The Computer Megathread

[Mr.jacksaunt]

I'm looking for nice graphics card thats at least under 250.
Something strong enough to handle Battlefield 3, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, CoD MW2, and Grand Theft Auto: IV on at least medium to high settings.

My current card (Radeon 6670) Just isn't doing it's job.

I'm pretty sure it's harder to run gta 4 on max than Battlefield 3. Although this is a really easy card to choose
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150605

[Ad Bot]

[SpreadsPlague]

I need a laptop. These are the things I want in it:

15+ inch screen
250GB+ HDD *or* any size SSD
i3 or more powerful CPU
strong battery life
at least 720p resolution
4GB+ RAM
has to be $500-600 CAD (before or after taxes)
has to have Windows 7 (don't want 8, just a personal thing)

I don't want a Dell or HP. I don't need it to play any games.
I've tried searching Newegg but I'm not familiar enough with laptops to know what to buy.

It will be for programming. I need to know what will be great value for my money.

[KoopaScooper]

I need a laptop. These are the things I want in it:

15+ inch screen
250GB+ HDD *or* any size SSD
i3 or more powerful CPU
strong battery life
at least 720p resolution
4GB+ RAM
has to be $500-600 CAD (before or after taxes)
has to have Windows 7 (don't want 8, just a personal thing)

I don't want a Dell or HP. I don't need it to play any games.
I've tried searching Newegg but I'm not familiar enough with laptops to know what to buy.

It will be for programming. I need to know what will be great value for my money.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834311655CVF
Battery life is ~5.2 Hrs, with 13% HST total price is $600.02

[HellHound]

Is an HP p6510y, a nice computer or is it a bad one? I know it's from a few years ago.

[beachbum111111]

How much cheaper is a custom built computer from a retail one?

[Darkness ZXW]

How much cheaper is a custom built computer from a retail one?

$100-$600 is the regular.

[Ethan]

Ethan seems to be here, good.I have another computer model, but the same graphics card and BIOS version as the computer that is supported in this article.

Um, I think it'd be worth it, just make sure the BIOS is EXACTLY the same, cause you don't want it to brick anything.

So I've been needing a new computer for a while and since I've just moved to Australia my parents thought they would treat me too a $1000 PC
Obviously this is great news so I've put myself a computer together which i think is good, could do with some advice as i am no expert in what's good or not!
I am building this computer myself, parts are as follows:
http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-22040495-Western_Digital_WD_Blue_35_1TB_SATA_60Gbs_7200RPM_64MB_Hard_Drive_HDD_WD10EZEX
http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-28023712-ASRock_Z77_Pro3_Motherboard_Intel_Z77_Chipset_Socket_1155_4x_15V_DDR3_DIMM_2800
http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-42051163-Galaxy_GeForce_GTX_670_Video_Card_GDDR5_2GB_256_bit_GPU_Clocks_915MHz_Boost_980M
http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-34040726-Thermaltake_TR2_Bronze_600W_TR_600PCAU_Power_Supply_ATX_EPS_Silent_12cm_Fan_Acti
http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-37140766-Corsair_8GB_2x_4GB_Dual_Channel_XMS3_Memory_PC3_12800_1600Mhz_DDR3_240_pin_DIMM
http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-18020591-Arctic_Cooling_Freezer_13_CPU_Cooler_for_Intel_Socket_1156_1366_775_AM3_AM2_AM2
http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-19010246-Intel_Core_i5_3570K_Unlocked_Quad_Core_3rd_Gen_Processor_Socket_LGA1155_34GHz_Tu
I hope you can tell this is meant to be a gaming computer, no case picked out yet and i already have a disk drive i can put in.
Anyway, advice please!

Looks good, but the CPU cooler doesn't list 1155 as a supported socket.

[Ethan]

Hey guys, I need a new mouse because my current RAT 7 has so many issues with it, like it spazzing out during an intense fight in TF2 or some other game, or double or even triple clicking when I click once. I love it to death though, so it's going to be tough getting rid of it. ;_;

Do you guys have any suggestions for a new mouse? I'd like to stay away from wireless mice.

Logitech G9X. Epic mouse, it's what I use.

[Ethan]

I am having some big problems with my computer
First, whenever I start up my computer all this stuff starts up with it. I don't know what programs are mandatory for my computer and the ones that are hogging my stuff. I didn't even install half that stuff but this is what happens when you have stupid friends

-snip-

Another thing is that every time I wan't to shut off my computer it always installs 3 specific updates. I have installed them repeatedly but they always want to install on shutdown

-snip-

The last thing is different. Back at the beginning of the year my hard drive died. So I got a new one and reinstalled my OS and files. But now every time I start up my computer this pops up:

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?f2das60ydnue4fq

Can you guys please help me with this? especially the last one.

I'm gonna be blunt and say that a reformat would fix everything. However that's probably not the most logical thing to do for everyone.

[Nickelob Ultra]

Guys I need help.  So my Sennheiser HD 280 Pros don't really give out good bass unless I plug them into something like my Genius desk speakers, which are amplified ("plugged in to an outlet" or some stuff idk they're just plugged into an outlet and extra electricity runs through them I don't do audio things well) and therefore give sounds actual good bass.  These headphones are quite obviously not amplified, they only plug in to the standard output jack.  How would I be able to give these headphones some amplification ("bass") with something like my laptop?

[pecon98]

Thanks for your suggestions guys. I have edited a few things, so here is my new list.

I skimmed it over, the main thing I can safely recommend is a power supply with higher wattage. The wattage calculator may have recommended 390w, but that doesn't mean you should then get a 400w power supply. Not supplying your parts sufficient power will cause severe damage to all of your parts, I recommend getting a 500w power supply at the least considering what you are aiming for in your build.

And here is one question to throw out there; why can't I run Battlefield 3 when my system exceeds the system requirements, and comes close to the recommended? Do I need to update my graphics drivers? I get anywhere around 10 - 30 FPS when playing.

Many games won't perform optimally even when you meet the recommended requirements. You just have to keep the graphical settings low.


EDIT: Oops, didn't notice I was a page behind.

[fawkes..]

Looks good, but the CPU cooler doesn't list 1155 as a supported socket.

So it won't work?

[KoopaScooper]

So it won't work?

The mounting brackets for both 1155 and 1156 are identical so any CPU heatsink built for 1156 will fit in 1155.
It just means it's not supported by the company but it should still fit.

[fawkes..]

The mounting brackets for both 1155 and 1156 are identical so any CPU heatsink built for 1156 will fit in 1155.
It just means it's not supported by the company but it should still fit.

Oh god thankyou, i ordered it yesterday and just saw what Ethan put, nearly panicked!

[KoopaScooper]

Oh god thankyou, i ordered it yesterday and just saw what Ethan put, nearly panicked!

I know that feeling, haha