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[opticalmace]

Anandtech Bench is down.. any alternatives?

Want to compare 4870 1gb to 9800 GT for a friend.

 

[Hazaro]

Anandtech Bench is down.. any alternatives?

Want to compare 4870 1gb to 9800 GT for a friend.

Should be around 40% faster (the 4870) off the top of my head.

 

[opticalmace]

Should be around 40% faster (the 4870) off the top of my head.

Thanks, I'll let him know. He'll be happy, I'm selling it to him cheap because I'm upgrading.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

speaking of Lian Li, when is the armorsuit PC-P80N coming out? kinda want to "upgrade" from the Antec 1200 (still a fine case, it's just getting a little cramped)

 

[·feist·]

I've had my eyes on the newer PC-X500FX revision since it came out. Just can't justify the price.

X900s give you most of that for less. Not that they're cheap, either.


Also, I hope you guys aren't putting too much stock in my Asus remarks. Apart from specific lemons, and glitchy models that almost every brand makes, you still have a luck of the draw element some times. Every Asus I have is alive and well. *knocks on PCB* Just saying some things have changed, and they're outsourcing more these days.

wat? but is such a mild OC, idle my cpu gets 39oC , when playing it gets 70oC , I ran prime for 3 hours and no problem, what things should I be worried about? I cant believe the Mobo is so bad!

Your board isn't crap. It just isn't meant for much outside of stock operating ranges. Vcore is the voltage your CPU is being run at. Sounds like your board has auto vcore, so check that out because auto settings are often over done. You have a mild OC, so it's possible that your CPU may be close to its VID (good chip + solid mobo can even go below VID with an OC), and not much above that.

There are some hardware monitoring apps in the OP. Try them out if you haven't already.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

speaking of Lian Li, when is the armorsuit PC-P80N coming out? kinda want to "upgrade" from the Antec 1200 (still a fine case, it's just getting a little cramped)

If you're going to upgrade from the Antec Twelve Hundred, there's not much else out there better than a Cooler Master HAF X.

 

[clav]

Now that theexodu5 brought to my attention about UEFI as I was thinking more of it as an afterthought, I wonder if Linux distros have trouble with a dualboot setup with Windows.

Seems like through a quick search that UEFI makes Linux dual boot installations difficult.

 

[Smokey]

IIRC, you don't want the mobo to control the pump. The pump should NEVER be undervolted, and can cause reliability and cooling issues.

@Lian Li discussion
While Silverstone products have gotten to the point where they're almost as good, they still don't compete in aesthetics (IMO), and all those little touches like perfectly rounded corners and the like. Its like the BMW of the computer case world. Probably more expensive than it should be, but totally worth it if money is no object.

Really? I originally had fans going to CPU_FAN and the pump going to CHA_FAN1.

So why am I getting cooler temps? not to mention my PC is quieter

 

[Daigoro]

my PC has been crashing over the last week in odd ways. i was hoping someone here had some ideas. (if this is not the right thread for it ill repost elsewhere)

last week while my wife was playing LORTO the screen went black, then the monitor displays a "no signal" message and goes blank. the system stayed on, lights and fans still working, but no picture our sound. CRTL ALT DEL does nothing. i think the system restarted itself eventually.

since then its been happening more frequently. at first it was just while playing games, now it happens with no real strain (checking email etc). i updated video drivers and it seemed stable for a day or two, then started again. i swapped my video card for an old one and it crashed after 15 minutes. so im guessing its not a GPU or a GPU driver issue.

most of the time it crashes and just stays like that until i hard power it down. it occasionaly restarts itself. a few times it does a startup repair routine. the last day or so it crashes as its booting. sometimes i can log in and it will run for a bit and then crashes again (it seems to work a little better if it remains shut off for a while. could just be coincidence).

so it doesnt seem like a GPU or graphics driver issue. im guessing its not a power issue, because the power stays on during and after the crash. everything in the case seems cool enough and its not too dusty, so it doesnt appear to be an overheating issue.

im just not sure what to look for at this point. id appreciate suggestions on where to start.

thanks.

is there a better thread to be posting this type of thing in? thanks.

