|
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. |
On April 22 2011 10:11 HCmystic wrote:
when buying used computer parts for my build online, craigslist, kijiji, rfd, etc
like a gpu, psu, ram, how should i go about buying it to make sure it isnt broken. I wouldn't be able to tell by looking at it, idk if u can tell by looking at it. Always test it out on a pc before buying?
I just wouldn't buy used parts unless it's a reputable dealer that does open box/refurbs with full warranty. Ever. That's a surefire way to end up not saving nearly as much money as you think you are, and potentially overspending the PC you end up with. Maybe if they were cheap and as a lot, like for slapping together some cheap machines for file servers or whatever else, but its iffy in general.
|
I'm looking for the quietest HD 6850 or 6870 that's available below $200. I'm willing to wait for sales, but I want something with low noise and low temperatures. Looking at ASUS DirectCU 6850, and any stock 6870, but not really sure what's the best.
I'm not going for the 460 since I value noise and temperature more than overclocking performance at this time, and the 6850 runs better at stock than the 460. If you can convince me otherwise, I'll read into it.
Please don't tell me to look for another card, unless it's the 5850.
+ Show Spoiler +
|
It looks like the DirectCU should be a good option. You can try undervolting it and maybe clocking it down a little bit, and then turning down a fan profile or something like that. All that may be unnecessary though.
http://www.behardware.com/articles/821-15/roundup-9-radeon-hd-6850s.html
Note that versus the reference model (which isn't really available?), it's clocked very slightly higher and has lower temperatures, for very slightly higher noise. So I'm sure you could further tweak for lower noise.
|
5930 Posts
SilentPCreview did a review on the Asus 6850 and the the reference 6850. Keep in mind while most people do noise tests on open benches, SilentPCreview puts their system inside the Antec P180, which is doubtlessly still the best case for mid/low powered quiet computing.
If your case is like a cheese grater with a billion holes for sound to escape, the best thing you can do is not by getting the most quiet HD6850 but by blocking those holes.
To sum it up:
All HD6850s should be very quiet because its not really a power hungry card.
The Asus HD6850 is worse under idle by like 1db while far better than the reference under load.
Undervolting does help (no change when idle, ~1db/0.05v under load) but not as important as getting MSI Afterburner to change the fan speed.
The plastic shroud on the Asus HD6850 can produce an annoying whining sound.
The reference card has better tone/smoother sound.
Some people think the MSI Cyclone, when the DIP switch is set to "Silent", is the best sounding HD6850. Its all subjective in the end though and all of the HD6850s should be "quiet enough". If you want anything better than this, your only real option is to go aftermarket or wait for the Powercolor HD6850 SCS3.
|
For a setup of streaming/gaming/htpc, which gpu would u recommend, assuming the price is the same for all
GTX 460, gtx 465, radeon 6870/6850
im leaning towards gtx 465, and maybe with some luck can unlock to 470
Edit: or a gtx 280
gtx 465 is EVGA GeForce GTX 465 (Fermi) 1GB GDDR5 PCIe Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce
|
If they're all at the same pricepoint, the 6870 would be the obvious choice.
It's stupid to even consider a GTX 465 if it's at the same price as a 460 or 6870.
|
On April 22 2011 10:11 HCmystic wrote:
when buying used computer parts for my build online, craigslist, kijiji, rfd, etc
like a gpu, psu, ram, how should i go about buying it to make sure it isnt broken. I wouldn't be able to tell by looking at it, idk if u can tell by looking at it. Always test it out on a pc before buying?
Most sellers on kijiji, red flags, and etc aren't really there to screw you over or rip you off. I've bought a lot of my parts (motherboard, video card, hard drive, monitors, etc) using the sites you've mentioned and I've experienced no problems with any of them. If you're really concerned about people potentially selling you broken parts, then yes you can test out the parts before purchasing.
|
|
|
The GTX 460 is better than the GTX 465 in every aspect.
It's just cheap. There are three variants of the GTX 460, listed in order of performance: 1GB > 768 MB > 1GB SE
|
Okay, this is going to be basically the first "gaming" computer I've had, and I'm looking to spend around $800. I can go a little but above that, but I've heard that's all I really need to spend for a good framerate at high settings for almost all games. I don't really plan on overclocking, but I'd like to add another video card in the future.
These are the parts I've haphazardly chosen that seem decent for my budget, I'll also be doing a little bit of 3D Animation/Modelling, but not too much yet. I can always upgrade in the future. I'm planning on getting most things through NCIX, so these parts are as listed on their website.
Intel Core i5 760 Quad Core Processor $199.99
XFX Radeon HD 6950 XXX 830MHZ 1GB 5.2GHZ $261.36
1TB SATA 6GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive $64.28
LG GH22NS50 Black 22X SATA DVD Writer OEM $25.99
Seasonic S12II 620W EPS12V 20/24PIN ATX Power Supply $77.86
ASUS Xonar DG 5.1 Channel PCI Sound Card 24BIT $32.25
With tax and shipping I'm already nearing/at $800, and I still need a motherboard. I also need other things I'm sure (USB? Network? Cooling?)
