Let me show you how to hump without making love.
So when I get my PC back up here, I plan to do some upgrading. I need straight money efficiency here this time, rather than throwing money freely like I could before. Just get me up to date with the new generation of games or tell me why the System Requirements Lab says I have more than enough performance for most games, yet runs like ass. I am pretty sure that my Motherboard is also failing me, as most of the USB ports will suddenly stop working for a few minutes at a time, then kick back on like nothing every happened (note that it only happens to one at a time as far as I can tell). It also started crashing recently. Now I am positive it is not anything virus related as well, have always been very good about that, however it may or may not have to do well the several power outages/power surges that it was a part of when I lived in North Carolina.
I am thinking of just getting a new HDD as well, not a big deal to me, not like I need everything off of that PC. My build has not changed from what Excalibur gave me over two years ago:
Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137CM RC 690. Comes with a good amount of fans stock, and I included some more later in the build to add. Great airflow, roomy, great case to work with.
HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319WD Caviar Black. 640GB model. They come in everything from 500GB to 1TB, so just switch it out for a different size if you think its too small.
Monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236047ASUS VW266H. 25.5", and 1920x1200 resolution which is as big as I recommend to anyone. Great monitor, wish I had one.
GFX:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150442
XFX HD 5850. Double lifetime warranty. Excellent card.Sound:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271001You said you wanted some good sound, so I went with one of the best: The HT Omega Striker, will support up to a 7.1 sound system. Audio quality is superb.
PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005Corsair PSUs are world renowned. Extremely reliable and I believe they have a 5 year warranty from the manufac. I doubt you'll use it long enough to see it fail.
RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168202273653x2GB OCZ Gold. Same series kit that I have. Excellent memory, I love them.
Mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R. High quality mobo for a good price, has lots of features, can crossfire 2 GPUs in the future should you feel the need, but I doubt it.
CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202Core i7 920. The only i7 worth getting on the 1366 socket.
Extra fans:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168351850062x Scythe S-FLEX. Reasonably quiet and move a good amount of air.
CPU Cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029You said you wanted good cooling, and in my book stock CPU coolers never cut it. The Xigma is a great cooler and since you probably wont be OCing, and even if you are, it will prove more than adequate even in a hot room.
Optical:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106325Blu-ray drive. You mentioned Blu-ray and even if you download rather than put disks in to watch, its nice to have the option.
None.
We can't explain the universe, just describe it; and we don't know whether our theories are true, we just know they're not wrong. >Harald Lesch
Your processor should be much faster than my G840 @ 2x2800 MHz and your GPU is ~10% slower than my Radeon HD6870 and I can run most games on Ultra (some just High) with stellar framerates. So
theoretically your computer should be capable of similar performance. It's difficult to tell why it isn't but here are a few shots in the dark:
- Too many background processes (check process AND services list)
- Drivers not up to date (
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx )
- Some software/driver conflict (reinstall Windows - I mean it, you'll never find and fix stuff like that manually)
- Dust buildup leads to excessive heat which forces the hardware to throttle (check max. temps during gaming via
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html )
possible upgrades:
- hdd to ssd (just speeds up loading times, NOT fps)
- faster GPU (only money's your limit)
- higher CPU model (e.g.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115224 but that's hardly worth it)
Let me show you how to hump without making love.
Alright, well I am definitely going to re-install windows when I get my PC back after thinking it over. There really isn't anything I cannot re-acquire (Steam, Blizzard Store, etc.) and Google Chrome has a cloud feature, so that's nice as well. Only problem is that I lost my Windows 7 x64 (disc/key/everything), is there a way I can re-order it using a NewEgg e-receipt and get it at a discounted price? Never been into downloading an OS, risks, size, workarounds, etc. I really doubt it is background processes or my driver versions, since I have kept up with that after seeing every single trouble-shooting guide mention it.
If that doesn't work, maybe I will just try replacing parts in order. Since my mobo still has a warranty on it, maybe I can just snag a free one?
What are some money effecient SSDs and GPUs that you would recommend? Have always been curious to try an SSD and most of the recent games I have had to dumb down the graphics on below Ultra, which makes me sad.
