Purest joy? Indeed so.

[Fyndir]

Two years ago I was using an ancient machine that couldn't meet the minimum specs for Steam, it barely ran most old-ish games.

Since last Summer I've been using this machine, which is pretty good, nice processor, decent RAM, decent hard drive..but the graphics card has been dragging it down, to get framerates stableised in newer CS:S maps settings have been forced to low, to play BF2 decently settings have also been forced to low..

Today..today a package has been delivered.

A package of purest joy.

It contained my new 1GB DDR PC4000 Crucual Ballstix and my new BFG NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT OC 256MB. (SLI ready)

With any luck the combination will allow me to play the games with better framerates, less skipping, maybe even at higher quality levels..

Now, I install these with a sledgehammer, right? ;)

[Bluepixie]

Good for you my lad! Just go easy on the hammer, silicon and plastic are quite impressionable when introduced to metal at high speed.

Put your 2005 and 2003 3Dmark score up aswell when you've finished, maybe some pics too?

[Fyndir]

Good for you my lad! Just go easy on the hammer, silicon and plastic are quite impressionable when introduced to metal at high speed.

Put your 2005 and 2003 3Dmark score up aswell when you've finished, maybe some pics too?


Well I'm waiting till tomorrow to install it, given that I've never installed hardware before.. =P

My friend's coming round to give me a hand, I'm scared of breaking the pretty equipment..


Pictures follow:

Unopened Graphics Card:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v601/Fyndir/Picture23.jpg

Unopened RAM:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v601/Fyndir/Picture24.jpg

Partially Opened RAM:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v601/Fyndir/Picture25.jpg



Bad quality on the last two I'm afraid. =(

[Strings]

Attach an external fan to your GPU's heatsink... and overclock to GTX speeds :D

Then overclock your CPU as you should get good results with your new RAM.

Then have a muffin and play some Sourceforts! Rar!

[Fyndir]

Attach an external fan to your GPU's heatsink... and overclock to GTX speeds :D

Then overclock your CPU as you should get good results with your new RAM.

Then have a muffin and play some Sourceforts! Rar!


If you wanna overclock it and can promise me 100% that you won't break it and that it'll be stable then tell me what cooling stuff it needs and I'll save up then buy them and let you at it.

k? =P

[Strings]

Hehe Id recommend you learn to do it yourself matey. That way if anything was to go wrong.. you would knwo quite thorougly what was to be done.

Just do some googling. Should take you no less than a week or so to get to grips with the A64 architecture etc

[Fyndir]

Hehe Id recommend you learn to do it yourself matey. That way if anything was to go wrong.. you would knwo quite thorougly what was to be done.

Just do some googling. Should take you no less than a week or so to get to grips with the A64 architecture etc


Perhaps, but I get shit scared of breaking my machine. =P

[DAve]

Well I'm waiting till tomorrow to install it, given that I've never installed hardware before.. =P
That's one of the few last unadulterated joys! I've always liked installing hardware, right from the speccy joystick port upwards.

It's fairly easy too. There are a few basic rules:

1) Read the manual.
2) Earth yourself with a wrist strap earthing device
3) Use common sense

If you can get your friend to talk you through it, while you actually do the installation yourself, you'll know exactly what to do next time :D

PS: benchmark!
PPS: Battlefield 2 on Friday!

[Ru]

I too have a 7800GT, and i would NOT adivse overclocking it. So far me and Yega's attempts have got worse scores in 3dMark sometimes, and it seems to run better with the cpu at stock settings (for me anyway). This could be just me though, give it a try anyway. However, you'll be happy to know that you DO NOT NEED to anyway, that card can play everything ive tried aat highest settings (apart from Quake 4, but lets ignore that). Oh, and dont listen to Strings, only retards attach external fans to their Graphics cards! Its noisy as hell ya see, you're going to want
A: silent oh oh so silent cooler (ive went for this: http://www.arctic-cooling.com/vga2.php?idx=40 which is not pretty, but is quieter and cooler and cheaper than the zalman i was eyeing up
B: Ear-Muffs

[Fyndir]

I too have a 7800GT, and i would NOT adivse overclocking it. So far me and Yega's attempts have got worse scores in 3dMark sometimes, and it seems to run better with the cpu at stock settings (for me anyway). This could be just me though, give it a try anyway. However, you'll be happy to know that you DO NOT NEED to anyway, that card can play everything ive tried aat highest settings (apart from Quake 4, but lets ignore that). Oh, and dont listen to Strings, only retards attach external fans to their Graphics cards! Its noisy as hell ya see, you're going to want
A: silent oh oh so silent cooler (ive went for this: http://www.arctic-cooling.com/vga2.php?idx=40 which is not pretty, but is quieter and cooler and cheaper than the zalman i was eyeing up
B: Ear-Muffs


Dude..I aint overclocking shit, they did it already. (http://www.bfgtech.com/7800GT_256_PCIX.html) They don't overclock it to insane levels, but to a nicely stable level which is better than the base unit.

