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[Cat in the Hat]

So I have some noob questions here.

1) I only have wireless m/kb do i have to have wired ones for initial setup?

2) I don't any monitors only tvs. Do I need a monitor or will i be fine with a tv on initial setup

3) I plan on having a wireless internet connection, will this thing work? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045

4) With a gtx 570 and sandy bridge 2500k( plan to overclock to 4.2) will I be fine with a corsair 650w or should I get the 750w?

 

[Corky]

I'm about to start doing a computer build, but coming from a laptop the first thing I wanted to pull the trigger on was getting a good gaming monitor.

I've been browsing for a while, but still have no real idea if there's a de facto monitor to pick up for gaming. I just want an average sized monitor 22" to 24" range with a price range of £200-£300, and I don't care about 3D. But if the one everyone recommends is higher priced than that it would still be nice to know about it to compare against.

I always plug my monitor, the dell u2311h. Maybe it's not a "gamingmonitor" per se but it's a damn fine monitor for the 300ish usd it cost me

 

[scogoth]

BTW, are pretty much all PSU power cords equal?

The cord that came with my Corsair 750 PSU was DOA, so I swapped it out for an old Dell power cable and that worked like a charm.

Any chance I can get a replacement power cord from Corsair without sending the entire PSU back?

Yes and probably not.

 

[scogoth]

So I have some noob questions here.

1) I only have wireless m/kb do i have to have wired ones for initial setup?

2) I don't any monitors only tvs. Do I need a monitor or will i be fine with a tv on initial setup

3) I plan on having a wireless internet connection, will this thing work? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045

4) With a gtx 570 and sandy bridge 2500k( plan to overclock to 4.2) will I be fine with a corsair 650w or should I get the 750w?

1) yes, but only keyboard necessary
2) TV fine
3) yes
4) 650 fine

 

[Piggo]

I always plug my monitor, the dell u2311h. Maybe it's not a "gamingmonitor" per se but it's a damn fine monitor for the 300ish usd it cost me

Interesting, this is the one that's sprung to the front of the pack at the moment from my brief research. My only worries are stories of input lag and ghosting, have you run into those problems at all?

 

[Kyaw]

I always plug my monitor, the dell u2311h. Maybe it's not a "gamingmonitor" per se but it's a damn fine monitor for the 300ish usd it cost me

oh shi-
Why didnt i buy this monitor??
It's like £209 atm and my monitor at that time was £199. I mad.

 

[Kalnos]

Interesting, this is the one that's sprung to the front of the pack at the moment from my brief research. My only worries are stories of input lag and ghosting, have you run into those problems at all?

I have a U2711 and I don't even notice input lag or ghosting. The U2311 is the best Dell IPS in regards to those two concerns, I think.

 

[Cat in the Hat]

1) yes, but only keyboard necessary
2) TV fine
3) yes
4) 650 fine

Thanks you sir

My build

Fractal Design Define R3 Silver Arrow ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352003

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

TP-LINK TL-WN722N USB 2.0 High Gain Wireless Adapter
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045

ASUS ENGTX570 DCII/2DIS/1280MD5 GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121432

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131703

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

win7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G2K5 2.5" 80GB SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167031

Total(with tax and shipping included): $1590.99

 

[Ashhong]

Hey guys, my friend was wanting to build a new PC through ibuypower.com but I convinced him to let me build it for him instead. I'm pretty out of the loop, can someone help me out? I think I want to go with Asus mobo/gpu. This is what I'm thinking in my head

i5 2500k
asus GTX 560
some asus motherboard
Corsair 650TX
4gb ram
antec 900 two

How does that sound? A recommendation for a motherboard would be helpful, and I don't know if thats a good choice for a video card or not. I am also open to changing the case if theres a better one for cheaper. Thanks! I probably missed info, so let me know

edit: wow I didnt see that last post before i posted. Seems kind of similar to what I want. How good is the build above?

edit2: okay the GPU is unnecessary for me. What is a good sub-200$ GPU? Also maybe a cheaper motherboard than the one above if possible. I dont know if thats like an upgraded super pro board or not, but its kind of pricey...

