Posts by Brian Kern40

So, a buddy of mine wants to play Call of Duty, Middle Earth: SoM, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and stuff like that, but his current rig is totally struggling—he's stuck on medium settings with constant stuttering. He’s got an HDD and 8GB of RAM he can reuse, and his budget is capped at $350. Should he just grab a GTX 1050 Ti to pair with that build crimsonstag84 suggested in the other thread, since he won't need to shell out for more RAM?

Dell Inspiron 12cm case cooler
Corsair ATX power supply, 85% efficiency, active, bulk
Intel Core i3
ASUS Motherboard (SAM4, 2xDDR4, PCI-Ex16, 2xPCI-Ex1, USB3.1, USB2.0, 4xSATA III, M.2, Raid)$169
Alienware Aurora case without PSU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

If my math is right, that should still fit within his budget.

wiredotter14 said:It's a solid combo, provided it fits your budget.

It doesn't, but honestly, who needs groceries? 😁 I'll just tighten my belt a little and make it work. Or I might just grab a single stick of RAM now and easily order another one later. My only question is how do I actually request a pre-built assembly? When I was browsing online, they offered free shipping, but there was nothing about them putting the PC together for me. Do I have to specifically ask them via email or something?

crimsonstag84 said:Seagate Barracuda 1 TB SATAIII 2 x
2x Crucial Ballistix Sport LT Red 8GB DDR4-2400 UDIMM
ADATA Ultimate SU800 128GB Serial ATA III SSD
Zalman Z1
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
ASRock AB350M Pro4
XFX 500W XT 80+ Bronze

So, does this setup paired with an EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti work well together? 😁

crimsonstag84 said:I didn't factor in the discount, you might have entered something wrong 😛 Maybe the motherboard? That would explain the price gap...

https://www.amazon.com/amd-maticne-p...350m-pro4.html

AB350M-Pro4

True, my bad.
I'm just stuck on this graphics card. Could I pick a different one from another shop and still have them build the whole rig for me? I was thinking about grabbing the 4GB version instead:
https://www.bestbuy.com/vga-sapphire-r...rce=nabava.net

I just added everything to my cart, but the shipping is hitting $5 $172, which honestly feels like too much. I really can't go over a total of $5,200. I might end up recording some gameplay on this rig too, so now I'm wondering if it’s smarter to grab a better GPU and just settle for a slightly weaker CPU instead.

I was actually a little nervous about that too. Honestly, does it even make sense to go with Intel when we're talking such tiny amounts of money? Do you have a better suggestion? Ideally something I can just grab from a local Best Buy or order on Amazon. Thanks in advance 🙂

I just got a $5,000 offer from some guy who builds custom rigs, but since I can't find half these parts at Best Buy or anywhere else locally, I’m having a hard time figuring out if he's giving me a fair deal or just trying to rip me off.
Basically, I’d be using this machine mostly for video editing (Adobe Premiere Pro and stuff like that), Adobe Photoshop, and gaming.
The specs aren't set in stone yet—it would probably go with 16 gigs of RAM and a smaller SSD instead.

So, here’s the deal: I went down to Chase to set up my online banking, and the guy tells me, "Hey, you should just grab this student package; you'll get all the fees waived for $1.75 and you'll even get an American Express." I figured, why not? Fine. But then I head over to pick up my card, only to realize I apparently have a Visa Electron now. Why on earth do I suddenly have three different cards just because of one Visa Inspire linked to my checking account? Which one of these three am I actually supposed to use for shopping online, and what's the point of having an American Express if I've already got this Visa Electron? I am completely lost.

I heard we can't stay on our parents' insurance until we're 26 anymore, and now apparently we have to grab a proof of enrollment from our college and head down to the Social Security Administration by September 30th. I'm honestly lost—does anyone know what other forms I actually need? Do I need to print anything out myself? Also, how am I supposed to be classified in their system since I'm still a full-time student and don't have a job yet?

