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[scogoth]

Ok so it looks like I don't need the pro as I wont be utilizing SLI. The only diff I see is the gigabit LAN with the pro having 1 (Intel), and the other just 1. What exactly is the diff?

Intel better, less latency cause there is no bridge involved.

Why 8gb of ram? I was told 4 gb is enough for gaming.

RAMenis

No game uses more then 4 right now. The usual productive stuff like ps, vid editing, 3d modelling etc use it.

 

[Dosia]

would a 650W PS be sufficient for a gtx 560 ti and an intel 2500k?

 

[scogoth]

would a 650W PS be sufficient for a gtx 560 ti and an intel 2500k?

Absolutely. Definitively. Most definitely yes.

 

[Dosia]

Does the arctic silver make much of a difference compared to what comes with the cpu? I think I have some left over from my roomates build from a few months back, but I dont want to spend 12 bucks if its negligable.

 

[Gvaz]

Why 8gb of ram? I was told 4 gb is enough for gaming.

8GB gives a nice buffer for programs and all that jazz running in the background or editing things.

Does the arctic silver make much of a difference compared to what comes with the cpu? I think I have some left over from my roomates build from a few months back, but I dont want to spend 12 bucks if its negligable.

Arctic Silver 5 is the best there is. If you apply it right and have good airflow in your case, it can reduce your heat by 10c

 

[mike23]

Why 8gb of ram? I was told 4 gb is enough for gaming.

I'm sitting at 4.5GB out of 8GB used right now and I'm not even playing any games.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Why 8gb of ram? I was told 4 gb is enough for gaming.

These days with the ever-expanding bloat of operating systems and applications, I would suggest 6GB as a safe minimum. 8GB of RAM is so cheap right now that you might as well get 8GB, especially since in order to have 6GB your motherboard must support triple-channel memory and Intel gave up on that after Bloomfield/X58.

I'm sitting on 6GB of RAM in my box right now and I'm thinking of moving up to 12GB soon before triple-channel kits become as rare as Osama Bin Laden sightings.

 

[D4Danger]

I'm sitting at 4.5GB out of 8GB used right now and I'm not even playing any games.

I bet you're using iTunes

 

[knitoe]

Arctic Silver 5 is the best there is. If you apply it right and have good airflow in your case, it can reduce your heat by 10c

It was the best 5+ years ago plus it's electric conductive. There are better options out there which also aren't electric conductive,IC Diamond 7, Shin-Etsu and so on. The difference of the top brands are maybe 1-2C apart. Either way, it's better to select a non conductive thermal paste.

 

[TheExodu5]

It was the best 5+ years ago plus it's electric conductive. There are better options out there which also aren't electric conductive,IC Diamond 7, Shin-Etsu and so on. The difference of the top brands are maybe 1-2C apart. Either way, it's better to select a non conductive thermal paste.

Just some people will get on your case, Arctic Silver 5 is actually non-conductive, however it is capacitive. It may not necessarily conduct, but it might make a short more likely.

Either way, you're right in saying there are better options. Arctic MX-4 is pretty much the defacto standard now. Very cheap, non conductive, and really easy to apply.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Arctic Silver 5 is the best there is. If you apply it right and have good airflow in your case, it can reduce your heat by 10c

AS5 has since been surpassed by other TIMs but honestly you're talking about at best 1-2C difference in a well-ventilated case with absolutely perfect application. Give it a miss, most decent HSF combos come with good TIMs included, just use what's included and it should be fine. The stuff included with my Noctua NH-D14 actually tested better than AS5 so I used that instead and it's doing just great on my CPU.

 

[j2theizzay]

Well I asked for help on sub $50 speakers but I couldn't resist the allure of a good pair of speakers so I'm looking at the M-Audio and was wondering about the difference between the AV30 ($99 on amazon) and the AV40 ($149) and if there are better choices in that range.

I have the AV40's and they sound awesome. I would definitely get these over the AV30's. However when listening to hip hop or techno the bass is somewhat lacking since there is no dedicated sub. Also they are pretty huge for desktop speakers, so make sure you have room for them and they're at ear-level height.

 

[ZZMitch]

Is there much a difference between 4xaa and 8xaa? Like is the difference really noticeable?

I was just wondering what others thought

 

[Unhandled Exception]

So I ordered this a few hours ago, wanted to get some thoughts on it I guess. I've already got the hard drives and a GTX 460 to throw in it, and I plan on using SLI in the coming months. I'm mostly curious to hear about anyone's experience with OCing the 2500k, and whether or not they're using a more 'serious' after market cooler than the H50. I've read about some people managing a 4Ghz+ OC with little more than a $30 heatsink.

