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[momolicious]

Is this normal? My secondary drive is a Caviar Black 1tb, just RMAed my first one, this is second one. When i double click my secondary drive the first time it does a zzzzzzzz, freezes for a second then loads up the drive

 

[Izayoi]

omg omg omg omg

so excite

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Unleash the power of a thousand monkeys on my command, Izayoi!

Spoiler

Congratulations! :3

 

[Izayoi]

Unleash the power of a thousand monkeys on my command, Izayoi!

Spoiler

Congratulations! :3

There really is nothing else like anticipating the arrival of all of your parts.

I haven't felt this excited for five years. It's like Christmas on steroids.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

That is quite the future proof setup. Good enough to sustain you for future GPU upgrades.

 

[elrechazado]

that is quite the build, very jealous

 

[Izayoi]

That is quite the future proof setup. Good enough to sustain you for future GPU upgrades.

That's the idea. I choked 5 years out of a launch C2D, I'm hoping to do the same with this.

 

[Arsenic]

I'm building a rig for a friend of mine who's main use will be for music apps (producing tracks, etc). Just want to post the parts to see if anyone notices any bad matchups/better deals?

Also, don't mind the video card, he will not be using the rig for gaming purposes at all, but i thought I'd throw a simple one in there just incase..and for HDMI connection. Any better ideas?

LG CD/DVD Burner Black $20
SAMSUNG Black Blu-ray Drive SATA $65
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" $65
Crucial RealSSD C300 2.5" 64GB SATA III $145
ASUS E Radeon HD 6570 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready $80 ~ Should I?
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Cert $80 + $15MIR
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) $85
ComboCorsair Graphite Series 600T Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case + Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit $275
ComboIntel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor + ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel $390 ~ MoBo too much? He won't SLI but may overclock in future
ASUS PCE-N13 PCI Express Wireless Adapter $20
Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 100 Black USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard and Mouse $30

Total - $1283.57

Anyone? I feel nervous D:

 

[Wallach]

I'm thinking about bumping up from my 5850 before I get into TW2, but I can't help but feel like this is a weird time to do so. Maybe a 6950 or 570? Or should I just wait it out until the next series finally lands. I'm not interesting in going CF on my 5850s.

 

[Smokey]

omg omg omg omg

so excite

Very similiar build to mine. Only difference being case, type of SSD, RAM type and CPU cooling.

Congrats, and nice build. I went high end on my rig so that I wouldn't need as many upgrades down the line to keep my machine in tip top shape.

 

[ClueLess]

Whelp, she's alive.

http://i54.tinypic.com/20az6rk.jpg

http://i52.tinypic.com/20tq81t.jpg

Need to clean up and finish cable management, but pretty happy with the build so far.

Final specs:

AMD 965BE
Sapphire 785g mini itx
Scythe Big Shuriken
4 GB GSkill DDR3 1600 Ripjaws
Sapphire 6870
Corsair F90 90GB SSD
OCZ Fatality Series 550w PSU
Razer Imperator Mouse
Razer Blackwidow Keyboard
ASUS VE205 20" Monitor

Nice to have two highly capable gaming rigs.

What temps do you get on that rig? Case looks awesome (if you can even call it a case)!

 

[RS4-]

I think I can just get away with upgrading to the 2500k, mobo and ram. I don't think I'll go SSD quite yet until it's at least $1/gb. I don't think I'll have to change my GPU for the next few years and I'm sure the FT02 will last me a lifetime.

 

[leng jai]

Got the new build working:

Witcher 2 time

 

[Hazaro]

Anyone? I feel nervous D:

Intel 320 vs C300
Don't need the PRO, get a 43/45/55 MSI board since its one card.
I'd drop a tad more on GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121442
PSU is ridiculous overkill: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033

 

[Saren is Bad]

http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/overclocking/39184-p67-sandy-bridge-overclocking-guide-beginners.html

I ran into no problems using this.

So I usually have temps of 32-35 idle. I started this OC business by following this guide, 1.20V and 4.0GHz OC, and my temps shot up to 40-45ish. Now doing a Prime stress test I am getting 55-58 temps.

Is this good? Or should I do something different?

 

[Hazaro]

So I usually have temps of 32-35 idle. I started this OC business by following this guide, 1.20V and 4.0GHz OC, and my temps shot up to 40-45ish. Now doing a Prime stress test I am getting 55-58 temps.

