Building a Custom desktop PC.

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  1. Posts : 5,747
    7600.20510 x86
       #71

    About two months ago, a power outage killed my nice 19" lcd. So I got a 22" wide to replace it.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 62
    Windows 7 x64 build 7068
       #72

    Hey Sergio,

    Yes. For it's price range the Core 216 is excellent and you can be assured great performance.

    You can always spend more or less and find "better" cards (frames per dollar, or just muscle etc).

    Again if the 216 fits your budget, it is the best card at that price point. Below are two external views on your card.

    Guru3d's verdict, keep in mind EVGA cards overclock well and you could reach SSC speeds on a base or mid clocked card... This is just a review and not a comparrision:

    "The Verdict
    Yeah, seriously I really do like the new [COLOR=#000080 !important][COLOR=#000080 !important]GTX[/COLOR][/COLOR] 260 GPUs. Though the initial additional performance of the 24 extra cores do not show much potential at reference speeds, but they do kick in along with the rest once you start to overclock the card. Luckily there's board-partners like [COLOR=#000080 !important][COLOR=#000080 !important]EVGA[/COLOR][/COLOR] and BFG providing us with overclocked editions of such products. Now granted, the overclocked editions are more expensive. But we expect the product as test to hover at roughly 300 USD. Making it just as expensive as a radeon [COLOR=#000080 !important][COLOR=#000080 !important]HD[/COLOR][/COLOR] 4870 yet the performance to that product was matched. What also caught our attention is the fact that this superclocked edition performance is extremely close to the GeForce GTX 280 performance wise. So that's saving 100 bucks there for only a very small performance differential. The reality is that the GTX 280 can overclock as well too though. But granted guys, this is a very decent set of performance and thus value for your money. Surely not the cheapest products but at that 300 dollar price base you do get a high-end product, and there is a lot to say for that for sure.
    The Geforce GTX 260 core 216 is in fact a GeForce GTX 280, with a small chunk of memory missing, and one shader cluster with 24 shader cores disabled. Other then that, there is just no difference whatsoever.
    So in general the Core 216 edition cards offer a small small step in performance over the regular GTX 260 products, but the faster clocked Core 216 products, darn it, that's where value starts kicking in for sure.
    Even when we fire up the hottest game released this month, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky and test at high quality and then that uber high DX10 enhanced mode, we still get a lot of performance out of it. The sheer amount of shader power versus a very decent amount of frame buffer size helps a lot with the hottest titles.
    So again; for say 299 USD you get to play around with a card that is performing really close to GTX 280 performance. Combine it with the step-up program and very extensive warranty policy, I have to say that is a golden little gem there in our test rig. Definitely another candidate worth for our Top Pick award.
    So the bottom line. The GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 is merely a notch faster than it's predecessor .. making it compete fiercely with the competitors best Single-GPU product. None the less, the real trick is the new 279 USD pricing level. Add to that the additional performance and then the real candy .. the overclocked models from the board partners like EVGA, they are slightly more expensive at 300-320 USD, but worth the extra dough and that extended eVGA warranty.

    Here is "Toms" version, which for the money offers the ATI solution and so a bit of a comparrision. Like I have said before I tend to the Nvidia side but for about the same price can not argue:

    "Best PCIe Card For ~$180 : Tie

    Good 1920x1200 performance

    Radeon HD 4870 1 GBCodename: RV770 Process: 55 nm Universal Shaders: 800 Texture Units: 40 ROPs: 16 Memory Bus: 256-bit Core Speed MHz: 750 Memory Speed MHz: 900 (3,600 effective) DirectX/Shader Model: DX 10.1/SM 4.1
    For a chunk of change more than the 512 MB version, you can have a full 1 GB of video memory on your Radeon HD 4870. Is it worth it? That depends whether or not you play titles that can take advantage of more graphics [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]RAM[/COLOR][/COLOR]. This decision might require a bit more diligence on your part, but if you have the budget for it, a 1 GB Radeon HD 4870 isn't a bad buy by any stretch of the imagination.
    GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216)
    Codename: GT200Process: 55 nm Universal Shaders: 216Texture Units: 72ROPs: 28 Memory Bus: 448-bit Core Speed MHz: 576 Memory Speed MHz: 999 (1,998 effective) DirectX/Shader Model: DX 10/SM 4.0
    While these cards might not sport a full 1 GB of RAM like the Radeon HD 4870 does in the same price range, they do offer advantages in titles that run better on the GeForce GT200 architecture. Once again, a little diligence is required on the part of the buyer to find out which card is the best adapted for his or her favorite titles, and once again, whether or not the motherboard [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]supports[/COLOR][/COLOR] SLI or CrossFire.
    Note that we are recommending the newer "Core 216" version of the GeForce GTX 260, instead of the older version with 192 shader [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]processors[/COLOR][/COLOR]. Check the specifications of any card before you purchase.
    "

