Avian Gamers Network

Although my current rig still plays games fairly well, I can hear the fan (whether its the vid card fan or main computer fan I dunno) getting quite loud these days. I only noticed it cause I kinda had the same thing a few months ago when my previous vid card ended up getting fried.

So.... I am wondering if it is a cooling problem that would cause the fan to go into overdrive and become loud like that. I have opened the tower itself to allow more airflow but it still seems overly loud.

If it is a cooling problem, I would be looking into a new computer. Likely a Dell XPS 710. From what I read it has a case specifically designed to enchance cooling.

Besides wondering if the story above does appear to be a cooling thing in others' eyes, I was also curious about these Core Duo 2 processors. The Core Duo 2 I would be looking at would clock in at about 1.86-2.13 GHz. Is this still faster than a non-Duo 3.2 GHz machine? I really don't know anything about the new chips.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can provide. I see Dell has a deal on now to get a free Nvidia 768MB Geforce 8800 GTX with purchase of any X710 computer. Sounds like an amazing deal so time might be tight for me to decide what to do here.

/end long post

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"I built me a bomb and dropped it on every MFer who got in my way!"

Have you tried cleaning the fan of dust? If dust builds up, it can start to clog the fan up, slowing it down.

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X2-PB

Pathfinder Kingmaker Campaign:
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Star Citizen: - https://www.robertsspaceindustries.com/
AntanKarmola on their forums

Star Wars: The Old Republic: - Not really playing
Antare Karmola - Jedi Guardian (32)
Antan Karmola - Jedi Shadow (21)
Arianae Karmola - Gunslinger (20)

For a desktop, I'd recommend a few sites that aren't part of the mainstream. I think you will get more for your buck.

This comes with one caveat - you should be very comfortable with the inner workings of a computer (I know most people here are..). I say this because you won't get the hand holding tech support of an HP or Dell.

This is the comp I got:

CAS: CoolerMaster Stacker 830 Tower 420W Case W/ Side-panel Window
CPU: (Sckt775)Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo E6600 CPU @ 2.4GHz 1066FSB 2x2MB L2 Cache EM64T
CD: 18X DVD+/-R/+/-RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK
COLOR)
CD2: COMBO DRIVE (16X DVD-ROM & 52x32x52 CD-RW)
FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer
FAN: Monsoon II Lite CLT-M2LI LGA775 CPU Air Conditioner Cooling System (Recommended for CPU overclocking)
HDD: Single Hard Drive (74GB Gaming Western Digital Rapter 10,000RPM SATA150 16MB Cache WD740ADFD
MOTHERBOARD: (Quad-Core Supports) Asus P5N32-E nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (($40 off Mail-In Rebate) Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Memory w/ Heat Spreader
NETWORK: Killer K1 10/100/1000 Gigabit High Speed Online Gaming PCI
Network Interface Card
OS: Microsoft(R) Windows Vista(TM) Home Premium
PRO_WIRING: Professional Wiring for All WIRINGs Inside The System
Chasis with High Performance Thermal Compound on CPU
POWERSUPPLY: Apevia 680W BEAST POWER ATX Power Supply (BLACK Color ATX-AS680W-BK)
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS 24/7 LIFE-TIME
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: 600WATT PMPO SUBWOOFER STEREO SPEAKERS
TEMP: THERMAL TEMPERATURE LCD DISPLAY WITH 3X FAN CONTROLLER
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB 16X PCI Express
Netgear WG311T Super G 108Mbps PCI Adapter

2 lessons learned: 1) go with the liquid cooling...this new monsoon is loud as hell...2) probably don't need the Bigfoot Networks NIC...can go with a regular one.

I also had to RMA one component, but I got it once it came off back-order.

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com

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holy crap! I need to get back into specs for computers....

that thing looks like a mega beast...2mb L2 cache?! dang! what's up with that, maybe I should stop looking at AMD processors.

Angelus, it all depends on your budget I suppose, but for a good WoW comp, you don't really need much. Now if your thinking for the the future, then yeah...research away.

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The Cord
Occasional Caretaker of the Horde Maelstrom Guild
Ex-Section 3 Director

Nice machine! I picked up one of those Killer NICs and I'm liking it!

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Liro
"The english language is not a wedding gown, it doesn't get better the more lace you add. It is instead a thong. Less is more." From /.
I need to remind myself of this regularly.

I love it and think it makes a difference over previous NICs.

My very unofficial / non-scientific view is that it's at least 20% better performance-wise...but Ravage made some statements in a chat with me that made me wonder if BigFoot are just doing some really good marketing...I know a small bit about networks and can see his argument.

