[PC] Ask The Experts Thread

[Masthan]

Sure, I can provide you with prices (approximations).

 

Sapphire HD7950 3GB Vapor-X edition (from the money you saved on the motherboard) ~23000/-

Corsair TX v2650W ~5600/-

Corsair Carbide 400R ~5000/- (go to Bhumika Enterprises in the basement)

/-

These prices are indicative and just take them as a guide, not actual street rates. Cheers!

HI ALPHA,

 

is there any other alternate for GPU to reduce the budget ? or its good and future proof? and also let me know what i am loosing by going low. i would like to play RPG games on 720P at good(Low-Good-High) graphic setting. And i saw GTX 660Ti is 3D ready and i will be planing for 3D TV in near feature may in 6-7 months so is it worth considering now?

 

What is the difference in Carbide 400R and 500R. Why 400R is good over 500R.

 

Hey,

 

One of my friend (Non IVG member) also planing get a PC with me. Can you also give the config for HD 1080p&3D Movies, Music (He has amplifier so might prefer audio card) and part time gaming with medium graphics.

 

Thanks you for help as always.

Edited March 6, 2013 by Masthan

[ALPHA17]

Is there any other alternate for GPU to reduce the budget ? or its good and future proof? and also let me know what i am loosing by going low. i would like to play RPG games on 720P at good(Low-Good-High) graphic setting. And i saw GTX 660Ti is 3D ready and i will be planing for 3D TV in near feature may in 6-7 months so is it worth considering now?

 

What is the difference in Carbide 400R and 500R. Why 400R is good over 500R.

 

Hey,

 

One of my friend (Non IVG member) also planing get a PC with me. Can you also give the config for HD 1080p&3D Movies, Music (He has amplifier so might prefer audio card) and part time gaming with medium graphics.

 

 

No the HD7950 3GB is the best card at that price point --

• Performs close to the GTX670
• Multi-monitor support is better than competition (AMD's EyeFinity)
• Should be future proof for ~2 -->3 years. Depending on series.

I suggest you avoid falling for the 3D gimmick, most titles are not optimized and the nVidia 3D Vision kit itself will set you back by ~10,000/- and is not worth it in my opinion.

 

Why I suggest you avoid the Corsair Carbide 500R is --

 

● Build Quality- a con that is usually never preferred from any Tier 1 brand especially for this price

● Lack of proper packaging+ weak build quality might lead to dents during shipment

● No air filter for the sidepanel (Corsair Carbide lacks this)

● Hence, price is more of a con

For more on the same -- Corsair Carbide 500R Hardware BBQ

 

Configuration for your friend --

 

Intel Core i5 3470

GIGABYTE-B75M-D3H

Corsair Vengeance 4GB x2 1600MHz

Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 1TB

HP / ASUS (boxed) optical drive

GIGABYTE GTX660 2GB ~15500/- or Sapphire HD7870 2GB Vapor-X / Toxic edition ~18000/-

BitFenix Outlaw APAC edition ~3500/- (go to Bhumika Enterprises in the basement)

Seasonic S12II 520W ~4000/-

ASUS Xonar STX ~8500/- (from Pro Audio Home)

APC 1100VA-IN ~4500/-

Hope this helps, Cheerio!

 

From what I researched when purchasing an SSD, the Intel 320 and 520 were the most reliable of the bunch, with the lowest failure/return rates in the industry. I think somewhere even Anandtech mentioned that.

 

Agreed but even those are not fault proof --

• Issues with SandForce SF-2281
• Intel discovers the SandForce SF-2281 cannot do 256-bit AES encryption

Edited March 6, 2013 by ALPHA17

[Bird Bird Bird]

Agreed but even those are not fault proof --

• Issues with SandForce SF-2281
• Intel discovers the SandForce SF-2281 cannot do 256-bit AES encryption

 

 

Yeah, I know. Looking at that, none of the SSDs are really fault proof. Heck, none of the HDDs are fault proof. What I meant is Intel is possibly the best of the lot.

[Ph3N0M]

What I meant was, if the mains are functional the UPS is not acting and it is just a power conduit (cleaning the PC, doing its bit to clear spikes and troughs). So even if the power draw was higher than the UPS's rated output the system will not shut down but don't try this when the power is out.

