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[Kintaro]

Okay guys, I'm ready to pick up a new power supply for my out of commission PC rig. Need something around 600W from a reliable company.

Specs are...

Athlon II X4 630 2.8 Ghz
Gigabyte GA-770T UD3
G-Skill 4 GB DDR3
GeForce 260 XT or something. Can't remember which.

 

[Jokey665]

Okay guys, I'm ready to pick up a new power supply for my out of commission PC rig. Need something around 600W from a reliable company.

I just got finished ordering one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=Corsair TX750W

750w instead of 600w, but w/e haha

 

[eosos]

I'm looking for some good headphones for gaming? Does anyone have some suggestions that aren't too expensive(sub $100)? Thanks!
edit: thinking about the Razer Carcharias

 

[Flynn]

Well don't I feel silly.. hahaha oops.

I was just going off my own experience with my 5770. I do love my 5770 though, and I definitely recommend it.



Depending on what you want to play at what resolutions and what settings. I'd go for either a 5770 or 4890 on the cheaper end or a 5850 if you want to spend some more.

Thanks for the advice, I'm gonna have to scale back a little to bring the price more in range, but I'll start with your suggestions.

I really just want to be able to play Valve shooters online, Blizzard games and Civ 5.

 

[BudokaiMR2]

Yeah PC gaming is a evil goddamn hobby.

I really thought I would be happy for a while with my 4870+ i7 ASU'S PC for a good while at least but now I am considering getting a new GPU if I see a good deal this year...

 

[chixdiggit]

Okay guys, I'm ready to pick up a new power supply for my out of commission PC rig. Need something around 600W from a reliable company.

Specs are...

Athlon II X4 630 2.8 Ghz
Gigabyte GA-770T UD3
G-Skill 4 GB DDR3
GeForce 260 XT or something. Can't remember which.

I highly recommend a Corsair PSU.

 

[Darkatomz]

Would somebody mine giving me recommendations for the best cpu and gpu air coolers respectively for the i7-860 and the 5850? I'm just updating my spec list for computer builds which I haven't done in some time (one of which I probably plan on making this year), and I really don't know what coolers are compatible or really work best anymore. Don't think too many people here have listed them under their purchases either.

 

[twdnewh_k]

I'm looking for some good headphones for gaming? Does anyone have some suggestions that aren't too expensive(sub $100)? Thanks!
edit: thinking about the Razer Carcharias

Make sure to check out the SteelSeries offerings, have heard lots of good things about them.

 

[besiktas1]

Hi there please can I have some help. A noob when it comes to this:

I have an i7 and want the most power out of it: can anybody help me through my first time overclocking. Be gentle with me, I'm sure it will be a magical experience ))

 

[Minsc]

Hi there please can I have some help. A noob when it comes to this:

I have an i7 and want the most power out of it: can anybody help me through my first time overclocking. Be gentle with me, I'm sure it will be a magical experience ))

Well, for starters you have to know your idle/load temps at stock speeds, to gain an idea of how much room you have for overclocking. I'd recommend using RealTemp (free), and running the sensor test that uses Prime95 to give your CPU 100% load, and see what you min/max temps are.

i7s can safely operate 24/7 at 80C, so if you max temp at stock speeds is 50C then you obviously have more room for overclocking than if it's say 65C or 70C.

Then it really just depends on your motherboard and RAM. Probably just google around and figure out what settings people who have the same board are using to overclock. My Mobo just had a preset that let me overclock to 965 speeds and it handled everything else. Obviously it's better to manually configure all your RAM timings and voltages perfectly, but I'd rather just keep my simple way out!

 

[besiktas1]

This is what I've got: remember go slow and steady in explaining ) Can I overclock?

 

[Smash88]

This is what I've got: remember go slow and steady in explaining ) Can I overclock?

Is that on a stock cooler? Damn those i7's sure heat up quite a bit (looking at maximum).

 

[Minsc]

This is what I've got: remember go slow and steady in explaining ) Can I overclock?

[]http://i44.tinypic.com/2qi4k0l.png[/IMG]

You're probably not going to want to overclock too much without getting better cooling imo.

