Posts by coastaltiger2

Sean Garcia3 said:👍 Nice! So glad you finally upgraded to a decent case. That Corsair is killer.

Overall $1423...

Just placed my order at Micro Center... they should have it all built up by Monday!
Thanks for the help, everyone...
Here's the loot...
1 x Zalman Z1, USB3.0 black, 2x120mm
1 x XFX R9 270A 2GB DDR5
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.5Ghz (4.1GHz) box
1 x GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P, AM3+
1 x LC POWER LC-CC-95, socket 775/1155/1156/AMD
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x XFX TS 450W, 80+ Bronze
1 x HDD SEAGATE Barracuda (3.5",1TB,64MB,SATA III)

Sean Garcia3 said:Since I don't have a cooler, this is actually my fourth LC POWER LC-CC-95 for those old Intel/AMD sockets.

😵😵
my bad...

Sean Garcia3 said:If he's planning on ordering online, I'd set it up like this since shipping to downtown might end up costing way more than expected.$27.

1 x XFX R9 270A 2GB DDR5
1 x Intel Core i5 3.5Ghz (4.1GHz) box
1 x GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P, AM3+
1 x LC POWER LC-CC-95, socket 775/1155/1156/Intel
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x XFX TS 450W, 80+ Bronze
1 x HDD SEAGATE Barracuda (3.5",1TB,64MB,SATA III)
1 x MS PHOENIX case without power supply

Total:$1378 Best Buy ,free assembly and delivery included!

Wait, there's no heatsink listed here... do we actually need one or what?

Sean Garcia3 said:My rig actually has a way beefier GPU, a drive that's twice as fast, and a much better power supply, even if the case itself feels a bit cheap. Honestly, don't sweat it—none of those parts are going to be loud. Everything's pretty quiet.

I’m telling you now... if I were in your shoes, I'd grab an internal Bluetooth module and a dedicated Wi-Fi card to round it all out. I know Wi-Fi cards are easy to find, but I'm a little fuzzy on the Bluetooth side of things...

Timothy Kim60 said:It won't be loud

But hey, you realize they actually have to build that PC for you, right? It’s not just sitting there ready to go.
Why even trek all the way there? Just order it online and pay cash on delivery...

I dunno man... maybe if I see their financing terms in person I'll bite... honestly, I haven't even decided yet😁

Sean Garcia3 said:If you're gonna order it, I'd go this route because shipping to downtown will end up being a pain.$27.

1 x XFX R9 270A 2GB DDR5
1 x Intel Core i5 3.5Ghz (4.1GHz) box
1 x GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P, AM3+
1 x LC POWER LC-CC-95, socket 775/1155/1156/Intel
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x XFX TS 450W, 80+ Bronze
1 x HDD SEAGATE Barracuda (3.5",1TB,64MB,SATA III)
1 x MS PHOENIX case without PSU

Total:$1378 Best Buy ,free assembly and shipping!

This one and the card suggestion are different in the power supply and the GPU... or is it just the PSU? Is the first one weaker? And which one is quieter? Does a quiet power supply even exist?

crimsonstag84 said:If you're trying to play the latest AAA games on that budget, you can't skimp on an SSD. That only works if you already have an HDD sitting around somewhere.

You could even grab a Z1 Zalman for $5.25 more...

all that stuff together shouldn't be super loud... right?

velvetgardener25 said:1 x Crucial 8GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P, AM3+
1 x Zalman Z1, USB3.0 black, 2x120mm
1 x LC POWER LC-CC-95, socket 775/1155/1156/AMD
1 x Gigabyte R9 280 WF3 OC, 3GB GDDR5, HDMI, DVI
1 x Procesor AMD FX X6 6300 3.5Ghz (4.1GHz) box
1 x Fortron Raider S 550W, 80+ SILVER
Some other forum recommended this build to me, and the total comes to $1500. A buddy of mine suggested swapping out the power supply, and I'm thinking about grabbing different RAM. What do you guys think?

