View Full Version : Buying a new PC: It's a nightmare
It come time to buy a new PC and I have £1000 ready to spend.
However, I have no idea where to start! :o
Is £1000 even a reasonable budget or do I need to stretch to more?
How on earth do I know if I am getting my money's worth when I know little
about how much things are worth and I don't know where I can get
independent advice?
I have made my own PCs back in the late 90s and would be happy to do this
again, but I have no idea what the best set of components to buy might be.
Does anyone have any advice?
NeonSamurai
04-30-09, 06:12 PM
Well first thing is what your trying to build? Gaming rig? and if so how powerful. 1000 pounds should, I think, be plenty sufficient to build a good system.
As for where to start, start digging around sites that offer built computers of the kind your looking for, then see what components they are using (or poke around the threads here for builds). Then start researching components, like video cards, motherboards, cpus, etc. Look for reviews and customer feedback (like say newegg.com). Also ask questions here about parts your interested in. When you have narrowed your build down you could ask for comments on it from us on it as a whole.
That or just buy from Dell or the like. XPS is their gaming rigs (or Alienware but I don't like them as you pay through the nose for the name)
FIREWALL
04-30-09, 06:23 PM
How much is L1000 worth in real money Letum ? :har:
Is it like that Canadian Monopoly money ? :rotfl::har::rotfl:
Thanks Neon, Yup, it's a gaming rig.
Looks like I had better start doing my homework. I'll come back when I have
some ideas.
Firewall: what are you on?
AVGWarhawk
04-30-09, 06:57 PM
Look for processor and mobo packages. Once decided, the rest falls into place.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128384
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145182
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
Add a Seagate hard drive (16MB cache) and a DVDROM W/R and you're off to the races. I'm considering this configuration for myself. Already have the video card and its excellent.
Happy Shopping!!!
:yeah:
EDIT: I've used this case/Power Supply combination for a couple customers and it works great. Customers are very happy with how well the case keeps their systems cool. I don't recommend it for dual video card (SLI) setups though as the 2nd card sits too close to the power supply for my liking... Then again--I don't believe in dual video card setups when a single 9800GT(X) cranks out high frame-rates by itself.
FIREWALL
04-30-09, 07:41 PM
Just j\king with ya Letum. :DL With $2,000.00 you can build a good rig.
If in US I'd point you towards TigerDirect.
As your in the UK I assume you have someone simular there.
As stated by AVG bundle setups cpu\mobo , psu\ vid cards are good deals to look into.
IMHO buy brand name recognized hardware and look carefully at the Warranties.
Just j\king with ya Letum. :DL With $2,000.00 you can build a good rig.
If in US I'd point you towards TigerDirect.
As your in the UK I assume you have someone simular there.
As stated by AVG bundle setups cpu\mobo , psu\ vid cards are good deals to look into.
IMHO buy brand name recognized hardware and look carefully at the Warranties.
:yep:
TigerDirect and Newegg are great sites for parts and deals. I generally get all hard-drives from Tiger because they package them better than newegg.
FYI--I do this for a living but I won't charge you for advice :03:!
FIREWALL
04-30-09, 07:58 PM
I rarely use NewEgg as there right down the road and I have to pay sales tax and shipping.
With TG no sales tax and free shipping over $100.00ish
I rarely use NewEgg as there right down the road and I have to pay sales tax and shipping.
With TG no sales tax and free shipping over $100.00ish
I can't think of better reasoning than that! :up:
I like Asus mobo's and I hear people like Gigabyte too. I imagine the nVidia one's have to be pretty decent as well, but I'm no chip-head.
:hmmm:
Last I looked I noticed Asus had removed a few chip fans and replaced em with non-mechanical heatsinks. I think one of my chip fans is about to die... the pipe heatsinks might be standard issue now.
I like Asus mobo's and I hear people like Gigabyte too. I imagine the nVidia one's have to be pretty decent as well, but I'm no chip-head.
