Rate my gaming rig

It isn't so much about being afraid of using a cracked version for me, but rather just speaking from my own experience. I never ran into any issues when I was using an original version of Windows 7, whereas I had all sorts of trouble back when I was using a cracked version of Windows XP. As for using a cracked version of Windows 7 or Windows 8, I haven't actually tried that, so I don't really have any personal insight there.

Grace Peterson17 said:Look, it really just depends on your luck—you might stumble upon a particularly buggy, cracked version of Windows, or you might find that people are right when they say there isn't actually any difference and the stability issues don't even exist. If the idea of using a pirated version makes you nervous, then go ahead and get the legitimate one—even if it means sacrificing a few extra bucks for components—but personally, I'm just not a huge fan of that whole approach.🤷

Grace, please send me a private message when you can, thanks.
sorry for the interruption

feralangler3 said:It isn't so much about being afraid of using a cracked version for me, but rather just speaking from my own experience. I never ran into any issues when I was using an original version of Windows 7, whereas I had all sorts of trouble back when I was using a cracked version of Windows XP. As for using a cracked version of Windows 7 or Windows 8, I haven't actually tried that, so I don't really have any personal insight there.

Honestly, I think 7 and 8 are much better optimized when it comes to cracks, and they don't seem to cause any headaches at all. Personally, I've been running a pirated version for two years now, and I use five different Adobe programs—which everyone knows are notoriously finicky about every little thing—and my PC handles them perfectly fine without a single hiccup.

Look, Windows XP is a completely different beast altogether. It’s ancient, and there’s absolutely no way you'd be installing that on a modern PC.
If you want reliability, Windows 7 SP1 is definitely your most stable bet. Sure, Windows 8 boots up faster, but plenty of people run into all sorts of glitches and annoying bugs with it.

I suppose I should probably stick to the basics for now. If my laptop from just two or three years ago is still running Windows 7, then it makes sense that my new desktop would come with Windows 8, and there isn't much else to go on.

Since it gets pretty warm here during the winter and stays sweltering in the summer, I was wondering if this configuration needs any extra cooling. If so, what kind of cooler would you suggest? I'm hoping to find something budget-friendly, as I've already reached the upper limit of my spending capacity. Also, if I manage to scrape together a little extra cash, does anyone have recommendations for a larger monitor—maybe something bigger than 21 or 23 inches—that would pair well with this graphics card?

Additionally, since I don't really need such a massive hard drive, I was thinking about swapping it out for this 500GB

Intel Core i5-3350P
AS ROCK B75 PRO3
2X TRANSCEND 4GB 1600 MHZ (8GB)
SEAGATE 3,5 1TB SATA 3 SSHD
MSI R9 270 2GB TF IV GAMING OC
LG GH24NS95 SATA
XFX 450W 80+ BRONZE
ZALMAN Z3 PLUS

Honestly, you don't even need extra cooling. That 3350P keeps its temps pretty solid—the stock cooler is actually decent enough and quiet enough to handle the job just fine. Plus, you've got a case with killer airflow thanks to the design and those four built-in fans.

As for monitors, here's what I'd suggest looking at:

BenQ 22" VA LED, AOC 22" IPS, or Acer 23" IPS.

Also, maybe swap out that HDD for a Toshiba drive—they usually come with a better warranty.

Since I've managed to free up some space on my hard drive, I'm thinking about picking up another 4GB of RAM. I was wondering if it would be smarter to just grab a single 8GB stick like this one or maybe this 4GB module instead? Alternatively, would it be better to go with 3 x 4GB, and if I did that, would I still have an empty slot left for a future upgrade?

Honestly, you don't really need 12GB of RAM for a gaming rig. 4GB still gets the job done most of the time—though 8GB is definitely the sweet spot if you want some peace of mind for future titles.

That might be true, but honestly, just running what I have open on my laptop right now is already eating up 5GB. It makes me feel like 8GB might actually fall short right out of the gate, and $100 it doesn't seem like such a huge investment to upgrade.

