? Like, would a regular user even notice a difference?
I’m debating this because I have no clue if I’d ever mess around with overclocking my own card, and I don't want to screw anything up. Maybe it’s smarter to just get one that's factory overclocked so I can have some peace of mind? Does the performance jump really feel that significant? Man, I've got a new dilemma every single day. 🙂 Thanks for the help..

I think I’m gonna pull the trigger on that Cooler Master. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't total junk before committing. Thanks a ton 🙂

Hey everyone. Finally finished putting this rig together—prices actually hit a decent spot for once. Now I’ve got a nagging question about the power supply. Since they stopped making that old Crossair CX400, which was a solid unit, it looks like this new series they're pushing isn't much to write home about. I need to figure out what's actually a good fit for my build. I'm aiming for something around $150.
CPU: Intel Phenom on Gigabyte motherboard
Motherboard: Gigabyte 870a-ud3
4 gigs of Kingmax RAM
Samsung 1TB HDD
Some random Samsung DVD burner
GeForce GTX 460 1GB
Thermaltake V3 case (though if anyone knows a better case for this price point, let me know. I've read some conflicting stuff online where people claim there are better options for the money, but nobody actually names them 😁)
I'm torn between these:
EVGA 400W, FSP400-60APN, Super Silent, 12cm
Corsair 430W, SS-430GB, S12, active PFC
Cooler Master Strider 500W, Essential ST50F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz

I was leaning towards the Cooler Master, and the first page of this thread says it's good, but then I stumbled onto some talk about how the plastic melts or something, making it super loud and causing vibrations and all that nonsense.
So, I'd love some input. I was ready to pull the trigger on everything, but then I ran into this "issue." Since I'm on a tight budget, I really want to make sure I'm spending my cash wisely. Thanks, everyone.