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Hey guys, my friend was wanting to build a new PC through ibuypower.com but I convinced him to let me build it for him instead. I'm pretty out of the loop, can someone help me out? I think I want to go with Asus mobo/gpu. This is what I'm thinking in my head

i5 2500k
asus GTX 560
some asus motherboard
Corsair 650TX
4gb ram
antec 900 two

How does that sound? A recommendation for a motherboard would be helpful, and I don't know if thats a good choice for a video card or not. I am also open to changing the case if theres a better one for cheaper. Thanks! I probably missed info, so let me know

edit: wow I didnt see that last post before i posted. Seems kind of similar to what I want. How good is the build above?

The above build is good. I would replace the 650TX with the HX to reduce cable clutter unless cable management isn't a big deal. Also the Asus P8P67 Pro is the motherboard to grab these days. The GTX 560 is the sweet spot for video cards at the moment so no problems there.

 

[scogoth]

Hey guys, my friend was wanting to build a new PC through ibuypower.com but I convinced him to let me build it for him instead. I'm pretty out of the loop, can someone help me out? I think I want to go with Asus mobo/gpu. This is what I'm thinking in my head

i5 2500k
asus GTX 560
some asus motherboard
Corsair 650TX
4gb ram
antec 900 two

How does that sound? A recommendation for a motherboard would be helpful, and I don't know if thats a good choice for a video card or not. I am also open to changing the case if theres a better one for cheaper. Thanks! I probably missed info, so let me know

edit: wow I didnt see that last post before i posted. Seems kind of similar to what I want. How good is the build above?

edit2: okay the GPU is unnecessary for me. What is a good sub-200$ GPU? Also maybe a cheaper motherboard than the one above if possible. I dont know if thats like an upgraded super pro board or not, but its kind of pricey...

I'd get a different case. I have the 900 2 and its very open but loud. GPU get the 460 1GB its about 160-170. Mobo get the regular Asus P8P67, not pro.

EDIT: WOW ibuypowers cheaper machine are terrible gaming comps. And their high end builds are overpriced.

 

[Corky]

Interesting, this is the one that's sprung to the front of the pack at the moment from my brief research. My only worries are stories of input lag and ghosting, have you run into those problems at all?

Since I've played alot of SF4 on it ( which is ridiculously sensitive to input lag ) and haven't found any problems with that game I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the inputlag is nonexistant OR that I haven't noticed it.

Also I haven't noticed any considerable ghosting comparing to other monitors I've owned.

oh shi-
Why didnt i buy this monitor??
It's like £209 atm and my monitor at that time was £199. I mad.

Yeah that's pretty wierd, that it has gone up in price that is. It's the same situation here.

 

[TheExodu5]

The HX is only going to matter to system builders and those who maintain/upgrade their system regularly. It's an added cost for no real gain to someone who isn't planning on upgrading often. Since most cases have nice cable management nowadays, the non modular clutter isn't too hard to manage.

As for the motherboard, the Pro is useless unless he plans on going dual-GPU. Otherwise, just grab the plain P8P67.

I'd honestly go for another case. The Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced should be a good choice if you were interested in the 900 two.

 

[Corky]

Yeah I'll echo that, even with the snakepit/hydra that are the cables coming out from my corsair tx 950, my case has made cablemanagement a piece of cake. Looking back I'm glad I didnt pay 40-50% more for the same wattage but modular psu.

 

[TheSmokingManX]

Would I be terribly bottlenecking my system if I stuck with my 512MB 8800GTS and then upgraded the rest of my computer to the following?

P8P67 Pro
i7-2600K
8GB DDR3

That's going to run me $610 before tax which seems like a lot, given that in the next six months or so I'd also like to grab a new monitor, video card, power supply, and some sort of cooler which I assume would be highly recommended. Could I get away with going cheaper on any of these components or would I be doing myself a major disservice by doing so? I'd like this to be future-proofed so I'd spend the extra $100 or $200 to make sure it'll last me that much longer.

 

[Corky]

Would I be terribly bottlenecking my system if I stuck with my 512MB 8800GTS and then upgraded the rest of my computer to the following?