 

[clav]

is there a better thread to be posting this type of thing in? thanks.

PC specs?

Could be a crummy power supply, bad motherboard, or even bad RAM.

Please provide your specs.

 

[·feist·]

Damn you, international shipping costs. My next mATX build is waiting.

is there a better thread to be posting this type of thing in? thanks.

Have you looked at your BSOD logs? Even if your PC doesn't stay on long enough the review your recent history, you can try quickly writing down the BSOD codes when they happen (like 0x_____ ), or keep a camera handy to take a quick snap shot, and go from there.

 

[Daigoro]

PC specs?

Could be a crummy power supply, bad motherboard, or even bad RAM.

Please provide your specs.

Windows 7 (relatively new install)
various Hitachi/Samsung drives
ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 Mobo
Rosewill 700W PSU
HIS Radeon 5770 (also tried using an old ATI 4670)
AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb P5W
x2 Mushkin DDR3 4GB DDR3 SDRAM

build is less than a year old.

Have you looked at your BSOD logs? Even if your PC doesn't stay on long enough the review your recent history, you can try quickly writing down the BSOD codes when they happen (like 0x_____ ), or keep a camera handy to take a quick snap shot, and go from there.

not sure where i would find those. been looking at the Even Viewer log and not really seeing much besides some Kernel power reads under Critical, but i figured that those were because i was using the case's power switch to power down. (the back of the case switch. the normal power button doesnt do anything when i crash)

edit: well i looked up where to find the BSOD logs. but would this actually pertain to my issues as i am not getting any blue screens?

cant hurt to check the log i guess.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

If you're going to upgrade from the Antec Twelve Hundred, there's not much else out there better than a Cooler Master HAF X.

nah, I don't like the look of it.

 

[nitric0]

Is 56C-58C temperatures normal when playing a game (The Witcher 2) for a quad core AMD cpu? (X4 635)

 

[The M.O.B]

EVGA GeForce GTX 460 for $120 after mail in rebate.

Another great upper tier card that can run all modern PC games.

Just an FYI for those with cash constraints but still looking to upgrade.

 

[·feist·]

Some LGA 2011 X79 boards showed up at Computex, looking a lot like MSI's Sandy Bridge-E test board from last January (and various leaks).
Not surprisingly, seems most non-Xeon models will be going with 1 DIMM per channel, afterall.


Gigabyte GA-X79A-UD3

ECS X79R-A Black Series

Computex: motherboard with socket 2011 photographed (Gigabyte GA-X79A-UD3)
http://tweakers.net/nieuws/74737/computex-moederbord-met-socket-2011-op-de-foto-gezet.html

Intel X79 - ECS X79R-A sighted at Computex
http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-x79--ecs-x79r-a-sighted-at-computex/12428.html

not sure where i would find those. been looking at the Even Viewer log and not really seeing much besides some Kernel power reads under Critical, but i figured that those were because i was using the case's power switch to power down. (the back of the case switch. the normal power button doesnt do anything when i crash)

edit: well i looked up where to find the BSOD logs. but would this actually pertain to my issues as i am not getting any blue screens?

cant hurt to check the log i guess.

So you aren't getting BSODs? Possible component issue, like motherboard or mem. So your system just locks up? Like you said, I'd check the log details, and consider thoroughly scanning your PC. Aside from hardware, you may be compromised.

If you do BSOD, you can disable auto restart in advanced system settings, instead of searching for dump files.

Is 56C-58C temperatures normal when playing a game (The Witcher 2) for a quad core AMD cpu? (X4 635)

Without an overclock? Stock cooling? Poor airflow? Warm ambient? That's about the upper end of where you would want to be.

 

[Daigoro]

So you aren't getting BSODs? Possible component issue, like motherboard or mem. So your system just locks up? Like you said, I'd check the log details, and consider thoroughly scanning your PC. Aside from hardware, you may be compromised.

