Posts by Nicole Thompson46

Exactly! Brands like NVIDIA, ASUS, and burn offer 2-year warranties and usually end up being about $250 cheaper on average, much like how you'd save on a $100 ( GTX970 )
.

Is it actually worth dropping an extra $250-$100 just to snag an additional year of warranty on a GPU?

wiredotter14 said:just look up which connectors they actually have

Alright, I'm going with the XFX; it hits the mark perfectly.

Fixed PCI-E Connectors : 1x 6-pin, 1x 6+2-pin

Exactly, I'm not sweating the wattage at all—all three options have more than enough juice for this build. My only real headache is double-checking the connectors. I definitely don't want to pick up a unit that's missing an 8-pin, otherwise I'll be stuck hunting down extra adapters...
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 actually pulls even less power than my old 560ti, so my ancient power supply would probably pull through just fine. But honestly, since that thing is 5 or 6 years old, I'm not going to gamble with it when I'm already dropping serious cash on a high-end GPU..

Which power supply would be the better pick here:

EVGA 600W, Hyper
EVGA 550W Raider
AMD TS Series 550W PSU EasyRail

I'm running an Intel Core i5 and a GTX 970. Since I haven't picked up the 970 just yet, I'm a bit unsure—how many extra connectors will I need to plug into the card? My current 560ti uses two 6-pin cables..

analogtiger19 said:🙂 Out of basic decency—not even mentioning forum rules—stuff like this should be handled via private message...🙂😬

So there you have it—Windows 10 is free. Worst case scenario, you can grab it right now for about $15 or $16. It’s not like anyone's going to drop 700-$267 on an OS at a retail store (especially when you're already hitting your budget limit for the PC itself)!

So, I've finally made up my mind to pull the trigger on an SSD! Does this look like a solid choice to you guys?

Think of the Kingston SSD 240 GB HyperX Fury as a reliable old sedan upgraded with a high-performance engine. It’s a solid 2.5" SATA 3 drive that gets the job done with impressive efficiency!
I just spotted this item online! It looks like a really solid option if you're looking to upgrade. Think of it like swapping out an old sedan for a reliable new SUV—it makes everything run so much smoother!

So, I have to ask—what kind of builds are you guys putting together? Are we looking at the $300 range or somewhere higher?$117
Maybe something like this?

Check out this CoolerMaster elita 430 in sleek black. It features a clear side window, and the dimensions are 190mm wide by 424mm high by 490mm long. It's a solid choice!
I’m checking out this specific product listing! It looks like a solid option for anyone looking to upgrade their setup. It reminds me of finding that one perfect component that just makes everything click into place.

The Thermaltake V3 Black Edition Midi tower is like a sleek, midnight-black canvas waiting for a masterpiece. It’s a solid choice if you want a clean, dependable foundation for your next build!
I couldn't find a specific product description at that link, but if you're looking for details on a particular component or setup, let me know! I'm happy to dive in and help you figure out if it's the right fit for your build. It’s always better to double-check the specs before pulling the trigger!

Check out this SILVERSTONE Redline RL04B Midi Tower case! It features a single ATX layout with seven expansion slots—perfect for building a solid setup.
I just spotted this listing online! It looks like a pretty solid deal if you're looking to upgrade your setup. It’s like finding a hidden gem at a local garage sale—unexpectedly great value!

Check out this MS MONSTER BLUE gaming chassis—it's a beast! Just a heads-up, it doesn't come with a power supply included.
I found this interesting listing! It looks like a solid option for anyone looking to upgrade their setup.

Think of the MS Beast gaming case as a high-performance sports car chassis—it’s built for speed and style, but you’ll still need to buy the engine separately! This model comes without a power supply unit.
I couldn't find any specific details at that link! It looks like we're staring at a blank page here. It’s a bit like walking into a massive Best Buy only to find an empty aisle—super frustrating when you're ready to shop!

Do I need to pick up any more case fans?

Fair enough. I hadn't actually factored an SSD into my plans since I've never used one, but I'm guessing it’ll be a total game-changer for boot times and general system snappiness.
The math makes sense now. If I go with the Skylake route, I'm looking at $167 spending more upfront plus grabbing a new power supply. If I stick with my current setup, I save $167 by skipping the new PSU. That would leave me with $300 extra cash, which opens the door to picking up a 240GB SSD...

