The New Hardware Thread

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

I can't believe you bought the Cowon to begin with.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details
I ordered:
Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2 GB DDR5 DL-DVI-I/SL-DVI-D/HDMI/DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 100312-3L

It's replacing my ATI X1900XT that I've had since early 2005. :P

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

The shaders unlock!

I have an underclocked 6970 ( the card will overclock to 6970+ levels, but no need at the present time).

[8IronBob]

Still keeping my eye on rumours on the GTX 680's release and price tag... Although I'll probably be looking at picking one up in May at the earliest.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by 8IronBob

Still keeping my eye on rumours on the GTX 680's release and price tag... Although I'll probably be looking at picking one up in May at the earliest.

Nvidia actually skipped the 600 series. It's being called the GTX 780. They did the same thing with the GTX 280 and 480 (there is no 300 series of cards)

GTX 580 vs 780

The new cards are set to be released in February I believe.

[8IronBob]

Ahh...good, just hope there won't be much of a price jump between the 580 and the 780, tho... Gonna look into getting this by May at the earliest as stated in my last post, which should give them time to have enough in stock, and enough time for the dust to settle at Newegg.

[Iggy]

Problem time - I could use some help here. I have several HD's in my PC of which one has the OS installed, the other one is for programs the other two for back-up and my documents. I bought 2 2.5TB HD's to replace the HD's for my documents and the back-up. They're properly recognized by the BIOS and Win7 and run as they should. Then I shut down my system and replace 2 S-ATA cables for newer ones, including one of the OS HD. After switching the cables and insuring everything is properly connected I boot up the system only to encounter this error;



This error occurs each time I boot up the system normally. Booting into Windows Startup Repair makes the system hang also. I checked the BIOS and I do not see anything wrong. All HD's are recognized and boot settings are correct. I hear the OS HD spinning up and working as normal. I also placed back the old S-ATA cables in case the new ones aren't good but to no effect.

Edit;
Ah, either the cables or one of the two new HD's are causing some kind of conflict I think. System boots up perfectly when I restore everything to it's original state. I'll experiment further.

[8IronBob]

All righty, considering the latest news that Kepler GPUs are probably delayed until fall now, I decided that it might be best to go with an HD 7970 after all... Coming off the HD 5850 (also a Sapphire, mind you), seems like I should see one wallop of a performance increase with this. Just better hope it'll still fit in this Antec 900 case, tho. That worries me. Also decided to move from 8 GB DDR3-1600 to 16GB DDR3-1866. Although I might consider adding a GT 430 for PhysX purposes along with the HD 7970...see if that would work out.

[8IronBob]

Picked this up tonight... I'll probably wait until Kepler and do an nVidia 3D Vision setup to make full use of this display...thought about the HD 7970, but since AMD doesn't have plans to support 3D display technology, and I don't want to wear out the 2D - 3D conversion tool for too long, then putting off for an nVidia setup might be better, but thought I'd try the display out by itself beforehand.

Toshiba 32TL515U 32" 1080p 3D LED TV

It'll be a dual display for both my PC and for my PS3 as well. Might watch SOME TV on it, but mainly for gaming, 3d modeling and Blu-ray.

[Jeff]

IcyDock 4 bay hard drive enclosure

Also picked up an eSATA cable.

[8IronBob]

Originally Posted by Jeff

Nvidia actually skipped the 600 series. It's being called the GTX 780. They did the same thing with the GTX 280 and 480 (there is no 300 series of cards)

GTX 580 vs 780

The new cards are set to be released in February I believe.

Erm... Just looked on this website, and it's made clear that nVidia squashed the rumour of skipping 6xx (looks like it's called the GTX 680 after all, but not sure about paying $650, tho), and that the cards would be released just after Easter:

http://lenzfire.com/2012/02/entire-n...se-date-43823/

That's all right, the GTX 670 will most likely suffice. At least it's still better than what AMD currently has out there.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by 8IronBob

Erm... Just looked on this website, and it's made clear that nVidia squashed the rumour of skipping 6xx (looks like it's called the GTX 680 after all, but not sure about paying $650, tho), and that the cards would be released just after Easter:

http://lenzfire.com/2012/02/entire-n...se-date-43823/

That's all right, the GTX 670 will most likely suffice. At least it's still better than what AMD currently has out there.

