There's only one modular power supply I trust: the 480W Antec NeoPower, which costs $150. The price tag alone is enough to deter me.

Honestly, you're better off with a solid, well-priced, no-frills power supply from a trusted manufacturer, such as the 460W Enermax EG465P-VE. No gloss paint job, no fancy coloured lights, just a reliable power supply with tons of output and a reasonable price. If there's one thing in my machine I like to keep simple, it's the power supply.

Yeah, that's fair enough. The (expensive) NeoPower was the only decent modular supply I found that looked any good, but I was hoping there'd be some more I just hadn't seen. Ah well.

I'm not too worried about how fancy the thing looks. I never really got into putting lights and such into my computer - it's how it well works and not how nice it looks that interests me. Not that I'd use an ugly case or anything.

Anyway, cheers.

Heh, well, you all know I'm a whore for aesthetics. For example, I saw this case at PAX last year, and even though it costs well over $250, I'm intent on buying it eventually. I just draw the line at the power supply.

Now that is one nice case. The layout looks quite clever, too - I've never seen one with the power supply space at the bottom. I'd go for the silver one myself, but I'm not sure about those wheels (mind you, I'm sure they're easy enough to take off).

I do like my Antec Sonata, but installing the front fan is extremely difficult; I have the cuts to prove it.

Yeah, the layout is basically a pseudo-BTX design where they simply take the ATX layout and flip it upside down except for the drives. Eventually we're going to have cases and motherboards conforming to a new formfactor called BTX where the mobo goes in on the left-hand side and the CPU, chipset and memory are all arranged in a line and covered by a big wind tunnel/cooling duct thing.

I like the Sonata, and I'd probably buy one, if not for the big "ANTEC" etching on the side.

I remember reading about BTX a while ago. Seems like a good idea, but I guess it means we'll have to shell out for new cases and motherboards to be able to use it. Ah well, such is the nature of computers.

...

I've had a weird problem recently. Just after I updated my BIOS (which always goes really well), my computer started getting stuck at the POST screen. Couldn't so much as get into my CMOS.

After turning on my computer off for a bit and coming back to it later, I managed to get past the POST. That said, as soon as I got as far as Windows loading up I got a flash the blue screen of death and the computer restarted itself. It then started looping around doing the same thing.

I did, however, manage to use a good ol' boot disk and flash the BIOS again. I then used my XP cd and do a system repair at this point, which got me back into Windows. Now, I no longer get the BSOD and can load up my computer fine. However, it'll still get stuck at POST every now and then.

I later noticed that I only got stuck on POST when I had all my plugs turned on (computer, monitor, speakers and printer). If I just have the plugs for the computer and monitor on, I have no problem. I can even turn on the speakers and printer on after the computers loaded up with nary a hiccup.

So, I'm guessing it's my power supply giving me more grief. I should be getting my new 'un soon, so that shouldn't be a problem. But isn't it odd that this has been caused by a BIOS problem? I suppose it could be a coincidence, but could it have been caused by something else?

Don't flash your bios or firmware unless there's something seriously wrong with it that is fixed in the new version. Ever.

I was thinking of updating my computer this summer, but funds seem a bit tight at the moment. Currently, my only advanced piece of hardware is my Geforce 6800. My mobo and processor are about 3 years old, and only 2.2 gig

I only have 512 gigs of RAM. I was wondering, if I want to make this the most hardcore gaming machine I can, what are a few options for new motherboards and processors? I've heard all sorts of arguments, whether the processor power really matters, whether one should opt for 32- or 64-bit, etc. Is there any clear consensus on the matter?

To be honest... no. Not much of a consensus that I can see.

I can't say as I have any particular mobos in mind, but PCI-Express IS the way to go nowadays (that much is of consensus). Personally I side with AMD-compatible mobos and look at the Socket 939s; these support your 64-bit processors, AFAIK. However, despite that, I'd personally stick with a 32-bit OS, as from what I can tell there's a good deal of compatibility issues between both Win32 and Win64, and, barring perhaps FarCry, very little has come out that takes advantage of 64-bit technology.

