Posts by swiftpilot

Six installments? Honestly, feels like a bit much if you ask me. It’d be way better if you could just snag a loan and pay the whole thing upfront in cash.

So, I've got a question for you guys. A buddy of mine borrowed my old external drive—you know, that little 300GB WD one you used to get bundled with your Comcast service back in the day. Well, he went ahead and wiped everything on it. He was messing around with his Windows installation and had to move stuff around, so he just dumped his own files right over mine. Now I'm sitting here wondering: is there actually any way to get my stuff back, or am I just staring at a digital graveyard?

granitehound7 said:Honestly, it might be worth shelling out a few extra bucks to just grab the gamepad Logitech F310. It’s probably only like twenty bucks more than what you were looking at anyway.

In the end, I think I'm just gonna go for an Xbox controller. Now I'm just stuck wondering if anyone actually sells an Xbox ONE version anymore—all I can find online is the old 360 stuff.

Grace Peterson17 said:I’ve got the exact same setup—the Z11 Plus—and let me tell you, I can hear those fans loud and clear. It's probably because my room is pretty small and it stays dead quiet in here most of the time, but still... I honestly don't know why I haven't upgraded to some aftermarket fans yet. I think my bank account is probably the only thing standing in my way at this point... though if I could, I'd go for something as smooth and silent as a Burmese python 😉

The thing is, before this rig, I was running some absolute junk that sounded like a fighter jet taking off right next to my ear. Once you've lived through that kind of noise, it's hard not to notice even the slightest hum from a decent machine.

Great, now I just need someone to point me toward a decent LCD display for my case

David Sanders4 said:And don't forget to tuck a few Voltron, X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, or Transformers figures inside the PC cases

hahaha honestly, might as well just throw my pet cat in there at this point.🤣

Grace Peterson17 said:Just a heads-up though—those Enermax fans can get pretty loud, so if you don't mind the noise, go for it... otherwise, you might want to consider the new AF series from Corsair. They have LED options in red, blue, and white, and honestly, they're quite quiet and really high quality...

Corsair Air Series AF120mm led, COR-CO-9050015-WLED

$23 Centro.hr

Honestly, looking at the reviews on YouTube, they seem pretty quiet to me. I can barely hear my Zalman stock fans as it is, so I'm betting noise won't be an issue. And man, once I saw those Enermax ones, I was sold immediately. Wouldn't even look at anything else after seeing them. So yeah, thanks for the tip on the Corsair fans.

I'm gonna pull the trigger on these. Look at them, they're absolute beasts, right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3WUebScJAE

They've got them at Walmart, and they aren't even breaking the bank. I'm planning to grab these 120mm ones first, then hunt down some 140mm and 80mm versions later:
1x140mm blue front
2x80mm blue side
2x120mm blue top$50
1x120mm red rear$25
1x120mm red bottom$25

Alex Barnes93 said:Wait, was it actually necessary to quote my own post when nobody even replied in the meantime?

Look, I don't give a damn if I used a quote or not. Honestly, why are you even sweating this? What kind of role does that play in reality??😕

swiftpilot said:So, here’s the vision: I’m planning a total visual overhaul for my rig. We're talking LEDs, RGB fans, the whole nine yards. I’ve been eyeing some Enermax fans—they look absolutely killer—and I’m thinking about ripping out every single fan currently sitting in my case (which is a Zalman Z11 Plus) and swapping them all for Enermax gear. My master plan? Grab one red T.B. Apollish for the rear exhaust, then load up on the blue T.B. Apollish versions for the top, the front, and those side intakes. Oh, and I want to mount a little display on the front panel to track CPU, GPU, and motherboard temps in real-time. Here’s the catch: I bought this machine from Boeing about five months ago. Since everything is still under warranty, I’m terrified to crack the case open myself and void everything. If I take it in there, would they handle the install for me? I figured if I pay for their labor hours, they’d be down to do it—that's what they told me when I asked about swapping out a CPU cooler. Also, I’m debating whether to pull the trigger on a Corsair H100i liquid cooler. The problem is, I’m worried the radiator might hog the exact spot I’ve reserved for those Enermax fans. I was wondering if there’s a way to mount the radiator outside the case, or if anyone has a better suggestion for a workaround. Last thing—where can I actually find these Enermax fans? If they aren't stocked at any local shops here in the States, I don't mind ordering from abroad if it keeps the price from being insane. Alright, let's hear it. Lay it on me!