 

[Kalnos]

So, I have been seeing some Corsair Vengeance ram recently and I thought I'd give a warning. If you want a big CPU cooler (Noctua NH-D14, for example) be ready to operate on at least 1 stick of your ram.

Forgive me, for I have sinned:

 

[Gvaz]

I'm sitting at 4.5GB out of 8GB used right now and I'm not even playing any games.

I'm using 2.5GB out of 8 and I'm not running any games and firefox is recently open.

AS5 has since been surpassed by other TIMs but honestly you're talking about at best 1-2C difference in a well-ventilated case with absolutely perfect application. Give it a miss, most decent HSF combos come with good TIMs included, just use what's included and it should be fine. The stuff included with my Noctua NH-D14 actually tested better than AS5 so I used that instead and it's doing just great on my CPU.

I wasn't aware because I still have the same AS5 from 4 years+ ago

That being said, I personally got 10c reduction at stock speeds on idle with arctic silver 5 and a 120mm copper zalman cooler compared to the stock cooler w/ the pad.

This was on a Phenom II x3 720

 

[Gvaz]

Oops, forget this

 

[BolognaSoup]

Planning on building a gaming PC sometime this year (hopefully summer to late summer) for BF3, SC2, Civ5 and others. What size monitor do most of you use? I'm thinking I'd like to go 27" but if it's too hard to feed that at native res, I'd rather go 24". Looking to spend around $1500 for the whole package (including the monitor) so I'm guessing I'll be in the $300-350 range for a GPU. Is this realistic - GPU in that price range that can drive a 27"?

Sorry to bump but does anyone have any input?

 

[Dosia]

So, I have been seeing some Corsair Vengeance ram recently and I thought I'd give a warning. If you want a big CPU cooler (Noctua NH-D14, for example) be ready to operate on at least 1 stick of your ram.

Forgive me, for I have sinned:

F just bought this. So you're saying we have to take the casing off one of the sticks for it to fit?

 

[Kalnos]

F just bought this. So you're saying we have to take the casing off one of the sticks for it to fit?

Do you have a Noctua NH-D14? If you do, then there is a decent chance that you will if you're using ram with giant heat spreaders.

 

[Dosia]

No I ordered a 212. Will that clear?

 

[Kalnos]

No I ordered a 212. Will that clear?

Yeah, I think you're good with that. The Noctua is MASSIVE, which is why I had to do that.

 

[Stabby McSter]

Yeah, I think you're good with that. The Noctua is MASSIVE, which is why I had to do that.

Well, it depends on how you put the fan in I guess. Them Vengeance RAM didn't exactly fit with the 212 on my friend's system, so he had to raise the fan to the point where it wasn't flush with the top.

But then again maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.

 

[Hazaro]

So, I have been seeing some Corsair Vengeance ram recently and I thought I'd give a warning. If you want a big CPU cooler (Noctua NH-D14, for example) be ready to operate on at least 1 stick of your ram.

Forgive me, for I have sinned:

You can take the top part off.

Just unscrew it and it will be fine.

 

[Haeleos]

Hey guys, I need a laptop recommendation between $700-$900 that is ok for gaming (ie. no intel graphics card and at least 4gb RAM). It's for a friend, and I've found a couple ok suggestions, but I was just wondering if there were any good recommendations out there or what I should be looking at. He said his price cap is $1000 but I wanted to come in a tiny bit lower than that.

I'm looking at this one for him, at the moment. Let me know what you think.

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58310&vpn=LX.R0102.050&manufacture=Acer

 

[Hazaro]

Hey guys, I need a laptop recommendation between $700-$900 that is ok for gaming (ie. no intel graphics card and at least 4gb RAM). It's for a friend, and I've found a couple ok suggestions, but I was just wondering if there were any good recommendations out there or what I should be looking at. He said his price cap is $1000 but I wanted to come in a tiny bit lower than that.

I know it doesn't jump out at all, but it is in the OP under builds

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=386622

 

[WEGGLES]

Trying to install Service Pack 1 for windows 7

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/why-am-i-receiving-message-system-components-missing

Will doing this mess with anything?

Installed stuff? Files? Etc?

