Posts by Thomas Martin4

shadowjackal6 said:How much better is the Radeon HD 4830 compared to the 4670 with 512MB or 1GB? Is it actually worth picking up this 4830? And which brand should I go with—Gigabyte, ATI, or XFX? The 4850 isn't available at the local Best Buy where I'm planning to put my build together. UOTE]

And they don't have the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 either?

quietcyclist89 said:Upgrading the PSU would actually benefit a much more powerful rig—like if you were choosing between a GeForce GTS 250 and an HD4870, we’re talking roughly $333.
I've been digging through some sites, and I found those two, though honestly, I have no idea what else is out there performance-wise. I haven't really kept up with this stuff for a few years now, so I'm feeling a bit lost in this whole mess.😕

Who is the manufacturer of the power supply? That is the crucial part... a 600W unit from some budget junk isn't the same thing as one from Corsair...

Ryan Rogers68 said:I have one more quick question regarding power supplies.

Since I'll likely be picking up an XFX Radeon HD4870 1GB DDR5 XXX—which power supply would be sufficient for that? Would a Corsair 460 w be okay? And does it actually have all the necessary connectors?

It should be enough. It just needs to have everything required for the card. Go ahead and grab it...

silvergardener93 said:I appreciate the effort—really, I do—but you could have also tested some of those "average," budget power supplies that actually get the job done for those of us with more modest needs. 😛

True, they serve a purpose right up until the moment the voltage drops or a lightning strike fries the whole unit—taking a few other components down with it... I won't go further than that. I suppose wiredmarlin5 knows a bit more—perhaps even too much 😁—about power supplies...
there are decent, cheaper options out there, like a 350W FSP unit for maybe $67 or perhaps a Cooler Master if I recall correctly... all of those would probably handle 80% of today's builds. If I'm not mistaken, wiredmarlin5 was just trying to point out that Corsair isn't quite what it used to be, yet it remains relatively expensive.

Ronald Barnes47 said:Based on everything I've seen—and that's a significant amount of data to sift through—it seems to me that they are... Corsair's What constitutes a truly reliable power supply—and more importantly, what actually matters when you're staring at a spec sheet—is a question I find myself circling quite often. I suppose there isn't one single "perfect" unit, but rather a series of trade-offs we all have to navigate. What are your thoughts on the current landscape?

It really depends on the specific model you're looking at... though I suppose Corsair generally holds its own among the better brands. If you want a real answer for wiredmarlin5 regarding which model outperforms the others, you should probably just ask him directly—he’s quite the expert when it comes to power supplies.

Ronald Barnes47 said:I’m not trying to be a smart-ass—just asking. I haven't even sat down to read the full list yet; I just wanted a quick heads-up since I'm planning to pick up a power supply either today or tomorrow, and I'd rather not screw this up.😲

So, you're saying Chiftecov isn't any good? I think I heard somewhere that they were actually decent.

It isn't terrible, per se, but there are better options available for the same price... Seasonic, Corsair, Antec... just read the thread above...

casualraven6 said:I ended up pulling the trigger on the Sapphire HD 4870 Toxic... I suppose I hope I didn't make a mistake. It’s a bit more expensive—around $40—but it seems they've overclocked it, presumably to squeeze every last drop of performance out of this specific series

Honestly, you aren't going to see any massive real-world benefits from that extra clock speed... a standard reference card would probably suffice for most people... unless, of course, you're running some massive 24" monitor and insisting on cranking everything to Ultra settings... then, I guess, it might actually matter to you somewhere along the line...

The clock speeds and cooling solutions are a bit different here—not to mention the price tag. I suppose you won't really go wrong with either choice, honestly. You might want to do a little digging on Google first to see what the actual temperatures and noise levels look like...

mistymason72 said:maybe you should consider the GeForce 9800 GT

Honestly, it’s just not worth it— totally impractical and likely overkill for his specific setup. For nearly the same price, he could grab an HD 4850 or a GTS 250, which would probably be better choices anyway.

Of course you aren't running into any immediate issues—they’ll all technically work. The real catch lies in the quality—specifically voltage stability, efficiency, and how they hold up after prolonged use or under a full load. We're talking about actual amperage delivery, too... not to mention what kind of protection they offer against sudden voltage drops, surges, or other electrical nonsense. I mean, there’s a reason a Corsair HX 450 $167 exists, and the same goes for your EVGA 460W $67. If there wasn't a meaningful difference in performance, nobody would bother with the Corsair. And when wiredmarlin5 weighs in on whether a power supply is worth it or not, there isn't much room for debate—dealing with power supplies is basically his cross to bear 😍
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Daniel Rivera13 said:Well, I suppose there's no other way... I'm going to pick up an NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2... What’s the consensus on that card??? 🤷 My goal is to have everything running smoothly through 2012, I guess...

What kind of CPU and power supply are we talking about here?

