Discussion Forums > Technology
Need some suggestions on building a new computer
sdedalus83:
--- Quote from: xShadow on February 14, 2010, 12:41:21 PM ---Well, I could probably make it fit in the case (it's not THAT small), but that's a fair point.
--- End quote ---
I have an Antec 900 and an HD4850 is almost long enough to render the top 3.5" drive cage unusable. The cage itself would have to be removed to fit a 5870.
--- Quote from: xShadow on February 14, 2010, 12:41:21 PM ---Unfortunately, I also want to overclock it (not right away; I just want the option to be there when I need it), and I heard the only ones that had an unlocked BIOS were ASUS, Gigabyte, and msi. The one I'm looking at right now is out of stock. I do hope a miracle happens and the price just spontaneously decides to go down while they're restocking. Of course, I heard that you can do a BIOS flash on whichever one you get, to change it into ASUS or whatever you want, but I quite frankly don't wanna mess with something that has even a small chance to brick the card.
--- End quote ---
You're thinking about unlocking the disabled stream processors, not overclocking. Overclocking is pretty easy, and you might be able to come close to HD5870 levels. Unlocking requires a BIOS flash, an act which might brick your card, and even if it does succeed, you might find that the disabled components were faulty. There's also the issue with the smaller cooler on the HD5850 - you might actually have to drop the clock speeds to get it to run stably if you manage to unlock the stream processors. This isn't like some of the older video cards, where an unlock could carry a huge performance boost.
xShadow:
--- Quote from: sdedalus83 on February 14, 2010, 01:09:04 PM ---
--- Quote from: xShadow on February 14, 2010, 12:41:21 PM ---Well, I could probably make it fit in the case (it's not THAT small), but that's a fair point.
--- End quote ---
I have an Antec 900 and an HD4850 is almost long enough to render the top 3.5" drive cage unusable. The cage itself would have to be removed to fit a 5870.
--- End quote ---
I'll take your word for it. >_>
--- Quote ---
--- Quote from: xShadow on February 14, 2010, 12:41:21 PM ---Unfortunately, I also want to overclock it (not right away; I just want the option to be there when I need it), and I heard the only ones that had an unlocked BIOS were ASUS, Gigabyte, and msi. The one I'm looking at right now is out of stock. I do hope a miracle happens and the price just spontaneously decides to go down while they're restocking. Of course, I heard that you can do a BIOS flash on whichever one you get, to change it into ASUS or whatever you want, but I quite frankly don't wanna mess with something that has even a small chance to brick the card.
--- End quote ---
You're thinking about unlocking the disabled stream processors, not overclocking. Overclocking is pretty easy, and you might be able to come close to HD5870 levels. Unlocking requires a BIOS flash, an act which might brick your card, and even if it does succeed, you might find that the disabled components were faulty. There's also the issue with the smaller cooler on the HD5850 - you might actually have to drop the clock speeds to get it to run stably if you manage to unlock the stream processors. This isn't like some of the older video cards, where an unlock could carry a huge performance boost.
--- End quote ---
Actually, what I'm talking about is this. Apparently, the Sapphire version of the card can't be "overvolted". Now, the thing is, I know that using more voltage on a product probably makes it run hotter, too. I just wonder if I won't be able to reach a decent overclock without "overvolting". I'm personally not too keen on the concept anyway.
I have done some research on this, though. Also, apparently, shoving a 5870 BIOS on a 5850 doesn't really "unlock" that much. It just allows higher stock clock speeds and... something else, I forgot. Doesn't matter to me anyway.
Otherwise, if I can reach decent speeds without this "overvolting" thing, I'm not gonna be bothered too much with just taking a Sapphire rather than an ASUS. I also know that the default ASUS overclocking utility does not allow you to go very high at all.
sdedalus83:
--- Quote from: xShadow on February 14, 2010, 02:14:54 PM ---Otherwise, if I can reach decent speeds without this "overvolting" thing, I'm not gonna be bothered too much with just taking a Sapphire rather than an ASUS. I also know that the default ASUS overclocking utility does not allow you to go very high at all.
--- End quote ---
You can adjust the voltage on a reference HD4850 with MSI Afterburner and adjust the clock speed with AMD GPU Clock Tool. There's no need for a bios flash.
xShadow:
Oh, after reading up on those same forums, it appears you're right. Looks like I won't have to wait for that ASUS card to get back in stock.
Thanks for your input on the graphics card.
Well, it looks like I'll be going Sapphire, then.
... On a side note, why did you suggest I get a hard drive earlier? I never really mentioned the need for HD space. Even after backing up (read: moving) all my other drives to it, I still haven't filled up that 1.5TB external I got earlier. >_>;
Well, so far, all the stuff I'm buying this time around is:
[*]A new mouse (corded this time, I'm sick of wireless battery crap). I think I'm going with this one. It's really cheap, and it looks much better than this wireless mouse.
[*]Cpu cooler.
[*]Graphics card.
[/list]
There's only ONE thing left:
I was thinking of buying a sound card, but I'm not willing to spend over 5x bucks on a sound card, and everything newegg has in the 4x-5x dollar range is absolute shit. From what I've read on the reviews, everyone that gets it just randomly starts hearing popping noises, with no exceptions. I might just stick with onboard sound. At least I know it won't give me popping noises. If anyone knows a "better-than-onboard-sound" cheap solution, please do tell.
sdedalus83:
Sound card - ASUS Xonar DS 7.1 - $50.
Mouse - Logitech MX518 for $40 or G500 for $55 - Half the gamers here use a G5. If you asked them what they'd get to replace it should something happen, they'd tell you one of those two since their beloved mouse has now been discontinued. The wireless G7 is an exact replica of the G5 - unfortunately it's wireless.
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