Motherboards

[Armando]

Re: Motherboards

Saw this up on Gizmondo. I didn't read it but thought you might be interested in it:

The Best Graphics Cards at Every Price

Speaking of this, Tomshardware.com releases articles like this for both Graphics Cards and CPUs regularly (go to Articles > Graphics OR CPU > "Best <component> for the money: <month> 2010.) They also have benchmarks under the Graphs section of the site, which is great for comparing stuff that isn't mentioned in the articles.

That site what I used when I made my new gaming PC like 2 years back. It served me well - built it around a GeForce 8800 GT and a Core 2 Quad Q6600 (a common setup judging from the FFXIV benchmark thread), and 4 GB of RAM, and it only cost me about 1k at the time. Without it I probably wouldn't have known what the hell to buy.

[Aeni]

Re: Motherboards

In case anyone is reading this thread, a lot has changed in just two months, so you'll need to check out the latest listings and reviews. As Armando pointed out, Tom's Hardware is a good resource site, but I also find 3D Guru, HardOCP and Anandtech just as indispensible for their reviews.

For the hierarchy chart, the links below (mind you, this only focuses on GAMING performance, so if you're buying or building a PC/Mac to be used for business productivity, graphics/music development or programming, these may not necessarily be a good way to base your purchase decisions on)

CPU Hierarchy August 2010
Gaming CPU Heirarchy Chart : Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: August 2010

GPU Hierarchy August 2010
Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart : Best Graphics Cards For The Money: August 2010

An updated listing will be posted within a week of this post so please check their website then if you haven't purchased anything. These are relative performance guidelines and not an indication that a particular item within each tier is necessarily better (or worse) than their counterparts. However, performance difference between tiers is very noticeable and hence the way they structured the charts. Individual performance within tiers are dependant upon many factors, including the kinds of components and even at what speeds the processors are running at. As always, do your research or go to these communities and ask around and you'll likely meet with many expert opinions and solid first-hand experiences to help you make your purchase.

[DakAttack]

Re: Motherboards

Semi-related, I invested in the CPU cooler linked below. Easy installation, quiet, and it looks cool, but it doesn't seem to be working. My CPU temperatures hover around 55C idle, which is exactly what it was with the stock cooler. I'm going to try tightening the screws up a little bit, or pull the thing off and reapply thermal compound, but there's one thing I'm not sure I can adjust. The fan on it stinks. It's bad. It hardly moves any air when running at full speed. I've got it pointed so it moves air towards the exhaust fan, but I'm not sure that's enough. I've searched my ass off, but it appears to be a custom 92mm clip on fan. It appears nobody sells anything like it. What I'm wondering is, has anybody heard of a fan like this?

Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Motherboards

Well if you want to tinker, you can just disassemble the fan and then buy another 92mm and replace it. Personally if its not doing the job I'd return the pos and try a different one.

[DakAttack]

Re: Motherboards

I still have some tinkering to do before I decide it's a POS.

[Aeni]

Re: Motherboards

I still have some tinkering to do before I decide it's a POS.

Why bother? RMA it and get a new one or a refund. Do you have a store nearby that sells electronic items? Maybe even Radio Shack? It's better than dealing with shipping and the weeks long RMA process.

And yes, RS does sell stuff like this ... maybe not exactly name brand, but I never wanted to spend so much on just a small fan. You spend that kind of money, go water cooling.

[DakAttack]

Re: Motherboards

Alright, I tinkered and I screwed those damn screws in real tight and I think that did the trick.

I took a look at the fan, and I'm not sure I can switch it out for anything. The heatsink is just a big hunk of metal attached to the motherboard, and the fan clips onto the heatsink. There are no screws or anything, and the heatsink is designed with an edge that the fan can clip onto. The top of the fan is connected to the base by stretchy rubber bits, which eventually plug into a hole. If I pulled them out I would probably tear them, but I might be able to screw something into the holes. I'm not really sure...