Hmm… does anyone know why my system info states that I have 4 gigs of RAM, but only 3.50 gigs of usable RAM? Is this normal?
Thanks again.
If I may try to answer my own question, could it be due to the fact that I haven’t installed my GPU yet and still using the on-board? I guess I’ll find out tonight when I get home and install the GPU.
No, that’s not normal. A typical good quality midsize case in the US runs $80-100 and a decent 500w type PSU runs about $70-80.
I didn’t notice that you linked a price list the first time around, sorry. You have a lot of decent cheaper cases to go with. You don’t need super fancy cooling, any decent case should be ok, even with a higher than average ambient temperature.
The coolermaster CM690 ($119) has a good reputation. I’m guessing the Seasonic M12II-520W modular is basically the same as my corsair 520hx which is a good PSU, and that’s $119 also. The OCZ modxstream pro 500w $105 is also a fine choice.
Whatever you do about a case, sometimes they come with more fan slots than fans, so you may have to buy extra ones to get it up to its cooling capacity. Those should be pretty cheap, maybe $13-15 in your currency.
I would also probably get the PowerColor PCS+ 5770 for $259 rather than the XFX. XFX is normally a better company (great support/warranties) but they’ve put out a few batches of bad 57xx and 58xx series cards so it’s a little risky. I have a powercolor PCS+ 5850 myself, and the PCS+ means they put a custom high end cooler on it as well as a factory overclock - solid card. My second choice would be the sapphire vapor-X at $279.
The WD 1TB black edition is definitely the drive you want. I have one and it’s excellent.
I’d say you’d want at least the X4 635. I don’t know AMD CPUs very well but the upgrade from the 635 to the 925 doesn’t seem too substantial, probably the 965 black would be the next upgrade you’d want to do if you were considering overclocking.
If you plan to do any overclocking I’d get the Xigmatek S1283 CPU cooler ($79). Despite your heat concerns you’d probably be fine with a stock cooler, but if you want peace of mind, that’s a very good CPU cooler - I use it.
I’d also recommend a logitech 518 mouse. That’s the first thing I’ve seen that’s actually cheaper there than here, and there’s nothing better.
HDMI is a DVI cable (what LCD monitors connect to) plus a sound component. I think the 5700 series has an HDMI output where you just plug it directly to your TV … but I’ve never done this, so I’m guessing maybe there’s some sort of sound pass-through cable? Ask the people building your PC about it and make sure they do whatever they need to in order for you to get HDMI output.
You can go to newegg.com too and put in model numbers and read reviews/comparisons of the various parts.
This is normal for 32 bit versions of windows. The OS has 4gb of memory addressing space to work with - and this includes your video card, so a 512mb video card would leave 3.5gb left for the system memory. Only way to get around this is to run a 64 bit OS. This would be strange if it’s happening with your onboard video card though - I guess it might reserve 512mb of system memory somehow?
I am using a 64 bit OS.
Hmm, win 7 64 bit? Where are you seeing this, on the control panel/system screen?
In the system information screen.
I’ll see what happens tonight after I install my GPU. It could be just that, I suppose. That said, it’s not like I have a lot of knowledge on the matter.
Are you sure you installed the 64 bit version? Usually you’ll get the option to do either. My win7 64 properly reports 4gb.
Yes. I bought the OEM version, which didn’t give me the option to install 32 bit. However, that same system info screen confirmed that I was running 32 bit.
All right, quick update: I’ve installed the GPU and I’m now getting my full 4 gigs of RAM.
I also realize now that the USB ports on the back work perfectly well. They just don’t work with that old HP keyboard I’m using. Other hardware I’ve now tested there works fine. I guess I’ll have to to choose between getting a new keyboard or getting used to plugging it into the front panel.
You were getting 3.5gb usable ram because your onboard graphics was stealing 512mb. That is normal.
Well, now everything seems to work, except for the headphones port on the front panel. I’ve tried to plug each connector for it in turn (HD audio and AC’97), but getting nothing either way.
Any ideas? Those same headphones work just fine on my old PC and at my work.