What changes should I make/what do I still need to have a fully functional computer (what motherboard, especially)? I'm sure some of my choices are obviously stupid. I'm pretty lost when it comes to this.
Help me Team Liquiders, you're my only hope <3
|
I would suggest http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
It is the Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz, TomsHardware's best buy for 200+ dollars, based on a 32nm tech rather than 45nm. its $220 vs $200, so it is a bit more expensive, but it is probably worth it for you.
Buy the cheapest DVD drive that you can find, they all work.
Sound Card probably isn't necessary unless you have great speakers or are super sensitive about it, the difference isn't huge. They are nice, but if your close to your budget its the first thing i would cut.
You need Ram
Not sure what you mean by USB. most cases come with cooling and you should not need additional cooling unless you plan on Overclocking your CPU.
|
On April 22 2011 19:39 feanor1 wrote:I would suggest http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072It is the Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz, TomsHardware's best buy for 200+ dollars, based on a 32nm tech rather than 45nm. its $220 vs $200, so it is a bit more expensive, but it is probably worth it for you. Buy the cheapest DVD drive that you can find, they all work. Sound Card probably isn't necessary unless you have great speakers or are super sensitive about it, the difference isn't huge. They are nice, but if your close to your budget its the first thing i would cut. You need Ram Not sure what you mean by USB. most cases come with cooling and you should not need additional cooling unless you plan on Overclocking your CPU.
2GB of RAM should be fine, right? Also, I mean, where do USB Ports come from? (I need the talk).
|
On April 22 2011 19:42 Zerokaiser wrote:Show nested quote +On April 22 2011 19:39 feanor1 wrote:I would suggest http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072It is the Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz, TomsHardware's best buy for 200+ dollars, based on a 32nm tech rather than 45nm. its $220 vs $200, so it is a bit more expensive, but it is probably worth it for you. Buy the cheapest DVD drive that you can find, they all work. Sound Card probably isn't necessary unless you have great speakers or are super sensitive about it, the difference isn't huge. They are nice, but if your close to your budget its the first thing i would cut. You need Ram Not sure what you mean by USB. most cases come with cooling and you should not need additional cooling unless you plan on Overclocking your CPU. 2GB of RAM should be fine, right? Also, I mean, where do USB Ports come from? (I need the talk).
You are going to want 4gb's, 2 isn't enough with Win7.
Also you need an OS unless you already have license for one. If your a student or know a student you can get Win7 for roughly $30.
USB ports will be on your Mobo
Another CPU option for $190 is Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074
|
On April 22 2011 19:44 feanor1 wrote:Show nested quote +On April 22 2011 19:42 Zerokaiser wrote:On April 22 2011 19:39 feanor1 wrote:I would suggest http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072It is the Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz, TomsHardware's best buy for 200+ dollars, based on a 32nm tech rather than 45nm. its $220 vs $200, so it is a bit more expensive, but it is probably worth it for you. Buy the cheapest DVD drive that you can find, they all work. Sound Card probably isn't necessary unless you have great speakers or are super sensitive about it, the difference isn't huge. They are nice, but if your close to your budget its the first thing i would cut. You need Ram Not sure what you mean by USB. most cases come with cooling and you should not need additional cooling unless you plan on Overclocking your CPU. 2GB of RAM should be fine, right? Also, I mean, where do USB Ports come from? (I need the talk). You are going to want 4gb's, 2 isn't enough with Win7. Also you need an OS unless you already have license for one. If your a student or know a student you can get Win7 for roughly $30. USB ports will be on your Mobo
Okeedokee. Yeah, I have Win7. Do the other parts look okay? Is there a reason for the Sandy Bridge instead?
|
On April 22 2011 19:49 Zerokaiser wrote:Show nested quote +On April 22 2011 19:44 feanor1 wrote:On April 22 2011 19:42 Zerokaiser wrote:On April 22 2011 19:39 feanor1 wrote:I would suggest http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072It is the Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz, TomsHardware's best buy for 200+ dollars, based on a 32nm tech rather than 45nm. its $220 vs $200, so it is a bit more expensive, but it is probably worth it for you. Buy the cheapest DVD drive that you can find, they all work. Sound Card probably isn't necessary unless you have great speakers or are super sensitive about it, the difference isn't huge. They are nice, but if your close to your budget its the first thing i would cut. You need Ram Not sure what you mean by USB. most cases come with cooling and you should not need additional cooling unless you plan on Overclocking your CPU. 2GB of RAM should be fine, right? Also, I mean, where do USB Ports come from? (I need the talk). You are going to want 4gb's, 2 isn't enough with Win7. Also you need an OS unless you already have license for one. If your a student or know a student you can get Win7 for roughly $30. USB ports will be on your Mobo Okeedokee. Yeah, I have Win7. Do the other parts look okay? Is there a reason for the Sandy Bridge instead?
It's cheaper, faster, and all around better. Get an H67 motherboard with the i5 2400, 4GB of DDR3 1333mhz RAM.
|
|
|
Thanks for the help you guys 
Anything else I should know or pick up? Nothing is common sense to me, so don't hold back.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
