Support NeoGAF

[matmanx1]

Did a bunch more research and it seems like the likely cause of my 4870x2 having high temps is there is a bunch of dust within the heatsinks in the card that i couldnt get at with compressed air spray through the vents.

At least i hope thats it.

Im gonna have to do surgery on it. I found some guides on how to disassemble it and shit. Only thing i am really worried about are damaging the thermal pads and having to clean and apply nerw thermal paste. I have some MX-2 that came with my PC i ordered online through AVA-Direct. I hear that is good. It should work with the gpu right?

Also, what is the best way to put the thermal stuff on the gpu? Im gonna have to buy isopropyl alcohol to rub off the existing shit. Do i put a dot of the stuff and then flatten it, or would it be better to evenly spread it around beforehand cause there are two cores and it could be tricky to squash and spread?

The thermal compound should be applied in as thin a layer as possible. It's only job is to fill in tiny imperfections in the metal. I've heard of people using razor blades or even business cards to apply the compound. Arctic Silver Ceramique is made specifically for GPU applications and is supposed to be excellent although I have not used it myself.

 

[Wallach]

Currently OC'ing my i5-750 with all the new temp headroom I have. Seems to be at 3.8Ghz without issue, topped out at 65c after an hour of prime95 though I'm running with LLC on and voltages will probably come down as I figure out where it's stable (sitting at 1.36 vcore right now).

 

[-viper-]

I have a 600W OCZ ModXStream powersupply and it is said to be SLI certified.

I am planning to buy the i5-2500k and a new MOBO to go with it, but am unsure whether I should get a SLI/Crossfire MOBO or a standard single GPU MOBO.

Is 600W enough power to power a SLI/Crossfire combo if I were to purchase a second GPU down the line?

Also, it says SLI certified but there is no mention of crossfire. Does this mean that my PSU can only run Nvidia dual cards and not AMD ATI ones?

 

[Sir Garbageman]

Reposting this from the OC thread. Thanks.

Should I bother overclocking anything in my PC? I'm not much of a graphics whore and I'm happy with things on med - high settings. For reference the next few games I plan on buying on PC that will push my system will probably be Dragon Age 2, The Witcher 2 and Mass Effect 3. In a year or two I figured I'd buy / build a whole new PC so I wouldn't mind pushing it a little bit. Not the most tech savvy so any insight would be appreciated.

My specs:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100283VXL Radeon HD 5770 1GB

I play on a 21 inch monitor.

 

[JoeBoy101]

Alright PC-GAF, about to start pulling the trigger on components on my new 'Construct'. Please let me know if you see any issues or have any opinions on the build below. Thanks to everyone who has already provided help so far.

CPU - i5-2500K (~$215)
Mobo - Asus P8P67 PRO (~$190)
Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ($49.99)
PSU - CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-650HX 650W ($119.99)
GPU - EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB ($359.99)
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM ($64.99)
Case- COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M ($89.99)
Optical Drive - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS ($19.99)
OS - Windows 7 OEM ($99.99)

Total - $1,239.91

 

[Ryu1999]

Looking to build a SFF computer along side my current desktop (i7-920 @ 3.5ghz, GTX 260, but upgrading to Radeon 6950)

Country: USA
Budget: Preferably <$700.00
Main Use: Emulation (PS2/MAME)
Monitor Resolution: 50 inch Kuro plasma HDTV
Are reusing any parts?: Geforce GTX 260, 120gb HD
When will you build?: I can wait, especially since there aren't any mini-itx boards for sandy bridge yet
Will you be overclocking?: Yes, if need be

Preferably going to be using the lian li q08 case. Do i even need sandy bridge or is it overkill for the stuff that i'm doing?

 

[Mr_Brit]

Alright PC-GAF, about to start pulling the trigger on components on my new 'Construct'. Please let me know if you see any issues or have any opinions on the build below. Thanks to everyone who has already provided help so far.

CPU - i5-2500K (~$215)
Mobo - Asus P8P67 PRO (~$190)
Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ($49.99)
PSU - CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-650HX 650W ($119.99)
GPU - EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB ($359.99)
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM ($64.99)
Case- COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M ($89.99)
Optical Drive - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS ($19.99)
OS - Windows 7 OEM ($99.99)

Total - $1,239.91

Any reason you're not getting a much faster 1TB Samsung F3 HDD instead of that 640GB WD?

 

[JoeBoy101]

Any reason you're not getting a much faster 1TB Samsung F3 HDD instead of that 640GB WD?

Is it much faster? Hmmm, lemme go look at it. *runs off to Newegg*

EDIT: How come it's much faster? Spin speed is the same and same cache.