Your RAM should probably be upgraded to a gig, as long as it's as cheap as it is. Depending on your RAM's speed (is it PC 3200?), you could just buy another 512 MB stick; otherwise, I would get just a 1 GB stick so that upgrading to TWO GB RAM is an easier option in the future (I've been informed that some mobos don't really support stretching 2 GB over several sticks too well, and while I have absolutely no clue toward the validity of this claim, why not just play it safe?)

Oh, and 2 GB hard drive? That'll HARDLY get Half-Life 2 running. Heck, that'll hardly get ANYTHING running anymore. Upgrade to something ludicrously huge, like 300GB; it may sound like overkill, but if you're going to be doing some serious gaming (or a lot of emulation, I dunno; those custom-ripped PSX ISOs take up a lot of space). Try Seagate, Western Digital or Maxtor, they're not that bad. Make sure the cache is 8MB, and try for Serial ATA (SATA). In fact, make sure the mobo supports it.

Aaand... that's all I can think of for now.

BTW, while this is a purely aesthetic question and certainly not a major concern anytime soon, do you know of any good cases that come in green? No, I don't really need to know how ugly a color that would be for a computer, considering I quite like how it looks (and it's my fave color, so there). That, and if I'm going to be creating a mostly-new powerhouse (eventually... >>;), I might as well toss it in something new too.

I only have 512 gigs of RAM.
Megs. Lieutenant Commander Data would kill for half a terabyte of RAM.

I was wondering, if I want to make this the most hardcore gaming machine I can, what are a few options for new motherboards and processors?
Well first of all you're gonna need about five thousand dollars in cold, hard cash. The sky's the limit these days. The outer limits in processor technology are the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ dual-core 2.4GHz ($1400) and the Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 840 dual-core 3.2GHz ($1500). There are so many motherboards out there I'd be up all night making a list of your choices, and they really only differ from each other by their chipsets and their feature sets. As far as chipsets go, just get an nForce4-based board and you'll be fine. Other than that, it's all down to features. Some have SLI for dual videocards, some don't. Some have onboard SATA RAID, some don't. Figure out what features you need, find a bunch of motherboards that have those features, and then do your research.

I've heard all sorts of arguments, whether the processor power really matters, whether one should opt for 32- or 64-bit, etc. Is there any clear consensus on the matter?
If you're into gaming, go AMD. There is no reasonable argument to the contrary. Pentium has a definite advantage over Athlon when multiple applications are running and actively saturating the processor, while Athlon performs about 30% better on average with single applications, thus making it best suited for gaming. No benchmark to date has conclusively proven otherwise. So, if you're building a whole new machine and you basically want an extreme, high-performance, top-of-the-line gaming machine, this is a loadout I'd recommend.

CPU: AMD Athlon64 X2 4800+ - dual San Diego cores running at 2.8GHz, 1MB cache ($1410).
Mobo: Asus A8N-SLI Premium - SLI, SATA, RAID, Gigabit Ethernet, integrated 5.1 audio ($225)
RAM: 4x Kingston HyperX 512MB PC3200 DDR-SDRAM ($530)
Videocard: 2x XFX GeForce 7800 GTX ($1520)
Case: Antec Sonata, black ($138)
Power supply: Fortron 500W "Blue Storm" ($100)
HDD: 2x Seagate Barracuda 200GB SATA with NCQ ($300)
Monitor: Samsung Syncmaster 913T 19" flat panel ($515)
Optical: Samsung Writemaster dual-layer DVD burner, black - 16x DVDROM/R, 8x DVDRW, 5x DVD+R DL, 48x CD-R, 32x CD-RW ($65)
Soundcard: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum ($230)
Mouse+keyboard: Logitech Cordless Desktop MX3100, black ($155)
Speakers: Logitech Z-5500 500W Digital 5.1 speakers, black ($370)
Floppy: 1.44MB internal IDE floppy drive, black ($10)

You're looking at about $5560 Canadian, plus tax. Keep in mind that I even held back in some categories, such as the mouse and keyboard (do you really need Bluetooth?), the speakers (most games don't support the full 7.1 channels offered by the $500 Creative Gigaworks system anyways), and the monitor (19" is plenty when it's a flat panel), and the case (you just can't go wrong with the Sonata, even if it does cost $400 less than the most expensive Lian-Li box). It also does not include anything you'd probably do well to add on, like additional cooling, case lighting, rounded IDE cables, and the like. If that's still within your price range, you're very rich.

