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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition
- Thread starter Spy
- Start date
Just need a quick review of my last few components:
Have:
Sonata III Case
EVGA FTW MB
Coolermaster 212+
2x Nexus D12SL 120mm fans
Lite On Sata Burner
Windows 7 64bit Home Premium for builders
Need:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB - OS drive $55
A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $55
GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N460SO-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB $200 AR
i5 760 - $170 local Microcenter
Finally either an F3 1TB or an F4 2TB for data/storage and maybe a memory card reader. Also gonna replace the Hyper 212+ fan with a Scythe PWM fan.
Anything I'm missing or should change that I haven't bought yet? I believe the MB has all the SATA cables I need but will double check that. The Earth Watts 500 power supply that came with the Sonata should be fine but will need to be upgraded if I end up OCing both the 460 and 760. I'm sold on that video card due to the stock cooling - incredibly quiet and cool from the two reviews I found even when further OCed.
Have:
Sonata III Case
EVGA FTW MB
Coolermaster 212+
2x Nexus D12SL 120mm fans
Lite On Sata Burner
Windows 7 64bit Home Premium for builders
Need:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB - OS drive $55
A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $55
GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N460SO-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB $200 AR
i5 760 - $170 local Microcenter
Finally either an F3 1TB or an F4 2TB for data/storage and maybe a memory card reader. Also gonna replace the Hyper 212+ fan with a Scythe PWM fan.
Anything I'm missing or should change that I haven't bought yet? I believe the MB has all the SATA cables I need but will double check that. The Earth Watts 500 power supply that came with the Sonata should be fine but will need to be upgraded if I end up OCing both the 460 and 760. I'm sold on that video card due to the stock cooling - incredibly quiet and cool from the two reviews I found even when further OCed.
Jin34 said:For one of you guys that have cash to burn: Sandy Bridge Core i7 2600K on ebay
You can also find some Sandy Bridge mobos supposedly on sale if you do some Google-fu, from those sites most of us have never heard off. So someone take one for the team and run some Dolphin games to see the improvement
Sandy Mobos are available here in Germany already, lots of stores have it in store and I read on forums that quite some peoples orders have been send out already.
Also a few weeks ago there was a i7 2400+Mobo on ebay here. Sold for 2xx.
opticalmace
Member
To me that video card upgrade is not worth it. I think it's a 15-25% increase? But you'd have to check the benchmarks for the games/resolution you play.Sebulon3k said:
From a qualitative stance, Tom's recommends an upgrade only if the new card is 3 tiers above or greater. In this circumstance, the 6870 is two tiers above the 4890.
Tom's heirarchy chart
PumpkinPie
Banned
GAF, can I crossfire two graphic cards of different brands? I have a 5970 OC which isn't manufactured any more, could I pair it up with a standard 5970?
Shadowhaxor
Member
PumpkinPie said:
Sure, you can Crossfire the cards as long as they are in the same family, doesn't matter on brand or onboard memory.
PumpkinPie
Banned
Shadowhaxor said:
Okay, thanks. I'm not gonna do it I was just curious as to whether it would work.
I just finished building my new PC (i7 870@2,93GHz stock, 2x4GB A-Data Ram, MSI GTX 580)
The last PC i build was an Athlon64 3200+ about 5-6 years ago, and i only used the stock heatsink back then.
And TheExodu5, thanks for recommending the HAF 922, it was really easy to hide most cables. It took me about 5min to tuck everything away [pic]. I could've done a better job but i was really impatient and wanted to see it in action as soon as possible
I'm trying to figure out if the temps are okay and Core Temp shows me this in idle:
but every few seconds it shows higher temps for just a moment:
Is that normal?
Thanks for the tip, i still had a pretty hard time though :lolcaliblue15 said:
The last PC i build was an Athlon64 3200+ about 5-6 years ago, and i only used the stock heatsink back then.
