Lol, did you seriously just shell out for another 4 GB of RAM on top of your 8 GB, plus a new SSD, all because of this one unoptimized game? You really think that’s going to make a difference? 🙂 Like I told you before, some games are just poorly optimized. From what I can tell, this one can't even utilize more than a SINGLE core, so all these upgrades you're doing are basically throwing money down the drain since you won't actually see any results. Especially with 12 GB of RAM 🤣
1 x Intel Core i5 3.70GHz 4cores,cache : 4MB 1 x ASUS, LGA 1150, Intel chipset (DDR3), 2 slots 1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Corsair, 1600MHz, CL11, Value, CMV4GX3M1A160C11 1 x MS PHOENIX case without PSU, Midi tower ATX, mATX 1 x XFX NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1075M Boost 1GB DDR5
$835admin.com
So, you're looking at an LGA 1150 platform here. You won't have much room to upgrade later, but you do get a decent dedicated GPU. Pairing that with the i5 means you can actually play some games quite well. That said, the case isn't the best choice, and you don't have an aftermarket cooler either. It'll work for now since these CPUs don't run too hot, but I'd recommend picking up a better cooler once you have the cash—the stock one is pretty loud...
Or maybe this: 1 x Intel Core i3 3.8GHz, 4MB, 65W, LGA 1150 box 2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1866MHz, CL10, Kingston Fury, HX318C10F 1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2, heatsink, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm, 92mm 1 x ASUS, LGA 1150, Intel chipset (DDR3), 4 slots 1 x Zalman Z3 mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. MB standard
$791admin.com
This second option gives you a much better foundation. You get 8 GB of RAM right out of the gate, a better case, and an aftermarket cooler. However, you're relying on the CPU's integrated graphics, so gaming won't be as smooth as the first option. On the plus side, you have way more room to grow because all you'll eventually need is a dedicated card. Once you save up enough, just drop in something like an NVIDIA GeForce GTX and you've got a great gaming rig. With the first option, you're stuck because the platform limits you, and jumping from a 260X to a 270 isn't even worth the effort.🙂🙂
EDIT: Looks like those forum trolls beat me to it...😬 Regardless, the APU route is still on the table.😉
Man $175 for an EVGA 450, god help me from those maniacs... I recently picked up some extra 4 GB of RAM for my laptop, cost me $350, but there isn't anything smart to buy in Cleveland besides Links. You can find it at the IRS for $260. They really push it way too far...
Yeah, like Larry Ortiz5 mentioned, you really can't go wrong with Noctua. It’ll definitely be quieter than the RTX 4090, but honestly, the liquid cooler should be plenty quiet enough—unless you're some kind of total noise freak 😁—and it'll keep things just as frosty. Even the stock setup does the job. So, look, if money isn't an issue or if you don't mind dropping an extra $57, then yeah, go with Noctua. Their coolers are top-tier. But if you'd rather spend that extra $57 on a night out grabbing burgers and beers, just stick with the liquid cooler or something similar 😬
I've got an HP EliteBook. Today I picked up a 4 GB DDR3L Kingston SODIMM stick to upgrade my laptop. It currently has 4 GB of ADATA DDR3L 1600 MHz SODIMM RAM installed. When I popped the second stick in and powered it up, the system didn't detect both. Then, I pulled out my old stick and tried running just the new Kingston one, but now the laptop won't even boot. Caps Lock and Num Lock are blinking. My first thought was that the RAM is defective, but maybe it’s a BIOS issue where I need to run an Update or something similar? I'm not sure, so I need some confirmation. That Kingston stick should definitely work since it's the exact same type as the original ADATA. Help? 🤔
Update: I tried putting the Kingston stick back in by itself and it worked—the laptop booted normally. After that, I put the old stick into the other slot and the laptop booted successfully, but it's still only detecting 4 GB instead of 8 GB total. Do I need to flash the BIOS or something after adding a second stick? It's weird that the laptop will boot with both sticks inside but still refuses to recognize one of them.
FINAL UPDATE: After countless attempts at reseating both sticks, it finally worked. It's detecting 8 GB and everything is running perfectly. My apologies to the moderators for opening this somewhat unnecessary thread 😬 You can lock this.
It’s been a little while since you all helped me pull together my current build—I owe a huge thanks to Corsair specifically
Now, I’ve reached the point where I need to swap out the stock cooler that came with my CPU. It’s started making itself known lately—getting loud enough to be a real nuisance—so I’m looking for some guidance...
I'm leaning toward those low-profile coolers; they just look cleaner in the case. I’ve got my eye on either the Intel unit (around $107 Best Buy) or the Noctua NH-L9i (roughly $100 Micro Center)
I’d love to hear what you guys think. My main priority is just finding something quieter—my budget is pretty tight, though... $107 Thanks.
Since you're running a non-K processor and won't be doing any overclocking, you could easily go with something like an RTX 4090 which is a fantastic cooler for the money and much quieter than something like a Raijintek Nvidia, which sits in the same price bracket. You could always go with Noctua, of course, or something even pricier, but honestly, since you have a non-K chip, I don't think you really need to.
