Ok This is a weid question and I hope this is a good thread for me to post this in. I am trying to find information on a pedometer (I believe) that burnie brought up in a podcast. I don't know what it was called or anything but I remember it had the concept of being able to find it if you lost it and you could keep track of your steps electronicly and load it up on a score board to compete with other people. I am just trying to get more active in life and thought that with something like this it would get me a little more active cuz it plays to the geek/nerd of me lol. Thanks for any help
Anyway, I just wanted to ask if that memory set was compatible with that MB; looks like it is to me, but thought I'd ask to make sure.
Now for the real question: Need a temp Video Card that will do a half decent job until I can afford something Crossfire oriented. My budget for the card is about $50 to $60 and I need something that will run for at least a year or more. Want PCIE 2.1x16, and has to be an AMD chipset. Would prefer Radeon 6000 series, but would consider 5000 series depending on price and specs. It'll prolly wind up being upgraded in six to nine months but may wind up waiting until next year for that.
For the time being I'm looking for something that will work well on a budget which is easy considering I don't really do that much gaming. Prolly gonna start soon though but wanted a system to handle it first.
Anyway, am I crazy for wanting something in that price range now? When I upgrade to a top end model, I'm gonna wind up spending a few hundred bucks more than likely, but since I don't have any PCIE video cards, got to buy at least one decent one and wanted to see what you guys would suggest first.
That's a pretty tough price range you're looking at. Fist it's largely dominated by Nvidia, second most cards in that range are 64bit. And limiting yourself to PCIE 2.1 narrows it down even further.
I wouldn't say you're crazy for wanting something like that short term... better than nothing at all right? But I'd really try to scrape pennies together, bust open piggy banks, and wait till next paycheck. If you were willing/ able to step up to say $80 you can a much better card that will actually hold it's own with most modern games, take this guy for example. Handles quite a bit for the price tag.
But if you're dead set on your price range then this would probably do the job and not be an utter disappointment, though it's only in your price range after a mail in rebate.
I'm aware they're both 6670s but the HIS card has higher clocks and apparently quite a bit of headroom for simple overclocks (through catalyst which I beleive doesn't void any warranties?).
I tried a few models of the 6670's that were suggested above and ended up returning them due to fan noise. This is largely manufacturer specific but they all seem to cut corners on the heatsink/fan on those for some reason (probably to get the cheaper price). The performance on them was fine while I had them.
If you don't care much about gaming for now, the 5450/6450 'silent' cards aren't bad. They won't win awards for performance, but they run cool and are quiet and cheap. I have a asus 6450 and a couple asus 5450's in systems and they work fine for browsing, videos, music, office docs.
While I can't speak for those specific cards I can say this; HIS prides themselves on their fans and heat sinks, so it's a safe bet to say they're effective and quiet. And those tiny little fans on the XFX card never make much noise, unless there's something wrong with it.
Honestly fan noise has never really been a concern to me? Most people either play with headsets or have some high end speakers, either way you're not really going to notice the fans. Or is it just one of those strange things people like to focus on for no particular reason?
That 6770 looks be to a pretty good deal, honestly even at $99 it's a pretty decent deal. Might have to keep an eye on those myself, never hurts to pick up some extra power for cheap.
Silent cards... Well... What to say. Honestly, I wouldn't even bother trying to get a good one if you're going silent, just grab whatever is $10 at the time and be done with it. I have a Zotac I picked up for $9.99 a year or two ago. It's not junk, I mean it can handle things like Portal and Oblivion at low-medium settings, but they get up a million degrees. Silent cards are really meant to replace video chipsets on the MB and give a tiny bit more oomph, they're not really meant to handle much more than angry birds or (maybe) some 720P Blurays.
And those tiny little fans on the XFX card never make much noise,
No. Typically, the smaller the fan is, the higher the RPM's it has to spin at to deliver the same CFM to cool the heat sink.