Also, the fucker came with Call of Duty 2, full version and CD key (as far as I can see) completely free. =D

DAve, as for installing hardware being easy..my case is shit, getting in at everything to change it was hell.

But yeah, everything is up and running, tried a few games and everything seems nice and smooth, much better than before.

I really wish I was less tired and didn't have work in the morning. =(

[Phizz]

I can't wait for my new GeForce 7800GT. Will be a while to go still.

[Fyndir]

Ok, next on my list of computer things:

Another 1GB of Crucial Ballstix, maxing out my RAM at 2GB of PC4000.

This is easily affordable and requires no real advice, however what DOES require advice is the other high priority..

I need a new case for my computer.

This one is horribly crowded and too small, although I'm not entirely sure if I new case will help a lot or if I'll want a new motherboard aswell..

Advice?

[Strings]

Well go to overclockers.co.uk and give a small list of those that catch your fancy.

[Fyndir]

Well go to overclockers.co.uk and give a small list of those that catch your fancy.


Helpful. ;)


The problem is I know sod all about cases, so I'll pick something stupid and the mockery shall begin. =P


Oh well, here goes: Can't direct link in Overclockers (unless I'm missing something) so it's a link to a general page and the full name as the link text.

Thermaltake VA3000BNA Tsunami Dream SuperMidi Aluminium Tower - Black (CA-012-TT) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Thermaltake.html)

Thermaltake VA7000BWA Shark Aluminium Full Tower - Black (CA-008-TT) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Thermaltake.html)

Thermaltake VA9000BWS Kandalf Full Tower - Black (CA-005-TT) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Thermaltake.html)

Arctic Cooling T1 Silentium Silent Midi Tower Case - 450W Seasonic Silent PSU (CA-000-AR) (http://www.arctic-cooling.com/pc_case2.php?idx=4) The overclockers link to the Artic Cooling page seemed to be a bit broken, so I used that link to the same product instead.


I tried to pick ones that seemed to offer decent cooling and seemed fairly big aswell, when you've got big clumsy hands hardware installations/changes are near impossible in small cases.

[Strings]

Not a fan of the Thermaltake range in general... but I would probably go the Tsunami dream one matey.

Looks fairly sturdy, nice size and has the potential (with good case fans) to have a nice airflow.

Not too pricey either.

And don't forget if your having any difficulty building/installing anything.. Im sure many of us can help you out matey.

[Fyndir]

And don't forget if your having any difficulty building/installing anything.. Im sure many of us can help you out matey.


Cheers for the help. =)


I'll do a bit of saving (currently earning about £165 a week) and then get myself a new case and a second 1GB stick of Crucial, then whine at you guys until someone agrees to help me transfer my entire motherboard over to the new case. ;)


EDIT:

Forgot to mention, but my only reservation about getting a new case is that I would quite like to still have my multitude of slots for everything available incase they come in useful one day. =P

Fear my noobishness in this question, I have my flame retardent suit on and I am prepared for mockery..


How likely is it that I'll be able to fit my various ports into a standard case? I have firewire, two USB, audio, mic, some other thing that's the same shape as audio or mic, Smartmedia/xD, MMC/SD, Memory Stick Pro and compact flash readers on the front of the case and all the standard ins and outs on the back.

I have no idea how stupid that sounds, bear in mind this is the first time I've ever seriously looked at upgrading a computer before.

[Strings]

Well making the assumption you have a nice standard motherboard, it should be no hassle migrating it to a new case. I am on the Thermaltake site atm.. so lets seee...

As far as slots go... I assume you mean PCI slots. The case will accomodate your mobo's PCI slots just fine. Most cases will not have all their PCI gaps used. This case has 7, which should easily accomodate a wireless card, graphics card, sound card etc.

You have 4 5.25" external drive bays. Which means you have plenty room for at least 2 optical drives and two other drives of your choice. In this case... a multi-card reader. Plenty of room :)

As for your firewire, audio, mic etc.

Have a look a this.

http://www.thermaltake.com/images/cases/products/tsunami/black/09.jpg

That should cover those pretty well.

So I think your fine to go for it mate. And in the unlikely event that something does crop up thats tricky... well a little bit of modding helps the medicine go down. 8)

[Fyndir]

Well making the assumption you have a nice standard motherboard, it should be no hassle migrating it to a new case. I am on the Thermaltake site atm.. so lets seee...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v601/Fyndir/MotherboardSpecsCPUZ.jpg


I'm fairly sure it's pretty standard, there's the details I can pick up with CPUZ, other than that I can tell you it has 4 RAM slots but only supports 2GB, a single PCI-E slot and 3 PCI slots and integrated sound.


Hope that helps you to help me. =D

[Strings]

Sounds fine mate.

Ultimately, the only way to find out is to buy the case and see.

You can always return it if you don't like the case but it seems like a solid plan to me.

[Phizz]

I'm keeping schtum. ok, maybe not. Not too sure about the case and the thermodynamics looks like balls to me. But what do I know.

