Building PC / Have Questions

[der_jackal]

Originally Posted by otispunkmeyer

i admit i dont know enough about these things to really comment..... but thats what i meant. i know programs execute things with many more than one thread, but because the cpu can only do one at a time they are all jimmied up and run in a sequence.

That's close to it...

Originally Posted by otispunkmeyer

but yeah i meant most programs dont use the cores properly because theyre not designed to even though they could certainly do it.

Told you it was just a semantic pet peeve.

[Shawn]

Here's an update:

I was really rushing in picking parts because the site I'm gonna buy them from had a sale until the 29th and I was hoping to get all my stuff for cheap. But I realized I was rushing way too much and was gonna make decisions I would regret down the line.

So I decided to give that sale a miss and wait for one of their other 50 yearly sales.

I'm still stuck on a case and video card. I can't find a full ATX case in HTPC form factor other than for SilverStone's offerings. But I really want to treat myself to a nice video card to go with my new 42" LCD, and so I'm eyeing the EVGA 9800GTX, but that being a dual-slot card and very long I'm not sure it will fit the SS case.

What's the deal with dual-slot cards anyway? Does it take up the space of two cards, or does it actually fill two slots on the mobo? I'm not sure how the latter would work since then one would have to go into PCI-E and the other in a PCI slot.

[AxlxA]

Are you going to be gaming on this htpc? if not, dont get hte 9800gtx(even if you want to treat yourself. get something more along the line of HD capable and fits in your case a bit better with better heat dissipation.

[Shawn]

^ I've never been the biggest PC gamer, other than big games like HL2 that I got hooked on. So going by my current habits I won't be doing much gaming... but on the other hand I've never had a super capable computer or a pretty screen to play it on, so I'm thinking I will do a bit of gaming on it as well.

I looked at ATI's HD Radeon cards, but they don't seem to offer much other than HDMI... which is a bit useless given I have a DVI-HDMI cable.

What if I were to choose between a midrange GeForce 9 or a high-end GeForce 8 card? Which would you guys recommend then?

[jeffy777]

I would recommend an 8800GT 512MB. It's better than the mid-range 9 series cards (9600GT for example). A 9800GTX is a bit better, but not really worth the extra cash.

Just about everyone will tell you that the 8800GT is the card to get right now.

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by Shawn

What's the deal with dual-slot cards anyway? Does it take up the space of two cards, or does it actually fill two slots on the mobo? I'm not sure how the latter would work since then one would have to go into PCI-E and the other in a PCI slot.

It takes up the space of two slots without using 2 physical slots, meaning if you have a PCI slot next to the PCI-E, then you wouldn't be able to use it. Dual-Slot cards are quite massive, but in return, you will get better cooling. There are no video card in the world that uses 2 physical slots on the motherboard, when they mean dual slot design, it just means the card is fat and it takes up the space of the adjacent slot.

[Shawn]

^ I see. So I won't need two side-by-side PCI-E slots.

I love the EVGA 9800GTX but I don't think it will fit into any HTPC case. So far I like the look of this case:



Less than $90, even in Canada!

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by Shawn

^ I see. So I won't need two side-by-side PCI-E slots.

I love the EVGA 9800GTX but I don't think it will fit into any HTPC case. So far I like the look of this case:



Less than $90, even in Canada!

You dont need a 9800GTX, unless 1) you have money to burn 2) you are a hardcore gamer that loves to run FSAA on max.

It's not a good idea buying the 9800 now, since its about to be replaced. Yes, I mean replaced. The next generation of gfx card is just around the corner, the HD4000 series and 9900s are coming out very soon(Should be able to see them by Q3 and Q4). Rather stick with a 8800GT or 3870 for now and upgrade to a better card in the future when the price settles down a bit.

Both the 8800GT and 3870 are good for just about every games thats out there. 9800GTX is an overkill for average gamers, its at least $120 more than the 8800GT but it does not offer $120 more performance, you are reaching towrads the top of the pyramid here, where you need to spend a huge amount of money for that little extra performance that can only be noticed when running games at ultra high resolution.

