Ordered a new Desktop Gaming computer...

RAM is one of the things it pays to have good brand name quality with. I recommend Mushkin, Crucial or Corsair. In that order. I'm in a rush with work-related stuff at the moment, I can explain more later, but quality RAM matters and you DON'T have to pay through the nose for it. Check newegg.com.

Man, you were right about the ram prices. When did memory prices fall through the floor? I can upgrade to 16 gigs ddr3 1600 of the brands you mentioned for about a hundred bucks! WTF? Still wanna know the diff between the top brands and the lesser brands though, even though price is no longer an obstacle.

Started around 3 years ago, maybe? Prices were super high for like 18 months due to some type of rare metal supply problem IIRC, then that got resolved and prices started dropping. No reason not to buy premium RAM, or at least a good brand, nowadays.

RAM is the component that fails the most in computers. Cheap RAM in particular, some of the lesser brands have horrible failure rates. Besides this, however, quality RAM tends to be more overclockable, and have better (tighter) timings. Less likely to have compatibility problems with whatever motherboard you have, as well. Cheaper RAM has a higher chance of having some sort of problem with any given motherboard.

Also, one thing most people don't think about is the more RAM you have, the more Windows will use. For instance, format a fresh computer and you have 4GB of RAM in it, you might have 1GB used on startup. If you have 16GB, it's like 2.5GB used. Not only does this help Windows be more responsive in some ways, (doesn't have to hit your hard drive as much, it can just keep spare stuff in your RAM) but if you have an SSD, it adds life to it as well due to less reads/writes. For the record, all SSDs have a limited life span. You can only read and write to NAND memory cells so many times before they fail.

Just thought I'd update you Roland. The new gaming desktop is awesome! The "Windows Experience" thing is almost even with my laptop...for a 3rd of the price, although the hard drives on both computers are 5.9, dragging down the 7.8 to 7.9 on everything else, even with the hybrid drives on the laptop. Any tricks you know to get those scores up without breaking the bank with SSD? And the RAM thing? Apparently they had a special going that wasn't available when I ordered it, but they honored it because my computer was in production when the free upgrade was offered. The RAM I received is Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600. Is that ok? Sure looks all fancy and shit. lol And heavy! I can tell it's been 10 years since I built a computer 'cause last time I bought RAM it was just 4 to 8 chips on a rectangular circuit board. My how things have changed in such a short time! And Deb now has her new ASUS 27" HDMI monitor (sent back the first one, dead pixel), so I stole her Dell 24 incher and am now using it with the laptop. What an upgrade there! It's full 1920 x 1200 res, about 4 years old. I've got it hooked up DVI 'cause it doesn't have an HDMI input. I actually found a cable I had that was hdmi to dvi, so I used that to hook it up with the Alienware. I have no idea where I got that cable from. It was like, check this out! wtf? I have no idea what I bought that had that cable included. :lol: Now I don't have to lean forward to read stuff anymore! lol Anyhoo, just an update. Oh, and I haven't installed a game yet that I haven't been able to set to max res settings without even a hiccup. Sweet! Not gonna invest in any video cards until I see this one struggle.

BlueThunder":2a26wgjw said:

Just thought I'd update you Roland. The new gaming desktop is awesome! The "Windows Experience" thing is almost even with my laptop...for a 3rd of the price, although the hard drives on both computers are 5.9, dragging down the 7.8 to 7.9 on everything else, even with the hybrid drives on the laptop. Any tricks you know to get those scores up without breaking the bank with SSD? And the RAM thing? Apparently they had a special going that wasn't available when I ordered it, but they honored it because my computer was in production when the free upgrade was offered. The RAM I received is Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600. Is that ok? Sure looks all fancy and shit. lol And heavy! I can tell it's been 10 years since I built a computer 'cause last time I bought RAM it was just 4 to 8 chips on a rectangular circuit board. My how things have changed in such a short time! And Deb now has her new ASUS 27" HDMI monitor (sent back the first one, dead pixel), so I stole her Dell 24 incher and am now using it with the laptop. What an upgrade there! It's full 1920 x 1200 res, about 4 years old. I've got it hooked up DVI 'cause it doesn't have an HDMI input. I actually found a cable I had that was hdmi to dvi, so I used that to hook it up with the Alienware. I have no idea where I got that cable from. It was like, check this out! wtf? I have no idea what I bought that had that cable included. :lol: Now I don't have to lean forward to read stuff anymore! lol Anyhoo, just an update. Oh, and I haven't installed a game yet that I haven't been able to set to max res settings without even a hiccup. Sweet! Not gonna invest in any video cards until I see this one struggle.

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This post needs Pictures!

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk

What do you want pics of Dom? I suppose I could snap a few and post 'em if you want.

BlueThunder":142wn0pt said:

What do you want pics of Dom? I suppose I could snap a few and post 'em if you want.

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You got a fancy new device! Share with pictures! Kinda nerdy but that is what I would do. I built a bad add pc years ago. Had blue cold cathodes in it with a windowed case. I had to share!

