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"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. Ivy, SSDs, and reading the OP. [Part 2]

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D

DTKT

Member
Hum, I just bought a 670 and it seems that the 7950 has the same performance for 100$ less. I guess that should teach me to not trust the hype. :|
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
DTKT said:
Hum, I just bought a 670 and it seems that the 7950 has the same performance for 100$ less. I guess that should teach me to not trust the hype. :|
Click to expand...
It's not the same, but both $300 cards offer very good performance. There are some advantages for the 670/680, but it's very diminishing after the 7950.
 
I

iavi

Member
G

garath

Member
I think I'd still prefer a 660ti. I'm aiming for that in the next month give or take. Seems to bench similarly to the 7950.

Anything new in the immediate future or is a new video card a good buy for xmas? I'm still sporting a 460 that I got as a stopgap.
 
M

MagicWithEarvin

Member
garath said:
I think I'd still prefer a 660ti. I'm aiming for that in the next month give or take. Seems to bench similarly to the 7950.

Anything new in the immediate future or is a new video card a good buy for xmas? I'm still sporting a 460 that I got as a stopgap.
Click to expand...

That 3GB VRAM on the 7950 isn't enticing to you?
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
garath said:
I think I'd still prefer a 660ti. I'm aiming for that in the next month give or take. Seems to bench similarly to the 7950.

Anything new in the immediate future or is a new video card a good buy for xmas? I'm still sporting a 460 that I got as a stopgap.
Click to expand...
Benches don't tell the whole story.

660Ti has been able to take advantage of months of Kepler driver iteration which means better performance. The 7950 scores you see are mostly on outdated drivers on or near release.

In addition to that, the 7950 has more memory bandwidth which means better performance when more memory is being used. The 660Ti for all intents and purposes, is more like 1.6GB VRAM than 2GB. With this in mind, the 3GB for the 7950 gives you a lot more overhead and better prepares you for a 2ish year upgrade path.

Beyond all this, the 7950 is very conservatively clocked. It's pretty easy to get an extra 10-15% in performance without any noticeable effect on temperatures or noise. The 660Ti is pushed pretty heavily to the limits, and you're going to need to score big on chip lottery to squeeze much out of it. Most of Kepler is like this.

The only reason to go with a 660Ti is because of fear of 'lol ATi drivers!', which is a silly reason that is totally outdated.
 
D

donarumo

Neo Member
I've been out of the upgrade game for a while now but looking to get a new video card.

I'm currently running a GeForce 8800 GT and I'm looking to spend around $100.00 - $130.00. Is the upgrade to a GTX 550 Ti worth it for me? I've been playing Skyrim and Borderlands II at medium settings but Minecraft craps out for me after a while and Torchlight II causes the card to go haywire after about 30 minutes.

I'm running under a 32 bit version of Windows 7 and can't bring myself to spend $100.00 just to move to 64 bit.

Is there a better sub $130 card out there? Is there a 600 series I should be saving for instead?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
 
B

beje

Banned
Mobo + CPU + RAM change done with everything working at the first attempt wooohooooo! And the Windows 7 installation didn't crap out at all, only the ATI drivers did, and I'm currently downloading them (posting at 800x600 lol). Will post pics as soon as I sort everything out.
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Exuro said:
Is this a pretty good deal?

http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/sys/3337300701.html

EDIT: I think its this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121485&name=Desktop-Graphics-Cards
Click to expand...
I'm so wary of craigslist deals. It's probably fine though. Those cards do run quite loud. If you're sensitive to that sort of thing, you could pick up an aftermarket cooler for it and it'll still be a good deal.
beje said:
Mobo + CPU + RAM change done with everything working at the first attempt wooohooooo! And the Windows 7 installation didn't crap out at all, only the ATI drivers did, and I'm currently downloading them (posting at 800x600 lol). Will post pics as soon as I sort everything out.
Click to expand...
Yikes. Any reason you didn't go for a fresh install?
 
E

Exuro

Member
mkenyon said:
I'm so wary of craigslist deals. It's probably fine though. Those cards do run quite loud. If you're sensitive to that sort of thing, you could pick up an aftermarket cooler for it and it'll still be a good deal.
Click to expand...
How loud would that be compared to a basic gtx 260?

I'll wait and see if he relists it for a lower price. I don't "need" a new card despite looking everyday.
 