Bah, I guess the 780 name was just unconfirmed and speculative.

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by Iggy

Problem time - I could use some help here. I have several HD's in my PC of which one has the OS installed, the other one is for programs the other two for back-up and my documents. I bought 2 2.5TB HD's to replace the HD's for my documents and the back-up. They're properly recognized by the BIOS and Win7 and run as they should. Then I shut down my system and replace 2 S-ATA cables for newer ones, including one of the OS HD. After switching the cables and insuring everything is properly connected I boot up the system only to encounter this error;



This error occurs each time I boot up the system normally. Booting into Windows Startup Repair makes the system hang also. I checked the BIOS and I do not see anything wrong. All HD's are recognized and boot settings are correct. I hear the OS HD spinning up and working as normal. I also placed back the old S-ATA cables in case the new ones aren't good but to no effect.

Edit;
Ah, either the cables or one of the two new HD's are causing some kind of conflict I think. System boots up perfectly when I restore everything to it's original state. I'll experiment further.

Turns out one of the new HD's got defect (somehow). I had it send back and got a replacement, which lasted for almost 48 hours because it just started to cause the very same error. What the heck is up with HD's these days? Also, why is Windows freaking out during start up while the broken HD is only used for file storage?

[8IronBob]

It was risky, but Amazon had these on preorder, and I took the plunge. Looks like I won't have to upgrade my PSU that I know of, since it won't require that much more juice than the HD 5850 does:



Just can't believe how hard these were to come by. To at least have these on preorder was quite fortunate (and yes, it is a Superclocked, wish it were a SC+ so I could have had the backplate, but this'll do).
Still a shame that EVGA downgraded the warranty from lifetime to 3 years tho. Looks like these PCB manufacturers are starting to get greedy. They're still one of the better brands for nVidia GPUs, tho.

[Kit]

Holy shit, ironbob. That's you future proofed for the foreseeable future.

Post some benchmarks if you can.

Also, my OCZ SSD has kicked the bucket - is that even the right phrase? anyway, I'm back on my old mechanical drive while the RMA goes through and god it's slow.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

I bought a Galaxy Nexus through the Google play store. I needed a new phone, but couldn't justify spending an extra $100 on a Galaxy note. I considered waiting for an galaxys3, but it would have been $600 or more unlocked. I only buy phones unlocked....

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

Originally Posted by Inanimate Carbon Rod

I bought a Galaxy Nexus through the Google play store. I needed a new phone, but couldn't justify spending an extra $100 on a Galaxy note. I considered waiting for an galaxys3, but it would have been $600 or more unlocked. I only buy phones unlocked....

eek $800 for the galaxy s3 unlocked...

http://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-GALAXY...dp/B0080DJ6C2/

[8IronBob]

Originally Posted by Kit

Holy shit, ironbob. That's you future proofed for the foreseeable future.

Post some benchmarks if you can.

Also, my OCZ SSD has kicked the bucket - is that even the right phrase? anyway, I'm back on my old mechanical drive while the RMA goes through and god it's slow.

Yeah, I'll have to do a 3DMark or 3DVantage test on here soon, as long as I've had this card, haven't gotten around to doing that yet... However, regarding that SSD, I've seen reports that OCZs are notorious for failing all over, so I feel for you. My X25-M is still going steady and strong, tho, after a couple of years of use. Seems like Intel might still be one of the more reliable brands of SSDs to this day.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by Kit

Also, my OCZ SSD has kicked the bucket - is that even the right phrase? anyway, I'm back on my old mechanical drive while the RMA goes through and god it's slow.

I have a Crucial SSD and it's still going. Although it's not as fast as the OCZ drives, it's a lot more reliable. I bought it in 2010 I believe.

[Kit]

Fingers crossed the RMA goes through painlessly. I'll have to give crucial a go next time round.