P8P67 Pro
i7-2600K
8GB DDR3
.

Dear god yes.

 

[Ashhong]

Thanks for the quick advice. However he just told me hed rather just deal with ibuypower for various reasons, I dont even know. This is what I managed to pick for his build from them

i5 2500K
Corsair 650TX
4GB Corsair DDR3-1600 ram
Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3-B3 (Can upgrade to ASUS P8P67 LE for $31 if you guys say its worth it)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 1GB - EVGA Superclocked
Thermaltake SpinQ CPU Cooling Fan System
Unknown brand 1TB 7200RPM HDDD
Antec 900-2 case

There arent many options for the case that I recognize. The HAF 922 good? Here is the page if anyone can help make changes

http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Special-A

Total is at $1134 before tax and stuff right now.

 

[TheSmokingManX]

Dear god yes.

That's what I thought, but I'm able to run everything I play fairly well still and the Crysis 2 demo was pretty smooth. So it seemed like maybe I could get away with sticking with the one component that would still be compatible with a new motherboard.

 

[ithorien]

You just use device manager?

That or some have a version number embedded in them, like the nVidia control panel.

 

[Corky]

That's what I thought, but I'm able to run everything I play fairly well still and the Crysis 2 demo was pretty smooth. So it seemed like maybe I could get away with sticking with the one component that would still be compatible with a new motherboard.

Be that as it may, you'll barely be able to put the new parts to use since this will be the case of bottlenecking. Which will result in virtually no difference in gamingexperience since you'll be heavily gpubound from the getgo.

 

[ithorien]

There arent many options for the case that I recognize. The HAF 922 good? Here is the page if anyone can help make changes

http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Special-A

Total is at $1134 before tax and stuff right now.

My eyes are bleeding. I can't even give you a straight answer, all that shit is so tacky. Best pick HAF 922 for sure.

 

[Ashhong]

My eyes are bleeding. I can't even give you a straight answer, all that shit is so tacky. Best pick HAF 922 for sure.

Yea I wasn't happy with the choices either. Did you see that gross green neon default case?

How are the other options? Worth upgrading the motherboard? I think the memory, GPU, CPU, and HDD are all set in stone. It's the mobo, case, and maybe CPU cooler that we are questioning.

 

[black_vegeta]

I have decided to go with a Gigabyte motherboard instead of ASUS. Will my Noctua D14 fit on this mobo? I'm just afraid the heatsinks on the motherboard will interfere with the Noctua fans.

 

[TheExodu5]

I have decided to go with a Gigabyte motherboard instead of ASUS. Will my Noctua D14 fit on this mobo? I'm just afraid the heatsinks on the motherboard will interfere with the Noctua fans.

You won't have any issues.

 

[black_vegeta]

You won't have any issues.

Thanks!

 

[scogoth]

I have decided to go with a Gigabyte motherboard instead of ASUS. Will my Noctua D14 fit on this mobo? I'm just afraid the heatsinks on the motherboard will interfere with the Noctua fans.

Yes it will fit. Don't like gigabyte boards though, I've had 2 doa.

 

[black_vegeta]

Yes it will fit. Don't like gigabyte boards though, I've had 2 doa.

Hmmmm, anyone one else problems with the Gigabtye P67 boards???

I read that there are problems with low end boards, but the UD5 and 7 are supposed to be great.

 

[R2D4]

Hmmmm, anyone one else problems with the Gigabtye P67 boards???

I read that there are problems with low end boards, but the UD5 and 7 are supposed to be great.

I wouldn't be afraid of any brand. Every brand has duds. Gigabyte is one of the worlds biggest motherboard and video card manufacturer.

 

[ithorien]

Yea I wasn't happy with the choices either. Did you see that gross green neon default case?

How are the other options? Worth upgrading the motherboard? I think the memory, GPU, CPU, and HDD are all set in stone. It's the mobo, case, and maybe CPU cooler that we are questioning.

I'd go with an Asus myself, but that's just my preference.

 

[TheExodu5]

Hmmmm, anyone one else problems with the Gigabtye P67 boards???

I read that there are problems with low end boards, but the UD5 and 7 are supposed to be great.

