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[grkazan12]

Just double checking here but with the exception of Crysis at max could this run most games at good settings???

 

[kIdMuScLe]

Alright just got back from microcenter and got one of the sandy bridge bundles, a freaking steal if you ask me. I also picked up a case(Antec 300) and windows 7 64 bit.

I've never built a pc before, and while I've been researching, it's all fairly overwhelming. So I have a few questions

1.I have a 1tb external hard drive. Does it make sense for me to get a small SSD as a boot drive and then just use the 1tb for extra space?

2.I know nothing about graphics cards, so when the people at micro center were telling me about cards that were over $200, I decided to do more research to find more bang for my buck. I'll be doing game development, using flash, photoshop, illustrator, maya, 3ds, as well as playing crysis 2 when it comes out. Is there anything out there for under $100 that's worth it?

3. What power supply should I get?

4. Should I get 2 X 4gb DDR3 or is that too much?

5. Anything else I need?

Sorry bud, if you going to game crysis 2 you definitely going to need a $200+ video card.

 

[Shadowhaxor]

Just double checking here but with the exception of Crysis at max could this run most games at good settings???

Um, there is no exception. That is likely going to run everything for the next 6 months

 

[poppabk]

Sorry bud, if you going to game crysis 2 you definitely going to need a $200+ video card.

It is going to run on a 360/PS3 graphics card - you would have to work hard to find a graphics card that weak. A $70 card will most likely run it at 720p above console settings. Maxing it out at high resolution will take a $200+ card.

 

[TheExodu5]

A 4850 will run it pretty well at high settings for well under $100.

 

[coopolon]

Um, there is no exception. That is likely going to run everything for the next 6 months

If you're willing to go second hand, you could get two 4850s for about $100, crossfire, you'll get very nice results with Crysis 2. Maybe not 1080p 60fps everything maxed, but probably could do pretty well with 720p.

I do not recommend doing this of course.

 

[Mr_Brit]

It is going to run on a 360/PS3 graphics card - you would have to work hard to find a graphics card that weak. A $70 card will most likely run it at 720p above console settings. Maxing it out at high resolution will take a $200+ card.

Console settings will be equivalent to a mix of low and medium settings, hardly the stuff you want to use as a benchmark. A 4850 would be a pretty bad idea due to the 512mb VRAM which will significantly bottleneck you unless you use low texture quality.

 

[TheExodu5]

Console settings will be equivalent to a mix of low and medium settings, hardly the stuff you want to use as a benchmark. A 4850 would be a pretty bad idea due to the 512mb VRAM which will significantly bottleneck you unless you use low texture quality.

It's the best <$100 option. Crysis uses like 600MB VRAM at 1080p, very high for me. Of course, I'd definitely recommend saving a tiny bit more to get a GTX 460 768MB.

 

[Mr_Brit]

It's the best <$100 option. Crysis uses like 600MB VRAM at 1080p, very high for me. Of course, I'd definitely recommend saving a tiny bit more to get a GTX 460 768MB.

What?!! No way. Crysis is frequently listed as a game that is VRAM bound on very high settings. I've seen benchmarks where it goes up to 1.2GB!

A used 1GB 4870 would be a much better choice than a 4850.

 

[Hazaro]

Hey guys, i've been gaming on for the past year on a 1GB nvidia gt220 card that i bought for $25. I could run some games on max and on others it runs mid to high on 1680 x 1050 resolution (plus i only i get around ~15-8fps on high-mid for crysis =_( ). so what's the best $150-$100 card i could get in a few months? I'm going to use part of my tax refund for the vid card.

GTX 460 768MB

Alright just got back from microcenter and got one of the sandy bridge bundles, a freaking steal if you ask me. I also picked up a case(Antec 300) and windows 7 64 bit.

I've never built a pc before, and while I've been researching, it's all fairly overwhelming. So I have a few questions

1.I have a 1tb external hard drive. Does it make sense for me to get a small SSD as a boot drive and then just use the 1tb for extra space?

2.I know nothing about graphics cards, so when the people at micro center were telling me about cards that were over $200, I decided to do more research to find more bang for my buck. I'll be doing game development, using flash, photoshop, illustrator, maya, 3ds, as well as playing crysis 2 when it comes out. Is there anything out there for under $100 that's worth it?

3. What power supply should I get?

4. Should I get 2 X 4gb DDR3 or is that too much?

5. Anything else I need?

A small SSD would be a great upgrade. I'd wait until the gen 3 SSDs are out (a few months). You'll get a lot more value out of it.