And TheExodu5, thanks for recommending the HAF 922, it was really easy to hide most cables. It took me about 5min to tuck everything away [pic]. I could've done a better job but i was really impatient and wanted to see it in action as soon as possible
I'm trying to figure out if the temps are okay and Core Temp shows me this in idle:
but every few seconds it shows higher temps for just a moment:
Is that normal?
So I found an overclock that's stable through 20 linx runs.
CPU voltage 1.30625
BCLK - 177
CPU PLL - 1.8
QP/DRAM voltage - 1.35
Everything stock/auto. With all the extra stuff disable except hyperthreading.
Result in a 4.07 GHz from 3.2Ghz.
From what I've seen before 1.329 at BCLK of 177 and a multiplier of 25 was needed, so I'm hoping my OC is truly stable as I would have used alot less voltage. And i'm only at a multiplier of 23...
runs at a constant 68-70C, now I'm going to slowly increase BCLK and see how far I can go on a low voltage...
CPU voltage 1.30625
BCLK - 177
CPU PLL - 1.8
QP/DRAM voltage - 1.35
Everything stock/auto. With all the extra stuff disable except hyperthreading.
Result in a 4.07 GHz from 3.2Ghz.
From what I've seen before 1.329 at BCLK of 177 and a multiplier of 25 was needed, so I'm hoping my OC is truly stable as I would have used alot less voltage. And i'm only at a multiplier of 23...
runs at a constant 68-70C, now I'm going to slowly increase BCLK and see how far I can go on a low voltage...
Felix Lighter
Member
caliblue15 said:
A 6 core i7 at 4 GHz sounds pretty damn good.
opticalmace
Member
Those temperatures are very good. I know the thermocouple or whatever cannot read to very low temperatures, so it's possible you're right on the edge of its measuring range. I wouldn't worry about it at all..nimrod said:I just finished building my new PC (i7 870@2,93GHz stock, 2x4GB A-Data Ram, MSI GTX 580)
Thanks for the tip, i still had a pretty hard time though :lol
The last PC i build was an Athlon64 3200+ about 5-6 years ago, and i only used the stock heatsink back then.
And TheExodu5, thanks for recommending the HAF 922, it was really easy to hide most cables. It took me about 5min to tuck everything away [pic]. I could've done a better job but i was really impatient and wanted to see it in action as soon as possible
I'm trying to figure out if the temps are okay and Core Temp shows me this in idle:
[MG]http://imgur.com/OC7jf.jpg[/IMG]
but every few seconds it shows higher temps for just a moment:
[IG]http://imgur.com/J92w4.jpg[/IMG]
Is that normal?
If you want, check the temperatures with another program too. Chances are they'll be right in line.
Yeah, that makes sense.opticalmace said:
I just did a quick 10-minute prime95 run:
Does that look alright?
I'm probably just paranoid, since installing the Mugen 2 without experience and with only 2 hands was rather tricky :lol And i'm afraid of dust particles or air bubbles in the thermal compound.
opticalmace
Member
Yup that is totally fine!.nimrod said:
PumpkinPie
Banned
My CPU (i7 920) is reading 54C idle temp @ stock speed on fucking watercooling, it came like this from the factory and I'm wondering if it needs moar / renewed thermal paste because that is awfully high considering it's snowing outside and I'm freezing in here. Would you agree?
Metalic Sand
who is Emo-Beas?
PumpkinPie said:
That does seem pretty high. I would think anything above 50c idle is not normal for stock.
PumpkinPie
Banned
Metalic Sand said:
The water cooling system only uses a 120mm radiator so I think I may be better off buying a really decent air cooler, do you think that's a good idea? Such a small rad on a water cooling system seems totally pointless to me considering the power it'll be using compared to a fan.
Metalic Sand
who is Emo-Beas?
PumpkinPie said:
I wouldnt be the person to ask since i dont even have a intel proc atm. :lol
Are the H50's 120MM? those seem to be pretty good. It could just be your case has bad airflow.
