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Official "I need a new PC!!" 2009 Edition

adg1034

Member
Nabs said:
oh my. first time hearing of the SE.. this is def gonna be my next mouse. my red mx510 will finally retire!

Then buy this now. $36 shipped. $20 less than what Best Buy's selling it for. $4 less than what anywhere else is selling it for. I got a deal, but this is great, too.

You won't regret it.
 
adg1034 said:
Just picked up a new, in-box Logitech MX518SE (the red one) for $30 shipped off eBay. Local seller.

AAAAAuypXkUAAAAAAWWIUA.jpg


Funnily enough, I owned this exact same mouse before I picked up my G5, so it'll be just like going home. Ah. Can't wait.

Also, I canceled my Newegg ABS M1 order for now. I still need to do a bit more research.

Damn she's a beauty, mine's got the weird silver/holographic styling, not nearly as nice.

Be sure to download uber options to open up Logitech's Setpoint and let reconfigure every button to any function both globally and per application.

$30 is a heck of a deal.
 

adg1034

Member
brain_stew said:
Damn she's a beauty, mine's got the weird silver/holographic styling, not nearly as nice.

Be sure to download uber options to open up Logitech's Setpoint and let reconfigure every button to any function both globally and per application.

$30 is a heck of a deal.

This was my very favorite mouse. Still not sure why I upgraded to the G5. But as of today, its scroll wheel's all janky (it feels gummed up, so it could be my fault; not sure), and I still have never gotten comfortable with clicking the mouse wheel itself. Maybe it's just my grip, but I feel like I'm performing a hand contortion act whenever I try to press it down. Not like my old MX518, though. I could actually use it in games, and feel confident that I could map important commands to it, knowing it was easy to use.

I'm waxing nostalgic here, but it really will be nice when my new mouse comes in.


Kipe said:
Do you have to use a mouse pad with the MX518?

Depends on the surface you're using it with. I've used both MX518s and G5s on finished wood desk tops before, and they both worked phenomenally well. A mouse pad would likely make everything just a little bit smoother, plus give you a little nicer place to rest your the heel of your palm.
 

Firestorm

Member
Pick up like a $2 mousepad or something. After years of wear, the area on my desk where I put my mouse was really marked up and made it hard to use a mouse on anyway. Use the mouse pad as protection for your desk =P
 

Decado

Member
Argh. I can't get my PC to boot via its dvd-rom (trying to install windows 7 oem). When I get into the boot menu my keyboard won't work and when it says "to boot from dvd hit any key" it doesn't do anything (and goes to xp).

Any other way to force my pc to boot from the dvd-rom? Preferrably from Windows.

thanks
 

beje

Banned
Decado said:
Argh. I can't get my PC to boot via its dvd-rom (trying to install windows 7 oem). When I get into the boot menu my keyboard won't work and when it says "to boot from dvd hit any key" it doesn't do anything (and goes to xp).

Any other way to force my pc to boot from the dvd-rom? Preferrably from Windows.

thanks

Are you using any kind of wireless keyboard? If so, try a wired one or check the wireless connection is up. Maybe your system doesn't recognize it until Windows is on or something like that.

You can also try to access the BIOS to see if the keyboard works OK before the OS loads, usually the "del" key when booting.
 

Decado

Member
beje said:
Are you using any kind of wireless keyboard? If so, try a wired one or check the wireless connection is up. Maybe your system doesn't recognize it until Windows is on or something like that.

You can also try to access the BIOS to see if the keyboard works OK before the OS loads, usually the "del" key when booting.
Yeah, I have a wireless keyboard. It does work in the BIOS, though, but changing all the load options to cd-rom doesn't work.

I don't have a wired keyboard. Any other way to force my pc to boot from the dvd?
 
cryptic said:
Will a 2tb western digital or seagate hdd give me similar speeds with windows to a ssd or is that just bs?

