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[evil solrac v3.0]

im trying to get to 4.0 Ghz and CPU-z says this

but OCCT says i have an error on core 1.

what to believe?
OOCT also says im at 4Ghz. i only changed the BLCK frequency and the PCIE frequency.

 

[Hazaro]

im trying to get to 4.0 Ghz and CPU-z says this

but OCCT says i have an error on core 1.

what to believe?
OOCT also says im at 4Ghz. i only changed the BLCK frequency and the PCIE frequency.

Go with CPU-Z for clock speed.

The validation is simply a validated clock speed, it by no means AT ALL means that it is stable. I got a nice E8400 I had for a bit to 4.5Ghz (desktop) but crashed about 20 seconds into Windows.

 

[Zeke]

I want to do a new build my first since 03/04. I've been out of the loop for while now so I'm not too update on video cards, cpu's, or mobo's. I'm not looking for top of line my budget is $500 with $600 being my limit so really a budget build. Monitor, kbm, speakers, optical drives will be reused. Right now I'm running an AMD cpu wouldn't mind staying with AMD but if I can get more bang for the buck with an Intel cpu thats fine. I'm wondering if I can use my current case(mid tower) and just replace the PSU. I would also like to have HD capability for future use. hxa155 posted this link for an HD monitor seems alright to me http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236053. I was also leaning towards grabbing a 1TB HDD and a 500GB HDD.

.

 

[rocK`]

Two things:

1) The mobo need to be LGA 1366 for an i7-930, not LGA 1156, so you'll have to swap that one out.

2) You want 6 GB or 12 GB of RAM, not 8. You'll be running this in triple channel, so 2x2x2 or 4x4x4.

As for the 2x480s, if you're set on doing it (and you're prepared to handle the heat output somehow), you should be looking at 850w or higher. High quality 850w, maybe an Antec Signature or an HX850. The power draw on the 480 is absurd so be prepared. I think you'd be better off with 2x5870s but it's your decision.

wow, I feel stupid. Great catch on #1 and #2. Can you suggest a good MoBo? I'm fine with the Asus line/EVGA products. Gigabyte, not so much.

I also lend myself to nvidia over ATI...I've had so many issues with ATI boards that I just can't do it.

 

[Wallach]

wow, I feel stupid. Great catch on #1 and #2. Can you suggest a good MoBo? I'm fine with the Asus line/EVGA products. Gigabyte, not so much.

I also lend myself to nvidia over ATI...I've had so many issues with ATI boards that I just can't do it.

What kind of budget are you looking at? ASUS makes a similar 1366 board to the 1156 one you had, but it runs $370 on Newegg (Rampage III). You could come down a little and get the ASUS P6X58D Premium ($290), one of the most popular enthusiast X58s by far. The top end ones are all X58 chipset based if you want to browse/research others.

As far as the ATI thing... believe me, it was pretty hard for me to pick up this 5850 the other week. Last ATI card I had was a Toxic 4850 and it was such a pile I didn't keep it for more than a week. Before that the last one I owned was a Rage II I think. Even still, it's so hard to justify buying in on these Fermi cards right now; the heat and power draw is truly absurd, worse than anything else they've ever produced for their relative strength (especially pit against ATIs current cards). I will say that this 5850 has given me not a single problem so far, and I'm actually glad I went red for once.

There's still upsides to taking an NVidia card, especially for the chance to buy from such an awesome company like eVGA (would kill for them to be making ATI cards right now). Just be ready with your airflow planning... and stay the fuck away from Furmark with those twin turbines. Seriously.

 

[McLovin]

Hey guys I got this tower as a birthday present a while back and I never used it. I want to make a good gaming pc with it but I haven't been keeping up with the latest tech. I know the new ati cards are suppose to be really good. What do you guys recommend in terms of what motherboard/processor/gpu. I want more bang for my buck and I want to limit it to under $1000 I'll probably have to buy windows 7 too :/
Edit-Right now an HP computer and I slapped an 8800gts in there. Its been alright for the most part. I would really like to max out my games at 1080p as I'm using my hdtv as a monitor.

 

[rocK`]

What kind of budget are you looking at? ASUS makes a similar 1366 board to the 1156 one you had, but it runs $370 on Newegg (Rampage III). You could come down a little and get the ASUS P6X58D Premium ($290), one of the most popular enthusiast X58s by far. The top end ones are all X58 chipset based if you want to browse/research others.

