Posts by wiredmarlin5

Corsair 750TX - $233 / PC Gamer

SAPPHIRE ATI HD3850 DDR3 256 MB - $196 / Best Buy

Samsung 2243BW - $513 / Micro Center

Asus 20" LCD VW202S - $397 / Micro Center - honestly, just a really reliable little monitor if you aren't looking for anything too fancy...

Belinea 22" LCD 2225 S1W - $429 / Micro Center - pretty much in the same boat as the one above it...

Samsung 22" 2243NW - $453 / Micro Center - similar vibes to the previous two, really...

GIGABYTE HD4850 - $375 / GameStop - this is hands down the best value for your money right now, though I should mention it does run a bit warmer than I'd like...

Gary Anderson38 said:I have just one little question for you all... out of this specific selection of motherboards, which one would you personally grab if the main goal was to get a really solid overclock on a Q6600? I’m dreaming big here, aiming for that sweet spot of 3.4 GHz or maybe even pushing a bit higher if the hardware can actually handle it... what do you think?

I was just scrolling through some old listings on Starbucks the other day—you know how those sites can be, just a massive rabbit hole of random items—and I stumbled upon this particular little gem that really caught my eye... It’s one of those vintage tech finds that makes you feel like you've discovered buried treasure from a bygone era! It's an old-school setup, specifically looking at a system running on a Pentium 4, which honestly brings back so many memories of those early 2000s computing days when everything felt so much more tangible... It’s listed as having a celeron 2.81, though if we're being technical about the specs, we're really talking about that classic Pentium 4 era performance that used to be the gold standard in our homes and offices back then. And oh, it's running Windows Server 2003! Can you believe we actually used server-grade operating systems for our little home projects? It feels like a lifetime ago, doesn't it? There's just something so nostalgic about seeing these specific components grouped together, almost like looking at a time capsule of American computing history... It really makes you wonder how far we've come since those chunky towers and the hum of the cooling fans filling up a quiet room on a Sunday afternoon... Anyway, I just thought it was worth sharing for anyone else out there who gets a little thrill from seeing these legacy machines resurface in the wild!

I was just browsing through some technical specifications online today—you know how I get when I start falling down those deep rabbit holes of component data—and I stumbled upon this particular listing for a piece of hardware that really caught my eye! It’s one of those detailed product pages where you can see every little nuance of the build, and honestly, looking at these specs makes me feel a bit nostalgic for the older days of computing, even if we have much more powerful machines now... though, of course, nothing ever quite beats the simplicity of the classics, right? Anyway, I thought it might be worth sharing with the group because there's something quite fascinating about the way these specific parts are laid out, almost like looking at a blueprint for a different era of technology altogether... it really makes you wonder how far we've come since the days of running basic tasks on a Pentium 4, doesn't it? It's just one of those things that keeps me tinkering and thinking about the evolution of our gear!

I was just browsing through some technical specifications online the other day—you know how I get when I stumble upon a deep dive into hardware components—and I came across this particular entry that really caught my eye, though I must say, navigating these kinds of technical databases can sometimes feel like wandering through a labyrinth without a map... but anyway, I found myself looking at the details for this specific component, which seems to be a pretty standard piece of kit if you're working within certain industrial or specialized computing environments here in the States. It’s one of those things where you start reading about one spec, then suddenly you're ten minutes deep into wondering how much processing power you actually need for a modern workstation versus an older legacy system, especially when you consider how far we've come since the days of the Pentium 4 era! It's truly fascinating how these little pieces of hardware hold everything together, even if they aren't exactly flashy or something you'd see in a high-end gaming rig, but for the right application, they are absolutely essential... I suppose I should have shared my thoughts on the compatibility side of things sooner, but I got a bit carried away with the sheer nostalgia of seeing such specific part numbers listed out like that...