Man, how much money is that even?

crimsonstag84 said:AMD X6 FX-6300 processor
Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P motherboard
Raijintek Arcadio Black Midi Tower case, no PSU included, P/N: GERT-003
Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler
Transcend 4GB DDR3 1333MHz bulk memory
XFX AMD Radeon R7 265A 2GB DDR5 graphics card, XFX-R7-265A-CNF4
Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB 3.5'' drive
Zalman 500W GLX Series Retail, ZAL-ZM500-GLX

Total cost: $1353 downtown

I also checked out a combo you could put together at UziShop FX 4300 and GTX 960 for $1333, though you'd definitely need to overclock that CPU to make it work.

Honestly, overclocking isn't really my thing...
We were talking about cases earlier... what's your take on the Zalman? And do you think grabbing an SSD is actually worth the money?

Alright, I finally scraped the cash together... or, more accurately... I made my decision! 👍
I'm heading into Washington, D.C. this Monday, so I can swing by and pay for/pick up the rig...
So, my budget is capped at $1333...
Not trying to harp on it again, but I really want a PC that isn't a jet engine... just thinking ahead in case I need to swap out the stock coolers later...
The kid is already dreaming about playing GTA 5 😁
So, if someone could give me one final recommendation since it's been two whole weeks...
Thanks in advance!
As far as shops go... honestly, I don't care which one in Washington, D.C. I hit, as long as they're open early Monday morning...
That SSD idea sounds awesome though... I don't know why, but I'm feeling it.

Timothy Kim60 said:The pics look good. Being a ninja isn't cheap, and based on those specs, I doubt this rig is a silent assassin.

👍👍

Yeah... I just wanted to point that out because my old setup was driving me crazy. Like, seriously, the old fans were so loud and running hot that they actually slapped a Katana on the CPU, a Zalman on the GPU, plus one for intake and one for exhaust... now it's totally fine. The other day I borrowed my little brother's PC to help him fix something, and man, it sounded like a freaking jet engine! It only had one fan on the CPU and one for exhaust. That’s why I emphasized quiet...

Sean Garcia3 said:I put together that build for you above, including an SSD and a solid, high-airflow case. You'll get two 120mm fans—one in the front and one in the back—plus you can always pop two more on top if you're feeling fancy.

But hey, would I get anything actually useful or worth the extra $167?

Timothy Kim60 said:Here’s a suggestion without an SSD or a high-end GPU, focusing more on raw gaming performance. Though it might be smart to list out some specific games you want to play.

I love playing Call of Duty... Sniper... Battlefield... and my kid is constantly grinding Minecraft and GTA 4👍👍👍

Oh, and I really want a big case. With my last setup, the tiny case was such a pain that I ended up having to buy a bigger one later and just gave the old one away for free...
A big case is way better for airflow, 😵 right? And it absolutely has to be quiet.

So, what do you think of my current rig? It handles most stuff pretty well for now... except for the newest releases of those games I mentioned above..

One more thing.. don't sweat the $17... that budget is just a rough guide. If it goes $200-$100 over, it shouldn't be a huge deal... what matters most to me is quality and silence.

Hmm.
I'm looking to pick up a PC for a family member who just needs it for browsing the web... currently checking out prices and suggestions... what would something decent run me around $500..
Looking at all your recommendations here... it seems like I could snag a solid gaming rig for about $1000...
That got my gears turning though...
What if I grab a gaming setup for myself and just hand her my current machine?
If I go with a super cheap build, we'd both be stuck with junk... mine is old and hers is weak...
Here’s what I’m running right now:
AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5000+, 2600 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)
ATI Radeon hd 3800 Series
2gb of RAM

That should still hold up for her web surfing for a while... right?

The big question is, can I get something actually better than what I have for three grand? And how much of an upgrade are we talking about?

I'm honestly willing to drop around $1167...
One thing though—I really need this build to be quiet... I don't want it sounding like a nuclear reactor sitting in my room... so maybe some higher-quality coolers... I also love the idea of using an SSD instead of a traditional drive... you know, putting the OS on a chip or whatever and then using a standard HDD for extra storage...