As far as the ATI thing... believe me, it was pretty hard for me to pick up this 5850 the other week. Last ATI card I had was a Toxic 4850 and it was such a pile I didn't keep it for more than a week. Before that the last one I owned was a Rage II I think. Even still, it's so hard to justify buying in on these Fermi cards right now; the heat and power draw is truly absurd, worse than anything else they've ever produced for their relative strength (especially pit against ATIs current cards). I will say that this 5850 has given me not a single problem so far, and I'm actually glad I went red for once.

There's still upsides to taking an NVidia card, especially for the chance to buy from such an awesome company like eVGA (would kill for them to be making ATI cards right now). Just be ready with your airflow planning... and stay the fuck away from Furmark with those twin turbines. Seriously.

Hmm, you might be onto something here. The heating/sound issue kind of scares me. I'm thinking I get one now and get one later, or just get two 5850s.

I'm looking into the MoBos you're suggesting, I also look at the E670 CLASSIFIED.

thanks tho

 

[Flunkie]

Intel® CoreT i7-720QM, ATI FirePro M7820 w/ 1GB DDR5, 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, 500GB HDD, 17" WUXGA+ WVA (1920x1200) Display

Did I do okay?

 

[Pctx]

Anyone wanting an easy build for playing source games...

ASUS G41 mATX
Celeron E3300 (Core 2 Duo) @ 2.5GHz
Antec GreenWatts 380
Kingston 2x1GB DDR3 1066
Powercolor 5450 256MB DDR5

Cuts through the engine like butta. Parts above can be had off the Egg for about $230 shipped. Throw in a recycled case and hard drive and you're golden.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Go with CPU-Z for clock speed.

The validation is simply a validated clock speed, it by no means AT ALL means that it is stable. I got a nice E8400 I had for a bit to 4.5Ghz (desktop) but crashed about 20 seconds into Windows.

what i'm trying to say is though, i booted up at 4.2 Ghz, but when testing with OCCT, it gave me that message. i just wanted ti know if its stable.

edit: oh i see what you mean, so eventually if i would have kept going it would have crashed. well, i dialed it down to 3.8 Ghz, seems fine after a couple of hours.

 

[Hazaro]

I want to do a new build my first since 03/04. I've been out of the loop for while now so I'm not too update on video cards, cpu's, or mobo's. I'm not looking for top of line my budget is $500 with $600 being my limit so really a budget build. Monitor, kbm, speakers, optical drives will be reused. Right now I'm running an AMD cpu wouldn't mind staying with AMD but if I can get more bang for the buck with an Intel cpu thats fine. I'm wondering if I can use my current case(mid tower) and just replace the PSU. I would also like to have HD capability for future use. hxa155 posted this link for an HD monitor seems alright to me http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236053. I was also leaning towards grabbing a 1TB HDD and a 500GB HDD.

Budget build

AMD Athlon II X4 635: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103702
ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398
or
GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3 AM3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128419

5770 of Choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102858
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1333: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231274

That's $588 before a possible $40 in rebates.
It'll handle everything very nicely.
If your budget is very limited to $600 (Just trying to squeeze the 5770 in there) then you can cut another $40 on the motherboard to fit in Win 7 if you are buying it at retail price.

Hey guys I got this tower as a birthday present a while back and I never used it. I want to make a good gaming pc with it but I haven't been keeping up with the latest tech. I know the new ati cards are suppose to be really good. What do you guys recommend in terms of what motherboard/processor/gpu. I want more bang for my buck and I want to limit it to under $1000 I'll probably have to buy windows 7 too :/
Edit-Right now an HP computer and I slapped an 8800gts in there. Its been alright for the most part. I would really like to max out my games at 1080p as I'm using my hdtv as a monitor.

Not so budget substitutions

Intel i5-750: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128412
SAMSUNG SH-S223L: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188
XFX 5850: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150494

_____
Total cost more than above: $300 bringing you to just under $900 (+Rebates)

 

[Smash88]

Bought a GTX 470 today. Happy as can be. Upgraded from a 8800GT....

BFBC2 LOOKS FUCKING BEAUTIFUL AT DX11 WITH THE EYE CANDY! Well worth the $360 CDN! I'm going to OC this baby to GTX 480 levels and save $200 Gooooo Me!

 

[professor_t]

Okay, I've got a puzzler for you PC geniuses out there.

Like any good, upstanding citizen, I took the bait on Steam's half-off deal and purchased Metro 2033.