The distance to TJMax is the degrees until your CPU shuts down. At 100%, your 25C away. Obviously you don't have 25C of leeway, because you'd never want to run your PC at TJMax values, for it'd always be shutting down and isn't healthy.

The Max temp at 100% load was 74C, which is pretty close to that 80C I read is safe to run 24/7. You may even hit close to that 80C if your ambient temperature increases further over the warmer seasons, leaving it just the way it is now.

If you feel you want to press it further, just start with a slight overclock and re-test, and see your new temps, you may be able to get away with something small, maybe 200mhz.

What's really concerning, above all that, is your i7 920 is not reporting all it's cores (I think... does the normal window look like this, with 4 numbers?). I feel like you should have 5 numbers, but can't check until I get home (core 0-4). You definitely should have 4 numbers, one for each core, can't remember if it gives a 5th though.

Just figuring that out and getting all your cores seen should help your speeds a ton!

Is that on a stock cooler? Damn those i7's sure heat up quite a bit (looking at maximum).

They're made to run hotter though, I'm pretty sure they can go higher than the AMD CPUs... could be wrong. My temps w/ an after market cooler stay in the upper 20s idle, and low 50s at load, so that's most likely stock cooling I'd guess.

 

[besiktas1]

What's really concerning, above all that, is your i7 920 is not reporting all it's cores (I think... does the normal window look like this, with 4 numbers?). I feel like you should have 5 numbers, but can't check until I get home (core 0-4). You definitely should have 4 numbers, one for each core, can't remember if it gives a 5th though.

Just figuring that out and getting all your cores seen should help your speeds a ton!

Sucks I can't overclock once you get home can you help me get all my cores seen please

 

[Minsc]

Sucks I can't overclock once you get home can you help me get all my cores seen please

Upon researching it seems your cores are probably fine, you just shouldn't be using Real Temp GT (gulftown). Try this one instead.

 

[besiktas1]

Well I just retested using same program, now I get this...

shall I use that other program you game just now too...

 

[Minsc]

Well I just retested using same program, now I get this...

No, that's a different program, look at the file names of your screenshots you posted. The first screen has "GT" in the name, that was the wrong program, your second screenshot is just the "Real Temp" with no GT, so now it's reporting your cores properly.

As to your overclocking, you should ask about it on your motherboard's manufacturer's forums (or hope someone else helps, I have no idea) or google it. Exploring your BIOS without making any changes is safe, if you just want to see how yours look. More overclock friendly motherboards have presets for overclocking, where you can just overclock in "steps" or "levels" something like that. If you overclock just one step higher, you can see if it's pushing your temps too high by re-running the benchmarks from RealTemp (you can cancel after the few first finish you don't need the full set all the way down to 0%).

I have no idea what settings to use, so I can't help you with that unfortunately.

 

[Hazaro]

Just cap the voltage to the chip to watch the temps. I'm sure you can boost it a bit.

 

[longdi]

Hi there please can I have some help. A noob when it comes to this:

I have an i7 and want the most power out of it: can anybody help me through my first time overclocking. Be gentle with me, I'm sure it will be a magical experience ))

If you have ddr3 1333 ram, just go to your bios and change the base clock from 133 to 166, if need, change ram settings from 1066 to 1333. might want to change vcore/vid from auto to relative offset. you should get simple stock overclock of 20x166 = 3320ghz with turbo boost (power) and eist/speedstep (efficiency).

run your motherboard temps/voltage monitor program, realtemps and hit linX for 20 passes "all"(takes 1.5hr and gets your cpu VERY hot). monitor your core temps and voltages, watch out if any voltages increased too high, then that is the one you need to go bios and change from auto to the lowest default.

stock voltage overclock ftw!

ps. With stock cooling, you can choose a lower multiplier 19 from auto?

 

[besiktas1]

If you have ddr3 1333 ram, just go to your bios and change the base clock from 133 to 166, if need, change ram settings from 1066 to 1333. might want to change vcore/vid from auto to relative offset. you should get simple stock overclock of 20x166 = 3320ghz with turbo boost (power) and eist/speedstep (efficiency).

run your motherboard temps/voltage monitor program, realtemps and hit linX for 20 passes "all"(takes 1.5hr and gets your cpu VERY hot). monitor your core temps and voltages, watch out if any voltages increased too high, then that is the one you need to go bios and change from auto to the lowest default.

stock voltage overclock ftw!

ps. With stock cooling, you can choose a lower multiplier 19 from auto?