I've got a P67A-UD4, and it's been great. It's also all black and looks pretty.

 

[mxgt]

My PSU (Antec Truepower 750w modular) makes a pretty annoying buzzing sound whenever I run any games or applications like 3dmark and is perfectly silent otherwise.

It's been like this since I got it with my new PC but I'm thinking I should RMA it to be safe?

 

[fugimax]

I've got a ATI5850 and want to run Portal 2 at max settings at 2560x ... think I'll be ok, or should I grab a GTX570?

 

[black_vegeta]

I've got a P67A-UD4, and it's been great. It's also all black and looks pretty.

That black color main the attention grabber for me. Plus, the UD5 has very good reviews.

I'm just going to rock the UD5 and pray it's not a dud.

 

[clav]

Hey GAF.

My friend is looking for a solid state drive for his computer. What would be a worthwhile drive performance and GB wise? He would prefer to have a solid state drive with large capacity. Is it safe to go with Intel and SandForce drives then? I heard some problems with SandForce drives, so he should probably stick with an Intel? If so, what kind?

Price range won't be an issue.

Thanks in advance!

 

[opticalmace]

I've got a ATI5850 and want to run Portal 2 at max settings at 2560x ... think I'll be ok, or should I grab a GTX570?

I would suggest trying and finding out.

 

[mike23]

I'm rethinking my decision on the NAS server. Not that I won't get it, but it might be more reasonable/efficient to upgrade my current machine to a 2500k and reuse the spare parts

My current system is this:

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359

12 gigs ddr2

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

SILVERSTONE ST70F 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256045

COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119152

SAPPHIRE 100282XTREME Radeon HD 5850 Xtreme 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102932&Tpk=sapphire 5850

Corsair Force CSSD-F120GB2-BRKT 2.5" 120GB SATA II
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233125

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003


For my main pc, I'll keep

dvd drive
the video card - it's good enough for me for now
the ssd obviously
and the power supply, if it's compatible with the 2500k stuff.


I'd have to buy

2500k $220
cooler $40
motherboard $170
ram $80
case $100


for the NAS

motherboard - has 8 sataII ports, perfect
case - should fit enough drives, might need a adapter or two
ram - useless ddr2 anyway
cpu
cooler

and I'd have to buy

drives
cheap video card probably $40
power supply $90

so, total spent $740+ drives


That's only $300 bucks more than what I was going to spend on the NAS pre-drives. I'm just leery of re-using old parts, I always have the worst luck with stuff dying.

edit: first go

Blue Xs are for the NAS

 

[mcrae]

ok gaf, this is my processor: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
this is my video card - http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26778
this is my case - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

i was just playing SC2 and was freezing up, so decided to look into OCing since i never got around to it. i downloaded cpu-z and core temp fire off, and i see that all 4 of my cores are hovering between 97-98-99 - this is fucking bad isnt it? do i have a terrible seal on the heatsink? i turned the fans on the case from lowest to highest when i saw the temps, and made sure there is a clear airway, and there is no change, holding steady at 98 right now.

should i go buy a real heatsink/fan?

 

[scogoth]

ok gaf, this is my processor: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
this is my video card - http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26778
this is my case - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

i was just playing SC2 and was freezing up, so decided to look into OCing since i never got around to it. i downloaded cpu-z and core temp fire off, and i see that all 4 of my cores are hovering between 97-98-99 - this is fucking bad isnt it? do i have a terrible seal on the heatsink? i turned the fans on the case from lowest to highest when i saw the temps, and made sure there is a clear airway, and there is no change, holding steady at 98 right now.

should i go buy a real heatsink/fan?

Um yeah, 100C is the max the processor will run before automatically shutting down. You need to buy a new heatsink, or buy new thermal paste to re seat your current on.

 

[mcrae]

Um yeah, 100C is the max the processor will run before automatically shutting down. You need to buy a new heatsink, or buy new thermal paste to re seat your current on.

i just vacuumed out all the dust from inside after restarting, and now they're between 39-43

 

[scogoth]

i just vacuumed out all the dust from inside after restarting, and now they're between 39-43

At load? How much dust was there?

