Gimme some input on my computer choice

[jahcs]

The "metal wrapping" on the RAM modules are the heat spreaders. They help to prevent hot spots 'n stuff. Check your mobo manual to see if the 2 RAM modules are in the optimum placement. With only 2 modules some boards like them spaced out a bit more, I don't remember if it makes any difference with your components though.

And for some reason the GPU and cooling solution has nearly always been mounted on the bottom of video cards, maybe to keep dust and other things from falling onto it?

[DeeBye]

The "metal wrapping" on the RAM modules are the heat spreaders.  They help to prevent hot spots 'n stuff.  Check your mobo manual to see if the 2 RAM modules are in the optimum placement.  With only 2 modules some boards like them spaced out a bit more, I don't remember if it makes any difference with your components though.
[right][snapback]106936[/snapback][/right]

It looks like that's the correct placement for 2 sticks of dual channel DDR-400 RAM.

[DeeBye]

Wow, even with the gimpy X550 I can run Oblivion reasonably well. I had to turn most of the visual goodies down so I can run it at 1024x768, but it still looks incredibly awesome. This is easily the prettiest game I've ever played.

I can't wait to upgrade my video card now.

[Drasca]

Wow, even with the gimpy X550 I can run Oblivion reasonably well.  I had to turn most of the visual goodies down so I can run it at 1024x768, but it still looks incredibly awesome.  This is easily the prettiest game I've ever played.

I can't wait to upgrade my video card now.
[right][snapback]107002[/snapback][/right]

Note: Some of the visual goodies are disabled by default in-game and through the user .ini file, and must be activated manually. Also, some features like HDR simply require a buff Vid card.

Personally, I'm definitely CPU limited. I crank GFX options as high as I enjoy, and I get no signifigant FPS loss. Come too much AI to process, and FPS drops to a crawl, while dropping Gfx quality does nothing to improve FPS.


Edit: Also, don't forget to upgrade your PSU when you get a buff Gfx card. 10-15A on the 12V line, and 350 total is just NOT enough if you want a modern beefy vid card. For example, something from the 7000 series from Nvidia, can eat up 200-300W under load. Given a CPU will eat up 50-100W, you'll want to play it safe with a strong PSU core component.

[DeeBye]

Note: Some of the visual goodies are disabled by default in-game and through the user .ini file, and must be activated manually. Also, some features like HDR simply require a buff Vid card.

Personally, I'm definitely CPU limited. I crank GFX options as high as I enjoy, and I get no signifigant FPS loss. Come too much AI to process, and FPS drops to a crawl, while dropping Gfx quality does nothing to improve FPS.
[right][snapback]107003[/snapback][/right]

Just out of curiosity, what are you using to run Oblivion and what settings do you run it at?

[Drasca]

Just out of curiosity, what are you using to run Oblivion and what settings do you run it at?
[right][snapback]107004[/snapback][/right]

3 year old computer, but so worth keeping.

PSU: 430W Enermax noisetaker. 18A each on dual 12V rails.
CPU: Pentium 2.8c Northwood, 2.8Ghz
HDD: 2x WD 7200 RPM 2MB cache IDE, 120 gig
RAM: 3x512 megs Samsung DDR-SDRAM, 1.5 gigs total
AGP x4, v2.0:
BFG Nvidia 7800GS (AGP only card, godsend for AGP Mobo owners)
Overclocked with coolbits to 500 / 1.40, default OC being 425 / 1.25
--As summer comes by, I'll have to revert to something slower... but if your ambiet room temperature is pretty cold too, you could OC a fairly decent amount.
--Fast Write combining turned off

Temperature steady around 50 idle, 57 under extended load. The new entire nvidia 7000 series tends to be a cooler more efficient design.

ATI currently beats Nvidia cards may currently beat Nvidia some of their upper end PCI-E cards, but doesn't have great offerings for AGP right now.

Settings:
Full screen V-sync (v-synch is better for my system, but its usefulness varies on and off)
Resolution: 1280x1024 (note how my screenshot was scaled down...)
HDR enabled / AA off (AA not possible with HDR)
Distant Rendering: land/trees/builds all enabled

in game settings: Settings individually vary between 15, 25, and 75% sliders. All water/reflection settings on. Actor shadow, Tree Canopy shadows, Shadow filtering on.
ini changes: Too many to list. Lots of things enabled, but this should be personalized to your computer and gaming experience. I tend to play around with this occasionally too.

[Nomad25055]

Greetings lurkers!

