[Matt Bee]

What would be a worthwhile upgrade from a GTS 250? Also considering I invested $130.00 into buying it a couple years back. I'm not really familiar with the ATi/AMD lineups, but I'm willing to get one if it's a worthwhile and cost effective upgrade.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 @ 2.93GHz stock speeds
GPU: EVGA GTS 250 w/512MB DDR3 @ stock speeds
RAM: 2GB DDR2
DSP: Soundblaster Audigy 4
PSU: 550w Antec 30amp on +12v
OS: Windows XP SP3

Radeon 6870 or GTX 560 would be fine. Time to move to Win7 too...and 4GB of RAM at least.

Processor: i5-2430M (2.4GHz/3MB Cache)
Ram: 8GB
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6650M (2GB Dedicated)
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray & DVDRW
Screen Size: 17.3"
Resolution: somethingx900 I think.

What do you think for playing like Skyrim?

Should see medium settings...doubt that 6650 has 2GB dedicated VRAM....more like 1GB at best.

Processor - Intel Core i7 - 2.2 GHz
RAM - 8 GB
Discrete graphics adapter model GeForce GT 540M
Optical Drive - Blu-ray Player / DVD Rewriter
Operating System - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Display Resolution 1600 x 900 pixels

Need some desperado advice. Does this fail, or is it like, sorted?

I hope I get more of a response than the one in the Skyrim place did.

Should see medium settings with that.

[Emilie M]

I checked, it's definitely 2GB.

It's http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Lenovo_G770_Core_i5_Windows_7_Laptop__M53A2UK/version.asp#maindesc.

[Shannon Lockwood]

I would like to inform anybody that is interested in some new parts to check newegg's shell shockers today.
OCZ 60gig ssd's are 60 USD
Crucial Ballistix (2x4 gig) coming up on sale.
There is also a Zotac GeForce 9500 GT coming up as well (i know it is not high performance, but it could be used for something like a little work computer or something.

[stephanie eastwood]

curious as to what your hard disk i/o is at those times, as it sounds like you're hitting a wall there more than anything to me. Either that or it's a power setting for the cpu/disk causing it to artificially cap or spin down at inopportune times.

Resource Monitor will give you all the information for HDD performance you need on Vista/Windows 7. It's not in XP AFAIK, but I'm sure there are alternatives probably from the hard drive manufacturer.

Well, I did some system maintenance, ran a couple virus scans, and did a defrag, and it seems to have fixed things somewhat. No viruses picked up, so you're probably correct it's a disk issue. Right now with resource monitor open, and looking at my CPU usage, when I spike up to 20-30% CPU usage my disk I/O shoots up to around 1400-1500 kb/s. Not sure if this is an abnormal amount, since I don't really have much knowledge of Hard Disks or I/O.

Also, I have a question about video cards. I just bought a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150579 low profile card for a friend currently running on board video ($14.99 and free Call of Priypat? They're practically paying me to take it at that price!). I also have an older http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102067 I could give him instead, if it would be better. Which would give better performance out of those 2?

[mimi_lys]

I'd recommend the 560 Ti over the original 560, I saw one on Newegg for $219 from Gigabyte, and it came with a free game. The 560Ti and the 6950 are roughly the same card, they split wins across multiple games, so you can't go wrong with either one.

I assume this is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125401 are talking about? I think I actually might pick it up, even though it's not part of the Black Friday sale. I'll see if any other sales pop up tomorrow, but this looks excellent, thanks for telling me about it. I'm crossing my fingers that my PSU will handle it though, the only way to tell is to pop it in. I'm just worried that my aftermarket CPU cooler and slightly overclocked CPU might push my 550w PSU too hard, but I think it'll be fine.

Thanks again for letting me know about the card, saved me a few bucks.

[Charity Hughes]

If you use a t.v as a computer monitor, do you need to use external computer speakers, or can you use the speakers on the T.V?

[Kay O'Hara]

If you use a t.v as a computer monitor, do you need to use external computer speakers, or can you use the speakers on the T.V?

Most graphics cards can output audio and video through HDMI, so you can probably use your TV speakers. Not 100% sure though.

[sally R]

Most graphics cards can output audio and video through HDMI, so you can probably use your TV speakers. Not 100% sure though.

Thanks for the quick reply. I didn't want to spend the money on speakers if I didn't need to.

[Kayla Keizer]

Thanks for the quick reply. I didn't want to spend the money on speakers if I didn't need to.

As long as the graphics card uses HDMI, it'll output audio as well, Narmy hit the nail on the head.

[Lou]

I'm in the market for a new GPU, any ideas for what to look for on cyber monday? Expecting to pay about $100 - but that's not set in stone - and I currently have a GTS 450; I'm looking for an upgrade.

[Cheryl Rice]

I'm in the market for a new GPU, any ideas for what to look for on cyber monday? Expecting to pay about $100 - but that's not set in stone - and I currently have a GTS 450; I'm looking for an upgrade.

