• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

"I need a New PC!" 2011 Edition of SSD's for everyone! |OT|

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Cyrus365

Neo Member
Shadowhaxor said:
If you are wanting to do Crossfire or SLI, keep in mind that even though you are getting two cards with 1GB of Vram, it doesn't add up to 2GB. That said, you can't go wrong with either of those cards, though you can get the 6950 and mod it to a 6970, so if you did it with a 6950 with 2GB of Vram, you'll be set for higher resolution gaming / work.

Totally up to you, but all of those cards are good.

Forgot to add... If you get the XFX 6950 2GB card, make sure you either already have two 6 pin power adaptors or your power supply has them, they don't include any in the box. I'm rather disappoisnted with XFX on that. Every card I've purchased up to my 5850 included them.
Click to expand...

Thanks, decided to spend a lil more and get a 6950 2 Gig version:

Just deciding on whether it should be:

XFX Radeon HD 6950 800MHZ 2GB 5.0GHZ DDR5 2XDVI HDMI 2x Mini DisplayPort PCI-E Video Card for $274.99 and 30 MIR bringing the price to $245.99

or

Gigabyte Radeon HD 6950 800MHZ 2GB 5GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI HDMI Display Port PCI-E DIRECTX11 Video Card for 279.99 with 30 MIR which brings the price to 249.99

PRetty much which is the better brand, as it appears they are the same exact card?

As for my power suppply was going to get this:

Corsair TX750W 750W ATX 12V 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 140MM Fan $89.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=26415&vpn=CMPSU-750TX&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1302

or

Coolermaster GX 750W 80+ Power Supply SLI ATX12V V2.31 24PIN Active PFC PCI-E 120MM Fan $94.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index....ACAA-E3&manufacture=COOLERMASTER&promoid=1302


or

OCZ FATAL1TY Series 750W ATX 24PIN SLI Ready Modular Cables 135mm Red Fan 80+ Bronze Power Supply $89.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index....50FTY&manufacture=OCZ Technology&promoid=1302

Not sure which is better? Both 750W rated.
 
M

MisterAnderson

Member
Would a 750w power supply be enough for SLI 580's? Also running an i7 920, 12GB RAM, 1 harddrive, 1 optical drive, sound card using floppy connector (Xonar DX), and aftermarket CPU cooler (Coolermaster V6 GT).
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Omiee said:
i looked in the CCC and i couldent find it anywhere. google'd it but nothing conclusive.
anyone else who is running crossfire recently
Click to expand...
There should be a helpfile. Check in there, or look more thoroughly.

dangeROSS said:
Hey guys. I am a relative PC noob and was wondering if I could ask for your collective advice.

I recently purchased a computer that I planned on using mainly for photoshop and art programs. I didn't get the most high end graphics card, but I did get one which I thought would be adequate. But I now realize that I would like to have a more capable one for gaming.

I have a:

Dell Vostro 230
2 Quad Q8400 w/VT
3GB DDR3 SDRAM
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 310m

I was thinking of getting a Galaxy GeForce GTX460 1GB. Is that a worthwhile upgrade? Or would the improvement not be worth it?

Follow up question, I paid about $900 for this computer. I sort of feel I paid way too much for what I got. Did I get ripped off? This is the first time I've ever bought a new PC. I usually just inherit hand me downs. And I am questioning if my choice was a smart one.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
The 310m isn't a graphics card, it's an integrated graphics chip. Yes, it will be a huge upgrade. Yes, you did also get ripped off, unless you paid that price like 3 years ago. You might want to check your motherboard to make sure you have a PCI-E slot in which to put the GTX460, as well as the power supply with free plugs to power it.
 
O

Outdoor Miner

Member
MisterAnderson said:
Would a 750w power supply be enough for SLI 580's? Also running an i7 920, 12GB RAM, 1 harddrive, 1 optical drive, sound card using floppy connector (Xonar DX), and aftermarket CPU cooler (Coolermaster V6 GT).
Click to expand...

I'm going to say no. You would probably blow the PSU at some point.

At minimum you would probably need a gold-rated 850W unit. Maybe even a 1000w supply for the peace of mind.
 
O

Omiee

Member
mkenyon said:
There should be a helpfile. Check in there, or look more thoroughly.


