Posts by Robert Rodriguez2

mellowtiger83 said:First off, we are talking about a GTX 660 here. The PC is practically new and comes with original Windows licenses. Read carefully. The processor was running at 3.5 GHz without any issues whatsoever.

Battlefield 4 on Ultra at Full HD hits 40-80 fps.

By the way, this rig will be gone within two days, just like all my other builds, so there's no need for the unnecessary chatter.

Also, those FPS numbers were measured at stock frequency using Fraps.

Look... that CPU is overclocked, creating a massive bottleneck for that GPU...

I honestly don't get how you can't even watch YouTube or HD movies without stuttering when you've got that much RAM and integrated graphics...

Before you buy anything, try installing Windows with the latest drivers for your hardware and see if that fixes things.

Just so I'm not talking nonsense... I'm running integrated graphics too, but I only have 2 GB of RAM... with 256 MB allocated to the GPU... on Windows (HD 4250)

Windows runs just fine... all my videos work, whether it's YouTube or downloaded movies, at both 720p and 1080p.

That was my setup for almost two years... and I even played quite a few games on that same integrated chip.

I only recently picked up a dedicated graphics card... and now there's a noticeable difference.

For the stuff you're trying to do, integrated graphics shouldn't just be able to handle it... it should breeze through it without breaking a sweat.

mellowtiger83 said:crimsonstag84's setup has 4GB, why even bother with that junk case, and what's the point of the 500GB drive???? all just to squeeze in an R9 280

@Robert Rodriguez2, you definitely need a CPU cooler for that AMD build, especially since you're using a Zalman mini case without any fans.

Try reading more carefully.😉

Believe it or not, some people don't even need a 1TB drive 🙂
let alone 500GB. 🙂

Upgrading RAM is easy, unlike swapping a GPU.

And you went and built a rig with a dead socket. I doubt anyone's even looked at an FM1 socket in the last two years... so, nope.

Daniel Kelly3 said:So, here's the deal... I've decided to pick up a new PC, so I've been scouring the web, doing my research, and digging through everything... I actually stopped by Best Buy and saw a few pre-built rigs that caught my eye... but then I started reading these forums saying that pre-builts are usually garbage... so... if you guys could help me put together a solid one instead...

I need it to have 8GB of DDR3 RAM, an Nvidia graphics card... and a decent processor... that's about it... go all out, guys... and thanks! 🙂

1 x Asrock FM2A88M EXTREME4+, FM2,FM2+, AMD A88X (Bolton-D4), DDR3
1 x AMD Trinity Athlon II X4 750K 3.40GHz 4cores
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x Zalman ZM-T2 PLUS micro tower case. 189(W) x 427,5(H) x 364(D)mm
1 x CORSAIR 430W, CX Series 80+ Bronze, EPS12V v2.3, 80+ power supply
1 x ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
1 x Sapphire R7 265 2GB GDDR5 Dual-X, 2GB GDDR5 256bit, 28nm
1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3
1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100

$1274
Or if it absolutely has to be an Nvidia card (it's weaker than the AMD one listed above, just slightly)

1 x Asrock FM2A88M EXTREME4+, FM2,FM2+, AMD A88X (Bolton-D4), DDR3
1 x AMD Trinity Athlon II X4 750K 3.40GHz 4cores
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x Zalman ZM-T2 PLUS micro tower case. 189(W) x 427,5(H) x 364(D)mm
1 x CORSAIR 430W, CX Series 80+ Bronze, EPS12V v2.3, 80+ power supply
1 x ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3
1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x MSI GTX 750 Ti Gaming 2GB GDDR5, N750Ti TF 2GD5/OC Gaming

$1260

Keith Wright2 said:Let me give you the reality check here:

-An EVGA r9 290 isn't happening on your budget, even if you stripped every other part down to nothing just to afford the peripherals you listed.
-Your case choice is basically handcuffed by the GPU length. You're stuck with either a Cooler Master Z3 or some overpriced boutique tower from $267 like they have downtown.
-Either bump the budget up to $3167, swap to an r9 280 to stay within your limits, or find some extra cash so you can actually afford the build you want without ending up with a $250 budget rig that underperforms.

What are you even talking about?
Look up. There are two builds listed above with zero bottlenecks using an r9 290...

Timothy Kim60 said:Cheaper PSU:
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-PowerSupply-650W-80-Plus/dp/B00P7S6K5I

As for the motherboard—if you went with a cheaper H81 instead of what you have now, you’d lose that internal USB 3.0 header (unless you grab an HDS board from ASRock) and drop down to two RAM slots instead of four. If you go the two-slot route, just stick to a single 8GB stick. Honestly, if you’re already paying this much, I'd just stay with the current board.

A Thermaltake Commander isn't top-tier stuff, but it hits the mark for what you want...

