Posts by swiftfalcon89

Jesse Brown90 said:Hey Benjamin King2, let me know what you think of this one:
-ATI Radeon™ HD 5450 sapphire,
Just a heads up, I don't run games on max settings—I usually stick to 1200x700. For me, it’s enough just to get some decent performance
at lower resolutions.

So, what's the budget look like? If you can swing $233 this might be a solid deal

http://www.craigslist.org/video-card-listing-7431410

or maybe this

http://www.craigslist.org/video-card-listing-8091013

if you're looking for something cheaper, try this

http://www.craigslist.org/video-card-listing-8177651

or

http://www.craigslist.org/video-card-listing-7929937 - though watch out with that one; make sure your power supply is up to the task since it pulls quite a bit of juice. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of that specific card, even if everyone else seems to swear by it...

Timothy Kim60 said:Does that depend on the retailer?

I think I saw some guy mention that an ASUS motherboard he picked up at Best Buy came with a 3-year warranty🤷 whereas elsewhere it wasn't the case. So far, it seems like only MSI (both motherboards and GPUs) has offered 3 years at other shops.

It’s possible it comes down to the store itself. Maybe it's just a tactic—adding an extra year to entice people to buy from them instead of going to a competitor that only offers the standard 2-year coverage...

Noah Campbell52 said:Thanks, swiftfalcon89. I think I’m going to take your advice; honestly, given where things stand right now, it's probably my best bet. A new card is going to run me about $125, and once that's sorted, I'll start scraping together enough cash to grab a decent power supply, too.🙂

No worries. If everything matches what the guy wrote in his listing—meaning the card is basically brand new, barely been touched, and still carries a full three-year warranty—then I’m on board. Plus, the consensus seems to be that MSI cards come with really solid coolers. I won't pretend I know from experience, though; I've never actually owned an MSI card. I've stuck with ASUS and Sapphire in the past, and I can tell you both of those have been great. 👍 As far as those parts you’re planning to swap out for the GT9800, you might be able to squeeze another $250 out of them if you play your cards right.$100Look, if you aren't in a massive rush, just throw it on there and it should clear up in a bit. $100As for the power supply, I'll be honest—I’ve never even heard of that brand before. 🤷 Give it a shot and try installing it for. $67 Maybe someone wants to try their luck. 😬

Noah Campbell52 said:Look, I found a "Corsair" 680W unit for $133. It says "lightly used," and I think it would be a perfect fit for my current setup!

-New Corsair CX430 $117 36-month warranty

-Used MSI HD7770 $233 36-month warranty http://www.craigslist.org/listing/graphics-cards...-ad-7431410

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$350, honestly? Just grab that one and toss it in the trash. As for the stuff you just pulled out, try to sell it for whatever you can get...

Noah Campbell52 said:Listen, guys—thanks for all the deep dives and advice. I’ve decided to pull the trigger on either a 7770 or a 7750. If it works out perfectly with my new build, great; if not, I'll just flip my old one. I just need to scrape enough cash together so I can actually afford a decent power supply and a solid GPU. I picked up the PSU, CPU, and motherboard about a month ago—everything was brand new for $500—so now it looks like I'll be saving up another grand to grab a graphics card and maybe a better power supply (used)!!

I wouldn't suggest going used on the power supply. You're much better off buying a new PSU and spending your money on a used GPU instead...

Timothy Kim60 said:Look, it’s totally normal for the GPU fan to spin up when you first boot the PC. Are you saying it's taking forever to start up? Did you swap anything out recently that might have triggered this? Honestly, that power supply sounds like junk to me, but who knows what's actually going on inside there.

That graphics card http://www.newegg.com/Video-Cards...GB-p31794.html is actually a pretty solid match for your build in terms of both price and performance. Just a heads-up: if you go that route, make sure you grab the DDR5 version.

He’d be better off grabbing this Radeon HD 7770 for the money. If everything the guy mentioned is legit, the card is practically brand new—it's only been used for about three months. Check it out here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-7431410

crimsonstag84 said:Wait, am I tripping? An HD 5670 for $33? 😬

You could probably pick up a decent $117 for that kind of money...

Larry Ortiz5 said:It'll work just fine. But if you’re planning on dropping in a much beefier GPU down the road, grab this power supply now and you won't have to worry about it later..

http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?products_id=9848

Nah, I'm good. I just picked up this HD6850 with the EVGA cooler and it's been running for a year and a half already, so I definitely won't be swapping out my graphics card anytime soon. 🙂

Larry Ortiz5 said:If you're looking at quality power supplies, look for those 80 Plus/Bronze/Silver/Gold certifications. They basically guarantee the unit hits over 80% efficiency when you're running it at 20, 50, or even 100% load. You don't need to stress; that Corsair unit is more than enough for your setup. It actually delivers the wattage it claims to. I'd steer clear of those cheap $100-$67 ones that claim to offer 500 W but likely won't have an 80+ rating anyway.