[Fyndir]

I'm keeping schtum. ok, maybe not. Not too sure about the case and the thermodynamics looks like balls to me. But what do I know.


I've got no idea, what DO you know? =P

[YegaDoyai]

Case purchases used to be easy, find case that is big enough and buy it. no style, no other requirements. Nowadays folk want style, quiet AND cool cases. For my money the Antec range is hard to beat. At the low end you have the SLK3800BUK which, pound for pound, is one of the best cases around. If you have more cash and want quiet, the Sonata II is awesome and gets rave reviews all over the place. And finally you can go for the bad boy that is my case the P180 (you can even get it in black now) which is in the top 5 in most reviews of high end cases and frequently No 1.

Antec Cases on Overclockers (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Antec_Cases.html)

I can safely say that I am very happy I spent over £100 on my case and I DO notice where the extra money has been spent.

Also, don't forget to get a new power supply. Tagan & Seasonic are the men to beat (I'm sure other folk here will vouch for thier own brand) and Pixie and I have been well served by our silent Tagans for a little over over 6 months and we are both very happy.

The only thing I would say is that given the money I'd have bought the Lian Li V2100 PLUS full tower monolith (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Lian_Li_Cases.html)

[Fyndir]

The only thing I would say is that given the money I'd have bought the Lian Li V2100 PLUS full tower monolith (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Lian_Li_Cases.html)

Hmm, it sounds like a good one.


All of this has me thinking about seriously beefing up my computer with a new motherboard (given that the current one has 3 PCI slots one of which is rendered unuseable by the placement of the PCI-E graphics card), maybe even one with a larger maximum RAM level...'cause in a year or two 2GB just won't cut it.

I can just tell, this could get expensive. =P

============================


Ok, I left this post for a while and ran off to do a little bit of looking around, and given my requirements in a motherboard (socket 939 for my processor, at least 2 GB of RAM supported, PCI-E for my graphics card and a nice pile of drive slots for hard drive, CD/DVD drives and the like) and I came up with a shortlist of a few that I thought might do, so again I'm gonna beg you all for any advice you feel like giving. =D

A BFG one, the details offered on OverClockers were kinda useless, so I'm giving the BFG link instead. (http://www.bfgtech.com/nForce4_motherboard.html)

Again, the details available on OverClockers weren't that good, but looking here it looks pretty good. (http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_detail.php?UID=697)


Ok, so a few may have been an overstatement, I could only see two that interested me and seemed to be good..

Any advice appreciated. =)

[YegaDoyai]

No.1 Your computer, regardless of how good it is now will not be acceptable in 2 years time. With the current advacements being made about 1 year is all you can realisticaly expect from your 'pute. Maybe a bit longer if you don't mind running a mid spec machine next year. (it is harder to run mid spec when you are used to running cutting edge).

No.2 AMD will be introducing a new chipset this summer, the AM2 is a DDR2 new socket varient for the desktop and the current 939 have seen the last new processor that will be released on that socket format (FX60 and X2 4800). If you want you could go for the server varient codenamed socket F which will support the next batch of Opteron server processors including a rumoured 4 core chip!!

No.3 Your current MOBO sounds like a mATX so maybe look at getting a mATX case like Ru has like this (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/OcUK_Value.html), the Aspire X-Qpack.

No.4 Your current MOBO chipset is one of the fastest (regardless what the DFI boys say about thier nForce) the ATI chipset is second only to the top of the line ASUS and DFI for AMD boards and is better in some regards (power consumption and heat).

No.5 No game currently gives a noticable difference in framerate from 2GB of ram (BF2 gives something in the region of 5% increase). No application (sub-enterprise) will really benifit from 2GB ram except movie editing or picture editing. And even then only if you deal with BIG files. I'd recommend 2GB only for dual core users currently as they are morelikely to actually need the extra GB as they have a second core. Still works out to be 1GB per processor.

I'd suggest saving now and upgrading in Autum. The new AM2 will be out and there will be several processor varients by then. The chipsets and drivers should have been smoothed out for compatability and will be marginally cheaper than on release. When you do buy, go for the mid range dual core AMD, the top flight MOBO of the time (Probably safer to go with nVidia as they have done chipsets better than anyone for the last year or so) 2GB DDR2 ram and a new case/PSU to wrap them all up in. Your 7800 will still be good and you shouldn't need to replace it until sometime the following year. Get an X-Fi if you want the best sound card (hopefully they will have released the PCIe version by then) And upgrade to Windows Vista once it is stable (might be a while).

That would be the expensive but more future proof approach, alternately wait till socket AM2 is out and get the 939 boards on the cheap.