The 310m isn't a graphics card, it's an integrated graphics chip. Yes, it will be a huge upgrade. Yes, you did also get ripped off, unless you paid that price like 3 years ago. You might want to check your motherboard to make sure you have a PCI-E slot in which to put the GTX460, as well as the power supply with free plugs to power it.
Click to expand...


either its not there or im realy stupid for not finding it.
i installed the second card now and hooked both cards up to the crossfire thing.
but CPUID only recognizes one card not two. Also on the amd site they only show you the benefits and tell you you need a motherboard that supports it, nothing else.
 
S

Shadowhaxor

Member
Cyrus365 said:
Thanks guys, does the Corsair Power supply ,have the two 6 pin connectors you were talking about Shadowhawk?
Click to expand...

Yes, it does. Review of the PSU;

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/505


MisterAnderson said:
Would a 750w power supply be enough for SLI 580's? Also running an i7 920, 12GB RAM, 1 harddrive, 1 optical drive, sound card using floppy connector (Xonar DX), and aftermarket CPU cooler (Coolermaster V6 GT).
Click to expand...

Nope... not by a long shot. You'd need at least 950 - 1000w for that. Those beasts are power hungry;

http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
MisterAnderson said:
Would a 750w power supply be enough for SLI 580's? Also running an i7 920, 12GB RAM, 1 harddrive, 1 optical drive, sound card using floppy connector (Xonar DX), and aftermarket CPU cooler (Coolermaster V6 GT).
Click to expand...

This page says the total system power consumption on a 580 SLI setup is 670 at load stock, 872 at load overclocked. Assuming you get 20% lower than the advertised wattage at load, you'd want 900w for a non-overclocked 580 SLI setup. Most the folks I know running that kind of system generally go for 1000-1200w.


Omiee said:
either its not there or im realy stupid for not finding it.
i installed the second card now and hooked both cards up to the crossfire thing.
but CPUID only recognizes one card not two. Also on the amd site they only show you the benefits and tell you you need a motherboard that supports it, nothing else.
Click to expand...
Is there no help file in CCC? I'd almost guarantee there is.

*edit with a google search "how to enable crossfire in ccc", I found this.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
A good 850W should be fine, like the Corsair AX850. Alternatively, a decent 1000W would do as well.

The AX850 will actually put out 850W no problem, and your PC will never be stressed to full load outside of stress tests. The AX850 should be able to handle stressing just fine as well.
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Blickow, there's your answer.

I'd go with something higher if you plan to add more HDDs for RAID and such things down the line. If not, follow Exodu5's advice.
 
O

Omiee

Member
Could it be that my power supply is not strong enough or something? i have a seasonic 850W.

The second card is getting power but its not recognized in any program, not in CPUID or anywhere else not even in device manager when i go to computer.
Is it not getting enough power or something?
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Omiee said:
Could it be that my power supply is not strong enough or something? i have a seasonic 850W.

The second card is getting power but its not recognized in any program, not in CPUID or anywhere else.
Is it not getting enough power or something?
Click to expand...
No, you need to enable crossfire in CCC. Welcome to the headaches. :p
 
O

Omiee

Member
mkenyon said:
No, you need to enable crossfire in CCC. Welcome to the headaches. :p
Click to expand...

This is the version i use, and no where in the whole thing is there an option to enable crossfire, not in 3D settings or any other tab.

rbl4rt.png
 
T

The Omega Man

Member
So GAF I am looking to replace my aging Radeon 5770, my budget is 300$ tops (with tax)

The 2 candidates I have are: Nvidia 560Ti and ATI 6950.
Any clear winner between those 2?, also what would be the cheapest place in Canada to get it?
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
mr2xxx said:
Recommendations for a cooler on a GTX 570? Shaman or Accelero Xtreme Plus? I'm not planning on going dual GPU either.
Click to expand...
If your reference cooler is still working, neither. Their reference design is only eclipsed by the ASUS Direct CU design.
 
K

Kyaw

Member
Got this baby:

gtx480xphx.png


Innards with GTX480:

pc7t8q.png


Kinda cramped in there...

Getting about 80fps average on BC2 with everything max and 4xMSAA.
80C@754mhz core. I'm happy. :D
 
Hawk269

Hawk269

Member
Sorry to repeat the same question, but I was planning on ordering the motherboard today and could use some advice/feedback please.

