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[Hazaro]

Buying this tomorrow afternoon.

MOBO and CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 955 Black Edition, ASUS M4A87TD EVO AM3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.628393
GPU: GIGABYTE Radeon HD 6850 1GB w/ free Shogun 2: Total War http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.620433
Power Supply: Seasonic 520w http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094
DVD Drive: Lite-On DVD Burner http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
HDD: Samsung F3 500GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
RAM: 4GB GSkill Ripjaws http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
Wireless Adapter: TP-Link Wireless USB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045
Case: Centurion 5 II Black

I'd swap the motherboard to something that can support AM3+. As of right now this is one that can, and is in your price range.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128490
I'd also get a 1TB F3. It's $15 more for doubled the space.
Lastly I'd look into getting a different case. The CM 5 was a good cas for its time, but it's not built particularly well, the plastic feels sort of cheap, and it is not easy to work in. I'd spend another $10-$15 there as well. Will make building much more enjoyable imo. (I had one)

 

[comrade]

looks like i found my 2600k's ceiling, at least a ceiling with a vcore and temp im semi comfortable with.

this is in no way a 24/7 OC and my reach for 5ghz will have to wait..

Wow your proc really needs a lot of vcore for 4.8.
I run 4.8ghz 24/7 on my 2500k with Offset voltage. 1.024v idle & 1.416 - 1.424 load.

 

[catapult37]

I'm wondering if the problem occurs less frequently or severely the lower the overclock. If it's reducing multiplier under load it seems more like a thermal control than a power conservation control. Try keeping your BCLK at 1000 instead of 1005 for now. I see somoone has reported their OC process here that is a lot more simple than what was done on that other guide. I'd suggest trying that.

Thanks a lot, man -- the method in that link is working really well! I'm at 4.7Ghz, prime95 is chugging away, and my max core temp so far is 61 degrees. Sweet!

 

[Advance_Alarm]

I'd swap the motherboard to something that can support AM3+. As of right now this is one that can, and is in your price range.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128490
I'd also get a 1TB F3. It's $15 more for doubled the space.
Lastly I'd look into getting a different case. The CM 5 was a good cas for its time, but it's not built particularly well, the plastic feels sort of cheap, and it is not easy to work in. I'd spend another $10-$15 there as well. Will make building much more enjoyable imo. (I had one)

thanks, I used the Falcon Guide in the OP for case choice and reviews said the case was good but I'll trust you. I'm deciding between the COOLER MASTER Elite 430 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119227 and the Antec 600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129079 . The HAF cases look like shit IMO, as does the R3.

 

[TheExodu5]

I'm getting ready for my build.. as much as i want a pure matte black theme (gigabyte ud4), i'm getting mixed reviews against asus p67 pro..

so far what i got
msi 6950 2gb x2 (not pure black like xfx 6950 2gb 695x...but not unlockable)
ax850
g700, k800

What about the Asus DirectCu II GTX 570? Sexy as hell in a black build.

 

[Syphon Filter]

I'm getting ready for my build.. as much as i want a pure matte black theme (gigabyte ud4), i'm getting mixed reviews against asus p67 pro..

so far what i got
msi 6950 2gb x2 (not pure black like xfx 6950 2gb 695x...but not unlockable)
ax850
g700, k800

huh? p8p67 pro ftw! get it.

 

[RumblingRosco]

What should I be looking for in a monitor that will be used primarily for gaming? I want 1080p and a response time of less than 5 ms... anything else I should be out right concerned with?

 

[AllIsOneIsNone]

Alright you graphics gurus, whats the best card to go with that's around the 300 dollar point? Phenom 2 X6, Asus M4a89gtd pro motherboard, 4 gigs ddr3 if that helps.

I'll probably do more research on settings the more I get into it, but I'd like a nice card out of the box, sans any alterations.

Much appreciated!

 

[ZZMitch]

Alright you graphics gurus, whats the best card to go with that's around the 300 dollar point? Phenom 2 X6, Asus M4a89gtd pro motherboard, 4 gigs ddr3 if that helps.

I'll probably do more research on settings the more I get into it, but I'd like a nice card out of the box, sans any alterations.