This is basically how I’ve got it pictured in my head, just with different colored fans and without any stickers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLJrJU-D-fo

My build:
Motherboard-MSI G45 Gaming
CPU-Intel i5 4670k
GPU-MSI GTX 760 TF OC
RAM-Kingston HyperX Genesis 2x4GB
HDD-WD Red 1TB
PSU-XFX Pro 550W
GPU Brand-ASUS
Case-Zalman Z11 Plus

So, here’s the vision: I’m planning a total visual overhaul for my rig. We're talking LEDs, RGB fans, the whole nine yards. I’ve been eyeing some Enermax fans—they look absolutely killer—and I’m thinking about ripping out every single fan currently sitting in my case (which is a Zalman Z11 Plus) and swapping them all for Enermax gear. My master plan? Grab one red T.B. Apollish for the rear exhaust, then load up on the blue T.B. Apollish versions for the top, the front, and those side intakes. Oh, and I want to mount a little display on the front panel to track CPU, GPU, and motherboard temps in real-time. Here’s the catch: I bought this machine from Boeing about five months ago. Since everything is still under warranty, I’m terrified to crack the case open myself and void everything. If I take it in there, would they handle the install for me? I figured if I pay for their labor hours, they’d be down to do it—that's what they told me when I asked about swapping out a CPU cooler. Also, I’m debating whether to pull the trigger on a Corsair H100i liquid cooler. The problem is, I’m worried the radiator might hog the exact spot I’ve reserved for those Enermax fans. I was wondering if there’s a way to mount the radiator outside the case, or if anyone has a better suggestion for a workaround. Last thing—where can I actually find these Enermax fans? If they aren't stocked at any local shops here in the States, I don't mind ordering from abroad if it keeps the price from being insane. Alright, let's hear it. Lay it on me!

I’m planning on installing Windows 8.1 tomorrow, though I’m sitting here wondering if it even matters when it comes to whether my controller will actually work with different versions of Windows

I’m hunting for a decent PC joystick, maybe something in the $50 range if I can find a budget-friendly option that actually works. I don't want to deal with the headache of plugging it in only to realize the game doesn't even recognize it. You know the drill—I just want something reliable and solid that won't let me down mid-session.
I stumbled upon this one through a link, so I wanted to get your take. Is this a good call, or should I be looking for something better?
http://www.bestbuy.com/?option=artikl&i...kl=650.303.007

Larry Ortiz5 said:swiftpilot

Everything else in that rig is going to hold up just fine for years. If we're strictly talking about gaming... I mean, give it maybe a year or so, then just swap out the GPU and you'll be back in the clear...

I was actually thinking about running SLI. Like, just grab an identical card, beef up the power supply, and eventually overclock the CPU to around 4.5GHz with a Corsair H100i once I get around to it. Honestly, sounds like a better move than selling this thing just to buy something new later.

David Sanders4 said:The GTX 690 isn't actually a massive power hog; it pulls about the same amount
as an R9 290X or a GTX 780 Ti
Look, if you grabbed an HD 5970 back when it launched, you didn't have to sweat the settings for a long time. Same goes for anyone chilling with an HD 6990, a GTX 590, or even the newer stuff like the GTX 690 or HD 7990—you're set. Even the GTX 760 holds its own. But let’s be real: those top-tier cards are overpriced junk. It’s much smarter to hang out in that "sweet spot" middle ground. Not too long ago, that meant the GTX 660 or HD 7870, but now we're looking at the GTX 770 or R9 280X. My advice? Grab one of those mid-range cards with a solid 3-year warranty, run it for a year and a half, then flip it. Trade it in for the next generation's mid-range model and just stay in that lane. You'll consistently hover around that 45 FPS mark, give or take.

So, realistically, how much can I actually crank everything to Ultra with my current rig? I haven't even touched a single game yet.

GPU-MSI GTX 760 Gaming OC 2GB
CPU-i5 4670K
Motherboard-MSI G45 Gaming
PSU-XFX 550W
RAM-Kingston 2x4GB HyperX Genesis 1600
HDD-WD Red 1TB
Optical Drive-ASUS DVD burner
Case-Zalman Z11 Plus

Larry Ortiz5 said:Look, "dual GPU" tells you everything you need to know right there. 🙂 It basically means two cards crammed into one. Personally? I’d never touch it. You're looking at massive power draws and temperatures that'll make your PC feel like a space heater. If I actually wanted to crank every single game to Ultra settings at 1080p, I'd just grab a GTX 770 or an R9 280X. Anything beyond that is overkill for most people. That's just how I see it—to each their own. 😉

p.s. Just a heads up, if you actually go that route, you better have a beefy CPU to back it up...

I already knew that. An i7-4770K would handle it fine, but that's not even the point here. I was honestly just asking out of curiosity. And I still don't get this whole pricing thing—how does the cheaper card somehow end up being better than the expensive one? Makes zero sense.

crimsonstag84 said:The HD 7990 is one of those dual-GPU beasts. If you want the king of single-GPU cards, go with the GTX 780 Ti, but if you're looking for the best bang for your buck, grab the
Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X.

Look, I don't really get this "dual GPU" thing—can you break down what that actually means for a normal person? And man, these prices make zero sense. Like, why is the 780 Ti practically $1000 cheaper than the Titan, the GTX 690, or the 7990 when it's supposedly stronger than all of them? It's the same deal with the GTX 670 and 680 too. Why on earth are these prices still stuck through the roof?

Just looking for some info here—out of this lineup, which card actually holds the most weight on the market right now? Like, what makes one objectively better than the others? And honestly, is it even worth buying any of these single cards compared to just running a Crossfire or SLI setup instead?