Is this good? Or should I do something different?

<65C load is fine

 

[knitoe]

So I usually have temps of 32-35 idle. I started this OC business by following this guide, 1.20V and 4.0GHz OC, and my temps shot up to 40-45ish. Now doing a Prime stress test I am getting 55-58 temps.

Is this good? Or should I do something different?

Higher CPU speed + more voltage = higher temp. As long as you stay under 1.35V (I prefer 1.30V) and 80C, it should be fine.

 

[Saren is Bad]

<65C load is fine

Higher CPU speed + more voltage = higher temp. As long as you stay under 1.35V (I prefer 1.30V) and 80C, it should be fine.

Good shit. I'm going to shoot for 4.5. However, my "OC Tuner" got me to 4.9 when I did it but I reset all that shit because I heard poor reviews, but is that a good indication of how high my multiplier can go?

Also, does turning off hyperthreading help with temps? I really don't need it.

 

[MidgarBlowedUp]

Is this normal? My secondary drive is a Caviar Black 1tb, just RMAed my first one, this is second one. When i double click my secondary drive the first time it does a zzzzzzzz, freezes for a second then loads up the drive

It's zipping up its pants from looking at all that porn. You should knock on the case before you click anything with the mouse, It's common courtesy.

 

[Izayoi]

I'm thinking about bumping up from my 5850 before I get into TW2, but I can't help but feel like this is a weird time to do so. Maybe a 6950 or 570? Or should I just wait it out until the next series finally lands. I'm not interesting in going CF on my 5850s.

It's probably going to be a few months at least before we hear anything about new cards. How does TW2 perform with your current card?

Congrats, and nice build. I went high end on my rig so that I wouldn't need as many upgrades down the line to keep my machine in tip top shape.

Thanks! Yeah, that's what I'm hoping for as well. Lots of room for additional hard drives, plenty of headroom for SLI, and two DIMM slots open. I figure I'm set for at least another five years (hopefully).

Got the new build working:

http://i.imgur.com/hamsP.jpg[IMG]

Witcher 2 time[/quote]
Congrats, looks sexy as hell.

 

[Wallach]

It's probably going to a few months at least before we hear anything about new cards. How does TW2 perform with your current card?

I don't know yet, will probably pick it up after the weekend once my brother leaves town. Pre-emptive upgrade. Judging from others' reports I would guess the 5850 would still handle it alright at 1080p, which is why I'm a little wishy-washy about it looking at my upgrade choices.

 

[Izayoi]

I don't know yet, will probably pick it up after the weekend once my brother leaves town. Pre-emptive upgrade. Judging from others' reports I would guess the 5850 would still handle it alright at 1080p, which is why I'm a little wishy-washy about it looking at my upgrade choices.

I would see how well it runs for you and then go from there. If you're getting something unplayable (which I don't think is very likely) then you might want to consider upgrading. Otherwise I'd just sit it out and see what the DX11.1 cards have to offer.

 

[knitoe]

Good shit. I'm going to shoot for 4.5. However, my "OC Tuner" got me to 4.9 when I did it but I reset all that shit because I heard poor reviews, but is that a good indication of how high my multiplier can go?

Also, does turning off hyperthreading help with temps? I really don't need it.

Believe, max multiplier is 54 or 55, but to get that high you need to use extreme voltages, >1.5V, and cooling, 0C or below. The autoclock got you 4.9, but voltage and temps were probably very high.

Yes. Disabling HT lowers your temp which can improve overclocking, but if you are in safe range and aren't trying to high overclock, 4.8 or higher, better to keep it enable.

 

[The Stealth Fox]

Okay, I need a MicroATX motherboard that supports the following components:

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
8 gb (2 x 4 gb) G.skill PC1333 DDR3 RAM
Geforce GTX 560 TI
1 TB SATA 7200 RPM HD

Don't really care about USB 2.0 vs 3.0 or all that jazz.

I'm having a difficult time with newegg. What mobo would you recommend for the above build?

