Posts by Robert Rodriguez2

Adam Moore3 said:First off, how exactly do you "install 4 GB of RAM into your graphics card"? 😕 Second, Windows 32 can only handle about 3.5 GB of RAM max, so unless you switch over to 64-bit, you aren't seeing any of that 8 GB. 🙂

David Gomez6 said:I'm looking at a $300-$500 range... ideally I want to land around $400.

I can handle the price climbing from $400 up to $500, but I need to know exactly what extra value I'm getting for that $333 extra cash. It feels pointless to inflate the budget if I can't explain how those components actually improve my daily workflow. 🙂

My work involves heavy multitasking—dozens of browser tabs open constantly, plus a text editor running deep searches through massive folder structures.
Throw in some Photoshop with heavy layering...
...I just need that part of the experience to be seamless. Honestly, considering my rig from 2006 has been pulling its weight since $1000, I don't think a decent machine needs to cost a fortune to handle this load. Pushing the price beyond my core requirements feels like buying luxury, and if I'm going to splurge, I want to justify it with actual performance gains.

brightnomad7 said:I just slapped an extra 4GB of RAM onto my graphics card. My PC sees the chip and shows 8GB total, but it claims only 4GB is actually usable. How do I get the rest of that memory to work?

Jonathan Reed50 said:Where can I find some cash? I'm looking to snag a new 2500k for $333???

Benjamin Robinson said:Hey, if it’s not too much trouble, I was just wondering if anyone here could help me put together a build that can actually pull 250 FPS in the smoke during Call of Duty 4...

darkangler24 said:So, I'm trying to put together a gaming rig with a budget somewhere between $600 and $2667 using an Intel/NVIDIA combo. Here’s what I’ve picked out so far:

1 x ASRock B85 Pro4, s1150, Haswell
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz, 1MB, 6MB, 84 W, 1150) Box
1 x 8GB DDR3 (1x8GB) Kingston, HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, CL10
1 x Gigabyte GTX 960 WF2 Overclocked, 2GB GDDR5, DVI-I / DVI-D / HDMI
1 x 1TB WD Caviar Blue HDD, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 7200 RPM
1 x XFX P1-550S-XXB9 Pro Series Core edition 80 550W PSU
1 x Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black DVD Writer, SATA
1 x Zalman Z3 mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. MB standard
$2009

Now, this is basically my baseline. I'm torn on whether I should stick with those $667 specs or if it's smarter to push for a better CPU or GPU. If I were to upgrade, I'd look at the i5-4690K, an ASRock Z97 Anniversary motherboard, and a GTX 970 WF3. I'm thinking I might need a beefier power supply for that setup too, maybe something like the XFX 650 w xxx edition. All those upgrades would bump the price up by more than $200, but assuming I can make that happen, is it actually worth the extra cash?

If I wanted a higher-end case, like a Define R4, I'd definitely be blowing past my budget, and honestly, I don't see the point unless it's necessary—especially since I think the Z3 looks way cooler anyway.

Before I even think about overclocking the processor, I'd grab a decent cooler, but for now, I'll just stick with the stock one.

Charles Lee16 said:Hey there. I'm looking at this cheap office PC and wondering what the actual difference is between an "office" machine and a "normal" one. Specs are: 3.2 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7, ATI Radeon 4550 with 767 MB, and 2 GB of RAM. I don't need a hardcore gaming rig, just something that can handle some newer soccer games or light titles. Is there any real difference between an office build and a standard desktop if the specs look identical, besides how they look?
Thanks in advance 😁 😁 😁

neontiger54 said:Oops, my bad, I totally messed up the input😁

IMAGE
$4,500 without the hard drive. I actually found a new one for $117 with a warranty on eBay 🙂

What kind of power supply would you recommend? Maybe something around $117 if possible, just to make sure everything stays stable?

edit: http://www.newegg.com/p/power-supplies... Would this be enough?*

Larry Ortiz5 said:Just take a full day off, swap in a new GPU, wipe the drive, and call it a day. You aren't reinstalling Windows every single morning, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal (at least not for me).