D

DTKT

Member
So, someone just mentionned that the 3GB vRam on the 7950 might make it more future proof than the 670. Any truth to that? And that might just be silly, but could the hardware on the next-gen console influence the performance for PC GPU? Basically, if both the new Xbox and the PS4 are powered by ATI cards, could Nvidia cards suffer in terms of performance?
 
N

NintendoGal

Member
I need a bit of help if someone wouldn't mind. Just built a system, but I was wondering:

Do I need to do anything to the SSD (Samsung 830 128GB) before I try to fire up this system for the first time? Do I need it prep it for Windows 7 on my old computer beforehand? I have been searching for a definitive answer, but no luck or I'm just blind. Obviously I want this drive to be the one the OS sits on.

Thanks!
 
T

t-ramp

Member
NintendoGal said:
I need a bit of help if someone wouldn't mind. Just built a system, but I was wondering:

Do I need to do anything to the SSD (Samsung 830 128GB) before I try to fire up this system for the first time? Do I need it prep it for Windows 7 on my old computer beforehand? I have been searching for a definitive answer, but no luck or I'm just blind. Obviously I want this drive to be the one the OS sits on.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Nope. Before installing Windows all you *need* to do is make sure your SATA ports are set to AHCI mode. Afterward there are some optional tweaks you can do for some possible benefits.

Oh, and only have one drive (the SSD, in this case) connected when you install Windows.
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Exuro said:
How loud would that be compared to a basic gtx 260?

I'll wait and see if he relists it for a lower price. I don't "need" a new card despite looking everyday.
Click to expand...
I'd venture it'd be a bit more quiet.

That is an epic upgrade. I don't use that word often, because it started to lose its meaning. In this case, the upgrade does fit the classic meaning of the word.
 
E

Exuro

Member
mkenyon said:
I'd venture it'd be a bit more quiet.

That is an epic upgrade. I don't use that word often, because it started to lose its meaning. In this case, the upgrade does fit the classic meaning of the word.
Click to expand...
Yeah I don't even know how much more powerful these cards are. Just been looking in the $200 - $300 range and for a good deal. Really want an nvidia card though. No one seems to want to sell theirs.
 
N

NintendoGal

Member
t-ramp said:
Nope. Before installing Windows all you *need* to do is make sure your SATA ports are set to AHCI mode. Afterward there are some optional tweaks you can do for some possible benefits.

Oh, and only have one drive (the SSD, in this case) connected when you install Windows.
Click to expand...

So all ports in AHCI or just the one the SSD would be sitting on?

And thanks!
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Exuro said:
Yeah I don't even know how much more powerful these cards are. Just been looking in the $200 - $300 range and for a good deal. Really want an nvidia card though. No one seems to want to sell theirs.
Click to expand...
They're newer. 7970s are pretty much right in between the 670 and 680 in performance, so you're getting a killer card there. I don't even see those kinds of prices on OCN/Hardforum.

To give you an idea, the GTS 450 is roughly equivalent to a GTX 260.

(Image courtesy of Guru 3D 7970 review)

zp1wX.png


That's about 400% increased performance.
 
D

deleted

Member
mkenyon said:
Those fans at 40% should basically be inaudible. A lot of fans can't go below that kind of voltage without stopping, so it might be built in to go no lower. I'd do some google-fu if I were you.
Click to expand...

My Google-fu leaves me unsatisfied. It seems like some review cards had a newer bios, that was able to get below 40%, but that didn't make it to the consumer end... yet.
I've no idea, how gigabyte treats its customers since this is my first gb card. Hopefully they'll get it out someday soon, because it is definitely audible. They manage to release a new bios regarding that issue for the 670 series, so there is still hope I guess.

Maybe I'll think about it for a week and return the card for an ASUS 660OC - costs a bit more, but should be much more quiet.
 
B

Baconsaurus Rex

Member
I've three practical questions for my new build

1. I've got my Steam folder on an external drive with all steam games installed. Currently I'm running on 32-bit and will upgrade to a new 64-bit computer. Do I have to reinstall/download all my games again?
2. Any reasons why I shouldn't go for Windows 8
3. I'm looking for a dual monitor set-up with one monitor I can hook up to my Xbox so that I don't need an extra tv. What's a practical way of doing this? Simply having a third HDMI cable coming from my xbox that I can connect to one of my monitors?
 