 

 

 

Sorry for bumping this ancient post(yep, 3 months old IS ancient in the internet land). Was playing Tomb Raider when suddenly my UPS started a continuous beep(after about half an hour of continuous play), and I immediately shut down everything in panic. Restarted the PC, and started playing again, when it started beeping again after 10 minutes, which stopped once I quit the game immediately. So, I doubt my UPS is working as mentioned in the quote by Alpha. Any suggestions? Alpha, you sure any UPS will work like that?

 

EDIT: See Post 6974 of this thread for the original discussion.

Edited March 10, 2013 by Ph3N0M

[ALPHA17]

Sorry for bumping this ancient post(yep, 3 months old IS ancient in the internet land). Was playing Tomb Raider when suddenly my UPS started a continuous beep(after about half an hour of continuous play), and I immediately shut down everything in panic. Restarted the PC, and started playing again, when it started beeping again after 10 minutes, which stopped once I quit the game immediately. So, I doubt my UPS is working as mentioned in the quote by Alpha. Any suggestions? Alpha, you sure any UPS will work like that?

 

EDIT: See Post 6974 of this thread for the original discussion.

 

Is this with just the UPS or UPS + spike-board?

 

Try removing the spike-board and see how the UPS behaves.

 

Which UPS do you have currently?

 

When was the last time it got drained? How often do you face power outage and how is the quality of power you get?

[Ph3N0M]

Is this with just the UPS or UPS + spike-board?

 

Try removing the spike-board and see how the UPS behaves.

 

Which UPS do you have currently?

 

When was the last time it got drained? How often do you face power outage and how is the quality of power you get?

UPS is connected to a 15A port on an extension board. To UPS is connected the PC, and a monitor, while another monitor and speakers are connected to other ports on that extension board. I CAN try playing through just the UPS connected to wall, but that will require me to change my set-up a lot. It never got drained for once in its lifetime.. In fact, it has never worked for more than even 15-20 minutes(cumulative) without electricity. Power-cut is a rarity here, and it happens once a month on average. My UPS is an el-cheapo 1500 rupya wala UMAX model(660 VA).

Edited March 10, 2013 by Ph3N0M

[SD Phantom]

It happened to my UPS also as I connected it to my new PC; maybe the load is too much for the UPS to handle!

[Ph3N0M]

It happened to my UPS also as I connected it to my new PC; maybe the load is too much for the UPS to handle!

Alpha explained(in the post that I quoted above) that UPS can handle above their capacities if current is not out(they just act as mediator). What did you do then? Got a new UPS?

[ALPHA17]

My UPS is an el-cheapo 1500 rupya wala UMAX model(660 VA).

 

 

Okay don't ever, ever put your CrossFire solution on that.

 

I have first hand experience with cheap UPS and it is not pretty. I thought I had told you to go for an APC piece then. Or no.

Edited March 10, 2013 by ALPHA17

[Ph3N0M]

Okay don't ever, ever put your CrossFire solution on that.

 

I have first hand experience with cheap UPS and it is not pretty. I thought I had told you to go for an APC piece then. Or no.

I didn't change the UPS as I rarely get power cuts, and you also approved of it. This UPS is sufficient whenever I'm not playing a heavy game, and the probability of me playing a heavy game at a time when power will go is 0. There is no point in spending a heavy amount on a UPS, which will never really be used for its purpose(backup). I'm not talking about power cuts here. In general(with current on), we CAN extract more power from the wall through a UPS than its capacity, right?

[ALPHA17]

^^ Yes you can draw power as much power as is needed by the SMPS from the wall, irrespective of the ratings.

 

But I will not recommend you place a 850W SMPS on a cheap UPS. It is something I don't have any experience with and with no technical knowledge defer to the point that things might go turtle.

[Ph3N0M]

^^ Yes you can draw power as much power as is needed by the SMPS from the wall, irrespective of the ratings.

 

But I will not recommend you place a 850W SMPS on a cheap UPS. It is something I don't have any experience with and with no technical knowledge defer to the point that things might go turtle.

So, what should be the next course of action? I haven't yet got around to trying that CF configuration. Would have if this didn't happen today.

Edited March 10, 2013 by Ph3N0M

[SD Phantom]

Alpha explained(in the post that I quoted above) that UPS can handle above their capacities if current is not out(they just act as mediator). What did you do then? Got a new UPS?