 

[Ikuu]

Alright PC-GAF, about to start pulling the trigger on components on my new 'Construct'. Please let me know if you see any issues or have any opinions on the build below. Thanks to everyone who has already provided help so far.

CPU - i5-2500K (~$215)
Mobo - Asus P8P67 PRO (~$190)
Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ($49.99)
PSU - CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-650HX 650W ($119.99)
GPU - EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB ($359.99)
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM ($64.99)
Case- COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M ($89.99)
Optical Drive - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS ($19.99)
OS - Windows 7 OEM ($99.99)

Total - $1,239.91

Are you getting a proper cooler or using the stock one? Also I'd get more space than 640GB.

 

[JoeBoy101]

Are you getting a proper cooler or using the stock one? Also I'd get more space than 640GB.

I don't immediately plan on OCing, so I figured I stick with stock cooler now. Also so I can see how every fits into the mid-tower (albeit a large one). After everything's stable and comfy, I'll probably get a Cooler Master Hyper 212.

I'm not stuck on the Caviar Black, I'm just curious how the Spinpoint is faster. Also, I doubt I'll need 1TB (I will barely need 640GB likely), but the price difference is negligible.

EDIT: DAMMIT! Newegg just went out of stock on EVGA 570's.

 

[Ikuu]

You might as well just buy it just now, your temps will be much lower and you won't have to go through the hassle of installing it. You should overclock straight away to be honest, no reason not to.

 

[JoeBoy101]

You might as well just buy it just now, your temps will be much lower and you won't have to go through the hassle of installing it. You should overclock straight away to be honest, no reason not to.

I'm just timid about using the thermal paste as well. :-(

 

[TheFatOne]

I'm just timid about using the thermal paste as well. :-(

You mean applying thermal paste to a cpu? Because that is really easy. Nothing to be worried about. Watch some youtube videos, and take your time.

Edit: Also amazon has a 1TB Samsung Spinpoit HDD for 59.99 right now.

 

[Ikuu]

You're going to need to apply the paste regardless, make sure you get some of that also, the stuff you get with the CPU isn't that good.

 

[JoeBoy101]

You're going to need to apply the paste regardless, make sure you get some of that also, the stuff you get with the CPU isn't that good.

I thought most stock fans come pre-applied? Regardless, I went ahead and threw the cooler and some Arctic Silver 5 in as well.

 

[sh4mike]

I'm planning a near identical build to JoeBoy with the 2500K, GTX 570, Asus P67 PRO. Going with 8GB (2x4GB) sticks of 1600 RAM and will upgrade to SSD perhaps later this year when the tech upgrades settle down.

Question on that base HDD selection -- should we be looking for Sata 6.0GB speeds to take advantage of the motherboard's capability?

Wish I had a case finalized like you, JoeBoy. Not buying until I feel comfy. Seem to switch my preference daily. I'm fine with a huge $300 case; just don't want to feel I'm missing out on any nice features. Want enough size to potentially handle 6 HDDs and GTX 570 SLI, big coolers, etc.. HAF X seems to fit my needs, but I read it can be a bit noisy.

 

[JoeBoy101]

I'm planning a near identical build to JoeBoy with the 2500K, GTX 570, Asus P67 PRO. Going with 8GB (2x4GB) sticks of 1600 RAM and will upgrade to SSD perhaps later this year when the tech upgrades settle down.

Question on that base HDD selection -- should we be looking for Sata 6.0GB speeds to take advantage of the motherboard's capability?

Wish I had a case finalized like you, JoeBoy. Not buying until I feel comfy. Seem to switch my preference daily. I'm fine with a huge $300 case; just don't want to feel I'm missing out on any nice features. Want enough size to potentially handle 6 HDDs and GTX 570 SLI, big coolers, etc.. HAF X seems to fit my needs, but I read it can be a bit noisy.

See, I MIGHT add another SSD later, so I know a mid-tower will fit me fine. You DEFINITELY need a full tower. As for the faster SATA speeds, again, figured I'd wait until I'm looking at SSD upgrade down the road this year. I'll still be probably doing a Boot Drive/Data Drive config, so will need a platter anyways.

 

[Wallach]

I'm interested in hearing what kind of 24/7 OCs (including volts) people are using on their i5-750/760 chips. I'm thinking about doing something in the 3.6Ghz range just to keep the vcore/vtt down pretty far and the temps seem very palatable for everyday usage, as I top out around 52c.