None.
You can use a key finder program to retrieve the key from your Windows installation if it is still bootable (possibly even if it isn't).
As for the disc, if you don't have an installation disc and have a DVD burner, you could download an unmodified iso of the disc to make a new copy for yourself. Go to
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/downloads/ or
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/downloads/ and log in with a Windows Live ID if required, click product categories, click the product you are looking for, find the version you need and click details, copy and paste the SHA1 into your favorite search site to find a download that claims to match the SHA1 (no need for the product name in the search, the SHA1 number is enough to identify it). After you've found and downloaded a supposed match, use a tool to calculate and verify its SHA1 with the SHA1 you got from Microsoft. If the SHA1 matches, you have an iso identical to the one people would download directly from Microsoft.
I've done this multiple times myself and I'm about to do it again in a couple of days to check out Windows 8 and possibly Windows Server 2012 (in trial mode without a key) once they arrive on MSDN/TechNet on the 15th.
edit:
Looks like with Windows 8 they've gone back to requiring a key to install (Vista, 7, and XP SP3 did not).
Post has been edited 5 time(s), last time on Aug 16 2012, 10:17 pm by ShadowFlare.
None.
5870 is 10% faster than 6870...
Get a GTX 670 or a 7950. Replace the motherboard if you want. Grab a crucial m4 for under $1 / GB or a samsung 830.
"Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Chairman - do we have to call the Gentleman a gentleman if he's not one?"
We can't explain the universe, just describe it; and we don't know whether our theories are true, we just know they're not wrong. >Harald Lesch
5870 is 10% faster than 6870...
... but he has a 5850.
If you still can RMA your motherboard you should definitely try to when it has defects.
We can't explain the universe, just describe it; and we don't know whether our theories are true, we just know they're not wrong. >Harald Lesch
More RAM doesn't do anything unless you actually ran out of it. 6 GB should still be fine unless you're running several games (or other memory hogs) at once. And even then impact on fps should only be noticeable shortly after loading or switching to the game. You can check your current memory usage in the task manager.
I'm also not sure if $350 for a better GPU is worth it. How much faster is it than his current one?
I still think there's other things at work than just slow hardware. Can you post a few benchmarks LL? Maybe they'll shed some light.
Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Aug 14 2012, 12:33 pm by NudeRaider. Reason: silly typo
I agree with you on most points Nude. Here's what's up:
6GB is a decent amount of RAM. However with prices so low and the added benefits of having a lot of free RAM, why not? He has a CPU that can multi task like nobody's business, a little more RAM might help for when there's a lot going on. I've seen browsers take up amounts of memory that I would've never thought had I not seen it. I leave my browser with multiple tabs running whilst I game, and it takes up a good amount of memory. Then you have your system processes and things. I just feel it'd be nice to have down the road, and although RAM prices are good now, they could go up at any time. Although there isn't as much noticeable benefit as adding an SSD or upgrading the GPU (his monitor is 1920x1200 remember. Not 1080p.), I just don't see why not.
GPUs are expensive right now, no two ways about it. If he had a slightly older one like I do, I'd say grab a 6950 and 6970 flash it and then OC and be happy. But since his is a bit newer to start with, we had to go higher. If we were talking 1080p I'd be less inclined to even recommend a GPU upgrade. However if he's got the money and he wants it, I again find myself saying 'well, why not?'. Honestly I still have my 4870 1GB and that's only now getting swapped out. He might be fine staying with the one he has. And if not, I might as well give a recommendation no?
If anything the SSD will be most helpful.
Let me show you how to hump without making love.
Wow, I can afford most of this. I am going to do everything before replacing the GPU and Mobo when my PC finally gets here. Hopefully the problems are solved and my returns to light speed.
So my current steps:
1. Get computer.
2. Clean the fucking shit out of it.
3. Re-install the OS and wipe everything clean. (Thanks Shady)
4. Update, update, update.
5. See how everything sits and play a few games that gave me problems before.
6. Buy SSD and RAMz that Ex suggested.
I will update the thread when I am done for further discussions.
None.
Excalibur