PumpkinPie
Banned
Metalic Sand said:
No idea, I know nothing either :lol I think I've heard people talk about Zalman as being a great air cooler. The case has pretty good airflow, no wires/ cables in the way at all and a straight path from the front of the case to the back for the airflow, I'm getting lower idle temps on my HD5970 than on the CPU.
The cooler is an ASETEK LCLC, just looked up some reviews and it appears to be crappy.
Felix Lighter
Member
PumpkinPie said:
Even on air with the stock cooler, 50C+ idle is pretty high. How are your load temperatures? Is your house particularly warm?
PumpkinPie
Banned
Felix Lighter said:
Load temps are 68-73 I think, my house isn't warm at all. I've never tried it on air, the liquid cooling setup is the stock cooler...I think this is just a case of plain old shitty liquid cooling system, I found this quote:
Yup, just know it will run at the slower speed of the 2 cards. You can copy the OC version BIOS onto the other card if you like. Or just overclock them in windows :lolPumpkinPie said:
Only reason to GPU upgrade is if you are not happy with what you have.Sebulon3k said:
Check the games you have, at the res you play, and see if that boost from 34 to 45 (just making these up) is worth it.
Exactly. Intel's temp sensors are just for general estimating so they don't kill themselves at 90C. In fact on the 32nm chips (so far) they are just about worthless for measuring temp :[opticalmace said:
Well the Corsair H50 and H70 do fine. Maybe a better fan would help?PumpkinPie said:
A good air cooler is the way to go imo though.
PumpkinPie
Banned
Hazaro said:
I found this Prolima Megahalems cooler, looks like a beast and allegedly gives almost as good a performance as the H70.
:lol
I suggest the Hyper 212 +PumpkinPie said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
Very good value.
I'd only get a Hyper 212+ if you have a way of controlling the fan on it. Otherwise I'd go with those other more silent solutions. I could hear the fan on my Hyper 212+ revving up and down with normal desktop usage like web browsing. Speedfan didn't work and I can't connect it to my fan controller since the fan on the 212+ is 4-pin.
I disconnected the fan to see how the heatsink would perform by itself. So far with gaming it has performed well with a maximum of 54c. I'm still going to give it a few more days of normal usage before I decide wether I want to leave it like this.
I disconnected the fan to see how the heatsink would perform by itself. So far with gaming it has performed well with a maximum of 54c. I'm still going to give it a few more days of normal usage before I decide wether I want to leave it like this.
I'm looking to get a new case. Right now I have an Antec 900 and it's feeling a little cramped imo. I'd also like something without lights so if I want to leave it on during the night I can without having a blue glow light up the entire room. Any suggestions?
Also, if there's anything in there to help with dust (filters I guess?) that might be a plus.
Also, if there's anything in there to help with dust (filters I guess?) that might be a plus.
I would not go passive on any rifle type cooler. Run OCCT/Prime95 for an hour and the temps should gradually climb up.vazel said:I'd only get a Hyper 212+ if you have a way of controlling the fan on it. Otherwise I'd go with those other more silent solutions. I could hear the fan on my Hyper 212+ revving up and down with normal desktop usage like web browsing. Speedfan didn't work and I can't connect it to my fan controller since the fan on the 212+ is 4-pin.
I disconnected the fan to see how the heatsink would perform by itself. So far with gaming it has performed well. I'm still going to give it a few more days of normal usage before I decide wether I want to leave it like this.
While some may find the fan on the 212 a bit loud, it is a very good fan.
If you cannot control the fan via software you can buy a 3 or 4 pin fan controller and run it at 9V.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118217
(Or just buy a new fan)
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1046-page9.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1046-page10.html
PumpkinPie
Banned
Alucrid said:
The Coolermaster HAF X is quite...fashionable. I hope to get one soon.
PumpkinPie said:
Oooh. Red LED with on/off switch. Cable management? Yep. Big? Yep. Pretty nice looking. Thanks, that's a definite contender. Sadly my computer doesn't get much view time to look fashionable, it's between my desk and bed.