By the way, is my 560ti going to be a massive bottleneck for a new build?

http://thebottlenecker.com/

According to this, it looks like it might, but since a 660ti doesn't show much of a bottleneck, I'm thinking it won't be too disastrous with my 560ti given how close those two cards are...

Honestly, I might not even swap out the power supply if the CX430 can actually handle the load... I really need to sit down and crunch the numbers first. If I can save an extra $133 by keeping it, that’s a win in my book. But since this is such a massive leap from what I'm running now (that old e8200), it might be better to play it safe and not take any risks.

Maybe go with a Fortron Hyper 500w...
Are Corsair power supplies not what they used to be? I've been running my CX430 for seven years now without a single hiccup, but looking at the latest reviews, it seems like they don't even use Corsair components anymore.

Actually, I have two quick questions. Why is everyone avoiding Protis here? Aren't they usually the best deal? Is it just bad customer service or reliability issues? Just asking out of curiosity!

But more importantly, my second question: which of these is actually worth the money?

1. i5 4460
ASR B85M-DGS
8gb DDR3 1866mhz

around $229 at Protis
around $232

versus

2. i5 6500
Asrock LGA1151 B150M-HDV
8gb DDR4 2133mhz

around $284 at Protis
around $280 at Best Buy

There’s about a $167 difference between them. Is it worth jumping to the beefier option, or is the performance gap basically negligible?
For context, I'm running a 560ti, and the power supply is TBD (I'll be buying one soon anyway, so it shouldn't matter which setup I pick).

darkowl72 said:Exactly! Even if they just hit you with shipping fees or a bit of sales tax instead of full customs duty... you could easily end up paying more than $200... plus you'll be stuck waiting a whole month for delivery. And there's always that gamble where you don't even know what's actually going to show up in the box 😁

You don't necessarily *have* to buy a new power supply... maybe it'll work fine, maybe it won't. You won't know until you plug in that GPU and flip the switch. If it works? Great! But if it fails and takes something else down with it—like a brand new graphics card, your CPU, or the motherboard—then that "I'll just save a few bucks" decision is going to get very expensive, very fast.

Your call...

There are no customs issues since everything comes through family traveling from Germany. 😁

I didn't realize a bad power supply could actually fry other components. 😢

Joshua Patel68 said:So, my graphics card just died on me. I need to pick up a replacement, but I'm a little out of the loop. What would be a good match for this setup?

ASRock Motherboard
Intel Pentium E2180, 2000 MHz (10 x 200)
3GB RAM
Power Supply - Platinum ms - 400atx p4.
Old graphics card, NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS.

Price isn't the main concern right now, since there's no point sinking $400 into a card for this rig anyway. Besides, I spotted some great deals on eBay for an 8800 GTS or something similar...
Basically, what's the absolute best card I can squeeze out of this configuration?

I know my power supply is pretty weak, but if it's absolutely necessary, I'll grab a better one.🙂

Obviously, I'm not looking to drop $400 on a modern card here, nor is that part of the plan.

So, here is what I grabbed:
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Series (G80) (500MHz) / 640MB DDR3 (1600MHz) via eBay. Total was about $45 including shipping—an absolute steal! You'd easily pay $500$200 for a used one locally...
It feels like a solid win. As for the power supply, I really don't want to spend more money on it;$133 otherwise, I'd end up paying more for the power supply than the actual graphics card itself!

So, my graphics card finally kicked the bucket, and I need to pick up a replacement. I'm a little out of the loop with current hardware, so I was wondering what would be a good match for this setup.

Motherboard Name ASRock 4 CoreDual-VSTA
CPU Type DualCore Intel Pentium E2180, 2000 MHz (10 x 200)
3gb RAM
Power Supply - Platinum ms - 400atx p4.
Old graphics card, GeForce 7600 GS.

Price isn't my main concern here—it wouldn't make much sense to drop $300 on a high-end card for this build anyway! I've seen some decent deals on eBay for an 8800 GTS or something similar. What do you think is the absolute best card I can squeeze out of this configuration?

I realize my power supply is pretty weak, but if it's absolutely necessary, I can always upgrade it.🙂

To be clear, I'm definitely not looking to drop hundreds of dollars on a modern card for this machine.div>