Technical Q&A - all computers

This is the place where you can conflab about all the other stuff besides videogames
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magicjoef
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by magicjoef »

Your processor will be your bottle neck, but I think you would be okay upgrading graphics card first, then maybe get the i5 later in the year?

I think you would be aiming for high on most stuff with that card, Ultra maybe a push on things like Battlefield 3.

Remember to check the PSU requirements and physical space in the case :)
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Dante Fireseed
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by Dante Fireseed »

magicjoef wrote:Your processor will be your bottle neck, but I think you would be okay upgrading graphics card first, then maybe get the i5 later in the year?

I think you would be aiming for high on most stuff with that card, Ultra maybe a push on things like Battlefield 3.

Remember to check the PSU requirements and physical space in the case :)
Thanks Joe.

Yeah I think I will uprade to an i5 at some point soon.

This will be the first time i've stuck in a new graphics card, so how would I go about checking those two? Noob alert! Is it likely that the 5770 and 660 are different sizes?
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magicjoef
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by magicjoef »

The PCI Express slot it plugs into will be fine, but some cards can be longer than others...

This page has the dimensions of a GTX 660, so you can open up your case and check you have the space. I suspect it will be very similar to your 5770 in size:
http://www.geforce.co.uk/hardware/deskt ... ifications

It also looks like you're absolutely fine on power consumption. The 660 needs 450w PSU and one 6 pin connector, which is actually the same as the 5770 (new cards are much more efficient considering their power):
http://www.amd.com/uk/products/desktop/ ... iew.aspx#3
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Dante Fireseed
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by Dante Fireseed »

Thank you very much, I shall take it all on board :)
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Dante Fireseed
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by Dante Fireseed »

Can anyone recommend a decent wireless gaming mouse? Price up to about £50
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countstex
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by countstex »

For a mouse I always need to get hands on, features are not as important as the weight and size in your hand. I find the majority of mouses (gramatically correct use there as we are not talking about the living creatures) too small, I need to be able to rest my palm on them well. Those tiny ones people buy for laptops were the bane of my life when I did IT support, I'd have more success using my tongue on a trackpad!
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Alex79
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by Alex79 »

I don't currently have a PC, and just use my work laptop when I need to. I keep all my music on a 500GB external hard drive but its not super portable, it's big, bulky and needs a power supply. Am I right in thinking that a SSD doesn't need it's own power supply? As if this is the case I think I'll definitely upgrade.
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Guy_JD
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by Guy_JD »

Most USB caddys that use laptop drives don't require a separate power supply, the one I use for work has an IDE drive in it and that powers off the USB

So no need to go down the route of an SSD if you can get away with a SATA in a caddy for a quarter of the price
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countstex
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by countstex »

True enough, most 2.5" drive caddies use one or sometime two USB ports to run, however it you are going to be running the laptop on batteries whilst doing it it will eat that up pretty fast, an SSD would lessen this effect. If you are always on power though it doesn't matter.
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by Lego Solo »

Ok total noob here. I am looking to buy a gaming PC, have never done this before and the research I have done has quite honestly scared the crap out of me!

I just want a desktop that is built for gaming as I have a laptop that is used for my work etc. I'm looking at a budget of between £500 - £1000. I would like to play the top games at pretty high settings and not have to upgrade for at least 18mths or so. Can you guys maybe point me in the right direction?
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by countstex »

Check out the systems Scan put together, those guys know what they are doing. Else there are a few of us here that can put a build together if you are will to try self assembly.
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magicjoef
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by magicjoef »

Do you need a screen? As that will impact on the budget and what spec you'll be aiming for.
Lego Solo

Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by Lego Solo »

Well I'm getting myself a new LED screen that I will have in my game room, probably 32". I want to hook everything up to it, Xbox, ps3 and hopefully a new gaming rig. Will the size etc mean the specs have to match?
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magicjoef
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by magicjoef »

Nope, just wanted to know if part of your budget was for a monitor/TV :) You'll be able to run out an HDMI from your gaming rig to that screen no problem.

As a basic outline, I would suggest 8gb of RAM is the sweet spot at the moment. In terms of processor I run an i5 without many issues, but if your budget can handle it, a good i7 will last you quite a while.

Here's a rough idea of what graphics cards are doing in terms of performance at the moment. From my personal experience, I upgraded to an nVidia 670 a few months back and have been really pleased with the performance:
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

I would either use this info to scout out something from somewhere like Scan as Countstex suggested, or if you want to get your sleeves rolled up, pick your CPU and GPU to form the core of your system. These will be the biggest dents in your budget, and will be the deciding factor in what type of motherboard you require (CPU socket etc).
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magicjoef
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by magicjoef »

(Also, it'll be good for you LED screen to be full HD, as you'll get 1920 x 1080 resolution out of your gaming PC)
Lego Solo

Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by Lego Solo »

Cheers for the help guys. Just checked out the different graphics cards and the thing that confuses my poor little brain is all the numbers! I looked at the one you suggested but there seems to be different versions of the same chip. All with different this and that?!

So would a Rig with 8gb of ram, a good i5 processor with that graphic card you use be worthwhile? Oh and the LED will be full HD.
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magicjoef
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by magicjoef »

It would be good to cross reference with other PCers in the community too, but I play everything on high/highest settings with my i5 and a 670. I know a few people have more potent rigs than that though. The thing I would upgrade is my CPU, so it depends how much extra the i7 would cost you I guess.

The chipset means all the cards perform at a pretty similar level. If one seems very cheap, check they aren't restricting any of the speed on the card. Also, most of the popular cards get reviews and benchmarks on tech sites, so you can check the brand of card you're looking at doesn't have any problems.
Lego Solo

Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by Lego Solo »

Ok I'm slooowly getting my head around it (feel a bit of headache coming on) looking at the prices, it does seems that building my own and having one built by pros isn't that much different in overall price?
Lego Solo

Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by Lego Solo »

Also has anyone used a company called UKGC (UK Gaming Computers)?
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magicjoef
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Re: Technical Q&A - all computers

Post by magicjoef »

Lego Solo wrote:Ok I'm slooowly getting my head around it (feel a bit of headache coming on) looking at the prices, it does seems that building my own and having one built by pros isn't that much different in overall price?
And the slight overhead is a bit of safety if things go pear shaped.
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