:hmmm:
Last I looked I noticed Asus had removed a few chip fans and replaced em with non-mechanical heatsinks. I think one of my chip fans is about to die... the pipe heatsinks might be standard issue now.
I've also used a lot of ASUS boards but we started having problems with some of the new ones (up to DOA) and then their ts seems to have slipped a lot. Those problems got me to shop around and I've found that a few companies I used to avoid (including Gigabyte) have stepped up their components a lot.
I do like the passive cooling of the chipsets as well but there are quite a few companies using that technology now. Those little chipset fans have always been trouble-some and tend to be noisy as well.
It's really impressive how much good gear is available at very reasonable prices. I paid more for my C64 than I have to pay for a decent dual core today :hmmm:.
Arclight
05-01-09, 03:53 AM
Way I figure it:
Asus- good after revisions/BIOS updates. They push new tech out the door too quick, might be due to shoddy QA.
MSI- best overclockers, excellent BIOS, stable boards
Gigabyte- high build quality, good bios, decent/good overclockers, stable
Basically;
Overclocker? > MSI
Full-featured? > Gigabyte (typically most expensive)
Budget? > Asus
That's how I pick boards for systems, haven't had complaints yet. :up:
HunterICX
05-01-09, 04:14 AM
the last ASUS board I had fried itself after 4 short years and I found it quiet unstable, especialy if you do not replace the onboard soundcard for a real soundcard as my biggest crullpit of the BSOD's I had with the old pc was due the onboard soundcard.
now I'm using a ASrock MoBo, and with this new pc which I bought march last year not a single problem so far.
HunterICX
Arclight
05-01-09, 05:09 AM
Ever tried updating the BIOS during those 4 years? ;)
Asrock have decent boards, but not really geared towards the enthusiast. They lack the full page of tweakable memory timings, for example (last time I chacked anyway). :D
Going mainly with Peto's advice:
M.B:
Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-UD4H AMD 790GX Socket AM2+ VGA DVI HDMI 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard.
~ £125
Processor:
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition
~ £170
RAM:
Cosair (TWIN3X2048-1333C9DHX) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600)
~ £50 per 2gb
Graphics:
Don't know yet. Anyone got some ATI suggestions?
How about the Sapphire HD 4890?
~ £190
Case:
As cheep as I can get. I don't care if it looks like a pile of crap.
How can I tell if my case will fit everything in?
Less than £100
Cooling:
I have been advised to overclock a little, so I suppose I need some good
cooling, but I don't want to pay for looks.
~ £20
Power Supply:
I have been told that a cheep 700W is just as good as an expensive 700W.
Is this true?
~ £30
HDD:
Don't care. Cheep. I have lots of networked storage in my old PC.
~ £40
Optical:
I can use my old IDE DVD drive, right?
~ Free
Sound:
On board only; I only use headphones.....unless anyone thinks I need
something more...?
Free(?)
OS:
Vista 64 - Right guys?
~ £100
Total:
About £850, perhaps £900 and some with P&P
How does that sound?
Any bottle necks or incompatibilities?
How much RAM should I go for? 2GB seams a little small.
Arclight
05-01-09, 05:39 AM
For cooling I'd suggest a Thermalright tower-design. Ultima-90 is what I have, absolute winner, though it's probably a bit more expensive then what you estimate.
PSU: cheap = not good. I would suggest Corsair 650Watt (make sure it has Seasonic components). Corsair TX650w (http://www.corsairmemory.com/products/tx/default.aspx)
HD > Western Digital gets my vote
Yes, you can use optical IDE drive, if board has IDE port. Knowing Gigabyte, it likely has 1.
Onboard sound is decent, dedicated soundcard is great. Not strictly nescesary, but recommended. X-Fi Titanium - Fatal1ty Professional (http://nl.europe.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=669&product=17791&listby=), for example.
OS: what you prefer. Vista would be obvious choice for DX10 and DX11 in the future. Could hold out for Win7. 64-bit for 4gb+ memory support.