I won't restate them here...if he pokes his head in...he can explain why. If you are budget conscious you may be able to save 100-135 bucks in this category.

BTW - I didn't state the price above but feel now it may help the discussion in terms of cost / value. Mine was right around $2200. Comparables at Dell, HP (and also their new acquisitions Alienware & Voodoo) were a lot higher.

Some of you old timers may remember that the last time I bought a PC was just before SWG came out so its been a good 4-5 years.

I did an upgrade about a year ago to that system, but was not satisfied. The three primary reasons why were: 1) I upgraded to another AGP based motherboard (mistake), 2) didn't give enough consideration to the dual and quad core future, 3) or the DX10 and Vista Aero technolgies. Basically I upgraded without doing enough future proofing.

I expect this comp to again last me at least 5 years with an upgrade 3-4 years down the line as my new board supports SLI and quad core CPU's

One last thing, during the QA process, Cyberpower informed me that they couldn't fit the PCI based wireless card into my motherboard (the new 8800 based cards are huge...they essentially take up two slots. Plus, this monsoon fan takes up a pci slot for the the fan cooling (another reason to potentially go with water based or regular cooling). In any event, they upgraded me to a USB based wireless connection. I bring this up to highlight there QA process as a plus, but also that their website doesn't catch all potential configuration isses (a negative).


I wanted a rig that could connect wirelessly and via NIC because my office desk faces the door and I don't want wires running along the floor to the wall all the time -makes it harder to role around with the chair. I make an exception for gaming due to wireless having a slower connection and lag.

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I'm by no means an expert, but I've heard the USB Wireless is generally not ready for PC connections, and should be limited to peripherals.

But I have no first hand knowledge.

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Dr. Golga Bolg
SWTOR - Golga
Rift - Gnarlwood: Golgar Golgantua Golgate - Retired
WoW - Dalaran: Bolg Golga Virrok All Retired
SWG - Golga Bolg - Doctor (Resident) Retired
Eve - Edge Finn - Limbo
Section 2 - (Former) Director
What am I playing now?: The waiting game

Had a brief discussion last night in the Horde /g chat.

Anyone exactly how much of a performance boost I would get by going Duo Core 2 1.8 GHz vs my current single processor 2.23 GHz? Assume the same 1GB of RAM, though I would likely upgrade that to 2GB as well.

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"I built me a bomb and dropped it on every MFer who got in my way!"

I'm no real expert but I've been reading some about this topic over the last couple months in preparation for my own new machine.

What I've generally found is that in gaming its still mostly about the components and while having a faster cpu or more memory or better vid card is helpful. it's really all of them put together that matters, so it makes it sometimes hard to compare one vs the other.

I've read a couple times that with the same other components there isn't much of a difference between a dual core 2.4 ghz and a single core 2.4 when running just a game on your machine. It's when you start adding better components and multi tasking that you see the much improved performance.

I'm in a similiar boat as Dbakke and my current system is 5 years +. I upgraded about 2yrs ago but was just a bandaid. My plan was actually to buy a Dell today (get a discount through work). However he's got my interested in Cyberpower but the hand holding would be most welcome from me if I ever have trouble.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html

This should tell you what you are looking for in regards to PC performance.

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I think i have a CyberPower PC.

I'm not all that impressed with their support or professionalism. Seems liek a few guys in a garage building PCs when I was dealing with them.

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Dalaran: Arindel - Frost Mage (Mining/Alchemy)
Dalaran: Roran - Paladin (Weaponsmith/Blacksmith)
Dalaran: Baine - Rogue

I am not fully comfortable with a computer's inner workings so would rely on customer support should anything really go sour. I can install new RAM sticks or a new vid card, etc. but not much beyond that.

That is why if I pull the trigger on this deal that I will stick with Dell. It appears that the one I am looking at should provide more than enough gaming power for me.

1 more question - the one I am looking at has 2GB DDR2 RAM, 2 sticks running at 667MHz. Now, say later on I wanted to beef that to 4GB (why I dunno but just run with me for expandability purposes). Would I still have to buy more 667 MHz sticks or could I get 2 at say 800MHz??

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"I built me a bomb and dropped it on every MFer who got in my way!"

Gotta be exactly the same.

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Well crap. Now I'd have to consider whether I would ever need to up to 4GB in the next 5 years til I'd upgrade again.

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"I built me a bomb and dropped it on every MFer who got in my way!"

I have heard rumor that Vista is a huge RAM hog................... I am sure one of our more hardware astute folks could confirm that or not.

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"For over 2 years, the Veteran Community were the guardians of peace and justice in the Pre CU. Before the dark times, before the NGE."

If history is any judge, then there is no doubt in the matter.