The fact of the matter is, you just don't need the most expensive computer on the planet to be able to play today's games. The hardware is so far ahead of the software right now that most framerate benchmarks max out on top-end systems. In fact, you can get a complete system for less than $1500 that will run all of today's games at very high detail and resolution, and probably handle all of tomorrow's games very competently until sometime around the end of 2006. I sincerely doubt you'd need to perform a major upgrade on a $1500 machine for at least 18 months.

Oh, and 2 GB hard drive?
Naw, man, he meant his CPU. I haven't seen a 2GB drive since 1996.

BTW, while this is a purely aesthetic question and certainly not a major concern anytime soon, do you know of any good cases that come in green
They're all over the place, but in my experience they're generally crap. Most good cases come in black and silver. The kind you're most likely to find in green are those big, bulgy, tacky, "EXTREME GAMING" plastic deals you see little Counter-Strike kids using, or knockoffs of Antec's classic but oh-so-bland Soho tower. I've got painting computers down to a fine science at this point, however, so if you want you can buy a nice-looking silver case of your choice and I can help you make it look like a green sports car. Or Trinity's Ducati from The Matrix Reloaded. That is, assuming big, bulgy, tacky plastic cases aren't your bag.

Ah, thank you very much.
Yeah, that's pretty much out of my price range. =) I don't think I have to upgrade my video card, and my monitor/keyboard/mouse are all OK. I was just wondering- the CPU you recomended (the insanely priced piece which is about my full budget limit) has 2.8 GHz. They make CPU's with more than 2.8 GHz, for what I am sure is less than $1500. But, perhaps this is not the only measuring stick for a processor's power?
Would I be safe to assume that, when finally biulding my machine, I could just step back a few models in the company line to cut back the cost, is there a certain TYPE of processor (dual core, the number of GHz, etc.) that is ideal for gaming (like you already stated- AMD vs. Pentium).
Thank you again!

Don't be fooled by the GHz. AMD's procs may sport less GHz than Intel's, but they're just as fast (if not faster).

Yeah, see, I figured five and a half grand would be a little out of your price range. Here's a saner configuration.

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ "Venice" - Single-core 1.8GHz ($205)
Mobo: DFI Lanparty NF4-D - nForce4 chipset, SLI, SATA, RAID, Gigabit Ethernet, integrated 5.1 audio ($160)
RAM: 2x Kingston 512MB PC3200 ($140)
Case: Antec Sonata ($130)
Power supply: Fortron "Blue Storm" 500W ($105)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 200GB SATA with NCQ ($150)
Optical: Samsung Writemaster ($65)
Floppy: 1.44MB, black ($10)
Videocard: MSI GeForce 6600 GT ($240)
Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 710N - 17" flat panel ($350)
Soundcard: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS ($80)
Speakers: Logitech X-530 5.1 speaker system ($75)

A box like that will run you about $1710 and will run everything currently available at maximum settings, and will probably not require a major upgrade until the end of 2007. The CPU may sound a bit slow with its clock rating, but it is not only as fast as a 3GHz Pentium 4, but it also costs 50 bucks less. Sure, it's not the top of the line, and it certainly doesn't sport dual cores and all that crazy stuff, but these days the processor is making less and less difference as far as gaming is concerned, so better to put more money into the videocard than the CPU. Currently there are only a few dual-core desktop processors and they all cost upwards of $700.

Now, about the videocard. The videocard you have fits into an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) slot, which is in the process of being phased out. The new standard, PCI-Express, is what you'll find in almost all new motherboards today. Basically you're going to have to replace your videocard. You might be able to trade it in or sell it or something, but buying a motheboard with an AGP slot would be a bad idea, because next time you get around to upgrading your videocard they'll all be PCI-Express and you'll end up having to upgrade your motherboard as well.

