Good budget rig for SH5/DCS Black Shark?
 

I think my Inspiron 1501 laptop is finally giving up the ghost - one day everything is fine, the next day my USB ports stop working, the computer seems to stutter about twice a minute, and now programs refuse to close, necessitating a reboot.

So I started looking for a new computer, and found this for $630:

iBUYPOWER Gamer Power 571D3 Phenom II X4 965(3.4GHz) 4GB DDR3 500GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

How well would this rig handle DCS Black Shark or SH5? I know it has a weak graphics card, but it's lightyears ahead of my Radeon Xpress 1150. :)

Also, I guess the Phenom CPU isn't the Black Edition version? Is that important?

Thanks

The symptoms your describing indicate you probably just need to rebuild the laptop.

But yes that machine would run those games.

It would? Not sure about that 430.


Apart from that; you dont know any brands, meaning you dont know if it has a decent PSU or motherboard. Only 1 year warranty while all the parts have 2-3 or longer.

I would run screaming from that thing.

Everything but the graphics card is fine, the 430 is really a stillborn.

Ok I missed that - my fault. Though at low detail settings it likely would run.

In the end I went with this kit for $717:

• AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor (Model: HDZ965FBGMBOX)
• ASUS EVO AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard (Model: M4A87TD)
• GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (Model: GV-N460OC-1GI)
• G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (Model: F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM)
• Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (Model: WD5001AALS)
• SAMSUNG 22x DVD+/-R CD/DVD Burner Black SATA (Model: SH-S223C) - OEM
• COOLER MASTER HAF 922 Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (Model: RC-922M-KKN1-GP)
• CORSAIR 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply (Model: CMPSU-650TX)

Now I just have to build it - something I've never done before. http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/3429/nailbitingi.gif

It's easy, everything fits were it belongs!

Good build, I must say. Well balanced. :)

You know where to post if you need any help. :salute:

:yep: She will be a beauty when your done.

The case instructions say that I should put in 9 standoffs for my ATX motherboard, but the board instructions say that there are only six points where it should be screwed in. Should I put all the standoffs in, or only 6?

Should I install the CPU and heatsink first, and then put it in the case, or vice versa?

Thanks

It i a matter of prerence, I suppose, But I prefer to first put the mobo in the case, then attach heatsing.

As for standoffs, use all you can, they don't hurt.

After wrestling with the heatsink, I've finally put the mobo into the case...only to find that there's a 1/8" / 3.17 mm gap between the I/O shield and the sockets. The board seems to be sitting more or less well on the standoffs, and I think all the sockets will be accessible. So I guess it's alright?

And I guess you're supposed to leave the tabs on the I/O shield on? What purpose do they serve?

Naturally, neither the motherboard or the case manual even mention the I/O shield.

The shield should click into place when you push it into position from the inside of the case. I always put in the board first, and loosely fasten the screws. Then I push the board back against the plate slightly and fasten the screws further. A bit of a gap won't hurt, but it should be minimal.

And yeah, use the spacers you have. Full atx boards have 9, mini-atx has 6 iirc.


Not sure what you're refering to with tabs. :hmmm:

Done! Thanks for the help guys!

The worst part was connecting all those cables. I felt like Medusa's hairdresser when I had to wrangle with that unholy mess of cords sprouting from the PSU. :)

Hahah i feel ya bro, I have the amd 955 and i was able to get her up to 3.68 at 51 C max temp. from its stock of 3.2... im sure the 965 OC's like a champ too ( :