 

[MrBelmontvedere]

EDIT: DAMMIT! Newegg just went out of stock on EVGA 570's.

amazon has stock

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004EYSMGW/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[blackMamba1187]

Is this clip http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118053&Tpk=cs5b all i need to attach my zalman9700 hsf to the new asus 1155 board?

Zalman's website says it's compatible, but I expected there to be more pieces than newegg shows.

 

[Eaten By A Grue]

I learned a few things last night replacing my power supply and video card.

If you are replacing you old video card to unlatch it from the pci-e slot. My old card was covering up the latch on the slot and I broke the latch and a piece of the slot plastic right off the fucking pci-e slot yanking out my old video card. I thought the card was just being difficult coming out, I did not see it was locked in the slot. I am so lucky my new video card works and fits snuggly in the slot that it does not fall out with the missing latch.

I also found out last night too that if you put the mobo power 4-pin side cable in backwards by mistake it does not fry the board turning it on!

*insert the More You Know Star*

 

[Struct09]

I'm looking at upgrading to an IPS monitor (22-23"). Is this a good choice? http://accessories.dell.com/sna/pro...e_bnrank=1&baynote_irrank=0&~ck=baynoteSearch

 

[matmanx1]

I learned a few things last night replacing my power supply and video card.

If you are replacing you old video card to unlatch it from the pci-e slot. My old card was covering up the latch on the slot and I broke the latch and a piece of the slot plastic right off the fucking pci-e slot yanking out my old video card. I thought the card was just being difficult coming out, I did not see it was locked in the slot. I am so lucky my new video card works and fits snuggly in the slot that it does not fall out with the missing latch.

I also found out last night too that if you put the mobo power 4-pin side cable in backwards by mistake it does not fry the board turning it on!

*insert the More You Know Star*

Hehe. School of Hard Knocks, man. Yeah those little PCIe retaining latches can be a pain. I had to use a small flat head screw driver to unhook mine today for my new 6970 install. Everything is up and running though so it's all good.

 

[blackMamba1187]

Just to note for everyone, Newegg is doing a 72 hour sale I just got an e-mail for that covers this weekend. Items of note:

Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield 2.8GHz - $179.99 (Save $30) [Don't do it, but in case you didn't like SB]
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $244.99 (Save $35)
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W - $109.99 (Save $50 and has a $20 MIR on top)
SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V - $129.99 (Save $60)

Just a head's up.

I hope they send me this email. Eyeballin this PSU for a friend's build, but I had e-mails turned off in my newegg account until reading your post.

 

[TheExodu5]

I thought most stock fans come pre-applied? Regardless, I went ahead and threw the cooler and some Arctic Silver 5 in as well.

Don't get Arctic Silver 5. Get MX-4 or some other non conductive thermal paste.

 

[JoeBoy101]

Don't get Arctic Silver 5. Get MX-4 or some other non conductive thermal paste.

Really? Arctic Silver has always been the go-to I've heard.

 

[TheExodu5]

Really? Arctic Silver has always been the go-to I've heard.

Used to be. It's been surpassed, and a few others are preferred for a few reasons:

- AS5 is conductive, meaning if you spill some somewhere you shouldn't, it can fry your system.

- AS5 dries out after a while

Too bad Newegg doesn't stock the Innovation Cooling Diamond stuff.

 

[JoeBoy101]

Used to be. It's been surpassed, and a few others are preferred for a few reasons:

- AS5 is conductive, meaning if you spill some somewhere you shouldn't, it can fry your system.

- AS5 dries out after a while

Ahhh. Was just looking at it over on Newegg and it looks good. I'm convinced.

 

[sam27368]

It arrives tomorrow!

Caved in and ordered

CPU: Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz @ 4.00GHz
Motherboard: Asus Rampage II Extreme (Socket 1366) DDR3 Motherboard
RAM: Corsair XMS3 (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Triple Channel
Prolimatech Megahalems Performance CPU Cooler with Sharkoon Silent Eagle 2000RPM 120mm Fan
2x (for SLI) EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
2x Samsung P2450H 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black
Coolermaster HAF X Gaming Tower Case - Black (RC-942)
Crucial RealSSD C300 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive
LG BH10LS30 10x BluRay-RW / 16 x DVD±RW Drive - Black (OEM)
Akasa Freedom Power 1000W Modular Power Supply
Logitech Wireless Desktop Wave (920-000280)
2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000528AS)
Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - PC / Xbox 360

and no money for 3 months as I pay it off

 

[TheExodu5]

Is this clip http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118053&Tpk=cs5b all i need to attach my zalman9700 hsf to the new asus 1155 board?