Just be thankful you're not in the same boat as me, where you're stuck with a standard that was phased out nearly a DECADE ago since the computer you own was intended for anything BUT gaming.

Also, I personally would step up the proc to a 3200+ or 3500+, given that the upgrade's only another $50-$120 (US, not Canadian), and might very well be a better bet for the future, but, I'm sure the 3000+'s a good buy, too.

I've decided to install la surround system on my computer, so I picked up a 5.1 altec lansing set (CS - 3151), a a soudn card that's suppsoed to be 5.1/6c (Sabrent Cmedia 8738).
Well, After isntallation, only the center, front/right, and sub is working.
I tested this with assorted music of assorted genres, some tv shows and a movie, and Joint Operations.
Even when I tested blowing s**t up in basic locations around me, it ALWAYS soudned through the front/right and center.

So.. advice? Should I try pushing it into the slot a bit harder? Unplug the CD audio from it for some reason?
Anythign?

Edit:
Sound Card
System

Edit:
When I push the subwoofer a bit to the right, the front/left and front/right speakers work.
However, the center speaker only works (no matter how the sub is) when I switch the control hub to 2-4 mode, on 6 it r suck.

Edit: Well I more or less got the two front ones working. Still no back or center. And the mic doesnt work, as tested with a friend over teamspeak.
In fact, he could only hear whatever sound was playing on my computer. I started to play a song and he coudl hear it, I unplugged all wires form the sound card and he could STILL hear it.
F**ked up.
Someone help me =(

Set your speakers to 6-channel mode. Go to the Sounds and Audio Devices panel, click the Advanced button under Speaker Settings, and pick 5.1 Surround Sound. If that doesn't work, I suggest taking that as an opportunity for exchanging the speakers and the soundcard back for a system that doesn't a suck.

If you're gonna buy a 5.1 system, buy a good one. Don't get suckered into the chinsy $50 deals. They rarely have enough power to provide a proper surround effect, they're often overpowered, and they generally just tend to just suck in general. The Logitech X-530 is the cheapest system I can safely recommend.

Did that bit. Dont work.

And I think I'll return the sound card... piece of s**t. I could afford the creative live! surround system. Not sure if it has mic input though. I need my mic input.

The speakers, however, should work. They're of a brand I know and trust, and I'd imagine the problem is the sound card's fault due to the mic thing.

And as for the audigy 2 zs... plz give me moneyz.

So, any more help, ol' chap? Or just plain "Get more money and piss it away."? (Bye the way, cant get any more scrap for about a month or so.)

Edit: Alright, so I looked all over the internet. Every single last review for the speakers gave it a great score, and the average price is $100. I'm thouroly convinced it's the sound card's problem.

Edit: Hay i got the ic working.

Tips on getting the rear in gear?

Personally I don't trust any soundcard that isn't made by Creative. Whereas hardware from other manufacturers can go one way or another, Creative hardware is consistently good.

Anyways, I suggest getting at least an Audigy 1. Other soundcards just don't compare. Even the Live has a piss-poor signal-to-noise ratio compared with the Audigy.

Anyway I can revert to using my old intregrated sound card? The mic/audio in doesnt even work on the new one, and I need those.
So... To revert, do i just remove the old pci sound card drivers, and boot up with my s**t hooked up to the motherboard one? Or what?

Remove the card and uninstall the software.

Uninstall the software first or remove the card first? And how do I get the software for the integrated one back?

Oh well, 90 more dolars to go for an audigy...

Remove the card first. The drivers for onboard audio should still be installed, unless you disabled it in the bios.

Did that and now Im saving the scrap for an audigy 2.

On an unrelated note, Im opening ports and things for my games, and are
external and internal ports
the same as
inbound and private ports?

Yes. Also, when forwarding ports on your firewall for games, the private and public (or internal and external) ports should be the same.