As for the case, you mean this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146034

Sounds like a solid case, you should read some of the reviews they have there. But it looks like you can shove in a high end video card without much hassle.

[Shawn]

I know updated cards are coming, but the difference between the 8800GT and 98090GTX is only about $70 here. So I figured it was worth it. I'm not likely to upgrade the card until I'm ready for a new PC again.

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by Shawn

I know updated cards are coming, but the difference between the 8800GT and 98090GTX is only about $70 here. So I figured it was worth it. I'm not likely to upgrade the card until I'm ready for a new PC again.

$70 bucks?

Either the 9800GTX is really well priced, or the 8800GT is overpriced.

8800GT (512mb) is going for around $180, some of them even have a nice special $30 rebate deal, which will bring the price down to $150.


If $70 is the difference, then I dont see a reason why you shouldn't get the 9800GTX

[Shawn]

^ Well there was a $60 instant rebate on the 9800GTX and it was going for $309.99, but I think I missed it.

Getting an 8800 instead wouldn't really help me anyway, since even that is too long for most HTPC cases... it's stlll over 9 inches long I believe.

[jeffy777]

Yeah, if you can get a hot deal on the 9800GTX, you might as well go for it, especially if you want to try to get the most life out of your purchase.

[db2450]

Originally Posted by Shawn

^ Well there was a $60 instant rebate on the 9800GTX and it was going for $309.99, but I think I missed it.

Getting an 8800 instead wouldn't really help me anyway, since even that is too long for most HTPC cases... it's stlll over 9 inches long I believe.

Unless you are doing externsive gameing, a 8600GT would probably be fine fo you. I can run HL2 (Eps 1&2) and Portal on the highest settings with excellent fps so the 8600s should be fine.
Otherwise, I would go for an 8800GT, it will easily be able to handle anything below Crysis at the highest settings.

[jeffy777]

Here's a good review of the 9800GTX to give you an idea of how it compares to the 8800GT;
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...mb-review.html

Crysis performance:
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...review-10.html

And it's from a Canadian source, so that's a bonus for you shawn

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by Shawn

^ Well there was a $60 instant rebate on the 9800GTX and it was going for $309.99, but I think I missed it.

Getting an 8800 instead wouldn't really help me anyway, since even that is too long for most HTPC cases... it's stlll over 9 inches long I believe.

Just browse around newegg, read the reviews, most of the guys that buy an HTPC case end up buying a high end graphics card as well. You will find a nice case that will take a full size gfx card without too much hassle.

[Shahzan]

why not get 8800GTX... its in between the 9800GTX and 8800GT... it works well wit no prob... i hav it for a while wit no prob... well,,, iam abit crazy wit building komp.. i tend 2 make it unique... used to put in triple SLi 8800 Ultra but then sold it for a big amount of price... make a big profit... hehe

so now i use 8800GTX and its perfect and u wont b needing 2 change d video card for like another 4 years...

[Shawn]

^ Because my problem is with the length of the card, and the 8800s are almost as long as the 9800s (which is an impossible fit in most HTPC cases). If I had money or availability issues, I'd be more than happy with an 8800GTX.

[jeffy777]

Originally Posted by Shahzan

so now i use 8800GTX and its perfect and u wont b needing 2 change d video card for like another 4 years...

Another 4 years? Good luck with that.....

The 8800GTX will already be 2 years old this fall. If Crysis is already pushing the limits of that card, how do you think it will do with next year's hottest game? Or 2 years down the road?

I think 4 years is more than a just a wee bit opmistic.....unless you are happy with running on lower settings.

[argatoga]

Originally Posted by Shahzan

why not get 8800GTX... its in between the 9800GTX and 8800GT... it works well wit no prob... i hav it for a while wit no prob... well,,, iam abit crazy wit building komp.. i tend 2 make it unique... used