Much appreciated!

I just made a purchase on a 6950 2GB, seems like a really great card for the price!

 

[Hazaro]

thanks, I used the Falcon Guide in the OP for case choice and reviews said the case was good but I'll trust you. I'm deciding between the COOLER MASTER Elite 430 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119227 and the Antec 600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129079 . The HAF cases look like shit IMO, as does the R3.

I just glanced and didn't notice you put the II version of the cent 5. It offers some good overall improvements, if you don't like the Shinobi ( http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Bitfenix/Shinobi_Preview/2.html ) then the Cent 5 II is fine. Still don't like the plastic PCI tabs, but not that big a deal.

 

[Raw64life]

A couple of partsdifferential questions as I'm winding down on settling on a build. With the ASUS P8P67 I'm noticing there is a P8P67 PRO and a P8P67-M PRO. The P8P67 chart in the OP doesn't differentiate the two so I was wondering what the difference was and if I really need one over the other. Similarly, with my video card, I'm getting an EVGA 570 and I noticed there is a 012-P3-1571-AR model and a 012-P3-1571-KR model and I have no idea what the difference is.

 

[Hazaro]

A couple of partsdifferential questions as I'm winding down on settling on a build. With the ASUS P8P67 I'm noticing there is a P8P67 PRO and a P8P67-M PRO. The P8P67 chart in the OP doesn't differentiate the two so I was wondering what the difference was and if I really need one over the other. Similarly, with my video card, I'm getting an EVGA 570 and I noticed there is a 012-P3-1571-AR model and a 012-P3-1571-KR model and I have no idea what the difference is.

-M is the mATX version. It is smaller and missing a slot or two.

AR (Lifetime) vs KR (3 year) is warranty. Usually the AR cards are superclocked or something and cost $10-$30 more.

http://www.evga.com/support/warranty/

 

[nara]

huh? p8p67 pro ftw! get it.

yeah i meant that i love the aesthetic of the gigabyte mb..pure matte black. but intel ethernet, uefi, usb bracket..and more sata 6/gb port T_T

 

[Nafai1123]

Hmm 5850 or 6850? I'm thinking I'll run crossfire in the future if it makes a difference.

 

[Hazaro]

Hmm 5850 or 6850? I'm thinking I'll run crossfire in the future if it makes a difference.

6850, dat scaling

 

[Raw64life]

-M is the mATX version. It is smaller and missing a slot or two.

AR (Lifetime) vs KR (3 year) is warranty. Usually the AR cards are superclocked or something and cost $10-$30 more.

http://www.evga.com/support/warranty/

Hhmmm. Well barring any last minute changes this is probably the build I'm going to go with.

Could I get away with a PRO-M? And although this may be completely unfounded I was thinking I'd probably be better off with the PRO because as an inexperienced builder I'd want as much space as possible to work with. Also, any comments or "OMG why are you getting X go with Y instead"s are welcome. Looking back, I've changed literally every single part from the build I posted in this thread in January.

 

[mike23]

Hhmmm. Well barring any last minute changes this is probably the build I'm going to go with.

http://i.imgur.com/SvlLT.gif

Could I get away with a PRO-M? And although this may be completely unfounded I was thinking I'd probably be better off with the PRO because as an inexperienced builder I'd want as much space as possible to work with. Also, any comments or "OMG why are you getting X go with Y instead"s are welcome. Looking back, I've changed literally every single part from the build I posted in this thread in January.

I won't comment on the build, because I'm not really an expert at all.

But, I would definitely take the time to go through an check out the combos available for each of your components.

I'm sure you can find a combo with the 2500k and the P8P67 Pro and save 10-20 bucks. Or maybe Mobo/ram and save 30-40.

edit: this is the Mobo/Ram combo I bought last week. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.633314

 

[Hazaro]

Eh. The Pro-M is still a very good board, but it sacrifices a lot of slots and some features (like BT and phase power(?)), and some overclocking options. I know it is cheaper and would work fine, but I still have a reservation about recommending it.
If you plan to run a single card you can get the non PRO ATX version.

I'd sub in this ASUS 570 (3 slot):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121432

And the 120GB Intel 320: ($30 off)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167050

*Don't forget promo codes! EMCKFHH34 for that RAM.