If you do BSOD, you can disable auto restart in advanced system settings, instead of searching for dump files.

nope. no blue screens at all (havent seen one of those in years). the screen just goes black. "no signal" displays on the monitor for a sec and then it just stays black, all sounds stop (no looping or buzzing noises). all case lights and fans remain on and sound normal.

ive done thorough scans recently with MSE and malwarebytes. most likely not that.

i have a feeling this is going to be one of those putz around in the dark until i figure something out weeks down the line or wind up replacing some components randomly until i fix the problem deals.

really fucking discouraging. this build has been one random issue after another and im growing really tired of it.

 

[BloodySinner]

I find it amusing that I am generally so willing to spend a premium on PC accessories, but so much on the hardware side (video card, CPU, etc.). Maybe because they devalue so quickly over time?

$430 for a fucking case? Yeah, fuck that.

 

[Nintendo Playstation]

EVGA GeForce GTX 460 for $120 after mail in rebate.

Another great upper tier card that can run all modern PC games.

Just an FYI for those with cash constraints but still looking to upgrade.

That looks great, but for another $50, I'm torn between these. Keep in mind I'm upgrading from a 9800 GTX+.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130611

^ 2gb gddr5, slightly lower clock speeds and a 3 year warranty

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130568

^ 1gb gddr5, slightly higher clock speeds and a lifetime warranty.

Any help? Are there comparable GTX 5xx series cards under $200? Would that be better than a 460?

 

[Wallach]

That looks great, but for another $50, I'm torn between these. Keep in mind I'm upgrading from a 9800 GTX+.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130611

^ 2gb gddr5, slightly lower clock speeds and a 3 year warranty

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130568

^ 1gb gddr5, slightly higher clock speeds and a lifetime warranty.

Any help? Are there comparable GTX 5xx series cards under $200? Would that be better than a 460?

I don't think there's a lot of point to a 2GB 460 unless you get 2 for SLI (thus would actually have a 2GB frame buffer across SLI). If you're trying to save some cash I have a 5850 I'm selling used, but it kinda sounds like you're looking for something from team green.

If you can afford to spend a little more you could get a 560 Ti for ~230 shipped (here's a link) which also has a $30 MIR.

 

[chaosblade]

That looks great, but for another $50, I'm torn between these. Keep in mind I'm upgrading from a 9800 GTX+.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130611

^ 2gb gddr5, slightly lower clock speeds and a 3 year warranty

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130568

^ 1gb gddr5, slightly higher clock speeds and a lifetime warranty.

Any help? Are there comparable GTX 5xx series cards under $200? Would that be better than a 460?

First card isn't worth it, the extra VRAM isn't going to do you much good. Second card basically has you paying for a lifetime warranty. The $120 AR one is a much better value than both.

And the 6870 is a good card for $170-$180 AR. Trades blows with the standard 560, consistently beats the 460.

And the above 560 Ti is a great choice too if you can put the money out for it.

 

[MonkeyKnuckle]

Hey all,

I haven't had a proper PC in years but I need something for HD video editing and the occasional gaming. I've been looking at these two, do you think they'll do the job?

http://www.cclonline.com/product/46...tems/CCL-Elite-Zeno-Gaming-System/CCL-EL-ENT/

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-178-OE


Cheers

 

[Dennis]

I just pulled the trigger on the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate mechanical keyboard.

Delivery to my door within 3 hours of ordering. Thats service.

Spoiler

We will see if it gets here as promised

 

[BloodySinner]

I just pulled the trigger on the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate mechanical keyboard.

Delivery to my door within 3 hours of ordering. Thats service.

Spoiler

We will see if it gets here as promised

You won't regret it. I'm still playing with all of its features.

 

[Smidget]

Trying to help build a budget semi-gaming/audio and video editing computer for my brother, used a bit of the $600-$700 build and some other deals and changes, just wanted to make sure it makes sense:

ANTEC 300 Case
Antec EarthWatts EA-500D Green 500W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
EVGA 01G-P3-1372-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video ... (yes the one on sale right now...)
MSI 870-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

He doesn't really game TOO much, but he would like his computer to be able to handle SC2 and Diablo 3 when it comes out, but doesn't need to have all of the bells and whistles since he mostly games on the 360.