Yeah I see that Dell recommends 2 GB RAM for Vista. The Dell XPS 710 only comes with Win XP for now though so it would only be when upgrading to Vista for DirectX 10 graphics usage that I would worry.

I think the problem with the Dell 710 is that the motherboard is the limiting factor, where even if you bought new faster RAM, the mobo restricts it to 667 spd.

Here is the review I read in case you are interested Cow:
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/dell_xps_710/page2.asp

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"I built me a bomb and dropped it on every MFer who got in my way!"

I'm running Vista...and I would definitely not go any less than 2. 4 GB is probably 12-18 months out...

Also check out this link to PC's being evaluated. I give it to you not to push you to Cyberpower. I think I've been upfront about the pro's and cons with them, but more to get you to look at other makers outside of the big 2 on the chance that they may have the customer service you are looking for but still be cheaper than the big boys.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,123846;page,1/article.html

but whatever you do...let us know how it goes! I helped my in-laws order a laptop from Dell last week and they are geting it this week.

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I did end up going w/ the 710. Bought it a couple hours ago. I appreciate your input Dbakke. Certainly the 710 is much less a gaming machine than I could get from Cyberpower but my config will actually be a bit less expensive and I get some preferred service w/ dell because of the company I work for.

There are some drawbacks and restrictions which I'm not liking but it'll be a huge upgrade for me for a long time, hopefully 4-5 years at least. I did go w/ the 2gigs of ram to start. It'll come down in price before I really need it.

Which processor did you go with Cow? I have a build using the E6400 (2.13 GHz) at the moment. No monitor, 250GB hard drive, integrated audio (7.1 channel), and the "free" upgrade to Geforce 8800GTX priced at $2,128 CDN.

Not sure if I like that integrated audio vs $100 more for the Soundblaster X-Fi and maybe $200 more for 4GB RAM. Before I order I am gonna have to sit down with the boss at home and figure out exactly what kind of other expenses we have coming down the pipeline.

Can't we all just win the lottery and buy top of the line systems ever 5 months?

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"I built me a bomb and dropped it on every MFer who got in my way!"

Falcon Northwest FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Grats on the new machines, guys!

Like some of you, I don't buy a new machine all that often but I'm going to have a chance to get a new one late this summer/early fall. Fortunately, Intel is planning on cutting the prices of their chips in half, PLUS, there should be another (hopefully better) DX10 vid card on the market from ATI.

Future-proofing is definitely the name of the game in our situation. To that end, I'd recommend going with a CPU that fits around the 80% mark (meaning it's very near the absolute top of the line of chips at the moment), a mobo that handles clock speeds faster than your processor and at least 2GB of RAM under Vista. My target is 4GB based on the articles and reviews I've read.

How about displays? What do you guys have/want/plan on? This is what I'm budgeting for right now; I'm watching out for a 23" or 24" but we'll have to see what the monitor market does by the time I'm ready to buy. And frankly, once you pass the 20" mark for monitors, it's mostly vanity and bragging rights.

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Liro
"The english language is not a wedding gown, it doesn't get better the more lace you add. It is instead a thong. Less is more." From /.
I need to remind myself of this regularly.

XPS 710 Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6600 (4MB L2 Cache,2.4GHz,1066 FSB)

Memory 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 DIMMs

Monitor 20 inch UltraSharp™ 2007WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel

Video Cards 256MB nVidia GeForce 7900 GS

Hard Drive 160GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (10,000RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™

Operating System Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium

Mouse Razer Copperhead Tempest Blue Gaming Mouse (ships separately)

Optical Drive Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability

Sound Cards Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeMusic (D) Sound Card

Speakers Dell A525 30 Watt 2.1 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer


SYSTEM DETAILS 2.5MM aluminum thickness Chassis with front & back customizable LEDs
7-slot, BTX design motherboard
750-watt Power Supply
Tower Six-heat pipe, Copper base Heat Sink with aluminum fans
Two 120mm x 38mm front fans


As you can see I went w/ a smaller faster HD. It's still 4x larger than what I have now. Went with the GeForce 7900 GS for a couple reasons, I wanted to keep the cost down for now, the 8800 is still a bit buggy from what I read, and it was the only option for my config. Still, that is upgradeable later on.

Wish I could have gotten the faster ram w/ this config but oh well. I'm not made of money sadly and I haven't won the lottery either.

I still think it's a decent rig Cow. Should be able to run thru Shattrath lag free with it at least

Will keep you posted when I can decide on what to do on my end.

Oh and Rocky - I have a 20.1" widescreen LG LCD as my monitor. Love it!

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"I built me a bomb and dropped it on every MFer who got in my way!"

won't get it for about 3 weeks though... sigh...

Nice rig!

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