 

[LiK]

gfx card comes in tomorrow. can't wait to build it this week

 

[Varna]

So how much on average is the speed boost on the i5-760 suppose to be? I read about it online and most mention a .5 - 1 mhz increase. I have a couple of friends who have the same processor, one of them has my same exact setup. They both report the same moderate increase...

My CPU however jumps from 1440 to 3500 on average... It can get as high as 4000+ during cpu heavy games.

Idle...

Running something CPU intensive.

Never attempted to OC my processor... figured, what's the point? But I have not been able to recreate this on friends PCs.

 

[apana]

Yes it can run games:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-540M.41715.0.html
Just buy a game on steam, set to med/high and go for it. Make sure it gets plenty of ventilation, a lappad with fan if possible.

Alright so I signed up for steam and bought bioshock. The settings were automatically set to high. Does it just determine the settings according to the power of my graphics card? I know this is a stupid question but do I need to do anything to get the graphics card to work or does it automatically just do everything? I'm playing the game right now and it looks alright. I'm assuming there is nothing else inside my laptop that can work as a graphics card except for my Nvidia geforce gt540m.

 

[Sarcasm]

So the laptop I have replaced with an SSD the boot time is great. But I ran into an issue. It has 3GB onbaord which is shared with the video card. I was transferring links from one browser to the next and it runs out of memory. Why?

I mean I can prob get more memory.....

 

[mike23]

Alright so I signed up for steam and bought bioshock. The settings were automatically set to high. Does it just determine the settings according to the power of my graphics card? I know this is a stupid question but do I need to do anything to get the graphics card to work or does it automatically just do everything? I'm playing the game right now and it looks alright. I'm assuming there is nothing else inside my laptop that can work as a graphics card except for my Nvidia geforce gt540m.

If you have an i5 or an i7 (maybe i3 too) you probably have switchable graphics since the newer intel processors have on chip video. It usually switches automatically or asks when you switch from wall power to battery. You might have a button on the laptop or just something in the windows tray to change them up.

 

[scogoth]

yeah i meant that i love the aesthetic of the gigabyte mb..pure matte black. but intel ethernet, uefi, usb bracket..and more sata 6/gb port T_T

I personally don't like gigabytes BIOS, not to mention they haven't updated it for the more graphical UEFI.

So how much on average is the speed boost on the i5-760 suppose to be? I read about it online and most mention a .5 - 1 mhz increase. I have a couple of friends who have the same processor, one of them has my same exact setup. They both report the same moderate increase...

My CPU however jumps from 1440 to 3500 on average... It can get as high as 4000+ during cpu heavy games.

Idle...



Running something CPU intensive.



Never attempted to OC my processor... figured, what's the point? But I have not been able to recreate this on friends PCs.

Speed step + turbo boost can bring your CPU up to 3.3GHz using 4 cores and even higher if less cores are used. I wouldn't worry about it as long as you haven't changed anything from default. And speed step never increases by .5 or 1 MHz, you wouldn't notice that. It increases by BLCK amounts so default it would increase by multiples of 133.

 

[apana]

If you have an i5 or an i7 (maybe i3 too) you probably have switchable graphics since the newer intel processors have on chip video. It usually switches automatically or asks when you switch from wall power to battery. You might have a button on the laptop or just something in the windows tray to change them up.

Well when Bioshock was loading, there was a nvidia logo that popped up with a guy saying "nvidia" . Also the settings are on high and working fine, a intel card probably couldn't do that. I don't know. This is a new laptop so I hope it just changes automatically.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Well when Bioshock was loading, there was a nvidia logo that popped up with a guy saying "nvidia" . Also the settings are on high and working fine, a intel card probably couldn't do that. I don't know. This is a new laptop so I hope it just changes automatically.

Ummmm, the Nvidia video pops up before you reach the main menu on everything. It's part of the game and doesn't do anything other than annoy the ATI users. :3

 

[apana]

Ummmm, the Nvidia video pops up before you reach the main menu on everything. It's part of the game and doesn't do anything other than annoy the ATI users. :3

lol why? Anyways reading Nvidia's website, they say it switches between integrated graphics and the nvidia card automatically. As long as my games are running on medium or high settings without major problems I guess it shouldn't matter.

