does it not include an OS?

If no OS, then too expensive. If you does include an OS, then the price is fine.

Also, if the guy doesn't plan to crossfire, why not just use a 770 motherboard instead of a 790GX.

Actually, the bigger question is why are you choosing a board with an intergrated graphics card if you not going to use it in the first place.

they are basically the same, most of the time it comes down to the rest of the components in the 2 laptops. They are both laptop cards, so it would be easier to decide if you posted the laptops itself. However in terms of GPUs itself, the 4650 tends to get a little better GPU score in 3Dmark.

If on XP, then 2GB is fine......but if on 64-bit vista or 64-bit windows 7, I would get 4GB total

you can get the Phenom II X2 550 BE for 99 dollars at newegg. In terms of framerates, it beats the Athlon II X4 630 (and the 550 consumes less power and is cheaper then the 630).

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3638&p=8

The faster clock speed and the unified L3 Cache is more of a benefit in gaming then 2 extra cores.

which is why i don't buy into new technology 120hz is one of the worst developments I've seen in a long time, your taking most movies shot in 24-30 fps and quadrupling how often the frames are shown on the tv... it makes all scenes unnatural looking, I walk through bestbuy, or fries electronics and im like oh my god how unnatural the scenes look with all movements having such exadgerated look i can literally tell that so many hz is being pushed through on a scene that its frames are showing multiple times. and its only gonna get worse as the hz go up and the content being shown doesn't have the information to match.

WilliamRLBaker

yes blu-rays are 24 fps. But on a 120Hz TV, that is 5 frames per a movie frame. If you are using an older 60Hz TV, then it has to use 3:2 pulldown meaning that 1 movie frame would be 3 frames, then the next movie frame would be 2 frames.

120Hz is the ideal refresh rate to support all 3 used framerates (24, 30, and 60) because it is divisible evenly by all 3 (5, 4, and 2). In reality, it is the 60Hz TV that looks unnatural with 24 fps sources.

240Hz on the otherhand is overkill, but 120Hz is perfect.

are you sure you are actually playing 2600x1600, what is you moniter's native resolution. Moniter's are just like TVs, they have a native resolution and anything above it doesn't add any actual pixels.

the clips only purpose is to make it easier to get the card out. My old motherboard doesn't have one of those clips. You can still replace it, just a little harder to yank it out.

Basically when you push on the clip, it pushes up on the card popping it out of the slot.

makes me wonder if they are still going to have an F1 car in the game anymore.

you could also wait for the 5670, it is supposed to come out either this month or next month and shouldn't require much power (it gets it's power through the pci-e slots instead of wired directly to the powersupply) and supposed to be sub $100.

As soon as this card releases I plan to build a new computer with one of these.

Right now I'm still chugging along on an old 7600gt (served me well)