Author Topic: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]  (Read 31894 times)

Aaron

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #75 on: December 31, 2012, 01:56:54 AM »
I bought more RAM for my pc. (4 more gig so I now have 8GB total...) It may just be me, but it seems to be running a lot smother... Either way, for 60 bucks worth it.
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individualzero

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #76 on: December 31, 2012, 03:10:03 AM »
Nice! Adding more RAM (doubling it from 4GB in particular) can definitely give you a nice boost in performance. 8GB is a nice sweet spot since, while games won't benefit from more than the first four gigs, there's still more memory for the computer to delegate other tasks too.
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luna

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #77 on: December 31, 2012, 12:17:43 PM »
IZ I'm late for the party but I would highly recommend one of the kindle covers with the built in led light, I use the light on mine all the time and the battery still lasts 2-3 weeks
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Aaron

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #78 on: December 31, 2012, 01:22:30 PM »
IZ, ya, it's a lot better. I sleep with it on and I have it playing music (I don't sleep as well if I have no sounds.) And its kinda slow on the start up. Now it's hella fast! I loves it.
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individualzero

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #79 on: January 01, 2013, 08:24:58 AM »
IZ I'm late for the party but I would highly recommend one of the kindle covers with the built in led light, I use the light on mine all the time and the battery still lasts 2-3 weeks

Sweet deal! I actually think that's the kind I wound up purchasing alongside the power cable Goose recommended. My mom and dad were a bit confused by how the Kindle worked at first but I honestly think it was a great purchase, since they seem to love it. I myself may actually start reading more actively again.. it's actually a pretty cool little device. lol
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luna

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #80 on: January 01, 2013, 12:44:36 PM »
I got one for my dad last year and he loves it!
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Aaron

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #81 on: February 24, 2013, 10:53:43 PM »
So since my pc is dead. I have been looking at Newegg for cpus. I want a nice higher end one.  While this pc has an Intel in it ( and I don't know enough about pcs in general to hate or like Intel over amd... )What's the difference? Like there is an AMD cpu 8 core and 4 ghz for 200 bucks. Which seams really cheap as the Intel ones I looked at were way more and slower... But seeing that speed and price might make me a convert. Basically what I'm getting at is, is it really that fast, are they good cpu?  Also since it is that beefy will I need an aftermark heat sinc? (i will not be overclocking this in anyway. I don't trust my self to do that. Also can't afford to replace shit if I melt it. )


SSD are they really needed? I like the idea. And while they are cheaper then when I last looked still really pricey...  Right now I'm thinking of getting a really big hhd and then a smaller faster one. Keep all my music games and os on the smaller one and the bigger one will have storage. Movies ect...

Mobos. Are there any brands to stay away from? Like of I do get the AMD I'm sure I'm a bit limited in what I can buy for it. (mine is a gigabyte and while its worked for ever. I havnt made enough pcs to really say one way or another as to how good it is...

Uh video cards any to stay away from? Same with ram. Also if 16gb is cheap would I be better off buying it then 8. Like 8 gb for 60 bucks 16 for 100 bucks...

My budget for the whole thing is gona be right around 1000. I could do a hundred higer. If needed. But the closer to 1k the better...
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Goose

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #82 on: February 25, 2013, 10:46:04 AM »
CPUs: If you check benchmarks and reviews on just about any tech site, you'll see Intel pretty soundly kick the crap out of AMD at any comparable price.  My dream machine right now would include an i5 3570K, it seems to be the sweet spot in the performance-per-dollar ratio.

SSDs: Not really necessary for a desktop machine, but can have some benefits (faster load times for programs/games is the big one).  Most people who build an all-purpose desktop with them have one for the system drive, and store their data on a larger hard drive.  128GB isn't a ton of room for a desktop machine, and its always a good idea to separate your data from your system (either through separate drives or separate partitions).  In the end, its up to you if you want to think a faster load time on games and booting is worth the extra cash layout (my best guess is your answer would be "no").

Mobos: There was a time when I'd stay the hell away from certain manufacturers, and opt for others, and those would sway back and forth.  In the last few years, processor designers have started to get extra anal about what goes in to a mobos chipset and really ensuring that those are as stable and compatible as possible.  As such, pretty much every major mobo manufacturer is putting out decent products these days.  Find one with the features you want, and then check reviews on it in a few different places to see if there have been any major outstanding issues with it that have affected multiple people that you might need to be wary of (because every manufacturer can have a bad day with one model or another). 

Video cards: nVidia and AMD have been competing pretty nicely here, and both have cards at just about every price that you could be really happy with.  If you're going for gaming, just remember that the amount of video memory available on a card can be just as important as the card's processor, so don't skimp by $15 just to get a card with 1GB of RAM instead of 2GB.  Get more memory.  You'll be thankful.

