[Bethany Watkin]

Will a 5770 paired with an i5-650 and 4GB ram be able to play games smoothly on max settings at a 1920x1080 resolution? Or should I try and stretch my budget as far as possible and get a 6850?

Certain games like Elderscolls and Fallout ones sure. Games like BF:BC2 and Metro 2033, you might struggle. The Radeon 6850 would be a decent step up and well worth the extra money.

How dated is my Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600?

Its frequency is 2.4 GHz and it has a has a 2*4MB L2 cache.

I can't really afford an upgrade right now so I'm not looking for a replacement. I'd be more interested in overclocking it tbh, if my crappy power supply is up for it. I don't know much about hardware (I'm learning though) so I don't know about the power demands of CPUs. :shrug:

It's certainly showing its age these days, but overclock that svcker if your board is decent. The fine folks over at overclock.net can help you out in that regard. Plenty of guides and tutorials over there too if you search hard enough. An OCed Q6600 can manage quite well even today.

Power supply can be a factor though especially if it's a "crap" one. What you got?

Cheers for the Graphics card recommendation.

As for the RAM, it was this http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166463 which has been discontinued, at least on that particular site.

I'm pretty sure you'll be just fine with this:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/247673

[Jack]

It's certainly showing its age these days, but overclock that svcker if your board is decent. The fine folks over at overclock.net can help you out in that regard. Plenty of guides and tutorials over there too if you search hard enough. An OCed Q6600 can manage quite well even today.

Power supply can be a factor though especially if it's a "crap" one. What you got?

I have a standard 375W PSU which came with the machine. I used the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator and these were my results:

however I didn't include my PSU age into the calculator, it's 2+ year old now.

Minimum PSU Wattage: 335 Watts
Recommended Wattage: 385 Watts

I'm late for work right now but I'll post more when I get home tonight. Full computer specs, budget and whatnot.

[Matthew Aaron Evans]

I have a standard 375W PSU which came with the machine. I used the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator and these were my results:

however I didn't include my PSU age into the calculator, it's 2+ year old now.

Minimum PSU Wattage: 335 Watts
Recommended Wattage: 385 Watts

I'm late for work right now but I'll post more when I get home tonight. Full computer specs, budget and whatnot.

PSU calculators are generally bad ideas.

[Janine Rose]

The problem is that I don't have a custom built PC because I couldn't afford it, so I bought a used Dell XPS 420 from a friend of mine. Now I know that overclocking a Dell is usually either extremely difficult or simply impossible due to Motherboard and BIOS limitations by Dell.

The plan is (when I have enough money) to throw away the crappy BTX chassis, the PSU and the Dell motherboard, then purchase a nice tower that was built for custom PCs, throw in a new motherboard and PSU and hopefully re-use the other stuff until I can buy a replacement.

Intel? Core?2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz
Intel? X38 (Bearlake) Chipset
4GB 667 MHz Dual Channel Dual DDR2 SDRAM

768MB DDR3 nVidia? GeForce? 8800 GTX
Sound Blaster Sound Card
375 W standard

I'm worried about the PSU because in addition to the setup above I also have 4 HDDs. :unsure:


If I were to do what I said above, get a new tower and all that. Would I be able to use my Intel CPU, RAM, GPU and the sound card with my new motherboard? Or does Dell have some weird hardware limitations on the parts? Wouldn't I get rid of those limitations by buying a new motherboard?

The main problem (as far as I know) is that the motherboard isn't built to handle the extra power demands you get from overclocking, and the BIOS is limited (it doesn't have any overclocking options whatsoever)

I know for a fact that the newer XPS computers from Dell have some overclocking capabilities, but I don't think my 420 has any.

[leigh stewart]

I think an external hard drive I keep went bad. It use to be where I just plugged it in and it would show up in My Computer. Now, when I plug it in the light on the hard drive comes on but nothing comes up, no pop ups, no acknowledgement by my PC that there is that hard drive connected other than it giving power to it. I tried hooking it up to my Xbox 360, still not detected but given power.

