theguruguys wrote:
If I were making the decision to buy this machine and it came down to lack of USB3.0 ports, I would not let that affect my buying decision.

ya, no joke. you can get a usb 3.0 card for a few bucks off newegg. besides, do you even own a usb 3.0 device? no, didnt think so. worry about it in 8 months when it might actually be relevant.

MBanks1970 wrote:No HDMI ports?

This wont work with my TV then. How can i stream to my TV ? I dont think Ive got any USB ports on my TV.

From Woot's good description & images:

"HDMI and DVI outputs allow for flexible connectivity options"

thanks for the advice on the video card. I know I have read about corsair power supplies being the best so thanks for the added advice on that, as well.

I'm probably in for one later today after I make some financial transfers to cover the cost. I'll probably buy that video card off newegg and find a more worthy power supply.

Again, thanks for the advice!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139017

24 pin main connector, 4+4 cpu power and a 6 pin pci-e all for 25 bucks from the best psu manufacture out there. all compatible with board in the computer. shopping done!

chubbysumo wrote:I hate to say that you are wrong, but you are.
...
Look up the rest on your own, i hope this has been informative, and educative, because I know my computers.

Our of curiosity, have you ever plugged your system into a Kill-a-Watt or something similar?

Hm... I've been looking for a new desktop, mostly for Camtasia and video editing. Video rendering and editing is very CPU intensive, how do you think this would perform?

Most games aren't optimized for more than 2 cores (some not even more than 1). I've been told, though, that video rendering is a process that is directly affected by # of cores since it's very easy to multi-thread. Can anyone verify/dispute this?

6 cores sounds awesome if I can get a 6x pickup in rendering speed (or even near 6x).

glendower wrote:It doesn't have a card that costs as much as the system does currently, so it can't run games at all!

Worst, comment, evAr.

I have an i3 processing desktop, swapped in a 750w ultra psu ($70) and a Radeon HD 6950 2gB($279)(warning! VERY large card, wont fit on all mobo's) and can play any game out on the highest settings flawlessly, yes, crysis 2 and all.

curtisuxor wrote:Except when you need tech support/customer service. Real nightmare to deal with them.

My friend has had trouble with their tech support when emailing them, but I've found it to be an easy enough experience calling them instead.

Cant wait want it now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139018

This seem like a nice upgrade for the PSU?

I know that I could run superior cards off a smaller unit, but I don't wish to leave things to chance.

If you're only going to run a single graphics card, a 550W PSU would be more than enough.

Using this PSU calculator, http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine, only ~300W are needed for the system even with an upgrade to a 5770 (an excellent bang-for-your-buck card that plays most games on high settings), although that card suggests a minimum 450W.

Also, I believe when not all six cores are being used, two shut down and the remaining four are overclocked to some degree, but I could be wrong.

theguruguys wrote:Personally I have had no real difference between brands/chipsets of the Firewire cards I have used for video purposes. If you look around various forums and such most people highly encourage FireWire cards that feature the Texas Instruments chipset.

Thanks for that. For under $50 that might be my next step.

Folks, 6 cores at 2.7GHz is plenty to play any PC game out there right now, as is 8GB of RAM. The major issue is the video card. Drop $100-150 on a decent card and you'll have an OK gaming system. Calling any system with a 5450 a gaming system is laughable.

is this pc good enough for photo editing using photoshop, lightroom and lots of plugins? please help!

ricardo501 wrote:is this pc good enough for photo editing using photoshop, lightroom and lots of plugins? please help!

Yes,it would work great for that.

Here is hoping this one is better then the refurby Intel version I ordered from newegg a few months ago. I had to replace all 8 gig of the ram, the power supply and two of the 4 usb ports in front shorted out within 6 weeks of owning it. I was a huge fan of ASUS till I got that computer. It was the nearly the same specs as this only it was Intel instead of AMD. Same price too. Just be careful.

alwaysthemuse wrote:Here is hoping this one is better then the refurby Intel version I ordered from newegg a few months ago. I had to replace all 8 gig of the ram, the power supply and two of the 4 usb ports in front shorted out within 6 weeks of owning it. I was a huge fan of ASUS till I got that computer. It was the nearly the same specs as this only it was Intel instead of AMD. Same price too. Just be careful.

Why on earth would you do that "within 6 weeks" when refurbs carry a 3 month warranty anyway?

How good would game performance do if an Nvidia GTX460 based video card was added, like an Asus model with 768MB I saw on EBAY recently for under $100.
Might need to also upgrade to a bit larger power supply too since 450W is recommended for Nvidia GTX450 video cards.

I have a question. So the video card is subpar -- why does no one consider turning down the graphics in the game? It can get you up to the proper framerate. Do this many people really care about how pretty the game looks? For me, multiplayer FPSs are about pwning people. Not about everything being pretty while I do it. It's nice if it looks good as well, but I feel like you could probably still have lots of fun with this game, and it would still look good, just not amazing.