 

[Hazaro]

So I ordered this a few hours ago, wanted to get some thoughts on it I guess. I've already got the hard drives and a GTX 460 to throw in it, and I plan on using SLI in the coming months. I'm mostly curious to hear about anyone's experience with OCing the 2500k, and whether or not they're using a more 'serious' after market cooler than the H50. I've read about some people managing a 4Ghz+ OC with little more than a $30 heatsink

That $30 heatsink is better than the H50 imo. I think it is rubbish. If its for looks that is fine.

Is there much a difference between 4xaa and 8xaa? Like is the difference really noticeable?

I was just wondering what others thought

I usually go 4x, 8x if I have the power. Not a big deal for me.

Trying to install Service Pack 1 for windows 7

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/why-am-i-receiving-message-system-components-missing

Will doing this mess with anything?

Installed stuff? Files? Etc?

All my stuff is working, the internet can figure what it does in a week.

 

[WEGGLES]

All my stuff is working, the internet can figure what it does in a week.

No, I'm not worried about SP1.

It wants me to re-install windows.

Says I'm missing stuff (?).

To reinstall Windows 7

Turn on your computer, and then do one of the following:

If you downloaded Windows 7, browse to the installation file you downloaded, and then double-click it.

If you have a Windows 7 installation disc, insert the disc into your computer. Setup should start automatically. If it doesn't, click the Start button , click Computer, double-click your DVD drive to open the Windows 7 installation disc, and then double-click setup.exe.

If you've downloaded Windows 7 installation files onto a USB flash drive, insert the drive into your computer. Setup should start automatically. If it doesn't, click the Start button , click Computer, double-click the drive, and then double-click setup.exe.

On the Install Windows page, click Install now.

Click Get important updates for installation.

On the Please read the license terms page, if you accept the license terms, click I accept the license terms, and then click Next.

On the Which type of installation do you want? page, click Upgrade to begin the upgrade. You might see a compatibility report.

Follow the instructions to finish installing Windows 7.

Will doing that mess with anything I have installed or the like?

 

[Zimbardo]

so i have a question that i hope someone here could clarify for me ...PLEASE!

i have an i5 760 which is overclocked @ 3.8ghz 1.25 volts.

i have Load Line Calibration enabled in the bios.

i've heard conflicting statements around the web if this is a good thing or not. some say if you're overclocking that you should enabled it ...others say it can cause dangerous voltage spikes and that you should leave it disabled.

okay ...so here's my experience with LLC ...

my CPU is stable and perfectly fine @ 3.8ghz and 1.25 volts (LLC enabled) during Intel Burn Test. CPUZ running says that the voltage is roughly 1.25 (1.248 to 1.256 ...under load).

when LLC is disabled, and at the same voltage and clock speed (3.8ghz and 1.25v) ...during Intel Burn Test, my CPU errors out and i could actually see the voltage drop in CPUZ to around 1.1v even. i knew it was going to error out when the voltage dropped that low.

so LLC needed to be enabled for my voltage to remain as close to what i set in the Bios as possible. it stays pretty well constant and proper with LLC enabled.

so how is this a bad thing?

i'm thinking that if i was close to the voltage ceiling it might be somewhat bad ...ie, 1.4v, and LLC enabled might cause it to spike a bit higher? ...but at a low voltage, like 1.25v, i don't see the problem.

so am i completely missing something here?

LLC is a good thing by the looks of things to me ...or am i wrong?

 

[Cday]

I don't see how the hell someone can be using over 4 gigs of ram just sitting there unless something is up or their startup processes are a huge mess. I'm sitting here running dual monitors with iTunes and firefox running with multiple tabs open and multiple addons installed and using 1.48gb. That said with how affordable ddr3 is right now there's not much reason to not just get 8gb anyway.

I'm mostly curious to hear about anyone's experience with OCing the 2500k, and whether or not they're using a more 'serious' after market cooler than the H50. I've read about some people managing a 4Ghz+ OC with little more than a $30 heatsink.

No reason to do water cooling over a 212 plus($30). Hell, I managed 4.2 ghz with safe prime 95 temps on the stock cooler. That's how good the 2500k is.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Windows 7 service pack 1 borked my system pretty bad. But I fixed it using the repair wizard pre-boot.

 

[scorcho]

LLC is a good thing by the looks of things to me ...or am i wrong?

if LLC is working on your system and is stable with it enabled, yo should be all good.

