When using this resource, please read FragKrag's opening post. The Tech Support forum regulars have helped create countless of desktop systems without any compensation. The least you can do is provide all of the information required for them to help you properly.
I'm thinking about upgrading to Crossfire and was wondering if my motherboard would bottleneck too much. Here are my specs Operating System MS Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit CPU AMD Phenom II X4 955 AMD Phenom II X4 955 Deneb 45nm Technology RAM 8.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 669MHz (9-9-9-24) Motherboard Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-880GA-UD3H (Socket M2) 28 °C Graphics E233H (1920x1080@60Hz) AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series Hard Drives 977GB Seagate ST31000528AS ATA Device (SATA) 30 °C Optical Drives ASUS DRW-24B1ST ATA Device Audio Realtek High Definition Audio Power Supply Corsair 550VX
Needed to upgrade my PSU so i bought the Corsair 750VX Enthusiast Series for $104(think i got lucky) on amazon. I bought a Sapphire 6850 1gb 2 months ago and saw this HIS 6850 selling for a ridiculous price on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270732185868&category=3762&_trksid=p5197.c0.m619 (This guy sold 6 in under 24 hours o_o) One of my questions is does different brands affect crossfiring? I read that it doesn't but i just want to make sure.
It has 2 PCI Express 2.0 slots with one running at x16 and the other at x4(x16/x4) Some people are saying it will cripple my crossfire making it pointless and some say it will barely affect my crossfire. I know it won't give me optimal results but is x16/x4 that bad?
You didn't need 750w for CrossfireX. An Antec Truepower New 650w which can be found for $80 would be more than enough for an overclocked processor and Crossfire 6850.
And no, different branding does not affect CrossfireX. It just needs to be in the same generation, performance tier, and preferably have the same clock speeds.
You didn't need 750w for CrossfireX. An Antec Truepower New 650w which can be found for $80 would be more than enough for an overclocked processor and Crossfire 6850.
And no, different branding does not affect CrossfireX. It just needs to be in the same generation, performance tier, and preferably have the same clock speeds.
truly are a god skyR haha. So basically i'd be running at a x16/x8 configuration? The article said that PCI 2.0 is double the bandwidth of a PCI 1.0. Or maybe i read it wrong :x
Ah.. i used the newegg psu calculator and it said i needed a minimum of 651 watts :x so i figured i'd take the safe route and go 750
What is your budget? 3600 RON ~ 1240 USD I'll add SDD's and more RAM later with other money.
What is your resolution? 1920x1080
What are you using it for? Playing the newer games at very high settings. Software development: Java, Netbeans/eclipse, an application server and some virtual machines.
What is your upgrade cycle? 3-4 years or less if for some reason I make a lot of money.
When do you plan on building it? I'll start ordering the parts as soon as you decide what's best for me and I'll probably build it Monday or Tuesday after work / dentist (In Romania at the dentist the anesthesia for small operations is local so I would feel like after a couple of beers which is totally safe and fun for building a computer).
Do you plan on overclocking? I'll overclock the CPU at which is the most stable on stock cooler from frequencies 4.7, 4.5, 4.2 or at least 4.0 (I like magic numbers) I may unlock the 6950 to a 6970 if I'm in the mood but is not a must.
Do you need an Operating System? No, already have a retail Windows 7 Ultimate.
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? Nope.
My Build: Note 1: For some parts, like RAM, Motherboard and Case I'm considering few options and it would be great if you could enlighten me. If you give me alternatives in USD, just multiply by 1.5 to get the price in USD for components bought from Romania and by another 2.9 to get the prices in RON (Romanian Leu=Lion )(that I'm listing along with USD) Note 2: I will buy a ~120 GB SSD (and another 4GB or RAM if I only buy 4 now) after a couple of months or more when I will have money. For now I'm trying to build my computer @ no more than 3600 RON ~ 1240 USD with parts that cannot easily added or upgraded cheaply along the way (like a decent Motherboard, CPU and Graphics) Note 3: The prices for all the components will seem extremely high in some cases but this is because I'm buying them from Romania and here the prices are on average close to 50% bigger than in USA (For comparison's sake, the mean yearly after tax salary/income is about 18500 RON ~ 6500 USD).