Anyway, I think I'm in for one. I have a 500W PSU in my old computer that I can put in this one in case I do decide to upgrade the GPU. I also have a Raptor to upgrade the hard drive speed... I think it'll all do just fine. Thanks for all the info, guys.

usanettom wrote:This deal looked fantastic - right up until I saw the processor was AMD and the graphics were ATI. Plus, it only has 8GB of RAM. Sure, you could use this as a gaming system - if all your games are at least 3 years old. I guess it'll run the new stuff, but at what cost?? You won't be pwning any noobs with this machine. Well, at least not until you spend the money to upgrade to and Intel CPU and an Nvidia GPU, then upgrade to 16GB or RAM. Then, maybe then will you be able to pwn noobs.

Some of you "gaming" people are on drugs, aren't you?

Many of you who speak like experts have no idea what makes a good gaming PC, especially on the cheap.
It sure isn't 16GB of RAM or an Intel processor. Or 7 bajillion watts of power on some crappy PSU. Or being an anti-AMD fanboy.

I think a lot of the knowledge on here is limited to "The higher the number, the better!", so I would hope people looking at building or purchasing a gaming PC will take a lot of these comments with a grain of salt.

ROFLMAO. "Gaming Computer"

Also, go get a real keyboard instead of this typical $5 rubber dome, piece of crap.

How would this computer do with HD Video Editing? I'm new to editing and looking for a good fast responsive system. I won't be playing any online games.Thanks

just about ready to pull the trigger on this but I'm now unsure which video card to actually purchase.

I originally was looking at the GeForce GTX 550-ti off newegg for $150, but the 560-ti would be even better (at more money, of course.)

But would this be overkill? Or would the 560 serve me better long-term over a 550? Plus the 560 is 9 inches long while the 550 is only 8.25 inches, so there's the question of fitting in the case/motherboard.

Looking at the woot picture of the inside of the case makes it difficult to determine. Anybody care to help me out with this? Whichever videocard I get is an upgrade over the two Go 7950 GTX chips in my laptop right now.

Thanks again!

theherbshack wrote:Worst, comment, evAr.

I have an i3 processing desktop, swapped in a 750w ultra psu ($70) and a Radeon HD 6950 2gB($279)(warning! VERY large card, wont fit on all mobo's) and can play any game out on the highest settings flawlessly, yes, crysis 2 and all.

The point is that it will run games and can easily be upgraded. It's not an iMac or anything Yes, I exaggerated on the price, but that card that you have is pretty well out of anyone's price range who is looking for a $600 computer. As far as just straight up stats, this computer is an excellent base for a gaming rig. Not the best video card, but it'll run a lot of games pretty well.

chubbysumo wrote:Intel fanboyism detected. Dude, really, if this was an intel CPU based rig, it would be twice the price or more.
Anyhow, They perform the same on the users end for AMD and intel(I have had, and will happily use either, if the price is right).
As far as nvidia and AMD/ATi argument goes, for about the same price(from each card category), you get about the same performance from the manufactures.
4/10 for troll, only because you made me respond so that computer illeterate
people are not confused.

Yeah, this isn't the early day of 3d acceleration when there WAS a significant difference between the offerings of nVidia, 3DFX, Vérité, and that weird Matrox thing. Back then, there were a lot of heated discussions about the difference in image quality (and there were very noticeable differences, but the discussion was about which one looked better which was often a mater of taste) and, in some situations, a BIG difference in speed. Now cards produce images that are so close that you have to do a screen cap and then maybe magnify the image 2 or 3x and point at a strange artifact that shows up between two textures. The difference in frame rates is usually above the refresh rate and the question is how *far* above the refresh rate.

And 16GB? What kind of crazy talk is that? Crazy, that's what kind!

gravityisweak wrote:Hmm, if you buy the squaretrade 1 year warranty policy, but add a new power supply and/or graphics card, will it void the warranty?

NO it should be fine

Looking to get this mostly for HD video editing, photoshop etc. Want to replace the dvd burner with a Blu ray burner. Will this be a decent system for that kind of thing?

bottledwater wrote:I have a question. So the video card is subpar -- why does no one consider turning down the graphics in the game?

you can certainly do that. but thats not what i buy a 700$ computer for (actually, if you want a gaming system you should build, not buy). its obvious your not a gamer and that totally cool, but i dont like seeing people buying weak hardware thinking they are getting a gaming computer when they in reality they need to upgrade the psu and gpu (~ 200$) to handle games on med-high. if you just want something that just works, get a console and settle for out dated hardware. if you want the best out there then you need a pc and you need to know what you're getting into. im just trying to educate and keep people from getting disappointed. and i always encourage people to do their own research, never take a random persons opinion as fact.but after you do all that research you'll find the 5450 is not a gaming card. period.

davidxiphoid wrote:Looking to get this mostly for HD video editing, photoshop etc. Want to replace the dvd burner with a Blu ray burner. Will this be a decent system for that kind of thing?

yes, you for anything video editing you need a strong cpu, a good monitor and plenty of ram. a six core cpu is certainly up to any modern day task, as for the monitor you need to work on that your self. and ram, well you can buy 8 gigs for under 100$ so if you find your self running low you can always upgrade for cheap.

