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United States4471 Posts
Unfortunately while my friend was doing some reading on taxes and shipping this morning regarding the second laptop, it done gone and become out of stock. Any other suggestions within the price range that could play SC2 at better than low? Thanks again.
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NeverNight: in 6 months, new generations of CPUs and GPUs will have been released probably, so it's difficult to say now. If you were to get something now with today's parts and that budget, with some rendering and video editing in mind, I would suggest an upgrade over what R04R listed.
Substituting an i7-870 for an i7-930, getting a LGA 1366 (required by i7-9xx) rather than LGA 1156 (required by other Intel core i3/i5/i7 CPUs) motherboard, and getting 6 GB RAM might make sense. The extra cost would put it still well within budget.
Windows 7 Professional is missing some features compared to Windows 7 Ultimate, but these are really only things that might be needed by enterprise users. If you don't already know you need Ultimate, you probably don't need it.
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On August 21 2010 02:23 XaI)CyRiC wrote:Unfortunately while my friend was doing some reading on taxes and shipping this morning regarding the second laptop, it done gone and become out of stock. Any other suggestions within the price range that could play SC2 at better than low? Thanks again.
Look for something with a GPU like the following--the models listed are in increasing power to the right:
Radeon Mobility HD 4650, HD 4670, HD 5650, HD 5730, HD 5750, HD 5770 (or higher)
Nvidia GT 325M, GT 240M, GT 330M, GT 335M, GT 250M, GT 350M (or higher)
A low laptop resolution like 1366 x 768 is okay and may actually be preferred so you can play on native resolution with good frame rates.
For the CPU, I'm not so sure. SC2 isn't well-threaded so 3+ cores don't really help over 2 cores. AMD mobile GPUs usually have low clock rates but more cores compared to Intel at comparable prices/laptops, so sticking with Intel should be a safer bet.
Any mobile i3/i5/i7 CPU should be good, but the low power versions might have issues? A Core 2 Duo T9xxx, P9xxx, T8xxx, or P8xxx should be fine too.
Laptop prices, availabilities, and deals fluctuate around. Hopefully you can find something after looking around, or somebody else can find something for you.
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Hmm, I didn't notice the "in 6 months part." Right now 1156 and 1366 are going to be gone be Q4 2011 I believe, so an intel build right now that's going to be built in the future may become obsolete. I'd wait until you can build it and hope AMD's Bulldozer rapes face.
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i'm planning on upgrading the ram in my computer but am a total noob at ram. currently i have 2 sticks of 512mb OCZ ddr2-667 (333mhz) in my computer. i want to get another 2 sticks of 1gb that are the same speed as the ones i currently have.
-if 2 sticks are 512mb and 2 are 1gb will they still run in dual channel?
- what factors into compatibility? if the brand is different.. it shouldn't matter as long as they're the same speed right?
- if the latency isn't that much different, does it matter?
- what does 4.0-4-4-15 mean? (i see it in everest under timing) does that factor into compatibility?
-everest lists voltage under core voltage and module voltage... which one should i be looking at?
module voltage - SSTL 1.8
core voltage - 1.5V
the RAM i'm looking at right now is this + Show Spoiler +http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146526&cm_re=ddr2_667_2gb_2_x_1gb_desktop-_-20-146-526-_-Product
the speed is the same, and the voltage is the same (i think.. module voltage vs core voltage??) so they should be compatible, but i'm not sure if those are the only two things that need to be the same.
thanks for any help!
edit : just realized that ram i mentioned won't be compatible because it's 667mhz. and i have 333mhz...
would it be better just to get 2gb 667mhz since 333 is really slow?
or 2gb of 337mhz to add on to my current 2x 337mhz
any recommendations? :X
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Hello.
So im looking at purchising a new computer that can run SC2 on ultra or high settings @ 60fps.
Also it will be used for some photoshop and basic video editing though rendering time not a huge deal.
My budget for it is around 800-900 CAD. I would also like it to be future proof in the sense of diablo 3 as thats the next big game for me personally.
Also ontop of the 800-900 i have a allocated buget of 150 for a keyboard and mouse and headset.
If anyone can help me know the best parts in those price ranges thanks you.
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United States4471 Posts
Thanks again so much. I will tell my friend to jump on these deals this time 
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On August 21 2010 03:51 aeroH wrote:i'm planning on upgrading the ram in my computer but am a total noob at ram. currently i have 2 sticks of 512mb OCZ ddr2-667 (333mhz) in my computer. i want to get another 2 sticks of 1gb that are the same speed as the ones i currently have. -if 2 sticks are 512mb and 2 are 1gb will they still run in dual channel? - what factors into compatibility? if the brand is different.. it shouldn't matter as long as they're the same speed right? - if the latency isn't that much different, does it matter? - what does 4.0-4-4-15 mean? (i see it in everest under timing) does that factor into compatibility? -everest lists voltage under core voltage and module voltage... which one should i be looking at? module voltage - SSTL 1.8 core voltage - 1.5V the RAM i'm looking at right now is this + Show Spoiler +http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146526&cm_re=ddr2_667_2gb_2_x_1gb_desktop-_-20-146-526-_-Product the speed is the same, and the voltage is the same (i think.. module voltage vs core voltage??) so they should be compatible, but i'm not sure if those are the only two things that need to be the same. thanks for any help! edit : just realized that ram i mentioned won't be compatible because it's 667mhz. and i have 333mhz... would it be better just to get 2gb 667mhz since 333 is really slow? or 2gb of 337mhz to add on to my current 2x 337mhz any recommendations? :X
I believe everest lists the real clock of your DRAM modules, so the real clock would be 333MHz, but DDR2 (and all other RAM) is marketed by effective clock. DDR stands for Double Data Rate so 333MHz has an effective clock of 666MHz.
