Search results

  1. S

    Add more DDR2 memory or replace MB question

    So...wait. You already have 4GB of memory. Why would you buy another 8GB of memory? Why not just buy another 4GB? I assume you have four RAM slots on your mobo. I'm in a similar boat over here. Stuck on a socket 775 board and mostly bottlenecked by 4GB of DDR2 RAM. I plugged some...
  2. S

    Upgrading ~5 year old Q6600, socket 775 build. Could use some help.

    I've got a 4+ year old rig that's starting to suck wind a little bit. I'm looking at some options during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales to kick performance up a notch. I've been reading /r/buildapcsales and am hoping /r/buildapc can help me target bottlenecks and figure out how to...
  3. S

    PSA: Full tower cases are huge.

    I actually was looking at getting an A71b, and I might be interested if the terms are right. I went with a newer mid-tower from Lian Li, the PC-7fw, and I'm not particularly pleased. I wish I'd have gone with a full tower. That said, I planned on holding out until the Cooler Master...
  4. S

    WTF is up with NVIDIA?

    I bought a Dell Inspiron 9300 (which at the time was simply an XPS with a different GPU). The only problems I ever had with that laptop were GPU-related. Two of them burned out on me in three years, which seems a bit much. These days I simply don't rely on notebooks for gaming. -S
  5. S

    Issues with Biostar T-power post codes and DVI output from GTX 260.

    Thanks for the replies, all. I suspect it's not the video card. The card is powering up fine, and we're not far enough into the POST sequence yet where I'd get video output anyways, according to their tech support. The point about the speakers is well-taken, though. It never occurred...
  6. S

    Planar 26" and GTX 260 216 ordered and on their way

    I've got everything in stock. Only plugged up the 26" to an old P4 rig atm (I'm having post problems on the new rig), but it looked ****ing awesome! The screen definately has sex appeal on it's side, imo. Much testing to go, but I'll get some pics up soon. I need a little time to let that...
  7. S

    About to pull the trigger!

    Depends on your resolutions. 1600 and under, it really doesn't matter much. The normal gtx 260 and the 4870 512mb can be had for less than $250 these days, with careful shopping. 1900x1200, it's really a toss-up, imo. If you're playing high-texture games, then it really should be "a 4870...
  8. S

    heard a rumor that XFX is jumping to ATI.

    I agree, I too would like to see more companies making ATI cards. It would increase competition and let NV know they really need to step it up for the next round. Plus, I love EVGA so far. The only ATI-based company that comes close is Leadtek, imo. "Can I please get some ATI step-up...
  9. S

    Issues with Biostar T-power post codes and DVI output from GTX 260.

    Ok, it's time to call in some big guns on this one. As of now, my new baby rig is DOA. Unfortunately, because everything on the build is new, and there's a dearth of parts for me to swap out, I've got a few problems here I'm struggling to interpret. This is a fairly straightforward build...
  10. S

    SERVER 2008 Free for students

    You got Vista Ultimate for $70? Hush then. -S
  11. S

    2 Great Sounding Headphones, sounds too good to be true but it is true.

    If I spit into your mouth for a penny, technically that's a "good value" in terms of water-to-dollar ratio, at today's prices. Anybody want to take me up on that? -S
  12. S

    P5Q pro vs. P5k deluxe wifi

    The obvious question: Why do you care about wifi to a desktop? Beyond that, I'd probably go with the Pro. Watch the 'egg, it can get pretty cheap sometimes too. -S
  13. S

    Planar 26" and GTX 260 216 ordered and on their way

    Thanks guys. Yeah, I'm a big believer in single card, or even the ATI "x2" cards > SLI/Crossfire when possible. And ATI only gets away with "x2" solutions due to the increased efficiency over crossfire, and respectable performance when running on a single GPU + 1gb or vram. Imo...
  14. S

    Need a new case...

    CM has an ATC case coming out soon. It's basically taking the air-cooling from the HAF model and putting a Lian Li-esque spin on it. http://en.expreview.com/2008/0...-raytheon-chassis.html Pretty slick case, to be honest. If it were out a week ago, I'd have gone with it instead of the...
  15. S

    Planar 26" and GTX 260 216 ordered and on their way

    My $2k-ish rig is finally ordered and on the way! Most of the internals are sitting in my room right now. The case is coming in tommorrow, with the Planar following it the day after, and the GPU hitting town Saturday. They were the last parts ordered, and the decisions that were most "up in...
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    How Loud is a GTX 260?