When I went to install the game, it said I was missing the physxloader.dll is missing. I thought this was only relevant to Nvidia cards (I have an ATI 5850), but after reading a few message boards I decided to install the missing file through the program files directory.

After this, the game appeared to boot up, but my monitor (an HDTV, not a computer monitor) said the mode is not supported. My guess is that the game booted in a resolution that is not supported by my TV, hence the blank screen.

Normally, I simply hit "alt+enter," go into windowed mode, change the resolution to 1080p, and then revert back to full screen for gaming goodness.

However, when I hit alt+enter with the game running, nothing happened. So, my questions are this:

1) Is there any other way to get the game running in a smaller window so that I can fix the resolution issue?
2) Can I get the game to simply boot in a resolution that my TV supports?
3) Is there anything else I can try if the aforementioned tactics won't work?

Thanks!

p.s. -- If you think I misdiagnosed the nature of the problem, I'd be happy to hear it. I'm pretty clueless.

 

[Hazaro]

When I went to install the game, it said I was missing the physxloader.dll is missing. I thought this was only relevant to Nvidia cards (I have an ATI 5850), but after reading a few message boards I decided to install the missing file through the program files directory.

After this, the game appeared to boot up, but my monitor (an HDTV, not a computer monitor) said the mode is not supported. My guess is that the game booted in a resolution that is not supported by my TV, hence the blank screen.

Update your drivers if you haven't and make sure the setting is on HDTV. There also might be an option for overscan that might fix what you are having trouble with.

Not really sure, might have some better luck posting on metro forums or such.

 

[rocK`]

OK take 2:

LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
Model #:iHAS424-98
Item #:N82E16827106335
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$25.99 $25.99

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Model #:Nine Hundred
Item #:N82E16811129021
Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

$139.95 -$40.00 Instant $99.95

EVGA 015-P3-1482-AR GeForce GTX 480 (Fermi) SuperClocked 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...
Model #:015-P3-1482-AR
Item #:N82E16814130551
Return Policy:VGA Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

$532.99 $532.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory Model F3-16000CL9T-6GBRH
Model #:F3-16000CL9T-6GBRH
Item #:N82E16820231306
Return Policy:Memory Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$194.99 $194.99

ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Model #6X58D-E
Item #:N82E16813131641
Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

$239.99 $239.99

ZALMAN 9500A-LED 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
Model #:9500A
Item #:N82E16835118223
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$52.99 $52.99

Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2M080G2XXX 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - OEM
Model #:SSDSA2M080G2XXX
Item #:N82E16820167016
Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

$299.99 -$80.00 Instant $219.99

OKGEAR 18" SATA 6 Gbps Cable, Straight to Right Angle W/Metal Latch, Silver, Backward Compatible with 3 Gbps and 1.5 Gbps - OEM
Model #:GC18ATASM12
Item #:N82E16812123132
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$2.49

and an i7 930...thoughts?

 

[Hazaro]

Near the same topic, but I am wondering...

1) Upgrade paths for 1156 vs 1366
Seems to me Intel will just introduce new sockets for both :lol
One might get lucky get get a refresh but the cost of the upgrade probably won't be worth it

2) Spending an extra $90 on CPU and $100 for Mobo, only to have 2GB less RAM (I know it is 2000)
That's the difference between the 750/930 that I see. Sure you have HT, but will you be using it?

 

[suzu]

Hey guys, I want to play my PS2 slim on my PC's monitor and I'm wondering how do I go about doing that? Is there a decent cheap option? I'm a tech newbie, so any help is appreciated.

My monitor is this one here:

ASUS VH226H Black 21.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen 16:9 Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 12000 : 1) Built in Speakers

Connectivity
Input Video Compatibility: Analog RGB, Digital
Connectors: D-Sub, DVI, HDMI
D-Sub 1
DVI 1
HDMI 1

 

[VOOK]

Alrighty guys I have a 'm3n78-vm' mother board and a 'AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+' and I need some more juice before E3.

What CPU can I get that would be better or do I have to upgrade the mboard?

 

[rdaubner]

Alrighty guys I have a 'm3n78-vm' mother board and a 'AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+' and I need some more juice before E3.