RAM: 4 to 8GB. You're board likely has 4 slots, I'd fill 2 of them with dual-channel kit (2x2GB). There's also triple-channel, but I'm not up to speed on this.
Personally I'd go with Kingston HyperX memory, but that's just personal preference (lifetime waranty), Corsair is fine.
* that board has integrated graphics. I'd suggest looking for one without.
** according to Gigabyte site, that board is DDR2 board, not DDR3.
*** think this is what you want: GA-MA790FXT-UD5P (http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ClassValue=Motherboard&ProductID=3005&ProductName=GA-MA790FXT-UD5P)
This does mean moving to AM3 socket, make sure the CPU matches that. Or go with DDR2 and AM2+
HunterICX
05-01-09, 06:27 AM
Ever tried updating the BIOS during those 4 years? ;)
Asrock have decent boards, but not really geared towards the enthusiast. They lack the full page of tweakable memory timings, for example (last time I chacked anyway). :D
I've updated the BIOS on that Asus, but it didn't improve.
it was the P4P 800SE with Soundmax as onboard soundcard.
I'm not a PC tweaker so I wouldn't know what can be done with this board, all I care about is that it works that it is stable and does what I want it to do...the current PC is doing just that :)
this is the one I have:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=ConRoe1333-eSATA2&s=
HunterICX
Arclight
05-01-09, 06:57 AM
Soundmax? Not a popular choice, might explain the issues. BIOS upgrades can work wonders for troublesome Asus boards. :yep:
But it's not magic. :hmmm:
That Asrock looks like a well-rounded board. Has everything you need. As an enthusiast, I miss 1600FSB and 1200 memory support, but that's not needed for most. :D
Have an Asrock board in older box (AMD Duron 2GHZ). Simply works, no complaints. :salute:
Arclight
05-01-09, 07:19 AM
Letum, if it was me building that thing, this would be my pick (sticking with your choice in brands):
MB: GigaByte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P (http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=3005&ProductName=GA-MA790FXT-UD5P) E165,-
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 945 Black Edition 3.00 GHz, 4000 MHz, 4x 512Kb, 8 MB, Boxed (http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=534&f1=&f2=&f3=&f4=&f5=&f6=&f7=&f8=&f9=&f10=&f11=) E210,-
RAM: Corsair TW3X4G1600C9DHX 4 GB, PC3-12800, 1600 MHz, 9, Non-ECC, Kit Of 2 (http://www.corsair.com/_datasheets/TW3X4G1600C9DHX.pdf) E82,-
That would kick serious ass. Not i7 ass, but serious ass. :D :yep:
PSU: cheap = not good. I would suggest Corsair 650Watt (make sure it has Seasonic components). Corsair TX650w (http://www.corsairmemory.com/products/tx/default.aspx)
Why?
My old and very cheep 500W PSU has been great since the early 90s. What
do I get if I pay more?
MB: GigaByte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P (http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=3005&ProductName=GA-MA790FXT-UD5P) E165,-
Looks good. it's on the shopping list. Same with your RAM and CPU.
So! System so far:
M.B:
GigaByte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P E165
Processor:
AMD Phenom II X4 945 Black Edition
RAM:
Corsair TW3X4G1600C9DHX 4 GB, PC3-12800, 1600 MHz
Graphics:
Sapphire HD 4890(?)
Case:
As cheep as I can get. I don't care if it looks like a pile of crap. Or makes a loud noise.
How can I tell if my case will fit everything in?
Power Supply:
???
OS:
Vista 64 - Right guys?
~ £100
Am I good to start buying yet?
Why?
My old and very cheep 500W PSU has been great since the early 90s. What
do I get if I pay more?
Graphics:
Sapphire HD 4890(?)
Case:
As cheep as I can get. I don't care if it looks like a pile of crap. Or makes a loud noise.
How can I tell if my case will fit everything in?
Power Supply:
???
