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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition

kagete said:
Its there to give a sense of scale. Man I love my new PC, like I want to hug and hum to it while I fall asleep...

Lol, that's a great feeling. Pretty nice temps also, 50 under full load for an over clocked 955 is pretty much perfect as far as air cooling goes.

WEGGLES said:
Oh man! That's amazing!

Yeah it really is, I think pretty much the only program that I regularly use that isn't included there is Ventrilo.
 
So has anyone overclocked a 460 yet? I have mine installed and fired up Rivatuner, but it's saying it doesn't support these drivers and isn't giving me the overclock option.
 
Amneisac said:
So has anyone overclocked a 460 yet? I have mine installed and fired up Rivatuner, but it's saying it doesn't support these drivers and isn't giving me the overclock option.

Download EVGA Precision from Guru3d.
 
Amneisac said:
So has anyone overclocked a 460 yet? I have mine installed and fired up Rivatuner, but it's saying it doesn't support these drivers and isn't giving me the overclock option.

I'm using MSI Afterburner for my Palit. Well, used it once really then just left it like that.
 
How would one go about putting heatsinks on a Palit card? I blind bought it too...the over clocked one actually b/c I'm silly. Should I be worried at all or am I probably fine if I don't intend to over clock it anymore and the most I'll do is FFXIV and TF2.

Also, I see everyone w/ the hyper 212 cooler. Anyone use the i5 750 stock cooler?
 
Thanks, guys. I'll check those apps out when I get my Gigabyte 1GB GTX 460 in. I decided to return the Palit. I love Newegg by the way. I told the whole story here if you're interested:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=22405137&postcount=587


Also, I am mildly disappointed with my new computer's performance. I basically spent $870 to go from here:
Untitled.jpg

to:
stock460.png


The bottom picture was running the 1GB Palit at stock clock speeds (not the factory OC one). The top picture is my old MacPro with my OC'd 512MB HD4850 in it.
 
demosthenes said:
How would one go about putting heatsinks on a Palit card? I blind bought it too...the over clocked one actually b/c I'm silly. Should I be worried at all or am I probably fine if I don't intend to over clock it anymore and the most I'll do is FFXIV and TF2.

I got these from amazon. They have some two-sided tape on them and thats really all you need. For the Palit, you have to remove 4 screws, 2 at the back and 2 at the slot edges where the ports are. Honestly, I don't get the Palit hate. the noisiest thing in my PC is still my CPU fan and not the GPU. I have a feeling that all the hardcore guru3d people complaining about it are trying to push 900 MHz overclocks so the fan really spins.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HC7SJG/?tag=neogaf0e-20


Amneisac said:
Thanks, guys. I'll check those apps out when I get my Gigabyte 1GB GTX 460 in. I decided to return the Palit. I love Newegg by the way. I told the whole story here if you're interested:

I just tried this! And they didn't give me a Just Cause 2 code or anything! Oh well I had zero interest in that game anyway
 
demosthenes said:
How would one go about putting heatsinks on a Palit card? I blind bought it too...the over clocked one actually b/c I'm silly. Should I be worried at all or am I probably fine if I don't intend to over clock it anymore and the most I'll do is FFXIV and TF2.

Also, I see everyone w/ the hyper 212 cooler. Anyone use the i5 750 stock cooler?

You literally just stick them on, couldn't be simpler.
 
Amneisac said:
Also, I am mildly disappointed with my new computer's performance. I basically spent $870 to go from here:

to:
The bottom picture was running the 1GB Palit at stock clock speeds (not the factory OC one). The top picture is my old MacPro with my OC'd 512MB HD4850 in it.
That benchmark is crazy. I think I managed a low 3k with an i7, a GTX 470, and 6GB RAM. All I know is it ran silky smooth, and that's all I really care about.
 
RocketDarkness said:
That benchmark is crazy. I think I managed a low 3k with an i7, a GTX 470, and 6GB RAM. All I know is it ran silky smooth, and that's all I really care about.

It must like ATi cards, I got around 4800 on an i7 w/ 5870, but yes, it's an awful benchmark.

Try one of the benches from RE5, DMC4, SFIV, DoW2, or any other game, even STALKER CoP or DiRT 2 should suffice.