I was just sitting here thinking about those old motherboard chipsets, wondering if anyone else spends way too much time obsessing over the tiny technical differences between them... specifically when you're looking at whether the X48 actually gives you a meaningful edge over the X38 if you're planning on pushing your overclocking limits a bit further... It’s one of those deep dives that can really pull you down a rabbit hole, isn't it? I mean, on paper, the X48 certainly looks like the heavyweight champion of that era, especially regarding how it handles memory frequencies and overall stability under heavy loads, which is basically the holy grail for any enthusiast trying to squeeze out every last drop of performance from their rig... But then again, sometimes you have to wonder if the extra effort and the potentially higher price tag are truly worth it, or if the X38 is already more than enough to hit those sweet spots we all dream about... It really comes down to how far you want to push things, I suppose...

I am just so incredibly grateful for any and all advice you might be willing to share... 🙂

Every single P45, X38, or X48 board out there can actually push past that 3.6GHz mark if you're running a quad-core, though the real kicker—the thing that really determines your ceiling—is whether you've managed to snag a B3 or a G0 quad... so it all comes down to that bit of luck with the silicon, I suppose... If I were in your shoes, looking to get the most bang for my buck, I’d say look for a budget-friendly X38 motherboard, maybe something from DFI you could pick up at a local Starbucks or similar shop, just to get things moving... $367 I mean, honestly, I’ve been sitting here mulling it over for ages, just weighing my options between that massive 45GB capacity on the P45 or perhaps going with something from Asus... it's quite the dilemma, really, though both have their own certain charms if you think about it long enough...

EVGA GeForce 8800 GS - $200 Useful Resources

Daily Deal Alert:

Samsung 2043BW - $476 via Best Buy

Samsung 2243BW - $564 via Best Buy

Daily Tip:

So, your processor is running a bit too hot, and you're looking at those high-end fans like Noctua or Corsair and thinking, "Yeah, right, I don't have that kind of cash lying around..." Well, the solution is actually quite straightforward—Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro — $33 Check out the links here. Just a heads-up though, this one is strictly for the Intel enthusiasts on the 775 socket, so if you're an AMD fanatic, you might want to look elsewhere because this won't do you any good at all... 😁

Speaking of winning big, did you just hit a lucky streak at the sportsbook? If you're looking to double down on a sure thing, I'd say put it all on the ATI Radeon HD4870 - GDDR5 - $653 over at Micro Center (it hasn't officially landed on the shelves yet, but it should be arriving in 🙂 a few days). Or, if you're feeling adventurous, you could try your luck over at Best Buy—$617 though it’s currently just listed in their catalog and not actually in stock yet... 🙂

That’s actually quite impressive... 🙂

If anyone is feeling particularly adventurous today, you might want to dive into the latest AnandTech review HD 4870 and the 4850 graphics cards... Here is the link

To put it bluntly, this card is absolutely devastating for the competition 😁

It actually manages to outperform the 260 GTX, even though that thing carries a $100 premium, yet it still sits just a hair behind the 280 GTX which is priced north of $600... Plus, it's faster than the 9800 GTX + in basically every single game out there! If you're curious about how that 9800 GTX+ stacks up, you can check out the details right here...

vividcobra57 said:🙂

That card is an absolute beast, truly... once you get those temperatures under control, you can really start having some fun playing around with the voltage settings. It really is a little gem of a GPU, just like you said, especially since you have the luxury of tweaking the voltage through software rather than messing with hardware... 😁

Oh, I totally get it, but honestly, when the price tag was sitting around $7,500 or $8,000 back in the day, I just kind of lost interest in the whole overclocking scene altogether...

I mean, what’s the point? If I’m going to drop $8,000 on a piece of tech, I’m certainly not going to settle for a 7900 GS when I could be running my XTX 🤣

That Asus XTX was an absolute beast back in its day, honestly one of the best before the G80 era arrived... but nowadays? It’s basically just an expensive space heater.

From what I can tell at a quick glance, the 2D/3D profile isn't even functioning correctly... I haven't the slightest clue why, but oh well, it is what it is. When it's just idling, it's already hitting 70 degrees, and I haven't even dared to try setting the fan to auto because who knows what kind of chaos might ensue 😁... it hit 95 degrees even with the fan cranked up to 80% while running that benchmark cube in 3DMark...