 

[Arsenic]

Intel 320 vs C300
Don't need the PRO, get a 43/45/55 MSI board since its one card.
I'd drop a tad more on GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121442
PSU is ridiculous overkill: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033

-20 more gigs for $35 more isn't so bad....I'll reconsider.
-Getting the 43 MoBo
-Should I even care about the GPU since he has no plans on using the rig for gaming?
-Thanks for the PSU, will change that

Thanks for your response. Im saving an additional $100 for this kid now.

 

[Aselith]

Okay, I need a MicroATX motherboard that supports the following components:

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
8 gb (2 x 4 gb) G.skill PC1333 DDR3 RAM
Geforce GTX 560 TI
1 TB SATA 7200 RPM HD

Don't really care about USB 2.0 vs 3.0 or all that jazz.

I'm having a difficult time with newegg. What mobo would you recommend for the above build?

Probably this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131654

You could step it down a couple of bucks if you went with a 3.0Gb/s USB 2.0 board but why not have access to the latest and greatest out of the box is my thinking?

 

[Izayoi]

-20 more gigs for $35 more isn't so bad....I'll reconsider.
-Getting the 43 MoBo
-Should I even care about the GPU since he has no plans on using the rig for gaming?
-Thanks for the PSU, will change that

Thanks for your response. Im saving an additional $100 for this kid now.

You sure that he'll never game on it?

 

[kevm3]

Anyone? I feel nervous D:

Most of the parts look solid. However, it'd be best to save him some money by:

1) Buying Windows 7 OEM instead of that package deal and get a cheaper case

Windows 7 OEM ($99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...86&cm_re=windows_7_oem-_-32-116-986-_-Product

Antec 300 Illusion ($59)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...129066&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-066-_-Product

2) Take that SSD out unless you are trying to save a few seconds on boot-up. I have that Samsung F3 and it is plenty fast. I'd wait a year or two for SSDs to drop in price before grabbing one since you will be paying such a premium.

and streamlining a bit by:

3) Going for a Blu-Ray Burner instead of a separate Blu-Ray player/CD-DVD Burner. It will end up costing you only $10 extra as well as having less to hook to the power supply ($99):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...6&cm_re=blu_ray_burner-_-27-106-346-_-Product

 

[MedIC86]

Ok i need some advice about PSU Cables..

I currently have a Coolermaster RealPower 850W...
I lost my 8pin----8pin cable, but for my new gpu i need one.
With the PSU a 6pin----8pin cable came with it, can i use this instead? (the 6 pin side is color coded to go in the PSU, so its a 'real' 8pin ?)..

Because i was reading on forums and people are stating that the 6pin and the 8pin can both do 150w and the two extra pins are just for grounding...can anyone shed some light on this before i blow up my new gpu ?

 

[taranatar]

Hey all I'm currently looking at building a new rig. This is what I'm thinking of so far:

Antec 100 Gaming Case
Asus P8P67-M Pro
6GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 12800
500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 SATA 3
60GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD
Intel I5 2500k
XFX 6870 1GB DDR5 (Was looking at a 560TI but can get the 6870 on offer for £128.)
Coolermaster Hyper 212+
650W Coolermaster GX
Razer Gaming Keyboard
Steel Series Kinzu Gaming Mouse
Samsung 22' Monitor 1ms 1920x1080
Windows 7 64bit

Got about £900 to spend and this comes to £905 including delivery.

 

[Mœbius]

Here are my potential components, some feedback would be appreciated - have I forgotten anything? (PS - Please ignore the availability and prices shown, I'll seek out better deals later; though feel free to let me know where I can find good deals on those parts).

Your Current Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.4GHz, 3.5GB RAM (DDR3), Gainward GeForce 9500GT Golden Sample, Asus P45 (socket 775)
Budget: £800-1000 GBP
Main Use: Gaming, 3D work, general usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback)
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 / 1920x1200
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Witcher 2, Deus Ex 3, BF3, Brink, Shogun 2, Mass Effect 3, Crysis 2, SW:TOR, Civ V, DotA 2, Diablo III, SCII...
Are reusing any parts? No
When will you build?: Sometime before the end of this year.
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe

 

[Eric WK]

I know it's a ways off yet, but how are the Black Friday deals on PC components typically? I anticipate building a new rig this fall with an eye to running Battlefield 3 and Guild Wars 2 as well as possible. Would it be wise financially to wait until Black Friday rather than building in October or early November?

