upgrade phenom PC

ha, 3 viruses found on AVG scan , malwarebites= 169, windows update fails, this thing is in rough shape. I think i finally cleared out most the garbage and got the main windows updates on it - you think a 16 y.o. nerd would take care of the PC he is using ....

The device manager will tell me what the PSU is?

I have read the 280x is basically a slightly faster 7970 - and will run about $300. So, probably worth waiting for- I don't think he will wait for the 290x to come down to his $300 mark.
 
ha, 3 viruses found on AVG scan , malwarebites= 169, windows update fails, this thing is in rough shape. I think i finally cleared out most the garbage and got the main windows updates on it - you think a 16 y.o. nerd would take care of the PC he is using ....

The device manager will tell me what the PSU is?

I have read the 280x is basically a slightly faster 7970 - and will run about $300. So, probably worth waiting for- I don't think he will wait for the 290x to come down to his $300 mark.
You're better off doing a fresh format. If it's that bad, system files will probably be corrupt as well. On that note, not all PC savvy people are careful what they do online. I know a ton of adult PC savvy people who have to clean their PCs several times a month.

Pop the case side panel off. There is no software that will tell you that.

Please read what I said. You basically just repeated what I already typed but I said that since the R9 270x is a nerfed 7950 for MSRP 199, then the R9 280x should be around the 250/275 mark. The 290x will be 600 or above. The R9 290 will be a Hawaii Pro chip, most likely coming around the 300-350 mark but no details have been released about that card yet.

The R9 270x is already confirmed at the 199 dollar price, so one can only assumed the rebadged 7970 will be between 200 and 300.

Edit: BTW, this is how we all know the 280x is a 7970. Aftermarket cooling, and pictures are already out.
269a.jpg


As far as everybody is concerned the 290x is supposed to be reference only.
 
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PP I did read your post. NO need to chastise me ...... Yes- I repeated what you said because I don't remember the different model numbers very well 290 vs 280, etc. and you basically repeated what I said before that. Frankly - not a numbers guy - how you remember the differences astounds me. So, by repeating, I solidify the thread content in my own mind as well as the specific GPU model that we are talking about = 280 (slightly upgrade 7970 for around $300) not the 290.

Ya, I guess that behavior is pretty much on par with a 16 y.o - good point.

What do you think of XFX ?- have seen several comments on New Egg toward not buying a XFX - something about the warranty being voided over a trivial thing.

Reformating = ?? never done it before. do you mean clean the hard drive completely and reload the win7 and start over?
 
I wasn't trying to, but I've put several times what the new GPUs are. R9 290x/290 new chips, R9 280x - 7970, R9 270x - Nerfed 7950, R7 260x - 7790. This isn't a solid comparison, but gives you an idea of the performance areas where these ideas are in terms of rebranding. The new naming system makes no sense unless you sit down to understand it which is why anytime I put a new one down I put the rebrand in ( ) for better understanding, or flat out say it. So I'm not trying to be rude, just that the info is there and it seemed like you weren't understanding but rather just repeating. I was under the impression at first that you thought I meant buy the R9 290x, but all I was saying was that card has to hit shelves before the rebrands do, same for reviews and solid pricing. So in short and simple (which I'm pretty positive you understand now) I'm saying wait to see how things fair and what prices are, then determine whether you should get him a cheaper 7970, or an R9 280x. I say this because I have a feeling it will go down the same way the 680/770 thing happened. The 770 was 100 bucks cheaper than the 680 on release and closer to 670 pricing.

I used to love XFX until they went ATI/AMD only. They ditched their double lifetime warranty and always revise PCBs to have less than what they should usually ending up in issues. The double dissipation coolers from current gen back (can't speak of the one pictured yet) have been terrible as well. If you buy AMD, get Saphire or Asus.

Yes fresh install of Windows. It's a pain, but when a machine is that far gone it's almost impossible to make it completely clean. It can appear clean for the time being then you might have trigger events later causing things to pop back up.
 
ok - were cool. Yes - reformat probably necessary- but since i have never done it - it will be a pain. I will need to find the win7 disc as well. bummer....
 
It's rather easy if you have a list to go by.

Make sure everything that would otherwise not be infected at all (could be hard to tell) is backed up unless there is nothing important. Download drivers on a different PC for the hardware (video card, motherboard audio, NIC, and INF is usually all that's needed and only use the websites). That's about it. Pop the disc in, boot to the disc and Windows install will come up. Delete partition or partitions on drive, create new (it'll say it needs to make a system drive, do it), then continue on. Bout it.
 
dam- he has a ton of stuff ( games especially ) that I know he will insist is "vital" and he will copy and reload, which may cause the same problem in the "cleaned" drive as well. At least the Steam and Origin games are saved "in the cloud" . Not sure I have to time to do this for him. Might be a great experience for him to learn how to do it and take the time - that way he will be more careful regarding keeping the PC software up to date, scanning occasionally and begin more careful on what he downloads.

Thank you for your time and smarts - timing will determine if he gets the 7970 or the R9- 280x . If I get into trouble reformatting or if the PSU is not what I expect when I open it up - I will re-post.

Edit- i will need a good wireless card to install in this thing as we are moving stuff around int he house and I am not sure i can easily get a Cat5 wired connection to it. It has a MSI "military grade" MOBO in it. Will post the specific model ASAP.
 
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If he has the physical copies, make him reinstall each game and start over. Sounds harsh, but you only learn one way. It took me several times of reformatting on Windows 95 how to not **** **** up. On a Pentium 1 with a slow 500MB Quantum Fireball even.
 
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