My Tapatalk was first.

Make sure the pics show you nerding it up in a game of some sort, too. None of this "showing a Windows wallpaper" crap.

Kingston is a decent memory brand, you're fine there; the Hyper-X is one of their higher-end series, so no worries. You absolutely will not break 5.9 without an actual SSD on your score, though; so stop trying, hahaha. I can't recommend a decent SSD enough to anyone and everyone, though. They make all the difference in the world for just fluidity and overall responsive "feel" on a computer.

Ok, here's my half-assed effort at photographing our two computer workstations... The flash on the cam makes them look completely different than they look normally. They look really cool in the dark like they normally are.

Deb's new beast from CyberPower still crudely set up. Wires everywhere. You can't see most of 'em, but it's still a mess under there until I get a new pack of hooks and zip ties. Yeah, I brought up MW3 so you guys wouldn't give me shit! lol



Closer look at the desktop, showing her new Saitek Cyborg gaming keyboard, Razer Death Adder mouse, and 27" ASUS HDMI Monitor.







Pulled out the case to show the window. I just didn't feel like taking off the side panel to show the guts. Really not that much to show. Though it is a pretty cool looking motherboard. Just being lazy.



Next two show the liquid cooling system. If I popped the top, you could see the radiator that those two fans are cooling. Actually, you can see it if you look close.



Those 3 blue things below the right fan are the Hyper X 4 gig RAM modules...



The CyberPower stuffed in it's hole...



And the top view...



All these next images are of my little world with my Alienware M18x gaming laptop, more powerful that the Cyberpower believe it or not. This is with the 24" Dell hooked up that I salvaged from Deb's old computer. This area is also in complete disarray! Yeah, I'm a slob, but I'll git 'er done! lol



My little slice of heaven. Note the .Net screen Dom... you requesting the pics... lol Didn't notice that 'till I was posting them. That keyboard is the same one Deb has. She tried it and liked it and wanted one. I don't use the palm rest like she has. I just plop in on my lap and it's perfect.



Here's a look at the actual m18x screen. Has to be seen to be fully appreciated. Preferred when sitting in an upright postion at a table or something, where your eyes are close to the screen like they normally would be with a laptop.



Here is my view 99% of the time when I'm vegging on the internet. 65" plasma on the left, Computer on the right. I know... I'm pathetic... lol Maybe I wouldn't be so fat if I didn't have this setup! Ooo! I think that's Dom and Roland posting on .Net there in that last pic! :lol:

Nice! Love the keyboard!

That photoshop elements book will keep you busy for hours.

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Thanks for the pics. Reminds me so much of my life several years ago. I was into my PC and server operations so much. My life has changed and now I find it hard to fit all that activity in. Cool stuff you got there!

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Tech Worlds":2czzdv2e said:

Nice! Love the keyboard!

That photoshop elements book will keep you busy for hours.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk

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I quit reading it when I found out Deb ordered Elements 10, the new version which should be here tomorrow. I'm sure more hours of reading are in store now! *groan* Sometimes it's best to just jump in with a copy of a photo and mess around with it and learn the damn thing like a man! Screw the book! lol And yeah, that keyboard is the shit. Would recommend it to my best friend. Hey, I did that! He's got one and loves it!

Nice; I recognize the case, too. That 27" is pretty far back on the desk; that would annoy me, personally. (Then again, I tend to lean back in my chair much of the time; putting my eyes further back than most people's.)

Side note, bitching about the keyboard; I really wish one of the major gaming peripheral companies (Logitech, Saitek, Razer, whomever) would make a keyboard like that that is a split ergonomic style. I can't stand flat/straight keyboards, and I want to be able to still use my wrists by the time I'm 70.

By the way, if your computer room doesn't have decent air conditioning, I'd watch the temps on both the desktops and the laptop once the hotter days of summer are around. Even water cooling can be insufficient in a very cramped space like you have that one desktop computer wedged into. Some people tend to forget that water cooling does not reduce the amount of heat the CPU/GPU/etc. generate, it simply disperses it more efficiently and quickly.

Thanks for the pics!

RolandDeschain":2e3zd3em said:

Nice; I recognize the case, too. That 27" is pretty far back on the desk; that would annoy me, personally. (Then again, I tend to lean back in my chair much of the time; putting my eyes further back than most people's.)

Side note, bitching about the keyboard; I really wish one of the major gaming peripheral companies (Logitech, Saitek, Razer, whomever) would make a keyboard like that that is a split ergonomic style. I can't stand flat/straight keyboards, and I want to be able to still use my wrists by the time I'm 70.

By the way, if your computer room doesn't have decent air conditioning, I'd watch the temps on both the desktops and the laptop once the hotter days of summer are around. Even water cooling can be insufficient in a very cramped space like you have that one desktop computer wedged into. Some people tend to forget that water cooling does not reduce the amount of heat the CPU/GPU/etc. generate, it simply disperses it more efficiently and quickly.

Thanks for the pics!

