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Post by DM Justicar - Creator of FRC on Jan 6, 2006 16:03:19 GMT -5
Heya: I am looking for a new computer system. I am looking specifically at AMD based dual core processors. The one I am thinking of getting is called the X2 4400. www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1446877I will of course build it with a socket 939 mobo, 500 watt power supply and accompany it with two gigs of dual channel ram. Anyone know anything I should know or to look out for with these? Thanks!
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Post by louiscypher on Jan 6, 2006 16:50:53 GMT -5
Only thing is you might want to bump that power supply up to 600 watts. Other than that that processor seems a solid pick.
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Post by Quadhund/Greenhouse on Jan 6, 2006 16:51:02 GMT -5
Well I hardly ever peruse computer equipment because my wife doesn't trust me enough to build my own machine (so much for being an electrical engineer). Anyways, I was talking to my buddy I work with, and he said that dual channel ram will make a difference (but more so with an intel chip), that with 939 mother board you would be able to buy a single core chip and upgrade to dual core later. Other than that he didn't say much. What about video card?
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Post by DM Justicar - Creator of FRC on Jan 6, 2006 17:09:55 GMT -5
Well I hardly ever peruse computer equipment because my wife doesn't trust me enough to build my own machine (so much for being an electrical engineer). Anyways, I was talking to my buddy I work with, and he said that dual channel ram will make a difference (but more so with an intel chip), that with 939 mother board you would be able to buy a single core chip and upgrade to dual core later. Other than that he didn't say much. What about video card? I am looking at this one: www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1647923&Sku=B52-7808Or any of the new SLI cards. Probably going PCI-e and will try and get two 256's working together. I think that's how that works.
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Post by Grozer on Jan 6, 2006 17:12:57 GMT -5
Hey Justi, the Banites will rent out Louis to help you! FYI he has helped a couple of us... heh he does that stuff for a living... it'll only cost you what Louis? A +5 Sword of Smiting Good for each of us?
Seriously though I'm jealous.. I think I am gonna need to upgrade my set up now. When you finalize everything maybe you wouldnt mind telling us what you went with would save me the research!!
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Post by DM Justicar - Creator of FRC on Jan 6, 2006 17:23:49 GMT -5
Hey Justi, the Banites will rent out Louis to help you! FYI he has helped a couple of us... heh he does that stuff for a living... it'll only cost you what Louis? A +5 Sword of Smiting Good for each of us? Seriously though I'm jealous.. I think I am gonna need to upgrade my set up now. When you finalize everything maybe you wouldnt mind telling us what you went with would save me the research!! Absolutely. It is taking alot of research and I want to get something that will be flexible into the near future as well. I will certainly share the final specs and how it all comes together. I think I can build the core system without video for around 1k. With video will probably end up doubling the price if the SLI cards work the way I think they do. But if I skimp on video memory, I am still pretty certain I am building a pretty killer machine. I am a little confused about dual core processing though. I realize there might not be much out there right now that can utilize it, but I would think there is some reason they are making them, besides the fact that they are really really fast. *shrugs* Anyway, what about an O/S??? If I get a 64 processor should I get Windows 64? Regular Windows XP? Anybody hear a release date on Vista? I would prefer not going Linux, so please don't suggest it, heh. **Oh, almost forgot: *said like the soup nazi* NO BANITE SWORDS FOR YOU!
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Post by Quadhund/Greenhouse on Jan 6, 2006 17:48:19 GMT -5
You'll definitely want PCI Express. And the SLI sounds like it works that way. As for operating system, no idea.
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Post by DM Justicar - Creator of FRC on Jan 6, 2006 17:55:15 GMT -5
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Post by marklar on Jan 7, 2006 1:08:11 GMT -5
i'm upgrading my PC got a new 200gig hard drive and i'll be getting another gig of RAM soon. i can't wait, 2 gigs of RAM and 280 gigs of hard drive space...jordan knows stuff about computers, i uswed to know shat all but know i know bearly anything
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Boogiedk
Old School
A mans home is his castle - But it shouldnt have to be his fortress
Posts: 252
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Post by Boogiedk on Jan 7, 2006 2:28:15 GMT -5
Just bought a new PC ( Yes Gero is back ) 3gig processor , 1,5 gigs of Ram , 240 gigs of hard drive space and Geforce 6800 with 256mb Ram. . Gotta love that . . And your new setup Justi , sounds quite impressive . Have fun with it Be Good B.