$100 feels a bit low, I'd jump up to a GTX 460 768MB at least. If you do have a strict budget then a 4850 does nicely if you can still find them.

8GB is a good amount for what you will be doing.

Depends on budget, I'd recommend the Seasonic 520W, otherwise a cheaper option are some of the OCZ 500/550W with rebates. Most 80+ certified PSUs are good.

 

[grkazan12]

About to ready to purchase this bad boy, just don't know what keyboard to go with. The logitech illuminated keyboard looks good, but I heard there's ghosting. Any recommendations???

 

[Solo]

Eh, I sort of put one together but all resemblance of values falls apart :lol
It's just the $1,000 build + another 6950 + a 850W + an SSD really.

If you are spending that much I'd advise the person to simply copy the format in the OP and we can tailor a bit more.

Sounds good, will do.

Your Current Specs: doesn't matter - I'm on the last rig I built from 2005, and this will be an entire new system
Budget: Up to $1500 Canadian (I said up to; doesn't mean I have to spend that much just for shits and giggles)
Main Use: Gaming
Monitor Resolution: Not sure yet
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Crysis 1 and 2, The Witcher 2, Skyrim, basically all the big recent and upcoming stuff
Are reusing any parts?: No.
When will you build?: Within a month or so.
Will you be overclocking?: No.

I'll be buying through NCIX, so anyone who tackles this would do best to price it there.

 

[CoilShot]

My microcenter sold out on 2600k CPU, so is the 2500k just as good? Also what is the main difference between the p67a-ud4 gigabyte and Asus p67 pro board. I bought the gigabyte board but they have a deal for Asus p67 pro and 2500k for 300 bucks.

 

[Hazaro]

Well I'd say nab the $1,000 build + a 850W PSU (Corsair, Seasonic) see how you feel.
If you want more power grab a second 6950. A single 6950 is a lot of power in itself.

If you want an SSD now get a Vertex 2 or C300, but know that the C400 is coming out in Feb, and other SSDs will follow in the months soon after.

My microcenter sold out on 2600k CPU, so is the 2500k just as good? Also what is the main difference between the p67a-ud4 gigabyte and Asus p67 pro board. I bought the gigabyte board but they have a deal for Asus p67 pro and 2500k for 300 bucks.

The 2500K is 4 core 4 thread. 2600K is 4 core 8 thread.
For most the 2500K is the better buy.

The MC deal tmk is not the PRO version.

UD4 vs PRO is that ASUS has EFI BIOS, bluetooth. Both good boards.

 

[JoeBoy101]

Alright GAF so I got some help from a friend and made a build on newegg. So what say you GAF, is this overkill or just right?.

Totals at around $1,209.90.

DVD:ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner
Case:COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II Advanced Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
HD:Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
GPU:EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
PSU:CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ...
Ramatriot G Series ‘Sector 5’ Edition 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model PGV38G1333ELK
MOBO:ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Intel Motherboard
CPU:Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
CPU Cooler:COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...

GAF is pretty hot on the Samsung Spinpoint F4 over the Western Digital. I can't say otherwise yet because mine's in the mail. Otherwise, looks good.

 

[funkmastergeneral]

I would like to get more into PC gaming, and think that my videocard is currently the thing holding me back. I have 6 GB of RAM and my processor is a Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9400 @ 2.66GHz. My current video card is a ATI Radeon HD 4350, and was wondering if you guys had any suggestions as to which videocard to invest in. My budget is around 200 dollars max.

 

[dani_dc]

So going to build my first PC, have been wanting to do so for quite awhile and I'm ready to finally bite. I won't have the budget for the full thing until 1-2 weeks or so from now, but I'm thinking of buying everything thing minus the GPU as I honestly don't think I can resist longer, plus by the time I get the rest of the money the 560 should be out or close to being out and I'm interested to see how it fares.
Going to upgrade from a P4 with a Nvidia 8500 GT and 1GB of DDR2 RAM, so it's going to be quite a jump :lol

Basic Desktop Questions
Your Current Specs: P4/ 1GB RAM (DDR2) / ASUSTek Computer LEONITE / Nvidia 8500 GT
Budget: 800-1000 euros, Portugal
Main Use: Gaming, Possibly Emulation (PS2/Wii), Programming, general usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback)
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Crysis 1/2,Witcher 2,Portal
Are reusing any parts?: Possibly the 8500 for a couple weeks
When will you build?: Hopefully this week or next
Will you be overclocking?: Yes

Here's the build I'm thinking:
CPU: Intel i5-2500K
Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD65 or Asus P8P67 PRO or Gigabyte p67a-ud4
RAM: Gskill DDR3 PC12800 Ripjaws 4GB
GPU: 6950 or 560
PSU: Antec TruePower 650w
Case: CoolerMaster CM 690 II (Advanced)
HDD: Samsung F3 1TB

Still undecided on the Motherboard, any particular advantage of one over the other?
Does the the window-panel version of CM690 II has any particular disadvantage such as worse airflow or any similar issue?