Core Voltage is the voltage that goes to your CPU and Module voltage is the voltage that goes to your DDR modules
4-4-4-15 are the timings of the DRAM. The lower the better, but some modules aren't rated for lower timings. 4-4-4-15 seems normal for a stick of DDR2 though.
Generally people suggest against mixing RAM, but the RAM that you are buying should fit. Just make sure to go into BIOS and relax the timings of your original DDR2 sticks so that the Crucial kit doesn't try to run at higher speeds that it probably isn't rated for.
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On August 21 2010 02:26 Myrmidon wrote:
NeverNight: in 6 months, new generations of CPUs and GPUs will have been released probably, so it's difficult to say now. If you were to get something now with today's parts and that budget, with some rendering and video editing in mind, I would suggest an upgrade over what R04R listed.
Substituting an i7-870 for an i7-930, getting a LGA 1366 (required by i7-9xx) rather than LGA 1156 (required by other Intel core i3/i5/i7 CPUs) motherboard, and getting 6 GB RAM might make sense. The extra cost would put it still well within budget.
Windows 7 Professional is missing some features compared to Windows 7 Ultimate, but these are really only things that might be needed by enterprise users. If you don't already know you need Ultimate, you probably don't need it.
Alrighty. I'll upgrade those. i was going to probably go with 6GB anyway.
EDIT: My bad. Didnt realize there was an edit button
alright. I upgraded to these parts
Processor: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423
RAM: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145286
And added windows 7 Professional.
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Thank you very much R04R!
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On August 21 2010 04:39 FragKrag wrote:Show nested quote +On August 21 2010 03:51 aeroH wrote:i'm planning on upgrading the ram in my computer but am a total noob at ram. currently i have 2 sticks of 512mb OCZ ddr2-667 (333mhz) in my computer. i want to get another 2 sticks of 1gb that are the same speed as the ones i currently have. -if 2 sticks are 512mb and 2 are 1gb will they still run in dual channel? - what factors into compatibility? if the brand is different.. it shouldn't matter as long as they're the same speed right? - if the latency isn't that much different, does it matter? - what does 4.0-4-4-15 mean? (i see it in everest under timing) does that factor into compatibility? -everest lists voltage under core voltage and module voltage... which one should i be looking at? module voltage - SSTL 1.8 core voltage - 1.5V the RAM i'm looking at right now is this + Show Spoiler +http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146526&cm_re=ddr2_667_2gb_2_x_1gb_desktop-_-20-146-526-_-Product the speed is the same, and the voltage is the same (i think.. module voltage vs core voltage??) so they should be compatible, but i'm not sure if those are the only two things that need to be the same. thanks for any help! edit : just realized that ram i mentioned won't be compatible because it's 667mhz. and i have 333mhz... would it be better just to get 2gb 667mhz since 333 is really slow? or 2gb of 337mhz to add on to my current 2x 337mhz any recommendations? :X I believe everest lists the real clock of your DRAM modules, so the real clock would be 333MHz, but DDR2 (and all other RAM) is marketed by effective clock. DDR stands for Double Data Rate so 333MHz has an effective clock of 666MHz. Core Voltage is the voltage that goes to your CPU and Module voltage is the voltage that goes to your DDR modules 4-4-4-15 are the timings of the DRAM. The lower the better, but some modules aren't rated for lower timings. 4-4-4-15 seems normal for a stick of DDR2 though. Generally people suggest against mixing RAM, but the RAM that you are buying should fit. Just make sure to go into BIOS and relax the timings of your original DDR2 sticks so that the Crucial kit doesn't try to run at higher speeds that it probably isn't rated for.
so i should be looking at module voltage when comparing it to to the voltage on the crucial stick right?
i'll probably get that crucial kit, i'll see if anything better comes up, since its saturday ordering now wouldn't make any difference than ordering sunday night.
thanks fragkrag!
EDIT : so they will run in dual channel right, since they're the same speed but different size?|
do buffered/unbuffered high/low density have compatibility issues? my mobo is asus p5ld2
sorry but i want to be sure it's gonna work ^^
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On August 20 2010 18:23 R04R wrote:
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@zekie you can do payment plans on newegg.ca, you just need a verified decent credit score, which is probably the same as Dell's procedure. Not sure about ncix but probably also.