 

[squicken]

I'm having a really odd problem. I mentioned earlier I have a modular PSU, and lost all the cables. Where can I find a replacement SATA power cable? Everything I see online is an adapter for older configurations. I just need a cable that goes from the 5v on the PSU to the HDD

 

[The Stealth Fox]

Probably this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131654

You could step it down a couple of bucks if you went with a 3.0Gb/s USB 2.0 board but why not have access to the latest and greatest out of the box is my thinking?

Well I'd rather save cash for what I need now and I don't do a lot of data transfer. I was looking at the related boards and is MSi also considered a good brand? How about gigabyte?

 

[RooMHM]

Your Current Specs: 8 years old comp
Budget: 800 € France
Main Use: Gaming, general usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback)
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 / 1920x1200
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Witcher 2, Deus Ex 3, Civ V, Diablo III ...
Are reusing any parts? No (need no screen not peripherals)
When will you build?: As soon as possible.
Will you be overclocking?: Not immediately but yes (in the future)

I'd like to add a cpu cooler maybe but the budget is quite restricted. Intel i5 and Nvidia are a must. If you know how to improve (cut cost, better Graphic card, w/e), I'd like you to give your opinion.

I will not buy on this site, i'll go to cheap vendors in Paris (rue-montgallet for the pundits ) so you can try to go as far as 830-850.
Thanks.

 

[close to the edge]

Your Current Specs: 2.5 years old PC
Budget: ~900€, Austria
Main Use: Gaming, general usage, programming, 3ds max and CAD stuff
Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Witcher 2, Deus Ex 3, Civ V, Diablo III, Starcraft 2, DotA 2, BF3
Are reusing any parts? One HDD, monitors, mouse & keyboard
When will you build?: As soon as possible.
Will you be overclocking?: Probably not anytime soon, maybe later.

Anything important I forgot? I think this is a decently balanced setup.

I'm skipping a SSD for now, the market still seems very volatile and the failure rates kind of scared me off as well. I think I'll upgrade in a year or so. I'm aware of the performance boost, but right now, I don't really want to spend the money on something that develops so quickly.

 

[The Teachinator]

Well I'd rather save cash for what I need now and I don't do a lot of data transfer. I was looking at the related boards and is MSi also considered a good brand? How about gigabyte?

If you want to save cash but get a great mobo go with Asrock.

 

[The Stealth Fox]

If you want to save cash but get a great mobo go with Asrock.

Hmmm... I just looked at that ASUS mobo a little longer and my local CompUSA has it for about the same price. Now it's tempting because it's a great mobo and the convenience factor comes into play

 

[n0n44m]

Anything important I forgot? I think this is a decently balanced setup.

I'm skipping a SSD for now, the market still seems very volatile and the failure rates kind of scared me off as well. I think I'll upgrade in a year or so. I'm aware of the performance boost, but right now, I don't really want to spend the money on something that develops so quickly.

get a normal P8P67 (or a P8P67 Pro if you might think about going SLI in the future), the LE has inferior electrical components so the ~15 to 20 euros extra for a normal P8P67 is worth it imho, especially because overclocking is so easy with a Sandy Bridge

 

[Smokey]

Here are my potential components, some feedback would be appreciated - have I forgotten anything? (PS - Please ignore the availability and prices shown, I'll seek out better deals later; though feel free to let me know where I can find good deals on those parts).

Will you be overclocking?: Maybe

If you're getting a K series Intel processor not overclocking wouldn't make any sense. Free performance and they are built for overclocking. You can get a cheap CPU cooler like the hyper 212+ and get some nice OC speeds.

 

[close to the edge]

get a normal P8P67 (or a P8P67 Pro if you might think about going SLI in the future), the LE has inferior electrical components so the ~15 to 20 euros extra for a normal P8P67 is worth it imho, especially because overclocking is so easy with a Sandy Bridge

I just looked at the normal P8P67 and it looks nice, but it lacks an eSATA port, which I really want. :/ And I don't really feel like spending an extra ~40€ for the Pro version, just for an eSATA port (I'm not planning to get SLI)

 

[n0n44m]

I just looked at the normal P8P67 and it looks nice, but it lacks an eSATA port, which I really want. :/ And I don't really feel like spending an extra ~40€ for the Pro version, just for an eSATA port (I'm not planning to get SLI)

I think the normal one has a bracket with which you can convert one of the SATA ports to eSATA ... got the pro myself and only used the (e)SATA hotswap bay on top of my CM690 II case to insert "naked" hdds. That worked fine and the bracket should work in the same way (set SATA port it's connected to in the bios to "hotswap enabled")

 

[Wazzim]

get a normal P8P67 (or a P8P67 Pro if you might think about going SLI in the future), the LE has inferior electrical components so the ~15 to 20 euros extra for a normal P8P67 is worth it imho, especially because overclocking is so easy with a Sandy Bridge

Can't you just do SLI on the normal P67 one using the SLI Patch?