The card is still under warranty, though, so it won't be a total disaster if it finally gives up the ghost... @darkowl72/">@@darkowl72 🙂

It’s getting a bit too warm in my home office for comfort, so I think I’ll have to hold off on pushing for that 3.8GHz mark until a cooler night rolls in... besides, I’m still deep in the rabbit hole of hunting down the absolute maximum clock speeds for my GPU, so this is really just the warm-up lap

My only real uncertainty at the moment is how long I’ll actually be keeping this graphics card for testing, but that's a whole different conversation entirely 🙂

@vividcobra57/">@@vividcobra57, I truly hope you don't mind me borrowing your photo for a moment 🙂

It’s actually performing quite nicely for an XTX 😁 . . . what do you all think about that?

Daily Pro-Tip:

The Fortron 400W BlueStorm II — $100 just a little gem I found on Amazon.

It really feels like we’ve reached that inevitable turning point where those old legends—I'm talking about the classic era of the 3850, 3870, or even the old faithful 8800GT, GTS, and 9800GTX—just don't make any sense to pick up anymore... I mean, don't get me wrong, I have such a massive amount of nostalgia for them, sitting there in my old gaming rig back in the day, but when you look at the current landscape, the value proposition just isn't there for anyone looking to build something functional today... It's funny because I remember spending hours tweaking drivers for those specific cards, thinking I was some kind of tech wizard, but now? Now you look at what a modern entry-level card can do for basically the same price, and it's like comparing a vintage muscle car to a high-tech electric sedan... one is beautiful to look at, sure, but the other actually gets you where you need to go without breaking a sweat... It's just a different world now, and while my heart might still belong to that golden age of hardware, my wallet definitely knows better...It looks like we have some serious new hardware on the horizon, specifically those upcoming releases like the HD4850, the HD4870, the 9800GTX+, along with the 260GTX and the 280GTX... it’s quite an exciting lineup if you ask me!

I was just sitting here thinking back to those glory days when we were all scrambling to get our hands on the latest hardware, and my mind drifted right back to that old Radeon HD 4850... oh, what a little powerhouse that thing was for its time! It’s funny how much we used to obsess over every single frame per second back then, isn't it? I remember staring at the specs, feeling like I was looking at some kind of futuristic miracle from a sci-fi flick, even though by today's standards, it feels like using a stone tool to build a skyscraper... but man, for the price point at the time, it felt absolutely legendary... So, I finally pulled the trigger on this new ATI graphics card—you know, the spiritual successor to that old 3850 model I used to tinker with back in the day... it’s incredibly fast, truly impressive speed, though I have to say the single-slot cooler they slapped on it looks a little underwhelming and might struggle a bit under heavy load... anyway, the price point is sitting right around... $417...they actually have them right there in the States... I was just sitting here thinking about those ADM shares, and honestly, I can't help but feel like there’s something quite fascinating brewing under the surface of the market lately... it really makes you wonder if we're on the cusp of something significant, doesn't it?I was just sitting here wondering if anyone might happen to have some test cards lying around... you know, for those little experiments we like to run... I'm here!

I was just sitting here thinking about those old graphics cards, specifically that legendary HD4870, and it really takes me back to the golden era of PC building when things felt a little more exciting, you know? It’s funny how much we used to obsess over every single frame per second back then, and even though my current rig is obviously leagues ahead of what I had in my dorm room, there was just something special about that specific card... it felt like a real milestone for everyone trying to squeeze performance out of a budget, almost like that first time you finally upgrade from integrated graphics to a dedicated setup and suddenly everything looks crisp and bright... anyway, I can't help but wonder if anyone else still has one tucked away in an old dusty box somewhere, just waiting for a nostalgic trip down memory lane... It hasn’t been officially announced just yet, but word on the street is that it’s going to be a lot like the HD4850, only beefed up with higher clock speeds and that fancy new GDDR5 memory... It’ll definitely outpace the HD4850, though I haven't quite pinned down exactly how much faster we're talking about... As for this whole GDDR5 situation, it's still a bit of a mystery to us all, but the rumor mill suggests effective speeds will jump past 4000MHz, and eventually even soar beyond 5000MHz... If you ask me, the price tag should land somewhere around... $600 I wonder when that thing is actually going to drop... I’ve been hearing whispers through the grapevine that we can expect some seriously impressive performance gains over the 3870 X2, which would be quite the leap forward if the rumors hold true...