Prices for a very good computer:

£100-150 MOBO
£200-400 CPU
£150-200 Mem

If you spend £150 on a MOBO then you'll only be getting the most out of it by spending the top end on the other items, likewise for the CPU/Mem. So remember to look at how much you can really afford and what features you really want. The latest ASUS with passive cooling is, for my money, the best (yes Strings, better than the DFI) MOBO for 939 out at the moment. It gives excellent stock performance, gives OC performance that can only be matched by the DFI but is easier to work with, less tempramental and does all this with stock passive cooling. However I bought the mid range Epox of the day as I only needed a mobo that would support my processor, had sound, onboard lan, and decent USB 2 support. I have been pleasently surprised with it's excellent OCing ability but the main factor in buying was that I could get my CPU/Mem and MOBO for £198 including vat and deliviery. I had a budget of £200 so it worked out fine.

We'll talk more at the LAN I'm sure.

-Edit-
I just checked out your links, avoid MSI for anything other than a cheap second machine.

[Fyndir]

No.3 Your current MOBO sounds like a mATX so maybe look at getting a mATX case like Ru has like this (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/OcUK_Value.html), the Aspire X-Qpack.


My mobo is an ATI Radeon RS482 (Model AHI2).


I understand what you're saying about the new chipset, but my plan had been to stick with my current CPU for the moment, it's an AMD Athlon 64 3400+ which runs fairly consistently at about 2190 MHz and should be good for a while yet.

Maybe what would be best is to upgrade my current case and max out the RAM in this to 2GB (that way I have the RAM for when it'll come in handy later on) and then look at a new mobo and processor at about Christmas time later this year and get in on the new chipset at that point?

[YegaDoyai]

I'll say this just once more, DON'T BUY MORE RAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the cost you'll see no improvement.

Your MOBO is sadly not an ATI RS482, that is simply your northbridge controller. I'll find out what you do have at the lan.

mATX is (what I think is) the size of your motherboard, the 'm' stands for micro.

Are you sure it is a 3400+? as this only came out as a S754 not S939.

SDA3400AIO3BX
SDA3400BXBOX
ADA3400AEP5AP <--
ADA3400BOX
ADA3400AEP5AR
ADA3400BOX
ADA3400AEP4AR
ADA3400AEP4AX
ADA3400AXBOX
ADA3400AIK4BO

It should be one of the above model numbers. I expect it to be the one with the arrow.

[Fyndir]

Your MOBO is sadly not an ATI RS482, that is simply your northbridge controller.


Yay for me being useless. =D


At the LAN we'll just open my case up and you can all prod it and tell me what I actually have, as far as I could find out from browsing around the intarwebs I should be running a socket 939, but it's entirely possible that I was lied to if I was searching for the wrong thing. =)

Although according to CPU-Z it IS Socket 939:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v601/Fyndir/ProcessorSpecsCPUZ.jpg


Oh well, as I said, have a look at the LAN and tell me why I'm stupid. =)


As for the RAM, I fucked up, I meant to say that I'll get the RAM later on when buying the other stuff. =P

[YegaDoyai]

A couple of things to note, your motherboard is NOT supported by CPU z at this time as NO ATI chipsets are supported by CPUz at this time. THerefore most of what it is telling you is ok but certain things, like the clock speed/socketing and capabilities may be/are wrong. I can assure you that you have a 754 mobo so that leaves you in the same camp as Ru, myself and exuus. Only difference being that I clocked my cheapo processor to your processor speeds :)

Download SiSoft Sandra or something similar if you want to get some information on your motherboard but really it is not nesscesary. Before the LAN it would be a good idea to download but NOT install your latest drivers and firmware for the BIOS as both of these will have been updated since it's release. And like I said AMD only made the 3400+ in 754 packages so either you are running at the wrong speed or CPUz is lying about that also. It also claims you are on the revison E3 called Venice, but in actual fact I suspect you are running a Palermo core as the E6 revision is called Venice.

[Fyndir]

Before the LAN it would be a good idea to download but NOT install your latest drivers and firmware for the BIOS as both of these will have been updated since it's release.

Ok, I'll see if I can find them, just try not to be too pissed if I fail miserably and don't have them for the LAN. =P

EDIT: A quick look around gave me the impression that my BIOS is made by Phoenix Technologies, on their site I found a page about updating (http://www.phoenix.com/en/Customer+Services/BIOS+Updates/Default.htm), which seems to be telling me that I've not to. =P

[YegaDoyai]

On second thought, I'll wait till I've seen your MOBO then I'll get you the latest drivers.

Probably safer that way. :)

[Fyndir]

On second thought, I'll wait till I've seen your MOBO then I'll get you the latest drivers.

Probably safer that way. :)


/me blunders around running into things for a while

What? I wasn't listening. =D


In other news, I got the Sandra thingy you mentioned, had it create a full report in .txt format while I made dinner, there's a 5109KB file for anyone who wants it, just PM me and I'll email you it (include an email address if your profile on here doesn't have one) it includes every option that the program offered me for it to check out about my computer, including some benchmarks apparently. =P

[Sid]

I'll say this just once more, DON'T BUY MORE RAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the cost you'll see no improvement.

Ignore this. You need a second stick, desperately. If you had 1GB accross 2 512MB sticks, I'd possibly agree.

