[Barbequtie]

Thanks Ninja, and Tig ol for responding.

I do not need a monitor, I have a 40" lcd Sony I use so I am golden there. I can make due with my keyboard and mouse, and I know I have a copy of windows xp floating around somewhere so I think I could use that for my operating system. So I would need a new case, power supply, cpu, motherboard, video card(s), and memory. As i stated earlier I don't want to spend a lot, who does, but I want something that in a few years I could possibly upgrade again without doing a complete rebuild, and I will spend if I think it is worth it, I would love to keep it under $5-600, I could possibly go higher if by spending more it would make a HUGE difference. I have a couple of laptops so most of what I will be doing with this is playing games and watching movies, I want a mean gaming machine for a little budget... I appreciate any/all suggestions.

EDIT: I am going to need a new operating system, ugh. I am not going to be able to use what I have. I found http://www.softwaremedia.com/microsoft/windows/windows-7-home-premium-oem-64bit.html for the OS, which I thought was kind of inexpensive, considering the alternatives. I was reading through this thread and I thought http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227261 was a pretty good value, but still would like to build something myself, if it is within my budget.

[danni Marchant]

Thanks Ninja, and Tig ol for responding.

I do not need a monitor, I have a 40" lcd Sony I use so I am golden there. I can make due with my keyboard and mouse, and I know I have a copy of windows xp floating around somewhere so I think I could use that for my operating system. So I would need a new case, power supply, cpu, motherboard, video card(s), and memory. As i stated earlier I don't want to spend a lot, who does, but I want something that in a few years I could possibly upgrade again without doing a complete rebuild, and I will spend if I think it is worth it, I would love to keep it under $5-600, I could possibly go higher if by spending more it would make a HUGE difference. I have a couple of laptops so most of what I will be doing with this is playing games and watching movies, I want a mean gaming machine for a little budget... I appreciate any/all suggestions.

EDIT: I am going to need a new operating system, ugh. I am not going to be able to use what I have. I found http://www.softwaremedia.com/microsoft/windows/windows-7-home-premium-oem-64bit.html for the OS, which I thought was kind of inexpensive, considering the alternatives. I was reading through this thread and I thought http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227261 was a pretty good value, but still would like to build something myself, if it is within my budget.

Well, I'm going to suggest to spend an extra $100 for this system...it comes in under $700:

CASE+HDD Combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.492998
RAM +PSU Combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.492824
CPU+MOBO Combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.509751
GPU+OS combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.493104
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

The Phenom II X2 555 is a fast dual-core chip that actual has two extra and potentially unlockable cores. With the motherboard I suggested, you may be able to unlock them and turn this chip into a fast quad. Many have done this successfully and there are guides all over the web on how to do it.

If you want an out the box quad-core CPU, this is an alternative CPU+MOBO deal:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.509748

[Yonah]

I for some reason have this issue still where the mute button on the QuickLaunch bar of my HP laptop stays on even when the sound is muted. when I originally installed Windows 7 on it the button worked properly, but since my reinstallation it does not and I do not get why. The laptop came with Vista installed but I did put 7 on it with no issues and never had any until this one thing. I tried to contact support and they didn't even know what I was talking about. Any suggestions to correct this?

[Lynette Wilson]

Well, I'm going to suggest to spend an extra $100 for this system...it comes in under $700:

CASE+HDD Combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.492998
RAM +PSU Combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.492824
CPU+MOBO Combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.509751
GPU+OS combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.493104
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

The Phenom II X2 555 is a fast dual-core chip that actual has two extra and potentially unlockable cores. With the motherboard I suggested, you may be able to unlock them and turn this chip into a fast quad. Many have done this successfully and there are guides all over the web on how to do it.

If you want an out the box quad-core CPU, this is an alternative CPU+MOBO deal:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.509748

I didn't want to spend that much but, hey, what do we live... I am going to pull the trigger.

I am going with the quadcore. I know right now it is not a huge difference from dual and quad when it comes to gaming but I think future programmers are going to take advantage of the extra power and that is the way to go. I don't want to go with the dual and try to bump it up to quad, I have red some positives and negatives about that, so I am just going with the safe/smart bet for a few extra dollars.

Thanks for the advice, I do appreciate it.

[Miragel Ginza]

So I'm looking for some random suggestions on a new keyboard.....