Most people either play with headsets
I'm not sure what you base this on. I find it rare that someone would choose a headset over being able to crank the volume and feel the bass.
Or is it just one of those strange things people like to focus on for no particular reason?
Real nice, fellah. "You must be strange if you don't agree with me". There are many reasons to focus on noise. Computers aren't just used for gaming. If given the choice over listening to music with a constant white noise, or listening to music without white noise, no one will choose the fan noise option. This is even more important when the machine has to be in a location that has to take others into consideration. Just because the user gets to wear headphones and snipe german zombies in all of its ear splitting glory doesn't meant everyone around them should have to deal with the constant whirring noise.
Portal and Oblivion at low-medium settings, but they get up a million degrees
These cards can play portal 2 at medium with good frame rate and they do not get hot. It is why they can be passively cooled.
Silent cards are really meant to replace video chipsets
Also, no. I'll assume you meant onboard chipsets. Silent cards are meant to perform silently; the cards suggested previously will outperform a majority of integrated chipsets (the only comparable IGPU I've run into is in the new AMD Fusion APU's on the LLano chips . .and they are integrated 6000 series).
they're not really meant to handle much more than angry birds or (maybe) some 720P Blurays.
And again, no. They do 1080p playback just fine. They play portal 2 at medium settings on 1440x900 just fine (30-35fps).
You obviously have no real world experience with this generation of video cards. It doesn't sound like you've even read some of the reviews of them. They aren't killer gaming cards, but they are cheap, functional, quiet, lower power and can do much more than you are stating. If the original poster didn't want to get a more expensive video card and could accept the limitations, it is a viable solution. In their shoes, I would buy less ram and put the extra cash to a better video card, but they've already stated they don't game much and were considering an option for today with an upgrade to an expensive card in a year.
Well... Effective, maybe not quiet, but effective, minus a few with overheating issues on certain cards.
The smaller cards (I have one currently with a very similar heat sink and fan) are pretty quiet, they do need to spin faster to compete with bigger fans, except they don't need to compete with bigger fans. Those cards need no external power source, are pretty low powered, and aren't going to put out as much heat as a bigger, higher end card. Well, depends on the card I suppose.
Most people I know prefer headsets, while being able to shake your entire house with your sub is fine and great, it can get a little distracting while gaming. Plus some of that might bleed through your mic. Headsets are a cheap way to get pretty decent quality sound and still chat with your team. I'm just talking about gaming though, speakers are the way to go for everything else.
I'm not saying people who care about noise are silly, I just don't get the fuss. Then again I've never been in a situation where noise is a factor to me or to others. What you're saying makes sense though, never considered that really. As for music I either use IEMs or have my speakers at a volume where a few fans will go completely unnoticed, no matter how noisy the little suckers are.
Again, I was referring to the specific Zotac card I have. Zotac cards generally run at higher clocks but much higher temperatures, that little card will literally get up above 90C with decent load.
You will get a performance gain over on board video, of course. I tend to exaggerate to make a point, but my conversational tendencies don't really shine through text. Point I was making though is silent cards can probably play games like Skyrim and Battlefield, but likely on the lowest (or at least close to) settings. Now I don't know if you've ever tried sniping someone at 800X600 resolution and 16FPS but it's not an easy affair. Games are meant to be enjoyed, not endured.
I genuinely didn't think they could handle 1080P, that's neat. Again, exaggeration. I have a laptop with an Intel 950G chipset and it can chug through Portal on pretty low settings and still be playable, though just barely.
I don't have much experience with them, but I do have a silent card and one with similar specs and heat-sinks. They can handle a bit, but I wouldn't suggest them for anyone who wants to get more serious about gaming.
Now if you're quite done bashing me then maybe we can focus on helping the guy with the question.
Portal 2 is an incredibly low stress game. Basing a component decision on that fact that it can barely run a low stress game on a low resolution is quite short sighted.