 

[Nintendo Playstation]

First card isn't worth it, the extra VRAM isn't going to do you much good. Second card basically has you paying for a lifetime warranty. The $120 AR one is a much better value than both.

And the 6870 is a good card for $170-$180 AR. Trades blows with the standard 560, consistently beats the 460.

And the above 560 Ti is a great choice too if you can put the money out for it.

Thanks for both of your replies. And you're right, I am looking to buy green. So the 560 Ti Wallach linked for $190 would be better than this 550 Ti with twice the memory but half the processing cores for $170?

Why wouldn't having more VRAM be beneficial? Also, what's the warranty on that 560 Ti? I can't find that info anywhere.

 

[Wallach]

Thanks for both of your replies. And you're right, I am looking to buy green. So the 560 Ti Wallach linked for $190 would be better than this 550 Ti with twice the memory but half the processing cores for $170?

Why wouldn't having more VRAM be beneficial? Also, what's the warranty on that 560 Ti? I can't find that info anywhere.

The 560 Ti would be much more powerful than the 550 Ti.

More VRAM is not a bad thing, it's just a question of whether you can make any proper use of it. Currently it's pretty rare for a game to break 1GB of VRAM usage, even very demanding stuff like TW2 on Ultra or Crysis on Very High settings. A card like a 550 Ti really isn't going to run games on such high settings to begin with, so you never really get to use the extra VRAM. 1GB is enough for basically anything out right now regardless of settings (most I've ever seen is around 950 MB usage from TW2 on Ultra, Crysis hit similar numbers).

The warranty on that eVGA is 3 years limited warranty. If you get the one that has AR instead of KR at the end of the model number it's a lifetime limited warranty, but 3 years is probably more than enough for such a card.

 

[Sanjay]

What currently the best expansion card for usb3 and sata3?

 

[Nintendo Playstation]

Great explanation. That 560 Ti sounds perfect for me then, possibly jumping in when I can with another to really blow stuff outta the water with more processing power and VRAM. Got a 1050W Ultra X4 PSU so that SLI setup should be no trouble. Thanks again!

 

[Wallach]

Great explanation. That 560 Ti sounds perfect for me then, possibly jumping in when I can with another to really blow stuff outta the water with more processing power and VRAM. Got a 1050W Ultra X4 PSU so that SLI setup should be no trouble. Thanks again!

Keep in mind one thing when thinking about going SLI - two cards with 1 GB of VRAM still only have 1 GB of VRAM in SLI, not 2 GB because they will independently use their own frame buffer (they can't share that data). That's when having two cards that each have higher amounts of VRAM is more useful, because you can afford to run much higher settings and such.

Personally I am not an advocate of SLI/CF at all. I think you're generally better off selling your current card and upgrading to another card altogether.

 

[chaosblade]

Trying to help build a budget semi-gaming/audio and video editing computer for my brother, used a bit of the $600-$700 build and some other deals and changes, just wanted to make sure it makes sense:

ANTEC 300 Case
Antec EarthWatts EA-500D Green 500W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
EVGA 01G-P3-1372-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video ... (yes the one on sale right now...)
MSI 870-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

He doesn't really game TOO much, but he would like his computer to be able to handle SC2 and Diablo 3 when it comes out, but doesn't need to have all of the bells and whistles since he mostly games on the 360.

That's basically the build in the OP. Don't get the Antec 300. The HAF 912 is a much better case for the price. Not sure if I'd change much else.

Actually, are you sure he needs 8GB RAM? 2x2 would probably be fine.

 

[Nintendo Playstation]

Keep in mind one thing when thinking about going SLI - two cards with 1 GB of VRAM still only have 1 GB of VRAM in SLI, not 2 GB because they will independently use their own frame buffer (they can't share that data). That's when having two cards that each have higher amounts of VRAM is more useful, because you can afford to run much higher settings and such.

