Recent content by Rattlin Bones

Thanks guys, especially chimaxi83 for actually measuring yours! :D Sets my mind at ease, and lets me take advantage of a good deal.

So I've got a Cooler Master Cavalier 3, and from tape measure measurements, I can fit a GPU as long as just over 11" maximum. I was considering a MSI Radeon HD 6950 Twin Frozr II OC 810MHZ 2GB GDDR5 ($209 CAD AR) or MSI Radeon HD 6950 Twin Frozr III OC 850MHZ 1GB GDDR5 ($199 CAD AR) To be...

I must admit I too am coming to that conclusion from what I've read since posting. It helps, considering you don't get much of a 27" for $300. I'm leaning even more heavily to 23"-24" now, though the price on that Viewsonic is nice if it's a decent panel.

So I'm upgrading to an HD 6870 and coming from a wonderful Viewsonic VX2025wm 20.1" that will be passed on to my wife. Primary uses are gaming and watching movies; not 100% decided on size, but as budget is a factor, 23-24" seems more feasible. That size seems best for gaming and desktop use...

First of all, my thanks for all your previous help! It's really been illuminating. Secondly, due to a payroll mishap, I wasn't able to purchase the system two weeks ago. I'd love your opinion on what I've put together to order now, using updated sales. I've managed to keep it all on NCIX for...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CANADIAN. :D Your Newegg etc. links are welcome and helpful, but I'll be unable to order from them directly. Will likely use NCIX.com...

Is XFX (or whomever their PSU manufacture is) considered as trustworthy? And the 450W does have the two PCIe connectors? I presume so from your explanation, but I didn't see it confirmed in the listed specs, so just wanted to be sure. 4. The i3 2120 is only $5 more than the 2100. Is it...

Great recommendations, thanks. A follow up question: 1. If we wound up upgrading her to, say, a 6870 though, some of the specs ask for 500W. Perhaps that's an overestimation on their part, I'm not sure. You both advised only a 400W, though. Three others in the price range, just going on sale...

Thanks! At this point I'm leaning toward dropping a little extra cash on the i3 2100. The only thing tempting about the 955 BE is that my own machine is AM3, so we'd be apple to swap components in a pinch. But when the i3 2100 is only $17 more than the 955 BE, doesn't seem to make much sense...

12/28 Update: Latest build/questions in post #12 here. Build below. Cheap as Free™ idea I'm throwing around: CPU: Athlon II X3 450 ($80; the 455 is $7 more) Mobo: Any decent Asus/Gigabyte/Biostar/MSI microATX board. ($65 linked) PSU: 500w+ from a trustworthy brand. ($60 linked; can...

I'm building a budget MMORPG gaming machine for my wife, and one of her few wishes is a SSD. It's been heavily recommended to me by some that Sandforce drives be avoided altogether due to the potential BSOD issue. Do you concur? I've been browsing non-Sandforce 3gb/s 120gb models to try to...

I believe that's indeed possible with the board I intend to use, the Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX. But to be honest, I'd rather not mess around with unlocking/overclocking, at least not at first. I'd have to add an aftermarket cooler, for one thing, which kind of negates the price...

Heh, yeah, I'm upgrading all core components with the exception of my GPU (8800GS 384)--waiting on lower DX11 prices next year for that. Thanks so much, philosofool! After reading your post and doing some research, I think I will in fact drop the dough for the X3 720.

So, I'm upgrading my CPU, Mobo, RAM, PSU, and HD. I have a thread here, but I'd like to discuss CPUs in a little more detail. Use: Gaming. Budget: Under $150. Brand: Doesn't matter, but it seems that AMD is best value in this range. Rattlin' Bones has never overclocked. Rattlin' Bones...

Sorry for the bump, but I'm hoping someone can answer my RAM question, at least. I'm also having trouble finding the RAM jae recommended on NewEgg. The 2x2GB kits seem to be for Intel combos, only. How much are these G.Skill sets supposed to cost? Thanks again!