I'll do a bit of saving (currently earning about £165 a week) and then get myself a new case and a second 1GB stick of Crucial, then whine at you guys until someone agrees to help me transfer my entire motherboard over to the new case. ;)

Get that second stick of RAM as soon as you can. Your computer is probable running at around half of its potential right now. Athlon 64s love memory bandwidth - that's where you see the most performance gain. They were designed for dual-channel and running in non dual-channel mode will just kill performance.

You'll find that a high FSB/low mult. combination will produce greater performance with the 64s, even if the overall clock speed remains the same.

[Strings]

I'll say this just once more, DON'T BUY MORE RAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the cost you'll see no improvement.

Ignore this. You need a second stick, desperately. If you had 1GB accross 2 512MB sticks, I'd possibly agree.

I'll do a bit of saving (currently earning about £165 a week) and then get myself a new case and a second 1GB stick of Crucial, then whine at you guys until someone agrees to help me transfer my entire motherboard over to the new case. ;)

Get that second stick of RAM as soon as you can. Your computer is probable running at around half of its potential right now. Athlon 64s love memory bandwidth - that's where you see the most performance gain. They were designed for dual-channel and running in non dual-channel mode will just kill performance.

You'll find that a high FSB/low mult. combination will produce greater performance with the 64s, even if the overall clock speed remains the same.

When Yega said don't buy more RAM. He meant don't buy more RAM after you've bought the extra 1GB.

Fyndir was planning to get more RAM in the future after he had got 2GB. And I agree that 2GB is plenty, any more wont do you any good.

[DAve]

When Yega said don't buy more RAM. He meant don't buy more RAM after you've bought the extra 1GB.
Is there any advantage on upgrading from 1Gb to 2Gb?
I'm sitting on 1Gb at the moment, on a Athlon XP 2200+ (which might be the limiting factor) and a 6800.

[Fyndir]

When Yega said don't buy more RAM. He meant don't buy more RAM after you've bought the extra 1GB.
Is there any advantage on upgrading from 1Gb to 2Gb?
I'm sitting on 1Gb at the moment, on a Athlon XP 2200+ (which might be the limiting factor) and a 6800.



I have no idea, I thought Yega had meant not to upgrade to 2GB actually.


I'll just wait for Yega to tell us all what he meant before I do anything else, for fear of pain at the weekend. =P


EDIT:

In all the hubbub and "Jesus christ Fyndir's a tool" talk I forgot to say, I decided to get the Lian-Li PC V2100 PLUS Black Aluminium Full-Tower (No PSU) (CA-033-LL) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Lian_Li_Cases.html) case which was mentioned by Yega, and I want to know if there's any particular brand of [url=http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Power_Supplies_123.html]PSU[/url that I should get with it, also what strength of PSU would be good?

I'm guessing that something around 500watts or more would be sufficient or maybe even good?

[YegaDoyai]

Right, Sid and I will disagree about this but the 754 does not have dual channel memory controler so the extra stick is a waste of time. In terms of application performace an extra stick would double your effective bandwidth to about 6000mb/s (if you had a 939 MOBO) which is truely epic, however you have a single channel memory controller meaning you are limited to about 3000-3500mb/s which is still REALLY fast. As for actually USING the extra 1gb I still stand by assertion that 2gb is a waste of time for current applications and games in a single core computer.

I seem to remember you have quite a nasty LCD screen which is limited to 1024*768 res. My money would be spent getting a monitor capable of showing off your new found joy at at LEAST 1280*1024.

Any advances?

EDIT

You are shitting me?!? you are going to plump for the single most expensive case? Look, do some research, I couldn't justify spending that amount of cash and I was earning close to £300/w there are some other BEAST cases about, the Hudson III from Intel is worth a look and comes with redundant 600W powersupply for the megre sum of £350. Frankly a case like that would be AWESOME and I do want to see someone with it but I can;t honestly say that it is worth the extra cost over my case, which is already an expensive case. Read a review or two on the Sonata II it is one of the best 'Silent' cases about. And the X-Qpack that Ru has is simply fantastic and does not require you to buy another PSU.

DAve, your best upgrade would be your processor, you could try clocking (I've no idea if this is feasible with your core) or getting the 3200 like Pixie has, it was the last and fastest XP processor. After that it would be time to get a new mobo etc. I doubt VERY much you'd see anything other than improved load times with 2GB on your system and even then we are talking 12sec as apposed to 15sec to get the level loaded. Which a new HDD can do for you and be more usefull.

[Fyndir]

I seem to remember you have quite a nasty LCD screen which is limited to 1024*768 res. My money would be spent getting a monitor capable of showing off your new found joy at at LEAST 1280*1024.

You are shitting me?!? you are going to plump for the single most expensive case? Look, do some research, I couldn't justify spending that amount of cash and I was earning close to £300/w there are some other BEAST cases about, the Hudson III from Intel is worth a look and comes with redundant 600W powersupply for the megre sum of £350. Frankly a case like that would be AWESOME and I do want to see someone with it but I can;t honestly say that it is worth the extra cost over my case, which is already an expensive case. Read a review or two on the Sonata II it is one of the best 'Silent' cases about. And the X-Qpack that Ru has is simply fantastic and does not require you to buy another PSU.

