Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by Khalim

Please critique proposed RM2k+ rig

Khalim — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:00:40 +0800

Hi Guys, please critique my rig. I've been reading up on the recommended rigs and plan to buy the listed rig as follows:

[Budget] Around RM 2000, exclude monitor, mouse, keyboard
[Purpose] General all purpose PC, light gaming (mostly RTS, turnbased, no FPS). No overclocking.
[Hardware that will be reuse from old rig] Radeon 5670, 1 TB Hitachi HDD
[Monitor resolution] 1920x1080
[Game or software that use frequently] for SimCity (2013)
[Location] Kuching, Sarawak

Here is the rig I plan to assemble:

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230v2 3.3GHz
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45
Memory: Kingston DDR3 1600 4GBx2
OS Disk: Intel SSD 330 120GB
Storage Disk: [1 TB Hitachi HDD] reuse from old rig
Graphics: [Radeon HD5670] reuse from old rig
Optical Drive: LiteOn 22x DVD-RW
Casing: Cooler Master Elite 431
Power Supply: FSP Hexa 500W

Would I really need the optical drive? I have a spare external dvd-drive hanging around, can I use that to install Windows?

I plan to upgrade the GFX card to HD7850 in a month, will the power be enough?

CPU Fan Spinning So Fast Core2Duo E7200

Khalim — Mon, 09 May 2011 06:40:55 +0800

Hi all,

After changing my PSU and Graphics Card recently, I also had to replace my CPU Heatsink and Fan unintentionally.

Now the CPU Fan seems to be spinning so fast, which I am assuming is because of the heat.

My processor is: Core2Duo E7200, which I do not overclock.

Heatsink and Fan: Intel Heatsink and Fan

Temperature Reading from Core Temp: (All numbers in Degrees Celcius)

Core 0: 60 (Load 0%)
Core 1: 51 (Load 3%)

Are these temperatures normal, or should I try and reapply the heatsink and fan again?

I'll try and get pics of the insides of the PC as soon as possible.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Upgrade Graphics Card for 2-3 year old Acer PC

Khalim — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 21:48:22 +0800

I would like to ask for help in suggesting a replacement graphics card for my existing Acer PC. These are my current specs as far as I could check:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 @ 2.53GHz
RAM: 2GB
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 3400 Series 256MB
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (32 Bit)
Motherboard: G41M-ES2L

Okay things I'd like to know because I couldn't find it myself:

1) Is there any way to check my pc specs more detail including what my power supply is, because I'm worried about upgrading just the graphics card and the PSU can't handle it

2) Would there be much of a performance increase if I purchase extra RAM because most of my searches show that Windows 7 32 Bit can only detect up to 3GB.

3) Suggestions for graphics card replacement - main purpose is to play the Witcher at 1280*1024 res with high detail. Budget is RM 300 - 400.

Thanks in advance

P/S: Not buying a new PC until Diablo 3 comes out, thanks.