Hey, does a decent gaming rig actually exist for $1000? I've always had this idea in my head that you need at least 4000 - $1500 to get anything going...
I just don't get why anyone would drop more than $1000 on this!

Yeah... what good would it have done if he got it running on his desk, only for me to get back home and find out I STILL couldn't boot it up????

Hey guys....
So, here’s my experience with a recent power supply headache....
My case was basically turning into an oven.... My HDDs were hitting like 70 degrees...
Anyway, I headed down to Newegg (since they're the only decent shop around my way) and explained the mess to the guy there.... He tells me the airflow in my pathetic little case is nonexistent and recommends a bigger one. I figured, why not? While I was at it, I asked him to swap in a new PSU too, because my old one was buzzing like crazy (even though it felt brand new)... So, for about $10, he moves everything from the old case to the new one, installs two fans, and pops in a new power supply: 560W, LC POWER Silent Giant GREEN POWER LC6560GP3 V2.3, with a 140mm fan
CLICK...
So, I head home all happy and satisfied, put the rig together... hit the button, and nothing. Just the fans spinning and whirring while the system stays dead. No blue LEDs by the power button, nothing on the monitor. Nothing! I try again, and again, and again... just the sound of fans spinning. I thought maybe my outlet was busted, so I dragged an extension cord from another plug... then a third... then a fourth... still nothing. I even took the PC over to my neighbor's house... zilch. Just those damn fans spinning. I hauled everything back to Newegg and told them what happened. The guy grabs the PC, plugs it in, and—BAM—it works! The system boots right up. I was totally stunned. I go back home, set it all up, hit the button... and it's the same story. Fans spin, but the system won't boot at all. I'm losing my mind! In the middle of this mess, I bought a new surge protector at Walmart ($43 with built-in protection from Iskrina) ... I even called an electrician to come check my outlets (since the guy at Newegg thought that might be the issue). The next day (Sunday), I'm out picking up my wife from work when she calls me saying... the electrician stopped by and said the computer turned on for him, AND HE SAID MY NEW SURGE PROTECTOR IS TRASH... I'm sitting there thinking... how can it be trash? I tried plugging it straight into the wall and it didn't work! I even swapped the PSU cable... I honestly have no clue what the deal was. Was the power supply messing with me? Probably not the machine itself, since I tested twenty different outlets in my house and even tried the neighbor's...
The PC has been running fine since then. Haven't touched the power strips or anything since (I don't dare! :-)) BUT I STILL SUSPECT THE POWER SUPPLY... Like it's being too sensitive or something? Or maybe some freaking ghosts messed with everything, or it really is the PSU....
WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK????

crimsonstag84 said:http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=9150

This thing is 40-50% faster than the HD 3870, runs cool, and doesn't suck power... 😉

Yeah, true... but my wife—who isn't exactly a tech wizard and took me forever to teach just how to play a movie and switch it over to our dual monitors (that big LCD TV we hooked up via HDMI)—is giving me a hard time. We're super used to that old ATI interface; she loved all those specific settings and options. Switching to this "new breed" of graphics card means I'm gonna spend HOURS and HOURS teaching her again (and probably learning 😁 myself)... so I need a recommendation for an ATI Sapphire Radeon HD xxxx somewhere in the 3800 series range (or maybe just a tiny bit better) for the absolute lowest price possible. Like, I mean LEAST AMOUNT OF MONEY... please... please... 🙏

Well... my absolute favorite GPU just kicked the bucket on me... *sniff*... it was a Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 3870... man, I loved that card so much. We spent so many long nights—and days—together. I almost felt like buying flowers for its funeral! Now I'm out here hunting for a successor. Can anyone recommend something that’ll hold a candle to her, or maybe even beat her, without absolutely destroying my bank account? Hmm... anyone?

Yo guys, my PC finally arrived at the house! They ended up hooking me up with this: and this too: !!! Seriously, this rig feels like a total rebirth... I am beyond stoked with it. THANKS! 🙏🙏🙏