Probably have to wait and see what deals they have, might see a 6850-70, or maybe a GTX 460/560 down close to that.

[Carlos Rojas]

Probably have to wait and see what deals they have, might see a 6850-70, or maybe a GTX 460/560 down close to that.

The GTX 560 would, according to hwcompare.com, just about double performance. Fingers crossed.
Is newegg big on cyber monday? What sites should I be checking fiendishly?

[Sunnii Bebiieh]

I checked, it's definitely 2GB.

It's http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Lenovo_G770_Core_i5_Windows_7_Laptop__M53A2UK/version.asp#maindesc.

Well, that's interesting. Kind of a waste puting 2GB VRAM for a midrange card when the resolution is a lowly 1600x900. It's not going to make much of a difference.

Well, I did some system maintenance, ran a couple virus scans, and did a defrag, and it seems to have fixed things somewhat. No viruses picked up, so you're probably correct it's a disk issue. Right now with resource monitor open, and looking at my CPU usage, when I spike up to 20-30% CPU usage my disk I/O shoots up to around 1400-1500 kb/s. Not sure if this is an abnormal amount, since I don't really have much knowledge of Hard Disks or I/O.

Also, I have a question about video cards. I just bought a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150579 low profile card for a friend currently running on board video ($14.99 and free Call of Priypat? They're practically paying me to take it at that price!). I also have an older http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102067 I could give him instead, if it would be better. Which would give better performance out of those 2?

The 4670 is the better card by a long shot. Nice price for it too.

I'm in the market for a new GPU, any ideas for what to look for on cyber monday? Expecting to pay about $100 - but that's not set in stone - and I currently have a GTS 450; I'm looking for an upgrade.

For $100, not sure if you'll see a card that's any better than what you currently have. You may get something like the Radeon 6850 around that range after rebates, but I doubt it would be close to that straight up.

[Colton Idonthavealastna]

For $100, not sure if you'll see a card that's any better than what you currently have. You may get something like the Radeon 6850 around that range after rebates, but I doubt it would be close to that straight up.

If I can find the GTX 560 for $150 (about $50 off normal price) on cyber monday or otherwise I'll be picking it up. Of course, the cheaper the better.

[Robyn Howlett]

Anyone have some good Graphics Card suggestions for Skyrim?

^I was also looking for a GTX 560

So far I've found
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-127-592&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Mini-HDMI-Graphics-01G-P3-1460-KR/dp/B0050I1PHO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322237566&sr=8-1

Trying to see if these are good deals

[Jade Barnes-Mackey]

So since I have gotten my laptop about two years ago it's performance seems to have slowed down a lot. I have gotten rid of unneeded programs, I have no viruses but it seems like my laptop has really slowed down. Is there ways I could clean it physically? I mean when I first had my laptop it would of not gotten as hot as it does now.

[Darian Ennels]

I'll see if any other sales pop up tomorrow, but this looks excellent, thanks for telling me about it.

You're in luck, same card is now $20 cheaper, and with free shipping. :goodjob:

Anyone have some good Graphics Card suggestions for Skyrim?

Here is a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125401, plus you'll get another $20 back in the mail in a month or two, plus it comes with Arkham City, plus it's an upgraded version of the 560 you were looking at.

[Meghan Terry]

Sorry, I was just thinking of my own grandparents, they could get into some trouble. :laugh:


I'm going to let Tig (or someone else) swoop in, my knowledge of hardware is limited to newer stuff, but atleast he has the info he needs.

How about the 550Ti? Would that be a worthwhile upgrade from a GTS 250? (as in worth $150 - $200?)

[Tanya Parra]

So since I have gotten my laptop about two years ago it's performance seems to have slowed down a lot. I have gotten rid of unneeded programs, I have no viruses but it seems like my laptop has really slowed down. Is there ways I could clean it physically? I mean when I first had my laptop it would of not gotten as hot as it does now.

If you haven't dusted it out it wouldn't hurt. Have you gone into MSconfig to check what programs are running on startup? This is the main reason for computers taking a long time to start up.

[Nikki Hype]

How about the 550Ti? Would that be a worthwhile upgrade from a GTS 250? (as in worth $150 - $200?)

The GTX 560ti is around 214 dollars and should come down around cyber monday. The 550 ti is a little too weak for the price. The GTX 460 is better with pure power than the GTX 550 ti. Either one of those would be good.

EDIT: I am looking for a studio grade sound card that I can afford. any cheap deals on something that supports 3.1 audio?

[TRIsha FEnnesse]

Since Windows 8 is coming out, is it a good idea to get a tablet for Android still or may windows 8 kill Android? The biggest thing that attracts me towards these things is running free apps like notepads and calculating things, not trying to replace the pc with it. Apps for mac stuff are almost always premium carrying.

Android is releasing new versions by the day, will future apps still be written for 2.x?