If its dead, is there any way to salvage the data on the disk? Would it be simple or difficult?

How could I determine how "dead" this hard drive is?

There are various file typs on it, I just need PDF, MS Office, and Open Office files, I think there also may be some image files (scanned docs), probably a gig worth, if that matters at all.

[joseluis perez]

I'm worried about the PSU because in addition to the setup above I also have 4 HDDs. :unsure:


If I were to do what I said above, get a new tower and all that. Would I be able to use my Intel CPU, RAM, GPU and the sound card with my new motherboard? Or does Dell have some weird hardware limitations on the parts? Wouldn't I get rid of those limitations by buying a new motherboard?

A 375W is a little on the low side for my liking. I personally wouldn't use anything less than a 500W unit for a mid-higher end gaming rig. (Especially if OCing or Crossfire/SLI is a possibility.)

As long as the socket/slot types match up the CPU (s775) GPU (PCI-E) and RAM (DDR2) can be reused on a new mobo.

[KiiSsez jdgaf Benzler]

A 375W is a little on the low side for my liking. I personally wouldn't use anything less than a 500W unit for a mid-higher end gaming rig. (Especially if OCing or Crossfire/SLI is a possibility.)

As long as the socket/slot types match up the CPU (s775) GPU (PCI-E) and RAM (DDR2) can be reused on a new mobo.

"Upgrading" to a socket 775 mobo isn't really going to be an upgrade. Best bet would be to save your money, and buy a new cpu/mobo that is going to last you awhile.

Edit.

And I realize this is directed towards Exorince, just quoting your post.

[Josh Trembly]

I think an external hard drive I keep went bad. It use to be where I just plugged it in and it would show up in My Computer. Now, when I plug it in the light on the hard drive comes on but nothing comes up, no pop ups, no acknowledgement by my PC that there is that hard drive connected other than it giving power to it. I tried hooking it up to my Xbox 360, still not detected but given power.

If its dead, is there any way to salvage the data on the disk? Would it be simple or difficult?

How could I determine how "dead" this hard drive is?

There are various file typs on it, I just need PDF, MS Office, and Open Office files, I think there also may be some image files (scanned docs), probably a gig worth, if that matters at all.

It could be dead-dead or just have a loose/faulty connection somewhere.

In either case, your best bet is to crack her open, pull out the hard drive, and hook it up to your computer some other way (buying your own enclosure or sticking it inside).

Some things to try before the plunge:

1. A different USB cable/different cable type all together (if possible)

2. Making sure all cables are plugged in.

3. If it draws power purely from USB, if there is an option to use outlet power, try that.

[Lady Shocka]

The problem is that I don't have a custom built PC because I couldn't afford it, so I bought a used Dell XPS 420 from a friend of mine. Now I know that overclocking a Dell is usually either extremely difficult or simply impossible due to Motherboard and BIOS limitations by Dell.

The plan is (when I have enough money) to throw away the crappy BTX chassis, the PSU and the Dell motherboard, then purchase a nice tower that was built for custom PCs, throw in a new motherboard and PSU and hopefully re-use the other stuff until I can buy a replacement.

Intel? Core?2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz
Intel? X38 (Bearlake) Chipset
4GB 667 MHz Dual Channel Dual DDR2 SDRAM

768MB DDR3 nVidia? GeForce? 8800 GTX
Sound Blaster Sound Card
375 W standard

I'm worried about the PSU because in addition to the setup above I also have 4 HDDs. :unsure:


If I were to do what I said above, get a new tower and all that. Would I be able to use my Intel CPU, RAM, GPU and the sound card with my new motherboard? Or does Dell have some weird hardware limitations on the parts? Wouldn't I get rid of those limitations by buying a new motherboard?

The main problem (as far as I know) is that the motherboard isn't built to handle the extra power demands you get from overclocking, and the BIOS is limited (it doesn't have any overclocking options whatsoever)

I know for a fact that the newer XPS computers from Dell have some overclocking capabilities, but I don't think my 420 has any.