What CPU can I get that would be better or do I have to upgrade the mboard?

update your bios and throw an amd x6, 1055 in there.
http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=ovqEgLFRjnSClhSV&content=specifications

 

[Peronthious]

Looking to upgrade my RAM, just wondering if DDR3 is worth it now. I'm deciding between this and this, the only thing stopping me from going ahead and grabbing the latter is if the DDR3 would give me that much of a noticeable performance increase. Google turns up that there's not that much of one, but that's all articles from 07-08. Even if it's just a marginal increase $16 isn't that much more, just wondering what GAF thought.

 

[Hazaro]

DDR3 doesn't fit in a DDR2 slot.

And no it's not very noticeable at all.
Only reason DDR2 is near that level is because they stopped making it and it went from $55 for 4GB to much higher.

 

[MoreCraiger]

Hey guys, well the release of StarCraft II is coming up, and it's time I snagged myself a dedicated gaming PC! There will be other games I would play, many of which I would purchase off of Steam. I am primarily a console gamer, and I find the graphics to be more than adequate, so my main concern is having the graphics equivalent as the console equivalents (Fallout 3, Batman:AA, BF:BC2, etc.) but still maintaining at least 30fps on a 1080p monitor. So, to summarize, I'm just curious what build would grant me the same visuals and performance as an Xbox 360 or PS3 on a 1080p monitor for games like Fallout 3, Bad Company 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mass Effect 2, Half-Life, Call of Duty, Bioshock 2, etc.

In terms of budget, I'm looking at spending the least amount that would meet my qualifications. If I need to spend $1000 to get console visuals at 30fps on a 1080p monitor, then that's what I'll spend. If I can do it for $500, then I'll do it for $500!

Thanks!

 

[rocK`]

OK -- pulled the trigger:

1 x ($25.99) DVD BURNER LITE-ON | IHAS424-98 R
$25.99



1 x ($219.99) SSD 80G|INTEL SSDSA2M080G2XXX OEM - OEM
$219.99



1 x ($289.99) MB ASUS P6X58D PREMIUM 1366 R
$289.99



1 x ($519.99) VGA ASUS MATRIX 5870 P/2DIS/2GD5 RT
$519.99



1 x ($194.99) MEM 2Gx3|GSKILL F3-16000CL9T-6GBRH
$194.99



2 x ($2.49) CABLE OKGEAR|GC18ATASM12 % - OEM
$4.98



1 x ($52.99) CPU FAN ZALMAN | 9500A
$52.99



1 x ($99.95) CASE ANTEC|NINE HUNDRED BK RT
$99.95



1 x ($129.99) PSU CORSAIR|CMPSU-850TX 850W RT
$129.99





Hopefully it all goes well!

 

[DeadTrees]

1) Upgrade paths for 1156 vs 1366
Seems to me Intel will just introduce new sockets for both :lol

This is exactly what will happen next year (LGA-1155 and LGA-2011).

 

[Minsc]

Hey guys, well the release of StarCraft II is coming up, and it's time I snagged myself a dedicated gaming PC! There will be other games I would play, many of which I would purchase off of Steam. I am primarily a console gamer, and I find the graphics to be more than adequate, so my main concern is having the graphics equivalent as the console equivalents (Fallout 3, Batman:AA, BF:BC2, etc.) but still maintaining at least 30fps on a 1080p monitor. So, to summarize, I'm just curious what build would grant me the same visuals and performance as an Xbox 360 or PS3 on a 1080p monitor for games like Fallout 3, Bad Company 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mass Effect 2, Half-Life, Call of Duty, Bioshock 2, etc.

In terms of budget, I'm looking at spending the least amount that would meet my qualifications. If I need to spend $1000 to get console visuals at 30fps on a 1080p monitor, then that's what I'll spend. If I can do it for $500, then I'll do it for $500!

Thanks!

Something like this, but swap the 5770 for a GTX 470 or ATi 5850 (+$100-$200), and swap the HDD for a 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3 (-$50), would be a good starting point. You'll actually get significantly better than console graphics at 1080p with either of those cards; it's just better to go that route since you have the budget for it.

 

[Zeke]

Budget build

AMD Athlon II X4 635: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103702
ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398
or
GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3 AM3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128419

5770 of Choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102858
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1333: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231274

That's $588 before a possible $40 in rebates.
It'll handle everything very nicely.
If your budget is very limited to $600 (Just trying to squeeze the 5770 in there) then you can cut another $40 on the motherboard to fit in Win 7 if you are buying it at retail price.