Nothing too crazy, or too expensive, just reasonably priced and maybe geared more towards gaming.

:foodndrink:

[Bitter End]

Looking for a good program to start making some 3D graphics with. Not sure if it matters, but I plan on using them with Flash and Java (maybe Python but from what I understood you can't do too much 3D with Python because it couldn't handle it).

Anyways I have Adobe After Effects CS5, and Blender, but no idea if either one is good to start with, or if there is a better program (Maya is the only other one I know of).

Thanks,
Chunky

[Len swann]

So I'm looking for some random suggestions on a new keyboard.....

Nothing too crazy, or too expensive, just reasonably priced and maybe geared more towards gaming.

:foodndrink:

There was an excellent deal through newegg on Logitech's G15:
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2231027

Dunno if the discount code is still working though.

Others:
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Gaming-Keyboard-Black-Silver/dp/B000GP844S/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1284547132&sr=8-12
http://www.amazon.com/Saitek-PZ30AU-Eclipse-Keyboard/dp/B0007TJ7TE/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1284547351&sr=1-1
http://www.buy.com/prod/mad-catz-pk02au-eclipse-ii-keyboard-usb-104-keys-saitek-eclipse-ii/q/loc/108/202973105.html
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&Description=razer%20keyboard&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20

[Celestine Stardust]

I'm on Windows 7 x64 here, and I had a feature that randomly disappeared.

If I right-click the Windows Explorer icon I have pinned in the taskbar, it used to have a list of recent files, and then also certain directories I could also save for easy access. Dunno what the feature is called.

But now... it's gone. It just now has the generic "Load Program/Unpin This Program/Close Program" options. How do I re-enable this?

[Celestine Stardust]

I think you'll just have to re-add them the way you did before, pinning whatever you want to the taskbar (it automatically adds it to the explorer icon).

[bimsy]

I think you'll just have to re-add them the way you did before, pinning whatever you want to the taskbar (it automatically adds it to the explorer icon).

Nope, that didn't work. It asks if I want to pin it to the Explorer menu, but still no options.

[Sxc-Mary]

I'm on Windows 7 x64 here, and I had a feature that randomly disappeared.

If I right-click the Windows Explorer icon I have pinned in the taskbar, it used to have a list of recent files, and then also certain directories I could also save for easy access. Dunno what the feature is called.

But now... it's gone. It just now has the generic "Load Program/Unpin This Program/Close Program" options. How do I re-enable this?

Right-click the Start Menu Orb, go to Properties. In the Start Menu tab, click the Customize button. All the way at the bottom make sure the: Number of recent items to display in Jump Lists is not zero. The default setting is 10.

[Strawberry]

Ok, I still get an error of "Install package failed" whenever I try to update my drivers. It's been a while since I successfully updated them so it's bothering me now.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[JERMAINE VIDAURRI]

I have received some sound advice from Tig and Ninjamonkey about a new build, thanks.

I have a couple of questions about 2 particualr mobo's, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131651 and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131647.

If I am not planning on doing sli is there any other large benefit of having 2 PCIe slots?

The reviews for 2 are excellent the reviews for 1 are good but not as good. I can get 1 for a little cheaper by packaging it together and get a combo deal.

Is there any other major difference between these two that make one superior to the other?

[Doniesha World]

Right-click the Start Menu Orb, go to Properties. In the Start Menu tab, click the Customize button. All the way at the bottom make sure the: Number of recent items to display in Jump Lists is not zero. The default setting is 10.

Still nothing... :unsure:

Anyhoo, new issue. I went back to my SB X-Fi from my Xonar DX after I got fed up with some bugs with it. However, I think the leftovers from the driver install are interfering still. DriverSweeper doesn't have an option for Asus sound cards... is there any way to sweep for the Xonar's leftovers?

[Liv Staff]

I have received some sound advice from Tig and Ninjamonkey about a new build, thanks.

I have a couple of questions about 2 particualr mobo's, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131651 and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131647.

If I am not planning on doing sli is there any other large benefit of having 2 PCIe slots?

The reviews for 2 are excellent the reviews for 1 are good but not as good. I can get 1 for a little cheaper by packaging it together and get a combo deal.

Is there any other major difference between these two that make one superior to the other?

