computer advice

[TheJoker]

Im not savy enough to build my own computer i tried to upgrade the one ive got but i almost fried my mother board

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by TheJoker

Im not savy enough to build my own computer i tried to upgrade the one ive got but i almost fried my mother board

Just pick out the compatible components and MemEX will build it for you.

[Hack&Lube]

Or get someone on CP to help you, or MemEx will build it for you. Remember to price match parts from shopbot.ca first.

It baffles me that Dell would allow customers to add a 5870 to a system with a powersupply that is not rated for it. Since the system is built by and warrantied by them, it must be tested to work with it by them.

Reportedly the PSU in the Dell Studio XPS 9000 is 475W. Now I have a 5870 and I think my system draws about 450W but that is pushing it close. I have a 700W PSU. 16 amps on the PCI-E power and 32 amps on the +12V rail is pushing it too but it should work. I guess with Dell's under warranty you can't replace parts like the PSU yourself without voiding the warranty eh?

The Aurora might be the easy way out, but I just think that it's terrible value for money but that is coming from someone who builds all his systems based on waiting for huge internet parts sales and saves a lot on that.

[Lithium]

For the price of an Alienware computer you could get much more from Memory Express and add in a 23" HD Monitor and still save money. I'm also in the midst of building a PC, so I've been looking around at prices non-stop.

if you can't guarantee the person responsible for assembling your new computer will run it for 24 hours for testing, I recommend following this list of PSUs so you don't blow it up the first time you power on.

http://www.10stripe.com/featured/psu/trusted.php

[MickMcGeough]

If you want performance, get an SSD Drive for your OS/Apps/Games.

[TheJoker]

what is your guys opinion of cyberpowerpc.com

[Lithium]

Originally Posted by TheJoker

what is your guys opinion of cyberpowerpc.com

From what I read, you have a 50/50 shot of the computer not being assembled properly when shipped, or it *appears* to be assembled, but wires inside won't be hooked up at all. I've heard a few stories about them not including the OS media as well.

Price wise they are decent for sure.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

If you want performance, get an SSD Drive for your OS/Apps/Games.

i've been looking at those, but last i checked there were still issues with degrading performance over time. has that been fixed? what are the best brands out right now?

[silentsim]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

i've been looking at those, but last i checked there were still issues with degrading performance over time. has that been fixed? what are the best brands out right now?

With windows trim, degradation shouldn't be an issue. Last i heard the intel x-25's are amongst the best.

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

i've been looking at those, but last i checked there were still issues with degrading performance over time. has that been fixed? what are the best brands out right now?

Check out pages 8, 9, and 10 here for info on that issue
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2738/8

In a nutshell, the performance hit comes while you are writing to cells that have already been written to. This happens only once the entire SSD has been written to at least once (SSDs natively use cells in order, so they've all been written to an equal amount of times +/- 1 write). If your drive & OS support TRIM (Windows 7 does) you won't have this problem.

Note that the 2nd generation Intel X25-M does have TRIM support. I don't believe the G1 did (maybe a firmware update resolved that). Double-check, but any new X25-M drive by now should be G2.

My X25-M has been written completely at least a couple times by now and there's been about a 15% drop in performance since it was new in random uncached writes only (Mac OSX does not yet have TRIM support). It's completely imperceptible, but XBench says it's there.

I can vouch for the X25-M - it's ridiculously fast in bootup and app load times. The OCZ Vertex 2 is more expensive but matches the X25-M in read performance and kills it in write performance according to benchmarks. In real-world testing the Vertex 2 doesn't appear to have a big edge, but it's generally thought to be the performance king of consumer level SSDs at the moment.

[psicodude]

^ Does your motherboard need to support TRIM as well?

To the OP: You will get better value for your money by going to Memory Express and having them build a gaming system for you if you are not comfortable doing it yourself.

[Old Yeller]

What brand/model motherboard are you getting?

Also what brand of memory?