Some games just use UPnP, so if you have a UPnP router you won't need to open any ports.

Ok, so my dad wants me to look for some new routers online, since our old one (a Linksys 4-port EtherFast Cable/DSL router) has broken. He says to just look for any brand, but would probably be better if we could find something better than Linksys for under $100. Any suggestions?

EDIT: Alright, so we went ahead and got a D-Link router and everything is working smoothly now. It might even be the same thing that Cyc has by looking at that picture.

Heeey I'm here again. I'd like to thank the academy.

I reverted to the intergrated sound card. The speakers work perfectly, but the mic is still f**ked up.
Well, offline its good. i can hear myself speak on it, but onlien, it doesnt work whatsoever. On yim is just makes a constant beeping, and on teamspeak its... god knows what.
Just some port opening stuff?

No, that has nothing to do with your router. I'd say there's something wrong with DirectSound, which you should try reinstalling.

It doesnt work. Says its fnished installing or what not. Cant reinstall.
Should I try installing an old version of directx, then redownloading the modern version?

So, after the fiasco I had with this computer's predecessor, we have this. Now, this computer has been serving us well for the last three months, but after my discovery last night I'm glad that's the case.

See, this thing's getting up to at least 61C when at 100% CPU usage. As I have been told (and after checking that the operating limit for the processor is 70C), that's bad.

My CPU's an Athlon 64 3800+, if this helps at all. Apparently Athlons run hot.

So, I have two options - find a way to make the existing fan/heatsink run on Turbo all the time, or upgrade the heatsink to a new and better one.

Recommendations?

How many case fans do you have installed? If it's just the one at the back, having one at the front as well gets a nice through draft.

As was recommended to me a while ago, the Zalman CNPS 7700 is a really good heatsink fan.

The only downsides are you'll have to take it out before you take your computer anywhere (i.e. by car) due to its weight and you'll have to take your motherboard out initially to install it. Also, check the demensions before you buy it - it won't fit every computer.

The only downsides are you'll have to take it out before you take your computer anywhere (i.e. by car) due to its weight and you'll have to take your motherboard out initially to install it.
Nah, I figure it's safe to carry, as long as you have good shocks on your car and store it horizontally rather than vertically. And for God's sakes, not in the trunk.

Well, perhaps. It'a pretty sturdy and all, but our British roads tend to be in a worse state than those nice flat Canadian roads.

I just spent two weeks crashing around on dirt roads up north in a 21-year-old Volkswagen camper. If I was going down a hill with loose terrain and a 25% grade, I was having a good time. Nice? Flat? I think not.

Right, what Graphics Card (by name please, i'm not that good!)would you recommend for someone with 512mb of RAM (Not sure what type, friend made computer) and an Asus A7N8X Deluxe Motherboard.

Now I am aware its an AGP8 Graphic Card but that doesnt help when i asked computer store and they said "at the back!" *walked slowly towards the back thinking what am i looking at? starts running towards GAME*

The price range i'm thinking of is about 100-150

Right, what Graphics Card (by name please, i'm not that good!)would you recommend for someone with 512mb of RAM (Not sure what type, friend made computer) and an Asus A7N8X Deluxe Motherboard.
I'd recommend more ram, and telling me what CPU you have.

Right...Will this do?
what I found on Direct X
CPU: Intel
Or DX Diagnosis
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2600+, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.1GHz

Buy another 512MB of ram and then get a GeForce 6600GT.

*Copied and Pasted*
Many Thanks Cycle.

Question # 1: Should I get this thing?

Question # 2: Is it better to purchase a case with power or purchase both pieces separately?

1) Be my guest. The case may be ass-ugly, but it's an Antec so it should be sound as far as workmanship and build quality. The power supply is a bit inadequate for newer systems, though. Post your specs so I'll know if you'll be starving your system.

2) In terms of quality, the power supplies bundled with Antec cases (and only Antec cases) are decent. In fact, Antec is pretty much the only brand where you don't have to immediately change the power supply; usually the power supplies that come with cases are garbage. Having said that, again, the 350-watt box you linked is not really enough these days, especially on high-end rigs with dual-core CPUs, dual videocards and RAID arrays. I'll need to know your specs in order to properly answer your question.