None that is really wprth noting. They're both excellent boards. The EVO one might have extra BIOS features for the overclocking enthusiast. Other than that, the extra PCI-E slot is the gain here and it's only PCI-E x4 meaning it's a bit bottlenecked in terms of bandwidth delivery for video cards. If not using SLI, that PCI-E x4 slot could be use for other components like RAID controllers or other network adapters. Most people just end up not even using the extra slot though.

[claire ley]

My old computer was damaged in a house fire and the insurance company is giving me a $700 limit on a new one. The company says they will only pay for 70% of the cost until I show them a receipt or invoice to prove that it was under $700. My family is telling me that it also needs to be pre-assembled as well. I don't need an OS and may or may not need a video card (they are going to contact me tomorrow to tell me if I can keep my 9600 GT). I don't need any accessories either as I already have a keyboard, mouse and moniter.

Anyways, I was wondering if you guys knew what the most reliable custom building pc sites are. I built myself a pretty awesome one on CyberPowerPC but from what I hear, they can't really be trusted much.

Thanks,

Ravin

[Emma Copeland]

My old computer was damaged in a house fire and the insurance company is giving me a $700 limit on a new one. The company says they will only pay for 70% of the cost until I show them a receipt or invoice to prove that it was under $700. My family is telling me that it also needs to be pre-assembled as well. I don't need an OS and may or may not need a video card (they are going to contact me tomorrow to tell me if I can keep my 9600 GT). I don't need any accessories either as I already have a keyboard, mouse and moniter.

Anyways, I was wondering if you guys knew what the most reliable custom building pc sites are. I built myself a pretty awesome one on CyberPowerPC but from what I hear, they can't really be trusted much.

Thanks,

Ravin

Dunno about that...I still highly suggest CyberPowerPC for prebuilts. Another alternative I used to suggest heavily was BuyXG:
http://www.buyxg.com/

[Lew.p]

I'm using a Dell Studio 1735 laptop and the on button has gone kaput, so my question is if there is another way to turn the machine on?. Just for a while before I can take it to get properly fixed.

[Mrs shelly Sugarplum]

I am considering adding another video card to my pc, I currently have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150330 installed with no major problems. i would really like to add another but can't find another of this kind anywhere. (I don't think they make them anymore).

Options? Ideas? I am also open to replacing it altogether so long as the improvement I get is worth the cost of replacing it. (if it's only going to be a minor improvement I probably don't want to waste the money.)

[Melung Chan]

Hey all, it's computer building season for me, so I'm hoping you guys could help me out a bit. My parents need a new computer (their old one burned out), and so I'm tasked with finding parts, building it, ect. They want a fairly simple build for word processing, web surfing, video watching, nothing major. My dad however, seems pretty dead set on getting the "cutting edge" and doesn't want to run XP anymore. I don't know much about Vista/7 (horror stories aside) so I'm not sure what the "requirements" are to run it efficiently. Is onboard video good enough and is 2 gigs of ram sufficient for Windows 7? These are the parts I've picked out so far:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128357
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116076
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

My current rig has http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16817182046 in it, but it's a little underpowered and a few years old and I could definitely use a new one. Could I just put that in my parents rig, and get the new one for me, or might there be problems with that?

[Jay Baby]

Dunno about that...I still highly suggest CyberPowerPC for prebuilts. Another alternative I used to suggest heavily was BuyXG:
http://www.buyxg.com/

That's actually the site I was looking for! Thanks a lot. The reviews I was reading for CyberPower were a few years old... Maybe they've improved since then? Anyways, thanks a lot. I may just go with CyberPower after all.
The cool thing about this is, my old PC had a Pentium D.... The one I built myself on CyberPower has an i7 :tops:

Thanks again,

Ravin

[Chloe :)]

I am considering adding another video card to my pc, I currently have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150330 installed with no major problems. i would really like to add another but can't find another of this kind anywhere. (I don't think they make them anymore).

Options? Ideas? I am also open to replacing it altogether so long as the improvement I get is worth the cost of replacing it. (if it's only going to be a minor improvement I probably don't want to waste the money.)

Do you even have a motherboard that supports SLI to add in this extra card? I'm no fan of SLI or Crossfire simply due to the fact that not all games will support those technologies meaning you may not get any benefits from the second card. Then the extra power consumption and extra heat...ugh. I'd rather suggest to you to replace your card with something like a Radeon 5850 or a GTX 470 (if it must be Nvidia). The 5850 is more power consumption efficient.