In reply to Shinn, #7089: My couple decades of IT experience and firsthand experience with multiple models of all the cards listed yields to your couple decades of life. How short sighted of me to pick a common game many here would know. Fine. Those cards can play Star Craft 2 at medium settings with OK frame rate at those resolutions. Those cards can play battlefield at medium to low settings have enough fps to snipe with. Nowhere did it say to choose the card purely based on that one factor and if the posts were read and comprehended, this would have been clear. If Trainrek had a specific game goal in mind, the statistics could have been couched towards that game if someone had first had experience or found reviews where others had. He's talked lots about the type of system he's designing over the last 4 months, brand preferences, and researching whether to spend extra on some of the newer procs. If you go back and read through the last several pages, it can be seen he's not basing any of his decisions on a single factor for any components...
The cards are cheap, they fit the posters requested budget. It was stated repeatedly that they aren't top of the line gaming model and I certainly wouldn't suggest shaving costs here. But that obviously doesn't matter at this point since this it was stated before and not read/comprehended. Then again, maybe I'm due for more condescension from teenagers, so by all means, continue.
You've got quite a temper on you haven't you? No one here is attempting to be condescending or rude in anyway, myself or Shinn. We're just trying to have a discussion, we're sorry we don't just sit here and accept your word as god's law. If anything you're posts are the ones being rude and condescending (though only just a bit, which might just make it worse). And if you're seeing ours posts as rude and condescending then I assure you, it's because that seems to be your default setting and you assume other people intend to be just and unprovokedly rude as you.
Let's table the negativity and stick to tech please?
If you're still referring to silent cards their generally quite a bit below his budget? Correct me if I'm wrong please. And while he's not building his system with anyone factor in mind I'd say he is, like everyone building a system, trying to get as much performance as he can within his budget. So rather than sit here and waste all this text talking about $20-$30 silent cards how about we move on to something he'd actually be interested in? Because while as you've stated, they can handle a decent bit and still make modern games... playable... I'm sure he'd rather spend $50-$60 and be able to play games on medium-high settings at decent resolutions. With all your oodles of tech experience I'm sure you've played a game or two at low settings so you know games are much more enjoyable when played at full resolution and medium-high settings versus lowered resolutions and low settings.
Papercup wasn't being negative, he was being attacked. The way I read it, he was (and still is) having a very difficult time getting you guys to understand his point. Current-generation AMD and nVidia budget cards can do a whole lot more than you give them credit for, and Trainrek has already stated that he's not likely to do a whole lot of gaming until he can afford a higher-end card anyway!
1. The 6450 that Papercup linked was $42, which is $18 under Trainrek's max budget of $60.
2. The 6770 you linked is currently $120, which is double Trainrek's max budget of $60. That's today's reality. If it happens to go on sale again, and the rebate happens to still be in effect, and he happens to get the rebate back (which can take weeks, and is by no means a sure thing), then it would still be $10 over his budget.
3. If the 6450 isn't powerful enough, the next card up in the series is the 6570, and the cheapest one I could find is $65 before rebate. So if Trainrek can't afford to wait for a rebate, Papercup is, so far, the only one to have linked something that's actually in his price range.
But the way I see it, you were recommending he spend a little bit more for much better performance, which is a good suggestion! Papercup just pointed out that if high-end gaming didn't matter much in the short-term, that he might save a few dollars by going with a cheaper card, which is an equally good suggestion!
I think it's up to Trainrek to decide which card suits him best at this point. Sheesh.
Negativity begets negativity. He was being less than positive. I apologize if my posts seemed to be anything less than pleasant. They weren't meant to be, I beleive I already said this. And I conceded to his point on several occasions, and explained that My statements about the cards were exaggerations to further my point. It seems he failed to pick up on, what I thought to be, fairly clear exaggeration and sarcasm. I mean come on, I said they weren't good for much more than playing Angry birds, if you can't tell I'm being silly there then the problem is with you and not me I'd say?