Well I first replaced the battery of the UPS, even after that the problem persisted, it used to turn off by itself and there was loud beeps when I switched it on but it works perfectly fine on my old rig though!

I connect my CPU directly as power cuts are a rarity in my area

[Ph3N0M]

I too am thinking of connecting the PC directly when playing a heavy game. Purchasing a 10k UPS that supports 850W is overkill imo(IF I upgrade to 850W SMPS, that is.).

[Razpor]

If the wattage of your ups is more than the average power draw at load,you are fine.what is your average power draw under load?? Try to find it.

Plus there is absolutely no need to spend 10 k on an ups,if your smps is good enough,if your ups is above 600w chances are you wont run into any problems ,the va ratings dont matter as all you need is enough time to shut off pc,even a 400 - 340 va ups can give you enough minutes for that.

I use a 500 w ups ....for my system as well.All you need to be on safe side is a good enough wattage,i m sure about this.just find out ur power draw(wattage) under load...

[Ph3N0M]

If the wattage of your ups is more than the average power draw at load,you are fine.what is your average power draw under load?? Try to find it.

Plus there is absolutely no need to spend 10 k on an ups,if your smps is good enough,if your ups is above 600w chances are you wont run into any problems ,the va ratings dont matter as all you need is enough time to shut off pc,even a 400 - 340 va ups can give you enough minutes for that.

I use a 500 w ups ....for my system as well.All you need to be on safe side is a good enough wattage,i m sure about this.just find out ur power draw(wattage) under load...

Which UPS are you using. Then what is the VA rating for?

[Razpor]

Va means volt ampere technically it should be the same value as the the wattage of a ups (atleast in case of resistive loads its true),but most companies just use it in wrong context .

As in case of pcs /ups we have to deal with electronic loads (that is constantly changing amplitudes etc)

Hence Wattage and VA ratings are usually different due to several factors,in any case total power drain must remain below either of these values,it is an industry standard.

But in most cases the wattage rating should be close to 60% of total va rating.[60% being the power factor value,better products have usually better PF,but in most cases its 60%]

So for example if you have a 1000 va ups ,wattage rating should be close to 600w .

My ups is an 850 va ups ,so its wattage should be 500w ,but its not written anywhere.

Btw ignore my last comment abt va ratings ,it doesnt concern you ,just find your average wattage under heavy load and get a ups based on that to stay on safe side .

Btw whats ur vurrent ups va rating???

Edited March 10, 2013 by Razpor

[ALPHA17]

Btw whats ur vurrent ups va rating???

 

Bit shocked with your previous post. But thanks for correcting it.

 

I have only seen APC UPS carrying appropriate VA <--> Watt ratings on their package (if they mention it).

 

They have a value of ~60% as you mentioned and the only one that I trust. In-fact my experience with cheap UPS was brief and rather shocking. Got my current PC in 2010 and skimped on the UPS at the end, bought a cheap 600VA FronTech piece. Cart all of this to my hostel, power cut, the UPS explodes (yes explodes with a loud bang) and only because of my surge-protector I think my PC was saved. UPS is smoking, leave it outside the room and it was promptly flicked the next day.

 

Bought an APC 550VA UPS ~300W -->350W of backup, enough time to switch off my system in the event of our power cut. Still using it.

 

Ph3n0m has a 660VA UMAX model.

[dranjithk]

Okay, now that the stupid-a*s modem that BSNL gave me went kaput, I'm looking to buy a new modem-router. Please give me some suggestions!

 

PS: Primary usage would be high speed downloads. And yes, I'll be connecting my PS3 as well. Budget is somewhere between 1500 to 2500 bucks!

[ALPHA17]

PS: Primary usage would be high speed downloads. And yes, I'll be connecting my PS3 as well. Budget is somewhere between 1500 to 2500 bucks!

 

PS3 will be connected via wire, right.

 

If you intend to keep the wireless range sufficiently effective, I suggest you ramp up your budget and go for a N300 router rather than a N150.

 

But if everything is going to be in close proximity following options are there --

Routers @flipkart.com

 

Go for the cheap TP-Link or Netgear devices. The models with a single antenna should be best for you, MIMO holds no benefits for you unless the need is for extreme range. And then you will need to up your budget.

 

Hope this helps, Cheerio!