I want to add an SSD a few months down the line, but the 2TB F4 is nearly twice the price of the F3 around here which is why I opted for the F3.
As for the rest, any suggestions?

 

[Hazaro]

I would like to get more into PC gaming, and think that my videocard is currently the thing holding me back. I have 6 GB of RAM and my processor is a Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9400 @ 2.66GHz. My current video card is a ATI Radeon HD 4350, and was wondering if you guys had any suggestions as to which videocard to invest in. My budget is around 200 dollars max.

Overclock your CPU, nab a GTX 460 or 6850.

So going to build my first PC, have been wanting to do so for quite awhile and I'm ready to finally bite. I won't have the budget for the full thing until 1-2 weeks or so from now, but I'm thinking of buying everything thing minus the GPU as I honestly don't think I can resist longer, plus by the time I get the rest of the money the 560 should be out or close to being out and I'm interested to see how it fares.
Going to upgrade from a P4 with a Nvidia 8500 GT and 1GB of DDR2 RAM, so it's going to be quite a jump :lol

 

[Solo]

Well I'd say nab the $1,000 build + a 850W PSU (Corsair, Seasonic) see how you feel.
If you want more power grab a second 6950. A single 6950 is a lot of power in itself.

How about a case? Also, NCIX doesn't stock any Samsung HD's - what would you swap in?

 

[Jin34]

Microcenter deal being in-store only ain't fair I tells ya.

 

[Kalnos]

Well I'd say nab the $1,000 build + a 850W PSU (Corsair, Seasonic) see how you feel.

Isn't 850W a little overkill? A good 750 and 80+ Gold seems like that would be good, and there are some nice deals:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087&Tpk=x750

Seasonic X750 for $154.99 - $25 = $129.99 with the promo code on that page (if you're ordering now anyway).

 

[Hazaro]

How about a case? Also, NCIX doesn't stock any Samsung HD's - what would you swap in?

Case list is in the OP. Pick one you like!
WD Black

Isn't 850W a little overkill? A good 750 and 80+ Gold seems like that would be good, and there are some nice deals:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087&Tpk=x750

Seasonic X750 for $154.99 - $25 = $129.99 with the promo code on that page (if you're ordering now anyway).

850W because of dual 6950's that are flash to 6970's and overclocked
That Seasonic is such a nice PSU.

 

[Raw64life]

I won't be building my new PC until at least August, and probably not until close to the end of the year, but this is what my $1,500 build looks like now...

Missing is an SSD, which I'm going to wait for the new ones coming out in a few months. Hopefully the prices for SSDs and the rest of my parts will go down enough that I can squeeze in at least a 128GB SSD by the time I decide to pull the trigger.

 

[artist]

How about a case? Also, NCIX doesn't stock any Samsung HD's - what would you swap in?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...c3canadaCA-_-Hard+Drives-_-SAMSUNG-_-22152245

 

[Kalnos]

850W because of dual 6950's that are flash to 6970's and overclocked
That Seasonic is such a nice PSU.

Ah, didn't catch that.

Yeah though, these PSU's are really good. Full modularity is great and the fact that the fan is autonomous is awesome. I just had to replace a PSU due to some annoying coil whine, and luckily this one doesn't have any.

 

[Hazaro]

I won't be building my new PC until at least August, and probably not until close to the end of the year, but this is what my $1,500 build looks like now...

Probably switch over to Intels 2011 socket if you are dropping that much

 

[Solo]

Hows this look?

The 850W is there because Ill get a second 6950 later. Right now thats $1330.92, so Im basically nearing my limit. Any changes to suggest?

 

[ExMachina]

Thanks for the confirmation on the build list, guys. Grabbed most of my parts today. And yeah, memory was actually the area that I really wanted an upgrade in, since I can already feel some sluggishness with 4gb when working at print resolutions in Photoshop.