 

[Sanjay]

So I shouldn't have a problem with lag at 5 feet? Any keyboard recommendations?
Any thoughts on this? Logitech Wireless Gaming Mouse G700

Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 - Logitech
http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/keyboards/keyboard/devices/k750-keyboard

 

[Le-mo]

Fellows a quick question. My friend has an Intel DX48BT2 mobo and he wants to buy a wireless network card, but he doesn't know which one is compatible with his board and I don't know either. Could you guys recommend one?

 

[knitoe]

so i have a question that i hope someone here could clarify for me ...PLEASE!

i have an i5 760 which is overclocked @ 3.8ghz 1.25 volts.

i have Load Line Calibration enabled in the bios.

i've heard conflicting statements around the web if this is a good thing or not. some say if you're overclocking that you should enabled it ...others say it can cause dangerous voltage spikes and that you should leave it disabled.

okay ...so here's my experience with LLC ...

my CPU is stable and perfectly fine @ 3.8ghz and 1.25 volts (LLC enabled) during Intel Burn Test. CPUZ running says that the voltage is roughly 1.25 (1.248 to 1.256 ...under load).

when LLC is disabled, and at the same voltage and clock speed (3.8ghz and 1.25v) ...during Intel Burn Test, my CPU errors out and i could actually see the voltage drop in CPUZ to around 1.1v even. i knew it was going to error out when the voltage dropped that low.

so LLC needed to be enabled for my voltage to remain as close to what i set in the Bios as possible. it stays pretty well constant and proper with LLC enabled.

so how is this a bad thing?

i'm thinking that if i was close to the voltage ceiling it might be somewhat bad ...ie, 1.4v, and LLC enabled might cause it to spike a bit higher? ...but at a low voltage, like 1.25v, i don't see the problem.

so am i completely missing something here?

LLC is a good thing by the looks of things to me ...or am i wrong?

I would use HWmonitor to see min / max voltages even than spikes could happen so fast that the software program won't register it.

I am not familiar LLC works on the older the i3/5/7 CPU setup, but I can tell you my experience with the sandy bridge. On Asus P8P67 Deluxe MB, LLC has these options (Auto, Regular = 0%, 25%, High = 50%, Very High = 75% and Extreme = 100%) with ups the CPU voltage under load. Going by memory, for example at 0%, the CPU voltage will be 0.950 (idle) to 1.220V (load). At 100%, .950 (idle) to 1.320V (load) with possible voltage spikes above that while LLC tries to compensate.

Instead, I rather use offset which will move the voltage range (idle to load) without the possibility of voltage spikes. For example, with 2600K @ 4.5GHz using offset +50 and LLC = 0%, it would be 1.00V (idle) to 1.27V (load).

You could try using offset to overcame the CPU voltage drop under load instead of using LLC.

 

[tafer]

First, visually inspect everything, unplug and replug all connections.

Then try and limit what you can:
1 stick of ram
ssd only
nothing else plugged in that you dont need

See if it happens again

This only happens with games? If so, leaning more to video card drivers or video card itself. Have you tried running Prime95 with small fft to test the CPU? Have you tried updating to latest Bios? What's the current version? Go into Bios > Advanced Mode > Ai Tweaker, make BCLK: 100, Memory Frequency: DDR3-1600MHz and manually set the correct DRAM Voltage.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

The PC seems to be stable and now I feel like I can do some funny OC things. (yay)

This is what I did:
- With everything checked, I followed knitoe steps and then did some little research and eventually found this links:
http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/overclocking/39184-p67-sandy-bridge-overclocking-guide-beginners.html (Beginners guide to OC on P8P67)
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1578110 (Very useful for those going for 4.8GHz+ on P8P67)
- At the end It seems that the "default" configuration is quite unstable with my system. (The correct memory info seems to be extremely important)
- At the same time I noticed that the suggested multiplier / CPU voltage parings of the previews link just doesn't do it on my system. However, if I let the voltage on auto the system regains stability. (At least with a 40 Multiplier)

Right now I'm posting this with a stable 4000MHz and under load (OCCT) the system doesn't exceed 61C.

At this point I'm extremely happy and feel like wasting all night experimenting, but... I to go to work tomorrow (1AM right now, just in case, that also explains the terrible structure and engrish of this post).

All comments and suggestions are welcome!

 

[Rubixcuba]

Made a PC build, thoughts? I was considering changing the CPU to a AMD X6 or i5, is there a large performance drop?

 

[Madison Paige]

I apologize if this isn't the right place for this, and if so, I will move it to the appropriate place.