Hey All-

Well I have just found out that my yearly bonus will be in much earlier than normal and that it is much higher than normal as well. So my master plan to upgrade to a second 580 and a new Sandy Bridge and Motherboard looks like it will be a go alot sooner that I had thought.

With that in mind, I need some serious help in putting together the right parts for my upgrade. What I really need the most help with is the Motherboard. GPU, Processor etc. are pretty simple, but I am not a big time PC user and need this help in selecting the proper motherboard.

So what I need is the following:

A motherboard that is Sandy Brigdge compatible, it must also be SLI Compatible. I am looking at dual SLI and a slot for my Physx card as well. My current AMD build uses an ASUS board that I have been happy with, so I would prefer to stick with them, but am open to recommendations. I have a standard ATX case, so teh MB is not for a full size or for a small case.

Lastly, is there special memory that the new MB need to use or can I use what most have been buying whic is the G-Skill Ribjaws?

Thanks in advance to any suggestions, links. Also, I dont want to buy the most advanced/expensive board. I do plan to overclock the CPU a bit, but nothing massive/extreme.

Thanks again guys!
 
S

Shambles

Member
The Omega Man said:
So GAF I am looking to replace my aging Radeon 5770, my budget is 300$ tops (with tax)

The 2 candidates I have are: Nvidia 560Ti and ATI 6950.
Any clear winner between those 2?, also what would be the cheapest place in Canada to get it?
Click to expand...

6950 2GB unlocked to to a 6970. The GTX 560 Ti is also good value. It's a lower performing part but is also at a slightly lower price bracket as well. Between the two there is no clear loser.
 
O

opticalmace

Member
The Omega Man said:
So GAF I am looking to replace my aging Radeon 5770, my budget is 300$ tops (with tax)

The 2 candidates I have are: Nvidia 560Ti and ATI 6950.
Any clear winner between those 2?, also what would be the cheapest place in Canada to get it?
Click to expand...
Either one would be fine. I'd go for the 6950 2GB myself and unlock it to a 6970.

I buy almost all of my parts from NCIX weekly sales (I do local pickup, not sure how much shipping is). Last week they had a 2GB 6950 on for $219 I think.
 
O

Omiee

Member
ok so i know what the problem might be now, since its not recognized in device managar in computer.
somebody on another forum i googled posted something like me, he said it may have been because of the power supply cables and the wattages or what ever..?
how do i fix that?
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Hawk269 said:
Sorry to repeat the same question, but I was planning on ordering the motherboard today and could use some advice/feedback please.
Click to expand...

I responded on the page prior. What do you need SLI 580s for?
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
mkenyon said:
If your reference cooler is still working, neither. Their reference design is only eclipsed by the ASUS Direct CU design.
Click to expand...

The Accelero Xtreme is way, way better than the reference design. In fact, it's probably a little better than the 3 slot Direct CU II. The problem is, it costs around $70 (Accelero Xtreme Plus + RAM/VRM heatsinks).
 
Hawk269

Hawk269

Member
mkenyon said:
I responded on the page prior. What do you need SLI 580s for?
Click to expand...

I appreciate your response mkenyon, but my question is about the motherboard and which motherboard to buy. I put in the fact that I plan to SLI 580's, but the main point of the post was asking for advice on which motherboard to buy that has SLI capability for a 2nd 580 and my Physx card. Not sure if I will buy the 2nd 580 at the same time, but definately want to get the MB and the CPU and that is what I need help with.
 
M

mr2xxx

Banned
At mwave.com the AXP is under 60 with the Gfx card kit. I'm looking for the quieter option, I don't really care about OC potential. Exodus any opinions on the Shaman?
 
D

dangeROSS

Member
mkenyon said:
There should be a helpfile. Check in there, or look more thoroughly.


The 310m isn't a graphics card, it's an integrated graphics chip. Yes, it will be a huge upgrade. Yes, you did also get ripped off, unless you paid that price like 3 years ago. You might want to check your motherboard to make sure you have a PCI-E slot in which to put the GTX460, as well as the power supply with free plugs to power it.
Click to expand...

Ah, Alright thanks. I appreciate it. I don't think I want to mess around with the innards of the PC. Adding Ram I can handle, this sounds a bit more complicated than that.