The MC deal tmk is not the PRO version.

Naw, they have 2500k bundles with both the P8P67 ($300) and the P8P67 PRO ($340).

Speaking of which, I ordered the i5 2500k + PRO bundle for in-store pickup, but when I got there apparently they ran out of the mobo... the clerk was nice enough to give me the bundle discount ($30 off) with the Deluxe though, and it was only $10 more overall.

Now I'm only waiting on the RAM and PSU from Newegg...

 

[funkmastergeneral]

Overclock your CPU, nab a GTX 460 or 6850.

How do I know if my motherboard is compatible with GTX 460 or 6850? I'm a computer noob.

 

[Hazaro]

Hows this look?


The 850W is there because Ill get a second 6950 later. Right now thats $1330.92, so Im basically nearing my limit. Any changes to suggest?

Get the P8P67 PRO

6950 should fit, but will be tight.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/vimages/antec_sonata_proto/35.jpg

How do I know if my motherboard is compatible with GTX 460 or 6850? I'm a computer noob.

It is since it has a PCI-E x16 slot

You'll want at least a 400w PSU, what do you have?

 

[Solo]

Get the P8P67 PRO

6950 should fit, but will be tight.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/vimages/antec_sonata_proto/35.jpg

Will go for the Pro. As for the case, this is where Im looking for help - what case will house all this + another 6950? Other than that, Im looking okay? Thanks.

 

[Broadbandito]

so i just noticed that the samsung f4 in the first post was said to make sure the flash to the latest firmware.

I just got mine and installed it last night and already started installing shit to it. What do I need to do to flash it?

 

[Raw64life]

Probably switch over to Intels 2011 socket if you are dropping that much

I should probably mention that I'm still pretty much a noob when it comes to this stuff as this will be just my 2nd build so I'm not 100% sure what I should be looking for when you say that. Are these what you're recommending?

Also, judging from some other posts on this page it seems like I can get away with a 750w power supply correct?

 

[funkmastergeneral]

Get the P8P67 PRO

6950 should fit, but will be tight.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/vimages/antec_sonata_proto/35.jpg

It is since it has a PCI-E x16 slot

You'll want at least a 400w PSU, what do you have?

SO I opened up my case to take a look at what i had (it ended up being 300W) and now my desktop won't turn back on. It gets half through start up and then starts making a beeping sound every 2 or 3 seconds and gets stuck.

fml. I should never touch these things.

 

[Kalnos]

SO I opened up my case to take a look at what i had (it ended up being 300W) and now my desktop won't turn back on. It gets half through start up and then starts making a beeping sound every 2 or 3 seconds and gets stuck.

fml. I should never touch these things.

If it's a specific pattern of beeps then you can consult your mobo guide to see what is going wrong.

 

[Hazaro]

so i just noticed that the samsung f4 in the first post was said to make sure the flash to the latest firmware.

I just got mine and installed it last night and already started installing shit to it. What do I need to do to flash it?

http://www.overclock.net/hard-drives-storage/905174-firmware-updated-required-2tb-f4.html

I should probably mention that I'm still pretty much a noob when it comes to this stuff as this will be just my 2nd build so I'm not 100% sure what I should be looking for when you say that. Are these what you're recommending?

Also, judging from some other posts on this page it seems like I can get away with a 750w power supply correct?

Socket 2011 will likely come out late Q3 2011.
500W is enough, the 750W is just there to enable xfire later on as an option.

 

[-viper-]

Awesome offer for UK GAF:
http://uk.msi.com/marketing/landingpages/20off/

MSI P67A-GD65 Motherboard can be snatched for as little as £115 (after mail in rebates).

I think I'll buy it from eBuyer - cheapest option and free delivery.

 

[Hazaro]

Hmm the F4 flashing process is not beginner friendly.

I'll probably take that off the list then. Shame since its a nice drive.

 

[Jin34]

Hmm the F4 flashing process is not beginner friendly.

I'll probably take that off the list then. Shame since its a nice drive.

Why would you need to flash that drive though?

 

[artist]

I've seen some mobos offers on board CompactFlash storage .. whats the use? In benchmarks?

 

[Hazaro]

Why would you need to flash that drive though?

SMART monitoring can do something or something and you can lose data.
I'll be flashing mine very soon.

 

[Jin34]

SMART monitoring can do something or something and you can lose data.
I'll be flashing mine very soon.