 

[Sarcasm]

I am looking at laptop memory.


Why is there three DDR3 1333 choices?

http://i56.tinypic.com/1zw6tu.png

I mean I even linked to an HP assiatant: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231295


But taking out one from the lappy it says 10600S and only one row...

http://i56.tinypic.com/2cntu0z.jpg

 

[mike23]

Anyone have a good suggestion for a UPS battery backup? Looking for one that can run 2 desktops and at least 1 lcd monitor. Both desktops have PFC power supplies, so I need one that will not screw with those.
I don't really care how long it'll hold out on full power outage, so a few minutes would be enough. The power in my apartment is pretty crappy, so I mostly want it to be able to clean it up.

 

[Nafai1123]

6850, dat scaling

Thanks, I just found some tests that showed Bad Company 2 getting increases of almost 100% with 6850's xfired. That's a good sign for Battlefield 3

 

[pseudocaesar]

Biting the bullet and ordering my new system this week. What went from a small GPU/CPU upgrade turned into an entirely new system haha.
CPU: Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition
GPU: XFX Radeon HD6950 2GB (Was going to get the 70, but thanks to the advice here I am doing the bios thing to flash it to a 6970 and save 120 bucks)
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3
SSD: OCZ Vertex 2 60GB
Case: CoolerMaster CM 690 II Advanced with Window
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM (2x4GB) DDR3

 

[pseudocaesar]

Double post.

 

[Hazaro]

I'd say wait a 2 or 3 weeks until we find out about Bulldozer.
Tossing money at a 6 core when AM3+ is around the corner is not the smartest.

As for the other parts:
I'd sub an Intel 320 for the Vertex 2
Rather get a Corsair 750W as well, unless the cost and modular is important to you.

 

[pseudocaesar]

Why is that? Whats bulldozer? I will have a look. Do you think im better off just getting the i5 2500K?

 

[·feist·]

Do you think im better off just getting the i5 2500K?

Depends on just how well AMD does.

Why is that? Whats bulldozer? I will have a look.

AMD | Bulldozer, Fusion, AM3+, FM1, and What's To Come

 

[Hazaro]

Depends on just how well AMD does.


AMD | Bulldozer, Fusion, AM3+, FM1, and What's To Come

Added info thread to OP

 

[ithorien]

yeah i meant that i love the aesthetic of the gigabyte mb..pure matte black. but intel ethernet, uefi, usb bracket..and more sata 6/gb port T_T

If it's the design aesthetic you're worried about, let me ask you this; how often will you be looking at your mobo?

I like the look of the GBs more than Asus, but Asus provided better functionality in the end for my needs.

 

[Gvaz]

stuff

You might want to look into ALT+PRNTSCRN buttons

 

[black_vegeta]

If it's the design aesthetic you're worried about, let me ask you this; how often will you be looking at your mobo?

I like the look of the GBs more than Asus, but Asus provided better functionality in the end for my needs.

This is true.

 

[Stantron]

I took some time to look through the long PC building videos in the OP. The site was down for some time last week, but back up now. So after that, I made some tweaks and got my rig together. I think I'm ready to turn it on for the first time.

From the 40 min video, I noticed that the guy went into the BIOS to change some parameters before putting in the Win7 instal disc. Some changes he made were..
Power suspend mode: S3 only
ACPI: enable
Configure SATA: AHCI
PCI Plug n Play: enable
I'm not familiar with these. Should I leave it as is, or make similar changes?

Then, after I instal Win7, the first thing I need to do is instal the latest Intel chipset drivers from their website, correct? Then other drivers like motherboard and video card. Is there any benefit in updating motherboard firmware before I instal Win7?

My main drive is an Intel SSD, but I also have the Samsung F3 1TB. I assume that I should run THIS PATCH even if I don't have compatibility issues?