Ah, the stock Dell 375W power supply. You're already cutting close with that PSU considering the hardware you have, so I wouldn't recommend overclocking with your system as it is. And Dell motherboards hardly allow any overclocking if not at all.

Sure, changing the case, board and PSU would get you going with your existing parts but I can't say it's worth it to do this sidegrade (somewhat). That's already probably $200 there with a decent LGA 775 OCing board. You may as well save up for a new processor and RAM too. I said to keep the CPU and just OC it, but I mean only if you already have a decent board and an accommodating PSU. Don't buy new components just to salvage this older processor.

[Abi Emily]

It depends on what games you're planning on playing. The 5770 is a relatively old card, so running present/future games on max in 1920x1080 and expecting smooth framerates is pushing it. You'd do much better squeezing out an extra $50 and buying a 6850.

Certain games like Elderscolls and Fallout ones sure. Games like BF:BC2 and Metro 2033, you might struggle. The Radeon 6850 would be a decent step up and well worth the extra money.

Thank you very much. I knew I forgot something; I'm planning to run modern games like Crysis 2, and anticipating things like Battlefield 3 and Skyrim. Right now I'm using a GTX280, so I assume moving to a 6850 would be a huge step up from what I'm experiencing.

Especially if you flash the card to run the 6870's BIOS, to unlock even more oomph. :nod:

Would that be dangerous like overclocking?

[Veronica Martinez]

I got another one.

An Asus Eee PC
Intel Atom 1.66GHz
1GB RAM,
160GB
Windows XP

for $90 Good price?

It could be dead-dead or just have a loose/faulty connection somewhere.

In either case, your best bet is to crack her open, pull out the hard drive, and hook it up to your computer some other way (buying your own enclosure or sticking it inside).

Some things to try before the plunge:

1. A different USB cable/different cable type all together (if possible)

2. Making sure all cables are plugged in.

3. If it draws power purely from USB, if there is an option to use outlet power, try that.

Thanks. I know it never needed a extra power supply when I used it before. Mabey it might need it now, will have to look for it, or try and find some cables for it.

[Miranda Taylor]

Would that be dangerous like overclocking?

I wouldn't necessarily recommend it out of the box, since a failed BIOS flash will leave you with a dead card (and, unlike the 6950, the 6850 only has a single BIOS) but what I've read suggests that the difference in hardware between 6850s and 6870s is minimal, so there shouldn't be much risk (no more so than any other overclock, that is.) You could possibly even overclock the 6850 to 6870 speeds without flashing the BIOS just by using the Catalyst Control Center (since you won't be unlocking any extra shaders anyway) but the clocks may still be limited by the BIOS - I would try out CCC first, if you were looking for that little extra grunt. Not something to jump into without a bit of research, though.

[Steve Fallon]

What could this mean?
http://i.imgur.com/lZCLN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Vg951.jpg

I just installed a new motherboard, could dust have gotten into the socket or is my CPU busted?

[Pawel Platek]

Are you running stock clocks or overclocking?

The client is designed to stop upon errors. It doesn't mean the CPU is busted though. It may just need a slight voltage bump in the BIOS if OCing.

[vanuza]

Are you running stock clocks or overclocking?

The client is designed to stop upon errors. It doesn't mean the CPU is busted though. It may just need a slight voltage bump in the BIOS if OCing.

It's stock on a new install of Windows. Temperature is a little under 50C when testing.

[Michelle Smith]

It's stock on a new install of Windows. Temperature is a little under 50C when testing.

What parts are you using? (mobo/CPU/RAM specifically.)

Have you manually checked the BIOS to make sure your RAM is using it's rated voltage? For example, my RAM is rated for 1.65v, yet if I don't manually set it (manually or using the XMP profile) it will try and use 1.5v instead.

[Joanne Crump]

What parts are you using? (mobo/CPU/RAM specifically.)