 

[n0n44m]

Can't you just do SLI on the normal P67 one using the SLI Patch?

probably ... personally I wouldn't really like patches as they're kinda stuck to certain drivers AFAIK and the Pro also does PCIe 8x/8x instead of the 8x/4x or something the normal does (not a big difference in performance but hey...)

 

[Mœbius]

If you're getting a K series Intel processor not overclocking wouldn't make any sense. Free performance and they are built for overclocking. You can get a cheap CPU cooler like the hyper 212+ and get some nice OC speeds.

Yeah I probably will be overclocking; I'll check that cooler out, thanks.

I'm also thinking about switching the CPU from i7 to i5, looking at the benchmarks and considering that gaming is my primary activity (with 3D work behind that), I think an i5 2500K 3.30GHz will serve me just as well at about a hundred less. Is that right?

Similarly thinking about going from the GTX 580 to a GTX 560Ti on the GPU side; basically I'm trying to cut costs where I can in order to justify getting an SSD, as I think the gains the SSD would provide outweigh the gains to be had from the jump to a 580. This is based on anecdotal evidence so if I'm wrong please correct me!?

 

[The Teachinator]

Hmmm... I just looked at that ASUS mobo a little longer and my local CompUSA has it for about the same price. Now it's tempting because it's a great mobo and the convenience factor comes into play

Check out the reviews over at tomshardware. The asrocks have been coming out on top.

 

[RS4-]

Check out the reviews over at tomshardware. The asrocks have been coming out on top.

I'll have to do some reading since there's a $10 difference between the ASRock Extreme and the Asus P67 Pro.

edit - lol NCIX: 2500k + Asus P67 Pro = $426; Newegg.ca = $385

Ugh I think I might have to replace my Thermalright Extreme cooler because of clearance over the ram modules when I attach the fan to it. And have to buy a mounting kit as well lol

 

[MedIC86]

are there any rumors on new ati cards? i have a i7 930 with a 4850 but can wait a bit, wanna get a 6950 but if newer cards come soon ill wait for pricedrop or newer card

Nope, the 7xxx series still is months away

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Your Current Specs: Here
Budget: 600-800 US
Main Use: Modern PC Games
Monitor Resolution: The cheapest possible without being obscenely small
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Civ V, Borderlands, TF2, L4D2, Portal 2, Skyrim, Fallout NV, Batman AA, Starcraft 2.
Are reusing any parts?: I have a case and a DVD drive. I also have a license to any version of Windows (through my college)
When will you build?: Sometime in the next 2 weeks
Will you be overclocking?: I have no idea because I have no idea how to or if I want to or the benefits or what overclocking even means

Please help
I'm sick and tired of TF2 lagging and running terribly and I own games like Borderlands and Batman that I can't even play because of my old laptop.

I have the money, I have the time, I want to play! I only have 2 weeks before I start my summer internship, so I need it ASAP.

 

[Le-mo]

Your Current Specs: Here
Budget: 600-800 US
Main Use: Modern PC Games
Monitor Resolution: The cheapest possible without being obscenely small
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Civ V, Borderlands, TF2, L4D2, Portal 2, Skyrim, Fallout NV, Batman AA, Starcraft 2.
Are reusing any parts?: I have a case and a DVD drive. I also have a license to any version of Windows (through my college)
When will you build?: Sometime in the next 2 weeks
Will you be overclocking?: I have no idea because I have no idea how to or if I want to or the benefits or what overclocking even means

Please help
I'm sick and tired of TF2 lagging and running terribly and I own games like Borderlands and Batman that I can't even play because of my old laptop.

I have the money, I have the time, I want to play! I only have 2 weeks before I start my summer internship, so I need it ASAP.