Edit: I just noticed the "way it's meant to be played logo," maybe it doesn't like ATi cards, and it's just awful. :lol
 
Hazaro said:
http://i28.tinypic.com/2nu6pgn.jpg

Swap in a 212+ from Amazon.com ($30)
Toss in a GTX 460 1GB ($230). And you are set.
Pre-Total: $730

Alright I need some things cleared up, sorry guys.
1.Okay what is a 212+?
2.what website is the rig from so I can get the same parts?
3.Will this be easily upgradeable?
4.Will it run most current and future games with high settings?

Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to make sure I know what I'm doing before commiting to it.
 
Anyone know the terminology for those heatsink screws? I'm talking the plastic pins with a spring around them.

Last fall L4D2 was the only game crashing on me. Thought it was the game. Later discovered one of the pins on my Northbridge heatsink had popped and was causing memory crashes for that game (and only that game). Made me not look in that direction for a while. Popped it back on and problem solved.

Fast forward to now. I open my case to see if I have 2 6-pin PCI power plugs. While I was in there I touched the heatsink and the pin popped again. Trying to get it back was a total bitch. I'd pop one pin in and when I tried the other, the 1st pin would pop out. It was like a seesaw of popping pins. And they'd pop a couple feet into the air. I almost put on some safety glasses it was getting so ridiculous. Anyway, I finally got both seated again, but I'm sure they won't last long. It's a Gigabyte motherboard if it makes any difference. Would prefer to just buy better screws and not waste money on a whole new heatsink.
 
Everything has come in except the Hyper 212 fan (I was dumb and ordered it a day later).

How much of a noob am I? It took me an hour to put the DVD drive in the case! :lol:

I'm going to wait til tomorrow night to put everything together so I don't have to worry about work the next day.

Oh, btw, my Palit 460 does NOT have the vrm heatsink. I'm going to be using it anyway. I don't really care about noise.
 
Amneisac said:
The bottom picture was running the 1GB Palit at stock clock speeds (not the factory OC one). The top picture is my old MacPro with my OC'd 512MB HD4850 in it.

Whats your current PC specs? I just got

2mynbia.png
 
Minsc said:
It must like ATi cards, I got around 4800 on an i7 w/ 5870, but yes, it's an awful benchmark.

Try one of the benches from RE5, DMC4, SFIV, DoW2, or any other game, even STALKER CoP or DiRT 2 should suffice.

Edit: I just noticed the "way it's meant to be played logo," maybe it doesn't like ATi cards, and it's just awful. :lol

Your i7 is probably overclocked. I believe this benchmark likes CPU power.
 
kagete said:
One works, the other doesn't :P Might be the heat sink no longer being attached? So it overheats? Dunno, try the RMA if you still can.

Its really wierd, both have the same temps, and every game works perfectly on each card except for Crysis. Makes no sense :/
 
Amneisac said:
Thanks, guys. I'll check those apps out when I get my Gigabyte 1GB GTX 460 in. I decided to return the Palit. I love Newegg by the way. I told the whole story here if you're interested:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=22405137&postcount=587


Also, I am mildly disappointed with my new computer's performance. I basically spent $870 to go from here:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm240/amneisac/Untitled.jpg[IMG]
to:
[IMG]http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm240/amneisac/stock460.png/IMG]

The bottom picture was running the 1GB Palit at stock clock speeds (not the factory OC one). The top picture is my old MacPro with my OC'd 512MB HD4850 in it.[/QUOTE]

You on hi res or low res?

We have VERY similar set ups but I have the OC'ed version. I'm waiting on answers about the hyper 212 before I get going though. The most I might push my 750 is to 3 ghz. Wondering if I really should go get the hyper 212.
 
Terproerg said:
god i want to buy a 460. so much better then my 5770...which i have to rma!

Will you get a restocking fee if you don't get a replacement?

Be sure to call up newegg and talk to them (I had to call them for free shipping when I RMAed a 5770); they're great when you call them. You could maybe return it scott free and get a 460 instead.
 
Boonoo said:
Will you get a restocking fee if you don't get a replacement?

Be sure to call up newegg and talk to them (I had to call them for free shipping when I RMAed a 5770); they're great when you call them. You could maybe return it scott free and get a 460 instead.

i got it from NCIX not newegg :\. i should look it up now that you mention it.
 
i have to mail my video card to cali. powercolor has no warehouses or anything in canada. sucks that im not going to have a good vid card for SC2 launch.
 
TheExodu5 said:
Your i7 is probably overclocked. I believe this benchmark likes CPU power.