Have you manually checked the BIOS to make sure your RAM is using it's rated voltage? For example, my RAM is rated for 1.65v, yet if I don't manually set it (manually or using the XMP profile) it will try and use 1.5v instead.

Mobo: ASUS P8P67 LE This is what I just installed
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) I just added 2 more sticks of this too
CPU: i5 2500k

EDIT: I set the RAM clock to 1600mhz in the EFI menu (it was set to 1333mhz) and I'm not getting any errors anymore.... hopefully it stays that way.

EDIT2: I spoke too soon. :facepalm:

[Sarah Evason]

What was the DRAM voltage set to? If the speed was defaulting to 1333MHz, I'd suspect it was also not set to use 1.65v if that is what your RAM is rated for. (A link to the exact RAM would help.) That is exactly what mine did if I left the BIOS on 'Auto'. It defaulted to 1333MHz (1600MHz native) and the DRAM voltage was at 1.5v rather than 1.65v.

[kirsty joanne hines]

What was the DRAM voltage set to? If the speed was defaulting to 1333MHz, I'd suspect it was also not set to use 1.65v if that is what your RAM is rated for. (A link to the exact RAM would help.) That is exactly what mine did if I left the BIOS on 'Auto'. It defaulted to 1333MHz (1600MHz native) and the DRAM voltage was at 1.5v rather than 1.65v.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
It says it's rated for 1.5v.

What's weird is, this is what I get when running prime95 after restarting my PC:
http://i.imgur.com/o0I2e.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4qyYq.jpg
Seems to be working.

However once I close the program, reopen it, and try again, I get an error almost instantly.

[Gill Mackin]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
It says it's rated for 1.5v.

What's weird is, this is what I get when running prime95 after restarting my PC:
http://i.imgur.com/o0I2e.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4qyYq.jpg
Seems to be working.

However once I close the program, reopen it, and try again, I get an error almost instantly.

Are the RAM timings right? I'm at work and in the phone so I'm just throwing this out there for now.

[Sophie Morrell]

[img]http://www.speedtest.net/result/1231655751.png[/img]

Do you think my ping is too high for playing Brink?

[Naomi Lastname]

[img]http://www.speedtest.net/result/1231655751.png[/img]

Do you think my ping is too high for playing Brink?

Ping on that website doesn't mean anything in terms of Brink.

[Lance Vannortwick]

[img]http://www.speedtest.net/result/1231655751.png[/img]

Do you think my ping is too high for playing Brink?

What sgt deacon said mainly, but also why would you worried about 33ms? That's really low.

[Lew.p]

So, 4-ish years ago I came here asking for wisdom about buying a new PC. It all went well, and I enjoyed using my PC for the full 4 years.

Now, it's time for a repeat. I pretty much need a new PC meant for gaming. I've been doing some (slight) research myself. I'm looking to build an almost purely gaming PC. I'll listen the occasional music or watch a movie, but that shouldn't change anything.

I was looking at the 2500K and the HD6970 or HD6950.

The questions here:
Which do you recommend? Is the difference between these two big enough to be worth the extra money?
Which motherboard do you suggest?
Any specific case that's a good cost:looking decent ratio?

I'm looking to spend about 1200 Euro's. I live in the Netherlands. That means Newegg will not ship to me. If you want to, making a full build would be much appreciated as a source information.

Thanks!

[JLG]

"Not all players can do it, and it also depends on the file container."

If there is no information in the header about what the file should look like, then nothing can be done (or, in the reverse situation: if the header is corrupted, then the header can be rebuilt assuming the data is still good)

Basically: stop obsessing over file corruption. Set up a good backup system with 30 days of file versioning and you won't have a problem (within a reasonable amount of error ). No need for checksums or anything.

Hmm... maybe I am too paranoid about this. I just bought some sample libraries from a small company that burns their DVDs with a lightscribe burner. I'm worried that the DVDs, or my dvd drive, or my hard drive might corrupt data somehow.