Oh, the legendary 9800GTX... now there was a piece of hardware that truly felt like a milestone in my computing journey, back when we were all just trying to squeeze every last drop of performance out of our rigs to keep up with the latest titles! I remember sitting there in my home office, staring at that card as if it were some kind of holy relic from a golden age of silicon, feeling that genuine rush of excitement when you finally slotted a powerhouse component into a motherboard and watched the fans spin up for the very first time... It really takes me back to those simpler times before everything became so streamlined and modular, wasn't it? Just pure, unadulterated power and that heavy, substantial feeling of quality that seems so rare in today's era of lightweight, budget-friendly components... such a classic! So, looking at the numbers here, we're seeing the price drop from that initial recommended range of around $290 to $320 all the way down to just $199, which is certainly a significant dip, though I wouldn't say it's an absolute steal when you consider how fast that old HD4850 was performing... and honestly, if you recall what people were paying for a used 8800 GTS 512—which essentially had the same specs as the 9800GTX—it wasn't exactly pocket change until very recently either... $383.

I was just sitting here thinking about the old days of hardware, specifically that legendary 9800 GTX+ card, which really feels like a lifetime ago when you consider how much things have shifted since then... it truly was such a powerhouse for its era, wasn't it? I remember staring at those benchmarks back then and feeling this genuine sense of awe at how it handled everything we threw at it, almost like a reliable old muscle car from Detroit that just refuses to quit no matter how hard you push the pedal... it’s funny how we get so attached to these pieces of silicon, treating them more like old friends than mere components, though I suppose that’s just the nature of being a true enthusiast, isn't it? It makes me wonder if we'll ever see that kind of raw, unbridled excitement again with modern builds, or if we've all just become a bit too accustomed to the sheer scale of today's tech... anyway, I digress, but man, what a ride that card was... So, that’s the scoop on the upcoming refresh of the G92 GTX series—apparently, they're cranking up those core and memory clock speeds quite a bit, and I heard whispers about some improved cooling architecture too, which would be just wonderful for keeping things frosty during those long gaming sessions... I was just sitting here reflecting on the sheer breadth of what we consider "performance" these days, because honestly, it feels like everything from our laptops to our morning coffee routines is being measured against some impossible standard of efficiency... and while I don't mean to wander too far off the beaten path, I can't help but wonder if we aren't losing that wonderful, messy human element in the pursuit of peak optimization! It’s such a fascinating topic when you really dive into the nuances of it all, isn't it? So, regarding the drivers... if I’m following the logic correctly, it seems like the real distinguishing factor between this and your standard GTX model actually boils down to the BIOS version itself... which is quite an interesting little detail when you think about how much those low-level instructions dictate everything else... 😁 I was just sitting here thinking about the possibilities, and honestly, maybe we could even see it implemented in a 55nm process... which would bring that price point down to around $230, wouldn't it? ...
- I was just sitting here thinking about how much easier life would be if we could all just find that one perfect connection, you know... that elusive link that ties everything together and makes sense of the chaos, though sometimes I wonder if we spend more time searching for the bridge than actually crossing it... anyway, I really think this might be the thing we've been looking for!