I just got this Dell computer about 4 months ago. I am tempted to just return the Dell I got and purchase one of those set-ups I saw on on a feature about running Crysis 2 on a $600.00.
 
U

Unknown Soldier

Member
TheExodu5 said:
The Accelero Xtreme is way, way better than the reference design. In fact, it's probably a little better than the 3 slot Direct CU II. The problem is, it costs around $70 (Accelero Xtreme Plus + RAM/VRM heatsinks).
Click to expand...

MSI Twin Frozr is better than the Accelero Xtreme and the Asus DirectCU II. If you're going to buy a new card now, I strongly recommend MSI Twin Frozr, it's only 2 slots and it makes all reference coolers look bad and it outperforms other custom coolers. The only thing I have found which beats MSI Twin Frozr is Thermalright Shaman, and the Shaman requires 3 slots below the card and 1 slot above the card. Yes, the Shaman is a 4-slot cooler and it's also very tall as it extends 2 inches above the top of the card (it's almost as tall as the Noctua NH-D14 installed on the card in the slot), if your case is not wide enough and you don't have PCI-e slots far enough apart if you're going SLI, don't get a Shaman.

You can see what it looks like to have a Shaman in your rig here.
 
Q

Q8D3vil

Member
TheExodu5 said:
You would need to use the top most and bottom most slots there, which means you'd need a bit of clearance space below your motherboard.

Sandy Bridge boards tend to have the PCI-E 3 slots apart rather than 2.
Click to expand...
i just measured it and 2x570 asus directcu can definitely fit in there but the problem is i can't use my soundcard.

i will be looking into other options.
 
M

mojiimbo

Member
My motherboard(Asus P8P67 Pro) manual says something about Intel spec recommending RAM that is less than 1.65V to protect spec but then most of the memory in the QVL is 1.65v. Did the manual mean to recommend 1.65v or lower or does the motherboard run the RAM at a lower voltage. Thanks.

(Complete novice so I apologize if this is an obvious/dumb question.)
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
Unknown Soldier said:
MSI Twin Frozr is better than the Accelero Xtreme and the Asus DirectCU II. If you're going to buy a new card now, I strongly recommend MSI Twin Frozr, it's only 2 slots and it makes all reference coolers look bad and it outperforms other custom coolers. The only thing I have found which beats MSI Twin Frozr is Thermalright Shaman, and the Shaman requires 3 slots below the card and 1 slot above the card. Yes, the Shaman is a 4-slot cooler and it's also very tall as it extends 2 inches above the top of the card (it's almost as tall as the Noctua NH-D14 installed on the card in the slot), if your case is not wide enough and you don't have PCI-e slots far enough apart if you're going SLI, don't get a Shaman.

You can see what it looks like to have a Shaman in your rig here.
Click to expand...

I had a Twin Frozr, and while it's great for a 2 slot cooler, it doesn't even come close to the Accelero Xtreme. It's simple math. A 2 slot cooler with 2x 80mm fans cannot compete with a 3 slot cooler with 3x 90mm fans (or a 3 slot cooler with 2x 100mm fans in the case of the Direct Cu II).
 
B

black_vegeta

Member
Hawk269 said:
I appreciate your response mkenyon, but my question is about the motherboard and which motherboard to buy. I put in the fact that I plan to SLI 580's, but the main point of the post was asking for advice on which motherboard to buy that has SLI capability for a 2nd 580 and my Physx card. Not sure if I will buy the 2nd 580 at the same time, but definately want to get the MB and the CPU and that is what I need help with.
Click to expand...

Buy a ASUS p8p67 1155 mobo. These will suite your needs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...rder=BESTMATCH&Description=asus+p8p67&x=0&y=0
 
U

Unknown Soldier

Member
TheExodu5 said:
I had a Twin Frozr, and while it's great for a 2 slot cooler, it doesn't even come close to the Accelero Xtreme. It's simple math. A 2 slot cooler with 2x 80mm fans cannot compete with a 3 slot cooler with 3x 90mm fans.
Click to expand...