Not at all, while sequential read speeds on an average SSD will only be about 2-4 times as fast, SSDs have infinitely faster seek times.
 

cryptic

Member
TouchMyBox said:
Not at all, while sequential read speeds on an average SSD will only be about 2-4 times as fast, SSDs have infinitely faster seek times.
So, there's no single hdd that offers great speed and size until a couple years down the line? Also, can you quickly link me to an explanation of sequential read speed.
 
cryptic said:
So, there's no single hdd that offers great speed and size until a couple years down the line? Also, can you quickly link me to an explanation of sequential read speed.

Sequential is when all the data you're trying to read is in one giant block with nothing in-between. This only ever happens if your drive is nice an defragmented and you're only reading one file. As soon as you add multiple files, and fragmentation, the motorized head of the hard drive has to find out where the data is, and has to move in order to read it. On an SSD, there are no moving parts, so all parts of all files can be accessed almost instantly. This is why windows will take several seconds to boot on an SSD while taking 30+ seconds to boot off of a HDD.
 

cryptic

Member
TouchMyBox said:
Sequential is when all the data you're trying to read is in one giant block with nothing in-between. This only ever happens if your drive is nice an defragmented and you're several seconds to boot on an SSD while taking 30+ seconds to boot off of a HDD.
Thanks,I appreciate the info. I'll be looking at an SDD in 2014(?)when I can get a 200 gb for 150.
 

Decado

Member
Shit. this is why I hate dealing with computers. So I got all the hardware upgrades installed and Windows 7. Yay.

Then I tried installing the Sapphire 5770 drivers...all is good until the reboot where it locks up in a black screen right at the end. I can't seem to get past it. The safe network mode works, but even installing newer drivers doesn't seem to work.

Suggestions?

Also...double shit. I installed Windows 7 expecting it to reformat my HD. It hasn't. Now I got all my old XP crap on my HD. HTF do I get rid of this shit? I don't want to go through this shit again. DAMN.
 

Firestorm

Member
Decado said:
Shit. this is why I hate dealing with computers. So I got all the hardware upgrades installed and Windows 7. Yay.

Then I tried installing the Sapphire 5770 drivers...all is good until the reboot where it locks up in a black screen right at the end. I can't seem to get past it. The safe network mode works, but even installing newer drivers doesn't seem to work.

Suggestions?

Also...double shit. I installed Windows 7 expecting it to reformat my HD. It hasn't. Now I got all my old XP crap on my HD. HTF do I get rid of this shit? I don't want to go through this shit again. DAMN.
Delete Windows.old in C drive. It moves it all into one folder in case you want to move over files.
 

Spy

Member
If no one is going to make the 2010 thread do you guys object if I make it?

Edit: Nevermind, I realized it's going to be too much work.
 
cryptic said:
Thanks,I appreciate the info. I'll be looking at an SDD in 2014(?)when I can get a 200 gb for 150.

SSDs are supposed to be at mainstream prices at largish capacities in 2011. But yeah, I just bought a 60GB SSD for $199 so that's not even far off from your expectations. SSDs aren't meant to replace your HDD, but to run alongside it for the moment. 60GB is way more than enough for windows and a few apps.
 
I still have nfi how to Overclock my CPU after a while of searching Google. All the tutorials on how to do it with bios assume I know how to get to that area where you can start doing it, I have found nothing that tells me how to access it.
So is doing it through bios the best way? Looks convoluted as fuck to me, I'd rather use a program if there is one that is good.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Why do people still insist on using their good gaming mice on their desks or shitty cloth mouse pads?

Go get yourself a decent hard mousepad. You'll be really surprised how much of a difference it makes.
 

adg1034

Member
TheExodu5 said:
Why do people still insist on using their good gaming mice on their desks or shitty cloth mouse pads?

Go get yourself a decent hard mousepad. You'll be really surprised how much of a difference it makes.

(I know I'm just fooling myself by perpetuating the 2009 thread, but...) What would you recommend? I'm not that excited over spending $45 on a Steel Series 5L, but I just honestly don't know what's good.
 

senahorse

Member
adg1034 said:
(I know I'm just fooling myself by perpetuating the 2009 thread, but...) What would you recommend? I'm not that excited over spending $45 on a Steel Series 5L, but I just honestly don't know what's good.