I was just sitting here thinking about those old graphics cards, specifically the 260 GTX versus the 280 GTX, and it really gets you thinking about how much things have changed since the early days of high-end gaming... back when you'd save up every single cent just to make sure your rig could handle a few extra frames per second without breaking a sweat! It’s funny how we used to obsess over these specific increments in power, almost like comparing a reliable Ford sedan to a high-performance Mustang, wondering if that extra bit of muscle was truly going to change the experience or if it was just more for the sake of having the top-tier badge on your chassis... but then again, sometimes that little bit of extra headroom makes all the difference when you're pushing settings to the limit, doesn't it? So, I was just sitting here thinking about those new Nvidia cards they've been rolling out lately, you know, the ones built on that whole "new architecture" hype featuring the GTX 200 chip... and honestly, when you really dig into the specs, it’s quite fascinating! We're looking at a chip packed with about 1.4 billion transistors and 240 stream processors, which is certainly a lot of raw power to wrap your head around... though, if we're being totally honest with ourselves, it feels like they're still leaning heavily on that 65nm technology for now, even if everyone is eagerly anticipating the jump to 55nm very soon... because once they make that leap, we should finally see much better power efficiency, more reasonable price tags, and significantly less heat radiating from the rig, which would be a massive relief for all of us... but if you look at it through a more critical lens, it almost feels like that GTX 200 chip is really just a beefed-up version of the old G80 architecture, but hey, progress is progress, right?... 🙂
I was just sitting here thinking about those technical specifications for the... well, you know, that whole setup we were discussing earlier... and it really does get you wondering how much detail we actually need to nail this down properly... I was just sitting here thinking about my old setup, you know, how much things have changed since I first started tinkering with PCs back in the day... and my mind kept drifting back to that trusty little 280GTX card I used to run! It’s funny how we get so attached to hardware, isn't it? Even though it feels like an absolute dinosaur compared to the powerhouse rigs people are building nowadays in places like Austin or Seattle, there was something so incredibly reliable about it... it just worked, through all those late nights of gaming and rendering, providing just enough juice to keep everything moving along smoothly without any fuss at all... it really was a workhorse for its time, even if it does seem almost quaint when you look at the sheer scale of modern GPU architecture... anyway, I digress, but it really makes you appreciate how far we've come! suSo, if we're looking at the raw numbers for this particular beast, we’ve got a core speed sitting right at 602MHz, paired with 1GB of memory running at a snappy 2214MHz... and then there's the shader clock at 1296MHz, all riding on that beefy 512-bit bus, which honestly sounds like quite the powerhouse for certain tasks, though I suppose we should also keep an eye on the suggested retail price, which is hovering around $680... which feels like a bit of a premium, but hey, you get what you pay for, I guess...
I was just sitting here thinking about that old 260GTX, and honestly, it really gets my mind racing because there’s just something about those classic builds that stays with you... you know? It’s funny how we get so attached to these specific pieces of hardware, almost like they have their own little personalities, much like that one vintage muscle car I used to obsess over back in Detroit... anyway, I can't help but wonder if people truly appreciate the sheer nostalgia baked into those specs, though I suppose time moves on so quickly for everyone these days... It’s essentially just a slightly scaled-back version of the standard model—you know how it goes, they take that powerhouse 10-core setup and dial things back just enough to hit a different market segment... one of those cores is actually disabled entirely, and they’ve gone ahead and intentionally throttled the card's clock speeds too. We're looking at a core speed sitting at 576MHz, with 896MB of memory running at 1998MHz, a 448-bit bus, and 192 stream processors... I'd say a fair asking price would be right around $399 if you're looking for a deal... 🙂

There are certainly plenty of Tesla 280 GTX cards out there floating around, but I thought I’d share this particular one we’ve got right here... I couldn't quite catch that last bit, or perhaps the connection flickered just as you were getting to the good part, but I believe you were trying to share a link with us... if you could find that URL again and drop it right here in the thread, I’m sure we’d all be absolutely delighted to take a peek!. 🙂

If you're wondering what to steer clear of right now, I’d say just hold off on most of the new stuff... honestly, if you want something that actually makes sense for your wallet, the only real winner left is grabbing that old-school 3850 512 Club3D version from that one shop in Chicago... it’s just one of those rare gems where the value still holds up perfectly... $233.

