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[Jin34]

"How come Newegg still isn't selling Sandy Bridge cpus/mobos?"

Because they're not supposed to yet. I haven't seen anyone major retailer selling the CPUs yet.

Seems like a whole bunch of places don't care about street dates.

 

[T-Matt]

I know you guys all went crazy last time, but is there anything wrong with using a vacuum to take the dust out of the PC if i take off the brush? I just want to use the plastic part to pick up the big pieces here and there

There is a chance that it won't harm anything but there is a chance it will. The dust particles rushing inside the plastic tube cause static buildup.

 

[matmanx1]

Dear god this GTX 570 pumps out a ridiculous amount of heat.

Pretty noisy for my tastes too...though I'm used to running my GTX 275 at 35% fan speed.

I might end up spending the $80 on the Accelero. We'll see how the HAF X improves the temps.

edit: mind you, this is in Furmark, which reportedly runs it at around 300W, whereas Crysis only runs it around 200W, so it might never actually get this loud during gameplay.

We'll see.

The fan profile is quite good. Only ramps up as much as it needs to. Gets to about 60% in Furmark.

Not to throw a downer on you TheExodu5 but that's exactly why I went with the Radeon 6970 this time around instead of the 570. Lower power draw and according to [H] lower fan noise, even under load for a card that costs on average $20 more. Noisy fans annoy me to no end. And of course the performance is pretty nice too. ;-)

 

[whatsinaname]

Am thinking of getting the Dell Ultrasharp 3011. Does anyone know if my PC will struggle with that resolution in games like Crysis, Mass Effect 1/2, Bioshock, CoD MW1/MW2, etc (and PES 2011!)? The monitor I am currently using is a BenQ G2400W (I run all the games I mentioned at 1920x1200 at high settings)

I am not looking to play really new games with my current rig, but if I buy the monitor I'll have to stick with my current rig for a few months. Any inputs will be greatly appreciated.


Current system -

Intel E8400
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P
4 GB Ram
Radion 4870 1GB
Intel G2 SSD

 

[TheExodu5]

Not to throw a downer on you TheExodu5 but that's exactly why I went with the Radeon 6970 this time around instead of the 570. Lower power draw and according to [H] lower fan noise, even under load for a card that costs on average $20 more. Noisy fans annoy me to no end. And of course the performance is pretty nice too. ;-)

You should know better than to trust random forum posts.

Cards are pretty much equal in terms of power consumption, noise, and performance.

 

[The Bookerman]

"How come Newegg still isn't selling Sandy Bridge cpus/mobos?"

Because they're not supposed to yet. I haven't seen any major retailer selling the CPUs yet.

so when is the "Launch Date" anyway?

the 9th?

 

[Petrie]

GAF, need a bit of advice, hopefully this is the place.

I built my girlfriend a relatively budget PC this holiday, mostly for schoolwork, here's the mobo.

She's using onboard video. I also got her a 1920 x 1080 monitor, and she is running dual monitors, the second being her Samsung tv.

We had some trouble in the beginning, as seen in this thread

Now I thought that was sorted out, and the PC has been running splendidly, running Prime 95 overnight just fine, and assorted other tests. Problem is now we were trying to play Titan Quest together, and the computer rebooted itself.

I'm hoping this could be simply a symptom that she needs a dedicated video card to run games at that resolution, as turning the graphics settings down didn't help. The only other option I'd imagine is that my mobo does in fact have issues, and I'm hoping that isn't the case.

Thank you.

 

[Jin34]

so when is the "Launch Date" anyway?

the 9th?

I would like to know too since one of the review sites said they had moved up the launch date, maybe they were wrong and most stores just don't give a damn.

 

[knitoe]

I would like to know too since one of the review sites said they had moved up the launch date, maybe they were wrong and most stores just don't give a damn.

I just hope it's soon. All my parts are here or arriving. I just need the 2600K CPU. Checking for the item to be instock almost every minute. :lol

 

[TheExodu5]

I was disappointed by the lack of framerate improvement in Crysis by my new GTX 570 (over the GTX 275). Still 30-40fps at the first light section.

And then I kept moving on...and was mostly 60-70fps on high. And then I decided to turn on 4x AA, and the framerate didn't take a hit. Holy shit! I'm finally CPU limited in Crysis! The Q8300 @ 3.0GHz is limiting me badly. Can't wait to get Sandy Bridge next week.

Really, really tempted to pick up a second GTX 570. Crysis looks so, so much better with 4x AA. Edge AA is shit in Crysis. 4x AA makes a much bigger difference in motion than I thought.