You can read up on the details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_Plus

Got it, thanks. So it should be able to handle those new upgrades I mentioned? (Switching from Dual to Quad Core and adding another one of those Hard Disks?)

Larry Ortiz5 said:And honestly, try to save up for a Corsair unit. They're much better quality than what you get from Seasonic.

I'm looking at the specs here, and it says the efficiency for the Corsair CX430 is around 80%. Does that mean it's actually only putting out about 340-350W?

Timothy Kim60 said:If you really, truly had to head down to $100Indianapolis
(though it probably won't look anything like the photo)

Actually, I think I’m just going to grab the Corsair CX 430 for $117. It feels like a higher quality unit to me, and honestly, that 36-month warranty is hard to pass up. 🙂

northernowl33 said:I'm currently scouring Craigslist for something in the $3,000 range, though I'm definitely open to putting a little extra on the table if the right deal pops up. $333So, that’s where I’m at... maybe grab something else entirely? Honestly, I haven't decided yet. I definitely need to step up to a beefier power supply if I go that route. Then there's the whole dilemma of what to do with this GPU and the ProCom—who am I even going to sell those to? lol. I'll have to look into it. Finding decent RAM is such a headache lately; prices are through the roof and good stock is impossible to find. I'll wait and see what the rest of you think. Thanks for the help. Catch ya later.

You don't even need to upgrade your power supply. That Chiftech unit will handle an HD6850 or an HD6870 without breaking a sweat. Honestly, I doubt an HD7850 would give it any trouble either, even if you're running a quad Core processor. As for memory—what do you actually need more than 4 GB for? Besides, RAM isn't exactly cheap these days. I just picked up some 2x2 GB DDR2 sticks recently for a decent price. $83...

northernowl33 said:Alright, what do you guys think this rig is worth?

CPU: Intel Core 2 duo E6750 2.67GHz
GPU: Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5670 1GB
RAM: OCZ REAPER 2X2GB 1066 DDR2
HDD: 500GB 7200RPM SATA III
MOTHERBOARD: GIGABYTE EP45-DS3R
PSU: CHIEFTEC 400V
CASE: THERMALTAKKE Soprano
WARRANTY: 2 YEARS
What's the fair price here? Thanks in advance. Cheers.

Personally, I wouldn't pay more than $833 for that setup. But hey, that's just me. Wait and see what everyone else thinks. Besides, why even sell it? Just grab a better card—maybe an HD6850, an HD6870, or if you've got about $100 to spare, pick up an HD7850—pair it with a quad Core processor, and you've basically got a whole new machine.🙂

Larry Ortiz5 said:800-$300.

Thanks!

crimsonstag84 said:Go for it. You could even reuse that power supply for a future build...

I’d love to, but my wallet is looking pretty thin right now😬—honestly, I'll probably have to scramble to find the extra cash just to cover this 350W unit$17. It's a bit of a tight spot😬. Thanks, everyone. So, we're looking at the Corsair CX430W, then. But if that isn't available, how solid would that 400W Seasonic be as an alternative?

I’m looking for a quick reality check on the value of an EVGA GeForce GTX series, complete package. It still has about 1.5 years of warranty left through Best Buy... Thanks!

Alright, here’s what I’m running right now:
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS P5KPL-AM
CPU: Intel Dual Core E5200 2.50 GHz (planning to swap in a Quad-core once I save up enough cash)
GPU: Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850
RAM: 4 GB DDR2 800 MHz (2x2GB)
Hard Disks: 1x250 GB (might add a 320 or 500 GB one later on)
OPTICAL DRIVES: 1x LG DVD Rom

What kind of power supply can handle this setup? I'm looking for something in the $100 range. Ideally, I’d love to find a shop that carries it locally in Indianapolis, but if not, somewhere in a major hub like Chicago would work—I can always find someone to help me get it delivered. So far, people have suggested the Corsair CX 430W, an EVGA Real Power ECO Silent bronze 500W, or an ATX Seasonic 400W SuperLowNoise bulk unit. Do you guys know of any other options they might stock, and which of those three is actually the best bet? Thanks!

Thought I'd breathe some life back into this thread. I'm looking for a ballpark estimate on what a Sapphire NVIDIA GeForce GTX series Vapor X might go for lately. It’s the full bundle, and it's still got about a year and a half of warranty left through Lincoln... Cheers!

fadedorca66 said:The Chieftec is fine, but you haven't actually specified which model you're talking about...

Alright, here's the specific one: the EVGA GS 450 AA 101A

fadedorca66 said:The Chieftec units are decent, but you haven't specified which exact model we're talking about...

I'll ask him. Honestly, if you're looking to save some cash, maybe try scouring eBay for a used one that can actually handle this setup:

Motherboard: ASUS
CPU: Intel Core i3
RAM: 4GB DDR2 800MHz
HDD: 250GB
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 6850HD 1GB DDR5 256bit