Not so budget substitutions

Intel i5-750: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128412
SAMSUNG SH-S223L: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188
XFX 5850: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150494

_____
Total cost more than above: $300 bringing you to just under $900 (+Rebates)

awesome thanks

 

[Hazaro]

Something like this, but swap the 5770 for a GTX 470 or ATi 5850 (+$100-$200), and swap the HDD for a 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3 (-$50), would be a good starting point. You'll actually get significantly better than console graphics at 1080p with either of those cards; it's just better to go that route since you have the budget for it.

That's eerily similar to my post a few above yours...
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=21794626&postcount=7611
*I just put that together yesterday so if you plan on buying, get buying while everything is still on sale.

---

If you settle for 30fps (Heck my GTX 260 still pulls mostly 60 in games on high + AA at 1080p)

The AMD build (Just add a case [Recommend the CM 690] and DVD drive) will be more than fine and offer a good upgrade path in the future.

You'll be looking at AT LEAST 30FPS on high + 4xAA minimum.

This is exactly what will happen next year (LGA-1155 and LGA-2011).

Dammit Intel stop making new sockets. I like your chips but hell if the new stuff I have to buy is so expensive. No more $20 Heatsinks, everything is a mega $70 now. Terrible.

 

[MoreCraiger]

Wow, thanks Hazaro and Minsc, those are great examples of the route I should be taking with my build. I am from Canada so the pricing isn't as good as down south, but NCIX allows price-matching so I should do quite well! Here's hoping I can scrounge up enough cash to have one ready to go for SC2! Are there any impending 'game-changers' in the CPU/GPU department that are worth waiting for? Obviously new technology comes out bi-annually, but they seem to be incremental upgrades. Anything really significant, or just the incremental stuff not really worth waiting on? Thanks again!

 

[Hazaro]

Wow, thanks Hazaro and Minsc, those are great examples of the route I should be taking with my build. I am from Canada so the pricing isn't as good as down south, but NCIX allows price-matching so I should do quite well! Here's hoping I can scrounge up enough cash to have one ready to go for SC2! Are there any impending 'game-changers' in the CPU/GPU department that are worth waiting for? Obviously new technology comes out bi-annually, but they seem to be incremental upgrades. Anything really significant, or just the incremental stuff not really worth waiting on? Thanks again!

Not anytime soon.

 

[rocK`]

OK -- pulled the trigger:

1 x ($25.99) DVD BURNER LITE-ON | IHAS424-98 R
$25.99



1 x ($219.99) SSD 80G|INTEL SSDSA2M080G2XXX OEM - OEM
$219.99



1 x ($289.99) MB ASUS P6X58D PREMIUM 1366 R
$289.99



1 x ($519.99) VGA ASUS MATRIX 5870 P/2DIS/2GD5 RT
$519.99



1 x ($194.99) MEM 2Gx3|GSKILL F3-16000CL9T-6GBRH
$194.99



2 x ($2.49) CABLE OKGEAR|GC18ATASM12 % - OEM
$4.98



1 x ($52.99) CPU FAN ZALMAN | 9500A
$52.99



1 x ($99.95) CASE ANTEC|NINE HUNDRED BK RT
$99.95



1 x ($129.99) PSU CORSAIR|CMPSU-850TX 850W RT
$129.99





Hopefully it all goes well!

anyone foresee any problems with this build?

 

[Wallach]

anyone foresee any problems with this build?

I'm guessing you already have another HDD, the SSD is just for OS purposes?

 

[Stahsky]

Is the pea method the safest way to apply thermal? Going to reapply some Arctic silver and get rid of that lousy cheap shit, but I'm always nervous with this crap.

 

[Hazaro]

anyone foresee any problems with this build?

The 9500A is an older socket cooler and not a very good one even if it comes with a conversion kit to 1366.

I'd return it and get a better 1366 cooler.

Is the pea method the safest way to apply thermal? Going to reapply some Arctic silver and get rid of that lousy cheap shit, but I'm always nervous with this crap.

Small pea is fine, so is a small line down the middle.

 

[Ariexv]

I'm looking to buy a new laptop for about $500-$600, mainly for schoolwork and playing World of Warcraft.

 

[Lkr]

I came in here to talk about E3, but then I realized our PC master race is too good to be tied down to one event

 

[Red]

Is the pea method the safest way to apply thermal? Going to reapply some Arctic silver and get rid of that lousy cheap shit, but I'm always nervous with this crap.

Pea sized is too much. With AS5 you should be fine with between 1/2 and 3/4 the size of a pea. Small line will also work.