 

[element]

im surprised so many people are using 4 GB or 8 GB in their rigs. 16 GB of ram for me. I'd do 32 GB if you could buy 8 GB sticks.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

I'm thinking of getting the ASUS GTX460 (from the OP) to replace my 8800GT 512MB to ensure that I can play Portal 2 at maximum awesomeness, but I wanted to run it by the smart people first.



My current system is a bit over 3 years old at this point. Here it is:

Motherboard: ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor BX80557E6750

RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996527

Case and Power: Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply



From what I have gathered, the new card would be a substantial improvement. Will the potential gains be hampered by my old-ish motherboard and CPU? And more importantly, will it be incompatible for any reason with my current hardware?

Seems like it could be a big gain for a reasonable price, so am I missing anything or should I proceed undaunted? Great price right now, btw, 109.99 after mail-in rebate.

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

im surprised so many people are using 4 GB or 8 GB in their rigs. 16 GB of ram for me. I'd do 32 GB if you could buy 8 GB sticks.

What are you actually doing with your computer? For most people, 8 GB is bordering on overkill already.

 

[knitoe]

im surprised so many people are using 4 GB or 8 GB in their rigs. 16 GB of ram for me. I'd do 32 GB if you could buy 8 GB sticks.

I have cpu/memory widget on my desktop and I haven't notice it hitting 4GB, let alone the 8GB I am running. Getting more would be a waste. If it's different for you, go ahead.

 

[TheExodu5]

im surprised so many people are using 4 GB or 8 GB in their rigs. 16 GB of ram for me. I'd do 32 GB if you could buy 8 GB sticks.

I'm going to say you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

If you knew what 16GB of RAM is useful for, you wouldn't be surprised that not many people opt to get that much RAM in their systems.

 

[scogoth]

im surprised so many people are using 4 GB or 8 GB in their rigs. 16 GB
of ram for me. I'd do 32 GB if you could buy 8 GB sticks.

Unless you're running some serious number crunching applications or video editing 16GB is way more then any consumer software or games use. Hence nobody spending money on get 8gb dimms. Other things like GPU and ssds will make much more of a difference.

I'm thinking of getting the ASUS GTX460 (from the OP) to replace my 8800GT 512MB to ensure that I can play Portal 2 at maximum awesomeness, but I wanted to run it by the smart people first.



My current system is a bit over 3 years old at this point. Here it is:

Motherboard: ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor BX80557E6750

RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996527

Case and Power: Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply



From what I have gathered, the new card would be a substantial improvement. Will the potential gains be hampered by my old-ish motherboard and CPU? And more importantly, will it be incompatible for any reason with my current hardware?

Seems like it could be a big gain for a reasonable price, so am I missing anything or should I proceed undaunted? Great price right now, btw, 109.99 after mail-in rebate.

460 will be good with your setup. It'll be compatible and your CPU/new GPU should be pretty balanced.

 

[Hazaro]

I'm rethinking my decision on the NAS server. Not that I won't get it, but it might be more reasonable/efficient to upgrade my current machine to a 2500k and reuse the spare parts
Blue Xs are for the NAS

Parts all look excellent to me. That combo is fantastic.
A 520w would be fine instead of the 620w.

 

[Cat in the Hat]

Anyone have any experience with this case? What do you think?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002OEBILU/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I was about to pull the trigger on my build posted earlier but I'm now having second thoughts on my case and whether or not to get 40gb or 80gb ssd. I've been starring at my cart for the last couple hours pondering.

 

[element]

What are you actually doing with your computer? For most people, 8 GB is bordering on overkill already.

I'm going to say you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

If you knew what 16GB of RAM is useful for, you wouldn't be surprised that not many people opt to get that much RAM in their systems.

I work in Premiere and After Effects. More RAM!!

Considering many people on here are buying rigs for the first time in years, they build somewhat future proof machines. Just because something doesn't use it today doesn't mean that nothing will in the future. If your spending $1500+ on a new machine, spend the extra $80 to get more RAM.

 

[scogoth]

I work in Premiere and After Effects. More RAM!!

Well almost all people are building gaming PCs here, sooooo yeah 8GB is more then enough.