I think you had started responding to me when you mentioned the screen, and yes I've considered it, but I only really use the LCD screen for LAN parties, the rest of the time I use my clunky old CRT which can support up to 1280 x 1024. =)

But yes, at some point I will consider a newer flatscreen for bringing to LANs.

As for the case, you're the one who said it was good, and my dad offered (I didn't ask, I was just talking to him over dinner about various things that I'm considering and wondering if he had any suggestions since he's worked with computers far longer than me) to buy me a case for my birthday, I asked him how much he was talking about spending and he said "Well, it's your 18th, so a lot..", I asked him tonight about that case in particular and told him the price, he said that would be fine, I even mentioned the added cost of a PSU and he said it would still be fine and he'd order tonight if I had all the details of what I wanted. =)

Which means, with any luck, I'd have the case and PSU for the LAN and instead of just looking at my motherboard you could maybe show me how to move it into a new case. =P

So, again I ask about the PSUs, is there any particular brand to avoid or to prefer?

Note, I am getting this case and PSU with the intent on keeping them for as long as is feasibly possible, I do plan to upgrade the hardware connected to them significantly after saving up until this Autumn / Winter.

[YegaDoyai]

It is a truely epic case and I can't wait to see it in the flesh, go for the top of the line tagan SLI 580W it will keep you sorted regardless of what you plan to upgrade later. It also is a modular design allowing you to use only the cables you need. Only thing to check is the length of the connecting cables as that is a big case and the cables will need to be equally long.

I'll have a wee look and see if I can find any snags with your plan.

Again, let me assure you it is an AWESOME case and really will be the case on display at LANS, mainly cause it so fucking huge!

Actually I've had a look at the Tagan in detail and it is designed for a more conventional case, the non modular version would actually be better as it uses the more traditional push-pull fan design

For those that don't know about this csae check the spec:

7x5.25", 12x3.5" internal(removable), 1 x 5.25" to 3.5" converter with a FDD bezel

12 HDD anyone!?! 7 CD drives!?!

Supports EATX thats extendend ATX for server class boards (no problem getting a Tyan twin processor board in this baby)

TOTALY different thermal design with the MOBO mounted on the left side of the case inverted with the PSU in the lower chamber with the HDDs mounted facing out for ease of access.

[Strings]

Sorry sorry.

Just to clear my own head.. I thought Fyndir had a 939 socket processor which WOULD benefit from 2GB.

True enough if you only have a single channel processor, you'd be best to stick with 1GB. And you've chosen some real nice memory at that.

Had me all confused.. because I know BF2, Q4, CSS, all run a lot nicer for me with 2GBs as I have a socket 939.

[Fyndir]

Just to clear my own head.. I thought Fyndir had a 939 socket processor


So did I. =P

Because CPU-Z lied to me, seemingly.

[Sid]

I thought Fyndir had a 939 socket processor which WOULD benefit from 2GB

Yeah, ditto.

Why didn't he buy a 939?

For the case, I'd go for a black Lian-Li PC V2000 over the V2100.

[YegaDoyai]

Because it's a Compaq, actually it looks like he DOES have a 939 mobo, but unfortunately it also looks like he has a 754 processor.

If you go to AMD (http://www.amdcompare.com/us-en/desktop/) they have 3 flavours of 3400+ all on 754. Desktop, Mobile, and desktop replacment notebook. Only the Desktop version matches his cache sizes but only the mobile version matches his capabilites (SSE3 etc) also I thought that it was the E6 stepping that introduced the SSE3 capabilites.

Anyway, Compaq are convinced he has a 939 mobo (Compaq Presario 061 PX631AA-ABU SR1440UK GB520) here is the link (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?lc=en&cc=us&docname=c00361515) to his mobo and Sandra is reporting that he is running his HT/LDT bus at 800 which as we all know is the 754 specification for this bus not the 1000 for 939. Oddly enough it also states that this mobo supports Sempron processors, which are only out on 754.

Does anyone know if HP get special order processors? Do they maybe have a converter? the extra pins are only for the second memory controller and he does have dual channel memory slots (4 slots, 2 different colours). If he has a converter but the not the extra controller, would he gain from another stick of memory or not??!? Anyway, any help would be nice and stop me from having to tear his machine apart at the lan.

[Sid]

it looks like he DOES have a 939 mobo, but unfortunately it also looks like he has a 754 processor.

Hrmmm... Unless he has some sort of converter? Or perhaps he has one of those motherboards with both sockets. Kinda weird. What makes you think it's a 754 CPU?

If he has a converter but the not the extra controller, would he gain from another stick of memory or not??!?

Nah, the memory controller is on the CPU. Without a dual-channel CPU - he wouldn't gain.

[YegaDoyai]

What makes you think it's a 754 CPU?