    /\ lol. That sig is awesome. -S
  17. S

    [Retired] The LCD Thread

    Yes, you are over-analyzing. Even if you "need" a NEC 2490, you certainly don't need three of them. Get a grip. -S
  18. S

    Palit's Sonic Dual 4870

    I agree, the cooling on the 4870 is very capable. Unfortunately, the stock fan isn't the quietest in the world, so it takes some tweaking to get it both quiet and cool. Realistically, the only "stock" card this generation that's particularly quiet is the gtx 260s. In general, I have to give...
  19. S

    How Loud is a GTX 260?

    lol! For real. I don't mean to be rude, but Bose products really aren't very competitive, imo. These days, it seems like they mainly cruise on brand image and "cache". Regarding the noise on the 260: Even on the OC models, it's quieter than the 4870, 280, or 4870x2 cards. Personally...
  20. S

    Arctic MX-2 thermal paste vs Arctic silver 5

    Go with the MX-2.
  21. S

    OCZ Vendetta 2 or Xigmatek HDT1283?

    I have no idea if they'll fit inside an Antec 300, but here's a free bump and my best guess: Probably so. The Xiggy is a smaller and lighter heatsink than a lot of the big boys out there, and is a personal favorite of mine in terms of price/performance. I also hate it that so many companies...
  22. S

    ABS Canyon 695

    Insanely over-priced from either vendor. Really, they've got their heads up their asses on this one. -S
  23. S

    It's official; I need a new case.

    Sounds like the 900 is what you want then. Godbless. -S
  24. S

    Looking for Quiet, Clean looking case

    Last I heard, the Corsairs were quieter PSUs than the PC PnCs. This is largely due to the 140mm fan on the Corsairs. -S
  25. S

    It's official; I need a new case.

    CM HAF 932 really needs to be on this list. It's big and quiet, with really good cooling for less money than a lot of the cases on your list. Also, Antec 900 is not a full tower. You say you want a full tower, so why are you considering the 900? Just because you saw it cheap once? If...
  26. S

    How good is the 4870 stock cooler

    Yep. Wish things were this rosy for the 4870x2 crowd. I'd gladly pay a few extra bucks for better stock TIM and an efficient and quieter non-reference cooler for that card. -S
  27. S

    Putting together the final pieces of a $1.7-2k gaming rig

    Yeah, I've gone back and forth about the 4870x2. My big problem is that the prices haven't fallen any since launch. $550-560 is a lot for a card. I'm thinking I may go with a lesser card and sell it off to a friend when I want to upgrade/play newer games. I was thinking a 4870. But then I...
  28. S

    Putting together the final pieces of a $1.7-2k gaming rig

    Hey guys, posting here to nail down a few of the final "question marks" for my next build. First, to satisfy the sticky requirements: --------------------------------------------------------------- 1) My PC will be used for everything. Short-term, I'll use it mainly for gaming...
  29. S

    Logitech Z-5500 - Anyone have/used these speakers?

    I'm not wild about the z-5500s, myself. A lot of guys on the Hardforums recommend against them. When i went into Bestbuy today, looking at monitors, I saw the z5500s on display and demo'd them for a bit. They were pretty unimpressive, imo, and I'm hardly an audiophile. For $200, I'd put...
  30. S

    Antec P183 /P193

    I'm more curious about the Antec P193. I thought I read somewhere that it was a full-tower case? Is that confirmed? Where there estimated release dates for these things anywhere? I'm not turning up much on Google. -S
  31. S

    P182SE Protective Film

    Or you could stop being a big girl about it and man up? Sheesh. Some people will make a forum post about anything. -S
  32. S

    Can a p182 handle a 4870x2?

    I don't have any plans to WC atm. ~S
  33. S

    Can a p182 handle a 4870x2?

    Topic. Has anyone tried it? Build is shaping up as follows: Q6600 + 4870x2 build I'd like to boot the Lian Li case for a cheaper alternative. I tried to hang in there, but I'm not wild about the A71b and am not willing to shell out an extra $100-150 for it's newer, mildly upgraded...
  34. S

    [Retired] The LCD Thread

    I just wish it was 26", or a cheaper panel. I'm not sure I'm that wild about the new HP 2475w next to a DoubleSight 26" for $750. I believe they're both S-IPS, both good for gaming, wide color gamuts, etc, etc. I guess we'll see how stuff looks when these panels start shipping to the...
  35. S

    Who will buy Nehalem ASAP?

    First let me preface this by saying that I've done absolutely zero research on Nethalem whatsoever... ...but is it a socket 775, or will new mobos be mandatory? ~S
  36. S

    need advice about CPU HSF...

    Why wouldn't it? I'm too lazy to look it up, but it shouldn't be too hard if you're really worried about it or something. These things are pretty standardized these days, man. ~S
  37. S

    Oil Submersion

    I posted something like this a month ago. I was looking at at least $250 for a Lian Li case plus ~$300 for a custom-built water-cooling loop. Compare that to the price/performance of this build, plus the cool-factor, and I think we can make a compelling case here. Where you'll get owned...
  38. S

    BEST HSF that's quiet and great for OC'ing a Q6600!

    Agreed. The Xigmatek HDT-S1283 seems to be owning most reviews lately, and can be had under $40. ~S
  39. S

    Challenge: Cheap build. Custom, or go Dell/HP?

    Sounds good to me, guys. Dell it is! :-D ~S