Zalman's website says it's compatible, but I expected there to be more pieces than newegg shows.

Quite honestly, the 9700 is horrible nowadays. Even their new 9900 does pretty poorly. I would probably just get a cheap Hyper 212+, instead of putting more money into the Zalman.

I replaced my old 9700 with a Mugen 2 a while back and saw massive temp improvements.

I'm interested in hearing what kind of 24/7 OCs (including volts) people are using on their i5-750/760 chips. I'm thinking about doing something in the 3.6Ghz range just to keep the vcore/vtt down pretty far and the temps seem very palatable for everyday usage, as I top out around 52c.

3.6GHz is fine and a very conservative number to shoot for. Should be able to run that under 1.3V.

 

[TheExodu5]

I'm planning a near identical build to JoeBoy with the 2500K, GTX 570, Asus P67 PRO. Going with 8GB (2x4GB) sticks of 1600 RAM and will upgrade to SSD perhaps later this year when the tech upgrades settle down.

Question on that base HDD selection -- should we be looking for Sata 6.0GB speeds to take advantage of the motherboard's capability?

Wish I had a case finalized like you, JoeBoy. Not buying until I feel comfy. Seem to switch my preference daily. I'm fine with a huge $300 case; just don't want to feel I'm missing out on any nice features. Want enough size to potentially handle 6 HDDs and GTX 570 SLI, big coolers, etc.. HAF X seems to fit my needs, but I read it can be a bit noisy.

The thing to remember is it has massive 230mm and 200mm fans. Since they push so much air, you don't need to run them at full speed. It won't be noisy at all at moderate speeds. You'll hear a silent whooshing of air, and no fan motor speed.

In terms of features and space, the HAF X is unbeatable at the moment.

 

[Jin34]

Don't get Arctic Silver 5. Get MX-4 or some other non conductive thermal paste.

Didn't know it had been surpassed, but I still have some left so I'll keep using it. The thickness of it is quite annoying though.

 

[TheExodu5]

Didn't know it had been surpassed, but I still have some left so I'll keep using it. The thickness of it is quite annoying though.

It's pretty liquid compared to most of the stuff out there.

 

[Wrekt]

The thing to remember is it has massive 230mm and 200mm fans. Since they push so much air, you don't need to run them at full speed. It won't be noisy at all at moderate speeds. You'll hear a silent whooshing of air, and no fan motor speed.

In terms of features and space, the HAF X is unbeatable at the moment.

I hate having giant, bulky cases. I only use 1 optical drive, 1 video card and at most 1 SSD+2 regular HDDs. A HAF 912 seems more like what I am looking for in a case. Is the air flow so much better in a HAF X that I should buck up the extra cash and just deal with having a monstrous, mostly empty case?

 

[TheExodu5]

I hate having giant, bulky cases. I only use 1 optical drive, 1 video card and at most 1 SSD+2 regular HDDs. A HAF 912 seems more like what I am looking for in a case. Is the air flow so much better in a HAF X that I should buck up the extra cash and just deal with having a monstrous, mostly empty case?

Just go with the 922.

Same size as the 912, but with more cooling, and more HDD cages.

The airflow won't be much better in a HAF X, no. Only go to it if you want a much bigger cases, and slightly more features (dust filters, black interior, hot-swap bays, cable management holes).

 

[itxaka]

If you wait a month you can get a much improved C400.

Thank you sir, much appreciated. I didn't knew the new ones were almost out!

 

[Ikuu]

2500k just went up on the store I use, to order or not. :lol

Edit: I'm in the UK so it's £185 for the 2500k, http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-360-IN

 

[blackMamba1187]

2500k just went up on the store I use, to order or not. :lol

For how much?

 

[Slayer-33]

See, I MIGHT add another SSD later, so I know a mid-tower will fit me fine. You DEFINITELY need a full tower. As for the faster SATA speeds, again, figured I'd wait until I'm looking at SSD upgrade down the road this year. I'll still be probably doing a Boot Drive/Data Drive config, so will need a platter anyways.

Then.. Why not buy a 1TB + F3 spinpoint? It'll be perfect for storage later.

Get it you sob, I bought 2 F3's with my latest build, awesomely fast. And yes I'm a WD fanboy.

They'll serve as awesome storage drives when I upgrade to SSD (I purposely waited for a newer cheaper SSD gen)

 

[JoeBoy101]

Then.. Why not buy a 1TB + F3 spinpoint? It'll be perfect for storage later.

Get it you sob, I bought 2 F3's with my latest build, awesomely fast. And yes I'm a WD fanboy.