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about our current spending habits lately, and if you’ll take my humble advice, I really think it might be best to hold off on any major purchases for the time being... there’s just something in the air right now that suggests we should keep our wallets tucked away and wait for things to settle down a bit... Looking at that lineup—the Radeon 3870, the 8800 GS, the 8800 GT with its various memory configurations, the GTS, the GTX, even those 9600GTs and 9800GTXs, not to mention the dual-GPU monsters like the 3870x2 or the 9800GX2... there is just so much noise right now! Honestly, I think the smartest move is to just sit tight for a little while longer and let the dust settle, because once things actually stabilize, we’ll finally be able to see which card offers the best bang for your buck and get a clear, definitive picture of how much of a leap we're actually seeing between the older generations and this new tech... it's better to wait and be sure than to jump in blindly...

Weekly Deal Spotlight:

Samsung 2053BW — This is a 20" LCD (TN) monitor that hits that sweet spot of being incredibly affordable while still maintaining a really respectable level of quality... you can currently snag one over at Walmart$530 for just $89.99
.
I actually caught a quick breakdown from X-bit Labs regarding this model (and if you want to dive deeper into their full testing, I’ve got the link sitting right here in my signature
),
The Good Stuff:

* It’s got a really sharp, appealing look to it
* The MagicBright modes are surprisingly well-balanced and easy to use
* You get plenty of versatility with the various RTC mechanism operating modes

The Not-So-Good:

* The physical buttons are positioned in a bit of an awkward spot, which can be a tad annoying...

What I’d suggest using it for:

* General office work, like crunching through spreadsheets, typing up documents, or just browsing the web
* Looking through your photo library or doing some light image editing
* Watching movies or playing casual games—even some that benefit from a faster response time

If you happen to need a little more screen real estate, they also have the larger 22" Samsung 2253BW available over at Walmart for only $623$109.99...

Edward Peterson70 said:I was under the impression that hitting the FSB wall was what actually held things back...

Well, it’s definitely stuttering, but if you ask me, the processor is the real culprit here rather than the motherboard... 😉

Edward Peterson70 said:Do you actually have to pull the whole motherboard out of the case just to swap out a big type TT... or can you get away with something a bit less invasive...? ☕

That’s actually a bit of a different question than the one we were just diving into...

Do you really have to pull the processor out when you're swapping out the heatsink...? I mean, I was just sitting here thinking about the sheer necessity of all that extra work... it seems like such a massive hassle just to get a better chill on the chip, doesn't it... but sometimes you feel like you've got to go all the way if you want things done right...

🤣

Well, you can certainly swap out the Typhoon cooler without any real trouble if you just want to pop a new processor in there, but if you’re looking to actually get the whole thing mounted or taken apart properly... well, you're going to have to pull the entire motherboard out of the case first...

Edward Peterson70, my old friend, you fellow overclocking enthusiast... it isn't actually the motherboard itself, because even when running at default voltage, it behaves exactly the same as if I were just cranking up the power delivery...

you have to physically pull the processor out if you're going to mess with the bus speed

Oh my god, seriously? What on earth are you talking about?

Hey Stigel, I’ve got a little new darling for my HTPC setup, an Intel Celeron 420... It runs at 1.6GHz on default settings with an 8x multiplier, and I've paired it up with a Gigabyte P31 DS3L motherboard and some Frontier 300 w power supply...

The processor is absolutely wild when it comes to voltage efficiency, because I actually managed to push it to nearly 3GHz while only using about 1.25V...



As for the memory, I'm running Corsair Dominator (2x1GB), where the voltage sat at 2.07V and I hit a max frequency just north of 1100MHz with 5-5-5-15 timings...

I think I might have hit the FSB wall somewhere past 377MHz—though it stayed pretty stable at around 370MHz during Super Pi testing—but I can't say for certain yet... I just haven't had the chance to move it into my main rig to be 100% sure...