R04R, I just talked to newegg.ca wondering how their payment plans worked because I couldn't find the interest rates or anything like that and they said that they "dont take multiple payments".
I emailed ncix.com to see if they do.
if anybody could should me where i went wrong that would be great ^^
this is an amazing thread btw ^^
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I wouldn't besides evga better warranty is different in canada.
Gigabytes is a much better cooler then the squirrel cage used on evga's which has shown to be nosier and less effective on a GTX 460. Also i'm pretty sure gigabytes uses the stock pbc design just changed the cooler. So all you're paying for is less heatsink with a mild oc.
Anyways Evga oc can easily be achieved using msi's after burner or any other oc utility.
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Hey, guys. My brother and mother mentioned loud noises from the family computer (psu fan) and overall slowness of everyday use, so I'm planning on doing a pretty cheap upgrade. I really can't afford to spend more than $200 right now, (I'm a broke Uni student) and hopefully not that much. These are the specs of the family computer which was bought retail a little over 6 years ago:
Pentium 4 - 2.60 GHz
Integrated gfx - Don't know which model, but I assume they're all less than stellar
Less than 1 GB of RAM - 768mb if I'm not mistaken
300W stock psu - Needs to be replaced b/c the fan is going crazy
80GB HD
Windows XP Home
I guess any upgrade I do may turn into a full new pc build, but I was thinking for now, using the old case, putting in a spare 9500gt that I have, using the old Win XP disc and monitor, which would leave me with replacing the mobo, cpu, hd, ram, and psu. Is this possible to do with a < $200 budget? I'm not looking for any spectacular specs, but something that would be a reasonable upgrade from the old setup. Also, would it be possible to just use the old hard drive for now?
I was poking around on newegg and was wondering how this would fare:
AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103687
ZOTAC GF6100-B-E AM3/AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500017
Antec EarthWatts Green EA-430D Green 430W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034
Any recommendations would be appreciated and also for an inexpensive HD and RAM.
For computer use, my mom pretty much just reads the news online and watches YT videos. The same for my brother, but he does some light gaming (Rome: Total War).
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On August 21 2010 10:48 djcube wrote:Hey, guys. My brother and mother mentioned loud noises from the family computer (psu fan) and overall slowness of everyday use, so I'm planning on doing a pretty cheap upgrade. I really can't afford to spend more than $200 right now, (I'm a broke Uni student) and hopefully not that much. These are the specs of the family computer which was bought retail a little over 6 years ago: Pentium 4 - 2.60 GHz Integrated gfx - Don't know which model, but I assume they're all less than stellar Less than 1 GB of RAM - 768mb if I'm not mistaken 300W stock psu - Needs to be replaced b/c the fan is going crazy 80GB HD Windows XP Home I guess any upgrade I do may turn into a full new pc build, but I was thinking for now, using the old case, putting in a spare 9500gt that I have, using the old Win XP disc and monitor, which would leave me with replacing the mobo, cpu, hd, ram, and psu. Is this possible to do with a < $200 budget? I'm not looking for any spectacular specs, but something that would be a reasonable upgrade from the old setup. Also, would it be possible to just use the old hard drive for now? I was poking around on newegg and was wondering how this would fare: AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - $60 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103687ZOTAC GF6100-B-E AM3/AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - $50 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500017Antec EarthWatts Green EA-430D Green 430W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $55 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034Any recommendations would be appreciated and also for an inexpensive HD and RAM. For computer use, my mom pretty much just reads the news online and watches YT videos. The same for my brother, but he does some light gaming (Rome: Total War).
Make sure your old PC ram is compatible with ur mobo
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No, that would not be enough, sorry. "Upgrading" would essentially building a new computer, because the components of your current PC won't be compatible or adequate enough to support current-generation parts, except maybe the hard drive.
Hmm, take back what I said.
CPU: AMD Sempron 140 Sargas 2.7GHz Socket AM3 45W Single-Core Processor
Motherboard: BIOSTAR A770E3 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.478465
$65
PSU: Antec Basiq BP430 430W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371023
$35 after $15 Promo code, ends 8/23 EMCYWZV39
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146736
$40 and there's a $10 MIR if that matters to you.
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
$50 after $20 Promo code, ends 8/23 EMCYWZV45
Subtotal: $189.91 (After $35 promo code reduction)
The processor is a single core, but smaller die size and newer technology, so it should provide better performance than an old P4. It can also be "unlocked" into a dual-core processor through the motherboard's bios, making it a great deal. That's if it's successful, of course. There's a chance that it doesn't unlock.
Also because it is an AM3 socket, it's a current generation technology so if you plan to upgrade in the future you just swap in a new processor, although it can only handle up to 95w processors, so an Athlon II x4 or Phenom II x3 are the best that are available at that TDP.
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+ Show Spoiler +
Obviously on such a tight budget you aren't going to get much. The only hard drives in your budget are 80GB anyways, so you might as well use your current one. That motherboard actually has onboard graphics, you could probably save another $10 by choosing one without it.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/8900/200.png)