I think I was around 4500 unoverclocked, I posted it in that FF thread. I took a screencap of the OC, it was actually 4756.

I don't know how the hell you're supposed to get in the 8000s, I guess you need SLI or XFire for that, and maybe that 7Ghz i7 980X. :lol
 
evil solrac v3.0 said:
is there really that much difference in performance between the 768 and 1024 MB version of the 460? how much of a drop-off is there?

What size of monitor are you using and what resolutions do you plan to game at?
 
Im looking up good ways to partition drives since Ill be be reformatting and starting from scratch tomorrow but I cant find anything stating the best way to do this with 2 separate drives. Is this even necessary?

For reference, Ill be using a 64GB SSD for OS, apps, and FFXIV and a 640GB WD Caviar Black for everything else.
 
Minsc said:
I think I was around 4500 unoverclocked, I posted it in that FF thread. I took a screencap of the OC, it was actually 4756.

I don't know how the hell you're supposed to get in the 8000s, I guess you need SLI or XFire for that, and maybe that 7Ghz i7 980X. :lol

Also, whether you're running Vista/7 or not makes a difference, as the desktop windows manager will make you lose quite a bit of performance. I get 2700 normally, and over 3100 when I turn off the desktop windows manager.

bench.png


Amneisac said:
stock460.png


The bottom picture was running the 1GB Palit at stock clock speeds (not the factory OC one). The top picture is my old MacPro with my OC'd 512MB HD4850 in it.

Actually, I just noticed your CPU is at 3.5GHz. Those bench numbers seem way lower than they should be...could be a driver issue. NVidia is bound to make some big driver improvements for the GTX 400 series.
 
TheExodu5 said:
Also, whether you're running Vista/7 or not makes a difference, as the desktop windows manager will make you lose quite a bit of performance. I get 2700 normally, and over 3100 when I turn off the desktop windows manager.

I have "disable desktop composition" checked for the beta so it shuts off the cool graphical effects and I saw no improvements. Is desktop windows manager not affected by that setting?
 
filipe said:
o9eVU.png


Everything look fine?


Run Prime 95 and then while its running take a look at CPU-Z, specifically your core speed.

You will notice that right now it is reporting that your computer is running at 1.1Ghz, your computer isn't under any load atm so, in an effort to save power (I presume) it has stepped down the core voltage of your CPU, thus reducing the speed at which it's running.

No problems for you, it's just to get an accurate representation of what the Core Speed is under load, you need to run something in the background, Prime-95 or the Intel Burn Test works well for that stuff.

Hope that helps.
 
Salaadin said:
I have "disable desktop composition" checked for the beta so it shuts off the cool graphical effects and I saw no improvements. Is desktop windows manager not affected by that setting?

I'm not sure yet, I haven't run a second test. I disabled desktop composition, and I also ran a cmd script that turns off explorer.exe.

It's not really an issue though, keep in mind performance will be fine when running the game in full screen. Windows 7 only kills performance in windowed mode.
 
Gritesh said:
Run Prime 95 and then while its running take a look at CPU-Z, specifically your core speed.

You will notice that right now it is reporting that your computer is running at 1.1Ghz, your computer isn't under any load atm so, in an effort to save power (I presume) it has stepped down the core voltage of your CPU, thus reducing the speed at which it's running.

No problems for you, it's just to get an accurate representation of what the Core Speed is under load, you need to run something in the background, Prime-95 or the Intel Burn Test works well for that stuff.

Hope that helps.

I was actually a little worried about the multiplier... then I realized... IDLE! Hahaha. I stressed it with the FF Benchmark (Got in the 4000's, thinking that's good?)

There it is under stress.

27xsy.png


I'm thinking I might OC it eventually. I did buy the 212 for such occasion.
 
Amneisac said:
So has anyone overclocked a 460 yet? I have mine installed and fired up Rivatuner, but it's saying it doesn't support these drivers and isn't giving me the overclock option.
Use MSI Afterburner / eVGA Precision / RivaTuner (When it gets updated, check Guru3D)
Amneisac said:
Thanks, guys. I'll check those apps out when I get my Gigabyte 1GB GTX 460 in. I decided to return the Palit. I love Newegg by the way. I told the whole story here if you're interested:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=22405137&postcount=587

Also, I am mildly disappointed with my new computer's performance. I basically spent $870 to go from here:
FFXIV runs TERRIBLE. It is so infuriating it boggles my mind.
Anyways you went from 20fps to the cap of 30fps so that's a good upgrade :lol
grkazan12 said:
Alright I need some things cleared up, sorry guys.
1.Okay what is a 212+?
2.what website is the rig from so I can get the same parts?
3.Will this be easily upgradeable?
4.Will it run most current and future games with high settings?

Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to make sure I know what I'm doing before commiting to it.
1) CPU Cooler
2) Newegg
3) Yes, should support the AMD BullDozers next year
4) Yes, although if you were looking at the $1,500 rig adding in a 955 BE ($140) or 1055T ($199) would be beneficial. (If you want to go for the 1055T wait for the 95w version that should hit soon).
grkazan12 said:
Oh yeah one more question, can I get an expert opinion on the rig that tested.com built and if there would be a cheaper alternative to some parts???

How To Build the Best $1500 Gaming PC, Step-by-Step
Good parts, but anything above $800 or so nets you diminishing returns on what today needs. The GTX460 is an amazing value card and the 6 core 1055T is a solid CPU as well, but a tad slower in games/CS/emulation. However since they are the same price and AM3 mobos are cheaper + Bulldozer coming next year that swings it in AMD's favor for most.

The rig that I linked that is 50% the price of Tested rig will keep up 70-80% in performance.
1-D_FTW said:
Anyone know the terminology for those heatsink screws? I'm talking the plastic pins with a spring around them.
Oh man those can be a pain. What you want to do is spread the plastic bits with a screwdriver then JAM them in (Most of the time will will not completely catch). You need to put pressure on both ends to make sure they stay in.
If the holes are threaded you can just see what they use. If not, then you can put in a screw with no head? And use washers to secure it on both sides. http://i47.tinypic.com/k2im2w.jpg
Alternatively you can just buy a new NB heatsink.
 
Colkate said:
Yeah it really is, I think pretty much the only program that I regularly use that isn't included there is Ventrilo.
Does it automatically opt out of the shit included with most of that stuff? The toolbars/trials?
 
So I'm having a small resolution problem when using my PC with my Samsung LED TV.

When using Nvidia cards (tried both GTX260 and GTX470) the native resolution (1080P 1920X1080) extends past the screen. I can re size to fit the screen but then end up with a weird resolution (1080P 1838X1034).

When using a ATI card (5850) The native resolution does the exact opposite of the Nvidia and wont take up the full screen. I'm left with like a 1 inch black border around my screen.

Any way to fix this? Or is it just my set? I really only care about the Nvidia 470 as it's the card I use for that set.

Edit: I should also mention that this only happens with HDMI. When I use Divx to VGA I can display 1920X1080 no problems.
 
chixdiggit said:
So I'm having a small resolution problem when using my PC with my Samsung LED TV.

When using Nvidia cards (tried both GTX260 and GTX470) the native resolution (1080P 1920X1080) extends past the screen. I can re size to fit the screen but then end up with a weird resolution (1080P 1838X1034).

When using a ATI card (5850) The native resolution does the exact opposite of the Nvidia and wont take up the full screen. I'm left with like a 1 inch black border around my screen.

Any way to fix this? Or is it just my set? I really only care about the Nvidia 470 as it's the card I use for that set.
Go to control panel and select Resize HDTV desktop.
Or try: "Change flat panel scaling" and hit buttons.
Also make sure your resolution is set at 1080
If that doesn't work do:

- Chose 'Manage Custom Timings' from the panel at the right
- Starting with a blank list, clicked 'Create'
- Clicked 'Advanced'
- Under 'Scaling Type' (at the bottom), chose 'Fixed Aspect'
- Entered (HDTV res here) for 'Active horizontal pixels' and 'Active vertical lines' respectively
- Clicked on 'Test'

It's odd because on a 1080 you should be fine.
Felix Lighter said:
Now I'm curious about the FFXIV benchmark. The results are all over the place.
It runs horrible, gets confused about threads, gets confused by ATi cards, decides to use more cores than clock speed, it's all over the place.
What's worse is the game runs WORSE than the benchmark does. (To some people's experiences)
 
chixdiggit said:
So I'm having a small resolution problem when using my PC with my Samsung LED TV.

When using Nvidia cards (tried both GTX260 and GTX470) the native resolution (1080P 1920X1080) extends past the screen. I can re size to fit the screen but then end up with a weird resolution (1080P 1838X1034).

