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Used PC builds: What are they worth? in Desktops · Jan 1, 2013

Around 2 miles...

Which PSU should I buy? in Desktops · Jan 1, 2013

Quick question for those of you running cases where the power supply sits at the bottom—how are you actually mounting it? Should I face the fan upward toward the graphics card so it can breathe directly into it, or should I flip it around? The user manual for my case shows the PSU facing downward, but won't that cause it to choke? Even though the bottom of the case has some ventilation holes to let the power supply get air, is that really enough? Any advice would be appreciated. Basically, how do you guys usually orient your power supplies?

GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post) in Desktops · Dec 29, 2012

Well, he certainly puts it nicely up to $300, but then he goes ahead and suggests a graphics card that costs twice as much.

Anyone still running Windows 7? in Software · Dec 27, 2012

It’s pretty simple—mechanical drives just can't keep up, so you aren't going to see a higher score. Honestly, I'm stuck at a 5.9 myself because of my HDD, even though it would easily hit a 7.7 or 7.8 otherwise. If that score is bugging you, just grab an SSD—you'll see that drive rating jump to a 7.9 right away.

Which PSU should I buy? in Desktops · Dec 23, 2012

Chris White61 said:Hey everyone—I’m currently putting together a new build, but I’ve run into a bit of a snag regarding the power supply.
The thing is, I’m really not sure which power supply to go with—I need something that can actually handle this build without pushing everything past its limit. Any suggestions? $1333:

Special Edition The Corsair Commander MS-I case with its single USB 3.0 port.
Special Edition MSI GF GTX650Ti Special Edition OC, 1GB DDR5, DX11 support.
Special Edition Thinking about picking up an AMD Phenom II X4 965? It’s running at 3.40GHz with 8MB of cache—plus that 125W TDP—and comes in the Special Edition box. Just something to keep in mind if you're looking at older hardware.
I've got one ASUS motherboard available—it's an AM4 setup.
Special Edition Desktop HDD from General Motors – Deskstar 7K1000.C (3.5", 1TB, 32MB, SATA II-300)
Special Edition Transcend JetRAM 4GB DDR3 1600 DIMM 9-9-9
Special Edition It’s a bit of an odd one—the ODD Samsung Super-multi DVD-RW 24x SATA in Black, the Amazon version.

So, here’s what this build is going to run me... $1222On top of that—I’d probably go with this power supply too. Fortnite Is there anything else? Logitech So, looking at the math, I'd end up paying about $3,980 all in—if that sounds right to you? $1306,
So, if anyone could give me their two cents—are these power supplies actually any good, or should I be looking at something else entirely? Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Take this advice and you’ll be set for a long time—even if the graphics card you picked has a pretty low power draw. If you decide to upgrade or swap out that GPU down the road, you won't run into any issues with your power supply, which means you won't have to shell out cash for a new one later. And honestly? Never skimp on your PSU. It’s like buying a high-end sports car and trying to save money by putting cheap hubcaps on it. 😛) I was checking out this review for an XPG power supply—specifically the X-P1 450S—and it got me thinking about how much we overlook these components sometimes. It’s one of those parts that just sits in the back of the case, right? But if it fails, everything else goes down with it. The article breaks down the build quality and efficiency, which is pretty crucial if you're trying to keep your rig stable during long gaming sessions. Does anyone else feel like we spend way too much time obsessing over GPUs while treating the PSU like an afterthought? It seems like a risky move to me. Anyway, if you're looking for something reliable for a mid-range setup, this might be worth a look. What do you guys think? Is 450W still a decent sweet spot for budget builds, or should we be aiming higher these days?

GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post) in Desktops · Dec 21, 2012

restlessseal58 said:Is there anything cheaper out there that actually works? 😁

Honestly, with that kind of budget, you aren't going to find anything better at a local big-box store.

Which PSU should I buy? in Desktops · Dec 21, 2012

Robert Rodriguez2 said:they aren't actually that bad—if anything, they've gotten worse. They definitely haven't improved.☕

In New York City, they're doing alright 😁 Not quite what they used to be, at least from what I can tell... I mean, their stuff is pretty decent for the most part.

Which PSU should I buy? in Desktops · Dec 21, 2012

Andrew Fox74 said:Man, I had one of those about 5 or 6 years ago. If I remember correctly, I paid maybe $40 for a new one at Best Buy or something similar. It worked like a charm until late last year—it’s actually still running in my buddy's rig after he swapped it out for a TX650 (which actually died once since then, but they replaced it under warranty)

I paid maybe $40 for a new one at Best Buy or something similar

General Motors isn't the mess it used to be—you know, back when they dealt with terrible suppliers? They've really turned things around over the last couple of years.