Hmm I'll try, what is safe temperatures? and where do I read voltage from? RealTemp I can only see Temp.

Also, (remember I'm a noob I have no idea what any of that last bit means lol

Just cap the voltage to the chip to watch the temps. I'm sure you can boost it a bit.

How would I do that?

 

[Hazaro]

Set the CPU voltage in BIOS to say 1.25V (Please read and fine a list of overclocks somewhere) and see how high it goes. As long as the temps stay good under load (65C) and you are under say 1.30V or so try to get it as high as you can.

I don't have much experience overclocking i5/i7 since I don't own one

 

[Minsc]

Set the CPU voltage in BIOS to say 1.25V (Please read and fine a list of overclocks somewhere) and see how high it goes. As long as the temps stay good under load (65C) and you are under say 1.30V or so try to get it as high as you can.

I don't have much experience overclocking i5/i7 since I don't own one

His temps are over 65C (74C), but i5/i7s can safely run at 80C at load.

 

[Erebus]

So I've upgraded my CPU from a E5400 to a Q9550 and the boost in performance is easily perceived. I've also set my DDR2 timings to 4-4-4-12, run some tests and my system seems to be stable so far.

I noticed something odd in the CPU-Z memory readings however. The latest version (1.54) gives me false info regarding my RAM size while other older versions report my memory correctly at 4096MB.

Should I be worried? Windows and Everest, both read my RAM as 4096MB too.

 

[teh_pwn]

Intel i5 750 (seemed like one of the better performers, less power hog, $200 sweet spot)
Some MSI P55 mobo
4 GB of RAM
AMD 5850
2 SATA 640 GB 3.0 Gb/s (probably will do RAID redundancy, because I'm getting older and paranoid like my parents.)
Win 7 x64 Pro
Some bitchin full tower ATX Coolmaster case
1000 Watt PSU

~$1350

Built. Pretty sweet, but I couldn't figure out RAID with this motherboard.

I got an Acer LED 24" 1080p monitor. Colors are a bit washed out, but the contrast, sharpness, and ghosting is a major improvement over my old 19" LCD. I did have to screw with my ATI drivers to enable GPU scaling because for some crazy reason a 5850 with this monitor at 1080p defaults to leaving 1-1.5 inches of unused screen.

Crysis runs like butter, except on ultra high settings. The mobo audio is surprisingly better than my old Audigy 2 ZS I think. I'm using Klipsch 5.1 Ultras from my old computer still.

 

[Scythesurge]

Hey guys, I really need a new PC and I'm feeling like a huge n00b...the last time I have built a PC was over 10 years ago so I feel pretty out of place trying to put together my own system now. Currently I'm running a 5 year old e-machines piece of crap, and though I primarily game on consoles, I have been wanting to be able to play games like TF2 and Left 4 Dead on PC. Basically I would want a system that runs most current games and run them well.

Being able to run games on Dolphin would also be a plus, though if it drives the cost up too much then I can live without it. All in all I'd like to spend around $1000 and may be willing to go a bit above that if the performance is worth it. So can someone please help a n00b out?

 

[brain_stew]

Hey guys, I really need a new PC and I'm feeling like a huge n00b...the last time I have built a PC was over 10 years ago so I feel pretty out of place trying to put together my own system now. Currently I'm running a 5 year old e-machines piece of crap, and though I primarily game on consoles, I have been wanting to be able to play games like TF2 and Left 4 Dead on PC. Basically I would want a system that runs most current games and run them well.

Being able to run games on Dolphin would also be a plus, though if it drives the cost up too much then I can live without it. All in all I'd like to spend around $1000 and may be willing to go a bit above that if the performance is worth it. So can someone please help a n00b out?

Since you want to use Dolphin be sure to go the Intel route.

Maybe an i7-930 and ATI 5850?

