General Computer Chat

[TheAppleFreak]

...You know, I don't think that we've ever had a thread like this.

Basically, if the title doesn't give it away, this is a thread for us C&T stalkers users to discuss technology.

So... yeah. Discuss.

 

[Archer]

Nice initiative, AppleFreak. :D Running with the computer-specific theme...

What's your next upgrade going to be?

For the first system in my sig, I'm probably going to add another ATI 5770 for Crossfire. After that I'm looking at a 60GB SSD boot drive and another 4GB Ram.

How about everyone else?

 

[Captain Fabio]

I posted my spec in the supporter forum. I will grab it in a second, because I am too lazy to type it out again! XD

I am currently running on a Macbook Pro 15". Beautiful machine and I haven't encountered a problem yet, doubt I will. The battery is what sells this machine for me. I can be programming and running heavy programs, and I will get at least 6 hours out of it. If I am just on the internet, 8 hours.

 

[Archer]

I posted my spec in the supporter forum. I will grab it in a second, because I am too lazy to type it out again! XD

I am currently running on a Macbook Pro 15". Beautiful machine and I haven't encountered a problem yet, doubt I will. The battery is what sells this machine for me. I can be programming and running heavy programs, and I will get at least 6 hours out of it. If I am just on the internet, 8 hours.

That's part of the reason I bought my Macbook Pro 13". Obviously it doesn't have the power of the 15", but it's a secondary machine, so that doesn't matter. So portable. :D Although the scum that is Adobe Flash still drains the battery faster than TF2. lol.

 

[Captain Fabio]

That's part of the reason I bought my Macbook Pro 13". Obviously it doesn't have the power of the 15", but it's a secondary machine, so that doesn't matter. So portable. :D Although the scum that is Adobe Flash still drains the battery faster than TF2. lol.

HAHA! I know right!?

It is so annoying I want to kill the person that ever created it.

 

[Archer]

HAHA! I know right!?

It is so annoying I want to kill the person that ever created it.

They're just slack developing it for Apple platforms. Linux too. It's alright, though. Flash is going to be gone fairly soon. Youtube should be moving to HTML5 (and already supports it). Sadly the main thing stopping HTML5 taking over Flash for video playback (let's face it, that's what it's used for 95% of the time) is Firefox. Speaking of Firefox, I still use it under OSX, because it has a few things that I prefer. It almost never opens new windows like Safari, plus the mouse gestures slaughter that of Safari. It's just a shame that it's so bloated. lol, having both parts of this convo across two threads is confusing...

 

[Captain Fabio]

Haha. It is also 'technically' spam. So lets shut up about it! XD

HOWEVER, I use Chrome on my mac, because it just runs flawlessly. Firefox makes me want to cry at times, because it just randomly crashes.

 

[Gerri Shin]

My next upgrade will be an ATI HD 5770 for my Mac Pro, I've already gotten the RAM and SSD for it. Mostly so I can use it to watch Blu-ray movies from the windows side when I want to. (dual-booting isn't as much of a pain when I've gotten the boot times down. Windows takes 30 sec, Mac Takes 12 sec.)
I run safari as my main browser, Chrome as my BU, and Firefox only on the windows side.

THe next upgrade for my macbook pro will be Mac OS 10.7, though I may just buy the family pack so I have the legal option to use it on both of my machines.

 

[TheAppleFreak]

For me, my next upgrade in terms of hardware will be a custom-built Hackintosh. I haven't figured out all of the components I'm going to use yet, but chances are it's going to have a Radeon 6850 graphics card, an i7 processor, and 6 GB of DDR3 SDRAM at a high clock speed so I can game. It'd be even better if there are drivers available for this hardware so I don't need to worry too much about upgrading.

Software wise... I'm not sure. My reaction is still mixed about Lion, so I don't know if I'm going to upgrade my existing Snow partition immediately when it comes out. I definitely do NOT like the iPadification that Apple's doing with OS X, but I'll wait and see what the new OS brings when it comes out. More immediately, I'm probably going to get a copy of Win7 Home Premium x64 and upgrade my existing x86 copy.