Daniel Rivera13 said:The Nvidia GeForce 8600 gt—to buy it or not? That is the question, I suppose. It’s hard to say for certain without knowing what you intend to do with it, but there are certainly things to consider.🤷

It really depends on how much cash you’re willing to part with—and more importantly, what you actually plan to do with it. Otherwise, I wouldn't exactly call it a standout card... maybe.

wiredotter14 said:There isn't any EVGA 460W here.

Personally, I had one—though I swapped it out for a more substantial Corsair unit before I even finished my build (back when I only had a single PCIe slot to worry about).

It’s not that I’m looking to buy one myself, but does anyone actually know what they're like? I think I saw a 1kW version once.

I asked on another forum and the consensus was that they aren't exactly bottom-tier—you get what you pay for, I suppose—so they aren't total junk. For a basic, low-demand setup, they might pass muster...

rowdynomad182 said:So, when I swap it out—do I just pull the old one, pop in the new card, and install the drivers?

I suppose you should probably wipe the old drivers first—maybe use something like Display Driver Uninstaller in Safe Mode—just to be certain everything is clean before you attempt the new installation.

rowdynomad182 said:Does anyone have a decent recommendation for a retailer? I've looked through Best Buy and Hulu, but they don't seem to carry anything that meets my requirements—specifically regarding the lower-end hardware—and frankly, I'm finding their selection rather lacking.😁

I suppose one could look at a site like Procurement.gov if they were interested in tracking public tenders—though, frankly, I doubt much would change regardless of how much data you sift through. Well, go ahead—search for it, give them a call, or just start firing off emails... if you think that’s actually going to change anything.

Keith Hall43 said:Well, the machine is intended for music, video, and gaming—of course.🙂As for the monitor—well, that's what I'm stuck with for now—but when I eventually upgrade, I’m planning to go with an LCD. It seems like they just refuse to drop in price, though; I can't seem to catch them at a decent point.👎...so, I suppose one really ought to be looking at this from a long-term perspective—especially if, say, I were actually planning on owning an LCD monitor. 😉

What are your thoughts on this card?
MSI Radeon HD3870 512MB GDDR3—it’s an interesting enough card, I suppose—but one has to wonder about its actual longevity in today's landscape. It sits there on the PCI slot, offering a specific set of specs that might have felt more substantial in a different era—though perhaps that era is long gone. One could argue it holds its own, though I suspect most users will find the limitations rather apparent once they actually try to push it. Maybe it's worth considering, if you have certain niche requirements, but I wouldn't go betting the house on it. $266

The old guard—it’s just not worth the investment anymore. You can get much better performance for the exact same price—I mean, look at the 4770, the 4850 from AMD, or even the Nvidia GeForce 250... plus, you can actually pick up a decent 22" monitor for about what you'd spend on that outdated junk. It seems like a losing game, I guess. $333 ...and honestly, that seems like a fair price to me.

Keith Hall43 said:Dell 17" LCD monitor🙄

Price, $267 TOP

I see you're based out of a smaller town—nothing much in the way of budget electronics there, I suppose. For a monitor like that, a 9600GT, an Nvidia GeForce GT 210, or maybe a 4730 would be plenty. Even in a major hub like Chicago, you might find them for $50–$233 depending on the retailer or if there's a bundle available... though for $267 you could look into an Nvidia GeForce 250 or an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX, which—if people are being honest—are probably overkill for that screen. If you're planning on upgrading the monitor itself soon, those two wouldn't be a bad investment, I guess. You should probably dig through some online reviews to see which card actually fits your needs. It really depends on what you're doing with the PC—gaming, or something else?

Keith Hall43 said:Aha... well, I checked it out quickly and it seems perfectly fine for that price point—certainly an upgrade over an HD3850 or HD3870. Unless you have some other recommendation for something better at that same cost?

And how much are you actually planning to spend? Prices vary wildly depending on which retailer you use—Best Buy, Micro Center, or whoever. Just give me a specific number and let me know what kind of monitor you're running—what's the screen size?

Keith Hall43 said:What’s your take on this GPU?

BFG BFGE96512GTOCBE Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650

Motherboard: MBO DFI, s.775 Lan PartyDK p45-t2rs, Intel P45, Bus 1600 MHz, serial ATA II, RAID, 7.1 audio, DDR2, 1Gbps, ATX2
CPU: Intel Core Duo E 8200 2x2.66GHz, GMB LGA 775, bus 1333MHz
RAM: 2GB (1+1) DDR2 800MHz
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500 GB, Serial ATA-II, 7,200 RPM
Power supply is probably 400W—I assume that won't be enough...

The card itself is decent enough, I suppose, though everything really depends on what you intend to do with the machine and the resolution of your monitor. As for the power supply, it should technically provide sufficient wattage—even if it is just some budget brand from a big-box retailer—but then again, you have to wonder about the reliability and safety of the components. Most of those cheap units lack any meaningful protection against voltage spikes or similar surges. If you plan on overclocking, then I would suggest replacing it immediately; otherwise, you are simply increasing the odds that a failing PSU might take another component down with it into an early grave...

Well, thanks for the kind words, I suppose!🙂