Hey all, it's computer building season for me, so I'm hoping you guys could help me out a bit. My parents need a new computer (their old one burned out), and so I'm tasked with finding parts, building it, ect. They want a fairly simple build for word processing, web surfing, video watching, nothing major. My dad however, seems pretty dead set on getting the "cutting edge" and doesn't want to run XP anymore. I don't know much about Vista/7 (horror stories aside) so I'm not sure what the "requirements" are to run it efficiently. Is onboard video good enough and is 2 gigs of ram sufficient for Windows 7? These are the parts I've picked out so far:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128357
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116076
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

My current rig has http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16817182046 in it, but it's a little underpowered and a few years old and I could definitely use a new one. Could I just put that in my parents rig, and get the new one for me, or might there be problems with that?

What you picked out thus far is perfectly fine compatibility-wise.

Your current PSU can easily go into the parents rig if you want a new one.

2GB of RAM is enough for Win 7 if they're not gaming or doing anything strenous.

Now of course, there's always ways to make the system cheaper, more modern, and more powerful....maybe even all three. How much are you looking to spend here?

That's actually the site I was looking for! Thanks a lot. The reviews I was reading for CyberPower were a few years old... Maybe they've improved since then? Anyways, thanks a lot. I may just go with CyberPower after all.
The cool thing about this is, my old PC had a Pentium D.... The one I built myself on CyberPower has an i7 :tops:

Thanks again,

Ravin

There was a period of time a few years ago when CyberPowerPC's review/rating were waning, but the past couple years their service has picked up. I don't have any reason not to suggest them really.

[ijohnnny]

Alright well the insurance guy didn't call back today and the office is now closed til Monday so I have to wait for Monday to purchase. I decided to go with CyberPowerPC. Since there's a chance that they won't let me keep my video card, would a HD 5670 with 1GB of GDDR5 be a noticeable improvement over my 9600 GT?

I have two configurations built for each outcome,
One has a Core i5 760 with the ATI Radeon HD 5670, in case they take my GPU.
And one with the cheapest possible card (a HD 5450) with an i7 870, in case I get to keep it.

Is the i7 that much better than the i5? Or is the only difference the two cores?

Ravin

[Georgia Fullalove]

Alright well the insurance guy didn't call back today and the office is now closed til Monday so I have to wait for Monday to purchase. I decided to go with CyberPowerPC. Since there's a chance that they won't let me keep my video card, would a HD 5670 with 1GB of GDDR5 be a noticeable improvement over my 9600 GT?

I have two configurations built for each outcome,
One has a Core i5 760 with the ATI Radeon HD 5670, in case they take my GPU.
And one with the cheapest possible card (a HD 5450) with an i7 870, in case I get to keep it.

Is the i7 that much better than the i5? Or is the only difference the two cores?

Ravin

The Radeon 5670 is not much of a jump over the 9600GT. If anything, it's slightly better as it sits between the 9600GT an d 9800GT in terms of performance. The 5670 does support DX11 though.

The Core i5 760 is a quad if you didn't notice. The Core i7 includes Hyperthreading, basically giving the chip 4extra threads.

i5 760: 4 cores, 4 threads
i7 870: 4 cores, 8 threads


If gaming is the main intention here, you won't see much of a difference from going to a i7 870. Things like Photoshop, 3DS Max, CAD, video encoding, etc. can take advantage of those extra threads, but the i5 760 is plenty already.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/109?vs=107

[Amysaurusrex]

The Radeon 5670 is not much of a jump over the 9600GT. If anything, it's slightly better as it sits between the 9600GT an d 9800GT in terms of performance. The 5670 does support DX11 though.

The Core i5 760 is a quad if you didn't notice. The Core i7 includes Hyperthreading, basically giving the chip 4extra threads.

i5 760: 4 cores, 4 threads
i7 870: 4 cores, 8 threads


If gaming is the main intention here, you won't see much of a difference from going to a i7 870. Things like Photoshop, 3DS Max, CAD, video encoding, etc. can take advantage of those extra threads, but the i5 760 is plenty already.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/109?vs=107

Ah I did not know that it was a quad. I'm considering buying the one with the i5 and the 5670 no matter what happens just to make the jump to DX11.
Anyways, thanks that gave me a lot to think about.

Ravin