RAM: If you've got money to burn, go for 16GB.  If not, you'll be just fine with 8GB.
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r00

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #83 on: February 25, 2013, 12:26:12 PM »
I have been an AMD fanboy for almost the past 15 years, but like Goose said, Intel now kicks the shit out of their CPU's.  So I made the jump to Intel on my new PC (got that i5-3570k).  It indeed kicks major ass, especially for being just over $200. 
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Aaron

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #84 on: February 25, 2013, 12:38:46 PM »
Cool thanks Goose, r00. I have read a few reviews about it (the amd cpu.) And a lot of people say the i5 kicks the shit out of it. And it runs a lot cooler. I looked at Newegg and some of the Mobos even come with 8 gb of ram... So the i5 looks like the way its gona be. It may not be as fast. But I will notcie a huge difference from what I have now.

Now just to find a good video card. (also really need my taxes to come soon. But maybe some of the stuff I want will be on sell/shell shocker deal thing. I want to get what I can from amazon free two day shipping for the win. (if I can the case would save me a bit for shipping alone.)

The ram thing is basically if I can find a good set for cheapish... Like if double the amount is only 20 or 30 more I have no issue with that.  I can upgrade down the road like I did with old one... 
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r00

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #85 on: February 25, 2013, 02:33:42 PM »
Quality RAM will run you around $75-$95 for 16 gigs. (I recommend Corsair).    8 gigs will be around $50.  So you could possibly double your RAM for only $25 more.

Best bang for your buck video card IMO right now is the GTX 660 ti. 
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Aaron

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #86 on: February 25, 2013, 03:28:04 PM »
Ya. I want good ram. And that is one brand I have looked at a little. And that video card looks sexy as hell. And Amazon has it for cheaper then Newegg. Just need to get my damn taxes back.
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r00

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #87 on: February 27, 2013, 09:40:12 AM »
newegg is running a big overstock sale right now.  might be worth checking it out.  I saw PSU's and cases on there. 

http://promotions.newegg.com/NEPro/13-0654/index.html

I picked up some sennheiser earbuds for $14.99 w/ free shipping.
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individualzero

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #88 on: February 28, 2013, 02:15:35 PM »
What Goose and r00 said once again. You've got a really nice area for your budget to be in so you can pretty much have all awesome stuff in your rig.

Picking a good brand and model of RAM is important, as it has more impact on speed than a lot of people realize. I'd pick up an 8GB kit since that's the sweet spot for today's gaming rigs; 9-16GB and up is overkill unless you're doing some serious benchmarking, are involved in serious F@H projects or have a need for the extra memory for media/art/music/editing programs. Corsair and G.Skill are in the top three and you can never go wrong with either of them, but IMO the hands-down best memory kit on the market right now comes from Samsung, of all places: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096

I'd recommend a SeaSonic power supply -- they're the creme de la creme of PSU manufacturers -- but you can't go wrong with a good Corsair unit since the internal components they use for Corsair PSUs are the same as SeaSonic's. They literally come off the same manufacturing belt in a factory. lol

In terms of Intel motherboards to pair with your i5-3570K, ASRock is my #1 favorite Intel motherboard manufacturer right now because they pack all the punch and reliability of other motherboard manufacturers but cut costs without sacrificing quality. In some departments, their components are actually BETTER and higher-quality for less cost.
ASRock Z77 Extreme4: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
(Though Gigabyte's Z77-UD3H is always a solid choice, too...) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128544

I was looking at an MSI 660 Ti myself: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127696
(MSI make amazing fans and the whole card is made of solid construction and components.)

PSU, Mobo, Memory, CPU, GPU aside:

Storage. IMO the best thing you can do for your PC to make it blazing fast is to get a smallish (say, 64GB-128GB) solid state drive and throw ONLY your operating system, browsers, programs and apps -- and maybe a handful of slower games -- onto the SSD and pair it with a second storage unit -- a high-capacity, high-speed hard disk drive (7200RPM, 32mb cache, with 500GB-1TB of space) -- to throw all your files like movies, music, pictures, yada yada, onto it. The amount of space pertains to your own tastes, but make sure it's at 7200RPM and totes at least a 16mb cache.
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Aaron

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Re: Techies, unite yesterday! [Computer Talk & Tech Help Thread]
« Reply #89 on: March 03, 2013, 01:33:13 AM »
I got more or less everything I need in my Newegg cart. And unless I get something different right now its gona be about 1200 and then like 20 or so for shipping...some of it Amazon has for cheaper so I will look there when it comes time to buy... But ya. Now my tax return just needs to show up.

The new egg power calculator said I needed 479w psu. About 100 w more then my old pc. I did get 16gb ram. And the vid card r00 said and case.  I am not getting s ssd. I might at some point. But not yet... The new pc will be more then fast enough for while. I am getting two hdd a bigger storage drive and smaller os games and tunes drive. And a blu ray player. Sqwee. Its gona be a sexy beast when I get it.

Also gona use windows 7 one of my best friends works there and can get it for super cheap for me. Woo.
« Last Edit: March 03, 2013, 01:39:07 AM by Aaron »
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