So, I purchased the "Damn Capable" build, and all the parts came in today. I've spent several hours getting it all together, but it doesn't seem to be working. Everything's connected as it should be, to the best of my knowledge. When I turn it on, the speaker doesn't emit a beep or anything. All I hear is everything whirring up. The graphics card refuses to display anything, and my USB keyboard/mouse don't come on or anything. I tried a PS/2 keyboard, and it did a temporary light up at the beginning of boot, but that was it. My monitor pretends it's asleep every time.

The only thing that I don't actually have at the moment is the DVD drive. Well, I have the drive, but the SATA cable didn't come with it. I'm picking one up tomorrow, but was trying to get it working for now so I can at least do some basic stuff. I went through the trouble of removing my IDE DVD drive and putting it in (along with a ribbon cable and all that) but it seems to not even be plugged in at all. The SATA drive, which is only powered, will eject and lights up and all, but the IDE drive does nothing. I know it works, though, because I put it back in this computer and it still works like a charm.

Also, for the record, I can't swap any of the parts out to see if one singular one is broken, because none of the computers in my house share similar sockets. Everything else I own is IDE, socket 474, AGP, etc... I've also tried putting the graphics card in the other PCI-E port, and switching wires and such around. Nothing seems to work, though.

 

[Fredescu]

Made a PC build, thoughts? I was considering changing the CPU to a AMD X6 or i5, is there a large performance drop?

That's the old generation i7. This i5 is cheaper and faster: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=187_346_1184&products_id=16531

You will need a socket 1155 motherboard to go with it. Grab a P67 based board from this lot: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=138_711_1183

Power supply wise, I'd go for http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_354&products_id=12918 or http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_972&products_id=13567 . Just a touch more reliable, and you don't need 700w.

I'm not sure the sound card you've listed adds much value. The onboard stuff is pretty decent these days. If you want something better because of a specific requirement, I believe the Xonar family reviews fairly well, but you might want to double check that.

 

[Johnny]

Made a PC build, thoughts? I was considering changing the CPU to a AMD X6 or i5, is there a large performance drop?

- Go with 8GB of RAM, it's cheap and needed if you plan on editing video etc.
- Spend more money on a decent keyboard and mouse, after all it's how you interact with the machine.
- Save $160 by going with an OEM version of Windows.
- Invest in a small SSD for your OS, it makes a huge performance difference.
- Go with an i5 2500K and save yourself $100.
- You probably don't need a seperate soundcard.

Overall those prices seem a little high as well.

edit:
Echoing Fredescu's PSU suggestions as well, and the motherboard thing. Also you might as well grab the larger HDD while you're at it as you'll get more storage for the dollar, I go with WD Cavier Greens for my storage.

Oh and that case is tacky, but that's more personal taste than anything.

 

[JaseC]

I'm not sure the sound card you've listed adds much value. The onboard stuff is pretty decent these days. If you want something better because of a specific requirement, I believe the Xonar family reviews fairly well, but you might want to double check that.

Yeah, ditch the Creative for an ASUS Xonar DG if you want to avoid on-board.

 

[Fredescu]

Overall those prices seem a little high as well.

Australian prices.

 

[Cday]

I apologize if this isn't the right place for this, and if so, I will move it to the appropriate place.

So, I purchased the "Damn Capable" build, and all the parts came in today. I've spent several hours getting it all together, but it doesn't seem to be working. Everything's connected as it should be, to the best of my knowledge. When I turn it on, the speaker doesn't emit a beep or anything. All I hear is everything whirring up. The graphics card refuses to display anything, and my USB keyboard/mouse don't come on or anything. I tried a PS/2 keyboard, and it did a temporary light up at the beginning of boot, but that was it. My monitor pretends it's asleep every time.

The only thing that I don't actually have at the moment is the DVD drive. Well, I have the drive, but the SATA cable didn't come with it. I'm picking one up tomorrow, but was trying to get it working for now so I can at least do some basic stuff. I went through the trouble of removing my IDE DVD drive and putting it in (along with a ribbon cable and all that) but it seems to not even be plugged in at all. The SATA drive, which is only powered, will eject and lights up and all, but the IDE drive does nothing. I know it works, though, because I put it back in this computer and it still works like a charm.

Also, for the record, I can't swap any of the parts out to see if one singular one is broken, because none of the computers in my house share similar sockets. Everything else I own is IDE, socket 474, AGP, etc... I've also tried putting the graphics card in the other PCI-E port, and switching wires and such around. Nothing seems to work, though.