    Hope this information helps, I have been very pleased with EVGA so I highly reccommend them

    Cheers!
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 112
    Windows 7 Home Basic 64bit
       #73

    Mr GRiM said:
    Could be that you get dirty power (meaning low or fluctuating voltages) or maybe a surge, do you have serge protection on your computer?
    Hmmm I doubt that that was what caused the psu to die,
    because when i wrote my previous post, i forgot to mention that when i went to the store to return my psu, the salesman was surprised that a good psu like corsair would die, and said that recently another customer returned another dead Corsair psu ( an even stronger one, i thinke he said it was a 750 W corsair psu )...
    So a coincidence or just bad luck, or maybe bad quality controll on manufacturer's part.... ?

      My Computer


  4. Posts : 62
    Windows 7 x64 build 7068
       #74

    icoola77,

    I live in the "mountains" and so have shaky power at best, outages, dipps, spikes etc. I maintain 9 computers in the area, firends and family, and have seen first hand issues caused by power. 3 of those computers on power strips, and over the years they are the ones I have had to replace a hard drive, a power supply and a LCD on. 3 more cpus are on surge protectors and have seen only minor issues, one LCD but it was really old anyway. The last 3 are on UPS's and really do feel they have the least hardware issues.

    I have Corsair PS in my 2 cpus, a TX850 and a TX650, and they rock for me. I hope they do not have the issues you mentioned, (knock, knock, on the wood picture).

    I like UPS's and feel they are worth the money for regulated power to the system and monitor. Just got my Cyberpower from Newegg a 810 watt for $150 with free shipping.. Had a 500 watt Trip Lite that worked just fine but with my system wanted a stronger one.

    I agree that power supplies get overlooked a lot, I replaced a stock one on my Dad's and watched as his cpu temp dropped by almost 10C! Having the power on demand makes a huge difference. Anyway just wanted to share my experience with UPS's for you. I say get one..

    Cheers!
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 57
    Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
       #75

    I too live in the "mountains" and also have shaky power that's why you need:

    Surge Suppressors (Protectors)

    The simplest form of power protection is any one of the commercially available surge protectorsthat is, devices inserted between the system and the power line. These devices, which cost between $20 and $200, can absorb the high-voltage transients produced by nearby lightning strikes and power equipment. Some surge protectors can be effective for certain types of power problems, but they offer only very limited protection.

    Surge protectors use several devices, usually metal-oxide varistors (MOVs), that can clamp and shunt away all voltages above a certain level. MOVs are designed to accept voltages as high as 6,000V and divert any power above 200V to ground. MOVs can handle normal surges, but powerful surges such as direct lightning strikes can blow right through them. MOVs are not designed to handle a very high level of power and self-destruct while shunting a large surge. These devices therefore cease to function after either a single large surge or a series of smaller ones. The real problem is that you can't easily tell when they no longer are functional. The only way to test them is to subject the MOVs to a surge, which destroys them. Therefore, you never really know whether your so-called surge protector is protecting your system.
    Some surge protectors have status lights that let you know when a surge large enough to blow the MOVs has occurred. A surge suppressor without this status indicator light is useless because you never know when it has stopped protecting.

    Underwriters Laboratories has produced an excellent standard that governs surge suppressors, called UL 1449. Any surge suppressor that meets this standard is a very good one and definitely offers a line of protection beyond what the power supply in your PC already offers. The only types of surge suppressors worth buying, therefore, should have two features:

    • Conformance to the UL 1449 standard
    • A status light indicating when the MOVs are blown

    Units that meet the UL 1449 specification say so on the packaging or directly on the unit. If this standard is not mentioned, it does not conform. Therefore, you should avoid it.
    Another good feature to have in a surge suppressor is a built-in circuit breaker that can be manually reset rather than a fuse. The breaker protects your system if it or a peripheral develops a short. These better surge suppressors usually cost about $40.