Under budget is not always best, as I mentioned most people and seemingly Trainrek in this case, want as much performance possible whilst staying in budget. This usually equates to finding the best performing card at the upper end of his budget. Point is under budget isn't necessarily a good thing.
I did not link that 6770, that was Papercup, I linked one card that was in budget after a mail in rebate, and one that was slightly over.
I was indeed recommending he spend a few bucks more if possible. I understand what Papercup was saying and saw no problem with it, it is, as you say, up to Trainrek whether he wants to save a little bit or get a little more power. Papercup seems to have not caught on to my sarcasm and exaggeration, if that's the case I'll try to be more clear and to the point from now on.
However he picked apart by post and piece by piece saying I was wrong on basically all fronts, even on some I knew to be right on. And then to finish the post he told me I obviously had no experience with the thing I just mentioned having experience with and that I generally don't know what I'm talking about. He then continued to take a simple statement about Portal not being a good performance reference and respond to it with hostility siting his experience and making mention (negatively) of our ages several times (which is generally a very rude thing to do with younger people).
Not exactly the way to make friends I think?
I feel that both myself and Shinn made fairly simple statements (especially Shinn) that were in no way rude or hostile, yet we were met with such. And I was certainly not trying to attack him.
But this is kind of a ridiculous conversation to be having here and I'm honestly starting to feel like I'm sitting in a Junior High classroom.
That 6570 you linked looks to be his best bet for the money. They do have passive cooling and from the reviews seem to run fairly hot, but with that monster case of his and the massive fan right to the side of the card it should stay fairly cool.
Sorry for mis-quoting you. The conversation was long and ugly, and I picked up on you liking that card, and seeming to dismiss the 6450. Both of which are good suggestions, by the way. Everyone had good suggestions!
I'm not sure how this whole thing spun out of hand, but it all boils down to what the guy can afford on his budget. I will just say that arguing over the minor differences in performance between inexpensive cards is pretty moot.
Especially since he'll obviously end up buying the card I linked. Because I'm awesome.
"...." *bap* "I'm sorry, that's a new one. And you are?"
"I'm Goku!"
"I'm Insane!!!"
"From Earth!!!!!!!"
*stunned look, moment of silence*
"...he....means.....saiyan...."
*Rek falls over laughing before he blink blinks and glances around*
I'm sorry, what? Was watching something else. I kinda stopped reading after the first few posts where you started coming down with another clinical case of head-in-assitis....
Anyway, I did find all the links to be most helpful and gave me more than a number of leads on possible ways to go. I may wind up pulling back a bit on the memory and investing in a better card because I like the overall wind tunnel design of the Diamond and may wind up just grabbing a crossfire now. Definitely on the list, but it's not something needed at the moment. I just need something that can at least keep up with the on-board Nvidia built into the Zotac Geforce 6150 MB I'm currently running.
That is the general need with no specific intended target in the immediate future. Long term I'll be looking for a mini wind tunnel inside the turbine with multiple fans and large heat sinks and a belt driven turbo charger with an 13 psi internal boost with ported and polished manifolds and heads and, and, and...wait, what were we talking about again, I think I might be in the wrong thread....
Arigato cup-san. Now I have a better idea of what to keep my eyes out for next time the egg throws out a sale...which is like...every few days. Granted, something like only comes along every now and then, but will definitely keep my ears to the ground....or...well....my eyes on my in-box....you know what I mean!
Pretty much anything mentioned should beat your Nvidia board. And a polished manifold will always help... honestly this isn't as silly as it sounds, see the similarity?
Yet another great deal pops up. Anyone have any experience with that store???
And cutting down on the memory shouldn't hurt too bad, I can't really imagine much real world use for 16GB. Were you just wanting some bragging rights or do you have bad habit or running Photoshop, 200 Firefox tabs, Skyrim, AutoCAD, and several other heavy programs all at once?
That 6770 looks pretty good if you can swing it. It's no slouch so you should be pretty happy with it for some time to come.