Okay, well I think that's what I mean. Like having 4 x 1GB might mean better performance than 2 x 2GB because there are more ICs and more I/O pins. Maybe I'm just crazy but I've always wondered about that.

I think the jump from the 9800 to the 560 will be plenty to hold my satisfaction for up to 3 years. Going to order one ASAP. =)

 

[Wallach]

I think the jump from the 9800 to the 560 will be plenty to hold my satisfaction for up to 3 years. Going to order one ASAP. =)

The jump from the 9800 to the 560 Ti will be quite massive, yes. Just make sure you have enough CPU to not bottleneck the little guy.

 

[Nintendo Playstation]

The jump from the 9800 to the 560 Ti will be quite massive, yes. Just make sure you have enough CPU to not bottleneck the little guy.

i7-950 @ stock just built last October. Recycled my old video card in among all new parts for the rest of the machine. Very happy with it so far, but the GPU has been my biggest constraint.

 

[Hazaro]

Trying to help build a budget semi-gaming/audio and video editing computer for my brother, used a bit of the $600-$700 build and some other deals and changes, just wanted to make sure it makes sense:

ANTEC 300 Case
Antec EarthWatts EA-500D Green 500W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
EVGA 01G-P3-1372-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video ... (yes the one on sale right now...)
MSI 870-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

He doesn't really game TOO much, but he would like his computer to be able to handle SC2 and Diablo 3 when it comes out, but doesn't need to have all of the bells and whistles since he mostly games on the 360.

CX430 for PSU. Saves you $15.
Cut back to 768MB 460, save another $30.
500 blue or f3 1tb (unless you want Black warranty)

If SC2 and DIII are his primary gaming concerns he should try to stretch to Intel, get a 2400 on H67 (semi-budget). The core speed boost really has an impact for SC II, and I'd think D III as well. It will be a ton faster for video as well.

Like this H67 board:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131713

Increased mobo cost is $20, CPU $70. $90-$45 saved is $45 more for a much much faster machine for what he will use it for. I'd easily take that upgrade. Maybe drop $20 less on a case?

 

[Smidget]

CX430 for PSU. Saves you $15.
Cut back to 768MB 460, save another $30.
500 blue or f3 1tb (unless you want Black warranty)

If SC2 and DIII are his primary gaming concerns he should try to stretch to Intel, get a 2400 on H67 (semi-budget). The core speed boost really has an impact for SC II, and I'd think D III as well. It will be a ton faster for video as well.

Like this H67 board:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131713

Increased mobo cost is $20, CPU $70. $90-$45 saved is $45 more for a much much faster machine for what he will use it for. I'd easily take that upgrade. Maybe drop $20 less on a case?

Thank you and chaosblade for the help.

Right now the 1GB is on sale for $119.99 after rebate + $10 off newegg new customers, so $109.99 ain't bad!

Quick question: I can use the same RAM right?

 

[chaosblade]

I see you recommend the Builder series/CX Corsair PSUs frequently, I've been under the impression those were outsourced to a different company (not SeaSonic) and were significantly lower quality. If you know anymore about them I'd be interested in checking that out.

 

[Smidget]

That's basically the build in the OP. Don't get the Antec 300. The HAF 912 is a much better case for the price. Not sure if I'd change much else.

Actually, are you sure he needs 8GB RAM? 2x2 would probably be fine.

That case does look a lot nicer, and he'd prefer the 8GB since he does a lot of audio work, so he'd prefer that. Thanks like I said.

With the change to Intel processor, I can use the same RAM right?

 

[chaosblade]

That case does look a lot nicer, and he'd prefer the 8GB since he does a lot of audio work, so he'd prefer that. Thanks like I said.

With the change to Intel processor, I can use the same RAM right?

Yep, dual channel DDR3. Triple channel support will probably show up again with socket 2011.

 

[Hazaro]

I see you recommend the Builder series/CX Corsair PSUs frequently, I've been under the impression those were outsourced to a different company (not SeaSonic) and were significantly lower quality. If you know anymore about them I'd be interested in checking that out.