Currently been looking at upgrading my card. I'm stuck between these three: 6870, GTX 460, and the GTX 560. Leaning towards the 6870 just because it so power efficient and posts high frames in a few games I'm interested in.

[Jeff]

The GTX 400 series cards produce more heat than the 500 series cards. Just so you know.

[8IronBob]

Originally Posted by Jeff

The GTX 400 series cards produce more heat than the 500 series cards. Just so you know.

Same seems true between the 500 series and the 680. Haven't had one bit of heat issue with mine so far... Looking at the price of the 690, tho, I'm glad I didn't wait for THAT one, or otherwise, heh...yeah, that would have cost about the same as building a whole PC around the 680.

[Jeff]

Maybe that was the earlier versions of the 500 series. The newer ones come with a huge cooler which takes up almost 3 PCI-e slots.

[Kit]

What's the verdict on the 2gb 6950? do many games need the extra gig of ram? seen some good prices for that.

What I'm after is a cheap card that'll run Crysis 2 at 1920x1200.

[Jeff]

Isn't extra VRAM only good for things like HD texture packs and such? I could be wrong.

[Rapture_Rising]

Originally Posted by Kit

What's the verdict on the 2gb 6950? do many games need the extra gig of ram? seen some good prices for that.

What I'm after is a cheap card that'll run Crysis 2 at 1920x1200.

What about the GTX 570? according to the Geforce website running crysis 2 at 1920 is about 35 frames p/s with running everything on ultra, turn back the settings to high and you should get a decent frame rate.

I am interested in getting the GTX 570 myself, its to replace my GT 530 OEM card.

PS. looking at the comparisons between the GTX 570 and the 560 Ti there doesnt seem to be much difference between them, i think the 560 Ti are a bit cheaper.

[KO Gilligan]

I bought a Saitek Modern Warfare 2 keyboard. It's decorated in digital camo and is apparently anti-collision. It was discounted at my local Microcenter for under $20 and the feeling in the keys is really good. I like the feel better than the logitech keyboards, but the software has screwed up my fkeys and I think it's preventing me from getting screenshots from fkeys or Prt Scrn.

Will I still get the same anti-collision benefit if I don't use their keyboard driver at all?

I don't even know what the reason is that I loaded the stupid driver - it's just a regular key design.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=new

[8IronBob]

Yeah, that looks alright, I guess. Bet it's not a mechanical keyboard, tho. Haven't had one bit of trouble with ol' clicky-keys since I owned this DAS Keyboard.

[KO Gilligan]

I know,
buying 6GB at a time is so "2010"

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...?EdpNo=6572451



But I grabbed one anyway - it's $11 plus free shipping (after $40 rebate) if you belong to the club, or $2.29 shipping for me since I don't

I have a couple 4 GB sticks of nearly the same, and it works just great. But with the prices now, I probably wouldn't drop $50 for 3x2048

[8IronBob]

That all depends on what type of CPU and mobo setup you have, basically. If you still have an X58/i7 9xx setup, then those three-stick sets might still be pretty good. However, dual-channel and quad-channel sets seem to be the in thing. Right now it seems like the standard is 16GB (4 x 4GB) setups for both Sandy Bridge and Bulldozer builds.

[KO Gilligan]

Originally Posted by 8IronBob

That all depends on what type of CPU and mobo setup you have, basically. If you still have an X58/i7 9xx setup, then those three-stick sets might still be pretty good. However, dual-channel and quad-channel sets seem to be the in thing. Right now it seems like the standard is 16GB (4 x 4GB) setups for both Sandy Bridge and Bulldozer builds.

I'm running a Q6600 on a DX38BT (I mostly run it stock, but with my big cooler this thing overclocks way further than I've ever taken it - at 3GHz in 3DMark the temp doesn't even go up)\
The board supports 2GB per slot.
I only had 2 x 2 GB Corsair XMS DDR3 1600 (4GB) - So I put two Patriot sticks in the empty slots
The specs are the same
Cas Latency9Timing9-9-9-24Voltage1.65V


They are running superb so far, and I think I noticed a slight performance increase when I was playing with some Photoshop filters.