EDIT: Well, after I made this post, I decided to compile a list of hardware that I might use in my next gaming rig. Since I was going to give this list to my parents, I only gave the bare minimum of information and a weblink. What do you think of my config?

Spoiler:

Gaming Rig
CPU:
Intel Core i7-950 Quad-core @3.06 GHz
$300
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115211

Motherboard:
Asus Sabertooth X58
$200
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131665

Fan/Heatsink
Corsair Hydro CPU Cooler
$75
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010

Disk Drive
Samsung Blu-ray DVD Burner
$50
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151199

RAM
G.SKILL 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM @1600 MHz
$110
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

Graphics
Sapphire Radeon HD 6850
$200
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

Power Supply
Corsair PSU
$130
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar 1 TB Internal HD
$80
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136317

Networking
TRENDnet Wireless N Adapter
$40
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131665

Case:
Antec 300 ATX Case
$70
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Total: $1155

 

[Captain Fabio]

Nice set up AppleFreak. However, I am sure you can get a better looking case than that for the same price, I am sure :P

Might as well pimp it out since it is a powerful machine. Haha.

 

[TheAppleFreak]

Nice set up AppleFreak. However, I am sure you can get a better looking case than that for the same price, I am sure :P

Might as well pimp it out since it is a powerful machine. Haha.

At the end I got a little cost-conscientious so that's why the case is not as flashy. If I have some extra money after I purchase the internals, I'll look into a nicer case.

 

[Purple Materia]

Sweet setup. I'd do very naughty things for a rig like that. >:3

But yeah, I'd fork out a little extra for a better case. Like this one, perhaps.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Kinda wish I had $1,000 to spend at Christmas. But I'm getting $150, and I still haven't upgraded video, so... what card should I get? I had a talk with Archer earlier. I also really want to try TF2, but I probably wouldn't need anything spectacular, so... yeah. If I get at least 60 FPS on alot of games, then I'd be happy.

 

[TheAppleFreak]

Sweet setup. I'd do very naughty things for a rig like that. >:3

But yeah, I'd fork out a little extra for a better case. Like this one, perhaps.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Kinda wish I had $1,000 to spend at Christmas. But I'm getting $150, and I still haven't upgraded video, so... what card should I get? I had a talk with Archer earlier. I also really want to try TF2, but I probably wouldn't need anything spectacular, so... yeah. If I get at least get 60 FPS on alot of games, then I'd be happy.

That case looks very good. I'll take that into serious consideration with the rest of the rig.

And I do not have $1000+ to spare at Christmas; most of these components are probably going to be Christmas gifts with me buying the rest. Hopefully I can get the CPU and the motherboard as gifts, maybe if I'm really lucky the graphics card as well. That might be pushing it a bit, though, since the economy is still in a slump.

For a graphics card for you... I'm not sure. If you had a bit over $300, I'd recommend the Radeon 5880, but obviously that's not in your price range. A bit closer to home would be the 6870 like I have in my list; it seems good enough for your needs.

 

[Purple Materia]

And I do not have $1000+ to spare at Christmas; most of these components are probably going to be Christmas gifts with me buying the rest. Hopefully I can get the CPU and the motherboard as gifts, maybe if I'm really lucky the graphics card as well. That might be pushing it a bit, though, since the economy is still in a slump.

Aw, well, at least you wouldn't have to pay for the whole thing.

For a graphics card for you... I'm not sure. If you had a bit over $300, I'd recommend the Radeon 5880, but obviously that's not in your price range. A bit closer to home would be the 6870 like I have in my list; it seems good enough for your needs.

Hmmm... I'll look into it. Thanks.

 

[Archer]

I'll review it as a Windows rig, but you need to make sure all the parts are hackintosh compatible. I doubt the card will be.

Gaming Rig
CPU:
Intel Core i7-950 Quad-core @3.06 GHz
$300
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115211
Good. Pricey.

Motherboard:
Asus Sabertooth X58
$200
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131665
Good.

Fan/Heatsink
Corsair Hydro CPU Cooler
$75
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010
The H50 is a bit of a gimmick. There are cheaper and quieter air coolers that do a better job. The H70 is better, though.

Disk Drive
Samsung Blu-ray DVD Burner
$50
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151199
Fine

RAM
G.SKILL 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM @1600 MHz
$110
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225
Good.