There's about a two feet of space there so it's not suffocating.:lol
Mr Sandman
Banned
A tad off topic but if anyone is looking for an inexpensive USB headset I recommend the Wii Headbanger headset. Yes, I said that right. The Wii headset. :lol
My Walmart has shit for headsets. $50 big, bulky logitechs and HPs are not my style. So I checked online to see if the headbanger worked on the PC and I found out it does. Long 10' cord (with a velcro tie to shorten it if needed), a red led comes on the mic receiver if it's muted, one ear style, good quality, etc. The stock settings in windows make it a little quiet so I had to crank it up, but it has good voice/receiver quality (my friend said I finally sound human; been using the 360 headset through a wired controller).
$25 bucks and has a Black Ops logo on it, so it's quite fitting when I play BO on the PC. I'll probably never use it on the Wii, but it makes an awesome PC mic (it's USB too so the voice comes out the speaker whilst my audio comes out my 5.1 shit). Long post, but I'm happy this gamble paid off!!
My Walmart has shit for headsets. $50 big, bulky logitechs and HPs are not my style. So I checked online to see if the headbanger worked on the PC and I found out it does. Long 10' cord (with a velcro tie to shorten it if needed), a red led comes on the mic receiver if it's muted, one ear style, good quality, etc. The stock settings in windows make it a little quiet so I had to crank it up, but it has good voice/receiver quality (my friend said I finally sound human; been using the 360 headset through a wired controller).
$25 bucks and has a Black Ops logo on it, so it's quite fitting when I play BO on the PC. I'll probably never use it on the Wii, but it makes an awesome PC mic (it's USB too so the voice comes out the speaker whilst my audio comes out my 5.1 shit
). Long post, but I'm happy this gamble paid off!!I just meant to use that instead of running games/encoding since there is more load that way.vazel said:
If you have really good airflow you could do it, but a 5/7V fan is silent anyway and would help a lot.
Mr Sandman said:
Logitech USB Mic / AK5370
You could probably get an ok headset for $30/$40. The Wii one seems like an odd choice to me.
Prime95 stresses the CPU more than any normal thing people do with their PCs. If I run Prime95 I'll obviously see the temp continuously rise without a fan as my CPU is getting stressed far more than anything I'd normally do. I'll rather see real world performance of the heatsink.Hazaro said:
McHuj
Member
Looking for a recommendation.
I'm probably going to upgrade my current XFX 4770 to a 6850. (My monitor is 1680x1050 so it should be enough). I need to stay under $200 so a 6870 is probably out of the question.
Any brand recommendations? I'm thinking of XFX again, but since I have a Gigabyte MB, I wondering if Gigabyte that would make my system more stable (probably doesn't matter).
No, I don't plan on overclocking.
I'm probably going to upgrade my current XFX 4770 to a 6850. (My monitor is 1680x1050 so it should be enough). I need to stay under $200 so a 6870 is probably out of the question.
Any brand recommendations? I'm thinking of XFX again, but since I have a Gigabyte MB, I wondering if Gigabyte that would make my system more stable (probably doesn't matter).
No, I don't plan on overclocking.
Depending on the price, I'd go with the XFX 6850. It has a vapor chamber for cooling (Make sure its the right one) and that great double lifetime warranty.McHuj said:
Brand won't matter for stability. You can even flash the XFX card with a Gigabyte BIOS if you wanted to.
Mr Sandman
Banned
Are you confused with the Wii Speak thing?Hazaro said:
Logitech USB Mic / AK5370
You could probably get an ok headset for $30/$40. The Wii one seems like an odd choice to me.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pdp_candace/5076156646/
I'm a headset kinda guy though, that's my issue. When doing serious chatting with friends I've got to have the voice come through the headset while the game comes from my speakers (thank you USB). I like my conversations private, and not really "jumbled" with explosions and gun fire from the game and shit. So that cuts a huge amount of the standard non-USB mics out (unless I get a sound card, but meh).