Check out the creepy Logitech centre channel perched atop my monitor. It feels like Johnny Five is watching every move I make wacko.gif

Hahaha! I know the feeling ;). Those are some pretty good speakers eh? They are certainly enough to make things rattle out from their little hiding places and take a quick trip to the floor if your not careful though :lol:. Congrats on the new system and happy birthday!

NoMaD

[DeeBye]

Greetings lurkers!
Hahaha! I know the feeling ;). Those are some pretty good speakers eh? They are certainly enough to make things rattle out from their little hiding places and take a quick trip to the floor if your not careful though :lol:.
[right][snapback]107009[/snapback][/right]

The speaker system I received includes the centre channel, two fronts, two rears, and a subwoofer. I only have the centre channel, two fronts, and the sub running. I don't have any place to put the rears, and I hate cluttering up my desktop. They are still sitting in the box. Seriously though, where the heck are you supposed to place rear speakers from this kind of package? They only come with about 10 feet of cord length. If I was a prisoner in a 6'x8' cell it would ideal, but I have like 20 feet of empty space behind me before I run into a wall. If I wanted my wife to kill me, I would hang them from the ceiling.

The speakers sound pretty decent for an "all in the box" package. The smallish drivers on the centre and fronts are a bit tinny, but the sub really sounds great. It's certainly a wall-shaker if I crank it up, with almost no audible distortion. My home theatre stuff sounds a million times better, but then again I don't have them hooked up to this PC :P

Congrats on the new system and happy birthday!
[right][snapback]107009[/snapback][/right]

Thanks :wub:

[DeeBye]

Temperature steady around 50 idle, 57 under extended load. The new entire nvidia 7000 series tends to be a cooler more efficient design.
[right][snapback]107007[/snapback][/right]

Would you suggest a nvidia 7000-series PCI-e graphics card as my next upgrade? What's the best performer versus price in this regard? Like I said before, I'm not really a heavy 3D gamer nor am I a graphics whore, so passable and playable FPS's are just fine by me.

[Drasca]

Would you suggest a nvidia 7000-series PCI-e graphics card as my next upgrade?  What's the best performer versus price in this regard?  Like I said before, I'm not really a heavy 3D gamer nor am I a graphics whore, so passable and playable FPS's are just fine by me.
[right][snapback]107011[/snapback][/right]

The current golden boy for power and price on the Nvidia side is the 6800GS. It has all the power of a 6800GT, which seems to be plenty for your needs, but costs cheaper due to a more efficient building process. I have no clue how your current video card, or ATI cards, compare, as I've never heard of your particular model. At this time, the 6800GS seems like the best choice for to maximize Oblivion details at a decent FPS for a moderate price.

The Nvidia 7X00 Series so far, with the exception of the 7300, is pretty darn high end, though not greatly so over the 6800GS at lower resolutions (1024x768 and 1280x1024) so if you're not really a graphics whore, to get the most out of your oblivion, there's no point in getting high end from the 7X00 series, or for that matter, the ATI 1X00 series from ATI's high end product line.

You don't absolutely "need" a better Video card if you're getting ok fps on Oblivion with your current card, but you'll be playing a different game with all the goodies turned off.

IF however, if you get a moderately powerful to high end gfx card, you can start turning up things like grass, shadows, reflections, see distant lands (the screenshot I put up does no justice to the possibilities Oblivion can do)... and all sorts of crap that's not available on a weaker card.

Really though, it is all up to product availability and budget for you. Please keep us updated on what graphics cards you're looking into, and that you're also looking into a better PSU.

Edit 2: PSU Link

Take a look at this link for idle and load power requirements of some modern cards:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2717&p=4

Edit 3: The 6600GT is also still a good value for a low price. However, I do not recommend getting anything lower than this, and prefer the 6800GS or higher.

Note: I played WoW with the 6600GT, and frame rates were always good with it. I had zero 3D issues with the 6600GT. If you're looking for only a modest upgrade, this is probably it, but I'd personally go spend the extra money for a 6800GS for Oblivion goodness. The 7600GT/7800GT line may or may not be in your price range. Go take a look.

[Nomad25055]

The speakers sound pretty decent for an "all in the box" package.

I certainly wouldn't hesitate to say that the X-530 speakers are some of the best if not the best 5.1 surround sound speakers for the price. Might I ask what you gave for them? I was lucky enough to get mine on clearance for about fifty dollars. Sadly, I currently have the same dillema as to where to put my rear speakers :(.

NoMaD

EDIT: I forgot to mention that they would have been 75$ were it not for the sale.