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Yeah, the monitor thing. She had the 24" about a foot closer. I'm not really sure why she has it sitting back so far. When I use it, I scooch it up so I can actually enjoy it's size. I dunno. I kinda get a funny feeling that she really liked her Dell monitor, and this is kind of a passive-aggressive way of letting me know that she didn't need me to spend money on a new monitor. I almost think she's pissed that I stole her monitor! lol That's why I haven't asked her about it... I'm thinking I don't want to hear her response!

The keyboard? I hear ya brother! I searched and searched for an ergo gamer and found one, but it was really lame. That link you posted? That's my old keyboard! I went through 3 Natural keyboards, two wired, one wireless over the last 8 years or so, and I love them! But, I really wanted a backlit gaming keyboard (for playing in a dark room) so I had to just find the best regular layout one I could and get used to it. My wireless Natural still works, and is my backup. Deb hates ergo keyboards for some reason. I just find them so comfortable. Someone is really missing a niche market there. You and me are examples. I do like this Cyborg alot though. It's a very nice feeling board, and heavy! I like that! Quality.

As far as the nook where the case is... I looked at the pics, and they're very deceiving. There is actually more room that the pics would suggest. The right side of the case is solid with no vents or anything, so I normally have it pushed over to the right side. That gives me about 4 inches on the left side where there are intake fans. Also, before I shoved the new case in there, I removed the thin wood backing of the cabinet so it's completely open now. So, contrary to what the pictures suggest, I am satisfied that there is plenty of room to push air through there. I think when I pulled out the case to take pics, I forgot to shove it back over to the right, so it does look like it barely fits in there. I've never had a heat alarm go off, and I've never had to set the fans on high. Another thing... We talked earlier in this thread before I got the thing about fan noise. Well, I guess the extra bucks I paid for sound insulation and fan gaskets paid off, 'cause this thing runs whisper quiet, even with the fans set to high. The Dell was way louder. A pleasant surprise! I haven't pulled up the internal temps yet (not quite sure how to view them. I'll look into that tonight). When I figure that out, I'll beat it up with some Crysis or BF3 and see what they read.

I'd only start to think about ways of cooling it if your CPU temperature goes above the low 60s under load, and if your GPUs hit the 90s. On a hot day, high temperatures compound temps in an exponential way; so like, 7 more degrees inside your room might bump your temps up by 9 degrees, but 15 more degrees in your room might bump the temps on your hardware up by literally 25 degrees. Before I got A/C like six years ago, the amount they could vary based on overall room temperature was tremendous.

Now that you mention it, on those rare extremely hot days we get in Arlington in August, we have a small, in-window air conditioner out in the living room. Then I put a box fan, blowing outside in the computer room to draw the cool air from the living room across the house into the computer room. So it does stay fairly cool in there. Otherwise that little room gets uncomfortable. We have a big hill behind our house to the west, so generally we get no sun after 3pm. A nice feature of our little hovel in the woods here. Oh, and I did ask the wife about why she's got the monitor sitting back so far. She said "that thing gives me a headache when it's so close", and "We didn't need a new monitor, my old one was fine". So I was spot on about the passive-aggressive thing. I'd ask her if she wants her old monitor back, but that 27" is just a bit too big for my little stand out here. The 24" is pushing it! lol So here's what I'm gonna do. Every other day, I'm gonna scooch it up about a quarter inch, maybe less, so she doesn't notice. I'll have to kind of move surrounding items so she doesn't notice. I bet you in one month I can have that thing where it needs to be and she'll never think a thing about it! hahaha I should snap a pic after each move and paste 'em together in a time-lapse. I let you know if she catches on. I'll just bet I can pull this off!

Lulz - good luck.

After many years of beng a cheap bastard and running on hand me downs, I had an opportunity to snatch a machine out of the test lab at the office as it was no longer needed. Just set it up @home tonight.

OMG this thing is a beast. The power!


Take a look at my windows experience scores:



Important bits:

* Intel Core I7 x990 cpu @3.47GHZ
* GeForce GTX580 in SLI configuration (yeah, two of them).
* Intel 120GB SSD
* 8GB Ram (yea I'll have to do something about that)
* dual monitors: one 20" and one 24".
* Mackie HR824 studio monitors

:0190l:

<--- Jealous

You guys all have nice systems. Mine is not impressive at all but works very well.

Mine:
* Intel® Core™ i5-650 Processor (4M Cache, 3.20 GHz)
* GeForce GTS450
* Intel 120GB SSD << I have the same! I also have an average 1TB HD and a few dozen externals lol
* 16GB Ram (I don't think I use it all... but I owned a computer store so we just filled it up.
* dual monitors: 2 32" HP 2709m
* Corsair TX750 PSU (I like to keep all programs on all the time lol)
* Crap Altec Lansing speakers (I'm usually on headphones)

It's good enough where I have photoshop (and bridge0, reason, spotify, all office applications, premiere and chrome (with about 10 tabs) open at once and see little performance problems.