I use one of these:
19509.jpg


Great mouse pad, has two different surfaces, one for precision and one for speed.
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
adg1034 said:
(I know I'm just fooling myself by perpetuating the 2009 thread, but...) What would you recommend? I'm not that excited over spending $45 on a Steel Series 5L, but I just honestly don't know what's good.
I've heard the ratpadz are pretty good for the price.
http://www.ratpadz.com/
Pic 1
Pic 2
Review: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Ratpadz/XT/1.html

Free Priority USPS Shipping and if you don't like it they will buy it back and pay return shipping. It is raised a bit higher than other pads so you might not like it.

I was thinking about buying one but my desk is too small to fit one :lol

*Actually I just measured at it seems both will fit, now do I get the $10 GS or $20 XT...
Or if anyone has another other recommendations? Exodus?
 

TheExodu5

Banned
adg1034 said:
(I know I'm just fooling myself by perpetuating the 2009 thread, but...) What would you recommend? I'm not that excited over spending $45 on a Steel Series 5L, but I just honestly don't know what's good.

I would have recommended a func pad. They've been around for almost 10 years, and have great pads for $20. Sadly, their store seems down...and I think it's been at least a month, so maybe they're out of business.

Anything should do really. The Razer pad recommended should be fine, though I'm not sure what price it is. Just make sure that it's a hard mat, and not a soft cloth one. It really makes a world of difference. Been running with my funcpad for 5 years now (and my previous one before that for 4 years, which I passed onto a friend).

This was their site: http://func.net/

That Ratpadz seems cheap. If it's a hard pad, go for it. It doesn't need to be the best of the best...I'm sure you'll see an appreciable difference regardless.
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
TheExodu5 said:
I would have recommended a func pad. They've been around for almost 10 years, and have great pads for $20. Sadly, their store seems down...and I think it's been at least a month, so maybe they're out of business.

Anything should do really. The Razer pad recommended should be fine, though I'm not sure what price it is. Just make sure that it's a hard mat, and not a soft cloth one. It really makes a world of difference. Been running with my funcpad for 5 years now (and my previous one before that for 4 years, which I passed onto a friend).

This was their site: http://func.net/

That Ratpadz seems cheap. If it's a hard pad, go for it. It doesn't need to be the best of the best...I'm sure you'll see an appreciable difference regardless.
I am currently on this: http://eu-webstore.cybersnipa.com/p/387308/flexiglow-fx-game-pad.html
I cut the USB cable so now it can never light up again.

*I think I'll probably grab the GS. It is similar in height to what I was using, but gives me a much larger surface. Plus it's $10.
I even dug up links for you and you don't click them :[
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Hazaro said:
I am currently on this: http://eu-webstore.cybersnipa.com/p/387308/flexiglow-fx-game-pad.html
I cut the USB cable so now it can never light up again.

*I think I'll probably grab the GS. It is similar in height to what I was using, but gives me a much larger surface. Plus it's $10.
I even dug up links for you and you don't click them :[

I was in a hurry to leave to some family's. Mousepad looks solid. Don't think you have much to lose, as it's likely to be 10x better than any $5 cloth pad out there.
 

Spriig

Banned
So I have ditched the idea of buying a laptop for my 3D Animation/Modeling work and have followed your advice to get a Desktop PC. Thankfully I already have a pretty nice HD Monitor so this will save me some money when deciding what to get. I have been told to purchase a PC with a quad core and a good graphics card and i'm just wondering what you would suggest?

My browsing doesn't really extend further than looking on dell.com and i'm really not sure if i'm looking at the right pc's or not. I would love for someone to help me out here. I'm from the UK btw. My budget is £600 give or take and I am not in need of a monitor.

Thank you.
 

scoobs

Member
Just dropped $850 on a new rig. Can't express how excited I am to build it this weekend!! This is my 3rd pc that I'll be building myself and its been almost 4 years since my last one.