I intentionally went with a Silicon Valley build😁 because, in my book, they're the best of the best.😁

crimsonstag84 said:@Robert Rodriguez2 He’s just looking at GPU prices 😉 So your estimate is about ~$2867

But even with that, the CPU in that build above won't fit the motherboard anyway. 😛

Still hasn't even hit the $400 mark, more like $33 😬

It's good enough 😳

Henry Baker64 said:Will I be able to run stuff like the new Dragon Age, Witcher, Tomb Raider, Battlefield, and games like that...
And is my current power supply enough...

You can, just don't expect Ultra settings...
The Nvidia card is stronger but uses less juice—it doesn't even need a 6-pin PCI-E connector since it pulls everything it needs straight from the slot.🙂

Henry Baker64 said:Here’s my current setup:

Intel Core i5-4440 (3.1GHz, 6MB, LGA1150)
Kingston 120GB V300 SATA III SSD
Western Digital Green 1TB SATA 3 WD10EZRX
Kingston HyperX Blue 8GB (1x8) DDR3 1600MHz
MS Logic A10 case
Gigabyte H81M S2PV with Corsair CX430M
Modular Power Supply

I'm looking for a GPU—used is fine—that actually performs well. Budget is around $333 bucks.

Thanks

AMD
http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=14026

Nvidia
http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=14395

briskmason6 said:Buying this Monday since I ran into some issues. Here's the final build list before I close this thread, yeah:

-CPU: Intel i5 4440.....$455
-MOBO: ASRock B75 PRO3M.....$169
-RAM: KINGSTON 8GB 1600MHz White Series.....$224
-GPU: Gigabyte R9 290.....$959
-SSHD: SEAGATE HDD 1TB 64MB 7200 SATA 6Gb/s.....$156
-PSU : Fortron Aurum S PSU 600W,80+ GOLD.....$242
-OPTICS : LG SATA Bulk Black 24x.....$45
-CASE : Thermaltake Commander MS-I USB3.0x1.....$133
-AUDIO : Logitech Speaker System Z313.....$95
-KEYBOARD: Zalman K400G.....$61
-MOUSE: Genius X-G500.....$47
-MONITOR: ACER 23" LED IPS.....$375

-Total cost is about $2961, Amazon...Denny's..
-I know I went over budget at $133...if anything is useless, like the motherboard, could I just grab an H81 instead? Just to cut costs. I think it's worth paying extra for a solid power supply though.
-Also, is the case big enough for everything?
-Monitor is 1080p with an IPS panel, should be decent even if it was only a couple hundred bucks.
-If I were buying today, this is what I'd go with.. but whatever.

You're overkill on a few things here...
You don't need to blow your whole budget. You'll end up with a PC that performs better in certain areas than this list, and you'd save a good chunk of change.

Amy Vaughn12 said:1 x AMD Trinity Athlon ii x4 750 3.40GHz 4 cores
1 x Asrock FM2A78M-DG3+, AMD FM2+ Socket A78 Chipset MB
1 x Sapphire R7 250 1GB GDDR5 Boost, 1GB GDDR5 128bit, 28nm
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
1 x Fosna 400W, HEXA 400, 12cm fan, Active PFC
1 x MS LOGIC A33 without PSU, Midi tower, ATX, 5.25" external bay

$834
adm.hr

I don't think you really need an optical drive, I guess. If there is any way to swing it, maybe grab a separate cooler, though if not, just do it whenever you can scrape some extra cash together, because the stock one that comes with the processor tends to be pretty loud.

1 x Asrock FM2A78M-DG3+, AMD FM2+ Socket A78 Chipset MB
1 x AMD Trinity Athlon ii x4 750 3.40GHz 4cores
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
1 x Fosna 400W, HEXA 400, 12cm ventilator, Active PFC
1 x MS Industrial Sirius midi tower
1 x R7 260 x 1GB GDDR5 OC, 1GB GDDR5 128bit, 28nm

$888
if you can $50 the 👍 above

driftingpilot8 said:you've got dust

what about the GPU?

Just buy a new one. What's your budget?

driftingpilot8 said:I've got 2*2 GB of RAM. Motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H in a micro case.
Plus I'm running two hard drives

Basically, I'm wondering if I should swap one 2GB stick for a 4GB one, or just upgrade the GPU. They cost about the same, maybe $250-$300. That's what I'd drop on a card.
I'm guessing the GPU would make a bigger impact since integrated graphics are the bottleneck here. Performance-wise.

Why bother swapping? This board has 4 RAM slots. Just grab another stick and go. 🙂 You don't even have to strip the old RAM out of the machine.