And I thought the crap ass case I'm using right now was bad.

350w is pretty low for any kind of mid or high end gaming rig. Even mine has a 480w. But yeah, again what the drunk skqwerl said. I'm always late for these things.

~Rico (stickies this)

Came across a rather funny-looking deal at Curcuit City.

Computer tag says the processor is (I wrote this down FTW) AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ dual-core 2.4GHz and 1GB DDR-SDRAM.

For $800. Without monitor and keyboard and speakers and whatnot, but still.

It's too low.

The processor should run for jsut uner twice that, right?

Have prices gone down?

Should I be doing innapropriate things with this computer's disk drive?

The 4200+ chip retails for about USD $450 at good stores, you can get a gig of crappy value ram for less than $80 now, and the machine probably has integrated video. I'm going to say this again: don't effing buy computers off the shelf.

My apologies for not answering this sooner.

Quote:

---

1) Be my guest. The case may be ass-ugly, but it's an Antec so it should be sound as far as workmanship and build quality. The power supply is a bit inadequate for newer systems, though. Post your specs so I'll know if you'll be starving your system.

2) In terms of quality, the power supplies bundled with Antec cases (and only Antec cases) are decent. In fact, Antec is pretty much the only brand where you don't have to immediately change the power supply; usually the power supplies that come with cases are garbage. Having said that, again, the 350-watt box you linked is not really enough these days, especially on high-end rigs with dual-core CPUs, dual videocards and RAID arrays. I'll need to know your specs in order to properly answer your question.

---

I'll build it with spare parts from the computers I once had and this motherboard. It's mostly to have incase the computer I use goes kaboom (it happens eventually).

Also, if I get this board and case and later I decide to get
any of these video cards., will it still work or should I get a better power supply/case?

Before I answer that question, what CPU do you have?

I don't have one. Which one do you recommend to get?

Okay. Basically the motherboard/CPU combo you just linked is effing ancient. Seriously, I didn't know they even made those anymore.

CPU
Any Socket 939 processor made by AMD. Stay the hell away from Intel chips. Some suggestions: Athlon64 3200+, Athlon64 3700+, Athlon64 X2 4200+

Mobo
MUST have Socket 939, PCI Express slots, and SATA ports. I strongly recommend sticking with motherboards running on the nForce4 chipset. Some suggestions: Asus A8N-E, DFI LanParty UT NF4 Ultra-D, DFI LanParty UT NF4 SLI-DR

RAM: At least a gig of PC3200 DDR-RAM. Buy RAM in pairs for better performance. High-performance RAM such as OCZ Platinum will give you a small boost over value ram like Samsung, but is only necessary if you plan to overclock. Suggestions: Corsair Value Select 2x512, OCZ Platinum EL High-Performance 2x512, OCZ Platinum EL High-Performance 2x1024

Videocard: All of the videocards you linked will work with a motherboard with a PCI-Express slot.

Power supply: MINIMUM 350 watts at the entry level, 400 watts at mid-range, 500 watts at the high end. Only buy power supplies from trusted manufacturers like Antec, Enermax, and Fortron/Source. Never buy a suspiciously cheap power supply without extensive research.

New computer. Lower-end but still great comparatively.

512 DDR.

2.0GhZ AMD Sempron 2400+
1600MhZ FSB
256k L2

160BG

nVidia GeForce 6100 chip. PCI Express slot available

8-in-1 Media reader.

48x Write CD-RW/16x Read DVD drive

5 USB ports.

Not built for gaming but it does run everything I have perfectly. So meh.

A Sempron? This isn't for gaming is it? I'm slowly gaining more knowledge of AMD but as I recell Sempron is the AMD equivalent of Intel's Celeron. Neither of which are built for gaming. I would suggest an Athlon 64, probably a 3200+, unless Cyke has a better middle line proc in mind. 3200 can run most games fine as long as you have a good video card and a good amount of RAM.

~Rico