    Please Rep! PC Power & Cooling is the best 10 Years witch is own by OCZ Technology May 2007 PC Power & Cooling has power the Maximum PC Dream Machine 9 Years. If your a Overclocker (OC) voltages is on top of your list.

      My Computer


  6. Posts : 62
    Windows 7 x64 build 7068
       #76

    Good stuff PhoneyVirus,

    Just as a little follow up, if going the UPS route the UL 1449 standard there is UL 1778:

    "UL 1449 Document Information:
    Title
    UL Standard for Safety Surge Protective Devices

    An SPD that has a battery backup feature or other uninterruptible power supply equipment shall also comply with the applicable requirements in the Standard for Uninterruptible Power Supply Equipment, UL 1778."

    With common outages in my area the UPS gives me a few minutes to shut down my system and so save my spot in my games . Really just to shut the system down and save data.

    The CyberPower I have (810) will run my monitor and pc for about 7-9 minutes and so plenty of time to shut down. I also like the security of knowing that the monitor and pc are on battery regulated power so get clean power all the time. It has 4 outlets with battery voltage regulator and 4 with surge protection, of course only the monitor and pc are on the battery.

    Just my 2 cents, at the minimum I agree with PhoneyVirus 100% on the UL 1449 surge protector. For my primary system a UL 1778 UPS, secondary systems 1449's. :)

    Cheers!
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 72
    Windows 7 Beta (and others, multiboot)
       #77

    ibocpro said:
    the monitor and pc are on battery regulated power so get clean power all the time. It has 4 outlets with battery voltage regulator and 4 with surge protection, of course only the monitor and pc are on the battery.
    This is for everyone not just in reply to you, ibocpro:

    Most UPSes these days are either standby or line-interactive, not on-line type.

    Standby just feeds the components plugged in line power then switches when voltages go outside of a pre-set range, say below 108 volts and above 132 volts, they do not protect from any line noise or such. this is the cheapest UPSes that use this.

    Line interactive is now the most popular... they basically have an inline variable transformer that varies the voltage (some have a more complex setup) and the battery inverter (the part that makes the battery give power to the stuff when the power goes out) is usually used as the line interactive transformer. This gives pretty clean power but not as good as a true on-line UPS. this is by far the most common type of UPS out now.

    on-line UPSes basically have no direct connection from the power coming in to the power going out, they are always charging the battery and always running your equipment off the battery, this can give the cleanest power (it depends on how good the inverter is, some use stepped approximation which isnt so good but most use a much better sine wave creation method) and also wear out batteries the fastest. If you want the best protection and also the cleanest power, use this type, but be prepared to replace the batteries every few years.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 62
    Windows 7 x64 build 7068
       #78

    Hey Jaqie,

    Right you are, from the CyberPower 810 documentation:

    "Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) - AVR technology will stabilize the AC signal and maintain a safe voltage level without switching to battery-mode. This conserves battery life, and delivers a cleaner signal to your connected equipment."

    And even still the battery has a 3-6 year life, so the cost is up there for UPS's. Still I do like the regulated power and battery for outages,

    Cheers!
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 6,885
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Mint 9
       #79

    I want to get one of those big battery surge protectors, like this:
    [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Cyberpower-CP1500AVRLCD-UPS-Display-8-Outlet/dp/B000FBK3QK/ref=pd_cp_e_1?pf_rd_p=413863501&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000NDA5E0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0GVXDK4RMNGGBVT3VEQ4]Amazon.com: Cyberpower CP1500AVRLCD UPS - LCD Display 1500VA/900W AVR 8-Outlet RJ11/RJ45/Coax Tower USB: Electronics[/ame]

    That is what you are talking about right?

    ~Lordbob
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 62
    Windows 7 x64 build 7068
       #80

    Yep,

    I have the model below that one, the CP1350AVRLCD @ 810 watts.
      My Computer


 
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