"I need a New PC!" 2013 Part 2. Haswell = #IntelnoTIM, but free online. READ THE OP.

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Quick and simple question regarding laptops:

AMD A10-5750M & 8970M or Intel i7-4700MQ & 765M.

Can get either for about the same price. Both would be gaming at 1080p.
 
So I've been looking at mkenyon's SFF build guide as a possible alternative to getting a gaming laptop - any idea if the Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI would be an acceptable substitute for the Maximus VI Impact? The Impact doesn't seem to be on sale in the UK yet.

Also, is there any particular reason that the Samsung 840 SSD has been chosen in favour of the Intel 520 series?
 
Addnan said:
Huh?
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Rockstar job posting looking for people to help develop PC games: http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/07/09/rockstar-job-listing-hints-at-possible-gta-5-pc-release/

“Rockstar Leeds are currently looking for a talented graphics programmer to help bring our latest titles to the PC platform. Working together with the other Rockstar studios, you will be responsible for maintaining the studio’s uncompromising quality bar, delivering the highest quality PC experience possible.”
Click to expand...
 
Danj said:
So I've been looking at mkenyon's SFF build guide as a possible alternative to getting a gaming laptop - any idea if the Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI would be an acceptable substitute for the Maximus VI Impact? The Impact doesn't seem to be on sale in the UK yet.

Also, is there any particular reason that the Samsung 840 SSD has been chosen in favour of the Intel 520 series?
Click to expand...

Should be fine.

Cheaper and easier to find.
 
Oh the other question which has just occurred to me is if I build an SFF gaming PC, what's the best way to transport it? I'd need to be able to take it on the train, for example when going up to my parents' house for Christmas. Will it fit in a suitcase? Or is there a dedicated bag or carrying case that it would be best to use? The specific case I'm looking at out of the SFF ones is the Fractal Design Node 304.
 
Danj said:
Oh the other question which has just occurred to me is if I build an SFF gaming PC, what's the best way to transport it? I'd need to be able to take it on the train, for example when going up to my parents' house for Christmas. Will it fit in a suitcase? Or is there a dedicated bag or carrying case that it would be best to use? The specific case I'm looking at out of the SFF ones is the Fractal Design Node 304.
Click to expand...

I carry mine in a reusable shopping bag.
 
Danj said:
So I've been looking at mkenyon's SFF build guide as a possible alternative to getting a gaming laptop - any idea if the Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI would be an acceptable substitute for the Maximus VI Impact? The Impact doesn't seem to be on sale in the UK yet.

Also, is there any particular reason that the Samsung 840 SSD has been chosen in favour of the Intel 520 series?
Click to expand...
The reason I don't include a cheaper Z87 board is because for the price, you should probably just be getting the socket 1155/Ivy stuff.

*edit*

Also, I'm not sure whether the Z87N is even a worthwhile part. the Ivy version of it is best suited for non-K processors. Given the fact that it's still at the $135 price point with 4 phase power and no passive cooling on said power tells me that this one is a pass.

*edit 2*

The Samsung 840 is recommended over the Intel because you get more space for money while retaining the same or better reliability. Just don't go for a 120GB Samsung 840 unless it's the Pro. 240GB Standard 840 is fine.
 
Just got my Razer Destructor 2 mouse pad in. Holy crap is this thing slick. I might have to lower my dpi if I dont adjust to this. Very different feel from my Steelseries QCK+.

I have no idea why it comes with a carrying case. Just another thing to add to my junk pile.
 
That's made for low sens and arm movement. If you are a claw grip with high CPI type person, you might want to look at something with a bit more control.
 
mkenyon said:
The Samsung 840 is recommended over the Intel because you get more space for money while retaining the same or better reliability. Just don't go for a 120GB Samsung 840 unless it's the Pro. 240GB Standard 840 is fine.
Click to expand...
Why not the 120GB standard 840? Less value?
 
The type of memory it uses means a 3-5 year lifespan depending on usage levels. The 240 is 7+ years.

Basically, the more it gets written to, the harder it is to write to that same block again.
 
Fuck.

I went a picked up an extra SATA cable for my disc drive. I came home and hooked it up and plugged in a mouse/keyboard. Press power and.... nothing.