Roger Gray8 said:hey guys... I'm looking at new GPUs. My NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 isn't cutting it anymore; it just stutters whenever I try playing anything modern...
not buying yet, probably waiting until around Christmas... unless I save up enough sooner...
I'm leaning toward NVIDIA this time. They seem better overall than Intel cards, right? Smartic, Robert Rodriguez2?

here's the rest of my build...
Intel Core i5 currently at 4.3GHz, might try overclocking more since I just got a new cooler 😬
ASUS Motherboard + Seagate HDD
HDD Hitachi (system) and Western Digital
The PSU is decent—EVGA 450 W bronze... has an 80 plus rating on it...
Should be fine...
case is a MIDI Thermaltake V4 Black Edition

Right now I play at 1280x1024, but I have an HDTV too, so I’d love to run games in Full HD just as smoothly as I do on my monitor.

Basically, I'd rather go with NVIDIA... even if they cost a bit more. If anyone thinks Intel is a better bet, let me know...

😂 then show up a day or two before you actually buy something and we'll tell you then... until then, just wait and see what gets released.

Jack James65 said:Finally... someone actually gets it.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂haha.

You deserve a ban for coming here just to troll. You're out here hunting for an i7 and massive amounts of RAM when you probably don't even have enough cash for a burger...

And if you actually look at the replies, most people suggested 2x4 or 1x8 GB just so it would actually fit in that junk motherboard you're running, assuming you even own one.

Alexander Moore67 said:I think 8GB is the sweet spot for now, and Mario is being a bit too optimistic here..
Games like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty need more than 4GB of RAM, so don't try telling me 4GB will still be plenty by 2015.

Fine then, just go buy 16GB of RAM and throw $200 out the window. Let two-thirds of it sit there unused for the next three or four years.

Meanwhile, we'll tell everyone else to stick with 8GB so they can actually use what they have... maybe not all 8, but at least some of it...

A few years ago, everyone was preaching about 4GB being enough, and look where we are now—that's basically the standard for an average gaming or daily driver PC. (And that’s not even counting workstations used for rendering or heavy-duty video/audio editing and 3D modeling).

holloweagle9 said:Hi there! 🙂

Does anyone happen to know which specific types of RAM are compatible with the Hewlett-Packard HP d530 SFF (DG753A) motherboard?

Thanks for the help! 🙂

Probably DDR1

I’ve been rocking a ten-year-old MS keyboard and honestly, I don't miss a thing 😁

(grabbed the whole bundle—mouse, speakers, headset, all that—for about $40
)
😛 the only thing left is that the damn thing is barely hanging on by a thread

as for the mouse, I'm just using some old Genius one I picked up for $9.75 😁

Adam Moore3 said:CLICK It says Crossfire and SLI ready—but honestly, probably not. It’s putting out 34 Amps on the 12V rail, which hits about 408W. With efficiency sitting north of 80%, you're looking at maybe 350 effective watts. So, even though it claims it isn't meant for CF or SLI, I think it might actually hold up, though it'll be cutting it close. Plus, he'd have to mess around with those Molex-to-6-pin adapters... Let's not beat around the bush, though; it's definitely smarter to just grab one beefier card. What would be the best bang for his buck without creating a bottleneck? 😁 7870, 7850, AMD Radeon R9 270, or an AMD Radeon R9 270x? Personally, I don't think going lower than a 7850 makes sense since the 7790 or 260X are only a few FPS better.

Why push the power supply so hard? :/
It might work once... but long-term, it's not gonna fly.

Jack James65 said:Hey everyone...
I’ve got a quick question for you.
I'm thinking about picking this up tomorrow:
Intel Core i7-3770k 3.5GHz socket 1150 LGA
4x4GB DDR3 RAM = 16GB
I'll grab a GPU later on, but until then, I'll just use my backup: an HD5450 1GB
A 1TB Western Digital drive
ASUS P8H61-M Le

Do you think all of this will actually work together? I've looked into it, and it seems like everything should be fine, I guess.
Also, any recommendations for a decent GPU under $167
since I'll mostly be using the PC for gaming, like
Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned, Goat Simulator, Terraria, CS:GO,
and Next Car gama.

1 x Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H, Socket : 1150, Intel B85, 4xDDR3 1600
1 x Intel Core i5-4440 (3.10GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, CL9
1 x SILVERSTONE Strider 500W, Essential ST50F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz
1 x ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
1 x Sapphire R9 280 3GB OC Dual-X, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, 28nm
1 x Coolermaster K280, MIDI, black, USB 3.0, no PSU

$1683
US forums

1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, CL9
1 x SILVERSTONE Strider 500W, Essential ST50F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz
1 x ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
1 x Sapphire R9 280 3GB OC Dual-X, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, 28nm
1 x Coolermaster K280, MIDI, black, USB 3.0, no PSU
1 x ASUS M5A97 R2.0, AM3,AM3+, AMD 970, SB950, BUS 5200 MHz, DDR3
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+, FD8320FRHK
1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3

$1702