Something could be shorting out the motherboard. Could be a ram problem or could be a ram problem due to the 212 plus being mounted improperly. Could also be a 1000 other things. Try mounting the stock cooler and only using 1 gb of ram. Make sure you clean the thermal paste off the processor and reapply if necessary, don't get thermal paste on the motherboard. If that doesn't work take out the mobo and place it on a non-conductive surface with only 1gb ram and a video card. To turn it on use a flathead screwdriver to bridge the two pins that you plug the case power button into.

 

[drkOne]

When I turn it on, the speaker doesn't emit a beep or anything. All I hear is everything whirring up.

You can see if something is wrong during POST by opening your case and checking if any red light stays on after you turn it on.
You should have different lights, for CPU, RAM, GPU, etc.
If one of those lights stays on, then there's something wrong with that part. But don't worry, reseating does the job most of the time.

Also, check if all the PSU to Motherboard cables are connected. If you're sure you didn't miss any, I'd try reseating RAMs and CPU.

Last PC I helped a friend building, the CPU light would stay red, we were about to call it quits and RMA it, but after reseating it for the 4th time it finally booted up.

 

[Aselith]

I was reading on Newegg that you would need to remove the motherboard to attach a Hyper 212. Is this correct and if so is there a good CPU cooler that I can add to my build that would not necessitate me taking out the MB? TOO MANY CALORIES!

 

[Wolf Akela]

Echoing Fredescu's PSU suggestions as well, and the motherboard thing. Also you might as well grab the larger HDD while you're at it as you'll get more storage for the dollar, I go with WD Cavier Greens for my storage.

Go with Caviar Greens only if they're strictly for storage, and not something you constantly use like as your OS/game/download disk.

I wouldn't bother risking it. If you want WD, go with Blue at least.

 

[Cday]

I was reading on Newegg that you would need to remove the motherboard to attach a Hyper 212. Is this correct and if so is there a good CPU cooler that I can add to my build that would not necessitate me taking out the MB? TOO MANY CALORIES!

Depends on the case. My 600t has a ton of room and has a cutout on the back of the motherboard tray where the back plate for the 212 plus goes. In some ways it's more of a hassle to keep it in the case and in some ways it's more of a hassle to do it outside of the case where you have to juggle the mobo, screwdriver, nuts/bolts. I wouldn't say the 212 plus is easy to mount but I also wouldn't say that taking the motherboard out is hard, it's just tedious.

You will be able to mount any cooler that doesn't use a back-plate or any sort of nuts/bolts funny business without taking the mobo out. How practical this is depends on your case.

 

[Aselith]

Depends on the case. My 600t has a ton of room and has a cutout on the back of the motherboard tray where the back plate for the 212 plus goes. In some ways it's more of a hassle to keep it in the case and in some ways it's more of a hassle to do it outside of the case where you have to juggle the mobo, screwdriver, nuts/bolts. I wouldn't say the 212 plus is easy to mount but I also wouldn't say that taking the motherboard out is hard, it's just tedious.

You will be able to mount any cooler that doesn't use a back-plate or any sort of nuts/bolts funny business without taking the mobo out. How practical this is depends on your case.

It's an NZXT Phantom. It's a pretty big case, I was actually watching the Newegg walkthrough video and he mentioned some cases having that possibility. I'll have to check the case for it (it's actually my friend's computer. I'm just building it for him so I don't have it here now.)

Edit: Yay, I just watched the Phantom walkthrough and it did show a backplate cutout...now to make sure it has the clearance!

 

[mrklaw]

Hey guys, I need a laptop recommendation between $700-$900 that is ok for gaming (ie. no intel graphics card and at least 4gb RAM). It's for a friend, and I've found a couple ok suggestions, but I was just wondering if there were any good recommendations out there or what I should be looking at. He said his price cap is $1000 but I wanted to come in a tiny bit lower than that.

I'm looking at this one for him, at the moment. Let me know what you think.

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58310&vpn=LX.R0102.050&manufacture=Acer

1) its a bit crappy IMO, the GPU isn't that great
2) there is a gaming laptop thread here where you'll get tons of info. Google search 'gamer laptop' (gaming laptop doesn't seem to work)
3) I have an acer aspire 5750G, sandy bridge i5-2410m, Nvidia 540M. Cost me £600 UK, so probably about $700? Plays games fine. If you use up all your budget you can probably get one with a GTX460M or similar which will rock for gaming