 

[teh_pwn]

Hey guys, I really need a new PC and I'm feeling like a huge n00b...the last time I have built a PC was over 10 years ago so I feel pretty out of place trying to put together my own system now. Currently I'm running a 5 year old e-machines piece of crap, and though I primarily game on consoles, I have been wanting to be able to play games like TF2 and Left 4 Dead on PC. Basically I would want a system that runs most current games and run them well.

Being able to run games on Dolphin would also be a plus, though if it drives the cost up too much then I can live without it. All in all I'd like to spend around $1000 and may be willing to go a bit above that if the performance is worth it. So can someone please help a n00b out?

Don't worry, you just need a list of hardware.

I just built my PC, and the last one I built was in 2003. It's way easier these days. For example, even wireless keyboards are plug and play supported by BIOS. I remember old mobos would load USB keyboard drivers just before post, so you had to buy a PS/2 keyboard to configure it. Lots of cases require way less screws, lots of slide in and lock mechanisms for drives, and SATA cables are a lot less messy than IDE.

The only thing that hasn't changed are those damn pins on the motherboard for power LED, power switch, power reset, etc. At least with the motherboard I got.

And the only thing that is odd is the ridiculous amount of tension needed to install a CPU. I'm just not comfortable putting so much force on such a small and expensive component.

 

[longdi]

Hmm I'll try, what is safe temperatures? and where do I read voltage from? RealTemp I can only see Temp.

Also, (remember I'm a noob I have no idea what any of that last bit means lol



How would I do that?

Depending on your motherboard included software, should be able to see the crucial ones like CPU, PLL, IOH, ICH, QPI, DRAM. Realtemp is only for monitoring the temps of each cores, useful because most bundled monitoring program cannot read.

Last bit means base clock x multiplier = clock speed of i7. so 19x166 = 3.15ghz, lower speed can help maintain lower temps..but different bios different, not sure if changing yours will disrupt the auto idle downclock. so just stick to changing the base clock and monitor its temp, if ok, then dont even need to touch the multiplier settings.

 

[Scythesurge]

Since you want to use Dolphin be sure to go the Intel route.

Maybe an i7-930 and ATI 5850?

Those seem to be pretty consistent choices among builds here, so it's probably a safe bet for me too.

Don't worry, you just need a list of hardware.

I just built my PC, and the last one I built was in 2003. It's way easier these days. For example, even wireless keyboards are plug and play supported by BIOS. I remember old mobos would load USB keyboard drivers just before post, so you had to buy a PS/2 keyboard to configure it. Lots of cases require way less screws, lots of slide in and lock mechanisms for drives, and SATA cables are a lot less messy than IDE.

The only thing that hasn't changed are those damn pins on the motherboard for power LED, power switch, power reset, etc. At least with the motherboard I got.

And the only thing that is odd is the ridiculous amount of tension needed to install a CPU. I'm just not comfortable putting so much force on such a small and expensive component.

Alright, doesn't sound too bad. It's definitely reassuring that things have gotten less complicated. Though I will probably get my dad who is an electrical engineer to help me with the nitty gritty ;-)

 

[Terrifyer]

I'm looking for some good headphones for gaming? Does anyone have some suggestions that aren't too expensive(sub $100)? Thanks!
edit: thinking about the Razer Carcharias

I would recommend spending a bit more to get HD 555's.

 

[The Lamonster]

Question about RAM:

I'm looking to max out the RAM on my Dell. Should I go with the Dell brand or with the cheapest one I could find?

Thanks dudes

 

[Hazaro]

Question about RAM:

I'm looking to max out the RAM on my Dell. Should I go with the Dell brand or with the cheapest one I could find?

Thanks dudes

Do you have a single 2GB stick? If so it's better to get matching memory for dual channel.

Otherwise another stick of whatever you find will work. You could always not run in dual-channel too...

 

[Ash_69]

My pc's contracted about a billion viruses and it's finally time to upgrade. Any help from some clued up Gaffers would be appreciated.
I'm from the UK and want to spend no more than £400. I'm not a pc gamer but do want something with the power to multitask, play hd videos and occasionally.

What am I looking for:
>decent processor
>3-4 gig of ram
>no integrated graphics card (dedicated graphic card)
>250gig would be adequate, no need for uber hard drive.
>no monitor etc

What is the best pc I can get for my money and where from.

