NikT's new pooter

[[DRuG]NikT]

Well, this post is a bit old, since I got the box nearly a month ago.. but I guess I should post about it, though I didn't spend up big - this is just a stopgap until I have more cash... runs everything pretty well though - especially for $600...

MSI 740GTM-P25 Mainboard with (unused) ATI onboard GFX.
*edit* 4Gb RAM (upgraded from 2)5
AMD Athlon II X4 620 Quad Core CPU @ 2.6GHz
*edit* Asus ATI EAH5850 1gb DDR5 vid card (to replace Elitegroup Nvidia 9800GT 1Gb RAM)
A hard disk !! (SATA mechanical) gotta get me a solid state drive eh 8)

That's pretty much it. Initially I was running XP x64.. everything running amazing... even GTAIV & Flight Sim X with reasonably high settings.

Last night I got the shits with XP x64, reimaged with Windows 7 x64 build 7600.. activated it, then installed XP mode - is running MTA perfectly.. yet to see with much else as I've been busy with work.. but will keep u all posted.

[[DRuG]Shane0]

Sounds pretty sweet for the price.

By the way whats this XP mode thing you mention as when I had MTA on my laptop or SAMP it would revert to kinda a windowed mode and i would lose screen real estate

[flongdong]

kinda emulation i believe. need win7 pro or ultimate to use it though.

[[DRuG]NikT]

Updated my new PC - changed the LEDs in the front to some nicer coloured ones, and added a better video card..

Asus PCI-e 1Gb DDR5 ATI HD5850

Cost around $389 from MSY.. they had them in stock.

Took about an hour or more to get working because in the box was no installation directions aside from the very basics, nothing detailing how to fit the power connectors, just a 2 x HDD (molex) 4 pin power to 1 x PCI-e (6 pin) power connector.. plus the card itself with 2 x PCI-e power sockets.

A brief inspection of my power supply found no PCI-e power connectors, so I assumed you must only need one... wrong... card wont detect.. almost gave up, thinking I needed either a better mainboard (mine was only tested with the 4000 series ATI's according to MSI's website) or a newer power supply.

Coming back to this newer PSU option eventually led me to consider the Thermaltake case I have for the MTADM server.. inspecting it's power supply, I find it - a 6 pin PCI-e power connector.. so I switch the PSU's across and tadaaa - 5850 now detects in device manager. using the molex<>PCI-e power adaptor and the one connector on the PSU.

Card runs amazingly fast.. since my 32" plasma only supports a maximum of 1280x960, so far every game I've pointed it at has run perfectly on full settings, including:

Crisis, Fallout 3, Need For Speed Shift, Need For Speed Underground 2, Lego Indiana Jones 2 The Adventure Continues, Juiced 2 Hot Import Nights, Race Driver GRID, Dirt 2, Shaun White Snowboarding, Pure Pinball 2.0 redux, Dream Pinball 3D, GTA IV, San Andreas, MotorM4X All Terrain Driving 2009 & Ski Alpin Racing 2007.

Now I'm gonna have to post this list to that "what you've been playing" thread.

[[DRuG]Davo]

awesome video card. could probably handle double that res for pretty much everything.

[JabbaTheSlut]

Bit of a pinball fan eh?

[[DRuG]NikT]

Bit of a pinball fan eh?

It's a good game to play multiplayer with non gamers.

[JabbaTheSlut]

I prefer the real thing. Got this sitting right next to me. Not my pic btw, party the reason behind my username.

[[DRuG]NikT]

Nice!

I attached it to your message coz the image was broken on my end.

[[DRuG]Rassilon]

5850 is a good purchase when you consider price and performance, i think i have that same card, kinda looks like the batmobile from the old tv show