I don't remember doing anything that would affect the power switch. It was working fine last night.
 
Lionel Mandrake said:
Fuck.

I went a picked up an extra SATA cable for my disc drive. I came home and hooked it up and plugged in a mouse/keyboard. Press power and.... nothing.

I don't remember doing anything that would affect the power switch. It was working fine last night.
Click to expand...

general consensus when that happens is take everything apart, put them all back one by one and turn it on again. It could be a loose connection, I find that I've knocked my power button cable loose from my MB a number of times when putting new parts in. So if in doubt, reassemble it.
 
mkenyon said:
The type of memory it uses means a 3-5 year lifespan depending on usage levels. The 240 is 7+ years.

Basically, the more it gets written to, the harder it is to write to that same block again.
Click to expand...

If we're going by Anand's original calculations they may be off, these guys properly tested the 250GB and got some great life expectancy results. I would imagine the 120GB is a safe enough buy going by this.

FX9xAQ1.png


http://us.hardware.info/reviews/417...-with-final-conclusion-final-update-20-6-2013
 
Tensketch said:
general consensus when that happens is take everything apart, put them all back one by one and turn it on again. It could be a loose connection, I find that I've knocked my power button cable loose from my MB a number of times when putting new parts in. So if in doubt, reassemble it.
Click to expand...

I'm looking at the motherboard, and everything appears to be in place. The only thing I can think of is that when I tried to plug a mouse into the USB on the front panel of the case, it didn't fit right away, and I kind of wiggled it around. I'm wondering if I somehow knocked something loose with the switch itself. That would really suck, because I have no idea how I would check or fix that.

Edit: Removed the front panel and checked around the button, making sure wires looked secure and everything. Still nothing. : (

I was so fucking happy last night when I got to the BIOS screen. I just feel completely defeated right now.
 
Akuun said:
Why not the 120GB standard 840? Less value?
Click to expand...

uses different memory 840 uses TLC, while 840 pro uses MLC.

they're pretty similar in real world performance but MLC has ~2.5x more life span and even with TLC i doubt you'll run into any problems as a consumer user. reliability only becomes an issue if youre using it for enterprise/server setups where you're writing to drives a tremendous amount.
 
I got a non-HDD (SSD only) pc with a very silent case (Corsair 550D) but it still makes a lot of noise when I'm gaming.

I think it's the EVGA GTX 670 FTW. Weird though, because it only has like one fan and it's quite small. It can't be anything else since the case fans are silent and I only have a stock intel fan left.

Is EVGA supposed to be loud? I've been looking to upgrade to a GTX 770/780 so I don't want to take EVGA again if they're this loud.
 
Dawg said:
I got a non-HDD (SSD only) pc with a very silent case (Corsair 550D) but it still makes a lot of noise when I'm gaming.

I think it's the EVGA GTX 670 FTW. Weird though, because it only has like one fan and it's quite small. It can't be anything else since the case fans are silent and I only have a stock intel fan left.

Is EVGA supposed to be loud? I've been looking to upgrade to a GTX 770/780 so I don't want to take EVGA again if they're this loud.
Click to expand...
Couldn't tell about your specific circumstance, but a single fan may be louder simply because its having to work harder as it has no help and is small.
 
Dawg said:
I got a non-HDD (SSD only) pc with a very silent case (Corsair 550D) but it still makes a lot of noise when I'm gaming.

I think it's the EVGA GTX 670 FTW. Weird though, because it only has like one fan and it's quite small. It can't be anything else since the case fans are silent and I only have a stock intel fan left.

Is EVGA supposed to be loud? I've been looking to upgrade to a GTX 770/780 so I don't want to take EVGA again if they're this loud.
Click to expand...

I've got only SSDs in my 550d and it's also plenty loud when gaming too. pretty sure it's the GPU fan rearing up to make up for that OC.

Really want to get a water loop set up here soon.
 
Seanspeed said:
Couldn't tell about your specific circumstance, but a single fan may be louder simply because its having to work harder as it has no help and is small.
Click to expand...

Miizy F Baby said:
I've got only SSDs in my 550d and it's also plenty loud when gaming too. pretty sure it's the GPU fan rearing up to make up for that OC.

Really want to get a water loop set up here soon.
Click to expand...