Aldi have medion pc's that meet my requirements but they only sell them on one off occasions and usually sell out within minutes.

Thanks in advance!

 

[The Lamonster]

Do you have a single 2GB stick? If so it's better to get matching memory for dual channel.

Otherwise another stick of whatever you find will work. You could always not run in dual-channel too...

I don't really understand what you're saying. I'm kind of a noob. I have 4 slots and I want to get 4 2GB sticks for them. I'm basically asking if I should go with the sticks made by Dell or are all sticks of RAM created equal? Could I get the sticks that are ~$30 bucks cheaper with no loss of quality?

 

[elrechazado]

I don't really understand what you're saying. I'm kind of a noob. I have 4 slots and I want to get 4 2GB sticks for them. I'm basically asking if I should go with the sticks made by Dell or are all sticks of RAM created equal? Could I get the sticks that are ~$30 bucks cheaper with no loss of quality?

He's asking what is currently in the slot now.

 

[The Lamonster]

He's asking what is currently in the slot now.

1GB in two slots, 500MB in the other two slots

I plan on replacing the four existing sticks for 2GB sticks

 

[rohlfinator]

I plan on replacing the four existing sticks for 2GB sticks

No need to go with the Dell stuff, then. It's pretty overpriced.

The two sites you linked to look kinda shady, though. I'd go with some cheap brand-name stuff from Newegg. It'll only be about ~$10 more and at least you can see reviews for it, so you should be able to find something pretty reliable.

This one has good reviews and a lifetime limited warranty.

Edit: This one is a bit cheaper.

 

[squinters]

Just pulled the trigger on an XFX 5850 at TigerDirect. Using Bing cashback my total should come up to $285. Not too bad, and I'm looking forward to installing it.

 

[vertopci]

Anyone know where I can buy an Auzentech X-Fi Forte....it's out of stock everywhere I looked :/

 

[The Lamonster]

No need to go with the Dell stuff, then. It's pretty overpriced.

The two sites you linked to look kinda shady, though. I'd go with some cheap brand-name stuff from Newegg. It'll only be about ~$10 more and at least you can see reviews for it, so you should be able to find something pretty reliable.

This one has good reviews and a lifetime limited warranty.

Edit: This one is a bit cheaper.

Thanks man, just the info I needed.

 

[MrDenny]

Anyone recommend a build for around 500$?
Thanks.

 

[rohlfinator]

Anyone recommend a build for around 500$?
Thanks.

Tech Report's Econobox would be a good start (though it's a bit over $500).

If you don't mind expanding your budget to $600, you could bump it up to 4GB of RAM and a 5770.

 

[dejan]

Spend almost the whole weekend testing the oc potential of my new i7 930/Noctua cooler/UDV7 combo.

Went for max BCLK on saturday first. Starting point:
CPU multiplicator : 13
CPU vcore: 1.15v (BIOS setting, CPU-Z is usually reporting a lower voltage under prime95 load)
BCLK: 160MHz
CPU clock: 2080MHz
QPI: 1.2v
RAM clock: 1600MHz (10 x BCLK)
Uncore clock: 3200MHz (afaik this should always be at least twice the RAM clock)

About 8 hours later:
CPU multiplicator : 13
CPU vcore: 1.15v
BCLK: 220MHz
CPU clock: 2860MHz
QPI: 1.34v
RAM clock: 1320MHz (6 x BCLK) -> no RAM OC yet
Uncore clock: 3520MHz

Temperature under prime95 load never exceeded 63 °C. I think I could have gone even higher with the BCLK, but I didn't want to raise the QPI voltage any further.

The next step was raising the multiplicator. Took me another 7 hours on sunday to go from 13 to 17. During my tests I had to adjust my CPU vcore several times. Final settings for yesterday:
CPU multiplicator : 17
CPU vcore: 1.20625v (CPU-Z was reporting 1.152v under prime95 load)
BCLK: 220MHz
CPU clock: 3740MHz
QPI: 1.34v
RAM clock: 1320MHz (6 x BCLK)
Uncore clock: 3520MHz

Temperature under prime95 load never exceeded 73 °C. Might go even higher, but I want to make a 12h+ prime95 stability test with these settings first.