Which PSU should I buy? in Desktops · Dec 20, 2012

swiftfalcon89 said:http://www.ebay.com/itm/chieftec-power-supply-listing is this actually any good?

The power supply itself is decent enough—though I guess it all really comes down to how much wear and tear it’s already seen...

GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post) in Desktops · Dec 16, 2012

Christian Patel said:Here’s the setup:

Intel Core 2 duo e4500
4 gb ddr2 ram
500 gb hdd
400W power supply
Asrock g41c

Maybe somewhere around $50-$200

Honestly, your best bet would be to pop the case open and check the exact model of that power supply—just so we can be sure you aren't dealing with some cheap, bottom-of-the-barrel unit. As for the graphics card, this one should definitely do the trick for you. $233 Maybe try talking the guy down by at least $33? You won't find anything better than this at a local shop for $200. And if you aren't living in Washington, D.C., just have him ship it via FedEx.

GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post) in Desktops · Dec 16, 2012

Christian Patel said:Can you recommend a decent graphics card?

Fosna already gave you the lowdown—🙂 a couple of those cards you mentioned are honestly pretty terrible. You can pretty much forget about gaming on them. Why don't you just list out your full system specs and let us know what kind of budget you're working with for the GPU?

GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post) in Desktops · Dec 16, 2012

Christian Patel said:I've been watching some YouTube videos of people playing GTA 4.
My current setup is:

Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 dual core @ 2.2GHz
500 GB HDD
4 GB RAM
And I still need to pick up a graphics card.

It'll probably run okay at 800x600 resolution, right?

GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post) in Desktops · Dec 15, 2012

Henry Kim3 said:Hey everyone—could you guys recommend a solid graphics card I could find for under $83? My current one just kicked the bucket, so I'm hunting for a replacement. I'm on a pretty tight budget right now, so if you have any suggestions or know where I can grab one easily, feel free to drop a link...

I'd really appreciate the help... 🙂

Thanks... 🙂

First, let us know what your current specs are. We need to know if you're running an AGP or a PCIe card.

Anyone still running Windows 7? in Software · Dec 14, 2012

Anthony Kern80 said:I'm not quite sure where the best place to ask this is, so I figured I'd just drop it here.
Is there a way to create multiple new folders all at once through the command prompt—kind of like how you can do it in Linux?

Oh, and one more thing—does Windows 7 actually come with Movie Maker? I went looking for it earlier today, but I couldn't seem to track it down anywhere.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/releases/movie-maker

Anyone still running Windows 7? in Software · Dec 14, 2012

electrichound653 said:I've got this one question that's been bugging me forever—honestly, God knows how long. So, my PC is running Windows 7. It's actually great, but since the machine was originally built for XP, I was wondering if there's any way to "downgrade" from 7 back to XP?

Why would you even want to switch to an older OS if your computer is powerful enough to handle Windows 7 just fine?

Which PSU should I buy? in Desktops · Dec 12, 2012

analogmarlin4 said:I haven't picked one up yet—I was leaning towards the
Corsair 430 or maybe the
Silverstone strider 500 w (though I heard that one isn't quite as efficient)

You could actually go with this one too...

Which PSU should I buy? in Desktops · Dec 12, 2012

analogmarlin4 said:What kind of PSU should I get for an MSI 780 Hawk?
http://images.tweaktown.com/content/...ard_review.png

Idle: 246W
Load: 470W

Is 450W enough?

Technically, 450W might cut it, but it really depends on the quality of the unit you're looking at. What specific model are you thinking about using?

How do I use Multi-Quote? in Forum Help! · Dec 12, 2012

[QUOTE="cosmicskipper39, post: 382206, member: 654"]You can even do it "manually" if you want.
AltGr + F = [
AltGr + G = ]
Just type this at the start:
[quote.] (leave out the period)
Then wrap it up with this at the end:
[/quote.](no period here either)

jadetrucker43 said:If you’re looking to pull in a few different posts at once, just hit that "Multi-Quote" option—it's right there next to the standard Quote button—for every message you want to reference, except for the very last one. Once you've tagged them all, just click the regular Quote button on that final post. Everything should automatically wrap itself in those quote tags, giving you the freedom to clean up any fluff, bold the parts that actually matter, or slide your own commentary in between the blocks of text. It's pretty straightforward, really.

Dynamo[/QUOTE]

How do I use Multi-Quote? in Forum Help! · Dec 12, 2012

Michael Smith41 said:just practicing

Robert Garcia37 said:🤣

Robert Garcia37 said:
gonna try 😁

yeah, just like this

Dynamo

GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post) in Desktops · Dec 11, 2012

Save up your cash—honestly, for $167 it's probably not worth the headache if you want to actually enjoy yourself. I mean, if you're just playing at a super low resolution, then maybe a 6670
would cut it.