T

t-ramp

Member
Baconsaurus said:
I've three practical questions for my new build

1. I've got my Steam folder on an external drive with all steam games installed. Currently I'm running on 32-bit and will upgrade to a new 64-bit computer. Do I have to reinstall/download all my games again?
2. Any reasons why I shouldn't go for Windows 8
3. I'm looking for a dual monitor set-up with one monitor I can hook up to my Xbox so that I don't need an extra tv. What's a practical way of doing this? Simply having a third HDMI cable coming from my xbox that I can connect to one of my monitors?
Click to expand...
1. Nope, you shouldn't have to. I don't think 32/64-bit makes any difference in this situation.
2. I haven't used 8 in a few months, but I would just go for it. Any major issues that arise ought to be ironed out quickly enough.
3. Sure, if you have a monitor with DVI and HDMI ports, or two HDMI ports that should work fine. I'm using Microsoft's VGA AV cable to hook up my 360 to my monitor, actually.
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
xyla said:
My Google-fu leaves me unsatisfied. It seems like some review cards had a newer bios, that was able to get below 40%, but that didn't make it to the consumer end... yet.
I've no idea, how gigabyte treats its customers since this is my first gb card. Hopefully they'll get it out someday soon, because it is definitely audible. They manage to release a new bios regarding that issue for the 670 series, so there is still hope I guess.

Maybe I'll think about it for a week and return the card for an ASUS 660OC - costs a bit more, but should be much more quiet.
Click to expand...
I'd try contacting their support or checking out their support forums. If there is a BIOS out there, it should be available to people who are having the issues and comfortable flashing it. This is good info to have though, so thanks for that :p
Baconsaurus said:
I've three practical questions for my new build

1. I've got my Steam folder on an external drive with all steam games installed. Currently I'm running on 32-bit and will upgrade to a new 64-bit computer. Do I have to reinstall/download all my games again?
2. Any reasons why I shouldn't go for Windows 8
3. I'm looking for a dual monitor set-up with one monitor I can hook up to my Xbox so that I don't need an extra tv. What's a practical way of doing this? Simply having a third HDMI cable coming from my xbox that I can connect to one of my monitors?
Click to expand...
1) Nope, just copy/paste everything in Steamapps to the new install location. It'll sync everything up.

2) I don't have an answer for this, but the better question is: Any reason why I shouldn't go for Windows 7? The answer to that is a resounding no.

3) Why not use the TV as your second monitor? Otherwise, yeah, easiest way to do it is through HDMI. Could use an HDMI switch if need be.
 
Q

Quadratic

Member
Wanted to know if anyone in the thread has a Bitfenix Prodigy? I want to pick one up since it looks great. I do have a few questions about it. How loud does the cases fans get? I'm coming from a Corsair 600T which is pretty quiet. I have to switch my motherboard to a ITX one. Which boards would you consider a good performer for the form factor?
 
B

Baconsaurus Rex

Member
t-ramp said:
1. Nope, you shouldn't have to. I don't think 32/64-bit makes any difference in this situation.
2. I haven't used 8 in a few months, but I would just go for it. Any major issues that arise ought to be ironed out quickly enough.
3. Sure, if you have a monitor with DVI and HDMI ports, or two HDMI ports that should work fine. I'm using Microsoft's VGA AV cable to hook up my 360 to my monitor, actually.
Click to expand...

mkenyon said:
1) Nope, just copy/paste everything in Steamapps to the new install location. It'll sync everything up.

2) I don't have an answer for this, but the better question is: Any reason why I shouldn't go for Windows 7? The answer to that is a resounding no.
Click to expand...

Thanks guys!
mkenyon said:
3) Why not use the TV as your second monitor? Otherwise, yeah, easiest way to do it is through HDMI. Could use an HDMI switch if need be.
Click to expand...
I'd have to buy a tv for that and having two identical monitors is more appealing
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Quadratic said:
Wanted to know if anyone in the thread has a Bitfenix Prodigy? I want to pick one up since it looks great. I do have a few questions about it. How loud does the cases fans get? I'm coming from a Corsair 600T which is pretty quiet. I have to switch my motherboard to a ITX one. Which boards would you consider a good performer for the form factor?
Click to expand...
600T is actually really loud compared to most enthusiast cases. If that's your opinion, the Prodigy would be inaudible in comparison. I have one, love it.

Small Form Factor Guide from the OP.

Some comparison pics here with random cases that I took.