Drew Sanchez82 said:Big hype beats small increments any day. 😁
On the subject of upgrades, I'm grabbing a GTXic 970 (Asus Strix) next week or the one after. I just need to find someone who knows how to overclock a CPU because I'm too chicken to mess with the voltage myself.
I reckon I can push my I5 2500 k from 3.3 to 4.5GHz.

I'll wait for Larry Ortiz5 or whoever jumps on GTA5 first to see how much it chokes their rig.

Grace Kern said:The CPU might be slightly less powerful, but you get twice the RAM. I don't see where else this falls short. I've put together one more alternative so the buyer can make their own choice.

Also, he mentioned wanting to buy through an online shop, and as far as I know, Micro Center doesn't handle online payments for these types of builds. So, I just tailored this option better to fit his actual needs.

Grace Kern said:I have one AMD FX-6100 processor available for sale. This is the boxed version, featuring a clock speed of 3.3 GHz with a boost up to 3.9 GHz, a 14MB cache, and a 95W TDP on the AM3+ socket.
I have one 8GB stick of Crucial DDR3 RAM running at 1600 MHz (PC3-12800) with a CL11 latency.
I have one Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P motherboard available, featuring the AM3+ socket.
I have one LC-CC-95 CPU cooler available, compatible with both Intel and AMD systems. It features a 90mm fan.
I have one Toshiba DT01ACA050 1TB hard drive available, running at 7200rpm with 32MB cache.
I have one LG GH24NSC0 SATA optical drive available in bulk black. It's a solid little unit if you're looking to add some disc functionality back to your setup.
I've picked up one Zalman Z1 unit in black, featuring USB 3.0 connectivity and dual 120mm fans.
1 x Fortron Hyper 500W, 80+
I currently have one Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 on hand, featuring 2048MB of GDDR5 memory.

You can pay with a Diners card and spread the cost over up to 12 monthly installments. Plus, they'll even handle the assembly and deliver everything right to your doorstep for free.

Cca $1717

Chris Robinson25 said:So, I’ve got a SATA motherboard and my old drive is ancient, so I need an upgrade. Is this one worth the cash?

http://www.amazon.com/optical-drive-sata...3784031

neontiger54 said:Hey everyone, I'm planning on putting together a new PC with a budget of around $1667. I'm leaning towards an AMD platform—I wouldn't want anything less than an AMD FX-6300, paired with 8GB of 1600MHz RAM and a Radeon R9 280 graphics card. My main question is about where to buy the parts... since I'll be ordering through an online retailer and paying with a credit card, does anyone have recommendations on where I can get the best deal?

Patrick Harris8 said:I need some help putting together a build within the budget mentioned in the title plus $33, max. So, basically, nothing over $467.

I'm based in Chicago, so getting parts shouldn't be an issue.
I need this PC for work using Synesis—it's accounting software—so it’s mostly CPU intensive. I checked my current setup to see what hits hardest when it's running. Besides that, it's just web browsing and Zoom, but the machine will be running constantly.!!!

I've scouted some components and landed on this list, but I want to know what you guys think:

Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33, LGA 1150, supports up to 1600MHz DDR3, ATX;
Processor: Intel Celeron G1840 2.80GHz 2MB Cache, 2 Cores;
Hard Drive: WD Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX, 500GB, SATA3, 7200rpm, 16MB cache, 3.5
RAM: Kingston RAM 4GB, DDR3, 1600MHz, CL11
Case & PSU: NZXT H81M-E33 Case, 400W 12cm NZXT H81M-E33 Case

I pulled all this from Best Buy, though some shops might have better prices on specific parts.

Here's what I'm wondering about this setup:
Does it make sense to get 1600MHz RAM if my processor only supports up to 1333MHz? (Sorry if that's actually a motherboard thing rather than a CPU thing)
Also, this power supply included in the case doesn't have any rating (like 80+ Bronze), so I'm worried about whether it's reliable enough.

Hopefully, that covers everything clearly.
I'm also open to picking up some stuff on Craigslist...
Thanks in advance for the suggestions.