Hello everyone. This is my first thread on afterdawn.com, and first I would like to extend my greeting to everyone in this community. Now down to business. I recently just build my first coustom PC. I have an antec 180 case. A intel core 2 duo 4300 (overclocked). A evga nforce 680i lt mobo. A zalman 9750 cpu heatsink. One stick of corsair 1 gig ddr2 800(overclocked). Older seagate harddrive model 7900 rpm. A 600 watt ultra xfinity psu (sli ready). A geforce 7300gs(overclocked). And a shitty dell monitor. Here are the specs: Processor, Bus, and Memory Speed Information ========== CPU Speed = 3002.395 CPU Multiplier = 9.000 FSB Frequency = 334 Memory Frequency = 1002.000 PCIE Frequency = 2500 tRas = 12 tRcd = 5 tRp = 5 tRc = 28 tWr = 6 tRrd = 4 tRwt = 6 tWtr = 10 tWrrd = 0 tWrwr = 2 tRdrd = 3 tRef = 0 ========== GPU's Core and Memory Speed Information ========== GPU Core Speed = 600 GPU Memory Speed = 725 ========== System Voltage Information ========== CPU Voltage = 1.450 v Core Voltage = 1.500 v AGP Voltage = 1.400 v Aux Voltage = 1.500 v Memory Voltage = 2.000 v ========== Processor and System's Temperature Information ========== CPU Temperature = 39 C Second CPU Temperature = Not Reported System Temperature = 30 C GPU 0 Temperature = 53 C I feel for a first build, I think I did a pretty good job of overclocking some hardware. What do you guys think? Now the reason I want to upgrade is that games run like crap on my computer. For instance I have to play Company of Heros with all settings on low. Fear also must be set on low in order to get playable conditions. So what should I do to my computer in order for it to be a good gaming pc?
whats the memory on that video card?? i just built my computer i dont have windows yet but its in the mail but i got a evga geforce 7300gt 256 memory but i dont really play many games. i was also wondering if you are using the stock heatsink?? my temps seem hot in the bios hardware but ill know more after i install windows.
The memory on the 7300 gs is 256. And I am not running stock cooling, I have a zalman 9750 cpu heatsink. It keeps my e4300 overclocked at 3ghz at a cool 40 degrees celcius.
I would get a better graphics card and probablly some more ram, but it depends on how well you want everything to run. It you put a 7950 GT or a 8800 GTX in there, I'd say it will keep up with some of the best with another gig of ram. But if you want a small upgrade with just a new graphics card will work. Something like a 7600 GT will be pretty decent. Like I said it just depends on how much you want to spend and how well you want those games to run. However, I will say that FEAR is a very demanding game, but with a good graphics card and another gig of ram it will run flawlessly on max setting I would think.
ok. So what should I go with a 8800 gts or a 7900? I don't think I can get a 8800 gtx just due to the cost. Also, should I get a new monitor? I read that even with a good graphics card, a bad monitor can seriously cripple the frame rates.
If you aren't planning on getting Vista any time soon I would just get a 7950 GT, or something like that because you won't be able to use the DX10 with XP anyway. Also it seems like the 8800s are having alot of problems with drivers right now. As far as monitors, I guess it would depend on what kind of monitor you already have, but if it's fairly decent I wouldn't worry about it since pretty much all it's going to effect is the resolution you play the games at. It won't affect how well the games play though. Or alteast not that much. What kind of monitor do you have, and are you happy enough with it?
As of right now I want a direct X 10 card just so I don't have to upgrade anytime soon. Now I was looking at the EVGA GeForce 8600 GTS Superclocked / 256MB GDDR3 for only $199 at tiger direct. How does this card compare to the 7950 or the 7900??? As for my monitor, I need to upgrade! I have a small dell 16" not LCD. I really want an LCD for college (to save space). I really don't know much about monitors, but I want a LCD, widescreen, 20+ inches, and good monitor for gaming/ videos. Can anyone help me pick one out? I was looking at the ViewSonic Optiquest Series Q20WB Black 20" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 for $180 at newegg.
Funny enough, the 8600GTS performs like a 7900GS for the most part. So you should be able to game *fairly* well. You could probably handle FEAR, Supreme Commander, Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War, Half-Life 2, Company of Heroes all on medium/high settings. I would definitely get a 2GB dual channel kit of RAM like Corsair XMS2 or G.Skill or mushkin and re-overclock that CPU. Don't just add on if you upgrade RAM. If you want to keep that overclock you need to get a kit. And I'd say it looks like you found a winner with that monitor. I'd buy it too. ViewSonic makes some of the best.