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Post by DM Grizwald on Jan 7, 2006 15:47:50 GMT -5
i'm upgrading my PC got a new 200gig hard drive and i'll be getting another gig of RAM soon. i can't wait, 2 gigs of RAM and 280 gigs of hard drive space...jordan knows stuff about computers, i uswed to know shat all but know i know bearly anything mine is still better mark and you know it
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Post by marklar on Jan 8, 2006 1:15:38 GMT -5
i'm upgrading my PC got a new 200gig hard drive and i'll be getting another gig of RAM soon. i can't wait, 2 gigs of RAM and 280 gigs of hard drive space...jordan knows stuff about computers, i uswed to know shat all but know i know bearly anything mine is still better mark and you know it lol you wish
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Post by DM Justicar - Creator of FRC on Jan 9, 2006 15:59:14 GMT -5
Do I really need a 16X DVD+R/RW-R/RW Dual Layer Drive? I have never actually had any use for burning dual layer DVD's... Is there something I am missing? As in, should I have a need for this?
Thanks!
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Post by Quadhund/Greenhouse on Jan 9, 2006 16:08:50 GMT -5
I would think only if you are a media freak. My friend uses his all the time, but that is because he takes part in "illegal activities" so he is constantly burning DVDs of movies and TV shows he downloaded. So if you partake in the burning of DVD's (from blockbuster too), then you will most likely need this. Also, my friend informs me that almost all DVD's that you buy today are dual layer, and if you only have single layer burner, you either have to compress or split the data (which can cause for complications). So really only a person of questionable ethics needs one of these You aren't one of those people, justi, are you ? "Drugs are bad, mmmkay"
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Post by DM Justicar - Creator of FRC on Jan 9, 2006 17:01:21 GMT -5
I would think only if you are a media freak. My friend uses his all the time, but that is because he takes part in "illegal activities" so he is constantly burning DVDs of movies and TV shows he downloaded. So if you partake in the burning of DVD's (from blockbuster too), then you will most likely need this. Also, my friend informs me that almost all DVD's that you buy today are dual layer, and if you only have single layer burner, you either have to compress or split the data (which can cause for complications). So really only a person of questionable ethics needs one of these You aren't one of those people, justi, are you ? "Drugs are bad, mmmkay" Ha! Of course everything I do is above board. You have answered my question perfectly, and since I am so above board, I am going to spend $60 less and just get a DVD drive. I will parlay the savings into a greater video card, which I have decided will be a BFG 7800GT OC 256MB PCIE VIDEO CARD (256+256 later on = 512mb video) YUM!!! Thank you!
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Foomanchu
Old School
The next 'Big Thing'
Posts: 299
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Post by Foomanchu on Jan 9, 2006 21:20:01 GMT -5
yeah dual layer is over rated...well...over priced at least...just use dvd shrink and shrink the dvd...if you filter it (takes the length of the movie + 30 minutes) then you will have a wicked good quality rip AND special features so it's fine to use a disc 1/2 the size if ur willing to spend the 2 - 2.5 hrs to rip the movie...IF you were one of those HORRIBLE ppl who know about this stuff and do this stuff! shame on you...shame on you..... p.s. if you keep getting a CRC (cyclical redundance check) error, then use DVD43 while ripping the movie to bypass this... have fun
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Post by ChrilWavingdark on Jan 11, 2006 10:50:31 GMT -5
Lol Jordan if only they saw that spindle of burnt dvds lol!
BTW Justi your new systems sounds dope and I am jealous only thing in my opininon is that ATI cards are better than NVIDIA but it's your machine not mine lol!
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Foomanchu
Old School
The next 'Big Thing'
Posts: 299
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Post by Foomanchu on Jan 11, 2006 10:53:40 GMT -5
Errr...what spindle of DVD's could you be talking about *plays coy...then chloroforms chris* hehe
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Post by DM Justicar - Creator of FRC on Jan 11, 2006 12:46:06 GMT -5
Lol Jordan if only they saw that spindle of burnt dvds lol! BTW Justi your new systems sounds dope and I am jealous only thing in my opininon is that ATI cards are better than NVIDIA but it's your machine not mine lol! Hey, thanks. I think I am going to be pretty happy with it. I have to disagree with you regarding video though. I have done alot of research on video cards prior to this purchase and almost every source agrees. The Nvidea cards smoke ATI in almost every category, especially gaming. Now, if you are looking for video to handle design software, then ATI might be your way to go. Gaming is what I am interested in. There are no other cards that come close to Nvidea in benchmark tests. I suppose I could try and find some links so you don't have to take my word for it, but trust me, I have looked into it and the BFG 7800OC GT with SLI is the bombdidity! There is one other card out there that Nvidea makes that is higher end, but they are hopelessly out of stock and like $800 bucks. Now if I were a pro-gamer, I might go looking for one, but I am pretty happy with the specs on what I have decided to go with.
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Post by DM Justicar - Creator of FRC on Jan 11, 2006 13:47:27 GMT -5
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Post by DM Justicar - Creator of FRC on Jan 11, 2006 22:51:15 GMT -5
Has anyone actually read this story? The author is terrible! I say: HANG the editor!