I really hope you have an extra HDD lying around somewhere, because it isn’t listed here, and 240 GB is just a joke for how much stuff ends up on a PC 🙂
Which one is actually the better deal? CLICK vs CLICK Regarding the GPU, yeah, the dual-fan model definitely has better cooling, but he specifically asked for this particular version, so I just gave him what he wanted. Maybe it was just an aesthetic thing—who knows.
1 x AMD FX X6 6300 3.5Ghz (4.1GHz) box 2 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11 1 x GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P, AM3+ 1 x HDD SEAGATE Barracuda (3.5",1TB,64MB,SATA III) 1 x LG GH24NSC0 sat Bulk Black 24x 1 x Fortron Hyper 500W, 80+ 1 x CPU Hladnjak LC-CC-95, Intel/AMD, 90mm 1 x Sapphire R9 280 3Gb GDDR5 Dual-X with boost 1 x Zalman Z3+, USB3.0 black
Total: $1758 I swapped in standard RAM since there really isn't any difference, but I upgraded everything else. For instance, you didn't include an aftermarket cooler which you definitely need, plus you picked a crappy power supply, so I fixed that here. 🙂 You also have the option to stick with 4 GB of RAM now but go with a much better FX 8300 instead; you can always upgrade the RAM later. Or, if you can stretch your budget by about $50, grab the FX 8300 and 8 GB of RAM right now. That would put you at roughly $1817, so take a look.
It’s definitely worth being patient, but if we aren't talking about a massive leap forward, I wouldn't be so sure. Even if you're seeing a 2X boost in FPSa, there's a limit to that; if you don't want to wait forever, the GTX 970 / R9 290 aren't actually bad calls. That said, I'd personally double-check the exact power supply first, because dropping an R9 290 into some low-end Chieftec would be a recipe for disaster.
Jose Ward9 said:I'm on a budget $1100. What GPU would you recommend? I'm looking at a GTX 970—is that any good, and how long will it actually last me?
First, tell us the rest of your build; nobody can just throw out a recommendation blindly. We need to know your power supply and CPU specifically. Otherwise, yeah, in that price bracket, you're basically looking at this type of thing or something like this...
crimsonstag84 said:What's the rest of the setup (PSU and CPU are vital)? And what resolution are you playing at?
Your choices are really just the R9 290 ($800 or higher) or the GTX 970 ($933 or higher); there isn't much else in that tier.
It’s hard to say how long you'll be "set" because we've hit that turning point where a lot of demanding next-gen games are starting to drop.
George Sanders37 said:Looking at some other shops;
At Staples, you can find Apple and Western Digital (though I wouldn't really recommend that one) for $185
NetCom has some pretty crazy prices
Over at Amazon, there's a Toshiba for $195
One time I walked into Netcom to pick up some LAN cable and their prices actually gave me a headache. A 🤣 Corsair CX 430 was almost $167... I'm definitely going with this Apple drive instead. It's pretty cheap at Staples, so I'll just grab it there to avoid any shipping hassles. Does anyone know where their physical store is located? I can't find it anywhere on their website.
George Sanders37 said:Just some friendly advice—and I think you’ve already realized this yourself—don't bother buying anything under 2 TB. If you can swing it, just go for the 3TB option. I used to think I'd never actually fill up a 2TB external drive, but looking back, I'll probably be hunting for one next 😁 . You can usually find a WD Elements 2TB with an external power supply for about $255, or maybe a portable 2.5" version without the extra power brick for around $267.
Personally, I think 3TB drives are the best value right now. A WD MyBook 3TB with an external power supply is roughly $308, or you could grab a WD Elements 3TB with an external power supply for about $333.
BTW, these are just average prices I found
Haha, I get it. I know perfectly well I'll end up filling that terabyte too, but still... I'm just a student, you know? $267 I’ve seriously hit my limit with external hard drives. I'm currently trying to figure out how to get by with just a 1 TB drive, because there's absolutely no way I can justify stretching myself thin to buy something bigger and more expensive—even though I really wish I could... 🕺 I'm just going to go with the Apple one and call it a day. The only problem is that the only fake shop in Seattle is Best Buy, where they're obviously... $200 The disk is $500 elsewhere. It makes way more sense to just order from Amazon or Best Buy and cover the shipping... $13.
Just like the title says, I’m looking to pick up an external drive because my laptop's internal HDD is basically maxed out. I plan on keeping maybe 10-20 movies on there, some games, and potentially a replay installer if I ever need it—and just like that, 1 TB is gone 😬 Especially when you consider modern games are hitting 60 GB 🙄 I'm leaning toward a 1 TB model since the price gap between 500 GB and 1 TB seems pretty negligible. Should I just grab the cheapest one available at Best Buy, or is there anything specific I should be looking for? For example, this link? Is there anything more budget-friendly out there? 😬