 

[Sarcasm]

I have a 3 day old 11" dm1z cpu (amd fusion) and I installed an SSD I bought. Installed W7 64 bit pro. Boot time is awesome, so is the responsiveness. But oddly the CPU is being used 89%. I looked in task manager to find the culprit but all I see is 16%, 2%, 2%, and 4$..rest are 0. I don't even see an idling or w/e that task is that you normally see every windows.

What could be eating the CPU usage?

(I used an upgrade as full install. Basically installed with no CD key, than did an upgrade..no network plugged in)

 

[Adamm]

Hello PC-GAF

Im not sure if this is the right place to post this, but im sure you's would know as good as anyone.

I keep getting random Blue Screen's saying mostly errors do with
MEMORY_MANAGEMENT & occassionally PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

Strange thing is - I could turn on the computer & leave it on for hours/days without a single problem
But other times i would turn it on & straight away start getting errors in Google Chrome & within about 10-20 mins I would get one of these blue screens & even after a reboot I still continue to get them. The only way to solve the problem is to completely shut down and start back up again.

The only testing I have done is to used memtest straight after i got one of these blue screens.
This came up with error after error with all 3 sticks in (3x2gb), so i took out each stick & tested them individually but none of them came up with any errors - but this is probably due to shutting down the computer fixing the problem.

So is it safe to assume it the memory & I will just need to do some longer term testing, or could something else be causing this.

 

[Velion]

Hello PC-GAF

Im not sure if this is the right place to post this, but im sure you's would know as good as anyone.

I keep getting random Blue Screen's saying mostly errors do with
MEMORY_MANAGEMENT & occassionally PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

Strange thing is - I could turn on the computer & leave it on for hours/days without a single problem
But other times i would turn it on & straight away start getting errors in Google Chrome & within about 10-20 mins I would get one of these blue screens & even after a reboot I still continue to get them. The only way to solve the problem is to completely shut down and start back up again.

The only testing I have done is to used memtest straight after i got one of these blue screens.
This came up with error after error with all 3 sticks in (3x2gb), so i took out each stick & tested them individually but none of them came up with any errors - but this is probably due to shutting down the computer fixing the problem.

So is it safe to assume it the memory & I will just need to do some longer term testing, or could something else be causing this.

Sounds like some of your ram slots might actually be the problem.

 

[Adamm]

Sounds like some of your ram slots might actually be the problem.

Damn, i was hoping not to get that answer.

But how come it works fine sometimes then?

Like right now my computer has been on for an hour without a single problem & I can pretty much guarantee nothing will go wrong with it until I shut it down again.

 

[Downhome]

What kind of "bang for your bucks" is this system in your opinion for $799?

Dell XPS 8300 Intel Core i5-2400 3.1GHz Quad-Core Sandy Bridge Desktop w/ 22 LCD $799

22" Dell ST2220L LCD; Intel Core i5-2400 [Sandy Bridge] Quad-Core 3.1GHz; 8GB/1TB; DVD burner; 802.11n wifi + gigabit; Win7; ATI Radeon HD5450 1GB; 2yr warranty; 15mo McAfee SecurityCenter; keyboard/mouse/speakers

 

[loganclaws]

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a new PC for my little brother for gaming mainly, I would really appreciate your opinions, do you think I made any mistakes in choosing the following (the budget he had was $1200):

CPU: Core I5 Sandy Bridge 2500K
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Mobo: MSI P67A GD53
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12980BD9725&vpn=P67A-GD53+(B3)&manufacture=MSI/MICROSTAR

CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

Videocard: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD Fermi 732MHZ 1280MB
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11610BD5365&vpn=012-P3-1571-KR&manufacture=EVGA

Hard Drive: Western Digital Wd Caviar Black 500GB 32MB 3.5
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=25350AC0126&vpn=WD5002AALX&manufacture=Western+Digital+WD

PSU: SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087

Case: Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC9811&vpn=RC-692-KKN2&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

The price comes out to $1172.81 which is within budget. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[CrankyJay]

Anyone have any recommendations for 120MM case fans that I can affix to my Hyper 212+ heatsink? Is the one that comes with the 212 the best or can I buy something a little more high powered/better cooling?

New Egg sent me some promo codes as a thanks and I figure I might as well use them.


Thnking of buying at least two for push/pull.

 

[ithorien]

But how come it works fine sometimes then?.