Case Note 1: The MSI RADEON 6950 is like lengthy 275*110*38mm Note 2: I would go with the cheaper of these cases that has enough space and cooling potential for my build.
HDD 1. HDD Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB @ 230 RON ~ 80 2. A more quiet alternative even if slower because soon I will buy a big SSD and use the HDD only for music, movies and other media.
The Radeon 6950 is roughly 11" long so it'll fit in the 690ii. It will most likely fit in the USP 100 as well but this case only comes with one intake fan and nothing else. So I'd recommend going with the 690ii Basic / Advanced. The difference between the two can be seen here: http://images.ncix.com/forumimages/A5BC15D7-FA0F-47C5-AC864732B67A3B18.jpg
You'll want the 2x4gb kit as you'll be running virtual machines.
The Samsung Spinpoint F3 is already very quiet. If you're looking for storage drives, you could look into the Samsung Spinpoint F4 or Western Digital Caviar Green series.
You don't have much options for a PSU, your best bet would be the CX500 as previously mentioned by Mymidon.
Hello all: I am a novice when it comes to computer parts, but I am building a gaming pc nonetheless. The thing I know least about is the power supply unit. My question is how much wattage do I need for the following setup:
The components makes sense together. A 400w - 500w unit such as the Corsair CX430, Antec Earthwatts 380, or a XFX Core Edition Pro 450 would be more than capable of powering the configuration if you have no intentions of upgrading to a more powerful graphics card in the future.
It looks like a budget minded build so have you looked into getting a Radeon 6850 instead of a GTX 460? The Radeon 6850 offers similar / better performance than the GTX 460 and can often be found for ~$20 less.
Note that you would need to use a 2 molex -> 1 PCI-E power adapter (it comes with the GPU), since that PSU and most in that range only have one 6-pin PCI-E power plug and the GPU needs two. That PSU also doesn't come with a power cord, but any old one works.
Every time I have posted something on here, you have responded in minutes, thank you!
I currently had in mind the Earthwatts 380, but was worried that it wouldn't be quite enough power for the GPU. It is a good price on Newegg right now, so if it is enough power, I am thinking of going with that.
In terms of GTX 460 vs Radeon 6850, right now the 460 is actually 5 dollars cheaper with rebate. I also heard that GeForce has been working better with sc2 than radeon. I would not be surprised if that was not based in fact. Would you still go with the 6850 considering that the 460 is $5 cheaper?
@Myr
You have also been a great resource :-)
I did not know that power cords did not come with all of these. I am guessing this would be sold at any electronics store?
Just to clarify, the Earthwatts 380W and the GPU would both come with the correct parts to use them together, correct?
Not sure where you're buying from but if it's from Newegg. I'd go with the 6850 because it includes free Shogun game and (nvm combo purchase -_-) is $5 less than the GTX 460 after mail in rebates. If you're buying from somewhere else and the GTX 460 is $5 cheaper than I'd go with that.
The graphics card will provide you the necessary molex to 6pin adapter to use it on any power supply that does not have enough 6pin pci-e connectors.
You could just reuse the power cord from your old PC or just buy one from any computer store.
Okay guys, I'm still at school but I was looking at the site and saw a mouse similar to the old mouse I really liked and would once again want to buy. The mouse is Microsoft Comfort Optical Mouse 3000 USB PS/2 1000DPI With 4 Way Scrolling http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=59372&vpn=D1T-00002&manufacture=Microsoft
Now, what throws me off is that the one I had was USB only, but this one says usb ps/2 ?? I want a mouse that doesn't plug in through USB. Is this a wrong mouse?
Awesome, thanks a lot for your help skyR, I REALLY appreciate it. I can't wait to get home so I can purchase the computer. I for sure would not have been able to do it without your help.
EPT
truly are a god skyR haha. So basically i'd be running at a x16/x8 configuration? The article said that PCI 2.0 is double the bandwidth of a PCI 1.0. Or maybe i read it wrong :x
)(that I'm listing along with USD)