I see. Well, it does suck :P Everything is VERY silent, but this one fan ruins it all.
 
Dawg said:
I got a non-HDD (SSD only) pc with a very silent case (Corsair 550D) but it still makes a lot of noise when I'm gaming.

I think it's the EVGA GTX 670 FTW. Weird though, because it only has like one fan and it's quite small. It can't be anything else since the case fans are silent and I only have a stock intel fan left.

Is EVGA supposed to be loud? I've been looking to upgrade to a GTX 770/780 so I don't want to take EVGA again if they're this loud.
Click to expand...

Under load, usually, the video card fan can become very loud, especially reference design setup. The stock CPU coolers can aslo be loud. First, test the CPU fan by running Prime95. Then, stress the video card by running something graphically taxing. Testing should tell you whether one or both are the problem.
 
Dawg said:
I got a non-HDD (SSD only) pc with a very silent case (Corsair 550D) but it still makes a lot of noise when I'm gaming.

I think it's the EVGA GTX 670 FTW. Weird though, because it only has like one fan and it's quite small. It can't be anything else since the case fans are silent and I only have a stock intel fan left.

Is EVGA supposed to be loud? I've been looking to upgrade to a GTX 770/780 so I don't want to take EVGA again if they're this loud.
Click to expand...

Does your card have a cooler that places a single fan on the far right hand side?

Those coolers suck.
 
kharma45 said:
If we're going by Anand's original calculations they may be off, these guys properly tested the 250GB and got some great life expectancy results. I would imagine the 120GB is a safe enough buy going by this.

FX9xAQ1.png


http://us.hardware.info/reviews/417...-with-final-conclusion-final-update-20-6-2013
Click to expand...

What about the speed?

I remember seeing some tests that showed that both the 840 and 840 Pro slowed down badly after having a lot of data written to them, even after the data was deleted and TRIMed.
 
I tried "shorting" the power switch pins with a screwdriver, as I saw recommended on Google. Absolutely nothing. Agh. Could it really be the motherboard? Why the fuck would it work so perfectly last night and then just stop?
 
Lionel Mandrake said:
I tried "shorting" the power switch pins with a screwdriver, as I saw recommended on Google. Absolutely nothing. Agh. Could it really be the motherboard? Why the fuck would it work so perfectly last night and then just stop?
Click to expand...

You did not forget to (English?) discharge (?) any static electricity right? Probably not it, don't know how dangerous that could be, just throwing it out here.
 
If you're going to overclock is it best to turn off any turbo modes, or is it easier to have it on and start from there. I also thought turbo mode will only use the full speed when it is asked for it, in other words when under heavy load. If you overclock will it be on full speed all the time or will it use less energy and run at lower speeds when it's not under stress?
 
What do you guys recommend between the SteelSeries Sensei RAW mouse and the Corsair M65?

Honestly, I value comfort and performance equally and I'm worried that the corsair might be too big for gaming. I'm currently using a G500 that is broken but its alright, the side buttons get a bit irritating.
 
Lion Heart said:
What do you guys recommend between the SteelSeries Sensei RAW mouse and the Corsair M65?

Honestly, I value comfort and performance equally and I'm worried that the corsair might be too big for gaming. I'm currently using a G500 that is broken but its alright, the side buttons get a bit irritating.
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Logitech G400 if you don't mind optical. Is going from 60,- for 30,- since they're being replaced by the G400s.
 
Picked up a Logitech m950, which arrived in the post today. It really feels like the inheritor of the MX1000 design, which served me faithfully for 4 years or so but eventually wore out in the ol' scroll wheel. Aesthetics are similar, ergonomics are very similar, is a laser, has roughly the same number of buttons etc. I have been using a generic MS mouse for the last couple of years, so this is a fairly big step up in price bracket.

4374805l4sp5.jpg


Liking it so far, although the sensitivity and weight are a bit of a change from the mouse I was using until now, so it'll take some time to adjust.
 
Roland1979 said:
Logitech G400 if you don't mind optical. Is going from 60,- for 30,- since they're being replaced by the G400s.
Click to expand...