AMD have only released it as S754

The other part, about not getting a gain, might not be true. The NB traditionaly dealt with the memory control and if indeed they do have a 754 -> 939 converter then the extra pins would need to be connected somewhere, if they had a controller that emulated dual channel and fed it to the single channel controller for 754 sockets then there may still be a benifit in getting another stick.

[Fyndir]

Ok, so it's my birthday.

My dad decided to buy me a 400GB hard drive and a second stick of 1GB pc4000 Ballstix RAM.

I have tried to install both. =P

As you can see, from the fact that I'm posting, the computer still runs.

It accepts that the RAM exists.

I THINK I set the hard drive up right...but I'm not sure, it came with NO MANUAL OR INSTRUCTIONS.

One problem though, my computer doesn't accept that the hard drive exists.

Any advice? Or should I just hand it over to the experts and go cry in the corner pre-emptively while awaiting the mockery?

EDIT:

I'm retarded, I forgot to enable the drive, create a partition and format it. =(

[YegaDoyai]

yeah the whole actually tell the computer it is there, tell it how to use it and get it ready for use stages can be hard to remember! ;)

[Strings]

I THINK I set the hard drive up right...but I'm not sure, it came with NO MANUAL OR INSTRUCTIONS.

Instructions hehe. Hope you've got it working now matey but that had me laughing for a good few seconds :)

[DAve]

NO MANUAL OR INSTRUCTIONS.
...
Any advice? Or should I just hand it over to the experts and go cry in the corner pre-emptively while awaiting the mockery?
Advice: Buy a grounding cable and use it. It's all fun and games until you fry your 7800 with static.

Also, don't be afraid to ask silly questions, too. That's the way I learn, along with putting right the mistakes I always make.

Manual? instructions? A jedi admin needs not these things.

[Fyndir]

Apologies for quite the bump here, but I figured this was easier than a new topic.

"- 1440 x 900 Optimum Resolution
- 16.2 Million Colours
- 850:1 Contrast Ratio
- 5ms Response Time
- 300 cd/m2 Brightness
- One Analogue Input
- Integrated Speakers
- Warranty : 3 year on-site warranty supplied by Manufacturer (Call Belinea direct for all support and RMA issues on 01344 788920)"

That looks like a pretty nice monitor, at 19 inch widescreen, yes?

So I think, anyway, especially for a mere £128.06 (that price includes the VAT).

I think I'll see if I can sweet-talk my parents into getting me it for my Christmas/Birthday/I'llpayyoubackassoonasIhavemoneyhonestpleaseplease pleaseplease.

Just thought I'd post on here quickly (praying for a quick response since it's in the this week only section) and hope that someone can tell me if there's anything hideously wrong with that as a monitor.

[YegaDoyai]

linky but otherwise good

[Fyndir]

linky but otherwise good


Sorry, was typing it up quickly in College and forgot the link. -_-

Here it is, it should be right at the top of the list. (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_This_Week_Only_25.html) Belinea 1925S1W 19" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver (MO-005-BE)

[Phizz]

you're at college too huh. I'm signed up at the Central College of Commerce to do a course in Admin and IT (HNC)

[Fyndir]

you're at college too huh. I'm signed up at the Central College of Commerce to do a course in Admin and IT (HNC)

Yeah, I got accepted into Stow College to do an HND in Computing Technical Support, which can slingshot me into third year Computing at Strathclyde if I do well.

First year of it is an HNC in Computing, so even if I fail the second year I still get that.

Which is nice.

[Phizz]

ahh well won't see you around then. :-S

[affro]

OMGZ! - Stow, I helped write some of the C++ coursework that they where using for ages!

You know it's bad when the students dictate the learning curse to the lecturers!


Affro.

[Fyndir]

Something I've been considering picking up for a little while is a non-stock CPU Cooler, I'm not sure what (if any) real effect it would have on my PCs performance, but I was considering the Zalman CNPS9500-AM2 Aero Flower (Socket AM2/939/754) CPU Cooler (HS-021-ZA) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Zalman_CPU_Coolers.html) as a possibility to pick up sometime.

Given the air-flows and fans within my case I'm not sure if it's worth it though, just wondering what you guys thought.

Any general tips on anything else I should consider to help keep my rig running nice and cool would also be appreciated, probably not something I would have in time for the next LAN, just looking for general suggestions so I know what to think about for next time I have money...I have the upgrading itch again, my PCs been the same for too long now. =P

[YegaDoyai]

As you know I', a zalman boy at heart. But the the Thermalright 120mm is better and should be considered before any purchase is made. Personally I'd take the beasting flower cooler becuase it looks better but there is no contest that the superior performance comes from the thermalright.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Thermalright_CPU_Coolers.html

Just make sure you buy a decent 120mm fan.

[Fyndir]

Just make sure you buy a decent 120mm fan.