My old card was PCI Express, and since I'm running on integrated graphics right now, CPU-Z isn't showing whether I need PCI Express or AGP. It's probably PCI Express, right? Right.

Short version:
AMD X2 dual Core Processor 5400, MMX, 3DNow (2 CPUs), ~2.8GHz
2 gigs of RAM
Biostar motherboard
My old GeForce 9500 GT died (well, I think so, because the display issues stopped once I switched to integrated)

Nvidia GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 (chipset)

If you guys need anything else, I'll add it. Budget is up to $333. Any local shops here in Washington, D.C. are fine, as long as they aren't strictly online retailers. Ideally, I'd want a card good enough to run Skyrim on medium settings—that's pretty much the peak of my gaming ambitions.

Thanks in advance. I'm a total amateur when it comes to hardware, so any help would be appreciated. *thumbsup and all that*

Honestly, I’ve been avoiding dairy because I kept reading everywhere that it makes cramps worse. But this time, I drank regular cold milk for a few days leading up to my period, and I felt so much better that for about two hours out of those three days, the pain was actually manageable. It wasn't perfect, but normally my cramps are way more intense and last longer—I usually spend all three days stuck in bed if I can get away with it. This is the first time in years it's been this easy. The only other time I felt relief was when I took some Advil because I was traveling, which helped too. Has anyone else experienced this? I don't want to start putting milk on a pedestal just in case it was a fluke, especially since I didn't change anything else regarding my diet or habits.

Alex Thomas27 said:So, for the last few months, I’ve been cutting out dairy a few days before my period starts, and honestly, it actually helps. One time, I totally forgot my cycle was coming up the next day and treated myself to a milk pudding; predictably, the cramps hit just as hard as they always do. Even if I eat something like tiramisu on the very first day, I still feel the pain the following day (even though it's not technically the start). I’ve had my stomach act up twice now, both times because I wasn't watching the dairy intake.

Ladies, you might want to try skipping the dairy for a couple of days right before your period hits. I’m not saying go full vegan and quit milk forever, just maybe take a break for those few specific days. 🙂

You definitely need to cut down on sweets and ditch the coffee too. It seems to be working for me this time—I wasn't reduced to tears, just dealing with a dull, annoying ache, which is way better than what I've dealt with lately. Also, am I the only one who deals with totally messed up digestion along with these cramps? Sometimes it feels like my gut is hurting more than anything else.

Last time, I was given Ibuprofen packets and Spasmex. Honestly? They didn't do a damn thing. I couldn't even make it to my classes at the university, and I can't afford to miss more since I’m only allowed one absence from my labs. It hurt so badly this time that I actually cried; just thinking about the pain right now makes me want to tear up again. I tried everything—heating pads, chamomile tea, curling up in the fetal position, stomach massages—I don't even know what else there is to try. This time around, I'm cutting out coffee and sweets, and I might try exercising, though I’m terrified it won't make any difference. Quick question: if I need testing for birth control pills, do I have to see both my primary doctor and a gynecologist, or can my GP just write the referral? Also, now that I'm over 18, where am I supposed to go for a checkup? When I was younger, I used to go to the clinic on 5th Avenue.

Ever since seventh grade, my stomach cramps have been absolutely brutal. There was a period where I was actually throwing up, too, though thankfully that part finally stopped. I’ve cycled through every pill imaginable, from Advil to Aleve, but it doesn't change the reality: I have to stay home on day one, and by day three, I’m still popping pills every five hours just to function. A couple of years ago, I went to see a specialist at a clinic in Chicago for an ultrasound, and she told me my uterus is underdeveloped—basically saying it’ll stay this way until I give birth. On top of all that, my lower back is killing me and my digestion is a total mess.
This month, I had to see a male doctor who recommended birth control pills. Honestly, I’d really rather avoid that; when I was on Duphaston, my mood swings were a nightmare—everything from unbearable rage to crying for two hours straight for no reason. Just so you know, heating pads do nothing for me, and taking a hot shower actually makes the pain worse. Does anyone have any actual advice?