Mmm, nah I have the G500 that one seems very similar and sort of a downgrade. I want something different since I've been using a Logitech mouse for close to a decade. Also is there a noticable difference between optical and laser? Actually on that topic, I would prefer to have the laser near the back of the mouse as opposed to the front like my G500.
 
Putting together a build for my brother since I'm visiting him in a few weeks... He'll be going from my hand-me-down q6600 + 9800gt PC, the jump's gonna be huge for him. :D

Budget: $800 / USA
Main Use: Gaming
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Witcher 2, Skyrim, Bioshock Infinite, Guild Wars 2
Looking to reuse any parts?: OS - Windows 7 Pro OEM, 600w PSU, HDD, Optical Drive, Mouse
When will you build?: The last week of July.
Will you be overclocking?: Yep.

Here's my initial list, just going by Haz's "great" build in the OP and price comparisons. I haven't been keeping up with parts recently, so please let me know if this is alright...

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1f2Yn
 
tarheel91 said:
Bumping since it was ignored.
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http://bit.ly/1dgGwen

Depends on the fans and the motherboard and a lot of other information. GPU Fans can be controlled with MSI Afterburner and other software, but for the most part case fans run at the speed they run. You might have options in your bios to slow them down. Your motherboard might have come with software that does the same thing.

You weren't ignored, there just isn't much we can do for you without more information.
 
What's the best program to check for hard drive health? When my faulty drive died all but one program said everything was fine even though the drive was clearly dying, but it was so long ago I don't remember which program it was at all :(
 
Thorgal said:
Pehaps an GTX 880 next year ? :)
Click to expand...

Sanjay said:
GTX 780 oced is more a less a Titan. Believe.
Click to expand...

Definitely considering an 800-series card next year if my 670 gets hit hard. The X80 variants are still so expensive though. Cheapest here is ~AU$759, and I expect the 880 to be at least that when it launches :/.
 
Lion Heart said:
Mmm, nah I have the G500 that one seems very similar and sort of a downgrade. I want something different since I've been using a Logitech mouse for close to a decade. Also is there a noticable difference between optical and laser? Actually on that topic, I would prefer to have the laser near the back of the mouse as opposed to the front like my G500.
Click to expand...

Yes there is a difference. Not very big though. Optical supposedly track better, so more precise (fps). Laser probably gives better speeds (rts).
http://www.sk-gaming.com/forum/18-Hardware/1534163-Mouse_Optical_or_Laser Probably personal as well.
But if you have a good mouse I don't see the point of buying another one honestly.
And just because one is a lower number doesn't mean it's a downgrade. Or do you believe higher DPI is better, as in, above 3000/4000?
It's just a different mouse, but i really doubt it's better.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/124679-13-logitech-g500-g400
http://www.overclock.net/t/1283577/replacing-g400-with-g500-a-mistake

By the way the G400 no longer has prediction (for a while now) and standard acceleration is OFF (though it might be ON in your Windows settings, so check that).
 
mkenyon said:
The reason I don't include a cheaper Z87 board is because for the price, you should probably just be getting the socket 1155/Ivy stuff.

*edit*

Also, I'm not sure whether the Z87N is even a worthwhile part. the Ivy version of it is best suited for non-K processors. Given the fact that it's still at the $135 price point with 4 phase power and no passive cooling on said power tells me that this one is a pass.

*edit 2*

The Samsung 840 is recommended over the Intel because you get more space for money while retaining the same or better reliability. Just don't go for a 120GB Samsung 840 unless it's the Pro. 240GB Standard 840 is fine.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the replies. If the Z87N is no good, is there any acceptable substitute for the Maximus VI Impact? I can't find it anywhere in the UK, and it's not listed on Newegg in the USA either.
 
Thinking of getting a second Titan for SLI. How does it scale? Before the Titan I had 2x7950's. Ran into a few problems here and there but I heard SLI is better?
 
Bought a new Geforce 660 2Gb GC for my PC, also a new PSU. But my Bios is still giving me errors. I replaced the battery and sometimes the PC wont turn on. Have to switch the PSU off then on and push the on switch. And it takes me to the Bios screen with the Following errors:

CMOS Setting Wrong
CMOS Date/Time not Set
CMOS Checksum Bad

Fuck! Any help here?
Already reseted to factory settings and nothing. Heres hoping its not the MOBO.
 
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