Noise levels are friggin great. Nothing stresses my GPU like Furmark. Stays quiet in Crysis.

 

[TheExodu5]

Second GTX 570 ordered.

 

[TheExodu5]

So this is what my new PC will look like after it's all said and done:

Cooler Master HAF X
Corsair AX850
Gigabyte P67 UD4
Intel Core i5 2500k
Thermalright Venomous X Black CPU Heatsink + Scythe S-Flex 1200RPM
2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3-1333
2x EVGA GTX 570
Intel 80GB SSD (for now)
2x Samsung F4 2TB 5400RPM HDD
Pioneer BD-RW
Scythe Kazemaster Ace Fan Controller


I went really overboard. All in all, $2010 + tax. Yeah.

Oh well...first PC I ever build from scratch (always upgraded gifts/hand-me-downs), so I'm excited.

I'm fulfilling the nerd stereotype pretty hardcore right now. Not mom's basement, but I'm still living at home. Saving up for a car and house. Buying a $2000 PC is not speeding things up. :lol

 

[snack]

So this is what my new PC will look like after it's all said and done:

Cooler Master HAF X
Corsair AX850
Gigabyte P67 UD4
Intel Core i5 2500k
Thermalright Venomous X Black CPU Heatsink + Scythe S-Flex 1200RPM
2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3-1333
2x EVGA GTX 570
Intel 80GB SSD (for now)
2x Samsung F4 2TB 5400RPM HDD
Pioneer BD-RW
Scythe Kazemaster Ace Fan Controller


I went really overboard. All in all, $2010 + tax. Yeah.

Oh well...first PC I ever build from scratch (always upgraded gifts/hand-me-downs), so I'm excited.

I'm fulfilling the nerd stereotype pretty hardcore right now. Not mom's basement, but I'm still living at home. Saving up for a car and house. Buying a $2000 PC is not speeding things up. :lol

Sweet build.

 

[Shambles]

So this is what my new PC will look like after it's all said and done:

Cooler Master HAF X
Corsair AX850
Gigabyte P67 UD4
Intel Core i5 2500k
Thermalright Venomous X Black CPU Heatsink + Scythe S-Flex 1200RPM
2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3-1333
2x EVGA GTX 570
Intel 80GB SSD (for now)
2x Samsung F4 2TB 5400RPM HDD
Pioneer BD-RW
Scythe Kazemaster Ace Fan Controller


I went really overboard. All in all, $2010 + tax. Yeah.

Oh well...first PC I ever build from scratch (always upgraded gifts/hand-me-downs), so I'm excited.

I'm fulfilling the nerd stereotype pretty hardcore right now. Not mom's basement, but I'm still living at home. Saving up for a car and house. Buying a $2000 PC is not speeding things up. :lol

As much as I love an awesome computer an 80$ air cooler and 200$ case certainly isn't helping your savings especially.

 

[Jin34]

Those who said faulty first run BIOS/EFI could be limiting OCs may be correct.

Kyle's Thoughts:

First worth mentioning is that ASUS asked us to hold off on this review...which we did not. Here is what ASUS had to say:

Today I have received our new 1000 series bios for our mainstream boards and should receive the WS build tonight or tomorrow. As this build considerably changes the OC performance especially with D2 and retail parts we would like to ask to wait on review being posted. FYI on this new build.

Specific Notes

- Largely improved the OC margin when raising the CPU Turbo Ratio (multiplier), meaning you will be able to OC / Scale a few CPU Turbo Ratios more from the current BIOS. ( it may require a little more Vcore to push past previous multipliers that were attained )

An example of the change is a CPU that previously peaked at 45 multi is now reaching 49 or 50 multi this has internally been confirmed on multiple samples. Of course the range will vary and may be smaller for high multi CPUs ( 48+ )

- Allow Turbo Mode to be enabled even if EIST has been disabled in BIOS.

In the review he managed to get up only to x44 multiplier (4.4GHz) stable and his voltage would increase past what he had set for no reason.

I did have some difficulties with the vCore settings scaling a bit too high in "manual" mode in the BIOS. I hand set the vCore to 1.40v and I would get 1.64v actually. Reporting back to ASUS, this was not supposed to be happening.

Hopefully the EFI update fixed that too. So Exodu5 make sure to get the latest BIOS/EFI before OCing even though your board is a Gigabyte.

 

[TheExodu5]

As much as I love an awesome computer an 80$ air cooler and 200$ case certainly isn't helping your savings especially.