OS:
Vista 64 - Right guys?
~ £100
Am I good to start buying yet?
IMHO (and I'm not always hunble :DL)... You're on the right track so far except regarding power supplies. I see PWS failures all the time and they "can" take out other components when they fail. Spend the extra few dollars (Pounds) and get a good one. It's much better to too much power than find out later you were one watt short do to a power fluctuation...
I can understand your feeling about cases but make sure you get something that moves the air through. CPUs aren't the heat problem anymore--it's you Video that needs cooling the most. My old 486 133 DX ran hotter than today's cores. I don't do any special CPU coolers and haven't had a problem.
Video: I've become an NVidia guy and am currently behind on ATI tech (I really should check it out more). I really like my EVGA 9800GTX though and think it's a bargain at $130. Others can chime in on that.
:salute:
EDIT: OS is dependant on how much old software you want to use. 64 bit can be a hassle but it's nice to have.
OK, OK, I'll get a more expensive PSU.
My current case has all it's panels taken off to increase cooling and a few
holes drilled into it.
I think I will do this again and add a case fan as well, just in case.
Thankyou very, very much for all the help!
Arclight
05-01-09, 10:19 AM
Good PSU remains efficient even at high loads, produces stable voltages at all loads, and typically has higher amperage than cheaper units (important). Overall efficiency is also higher, saving you a few bucks on your bill.
Better units usually also have multiple rails (circuits?), meaning there's 1 rail dedicated for graphics hardware (or was it CPU?) and the other(s) for all other components.
My brother had crappy PSU. He installed a graphics card, upgrading from onboard. 1 month later his HD died...
Anyway, with those specs it's gonna FLY! :yeah:
NeonSamurai
05-01-09, 11:26 AM
My current case has all it's panels taken off to increase cooling and a few
holes drilled into it.
I think I will do this again and add a case fan as well, just in case.
:nope: Ok time for a quick lesson on cooling computers.
1. Taking the panels off generally does not aid cooling. Computers are set up to have air flow from the front of the case, and out the back/side. Taking off the panels disrupts proper airflow over the system and can cause hot spots. Also there are parts on the computer which do need cooling but don't have a fan, and with the panels off they don't get sufficient cooling due to lack of airflow.
2. Don't drill your own holes unless you know what your doing and how to place them. Holes also don't generally help unless there is a fan attached, or there is negative pressure where they are (most cases are set up to cause negative pressure so that air is sucked in from the front and blown out the back). Good cases usualy are already designed with optimal air flow in mind, and designed by people who almost certainly know more about it then you would. :)
3. If you want to cool your system effectively, fill all the case fan spots on the case, and have the air flow from the front to the back. Side mounted fans can be good or bad depending on where they are placed, and what sort of CPU heat sink you are using.
Never go cheap on your system's cooling, It is the key factor in keeping a system stable and functional for a long period of time. Modern computers in particular tend to run right on the edge heat wise. Proper cooling is even more critical if you live in a hot area.
As for video cards yours looks to be a excellence choice. Nvidia's competition towards it is the GTX 275 if I recall so you may want to check it out as well.
OS is dependant on how much old software you want to use. 64 bit can be a hassle but it's nice to have.
Its necessary though if you want to have full use of 4+ gb of memory (including video card memory). You can also dual boot too which is what I do on my laptop and run xp 32 and vista 64.
Speaking of vista I would recommend Home Premium over the other flavors. It has what most users want and need and is 50$ less then Ultimate.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/compare-editions/default.aspx
Case....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
?
FIREWALL
05-01-09, 11:49 AM
The dull suggestion. Compare warranties. Some of my hardware (psu) has lifetime. Vid cards double lifetime.
AVGWarhawk
05-01-09, 12:01 PM
EVGA(Nvidia 9800GT) is very good at RMA if a card goes bad. I have had two EVGA cards and both are still working away. I like the EVGA video card products.
I have a MSI mobo. I was not to happy at first because the machine was to have an Asus mobo. Turns out it is a great mobo and I like it.