 

[Hazaro]

He's asking what is currently in the slot now.

Yeah, that was terrible wording on my part. Just grab some cheap sticks from newegg / other e-tailer

Tech Report's Econobox would be a good start (though it's a bit over $500).

If you don't mind expanding your budget to $600, you could bump it up to 4GB of RAM and a 5770.

Great starting point for many. Additionally fill this out:

Budget: Price Range + Country
Main Usage: Percentage use of: Gaming, Video Editing, Special tasks (Photoshop, 3D modelling,etc), or just general usage (Internet, Word, etc.)
Monitor Resolution: What resolution will you be playing your games at? Are you going to upgrade later? (1920x1080, etc)
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Self Explanatory

 

[Templar Wizard]

for my 3d gaming pleasure, i have decided to go from a gtx260 to the glory of a 470 or a 480.
whom should i buy from and what manufacturer?

 

[PumpkinPie]

I know this is probably the wrong place to post but:

I just bought a Sapphire 5970 last week and have been experiencing random crashes. My temps are fine: 65 degrees under load, 39 idle, but if I run something like 3DMark or MSI Kombustor I get crashes. I then tried overclocking the card by something tiny like 15mhz and it just flat out refused to run, completely powered off my PC. As mentioned, temps are definitely not the issue here...do you think the card is bad?? Some people are reporting overclocks of +150mhz on the core clock alone without crashes and I can't even run the thing stable at stock speed.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

I know this is probably the wrong place to post but:

I just bought a Sapphire 5970 last week and have been experiencing random crashes. My temps are fine: 65 degrees under load, 39 idle, but if I run something like 3DMark or MSI Kombustor I get crashes. I then tried overclocking the card by something tiny like 15mhz and it just flat out refused to run, completely powered off my PC. As mentioned, temps are definitely not the issue here...do you think the card is bad?? Some people are reporting overclocks of +150mhz on the core clock alone without crashes and I can't even run the thing stable at stock speed.

It's possible it has a bad RAM chip, or maybe a glitch in the firmware. Power supply is not an issue I assume? See if there is a new firmware for your card manufacturer maybe?

 

[PumpkinPie]

It's possible it has a bad RAM chip, or maybe a glitch in the firmware. Power supply is not an issue I assume? See if there is a new firmware for your card manufacturer maybe?

I downloaded the latest drivers etc. from the ATI site (new drivers released yesterday). I don't think my PSU is an issue, it's 875W and runs:

CPU liquid cooling (120 radiator)

1 blu ray drive

6GB DDR3 Ram

6-8 USB devices (printer, scanner, keyboard, mouse, Xbox receiver, USB network card)

Soundblaster Xi-fi something...

plus the graphics card.

One thing I noticed is that the second GPU will not run 100% on stress tests, only up to 95%. The first GPU runs all the way up to 100%.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Im talking firmware, not drivers. Like your video cards BIOS. See if that has an update. But it sounds like the PC itself is ok and since temps aren't an issue I would probably just RMA it.

 

[Thunderbear]

I am having similar issues... I bought an ASUS 470GTX and now whenever I stretch the GPU by playing a game I can play for 20-50 seconds and then my computer reboots. I have a 800W PSU but I have:

Core 2 Duo
Liquid Cooling for me too
8GB DDR3 Ram
4 SATA Drives
1 Bluray drive
10 USB devices, at least.

Temps are fine across the board, even at load.

I did some online "test" at Asus and I put in all my devices and it did say my computer would drain 811W so I am thinking it must be the PSU. Unless the 470GTX is broken But it works flawlessly when I don't play games and work in 3D applications (not GPU intensive games).

Is there a software that can show you how much you use in Watts (not Volt, I forgot all my electricity knowledge from school to understand the conversion)?

I've tried several different games... The Whispered World I can play for a long time but that's definitely not a GPU intensive game . Just 2D sprites on flat poly planes I imagine.

Any thoughts?

I guess I'll have to buy a 1200W PSU . Damn 470, if the framerates weren't so amazing when you do run for that half a minute in Crysis when everything crazy is going on I'd trade you in.