$70 cooler and $130 case. 8)

I would have paid $200 for the HAF X anyways. I wouldn't spend $2000 on a build to skimp on the case.

If you were to criticize anything, it should be the PSU...or Blu-Ray burner.

 

[Zaptruder]

In term of SSDs...

are Intel SSDs still worth the premium that they command?

 

[TheExodu5]

In term of SSDs...

are Intel SSDs still worth the premium that they command?

Performance wise? Not really. The Sandforce drives have them beat there. The main draw to Intel is simply their rock solid firmware and proven reliability.

 

[Grayman]

and i thought i was bad at saving because I bought a new monitor!

 

[AkIRA_22]

$70 cooler and $130 case. 8)

I would have paid $200 for the HAF X anyways. I wouldn't spend $2000 on a build to skimp on the case.

amen, You want a case to hold your expensive wares, keep them cool, and do with some degree of style. A $70 cooler wouldn't normally be overkill but on a 2500K it may be a bit much, but the OP might be buying it for look/style (which the Venomous X Black has in spades), it's up to him.

 

[TheExodu5]

Well I still have over 2 grand a month going into savings. Not so bad. =\

I'm also getting a $600/mo pay raise next week, which should help offset the costs.

 

[Mr_Brit]

Those who said faulty first run BIOS/EFI could be limiting OCs may be correct.



In the review he managed to get up only to x44 multiplier (4.4GHz) stable and his voltage would increase past what he had set for no reason.



Hopefully the EFI update fixed that too. So Exodu5 make sure to get the latest BIOS/EFI before OCing even though your board is a Gigabyte.

I knew it was the motherboard's fault that we were getting reports of some CPUs only making it to 4.4GHZ. Guess this news confirms that pretty much everyone should be able to reach 4.9-5GHZ.

 

[snack]

When will SSD prices begin to plummet (especially the Vertex 2s)?

 

[TheExodu5]

Once the new ones are out...sometimes during Q1 2011.

 

[Jin34]

When will SSD prices begin to plummet (especially the Vertex 2s)?

The Crucial C400 (succesor to the top of the line C300) will cost $220 for 128GB and give you even faster performance than the current drives. Those prices will only go lower as the rest of the competition arrives and the 25nm NAND production really ramps up to full gear. The C400 comes out in February.

Corsair has also announced their new high end SSDs but no pricing yet.

 

[Hazaro]

When will SSD prices begin to plummet (especially the Vertex 2s)?

Some articles in the OP will help. Summary in the post above mine.

It's going to be really hard not to jump ship to a C400 in Feb... Hopefully we get some dates and specs out.

 

[TheExodu5]

The Crucial C400 (succesor to the top of the line C300) will cost $220 for 128GB and give you even faster performance than the current drives. Those prices will only go lower as the rest of the competition arrives and the 25nm NAND production really ramps up to full gear. The C400 comes out in February.

Corsair has also announced their new high end SSDs but no pricing yet.

I'd advise against the C400, unless it properly supports TRIM or fixes its current write issues. For the C300, once you've written to the whole drive, write speeds permanently decrease from around 180MB/s to 20MB/s.

 

[Jtrizzy]

Can someone tell me if the following setup will get me 720p 60fps in 3d? I'm a noob to all of this, but im about to jump in. The following costs $1,300, with everything put together.

Intel core i7 2600 3.4 ghz
intel DH67GD motherboard
seagate 1tb 7200 sata hd
nvidia geforce gtx460
Cooler master storm scout mid tower atx gaming case
750w Corsair atx power supply quiet 140mm fan

 

[Jin34]

I'd advise against the C400, unless it properly supports TRIM or fixes its current write issues. For the C300, once you've written to the whole drive, write speeds permanently decrease from around 180MB/s to 20MB/s.

Personally I'd advice against most new 25nm drives until they've been out in the wild for a month or so. New controllers + the problems of die shrinking NAND could lead to some early product/firmware issues unless it's SandForce/Intel. The Corsair for example uses a Marvell controller.

 

[TheExodu5]

Personally I'd advice against most new 25nm drives until they've been out in the wild for a month or so. New controllers + the problems of die shrinking NAND could lead to some early product/firmware issues unless it's SandForce/Intel. The Corsair for example uses a Marvell controller.

Intel and Sandforce are probably safe, yeah.

Can someone tell me if the following setup will get me 720p 60fps in 3d? I'm a noob to all of this, but im about to jump in. The following costs $1,300, with everything put together.