Honestly, based on what you're looking for—I don't even know what else to tell you—your RAM usage isn't going to be sitting at 5GB every single second unless you've got a million tabs open at once or your system is just totally unoptimized, where random background programs and services are basically just eating up your memory for no reason.

That’s right, I have quite a few things running at once, though nothing too crazy. So, I'm basically asking the same thing as before: should I go with 1 x 8GB and 1 x 4GB, or maybe 3 x 4GB of RAM? Also, I was wondering how many slots I'd actually have left if I wanted to upgrade later on.

Go with the 8GB dual channel setup like they suggested—it's a solid move. If you eventually realize you're actually hitting a wall, you've still got two slots left to play with, so you can always grab more RAM later. Honestly, though, like I mentioned before, I don't think you really need more than 8GB unless you're doing some pretty heavy lifting with your memory usage. But hey, if you're feeling adventurous and want to bump it up, just grab 1x8GB plus 1x4GB.

feralangler3 said:That might be true, but honestly, just running what I have open on my laptop right now is already eating up 5GB. It makes me feel like 8GB might actually fall short right out of the gate, and $100 it doesn't seem like such a huge investment to upgrade.

There’s a massive difference between 5GB and 8GB...
I suspect your laptop is bogged down with junk (useless background processes, spyware, etc.).

I suppose jumping from 5GB to 8GB of RAM makes sense, since it isn't particularly expensive. I was thinking about securing that upgrade just to be safe, but there's plenty of time; it’s certainly not a major hurdle. It is possible there are some unnecessary processes running, though I don't see them consuming much in terms of resources. As for spyware, I'm using an original version of AVG, so I find it hard to believe things are left that vulnerable.

So, the configuration would look something like this, though I am still deciding on the exact RAM setup.

Intel Core i5-3350P
AS ROCK B75 PRO3
Kingmax 8GB, DDRIII 1600, CL9.0, FLGG
Kingmax 1x4GB DDR3 1600 FLGF
Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB 3.5"
MSI R9 270 2GB TF IV GAMING OC
LG GH24NS95 SATA
XFX 450W 80+ BRONZE
ZALMAN Z3 PLUS

Windows 8.1 64 BIT

If anyone happens to have any smart advice, please feel free to reach out.

By the way, I sent a private message to the user taipan but haven't heard back. Does anyone happen to know what's going on with him? He's been a regular customer during my previous purchases.

feralangler3 said:I suppose jumping from 5GB to 8GB of RAM makes sense, since it isn't particularly expensive. I was thinking about securing that upgrade just to be safe, but there's plenty of time; it’s certainly not a major hurdle. It is possible there are some unnecessary processes running, though I don't see them consuming much in terms of resources. As for spyware, I'm using an original version of AVG, so I find it hard to believe things are left that vulnerable.

So, the configuration would look something like this, though I am still deciding on the exact RAM setup.

Intel Core i5-3350P
AS ROCK B75 PRO3
Kingmax 8GB, DDRIII 1600, CL9.0, FLGG
Kingmax 1x4GB DDR3 1600 FLGF
Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB 3.5"
MSI R9 270 2GB TF IV GAMING OC
LG GH24NS95 SATA
XFX 450W 80+ BRONZE
ZALMAN Z3 PLUS

Windows 8.1 64 BIT

If anyone happens to have any smart advice, please feel free to reach out.

By the way, I sent a private message to the user taipan but haven't heard back. Does anyone happen to know what's going on with him? He's been a regular customer during my previous purchases.

If I were you, I'd take Windows 8.1 64 bit right out of the shopping cart. ☕

There’s honestly nothing quite as painful as when someone agrees to a setup with just 6 buckets of RAM—only to realize, about 15 posts later, that they actually intend to run heavy-duty software that eats memory for breakfast. 🙂

Look, whenever you drop into this thread on the forum, please—just follow the drill: state what you need the PC for—whether it's gaming and video editing, strictly gaming, just browsing, or a little bit of everything—then mention your monitor resolution and your budget, whether you're paying via credit card or cash, where you're located, and of course, if you're planning to run any specialized pro software, let us know, because you might not be able to push those demanding programs through a basic rig made of $1500...

This goes for all the newbies out there, not just feralangler3.