Thanks for the advice Pirate. Just made the purchase =)

no problem. i got my first asus pc (g73jh) back in aug and im very happy with the brand thus far. with the right software and a good monitor you'll be editing videos like a pro. have fun dude and enjoy.

Never go wrong with ASUS.. Use it in all my builds. They know what they are doing.

pirate943 wrote:you can certainly do that. but thats not what i buy a 700$ computer for (actually, if you want a gaming system you should build, not buy). its obvious your not a gamer and that totally cool, but i dont like seeing people buying weak hardware thinking they are getting a gaming computer when they in reality they need to upgrade the psu and gpu (~ 200$) to handle games on med-high. if you just want something that just works, get a console and settle for out dated hardware. if you want the best out there then you need a pc and you need to know what you're getting into. im just trying to educate and keep people from getting disappointed. and i always encourage people to do their own research, never take a random persons opinion as fact.but after you do all that research you'll find the 5450 is not a gaming card. period.

It's obvious I'm not a gamer? Actually, I would argue that I'm a hardcore gamer -- I grew up on games and was probably playing games before you were born. That's probably why having the highest quality graphics isn't the most important thing to me. All that really matters is that I'm not lagging or choppy, so that I can headshot my opponent without hesitation. If it looks pretty too, well that's icing on the cake. But games these days are so beautiful that they look good even on some of the lowest settings. I'm not worried about seeing a zit on their face when I get close to them. If a game needs good graphics to be fun, it's not a good game.

pirate943 wrote:yes, you for anything video editing you need a strong cpu, a good monitor and plenty of ram. a six core cpu is certainly up to any modern day task, as for the monitor you need to work on that your self. and ram, well you can buy 8 gigs for under 100$ so if you find your self running low you can always upgrade for cheap.

You can also consider getting a solid state drive for workspace with your projects, it really speeds things up when working with those large files.

-GG

bottledwater wrote:If a game needs good graphics to be fun, it's not a good game.

In total agreement to this point. Some of the best games in the past have had only mediocre graphics.

The problem here is that this graphics card will not play some modern games, even at 1280x1024 with all effects set to low or off, at a good solid framerate. Bad framerate will kill the gaming experience even in a good game as you stated.

-GG

bottledwater wrote:It's obvious I'm not a gamer? Actually, I would argue that I'm a hardcore gamer -- I grew up on games and was probably playing games before you were born. That's probably why having the highest quality graphics isn't the most important thing to me. All that really matters is that I'm not lagging or choppy, so that I can headshot my opponent without hesitation. If it looks pretty too, well that's icing on the cake. But games these days are so beautiful that they look good even on some of the lowest settings. I'm not worried about seeing a zit on their face when I get close to them. If a game needs good graphics to be fun, it's not a good game.

like i said, get a console if you dont care about graphics. and yes graphics dont make the game, but why buy a 5870 to play mario? (i still have my nes for that) when you get in to 'gaming pcs' you dont want to settle. its about bragging and being able to say 'damn it, i get 80 fps at x1200 in crysis!!' its like if you bought a corvette that didnt go over 40, would you be happy? and i never said this wasnt a good pc or a good deal. what im saying is, it's not a gaming computer as is. and i dont want people buying it thinking it is. so have fun shooting people with square heads but some people want a little more then that.

azdarkknight wrote:Why on earth would you do that "within 6 weeks" when refurbs carry a 3 month warranty anyway?

Because I did that and Asus turned right around and sent me two other ones with the same exact memory issue within a month. I have since just giving up and fixed the ram issue myself. Now the USB ports went belly up. That's why.

theguruguys wrote:USB 2.0 isn't close to obsolete muchless 3.0. They just are not the newest thing. There are far more USB3.0 devices available than Thunderbolt devices and who knows if it will take off (remember Firewire was a lot better than USB, but really never took off as the standard). I don't know about royalties to Intel/Apple, but there are a lot of things that factor into whether or not it will take off or not.

This may be true, but the capabilities and potential are far greater than either USB 2.0 or 3.0.

The main problem with FireWire was that its transfer rates were similar to USB 2.0, but not backward compatible with USB 1.1 devices.

Intel seems to want this to eventually replace USB so I would expect adapters to show up soon if the Lightpeak drivers can support the USB standard.

compudata wrote:Thunderbolt... I thought that was that new Verizon cell phone some of my staff are going nuts about!? ;-)

Well, this is what happens when companies use common names or expressions that can't be copyrighted. Every one uses it and no one knows what the hell you are talking about it.

Maybe Verizon will put that phone into a PC so you can call from your gaming rig through your wireless while playing Call of Duty.

i have an ati 5450 hd 512 megabyte video card , there's nothing puny about it. beats the hell out of anything built into the main board at any rate, and you can always upgrade if you want to.