Intel core i7 2600 3.4 ghz
intel DH67GD motherboard
seagate 1tb 7200 sata hd
nvidia geforce gtx460
Cooler master storm scout mid tower atx gaming case
750w Corsair atx power supply quiet 140mm fan

Save $100 and bring the 2600 down to a 2500. Spend that extra cash to get a GTX 570. The GTX 460 is possibly fast enough, but with the GTX 570, you'll be getting at least an extra 50% performance increase, which will help a ton for 3D.

 

[Jin34]

Can someone tell me if the following setup will get me 720p 60fps in 3d? I'm a noob to all of this, but im about to jump in. The following costs $1,300, with everything put together.

Intel core i7 2600 3.4 ghz
intel DH67GD motherboard
seagate 1tb 7200 sata hd
nvidia geforce gtx460
Cooler master storm scout mid tower atx gaming case
750w Corsair atx power supply quiet 140mm fan

Adding to what Exodu5 said, drop the H67 board for a P67 one and make sure you get a k model cpu since those have unlocked multipliers and will only cost about $20 more for a free 1Ghz+ boost.

 

[TheExodu5]

Adding to what Exodu5 said, drop the H67 board for a P67 one and make sure you get a k model cpu since those have unlocked multipliers and will only cost about $20 more for a free 1Ghz+ boost.

I would agree, but if his goal is general gaming (non emulation related) in 3D, then the regular 2500 is plenty. Sure, the 2500K is only $20 more, but the P67 board is another $50 more. If he's on a budget and needs to cut costs to justify the upgrade to the GTX 570, that's where I'd do it. Of course, if he's willing to spend a little bit more, then yeah, I'd definitely recommend it.

 

[Jtrizzy]

I am interested in emulation though. Isn't dolphin basically playing wii games but with increased visual fidelity? My wii games look pretty rough on the panasonic plasma, even with the compnent cables.

Also, the guy at the custom pc store I went to seemed most concerned that the motherboard might not be up to task.

 

[Mr_Brit]

I am interested in emulation though. Isn't dolphin basically playing wii games but with increased visual fidelity? My wii games look pretty rough on the panasonic plasma, even with the compnent cables.

Also, the guy at the custom pc store I went to seemed most concerned that the motherboard might not be up to task.

If emulation is important to you then you'll need every bit of CPU power you can get so a 2500k and P67 board are a must then. A 5GHZ 2500k should get you a locked 60FPS in pretty much every good compatibility PS2 and Wii game.

 

[TheExodu5]

I am interested in emulation though. Isn't dolphin basically playing wii games but with increased visual fidelity? My wii games look pretty rough on the panasonic plasma, even with the compnent cables.

Also, the guy at the custom pc store I went to seemed most concerned that the motherboard might not be up to task.

Let's move the discussion here. The H67 doesn't allow you to overclock. If you want to run Dolphin and PCX2, then I highly recommend moving to the P67 board, and getting a cheap aftermarket heatsink. That will allow you to overclock that 3.3GHz CPU to 4.4-4.8GHz, no problem. That increase in performance will greatly benefit emulation.

Upgrade the GTX 460 to a GTX 570 for a significant boost in graphics performance, which will help ensure 60fps in 3D.

Drop the 2600 to a 2500K. The Hyper Threading from the 2600 will not give you any performance improvement in games. The K is important because it's unlocked and can be overclocked.

As for the motherboard, Asus and Gigabyte are good bets.

 

[Jtrizzy]

Yeah this is just what the guy quoted for me, he selected all of the parts. I am hoping they can get these part you guys are reccomending, as I don't have enough experience assembling computers. Also it has a nice warranty.

 

[Mr_Brit]

Yeah this is just what the guy quoted for me, he selected all of the parts. I am hoping they can get these part you guys are reccomending, as I don't have enough experience assembling computers. Also it has a nice warranty.

Just write down the parts we've told you to get and show them to him, he should know what to get you.

 

[Ashhong]

There is a chance that it won't harm anything but there is a chance it will. The dust particles rushing inside the plastic tube cause static buildup.

So as long as the vacuum doesnt touch anything theres no chance at all right?

 

[Jtrizzy]

Let's move the discussion here. The H67 doesn't allow you to overclock. If you want to run Dolphin and PCX2, then I highly recommend moving to the P67 board, and getting a cheap aftermarket heatsink. That will allow you to overclock that 3.3GHz CPU to 4.4-4.8GHz, no problem. That increase in performance will greatly benefit emulation.

Upgrade the GTX 460 to a GTX 570 for a significant boost in graphics performance, which will help ensure 60fps in 3D.