Because as much as we love them, computers are the worst.

I've been having BSOD issues with my wife's PC last few days. Long story short, merged some hardware, BSODs. Tested ram, fine. Swapped vid card, fine. Fresh install, still BSODs. In the end, the last thing I did before getting it "stable" (haven't seen a BSOD in 2 days), was to turn the OC profile on the mobo to "Turbo". Yep. Beats me.

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a new PC for my little brother for gaming mainly, I would really appreciate your opinions, do you think I made any mistakes in choosing the following (the budget he had was $1200):

CPU: Core I5 Sandy Bridge 2500K
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Mobo: MSI P67A GD53
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12980BD9725&vpn=P67A-GD53+(B3)&manufacture=MSI/MICROSTAR

CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

Videocard: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD Fermi 732MHZ 1280MB
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11610BD5365&vpn=012-P3-1571-KR&manufacture=EVGA

Hard Drive: Western Digital Wd Caviar Black 500GB 32MB 3.5
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=25350AC0126&vpn=WD5002AALX&manufacture=Western+Digital+WD

PSU: SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087

Case: Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC9811&vpn=RC-692-KKN2&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

The price comes out to $1172.81 which is within budget. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Personally I'm not a fan of MSI, so I'd swap that. If you go with a Corsair PSU, MIR for 20 bucks, but that'll only net you 10 since SeaSonic is 10 less.

 

[·feist·]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=27268746&postcount=14167

Virtu looks good, but I'm more interested in Nvidia and AMD's upcoming switchable desktop graphics solutions since they should be better implemented, and free of charge to vendors. Not sure when we'll see AMD's effort, but "Nvidia Synergy" should be out soon.

Well, Lucid Virtu had a good run.

Nvidia Synergy will be shown at Computex 2011.

Nvidia Optimus Desktop Details

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a new PC for my little brother for gaming mainly, I would really appreciate your opinions, do you think I made any mistakes in choosing the following (the budget he had was $1200):

CPU: Core I5 Sandy Bridge 2500K
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Mobo: MSI P67A GD53
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12980BD9725&vpn=P67A-GD53+(B3)&manufacture=MSI/MICROSTAR

CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

Videocard: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD Fermi 732MHZ 1280MB
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11610BD5365&vpn=012-P3-1571-KR&manufacture=EVGA

Hard Drive: Western Digital Wd Caviar Black 500GB 32MB 3.5
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=25350AC0126&vpn=WD5002AALX&manufacture=Western+Digital+WD

PSU: SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087

Case: Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC9811&vpn=RC-692-KKN2&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

The price comes out to $1172.81 which is within budget. Any suggestions? Thanks!

That EVGA is kind of a hybrid between a GTX 560 Ti and GTX 570. You should read some reviews on it to see how it compares to the standard GTX 570. For a reference GTX 570 with a lifetime warranty, try this:

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11610BD0290&vpn=012-P3-1570-AR&manufacture=EVGA

For three of the best non-reference 570s on sale, try one of these:

ASUS GeForce 570 GTX DirectCU II
http://www.directcanada.com/product...n=ENGTX570 DCII/2DIS/1280MD5&manufacture=ASUS
MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr II
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12980BD1893&vpn=N570GTX Twin Frozr II/OC&manufacture=MSI
MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr III
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...7582&cm_re=msi_gtx_570-_-14-127-582-_-Product


750W is a lot more than you need. You can save some money by stepping down to either of these two:

SeaSonic X660 (SS-660KM)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151104&Tpk=x660
SeaSonic X650 Gold (SS-650KM)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088&Tpk=x650

You can overclock the CPU and GPU while still having plenty of headroom to spare.

 

[Adamm]

I've been having BSOD issues with my wife's PC last few days. Long story short, merged some hardware, BSODs. Tested ram, fine. Swapped vid card, fine. Fresh install, still BSODs. In the end, the last thing I did before getting it "stable" (haven't seen a BSOD in 2 days), was to turn the OC profile on the mobo to "Turbo". Yep. Beats me.

Funny, i changed to 'Turbo' earlier & haven't had a BSOD since!
Although ill need to wait a few days to see if it really fixed it