PSU, yep, Peto is dead on. Better to have more power than less. Plus, you my not SLI right now but a year from now you might attempt SLI. You will be ready if the PSU is a good solid unit. (make sure you mobo you select is SLI capable)
Case....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
?
That'll work! The main thing for me is having 120mm fans as they're quieter. That's another benefit of having a case you can keep the side cover on ;)! 3 fans is a plus. No reason for putting a Ferrari engine in an old VW Bus body, is there?
:yeah:
Arclight
05-02-09, 01:11 AM
Good case. :yep:
It's done.Ye gods that was nerve racking.
Here's hoping nothing goes wrong now...
1 x AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core CPU 3.2GHz x4
512KB L2 Cache x4
6MB L3 Cache
Socket AM3 / 125W
Retail Boxed - Fan Included
Unlocked Multiplier For Easy Overclocking
£205.30 inc VAT
1 x Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P Motherboard
AM3 Socket
£159.74 inc VAT
1 x 4GB Corsair XMS3 DHX 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Kit 1600MHz
CAS 9-9-9-24
4GB (2 x 2GB Sticks)
DHX Cooling Technology
£73.34 inc VAT
1 x Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 1GB Core Clock: 850MHz
Shader Clock: 850MHz
Memory Clock: 3900MHz
Stream Processors: 800
£219.95 inc VAT
1 x 750W Corsair CMPSU-750TXUK Power Supply x 1 24 Pin + P8/P4
x 4 PCI-e 8 Pin
x 8 SATA
x 8 Molex
x 2 Floppy
80+ Certified / 5 Year Warranty
£103.10 inc VAT
1 x 200GB Toshiba MK2051GSY 2.5" Hard Disk Drive SATA II
7200rpm
16MB Cache
OEM - Drive Only
Bulit In Free-Fall sensor
£38.49 inc VAT
1 x Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic 64 Bit (OEM)
£72.23 inc VAT
Coolermaster Centurion 590
£ 42.15
Shipping, and other little things like thermal paste etc
Total: £937.00 inc VAT
NeonSamurai
05-02-09, 10:26 AM
Heh nerve wracking :) When I do a build (even if its a laptop order) I do stupid amounts of research on every single little thing, even down to 20$ fans and the like. It usually takes me 2-3 weeks before I'm ready to buy anything ;)
Anyhow good selection you should be very happy with that system.
However, I see an error in your selection, the hard drive you chose is a 2.5" mobile laptop type drive (free fall sensor is a giveaway) and your case doesn't seem to have any 2.5" drive bay slots (only 3.5"). You better buy a different one and cancel that one. I would suggest a bigger drive as well (200gb is tiny, heck my 16" laptop has 500gb).
Aww Crap!
I check the HDD size and then bought the wrong one!
Cancellation on it's way.
200GB is massive for me.
My current HDD is 10GB. ;)
Arclight
05-02-09, 10:01 PM
Nice step up in CPU, well worth the money. :salute:
Going to stay with stock cooling? Not that it won't do the trick, just curious. :)
Nice step up in CPU, well worth the money. :salute:
Going to stay with stock cooling? Not that it won't do the trick, just curious. :)
I was talking to someone about CPU cooling today and we had some good debate. He was big on MMHPC (Major Mongo Humongous Power Coolers) where my stance is that stock does the job better today than it used to. If you look back at the history of CPU's you'll see that older ones typically ran hotter than todays multi-cores (ever touch a 486?!?!). "So", (I asked), "Why put money into a MMHPC?"
Video is another story though! Those babies run HOT! In either case--you will typically hear a cpu/gpu fan going out before it actually folds.
And then there was this guy who had a friend that...:03:...put a 3rd party cooler on a cpu. The cpu went out and the corporation who built it refused to warranty the failed part. Because it was dependant on cooling by a part they hadn't qualified... (I haven't heard of that being an issue lately though).