Drop the 2600 to a 2500K. The Hyper Threading from the 2600 will not give you any performance improvement in games. The K is important because it's unlocked and can be overclocked.

As for the motherboard, Asus and Gigabyte are good bets.

Ok, maybe that's why he reccomended that set up. He asked me if id be over clocking, and I said I knew what that was but wasn't really sure how to do it. Im sure ill be able to figure it out though, im good with computers, just not the assemby part.

 

[iNvid02]

Am thinking of getting the Dell Ultrasharp 3011. Does anyone know if my PC will struggle with that resolution in games like Crysis, Mass Effect 1/2, Bioshock, CoD MW1/MW2, etc (and PES 2011!)? The monitor I am currently using is a BenQ G2400W (I run all the games I mentioned at 1920x1200 at high settings)

I am not looking to play really new games with my current rig, but if I buy the monitor I'll have to stick with my current rig for a few months. Any inputs will be greatly appreciated.


Current system -

Intel E8400
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P
4 GB Ram
Radion 4870 1GB
Intel G2 SSD

i bought the 3008wfp about a year ago, it was the top end 30" model at the time. i have a ton of stuff connected to it and its pretty bad ass to be able to use 1 screen for everything.
2560x1600 is a big step up and it'll take a few days to get used to but its hard to turn back after. i haven't ran any games yet because i have a stock dell piece of crap (first gaming pc coming this month), but the nvidia geforce gt220 has been able to power the display fine. i think your system will easily handle it.
at this resolution though you wont be able to have all the eye candy turned on unless you want to sacrifice some frame rate

 

[TheExodu5]

We can help you out with the overclocking. With Sandy Bridge, it's stupidly simple.

 

[Jtrizzy]

So how good are wii games gonna look? Do you still use the wiimote? Im gonna re compile the specs here in a minute, if you wouldn't mind taking a look...

 

[iNvid02]

So this is what my new PC will look like after it's all said and done:

Cooler Master HAF X
Corsair AX850
Gigabyte P67 UD4
Intel Core i5 2500k
Thermalright Venomous X Black CPU Heatsink + Scythe S-Flex 1200RPM
2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3-1333
2x EVGA GTX 570
Intel 80GB SSD (for now)
2x Samsung F4 2TB 5400RPM HDD
Pioneer BD-RW
Scythe Kazemaster Ace Fan Controller

here's mine, kinda similar
not completely final yet though

coolermaster haf-x
corsair hx-1000
asus p8p67 pro
intel core i5 or i7 (havent decided yet)
Thermalright Venomous X Black CPU Heatsink + Scythe S-Flex 800rpm
2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600mhz
2x amd radeon 6950s (bios flashing them to 6970s)
150gb raptor (waiting on the intel g3 ssd's, getting the 120gb one)
have a few wd 1tb green drives im reusing
sony 24x dvdrw

 

[Jtrizzy]

So I should tell the guy I want to upgrade to a P67 motherboard with a heatsink, a gtx570, and an i7 2500k. Which psu though?

 

[TheExodu5]

So I should tell the guy I want to upgrade to a P67 motherboard with a heatsink, a gtx570, and an i7 2500k. Which psu though?

Yep, you got it. Try to mention the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ as a heatsink. There are tons of options, ranging from $20-$100...but really, the Hyper 212+ is hard to beat at $30.

The Corsair 750TX was fine as a PSU.

 

[Jtrizzy]

Wait, so you have two graphics cards and two mobo's? Is that so you can do 1080p 60fps in 3d? I read somewhere that you needed sli or something would need dual graphics cards to accomlish that.

 

[vocab]

So how good are wii games gonna look? Do you still use the wiimote? Im gonna re compile the specs here in a minute, if you wouldn't mind taking a look...

Milage may very. You'll get 60 fps @ 1080P w/AA and AF or you'll get barely functional games/games that work that run at half the speed of the actual game. It really depends what games are supported. Also, you can play Wii games with any controller you want really.

 

[Mr_Brit]

Wait, so you have two graphics cards and two mobo's? Is that so you can do 1080p 60fps in 3d? I read somewhere that you needed sli or something would need dual graphics cards to accomlish that.

No you only have one mobo but two GPUs if you want SLI.

 

[Wallach]

Two of my packages arrived, and my 690 II Adv should be here this coming afternoon. I'll grab a couple pictures once everything is moved in, though I can't say my components are exactly much to look at. Color scheme turned out pretty random when everything was said and done.

 

[Jtrizzy]

...