Might want to say that before recommending it :lol

 

[Hazaro]

Might want to say that before recommending it :lol

I thought it was a quick simple update, that's why I bought one myself. :[

Edited build image.

 

[TheExodu5]

Seagate had similar firmware woes back in their .11 series. It killed their reputation. Shame, because their 7200RPM drives seem far better than WD drives, in terms of noise/performance balance.

 

[TheKurgan]

Soooo close to building a new gaming PC - does anyone have a Antec 300? Will a XFX 6950 fit?

I might have to upgrade to a CoolerMaster CM 690 II (Advanced). My build keeps getting more expensive =(

 

[Seph13]

So I just decided to upgrade my 2 year old build with a GTX 570 and I'm very pleased with the results. Now I'm looking to get a decent pair of headphones since I'm currently just using some cheap earbuds. Not much of an audiophile, so I'm looking to spend around $50- also a built in microphone doesn't matter too much to me, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. Any reccomendations?


Also while I'm here, something that's been bugging me: To go along with the arrival of my new 570 I decided to overclock my old i7 920. I'd never actually overclocked before, so I made sure to do lots of research and carefully followed a tutorial. Everything seems to work fine- I ran prime 95 for 2 hours with no problems (didn't even hit 60 degrees!). The only thing is whenever I turn my computer on now, it shuts off after a second, waits a couple of seconds, turns back on and boots without a problem. Is this normal/ok? One theory I had was that the computer is getting the overclock settings and then restarting to apply them, but maybe that's just silly (again never overclocked anything before). Or is it a sign that the CPU isn't getting enough voltage and I need to bump up the VCore a tad?

 

[AkIRA_22]

sitting in the trunk of my car as we speak. Good by q6600 you were awesome since 2008, but now you will be just be an htpc or mame cabinet.

Seriously one of the all time greats. Q6600, God bless.

 

[Jin34]

I thought it was a quick simple update, that's why I bought one myself. :[

Edited build image.

In my googling I saw the Crystal Disk Mark results and I see why you guys were picking them over the F3, damn near same speed, pretty much within the margin of error. Pretty amazing for a 5400rpm drive.

 

[TheExodu5]

Also while I'm here, something that's been bugging me: To go along with the arrival of my new 570 I decided to overclock my old i7 920. I'd never actually overclocked before, so I made sure to do lots of research and carefully followed a tutorial. Everything seems to work fine- I ran prime 95 for 2 hours with no problems (didn't even hit 60 degrees!). The only thing is whenever I turn my computer on now, it shuts off after a second, waits a couple of seconds, turns back on and boots without a problem. Is this normal/ok? One theory I had was that the computer is getting the overclock settings and then restarting to apply them, but maybe that's just silly (again never overclocked anything before). Or is it a sign that the CPU isn't getting enough voltage and I need to bump up the VCore a tad?

That's perfectly normal. My Asus board did that.

 

[·feist·]

So we're PM'ing each other horribly biased tech advice now?

Wow.

hey man - so yeah, i threw around your option of working with this kit, but the experience so far has been poor and i wasnt certain the effort would be worth it, specifically since (as you mentioned prior) it bugs me to try to sort this while the AP 181 - again, the more reviews i read on it, the more i understand why it was specifically paired with this case - sits in my closet.

after reading as many reviews as i could find, i opted for a geminII s - testing on some sites showed it outperforming the scythe (not by a great deal, granted) and id found several forums where people confirmed it working well with said AP 181. i'll likely hold onto the liquid cooling kit if for nothing else than the possibility of having to send the system in during its warranty...i cant rule out the PSU as causing the shutdowns, but again, im really thinking this should get all of that well under control. ill post back later this week when it's here & installed, with temps on idle & under prime95, just wanted to say thanks a lot for taking the time to help me out with this, it's most appreciated.

NP, you're very welcome.
Don't forget to pick up some good quality TIM to mount the HSF with instead of just using what's included in the box. While you're changing coolers, take a moment to tidy up your cable management a bit. For instance, you're partially blocking the PSU exhaust and with space at a premium inside your case, you want to get things cleaned up as much as possible. Sloppy cabling impedes airflow.

Good luck with the new cooler. Post up your results.

Soooo close to building a new gaming PC - does anyone have a Antec 300? Will a XFX 6950 fit?

I might have to upgrade to a CoolerMaster CM 690 II (Advanced). My build keeps getting more expensive =(

Yes.

Two 5870s in an Antec 300