I dunno - but for $13, seemed like a worthy experiment - albeit a little Frankenstein-looking. I also have an extra stick I can use in a 32bit system

[Jeff]

Picked up a GTX 670 4 GB version.

[KO Gilligan]

I was thinking about grabbing one of these if they still have the deal come Friday (Shell Shocker deals are usually very short)


700 Watt or greater power supply recommended

Dual GTX460
$170 after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...SID=dl-1065476

DEAL EXPIRED - Back to $300 after rebate.

[Rapture_Rising]

I bought me some new speakers to replace the HP speakers, i bought Logitech Z323 speakers, they were a clearance at a local office supplies store for $40 down from $99



They are quite decent speakers, its only a 2.1 setup with a small 30W sub-woofer but it pumps out some good sound.

[8IronBob]

Hmm... I know that Logitech had a newer model from the ones I have (currently have the Z-2300 2.1 THX speakers), but I don't see why these puppies would ever grow old, they pump out booming sounds like nobody's business. I gave those overpriced Bose Companion 3s a try, but Logitech speakers are so much better for half that price. Mleh, I should have never went with Bose.

[KO Gilligan]

Logitech has a dented box section on their website worth checking out.

I've bought some nice 2.1 speakers for both of my kids there and the shipping was very reasonable, they were half off of retail. (and yes, the boxes were scuffed and dented to hell)

Nothing too interesting at the moment
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/special-offers/closeout

[Jeff]

That GTX 670 I bought is fantastic. Before I was getting a lot of stuttering with heavy clouds in FSX (4096x4096 resolution clouds with maximum cloud coverage). Now it's smooth as hell.

[8IronBob]

My stupid wireless adapter I have now connects to the network, but not to the Internet on my desktop, so I decided to grab this adapter, which I hope WILL connect the whole way. The D-Link I have is way out of date (DWA-542), so I'm switching to this ASUS one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320074

[KO Gilligan]

Originally Posted by 8IronBob

My stupid wireless adapter I have now connects to the network, but not to the Internet on my desktop, so I decided to grab this adapter, which I hope WILL connect the whole way. The D-Link I have is way out of date (DWA-542), so I'm switching to this ASUS one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320074

Looks really receptive.... and if you aim it's little ears just right, you can probably pick up a free signal from the closest McDonalds


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We have a lot of storms here, and I have never put the cable through a surge protector. Because of this, I get to take my fried modem back to Time-Warner for a new one about once a year. In the past, the update meant better connectivity than the one before it.

This year we had some big storms, and they are upgrading a lot of people to higher speeds and giving them new Motorola Surfboard Multimedia Modem/Routers- wireless ready.

The thing permenently transmits the wireless but they won't give me the passsword unless I pay rental on the wireless. The modem is included. The guy tells me "no problem, just hook your existing router to one of these ethernet ports".

My new N-Speed, 8 LAN connector router suddenly didn't work for internet, even though the globe was lit....

My G-speed router worked, but I had to put it further away from the useless Surfboard transmission or the signal was not there. I guess having them next to each other messed with the signal.

My N-Speed Router is really nice and even has a USB 3.0 port for a network storage device. I want the N-Speed for my media computer hooked to the widescreen, and I've already run Cat5 all over the damn place, so I don't want to add more right now.

After much grief I figured out the problem - my new N-Speed Router, and the new modem/router from the cable company both were at 192.168.0.1
After setting my router to 192.168.2.1 everything is zippy

[Rapture_Rising]

I am currently in the process of upgrading my computer, i have just bought an Antec High Current Gamer 620W modular PSU.

I am going to save up for a GTX 660 ti, it seems the best card that fits into my budget.

First i am going to buy a new case, i am currently looking at buying a NZXT Guardian 921 RB i'm a sucker for shiny things and this case seems to have positive reviews and also fits into my budget quite nicely.

Maybe once i have a new video card i might invest in an SSD i would also love to have water cooling system but i feel its a tad bit unnecessary.