You could always follow the instructions on the AS website.

These videos may also help you choose.

Also reposting this, hopefully someone can give me some input?

I posted a little while ago I was having trouble running a 4GHz overclock on my PC w/ an i7 920. Prime95 didn't cause any problems, but the computer would freeze after a few hours of idling. I've played around a little more with my settings and found that the computer is stable over days if the RAM is knocked down to its slowest possible speed (to 1146MHz from 1528). Since my PC is stable with these current settings, and without altering the 4GHz clock speed on my CPU, I'm assuming the freezing was an isolated memory issue. I tried setting my memory at 1600MHz via X.M.P. settings (RAM is Corsair Dominator 1600), but Windows froze on boot, with a jagged green line across the middle of my screen and a terribly loud screeching sound. I double checked my BIOS settings and saw my dRAM voltage had been set at 1.66. Normally I have it at 1.64, and my BIOS automatically knocks it up to 1.66 if I try inputting 1.65. Brought down the voltage and the system still froze, but without the drama (no beep or artifacts).

Anyone here know what could be the root of the problem (RAM, motherboard [P6T deluxe], CPU)? Why would my system be freezing at idle due to RAM issues? I'd assume if there was a problem with my RAM, it would always be apparent, not only when I'm nearing its rated speed.

 

[Hazaro]

I'm looking to buy a new laptop for about $500-$600, mainly for schoolwork and playing World of Warcraft.

4) Prospective laptop buyers please fill this out (and maybe even ask their forum):
http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...ould-i-buy-form-must-read-before-posting.html

Pea sized is too much. With AS5 you should be fine with between 1/2 and 3/4 the size of a pea. Small line will also work.

Also reposting this, hopefully someone can give me some input?

I guess smaller than a BB would be a better size comparison since a pea is not a standard size.

As for your overclock... How long did you run Prime95? And if you did think it was a memory issue did you run memtest86+ from the CD?

I'd let both run overnight.

 

[Red]

As for your overclock... How long did you run Prime95? And if you did think it was a memory issue did you run memtest86+ from the CD?

I'd let both run overnight.

Prime95 ran fine for a solid 4+ hours the final time I tested it with those settings, then my entire PC crashed when I booted up IE :lol

Ran memtest once when I first put together the PC but didn't encounter any errors. May have to try it again.

 

[rocK`]

I'm guessing you already have another HDD, the SSD is just for OS purposes?

Yeah -- got another one.

About the HSF, I didn't know that, any pointers on which to get for my LGA 1366?

 

[Hazaro]

Prime95 ran fine for a solid 4+ hours the final time I tested it with those settings, then my entire PC crashed when I booted up IE :lol

Ran memtest once when I first put together the PC but didn't encounter any errors. May have to try it again.

:lol

Maybe try OCCT and ORTHOS (Blend and Stress) as well.

Of course the culprit may be that you didn't raise your northbridge voltage enough?

Yeah -- got another one.

About the HSF, I didn't know that, any pointers on which to get for my LGA 1366?

CM 520 (includes fans)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103057
or
Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242001
or
Corsair Enclosed Water System Thing
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010

I'd get the 520, the MEGAHALEMS of course is better, but for a modest overclock you are paying another $30 for maybe 3-5C in load temps. (You'll need a fan too)

 

[Complex Shadow]

so gaf i really don't want to make a computer, mainly beacause i am realllly bad at building anything, computers. so i was wonder if anyone knew any deals on some nice gaming regs(in canada)? or should i just nut up and make one.

 

[Hazaro]

so gaf i really don't want to make a computer, mainly beacause i am realllly bad at building anything, computers. so i was wonder if anyone knew any deals on some nice gaming regs(in canada)? or should i just nut up and make one.

Buy the parts from NCIX.ca and they will put it together for $50.

 

[Red]

:lol

Maybe try OCCT and ORTHOS (Blend and Stress) as well.

Of course the culprit may be that you didn't raise your northbridge voltage enough?

It's at 1.29 right now (same as vcore). DRAM was at 1.64. Raising my vcore to 1.3 or higher causes system instability (not from temps... from what I've found it is solely due to the increase in voltage). Raising DRAM voltage to 1.66 also causes system instability, regardless of the supposed "0.5V" allowance in uncore difference.