None-the-less, I've had good luck with stock cooling. Some 3rd party rigs do it better without doubt--but how cool does it really have to be. My stock cooler keeps my AMD below 40C typically.
My 2 cents (maybe worth less).
:salute:
I'm going with the stock cooler because my budget is getting tight.
I may upgrade in the future if I find I need to.
AVGWarhawk
05-03-09, 08:51 AM
Cooling....I have one large side fan that blows on the CPU fan. There is one exhaust fan out the back of the case. Computer runs cool. My cooler set up is just above the standard cooler for AMD Phemons. Cost was about $23.00. Stock coolers are fine. Could you imagine the headaches CPU manufactures would create for themselves if stock coolers for their CPU's were subpar? Man, talk about recalls... You will be fine with a stock cooler. These have been working fine on off the shelf ready to go computers for years. :up:
Cooling....I have one large side fan that blows on the CPU fan. There is one exhaust fan out the back of the case. Computer runs cool. My cooler set up is just above the standard cooler for AMD Phemons. Cost was about $23.00. Stock coolers are fine. Could you imagine the headaches CPU manufactures would create for themselves if stock coolers for their CPU's were subpar? Man, talk about recalls... You will be fine with a stock cooler. These have been working fine on off the shelf ready to go computers for years. :up:
:up: Companies make Big Cool looking coolers for one reason. Some people will buy them.
NeonSamurai
05-03-09, 02:39 PM
True though many of them are a decent amount more efficient then stock coolers, but you only really need one of those if your going to be overclocking, or if your operating it in a fairly hot environment.
Arclight
05-03-09, 06:29 PM
I'm going with the stock cooler because my budget is getting tight.
I may upgrade in the future if I find I need to.
I did the same thing. :up:
From what I spied of the stock-cooler for that AMD chip (Phenom II 955), it looks very capable. The stock cooler for my E6750 did the job, but let the temp rise above 60C while stress-testing. Still not problematic since the chip can handle 60C, and under normal use it would not get that hot, but it was enough reason for me to go with a better cooler.
I overclocked the thing from 2.66GHZ to 3.2GHZ and idle-temps went up by (barely) 1C. Wouldn't have tried that on stock-cooling, I can tell you that. :D
I was talking to someone about CPU cooling today and we had some good debate. He was big on MMHPC (Major Mongo Humongous Power Coolers) where my stance is that stock does the job better today than it used to. If you look back at the history of CPU's you'll see that older ones typically ran hotter than todays multi-cores (ever touch a 486?!?!). "So", (I asked), "Why put money into a MMHPC?"
I don't think stock coolers got much more efficiënt, the decrease in idle temps can be attributed to more efficient chip designs. However, they all used to be all aluminum. Nowadays you'll see copper bases on stock coolers, and the cooler for that AMD even uses heatpipes. They did become more efficient through design evolution.
Sometimes they'll even refuse waranty because you took the thing apart to apply better thermal compound. Ridiculous.
It's all plugged in and read for the first power on...
Hope this goes well....
AVGWarhawk
05-08-09, 11:38 AM
Cool, let us know how it goes. :D
Arclight
05-08-09, 12:04 PM
Gonna kick ass and take names. :yep:
I'm not even in the same country, and I still have a grin from ear to ear. :D
I'm such a geek. :oops:
Letum, you build it yourself or ordered the parts and had it pre-build?
First post form the new PC.
Whoo!
I DIDN'T **** UP! :D (Yet - Touch wood. ed: Better still - touch a anti-static ground again.)
(I built it my self.)
ed2: OS and drivers in. This is nice and smooth.
Now to sort out file sharing with my old XP machine.
AVGWarhawk
05-08-09, 02:17 PM
Great to hear! Nothing like the smell of new hardware warming up:yeah:
Arclight
05-08-09, 02:23 PM
Or taking that mainboard out of the box and holding it in your hands for the first time.
And then installing your graphics card that is as long as the mboard is wide... good stuff. :)
You guys are nuts.