Graphics
Sapphire Radeon HD 6850
$200
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908
I'd be inclined to get either the 6870 or the Nvidia GTX460. Both are faster and not much more.

Power Supply
Corsair PSU
$130
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009
Good. You could save if you're not going to run Crossfire in the future by getting a 650W.

Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar 1 TB Internal HD
$80
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136317
BAD. That's a green drive. They're slow and play horrible with RAID if you ever decide to do that. Go with a Samsung Spinpoint F3 or a WD Caviar Black.

Networking
TRENDnet Wireless N Adapter
$40
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131665
Not great. You're better off with a PCI Wifi card. Known brands are also better. Linksys and TP-Link (Atheros) are good. Unless you know that dongle is OSX compatible.

Case:
Antec 300 ATX Case
$70
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
Good. This case is very nice. Simple yet rock-solid and looks good from the outside. The cable management is not the best, however. Consider the Antec Nine Hundred Two.
Total: $1155

Not too bad at all. What's the main purpose for this rig? If it's gaming, you want a better graphics card. If it's a hackintosh, you want better compatibility. Production, then it's just fine.

But yeah, I'd fork out a little extra for a better case. Like this one, perhaps.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Kinda wish I had $1,000 to spend at Christmas. But I'm getting $150, and I still haven't upgraded video, so... what card should I get? I had a talk with Archer earlier. I also really want to try TF2, but I probably wouldn't need anything spectacular, so... yeah. If I get at least get 60 FPS on alot of games, then I'd be happy.

The 300 is actually a nice case. The cable management could be better, but they're nice enough to build in as well as looking great and being sturdy as hell. It will do the job, but the front panel cables are too short and you might be better off with a 902 or something. I'm personally considering the Fractal Define F3 in the future.

Purple, you'd be fine with a GT440 or HD 5750, but it might be wise to get at least a 5770/450. What CPU do you have again?

 

[Purple Materia]

I'll review it as a Windows rig, but you need to make sure all the parts are hackintosh compatible. I doubt the card will be.

Not too bad at all. What's the main purpose for this rig? If it's gaming, you want a better graphics card. If it's a hackintosh, you want better compatibility. Production, then it's just fine.

The 300 is actually a nice case. The cable management could be better, but they're nice enough to build in as well as looking great and being sturdy as hell. It will do the job, but the front panel cables are too short and you might be better off with a 902 or something. I'm personally considering the Fractal Define F3 in the future.

Purple, you'd be fine with a GT440 or HD 5750, but it might be wise to get at least a 5770/450. What CPU do you have again?

Core 2 Duo CPU E6550 @ 2.33GHz ~2.3GHz.
And the HD5770 is perfect. Can't wait until Christmas, lol.

 

[Archer]

Core 2 Duo CPU E6550 @ 2.33GHz ~2.3GHz.
And the HD5770 is perfect. Can't wait until Christmas, lol.

That CPU should be fine. My laptop has the same one and struggles, but that's more to do with it having a slow graphics card (320m).

Worst case scenario, it's an easy upgrade to an E8400 or something.

It all depends on your playable framerates. You sound a bit like me. I can't stand having below 60 FPS, so I would call something unplayable if it drops below 55 when things get rough. Offline 1-player stuff is a little better, like Half Life I can play at 45, but no less.

 

[Purple Materia]

Yeah, pretty much. I can hardly play UT04, lol. I don't really have any interest in playing online at the moment, though.

I'm obsessed with upgrading my computer for some reason. xD

 

[Archer]

Yeah, pretty much. I can hardly play UT04, lol. I don't really have any interest in playing online at the moment, though.

I'm obsessed with upgrading my computer for some reason. xD

That's an expensive addiction that I am already stuck with.

When I find my camera, I'll post a photo of my computer.

By the way, TF2 is more comfortable with 4GB ram.

 

[Purple Materia]

Yeah, I have heard that. RAM isn't exactly pricey, so maybe I'll pick up some with Christmas money.

Also, I found that the previous owner of my motherboard tried to shove an AGP card into a PCIe slot... -_- Last time I buy used motherboards.