Widescreen Gaming Forum

[quote]RAID0, that would be the bit where 2x80GB becomes 1x160GB with bigger speed, correct? Does this work properly on motherboard RAID controllers? I've heard some stories about RAID not working well straight from the MoBo...
I think I'll be looking into this raiding thing.

IMO, don't waste your time with RAID0, if you ever change your motherboard or it dies, you are screwed.

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EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SC ACX 2.0 3.5GB | 3 X LG Flatron 24EA53VQ in Nvidia Surround | Optoma HD20

Location is not always an obstacle for everyone, nor is Customs. . . . I enjoy 75% discount on shipping with a prominent express courier and I have the means to have items hand-carried internationally. I was going to help X-Warrior by offering a hookup on shipping and/or hand carriage, simply as a good gesture. I do this on a regular basis for my friends, and customs is not an obstacle, either.He's a good listener, he courteously weighs the options and advice presented, and he expresses apppreciation for the advice given so far. He seems like a good guy, the kind of person I wouldn't mind helping, just because I can.

ho ok I'll eat my words then, it's just that as a french guy, I already checked out many US deals and the price difference is more often than not, too low to be interesting, despite the fact that some of my girlfriend family lives there ...

IMO, don't waste your time with RAID0, if you ever change your motherboard or it dies, you are screwed.

+1, I already checked out & used several RAID solutions, and IMHO one should consider RAID only with real RAID cards with battery + cache

Hmmm... yesterday I was checking out the pc-builder option Alternate's website has.

Very interestingly, it shows warnings if things aren't going to work and other recommendations.


The Element S without sidefan is currently out of stock so I couldn't select it. Chose the one with fan instead and bang: red warning signs - cpu cooler isn't going to fit. Nice way to check if things fit I suppose :)


Aside from this I got a recommendation: the CPU isn't going to utilise 1600MHz memory and instead I could better get 1333MHz versions. Thoughts on this? There has already been mention of easier overclocking possibilities for 1600MHz memory, but I don't think I'll be OCing after all...


The downside of all this is that some of the parts I want are currently out of stock: the case and the PSU. Could of course get the 850HX PSU instead, for an extra €20, if I'm in a real hurry (which I'm not anyway).

Were I to use this 'pc-builder', there's a catch. They charge €55 for putting it together (which I suppose would be reasonable, as it includes software installation), and I'd get a sealed case, which will have to remain sealed for warranty. Since there's this soundcard and harddisk I need to transfer, that's not going to work.

So due to the limited stock availability and building conditions, I'll be ordering seperate parts when available and putting it together myself. No biggie, I've been there before. Just take my time and do what the manuals tell me.
Anyway, I assume this means I'll be stuck with a retail Windows version... any specific advantages of retail over OEM, other than the ability to put it on a new computer when upgrading again?
And since retail means I'll be paying the jackpot anyway, I might as well go Ultimate, if the price difference is relatively small.
Just checked that: click for list. Looks like it's €199 for HP vs. €299 for Ultimate. Worth the extra 50% (€100)?

you get bitlocker, xp virtualisation mode and a couple of business related network features. not worth it IMO.

just FYI, my preorder one cost £65 for HP. Would of been nice if you could of jumped on the pre-order one :)

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P8Z68-V Pro | 2600K | HR02 | HD5850 | 2x4GB Vengeance LP | 128GB M4 + 6TB | X-Fi > HD595 | AX850 | Tai Chi | PB278Q | G110 + Deathadder 2013
P8Z77-V | 3570K | Mugen 2 | HD5850 | 2x4GB Vengeance LP | 500GB | X-750 | Fractal R3 | U2212HM | G110 + G400
P8H77-I | G860 | 4650 | 2x2GB XMS | 320GB | CX500 | Prodigy | T22B350EW | MX518
DC3217IYE | 1x4GB Vengeance | 64GB M4 | TX-42VT20E

Ultimate not really worth an extra 50%, no.

If you not overclocking, 1600MHz RAM isn't really needed.

Don't order kit if you're not going to test it within a few days of it arriving. Seriously. Order the whole lot, and ask for it to be shipped when everything is in.

You don't want to be waiting, only to discover that something that arrived first is DOA. :)

Good points. I'll order everything in one go then... maybe I'll have to do it by telephone though, otherwise they might be splitting the order anyway :roll:
This may also entitle me to the OEM version of Windows 7, which will save me another €100 probably.

In fact, I may just be taking my car for a drive and pick everything up myself. Long drive, but hey, my car needs some of that every once in a while, so disregard the petrol cost. No way they can send seperate packages then :)

Buy anything like a motherboard, HDD or GPU, you're entitled to OEM licensed Windows. MS used to have really loose OEM licensing, where you could get an OEM copy with the purchase of a €10 stick of RAM or a €5 keyboard, but they've tightening it up since XP. A lot.

:doh


just...
:doh


Seriously, I am such a *insert your favourite insult here*.

Why? Oh, I don't know, maybe because finally after more than two years I figured I'd have a look in the BIOS to see if I could find some CPU fan controls. And guess what? There they were, just waiting for me to enable them. No longer blowing full throttle all the time. Oh the relative quietness... but why, WHY didn't I just bother to do it two years ago instead of mere days/weeks before buying a new rig!?

I'm sorry for my rant. I am just such a... never mind. PC Probe says it's keeping pretty cool. I set it to 'optimal' so I'm just going to assume it'll go faster when gaming, which is ok I suppose.


Let's see how availability stands... Element S without fan still out of stock. But the Corsair 750HX is in stock now. 160GB SSD still at €399, 80GB went up to €209. Guess which I'll choose...
The case is the only problem that seems to be persisting. I'm considering the TT Armor instead if the Element S remains out of stock. Seems fine, and at least it has sufficient fans - the pc builder is warning me that the processor (i7 950 still selected so far) may require additional case fans. Not as an essential warning, but a recommendation.

did some reading recently...

the seasonic X series might be what you are looking for noise output wise...

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/09/25/seasonic_x_series_x750_power_supply_review/

amazing efficiency ratings :O

i would personally go for an 80 GB drive depending what is needed to be put on it, and i would still 100% go for the 920 cpu.

the side fans also are SHIT generally.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cooling/2009/10/09/whats-the-best-supersize-case-fan/1

I will say your PC does need cooling, the more the better IMO, but the side fan wont help too much, unless you have more air going out then the air could build up. I have a 120mm fan on my PSU (modified myself) and a 120cm case fan, running stock E8400 and stock X1900 cooler just at the moment, the case front has been designed to pull air over the 2 hard drives (will replace the raptor later), and it works well.

_________________
P8Z68-V Pro | 2600K | HR02 | HD5850 | 2x4GB Vengeance LP | 128GB M4 + 6TB | X-Fi > HD595 | AX850 | Tai Chi | PB278Q | G110 + Deathadder 2013
P8Z77-V | 3570K | Mugen 2 | HD5850 | 2x4GB Vengeance LP | 500GB | X-750 | Fractal R3 | U2212HM | G110 + G400
P8H77-I | G860 | 4650 | 2x2GB XMS | 320GB | CX500 | Prodigy | T22B350EW | MX518
DC3217IYE | 1x4GB Vengeance | 64GB M4 | TX-42VT20E

efficiency is related to percent load of the power supply
so that means that efficiency will be a lot worse if this powersupply isn't loaded enough ...
so 750W might be a bit too much unless you really go extreme


on the other side of the fence, seasonic power supplies are known for their silence