When using a ATI card (5850) The native resolution does the exact opposite of the Nvidia and wont take up the full screen. I'm left with like a 1 inch black border around my screen.

Any way to fix this? Or is it just my set? I really only care about the Nvidia 470 as it's the card I use for that set.
I had the same problem with my ATI card, where it wouldn't stretch across the whole screen, leaving black borders. Try setting your TV size settings to just scan, that made it fit on the whole screen.
 
I discovered that the mobo I'm buying doesn't support IDE, so my old drive has got to go. I also added another stick of memory. Photoshop was beginning to chug on large canvases anyway. I surpassed my original budget, but there's normal for me.

4vi83d.png
 
Hazaro said:
It runs horrible, gets confused about threads, gets confused by ATi cards, decides to use more cores than clock speed, it's all over the place.
What's worse is the game runs WORSE than the benchmark does. (To some people's experiences)


I got 3327 but it didn't seem to recognize my CPU was overclocked. I don't know what's considered good. I could disable the desktop windows manager and see if that makes a difference.

Edit: No difference (3344) and it's still reading my CPU at stock speeds. If it's uses more cores instead of clock speed, I wonder if the HT messes with it as well.
 
Can someone confirm if this is the setting I need to change in BIOS when I install the SSD tomorrow to get it in AHCI mode? I scoured the BIOS and thats all I could find.

http://i30.tinypic.com/2n1hks9.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/j81vg9.jpg

EDIT: Looks like another option not present in the above photo thats called "SATA RAID/ACHI Mode" That also has the option for Disable, RAID, and ACHI

EDIT2: And whats this in my mobo manual about making a SATA/RAID Driver Diskette? I dont have a floppy drive.... Is that required? Can I do this with an external drive instead of floppy? It looks like it needs to be done before OS is installed
 
demosthenes said:
You on hi res or low res?

We have VERY similar set ups but I have the OC'ed version. I'm waiting on answers about the hyper 212 before I get going though. The most I might push my 750 is to 3 ghz. Wondering if I really should go get the hyper 212.

I was running it on high res. I don't know why the score was so low though, I'm kind of bummed. We'll see what happens after I get the gigabyte card and overclock it.

Seriously, I am not an overclocker and with the hyper 212 plus on air I'm running load temps under 65c at 3.6ghz. I don't think I'm going to go much higher because I just don't know if the gains will be worth it, but you easily be able to go to 3.2 or a little higher with no threat.
 
Hazaro said:
Go to control panel and select Resize HDTV desktop.
Or try: "Change flat panel scaling" and hit buttons.
Also make sure your resolution is set at 1080
If that doesn't work do:

- Chose 'Manage Custom Timings' from the panel at the right
- Starting with a blank list, clicked 'Create'
- Clicked 'Advanced'
- Under 'Scaling Type' (at the bottom), chose 'Fixed Aspect'
- Entered (HDTV res here) for 'Active horizontal pixels' and 'Active vertical lines' respectively
- Clicked on 'Test'

It's odd because on a 1080 you should be fine.

Are we talking the Nvidia control panel or the Windows control panel? Either way I cant seem to find any of the things you are talking about. Windows 7....
 
Oops... I forgot to turn off D3DOverrider.
2evgu2c.jpg

I think Minsc has a similiar system with a better graphics card so it didn't seem right to be so far off. 4735 sounds closer to what he was getting overclocked.

I never heard my fans run so loud, though, playing a game.
 
chixdiggit said:
Are we talking the Nvidia control panel or the Windows control panel? Either way I cant seem to find any of the things you are talking about. Windows 7....
http://i31.tinypic.com/1f7l0p.jpg

Do you have advanced options selected?
OatmealMu said:
I discovered that the mobo I'm buying doesn't support IDE, so my old drive has got to go. I also added another stick of memory. Photoshop was beginning to chug on large canvases anyway. I surpassed my original budget, but there's normal for me.

http://i29.tinypic.com/4vi83d.png
Get the 212+ from Amazon for $20 less.
You should also be able to get 1600 G.Skill sticks for $96
 
Here's the build I'm currently set on:

Intel i7-930
GTX 460
Gigabyte X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 X58 ATX Motherboard
Corsair TX 650 Watt ATX Power Supply
Cooler Master RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Cooler Master Hyper 212+
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit
Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Samsung 22x DVD±RW Burner

Is the 650w PSU enough if I want to add another HDD in the future? I don't intend on using multiple graphics cards.
 
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