It was stressful.
First time I powered on it gave a loud long beep, revved the fans and died.
I was sure the CPU had blown for some reason, but thankfully it powered up
fine the next time I tried.
Now I am transferring some 200GB of infor from my old PC. It will take some
time....(I ended up getting a 500GB HDD).
After that I will fire up SHIII or FSX and enjoy. :DL
ed: You are right about the smell tho.
I thought it wise to monitor my CPU temp for a while.
It's staying at a healthy 35 Degrees with no stress, but it just had a one
second spike to 300 degrees! :o
I'm hoping that was a reading error.
Congrats!!! I remember my 1st system build and it was very nerve wracking! I admire your will-power--transferring data before installing games. I always have to spin a couple games for a while. I go retrieve data after a couple quick campaigns of SH or something :haha:.
:yeah:
Problem No.1 Encountered!
My four cores are all running at 1.6Ghz due to a bug in the motherboard's
BIOS. Fortunately there is a patch, so I should be able to sort this.
At least my first hurdle is not too big.
AVGWarhawk
05-08-09, 06:50 PM
Yes, your BIOS should let those ponies free to run like mad. What I do is one change at a time and see how it runs. If it is not right I only have to look at the one thing I did to correct it. If you start changing many things at once in the BIOS and it does not seem right then you have to remember what you did so to correct it. Pain in the nards. I'm sure you will get it sorted. Did you download CPUID? Great tool to see what your hardware is up to!
Arclight
05-08-09, 06:58 PM
Problem No.1 Encountered!
My four cores are all running at 1.6Ghz due to a bug in the motherboard's
BIOS. Fortunately there is a patch, so I should be able to sort this.
At least my first hurdle is not too big.Updating BIOS on that board should be piece of cake too; my board has dual-bios, so I'm sure yours does too. Even if something goes wrong during update, it will just load the default from the back-up. No excuses not to have the latest BIOS anymore. :yeah:
First thing I did after building it was stress-test the **** out of it. :yawn:
Problem No.1 Encountered!
My four cores are all running at 1.6Ghz due to a bug in the motherboard's
BIOS. Fortunately there is a patch, so I should be able to sort this.
At least my first hurdle is not too big.
You must have an Gigabyte AM3 socket with a 955 CPU ;). I think you need to flash the BIOS to F3 (I think). I've been reading about that one lately.
Updating BIOS on that board should be piece of cake too; my board has dual-bios, so I'm sure yours does too. Even if something goes wrong during update, it will just load the default from the back-up. No excuses not to have the latest BIOS anymore. :yeah:
Much better than the old days where a failed BIOS phlash often meant a new motherboard :wah:. Or at least a new chip. :damn:
Arclight
05-08-09, 07:11 PM
Exactly, I remember those days... those where the most exiting days of my life. :nope: :haha:
Exactly, I remember those days... those where the most exiting days of my life. :nope: :haha:
You're a sick and twisted man :shifty:. Beer is on me!
:D
I owe everyone who has posted here more than a few beers.
Thanks guys!
:up: Happy Gaming! I'm pretty sure your frame rates have improved considerably :03:!
I used to struggle to play IL2 at 25fps on low/medium settings.
Now I am at full resolution with all settings maxed and frame rate just isn't an
issue. :yeah: Happy days.
Arclight
05-09-09, 03:32 AM
You're a sick and twisted man :shifty:. Beer is on me!
:D
:rotfl: More like sick and twisted geek. :yep:
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj2/EZatHome/120353277080274135.gif (http://www.thinkgeek.com/)
Letum, I'm happy to hear it is to your liking. Happy hunting! :up:
HunterICX
05-09-09, 03:36 AM
I used to struggle to play IL2 at 25fps on low/medium settings.
:o That brings back memories of my previous PC playing IL2.....*shivers*
no AA no AF.... medium settings:wah: 25 - 35 fps average (depending the map mostly)
HunterICX
Ah Bollocks!