Definitely look into the Intel X25-M, it's the best bang for the buck as most people don't need an SSD to have insane write speeds.

[TheJoker]

well i think im gonna go with this set up.


PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7 920 2.66GHz (8MB Cache) Quad Core Processor edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English edit
VIDEO CARD Single 1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 edit
MEMORY 6GB Triple Channel 1333Mhz DDR3 edit
HARD DRIVE 1TB - SATA-II, 3Gb/s, 7,200RPM, 32MB Cache HDD edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Single Drive: 24X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capab

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by TheJoker

well i think im gonna go with this set up.


PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7 920 2.66GHz (8MB Cache) Quad Core Processor edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English edit
VIDEO CARD Single 1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 edit
MEMORY 6GB Triple Channel 1333Mhz DDR3 edit
HARD DRIVE 1TB - SATA-II, 3Gb/s, 7,200RPM, 32MB Cache HDD edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Single Drive: 24X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capab

Still with Dell? Still the Aurora? Why Dell? Why not get it locally @ MemEx and have them build it for you? Or pay someone here on CP that does these things for you? You can get more variety of parts and protection plans/warranties, etc.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by TheJoker

well if anybody could recomend a cheaper rig that would be great i just want this computer to last me a few years of gaming

I built my own PC almost 3 years ago from a Memory Express type of place. Spent about $2000 on the PC itself. The only thing I have upgraded, apart from storage, is the RAM. Went from 2GB to 4GB. Otherwise it has held up extremely well as a gaming PC. I am still well ahead of most recommended requirements for games. I am sure I can get a couple more years of high end gaming in on it.

It's usually cheaper to build you own and you get better components. But if you want less to worry about, I would get a PC from Dell. Dell will give you better support for your hardware and software than a place like Memory Express would. But if you are going to design and/or build your own PC, I would go with Memory Express. Much better to have the place local. It's way better to drive over there and get it fixed than ship something and wait a week.

[TheJoker]

I wish i could get one of you to build it but i live in Gilbert, AZ I was born and raised in calgary till i was fifteen

[psicodude]

Originally Posted by TheJoker

I wish i could get one of you to build it but i live in Gilbert, AZ I was born and raised in calgary till i was fifteen

That would have been important information to know 25 posts ago...



Dude, you're getting a Dell.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by TheJoker

just learned the power supply on the 9000 sucks not good for gaming

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16817139005

^^^ great power supply. Also quiet.

[Vulcan]

NCIX also has an American outlet and will build your computer.

http://www.ncixus.com/products/7842/...SEMBLY/NCIXPC/

otherwise I'd suggest Newegg or find a local outlet with competive prices.

[TheJoker]

turns out i cant spend that much on a computer. would this work for the games i stated earlier

Case ( NZXT Gamma Gaming Case - Black )
Case Lighting ( None )
iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction ( None )
iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion ( None )
Processor ( Intel® Core™ i7 870 Processor (4x 2.93GHz/8MB L3 Cache) )
iBUYPOWER PowerDrive ( None )
Processor Cooling ( [Free Upgrade] Liquid CPU Cooling System w/ 120mm Radiator [SOCKET-1156] )
Memory ( 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1333 Memory Module - Corsair or Major Brand )
Video Card ( ATI Radeon HD 5770 - 1GB - Single Card )
Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by ATI or NVIDIA )
Motherboard ( MSI P55M-SD40 )
Motherboard Add-on ( None )
Power Supply ( 650 Watt -- Casegears ECO-Element 80 Plus Certificated High Efficiency Power Supply - SLI Ready )
Primary Hard Drive ( 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 3.0Gb/s - Single Drive )
Data Hard Drive ( None )
Optical Drive ( 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black )
2nd Optical Drive ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
Meter Display ( None )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Operating System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only )
Monitor ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Speaker System ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Headset ( None )
MP3/MP4 Player ( None )
Video Camera ( None )