Well when they came in (520HX/620w modular) it was seasonic. Then they made the 550/650/750TX that was CWT. Both good units. Then the builder series was cheap.

Only the budget 430w was the decent one. Then they killed it. Made the shitty 400w version, then came back with the 430w V2 (Now with 80+ cert).
It's an excellent PSU that can power a budget rig for $45 - rebates.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/1284
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/CX430_V2/

If the CX430w didn't exist I'd probably recommend the EA380w on a supertight budget, or go for the 500w (I remember something being slightly off about the EA430, but it might just be memory). I haven't looked too hard since I saw the 430 v2.

IF you are talking about the 750W V2, you can see why here:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=230

 

[Raide]

Quick question, I currently have an Core 2 Duo e8400 and I am wondering how much of an upgrade the i3 2100 would be? I am planning on building a budget kit, one that I can upgrade at a later date. I don't play a huge amount of games, so I will be reusing my 8800gt until I can find a suitably priced upgrade later on this year.

Or would jumping for an i5 2400 be worth the higher outlay?

Thanks all. Maybe I can finally pull the trigger and sort my PC out again.

 

[ElyrionX]

How do i choose between the CM 690II Advance and the HAF 912/922?

 

[Hazaro]

Quick question, I currently have an Core 2 Duo e8400 and I am wondering how much of an upgrade the i3 2100 would be? I am planning on building a budget kit, one that I can upgrade at a later date. I don't play a huge amount of games, so I will be reusing my 8800gt until I can find a suitably priced upgrade later on this year.

Or would jumping for an i5 2400 be worth the higher outlay?

Thanks all. Maybe I can finally pull the trigger and sort my PC out again.

If you are spending new money on a mobo, CPU, RAM I'd go for the quad no questions.

Of course if the games you list are not CPU intensive at all, then a 2100 could save you some money you can spend on your GPU.

 

[Lime]

Quick question, I currently have an Core 2 Duo e8400 and I am wondering how much of an upgrade the i3 2100 would be? I am planning on building a budget kit, one that I can upgrade at a later date. I don't play a huge amount of games, so I will be reusing my 8800gt until I can find a suitably priced upgrade later on this year.

Or would jumping for an i5 2400 be worth the higher outlay?

Thanks all. Maybe I can finally pull the trigger and sort my PC out again.

I'd upgrade the GPU before upgrading the CPU. Games these days are much more reliant on the GPU. And upgrading to an i3 2100 isn't that much of an upgrade, considering your processor's age. The E8400 is still a more capable workhorse for games, compared to your 8800GT.

 

[clav]

Well when they came in (520HX/620w modular) it was seasonic. Then they made the 550/650/750TX that was CWT. Both good units. Then the builder series was cheap.

Only the budget 430w was the decent one. Then they killed it. Made the shitty 400w version, then came back with the 430w V2 (Now with 80+ cert).
It's an excellent PSU that can power a budget rig for $45 - rebates.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/1284
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/CX430_V2/

If the CX430w didn't exist I'd probably recommend the EA380w on a supertight budget, or go for the 500w (I remember something being slightly off about the EA430, but it might just be memory). I haven't looked too hard since I saw the 430 v2.

IF you are talking about the 750W V2, you can see why here:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=230

What would you say would be the best graphics card on a 430w v2?

As much as your wallet can afford? It's really that strong?

I'd upgrade the GPU before upgrading the CPU. Games these days are much more reliant on the GPU. And upgrading to an i3 2100 isn't that much of an upgrade, considering your processor's age. The E8400 is still a more capable workhorse for games, compared to your 8800GT.

Some games still rely on CPU power (i.e. Bad Company 2, Starcraft 2). Having a mediocre CPU can hold back your fps count.

 

[chaosblade]

Well when they came in (520HX/620w modular) it was seasonic. Then they made the 550/650/750TX that was CWT. Both good units. Then the builder series was cheap.