They'll serve as awesome storage drives when I upgrade to SSD (I purposely waited for a newer cheaper SSD gen)

Oh, I'm going to get the Spinpoint on people's advice. Though cheaper, as I found out, Amazon's packaging of the OEM is brutally poor, so I'm sticking with Newegg for the drive.

 

[Slayer-33]

Oh, I'm going to get the Spinpoint on people's advice. Though cheaper, as I found out, Amazon's packaging of the OEM is brutally poor, so I'm sticking with Newegg for the drive.

Oh definitely, I ordered my stuff from newegg the HDD's arrived well packaged and safe.

 

[Slayer-33]

-f'ing double post bs-

 

[Ikuu]

 

[JoeBoy101]

*Looks at CPU and Mobo*

I hope you choke on them.

 

[Wazzim]

So this is what I am planning to get to start out with (first gaming PC):

Am I missing something? Will the stuff fit in the case, and what about the heat? (will not be overclocking with this setup for now)

 

[2San]

Ok since Sandy Bridge is finally so it's time to create a PC.

I live in the Netherlands. I'm planning to buy from Azerty.nl and 4launch.nl(only getting the RAM from here) for parts. If you know a better place feel free to say it.

1000 euro's is the maximum I can spend.

This the build I am considering:

mobo = ASUS P8P67 (143 euro)
CPU = Intel i5 2500 (197 euro)
GPU = Colorful iGame460 GTX (209 euro)
RAM = Corsair 2x4GB, DDR3, PC12800, CL9, XMS3 (100 euro)
PSU= Coolmaster silentpro M700 - 700 watt (107 euro)
DVD drive =Samsung SH-S223C (17 euro)
HDD = Samsung SpinPoint F3 Desktop Class HD103SJ (52 euro)
case = Xigmatek Asgard - Midtowermodel (37 euro)
OS = Windows 7 Home 64bit (85 euro)

total = 947

Not sure how I feel about over clocking as I have never done it. And is it doable for a total nub like me? I am putting the thing together myself. I'm skilled enough to do that though. From a finacial stand point I do have enough money to buy a cooler. Considering the build is 947 euro's.

edit: @Wazzim where are you buying from seems cheaper then where I am considering buying from

 

[Mr_Brit]

Why would you spend so much on a keyboard?

 

[TheExodu5]

Some people like mechanical keyboards.

I spent a ton on mine:

Scissor switch though, not mechanical.

 

[JoeBoy101]

Ok since Sandy Bridge is finally so it's time to create a PC.

I live in the Netherlands. I'm planning to buy from Azerty.nl and 4launch.nl(only getting the RAM from here) for parts. If you know a better place feel free to say it.

1000 euro's is the maximum I can spend.

This the build I am considering:

mobo = ASUS P8P67 (143 euro)
CPU = Intel i5 2500 (197 euro)
GPU = Colorful iGame460 GTX (209 euro)
RAM = Corsair 2x4GB, DDR3, PC12800, CL9, XMS3 (100 euro)
PSU= Coolmaster silentpro M700 - 700 watt (107 euro)
DVD drive =Samsung SH-S223C (17 euro)
HDD = Samsung SpinPoint F3 Desktop Class HD103SJ (52 euro)
case = Xigmatek Asgard - Midtowermodel (37 euro)
OS = Windows 7 Home 64bit (85 euro)

total = 947

Not sure how I feel about over clocking as I have never done it. And is it doable for a total nub like me? I am putting the thing together myself. I'm skilled enough to do that though. From a finacial stand point I do have enough money to buy a cooler. Considering the build is 947 euro's.

A) OCing a new SB chip sounds even easier than before. Besides, its only $10 to possibly do it down the road, better to do it now than lock yourself out and want to do it later. Get the 'K' chip.

B) A decent cooler will cost between $20 and $30. Again, may not need it, but given costs, better to just throw down and get it.

Scissor switch though, not mechanical.

That the Logitech Illuminated? How do you like it? I got a Lycosa and the fucking thing has been nothing but trouble. Going to get a new Logitech keyboard and probably mouse for my new machine.

 

[TheExodu5]

That the Logitech Illuminated? How do you like it? I got a Lycosa and the fucking thing has been nothing but trouble. Going to get a new Logitech keyboard and probably mouse for my new machine.

Absolutely love it. It has a similar action to the Lycosa though, which is also scissor switch. Definitely a smoother keyboard overall though.

Honestly, I have a Razer Mamba mouse, and it's enough to dissuade me from ever buying Razor again. The hardware is poorly built, and the drivers are a nightmare.