Let me brag about it :)
Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX
$179.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
$108.99

Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor
$279.99

DVD ROM SONY
$18.99

ASUS P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
$149.99

Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W powersupply
$109.99

So pumped!!
 

Salaadin

Member
Whats a good but cheap way to capture video? Id like to maybe record some of my game playing moments (mainly when FFXIV releases) but have no clue where to start. Is FRAPs pretty good at doing this? Do I need a special card?

Incase you need it:

GA-P55-UD4P
Intel i5 750
ATI Radeon 5850
4GBs Gskill 1333
 

Money

Banned
Hey guys quick question, I am about to upgrade from vista 64bit to windows 7 ultimate 64bit. I built the computer myself, and I purchased vista for system builders. To save money, I was going to buy windows 7 ultimate for system builders and just do a fresh install. This wont be a problem will it? Can I not use another system builder disc instead of full retail on my same HDD or motherboard?

EDIT: oops saw there was a newer thread to use.
 

Caoz

Member
brain_stew said:
For those that aren't bothered about being on the absolute bleeding edge but want great performance and a really quiet and cool running card for peanuts, HIS' excellent ICEQ4 4850 can be had for as little as $80 after rebate, now. That's some serious bang for buck right there, probably the single best GPU deal around atm imo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161244

A 4850 will give the vast majority of gamers more than enough performance for their needs, its an excellent card for anyone playing at 1680x1050 or below.

Just upgraded from a 3870 to a 4850 and I'm finding out that my cheapass PSU is not cutting it. Got a couple of sudden shut downs while playing dead space and I suspect is due to the PSU not having the power required. Could anyone recommend a budget PSU that will meet my needs ? here are my specs...

VGA SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI HD4850 512M
AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor
HD: 500G|WD 7K 8M SATA2 WD5000
MOBO: ECS A780GM-A AM2+ AMD780G
HOS104 BD-ROM

The newegg calculator says that I need 370 watts aprox. But I am not familiar at all with PSU brands.

Thanks.
 

Ariexv

Member
One of my friends is looking to upgrade his kids PCs, they're gateway GT5404s with nvidia 9600(?)s atm, with about 2.5g of ram. Any Suggestions?
 

Lkr

Member
i looked at my HDD health, and it said warning because a bad sector had been replaced. is this cause for concern?
http://slickdeals.net/?pno=36348&lno=1&afsrc=1 is this a good drive?
could i clone my current C drive to it?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...10-Index-_-InternalHardDrives-_-22136319-L07A this one is $55 after promo code

looking for performance moreso than space really, I only have a 250gig drive now(actually have 3 of them but they aren't raided, so I count them separately and I have plenty of space on the other two. just for back up data though since they are 1.5gb/s)
 

nilbog21

Banned
hey guys my little brother just bought a GTX 460 but the rest of his comptuer is bottlenecking it pretty hard.

so now hes wanting to buy a new mobo + CPU + ram

anyone got a decent combo for around 300-400$ ? he lives in france so no need to link to good deals on newegg.com etc. just need a solid combo in that range

edit: Omg im so sorry i bumped the wrong thread :( Forgive me gaf :(
 

StarEye

The Amiga Brotherhood
I have an Abit IP35 Pro motherboard, which doesn't apparently have a PCI Express 2.0 slot. But I was considering getting a GTX 460 to replace my GeForce 9800GT - will the motherboard be a big bottleneck for the card? How much of an actual difference are we talking (not theoretically)?

Also, it's easy to think higher number, better card. I've seen GTX 465 and 470 cards at approximately the same price as the 460. Should I avoid those, or are they better options?

Last question, my current card is huge as fuck, and I was told that I should use it for PhysX. I don't think there's a chance it'll work with my current mobo, is that right? Should I perhaps just hold on to this card until I can use it next time I decide to upgrade (that would be the mobo and CPU)?

EDIT: SOMEONE SHOULD LOCK THIS THREAD TO AVOID PEOPLE FROM POSTING IN THE WRONG THREAD!
 
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