Only the budget 430w was the decent one. Then they killed it. Made the shitty 400w version, then came back with the 430w V2 (Now with 80+ cert).
It's an excellent PSU that can power a budget rig for $45 - rebates.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/1284
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/CX430_V2/

If the CX430w didn't exist I'd probably recommend the EA380w on a supertight budget, or go for the 500w (I remember something being slightly off about the EA430, but it might just be memory). I haven't looked too hard since I saw the 430 v2.

IF you are talking about the 750W V2, you can see why here:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=230

Very interesting read, sounds a lot better than what I'd seen about it before. Impressive that they got over 500W out of it, inefficient as it was. Also didn't know the TX line was from CWT. Learn something every day.

How do i choose between the CM 690II Advance and the HAF 912/922?

922 vs 690II Advanced are both really nice cases for the price. Honestly, I'd probably go with the 690 just because I prefer it's more classy look and I already have some nice Scythe 120mm fans to put in it. You can't really go wrong with either though, although it's unfortunate that the prices on both have gone up.

912 is a step down, but it's also a good value. Loses the tool-less installation and only includes 120mm fans versus the 922's 200mm fans. But you get the removable HDD bay which is nice since it improves airflow and makes GPU length a non-issue (even if somebody makes a crazy 15 inch card or something).

 

[Hazaro]

What would you say would be the best graphics card on a 430w v2?
As much as your wallet can afford? It's really that strong?

6950/560 (Quad system setup will draw <330W load)
Delivers actual 28A on 12V under 100% load. 6+2 pin for GPU. 2x molex for 6 pin adapter.
You can go up to 6970/570 + OC'd CPU but you are adding on a lot of wattage under load there and you don't want to spike up that high.

Here's a power draw test I did a bit ago.

So I ran some tests.

Stock 2500K 3.3Ghz
2x4GB DDR3 RAM
Stock GTX 295 (2x GTX 260)
Misc: 2 HDD, 3 Fans, Audio Card

Wattages are PEAK / AVERAGE in wall draw (505W * 0.81 efficiency = 404W DC for Computer)

160W/160W : Idle desktop
235W/235W : P95 Blend
300W/280W : TF2 32 man fast spawn peak
350W/320W : Crysis, Relic, custom config
365W/365W : P95 Blend + FURMARK 1 GPU
505W/450W : P95 Blend + FURMARK 2 GPU

So for my rig at stock under maximum potential load a WELL BUILT 420W PSU (That somehow has perfect amps on the rails) could do it. Good thing the Corsair(Seasonic)520W can deliver 480W of its max rated 520W on the 12V

Overclocking to 4.2Ghz will add about 35W so that's 430W in some bizarro scenario with 100% load on everything, and there's still a touch of space left to mildly OC the GTX 295 with headroom.

It turned out stock -> 4.4Ghz was exactly +35W load too

*Oh and I need to flip my HX520W and GTX260 if anyone is interested.

**

PC threads:
2008 had 7,400
2009 had 13,000
2010 had 19,998
2011 has 19,200 right now.

 

[longdi]

How do i choose between the CM 690II Advance and the HAF 912/922?

Neither imo.
would rather choose Silverstone FT02 or RV02E or Lian Li PC8FIB or Lian Li V1020.

Silverstone = better air cooling
Lian Li = classy looks

 

[Liquid_015]

I'm just curious but is Crossfire really necessary for a 600-700USD build. I mean I have already researched the " 500-700 Damn Capable" build, but that specific build does not have Crossfire enabled. From what I was told Crossfire can increase the performance of your gaming experience such as a drastic boost in Frame Per Secs. Consequently, the power supply is nearly 183 USD, and I am only using a HD Radeon 6790 GPU. So GAF, do you think it is worth the extra dough to purchase the PSU?

 

[Dennis]

The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate was delivered to me less than 2 hours after ordering it online.

First impressions: typing is great, very responsive compared to non-mechanical keyboards. Nowhere near as loud clicking noises as I had feared, in fact I am not bothered at all.