Basically, my voltages all work for a 4GHz overclock where they're at. I have a completely solid OC at 191 BCLK, 21x multiplier, and 1149MHz RAM. I don't really have a problem with those settings, but I'm very curious about why my RAM doesn't want to go any higher than that- especially since it's specifically advertised as a set of "1600 MHz" sticks.

 

[Wallach]

It's at 1.29 right now (same as vcore). DRAM was at 1.64. Raising my vcore to 1.3 or higher causes system instability (not from temps... from what I've found it is solely due to the increase in voltage). Raising DRAM voltage to 1.66 also causes system instability, regardless of the supposed "0.5V" allowance in uncore difference.

Basically, my voltages all work for a 4GHz overclock where they're at. I have a completely solid OC at 191 BCLK, 21x multiplier, and 1149MHz RAM. I don't really have a problem with those settings, but I'm very curious about why my RAM doesn't want to go any higher than that- especially since it's specifically advertised as a set of "1600 MHz" sticks.

How many sticks. I know quite a lot of motherboards have shitty time trying to OC when using 4 sticks over 2.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

What's a good upgrade for a 4870 512mb?

I've got a Phenom II X4 920 in here that I've OC'd to 3.5 ghz stable before.
4 gigs of DDR2 ram and running on an OCZ vertex SSD.

I'm not sure I want to upgrade to a 5850 since I might not be gaming for that long once I hopefully enter culinary school next year.

I switched to 1920x1080 resolution after I already bought my 4870 and some games are stressing it out a too much.

 

[Hazaro]

I don't really have a problem with those settings, but I'm very curious about why my RAM doesn't want to go any higher than that- especially since it's specifically advertised as a set of "1600 MHz" sticks.

Computers are finicky things.

I'd hazard its the load on your northbridge limiting in some way. Sticks might have some issues at a timing or frequency, who knows. Too many factors. If you were really curious you could spend 40 hours testing speeds and voltages and still come up with no other answer other than 'it doesn't like those speeds'.

So... I dunno. :lol

What's a good upgrade for a 4870 512mb?

I've got a Phenom II X4 920 in here that I've OC'd to 3.5 ghz stable before.
4 gigs of DDR2 ram and running on an OCZ vertex SSD.

I'm not sure I want to upgrade to a 5850 since I might not be gaming for that long once I hopefully enter culinary school next year.

I switched to 1920x1080 resolution after I already bought my 4870 and some games are stressing it out a too much.

There's no real middle ground right now. You get a 5850 or a GTX 470. That's about it.
I went from 1680x1050 to 1920x1080 with my GTX 260 and while a FEW games stress it a bit much it's no big deal for me.

 

[Red]

How many sticks. I know quite a lot of motherboards have shitty time trying to OC when using 4 sticks over 2.

3 sticks. Corsair Dominator RAM. Quick rundown of my specs:

Asus P6T Deluxe v2
Intel i7 920
6GB Corsair Dominator "1600" RAM
Corsair 850W modular PSU

Those should be the only components I can think of that would be causing an issue. I've been looking at my CPU and RAM in particular, and since adjusting the RAM speed fixes the problem, I'm assuming that's where the problem lies.

My BIOS settings are as follows:
CPU Ratio: 21x
Speedstep: disabled
BCLK: 191
PCIE: 100
DRAM frequency: 1149
UCLK freq.: auto
QPI Link Data Rate: auto

CPU voltage: 1.29
CPU PLL voltage: 1.92
QPI voltage: 1.29
IOH voltage: auto
IOH PCIE voltage: auto
DRAM bus voltage: 1.64

Load line calibration: enabled
CPU differential amplitude: 800mV
CPU spread spectrum: disabled
PCIE spred spectrum: disabled

All other settings on auto, with some CPU settings disabled (turbo, virtualization, etc). If anything sticks out to you guys, I'd really appreciate the help. It's not a huge deal, but it's something that's been bothering me... not even the problem itself, but not knowing exactly what's causing it.

 

[Hazaro]

I can't check right now but I'd take a look at some i7 overclock threads and compare your CPU/PLL/NB voltages. Also have you set your RAM timings manually yet? Or are they on default?

 

[Red]

I can't check right now but I'd take a look at some i7 overclock threads and compare your CPU/PLL/NB voltages. Also have you set your RAM timings manually yet? Or are they on default?

Tried manually but didn't have any luck. Reset settings and left them on default. I'll have to play around with it a bit more when I have a free day. I do appreciate the help.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

have you come down on the OC to see where it stays stable?