In reply to Trainrek, #7099: That looks like the same card that I picked up a pair of recently, and it has that $20 rebate (which is interesting since the rebate on the card I picked up supposedly ends in a few days and that one goes through next month). I do wonder if many retailers are dumping this at discount recently for some reason or if it's just to make shelf space for the new 7000 series models coming out. (An interesting aspect of this card is it is possible to make it think it is a 5770 card, which is meaningful if you ever want to play with osx on non apple hardware...)
Even without the rebate it's not a bad less-expensive option if you can adjust your budget. I'm pretty sure MicroCenter will match the prices in store for their online site - you can save a couple bucks on the shipping (and give a few bucks to your state/local govt.) if you aren't far from the Denver store.
I'm still pretty pleased with the cards, even when under load (mostly playing fallout3NV and some tests using furmark), the fan kicks up some, but doesn't sound like a vacuum. Mine's in a short microatx cube style case with only a single large back case fan (in addition to the PSU fan) and it gets warm inside the box but most of the heat seems to get pumped out the back of the card.
As for the ram, unless you know for sure you are going to be using an application that gets benefit from large amounts of memory (photo editing and cad programs were good examples, big databases, some types of rendering, virtualization would be others), it's unlikely you'll miss an extra 8gb.
Micro Center is very similar to Fry's in what they carry and how they operate. They have brick and mortar stores that you can waste hours browsing in. They'll do ship-to-store for their online site and you can return items that you order online straight to the store and as long as the item and packaging still looks sellable,there is no restock fee. Their retail store prices are usually close to what you'll find in online retailers and their weekly sales will beat online sales sometimes. They are generally reputable. If you end up being in an area with one of the retail stores, make it a point to stop in. It's like walking into a newegg retail location (you'll never want to go to a best buy type store again).
I'm really hoping for some aggressive discounting on 6xxx cards once the 7xxx cards really start coming out, I suppose It might take a few months though.
8GB should be plenty for most non professionals, I'm using 4GB and do use several heavy applications including those I mentioned and the occasional virtual machines and light gaming, I also tend to get pretty ridiuclous with browser usage. I definitely feel the limits of 4GB more often that I'd like. Point is, when it comes to RAM usage I'm probably one of the heavier guys around and 8GB should be more than enough for me.
Which kind of leads me off on a tangent about every 14 year old having 16GB in his case when the most he's ever got going at one time is Chrome and Battlefield 3... But I'll leave that be.
Sounds like a good store, I wish I had local stores like that. Unfortunately It's probably a 200 mile drive to the nearest one. And honestly until 2 years ago the closest Best Buy was 50 miles away.
Micro Center is very similar to Fry's in what they carry and how they operate. They have brick and mortar stores that you can waste hours browsing in. They'll do ship-to-store for their online site and you can return items that you order online straight to the store and as long as the item and packaging still looks sellable,there is no restock fee. Their retail store prices are usually close to what you'll find in online retailers and their weekly sales will beat online sales sometimes. They are generally reputable. If you end up being in an area with one of the retail stores, make it a point to stop in. It's like walking into a newegg retail location (you'll never want to go to a best buy type store again).
I've never been to a Fry's but I have been to one of the Atlanta area microcenters and +1 ditto the rest of this statement.
Haha, I started reading your post and thought, "Plagiarism much?" Quote buttons are useful things eh? (hint)
How about their shipping times, Newegg and Tiger generally get things to my door in 2-3 days, and that's with standard shipping. I understand that UPS and FedEx will take how ever long they'll take, but warehouse location and good order to out the door times help quite a bit.
Amazon has good deals and the best shipping in the universe. Before you buy the vid card, check out what prices Amazon has. Their browsing method is pretty crap, but sometimes you can find some really sweet deals there. Even better than newegg once in a while.
Indeed. I scored one of my two HD 6850s from one of their lightning deals about 6 months ago. Even their regular prices are sometimes pretty competitive.