Except the Twin Frozr has more heatpipes and is a better design. The Accelero Xtreme is a bad design and it has less surface area for heat dissipation than Twin Frozr, and while nobody has ever directly compared Twin Frozr and Accelero Xtreme (one's a stock cooler and one's aftermarket), you can easily extrapolate performance by looking at a review of Accelero Xtreme and a review of any MSI Twin Frozr card. Also, the Accelero Xtreme has a very bad reputation for failing to cool the VRMs, it's much worse than even reference coolers. If you're fine with your VRMs hitting 100-110C then get Accelero Xtreme, one day your card will probably blow up so get one with a lifetime warranty if you want that cooler. Both the Shaman and the Twin Frozr, and yes the reference cooler, will properly cool the VRMs.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
Unknown Soldier said:
Except the Twin Frozr has more heatpipes and is a better design. The Accelero Xtreme is a bad design and it has less surface area for heat dissipation than Twin Frozr, and while nobody has ever directly compared Twin Frozr and Accelero Xtreme (one's a stock cooler and one's aftermarket), you can easily extrapolate performance by looking at a review of Accelero Xtreme and a review of any MSI Twin Frozr card. Also, the Accelero Xtreme has a very bad reputation for failing to cool the VRMs, it's much worse than even reference coolers. If you're fine with your VRMs hitting 100-110C then get Accelero Xtreme, one day your card will probably blow up so get one with a lifetime warranty if you want that cooler. Both the Shaman and the Twin Frozr, and yes the reference cooler, will properly cool the VRMs.
Click to expand...

The Twin Frozr, Accelero Xtreme Plus, and Direct Cu II have 5 heatpipes. You can use heatsinks for the VRMs, which are sold by Arctic.

If you can post reviews on which to extrapolate, I'd be grateful.
 
M

mr2xxx

Banned
Thanks for the comments guys. I already have a ref. MSI 570 GTx, so no twin frozr for me. I think the shaman will fit in my Antec 300 case. I have Evga x58 board and I'm sure that wouldn't cause a problem. One more question how quiet is your 470 with the shaman?
 
O

Omiee

Member
Again i would realy apreciate some help with this, apperantly i havent hooked my powersupply cables correctly to my graphics cards.
is there any video walkthroughs or what ever that show you how to do that.
Since my pc is just not recognizing my second card
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Omiee said:
Again i would realy apreciate some help with this, apperantly i havent hooked my powersupply cables correctly to my graphics cards.
is there any video walkthroughs or what ever that show you how to do that.
Since my pc is just not recognizing my second card
Click to expand...
You have to enable crossfire in the catalyst control center. If you can't find it in CCC, or through the help file, you should go to the AMD support forums and look around.

TheExodu5 said:
Should be the same thing as your first card?

Does Crossfire use a bridge? I'm not sure.
Click to expand...
Yes, and yes.
 
O

Omiee

Member
TheExodu5 said:
Should be the same thing as your first card?

Does Crossfire use a bridge? I'm not sure.
Click to expand...

i had a 470 before this never a amd card in crossfire.

mkenyon said:
You have to enable crossfire in the catalyst control center. If you can't find it in CCC, or through the help file, you should go to the AMD support forums and look around.
Click to expand...


Its not in CCC, because i saw a screen of someone who had crossfire running and where i have performance where you can overclock, he also has crossfire and crossfire diagnostics or something like that.
and its not even showing up at device managar so its not hooked up right i guess..?
i did everything i found on amd forums, from removing catalyst 11.2 and installing 11.1 and than removing that and installing 11.4 preview.
nothing works


I changed around the cables used for powering my cards. Removed the 11.2 drivers with driver remover and installed the 11.4 preview and now Catalyst shows a ticked checkbox for enabling crossfire. GPU-Z also shows crossfire enabled (2 GPUs).

Thanks for the suggestions.
Click to expand...

this is what some guy wrote on another forum that came up on google.
i tried switching the cables but it doesnt work, but the fan of the second videocard is spinning though.

http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=262&threadid=147988
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

can anyone help me/give advice for new pc?
0
145
yansolo replied
I asked ChatGPT to build a PC thats equivalent to the PS5 Pro, this was it's response
Analysis 2 3 4
150
14K
Kupfer replied
The official unofficial PC Gamer "I have X performance issue with Y game" F.A.Q.
0
257
Nickolaidas replied
Memoirs of a PC NOOB! My journey into the PC world
2 3 4
151
4K
Radical_3d replied
Older Gamer new to PC building. Help!?
40
1K
winjer replied
Top Bottom