IaKJE.jpg


r0BW4.jpg


ZN2tA.jpg


NeLK5.jpg
Click to expand...
Don't have any next to the 600T, but that black case above is the V700, and here it is in comparison to the 600T.
cO0Nc.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Garou

Garou

Member
t-ramp said:
Oh, and only have one drive (the SSD, in this case) connected when you install Windows.
Click to expand...

I have recently seen several people say this but...why???
Windows doesn't care if you have one drive or 6 drives connected when you install.
 
T

t-ramp

Member
beje said:
Yeah, I'm planning a case and PSU switch later.
Click to expand...
Okay, cool.

I should have received my Samsung 830 128GB today... probably won't install it for a few days since I need to do some work on a PSU before I do much reconfiguring.

Garou said:
I have recently seen several people say this but...why???
Windows doesn't care if you have one drive or 6 drives connected when you install.
Click to expand...
It sometimes puts the boot information on a secondary drive, which means if you remove that drive you can't boot. I don't know how common this is or if there's a fix, but it's safer to just unplug any other drives besides the primary one.
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
ASUS P8Z77-I, mostly due to the fact that the Gigabyte board wasn't out yet and the ASRock has major aftermarket cooler compatibility issues. I'd buy the Gigabyte now if I were in the same position.
 
B

beje

Banned
Wow, Metro 2033 is either a graphical beast of highly unoptimized. HD 7850 OC'd + i3570k 4.4GHz + Virtu MPV and the game is struggling at around 45 fps in High settings.
 
N

NintendoGal

Member
As I mentioned on the last page, I still have yet to throw the switch on this system I built on the weekend, but this is what it is comprised of:

Case Antec Eleven Hundred
Motherboard ASUS P8Z77-V Pro
CPU i7-3770K
GPU EVGA GTX 670
PSU Thermaltake 850-Watt TR2 RX
RAM Kingson HyperX 16GB (2x8GB)
Primary Drive Samsung 830 128GB SSD
Storage Drive Misc WD HDs
CPU Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Optical Drive LG 14X Blu-Ray Burner

The case has so much room and great cable management. Finally, a computer I own doesn't look like a rats nest inside!
 
D

DTKT

Member
NintendoGal said:
As I mentioned on the last page, I still have yet to throw the switch on this system I built on the weekend, but this is what it is comprised of:

Case Antec Eleven Hundred
Motherboard ASUS P8Z77-V Pro
CPU i7-3770K
GPU EVGA GTX 670
PSU Thermaltake 850-Watt TR2 RX
RAM Kingson HyperX 16GB (2x8GB)
Primary Drive Samsung 830 128GB SSD
Storage Drive Misc WD HDs
CPU Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Optical Drive LG 14X Blu-Ray Burner

The case has so much room and great cable management. Finally, a computer I own doesn't look like a rats nest inside!
Click to expand...

I'd take a serious look at the current 7950 deals. You get 3 free games and it's 100$ less than the 670. If I hadn't just rebuilt my system(less than 24 hours ago) with a 670, I would have picked the 7950. Performance seem to be exactly same with just a few expectations.
 
N

NintendoGal

Member
DTKT said:
I'd take a serious look at the current 7950 deals. You get 3 free games and it's 100$ less than the 670. If I hadn't just rebuilt my system(less than 24 hours ago) with a 670, I would have picked the 7950. Performance seem to be exactly same with just a few expectations.
Click to expand...

I have a 3D Vision kit monitor (ASUS VG236H)/glasses that are sitting right in front me that say stick with nvidia. ;)
 
I

iavi

Member
beje said:
Wow, Metro 2033 is either a graphical beast of highly unoptimized. HD 7850 OC'd + i3570k 4.4GHz + Virtu MPV and the game is struggling at around 45 fps in High settings.
Click to expand...

Crysis 2 maxed out is a much better looking game and taxes machine's nowhere near as much. It's serious unoptimization.
 
B

beje

Banned
Yup, I'll take lack of optimization. Sleeping Dogs reaches around 90 fps with everything maxed out except AA (on low, 1080p@22" has a good enough pixel density) and the high-res texture pack off.
 
I

Infinite Justice

Member
beje said:
Yup, I'll take lack of optimization. Sleeping Dogs reaches around 90 fps with everything maxed out except AA (on low, 1080p@22" has a good enough pixel density) and the high-res texture pack off.
Click to expand...

I just saw your post in the Sleeping Dogs thread, has anything changed since then?
 
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