EDIT #2: I also forgot to mention that, without the rear speakers hooked up you will get the best results by setting your sound card to 2/2.1 speakers :).

[DeeBye]

I certainly wouldn't hesitate to say that the X-530 speakers are some of the best if not the best 5.1 surround sound speakers for the price. Might I ask what you gave for them? I was lucky enough to get mine on clearance for about fifty dollars. Sadly, I currently have the same dillema as to where to put my rear speakers :(.
[right][snapback]107015[/snapback][/right]

Well, they were included in the overall price I paid for the computer. The shop sells them separately for $75.99CAD though.

EDIT #2: I also forgot to mention that, without the rear speakers hooked up you will get the best results by setting your sound card to 2/2.1 speakers :).
[right][snapback]107015[/snapback][/right]

I never thought about that. Thanks for the prompt.

[DeeBye]

Edit 3: The 6600GT is also still a good value for a low price. However, I do not recommend getting anything lower than this, and prefer the 6800GS or higher.
[right][snapback]107013[/snapback][/right]

I'm kinda thinking 6600GT right now. It's incredibly cheap and seems to be able to run all of the latest games very nicely. I'm going to stick with the X550 for now, at least until I get enough cash scrounged together for something better.

Thanks for the valuable feedback :)

[Drasca]

I'm kinda thinking 6600GT right now.  It's incredibly cheap and seems to be able to run all of the latest games very nicely.

Thanks for the valuable feedback :)
[right][snapback]107018[/snapback][/right]

As long as you're waiting... I just saw this:
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=223

The 7600GS is upcoming, and will be around the same price as a 6600GT is now. Save up a bit of money and get an incredible gfx card upgrade ;)

[Chaerophon]

$19.99 from Staples after rebate  :D
[right][snapback]106934[/snapback][/right]

Bah! Thought I got a deal! :angry:

[DeeBye]

Bah!  Thought I got a deal!  :angry:
[right][snapback]107053[/snapback][/right]

You did. The MX510 is going for about $50. I got mine on sale for $29.99 plus the $10 rebate. You did very well for a very nice mouse.

[Concillian]

Would you suggest a nvidia 7000-series PCI-e graphics card as my next upgrade?  What's the best performer versus price in this regard?  Like I said before, I'm not really a heavy 3D gamer nor am I a graphics whore, so passable and playable FPS's are just fine by me.
[right][snapback]107011[/snapback][/right]

I would say the 7600GS if you want to remain budget or 6800GS or 7600GT (for all intents and purposes these have equivalent performance) if you want to go for a midrange power gamer type card.

In all likelihood you will be happy with the 7600GS. It's faster than the 6600GT, which is a capable performer. It's generally comparably priced or only a few bucks more than a 6600GT.

[Concillian]

The 7600GS is upcoming, and will be around the same price as a 6600GT is now. Save up a bit of money and get an incredible gfx card upgrade ;)
[right][snapback]107020[/snapback][/right]

It's available now, at least I'm seeing online places with realtime inventory showing it in stock.

[DeeBye]

It's available now, at least I'm seeing online places with realtime inventory showing it in stock.
[right][snapback]107258[/snapback][/right]

NCIX.com (which is probably Canada's best online computer parts distributer) seems to be listing 4 different 7600GS cards, but none of them are in stock or even have detailed product descriptions. I think they just put up the listings in anticipation of receiving them. My local shop doesn't have them and can't give me even an approximate date when they might.

The cards on NCIX.com are:

ASUS EN7600GS 256MB ($172.80)
ASUS EN7600GS 512MB ($186.84)
BFG 3DFUZION 7600GS ($162.72)
PNY VERTO 7600GS 256MB ($188.16)

I never realised that these cards were so reasonably priced. In a lot of cases, a 7600GS is actually cheaper than a 6600GT. I'm definitely putting it on my "to watch out for" list. I can see myself putting down $150 for one of these in a little while, if they provide the performance that is advertised.

[DeeBye]

Browsing EVGA's website, it seems as though they make two flavours of 7600GS. One is the stock 7600GS with a passive heatsink and one that is factory overclocked with a fan.

I think I'd prefer the factory overclocked one with the fan, but other than this, I can't seem to find any decent reviews/benchmarks of the 7600GS.

What really gets my goat is that I've finally found a Canadian online retailer that has a 7600GS in-stock and available for $165.99, and has a $15 rebate which expires on April 30.

All I want is a few decent hard numbers and comparisons of the 7600GS versus other PCI-E cards in roughly the same price-range, but there is almost zero information on the internet about this.