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Post by marklar on Jan 11, 2006 23:15:41 GMT -5
LOL hang the editor. ATI's X1300, X1600 and X1800 are coming out and trust me they are going to destoy the 7800. every computer site i've been to says the 7800 was a disappointment and the benchmarks weren't anywhere near as high as anticipated. but when are you planing on ordering the card? i think the ATI's are to be released in the next couple weeks
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Post by Retired DM Gallin on Jan 12, 2006 2:03:35 GMT -5
on the topic of 7800's, they are amazing cards actually, but they are not the highest, obviously. However, getting a card that can run F.E.A.R. at full settings, 1280x1024 4x anti-aliasing, 16x antistropic filtering, and soft shadows enabled, all at 51 fps, I'd say it's one sweet buy at $300.
I'm running an Evga Geforce 7800 GT 256mb PCI-Express.
I love my life ;D
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Post by DM Justicar - Creator of FRC on Jan 12, 2006 2:18:06 GMT -5
LOL hang the editor. ATI's X1300, X1600 and X1800 are coming out and trust me they are going to destoy the 7800. every computer site i've been to says the 7800 was a disappointment and the benchmarks weren't anywhere near as high as anticipated. but when are you planing on ordering the card? i think the ATI's are to be released in the next couple weeks Both are in MAJOR contention. Both are. No doubt there. Call it a day and they are both good for whatever reason. Even though the Nvidia rocks the house for real.
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Post by marklar on Jan 12, 2006 5:33:11 GMT -5
Both are in MAJOR contention. Both are. No doubt there. Call it a day and they are both good for whatever reason. Even though the Nvidia rocks the house for real. The main issue here is that ATI cards aren't good... you know? Like they are *not* *good*... right? ATI all the way their a Canadian company and the underdog
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Post by marklar on Jan 12, 2006 5:39:09 GMT -5
on the topic of 7800's, they are amazing cards actually, but they are not the highest, obviously. However, getting a card that can run F.E.A.R. at full settings, 1280x1024 4x anti-aliasing, 16x antistropic filtering, and soft shadows enabled, all at 51 fps, I'd say it's one sweet buy at $300. I'm running an Evga Geforce 7800 GT 256mb PCI-Express. I love my life ;D i have a X800 XT i run it at all max with the same resolution EXCEPT soft shaows at 55 FPS and with soft shadows 40 FPS and mine is over a year old and the 7800 is what 2, 3 months old? and can only run it that much higher? seems kinda, well crappy then again F.E.A.R is an extreamly demanding game. lol unlike counter strike where i get mid 100's for FPS, i once got 163 FPS totally maxed
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Post by marklar on Jan 12, 2006 5:50:31 GMT -5
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Foomanchu
Old School
The next 'Big Thing'
Posts: 299
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Post by Foomanchu on Jan 12, 2006 10:19:38 GMT -5
okay guys if you want UNSPONSORED results then look at this page www.tomshardware.com/2005/12/02/vga_charts_viii/IMHO Toms Hardware is the most straight-forward no-BS site out there. this list shows all the nitty gritty detail on both cards and has MANY benchmarks...BUT make sure you pay attention to the 2x on some of the tests because they ran 7800 SLI's too to see the boost they get (which isn't much) and as for the 7800 being weaker then expected, your absolutely right! they we're trying to make sales off the extra pipelines lol but now all the GTX line cards are smokin hot! I can't believe the X1800 starts so low on the chart! ATI was leading by a long shot, then nVidia started slapping their damn logo's on every game that would take their money! (just like Intel is doing, because AMD is taking them to town like none-other right now) so after spending all that money on adverts. it finally paid off. Remember, ATI didn't need to advertise like that So for now...get a 7800...or wait until the Saphire X1850 XL PE (crazy names lol) comes out because I'm sure it will be quite.....monsterous. -Jorban Dallas- A Major ATI Fanboy
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Post by DM Justicar - Creator of FRC on Jan 12, 2006 14:57:47 GMT -5
Hey, here's a new question:
All of these new cards are coming with DVI out's only. Is there anyway to convert DVI outputs to be compatible with HDTV? For example, there are alot of LCD's/plasma screens down at Costco that are looking pretty affordable these days, but very few have DVI inputs. I am pretty sure it is possible to hook a computer up to some of these, but all the video cards are DVI.
Any thoughts?
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Foomanchu
Old School
The next 'Big Thing'
Posts: 299
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Post by Foomanchu on Jan 12, 2006 15:08:55 GMT -5
the card will (USUALLY) have an S-Video out and a cable so you can hook that up. All you do it plug 'er in and go into the control panel for your graphics card, then find the display picker dealy otherwise you'll need some sort of stupid dvi - hdtv conector dealy. not sure the quality on that kinda stuff but s-video into my 'old school' tube tv ... well ... lets just say that you can't read text...games look sweet though because it slightly blurs them and therefore removes the pixelized look and jagged edges
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