So if I was to get aThermalRight XP-120 (Socket 754/939/478) Heatsink (HS-017-TR) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Thermalright_CPU_Coolers.html) and Thermaltake Blue Orb II Socket 939/754/775) CPU Cooler (CL-P0257) (HS-005-TT) (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Thermaltake_CPU_Coolers.html) combo maybe?

Or are the fans generally much the same as long as you've got a good heatsink?

I feel so nooby. =P

[DAve]

Or are the fans generally much the same as long as you've got a good heatsink?

I feel so nooby. =P
All fans are not equal. Some push more air (higher Cubic Foot per Minute of air {CFM}) some are quieter, some look good, some are temperature controlled, etc.

As with everything nowadays, do a bit of reaserch online / offline and see what's best for your needs. CUstomPC case fan comparison (http://www.pcpro.co.uk/custompc/labs/36/fans/products.html), for example.

Saying that, the fans that come with the Zalman are supposed to be really good - they're a quality company all round.

Some are born n00bs, some achieve n00biness, and some have n00biness thrust upon them. I don't think you're a n00b - it was a prefectly decent question!

[Fyndir]

I get the feeling I've misunderstood something quite important here...when Yega mentioned 120mm fans did he mean case or did he mean to sit on the processor itself?

Is the Thermalright Heatsink all I need for my processor itself as long as I get some beefy case fans?

EDIT: Also wasn't there a spare fan or somesuch when Yega kindly moved my PC into the new case? I'd check around my room, but I'm at college.

:oops: and here I am doing a computing course. =P

EDIT EDIT: I've had a look around and I might be getting myself thoroughly confused about what I should be doing here.

If I were to pick up one of the 120mm fans (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Zalman_Fans.html) and the one of the XP-120's (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Thermalright_CPU_Coolers.html) I would not need to buy anything else cooling-wise for that to be effective, right?

Just looking for confirmation that I'm understanding it all properly, when I first made this post I noobed it up a bit because I hadn't had time to have a proper look around, just a quick one, hopefully I have now redeemed myself somewhat. =P

[YegaDoyai]

*waits for Strings to arrive and tell all as he actually has one*

I'm not sure if the heatsink comes with a fan or not. I'd recommend looking at getting a very decent 120mm fan as it will make all the difference (said in a gman style) to your cooling. Zalmans weakest link is thier fans and there are several folk out there that mod the zalmans to have better, quieter fans.

Get strings to tell you what is what with the cooler.

[Fyndir]

I'd recommend looking at getting a very decent 120mm fan as it will make all the difference (said in a gman style) to your cooling.

Ok, carrying on looking at case fans until Strings turns up to laugh at my stupidity, Delta (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Delta_Fans.html) seem to offer some VERY beefy fans, and although 59dBA is louder than most of the fans, I'm pretty sure (from what I understand) it's not actually an amazingly loud noise, so the next question is...how MANY 120mm case fans should I try and get? ;)

I'm all up for taking a hacksaw and a drill to my case to fit on a couple of extra fans, if it would give any realistic benefit. ;)

[Sid]

Yeah, the ThermalRight XP-120 with a good quality 120mm fan would be a nice upgrade. Although I don't really see the point of spending ~£40 for better cooling if you're not planning on overclocking.

Delta fans are horribly noisy. I own an 80mm one and had to stop using it after a few days with it. The performance is unrivaled, mind you.

Papst fans always used to be the best for a good peformance and silence. I'm not sure if that's still the case, though.

[Fyndir]

Although I don't really see the point

Partially just to keep it all running smoothly, partially because my room has a tendency to get REALLY hot some days, especially in the summer.

Delta fans are horribly noisy. I own an 80mm one and had to stop using it after a few days with it. The performance is unrivaled, mind you.

I'm not entirely sure how much of the noise would be audible, remembering that my case has some sound-proofing on it, but I don't have a lot of experience with this so it's hard to say.

Papst fans always used to be the best for a good peformance and silence. I'm not sure if that's still the case, though.

I'll have a look at that when I get home, this class is nearly over. =P

Binary Arithmetic is easy. =D

[YegaDoyai]

akasa 'amber' series fans are the best currently as far as the overclock.co.uk forum is concernd.

[Fyndir]

akasa 'amber' series fans are the best currently as far as the overclock.co.uk forum is concernd.


Nice and quiet, but pretty underpowered isn't it?

Or is the Delta one just stupidly over-powered?

[YegaDoyai]

no the akasa is just plain good apparently

[Fyndir]

I came to a realisation while playing CSS tonight.

When I die because of circumstances outwith my control, it has NEVER been from FPS drop.

Every time I sit and fume at something that I can't control causing me to get killed, it's lag.

So next time I have cash and I start babbling away at you guys about this upgrade or that upgrade, tell me to shut the fuck up and spend the cash on getting a network sorted out for this flat. 0_0

[YegaDoyai]

The last 'upgrade' you were talking about was for better cooling and more quiet. That is not a silly thing to want. Other than that you have requested advice on monitors, again fairly sane. When you start talking about buying a brand new system complete with quad SLI and water cooling I'll be more than happy to smack you down.