There seams to be no way to run SH3.
Disaster!
AVGWarhawk
05-15-09, 08:12 AM
What OS? Vista plays SH3(get one without SF).
Vista 64 Basic
I get a error message something like:
Protection system
this application can be launched with a release version of miscrosoft windows 95/OSR2.1/98/ME/NT 4.0/2000/XP/Server 2003 onlyI have tried:
Running SH3 Unpatched,
Patched,
With a "alternative" game .exe that can't be mentioned here
In compatibility mode
In a non-programfiles dir.
Someone recommended updating the Starforce drivers, but that just gives
me an error saying the drivers could not be found.
It looks like the only solution is a dual install or the download version of SH3, neither of which I can not afford.
:nope:
Bloody Starforce
Bloody Vista
AVGWarhawk
05-15-09, 08:57 AM
Yeah, I think SF is your issue here. Sorry to hear that sir.
Well, I shall work it out one way or another.
It's a shame I have to resort to things I would rather not do to get it working
after I paid good money more than once for the product.
AVGWarhawk
05-15-09, 09:20 AM
I feel your pain bud. I have several games collecting dust that Vista does not play. SH3 being one of them with SF on it. Then again, I do not care to play them anyway. Well, I do know SH3 without SF will run on Vista. Keep an eye out, you might find a copy cheap eventually.
Arclight
05-15-09, 10:39 AM
DRM strikes again. :arrgh!: (really, I say that far to often)
Is it not possible to run the Starforce drivers in a compatibility mode? If you can trick it into believing it's running on XP, who knows.
Is the Starforce service even listed in Services? :hmmm:
Is the Starforce service even listed in Services? :hmmm:
No, it isn't.
It doesn't look like the drivers are installed either.
Don't suppose anyone knows of a way to install SF?
AVGWarhawk
05-15-09, 01:00 PM
Have you checked this thread?
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=105144
Oh yes, every word of it.
I am currently in the process of acquiring a copy of SHII without starforce.
Here's hoping that will fix it.
AVGWarhawk
05-15-09, 01:13 PM
From what I understand it will work without SF. SF does not work with Vista so the game attempts to start and SF/SH3 do not communicate because SF is not there. Remove the SF and the need to communicate with SF and SH3 should run. SH4 does not have SF and I run it without issue on Vista 64.
They should have named Star Force(SF) HB for Heart Burn. Let me know how it works out.
I am back on the sea!
Thanks again.
Skybird
05-16-09, 06:27 AM
Congrats! After I replaced a PSU for the first time ever myself some time ago, I felt like putting together my next PC all alone, too. However, I am not sure about plugging in mainboard, and the CPU on it. These are two parts I never did so far.
But that is future concern anyway. Right now I am happy with my rig, and do not eye an eventual buying of a new PC before next year. Too much money got and will get killed in house maintenance this year. And next year, in summer, hopefully the new Windows have been released and will have received the first set of vital bug fixes and treatements as well.
How much money did you spend?
Regarding SH3, wasn't it re-released at smile price short while ago - and with official permission by UBI: without StarForce?
Also take note of the fact that alternative installations of SH3 without installing SF are possible with the old discs as well (I'm not sure if that is the exe you refered to as "not to be mentioned here", since you want to install SF anyway). Just do not know if that option is Vista-compatible.
CPUs are piss easy to install.
It is just a case of dropping it in a slot, putting the fan on top and securing it.
The mother board is a little more tricky, but so long as you are cautious, the
manual should allow someone with no former knowledge to achieve it.
The exe I referred to is, indeed, part of a starforceless install, but it still didn't
like vista as it does not disable all starforce features.
I have since got hold of a copy of SH3 with no starforce at all and it's running
great. :yeah:
AVGWarhawk
05-17-09, 06:30 PM
Yep, SF, still rearing it's ugly head, even today's computing world. Knock on wood, SF never gave me heartburn but some really got hosed from SF.
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