"I need a New PC!" 2011 Thread of reading the OP. Seriously. [Part 2]
- Thread starter Hazaro
- Start date
- Status
You don't count mr 2560x1600 monitor man. That shit can be almost 2 grand by itself.DennisK4 said:
Speaking of which that resolution pretty much requires SLI to game at any appreciable quality.
knitoe said:
People in the alpha thread are mentioning quad cores with (if I recall correctly) 5xx or 6xxx series single cards and they're playing at the max it allows at 1080p close to 60fps. Though I hear some graphics settings such as AA are missing. SLI is a little expensive for trying to "future proof" (which is always a waste of money unless it's close to flagship quality cards imo) for one game.
DennisK4 said:
Well sure it's his money, just trying to explain you don't need 2 grand to max out that many games at 1080p. BF3 is a bit of an unknown here since it's still in alpha, but quad core is going to be the more important thing I think.
In as much of a non-offensive way as possible, RTFM.FrenchMovieTheme said:
Bolded is subjective. The only truth nugget in this is that you don't spend that kind of money to "futureproof", if you are budgeting. If money is of no concern, go balls out. If you're trying to get the most for your money, then take it easy. Additionally, if you're trying to build for a single game, wait until that game comes out before you build.Gvaz said:
Futurevoid
Member
You said you have the Asrock Extreme 4, right? I have the same motherboard. Not to duplicate the previous response but the manual has a section devoted to the front panel connections (and all pin level connections) with clear labels on which pins are positive/negative and the connections from the case should (hopefully) be clearly marked. Once you know which is positive/negative you'll know what orientation to slide the jumper on. For the front case connections, most of the jumpers will end up sliding in horizontally if memory recalls...FrenchMovieTheme said:
Close to 60fps does not equal locked 60fps. And, since it's missing graphic settings, it's not max settings either. I wouldn't be surprise that the higher graphic settings are missing/disable in the beta. And, future proofing is just marketing BS, especially with tech were it's being improve constantly. We are talking about running BF3 and not future proofing.Gvaz said:
FrenchMovieTheme
Member
mkenyon said:
lol the manual that came with it doesn't describe shit! it is literally 15 pages, and the majority of them are just photos. the beginning of the "manual" shows some of the connections but doesn't really define what they are or where they're supposed to go. the motherboard manual is more defined but there's nothing in there that corresponds to the connections i actually have, they're all labeled differently
edit -
nm, there is a quick installation page behind the cover of the booklet which i didn't see that explains it more clearly. thanks bros!
knitoe said:
The alpha is almost certainly dumbed down graphically. Not that tessellation is a given in multiplayer, but I haven't seen any. No tess, no DOF, the list goes on (if it's there, and I've missed it, let me know). The people over in the alpha thread that keep saying the game looks like BC2, are kind of grating on me. The animations alone are a generation ahead, before you even start to look at anything else.
CarbonatedFalcon
Member
Honestly, the most you could truly future-proof without upgrading in between is anywhere between 2-4 years. Spend what you want, but if you aim to always have top of the line gear, it WILL become outdated in at least one aspect no matter what you do.
Hawk269
Member
Gvaz said:
Again, it depends on what the guy wants. I can tell you that I cannot max out Witcher 2 at 1080p, Uber Setting, 60fps with 2x580's overclocked to 900mhz with a SB2600k oc to 4.5. The best I can get is a steady 40fps (with the 1.3 patch). Those 2 580's alone are $500 each. I know of one person that has 2x590's that is getting about 60-80fps with Uber at 1080p and those cards if memory servers me are about $700 each, so that is $1400.00 in GPU's alone to get 1 game at its *MAX* level.
So, yes, you can easily use $2000.00 to get get what the guy wants. I know for many, there is a give and take on settings and what they can and cannot afford to have turned off/on, for others, they want rigs that can MAX it all and those are the rigs that hit the 2000-3000 mark or higher.
I agree with the above post, don't try to build a PC with future proofing in mind.
Pick a budget and work within that.
Also don't build a PC that will just do the job such as a little bit of everything. If you buy the latest gear then you will pay a premium but that can be said about everything.
The most important thing to me is 4xAA and 16xAF. A GTX580 will do that no problem and I don't plan on upgrading for a long time but if I do I will just add another GTX580 when they're cheap.
I am also paranoid about heat and my corei7 2600K never goes over 34C because I watercool, I know a decent air-cooler is more than capable but watercooling is a part of the hobby for me.
Pick a budget and work within that.
Also don't build a PC that will just do the job such as a little bit of everything. If you buy the latest gear then you will pay a premium but that can be said about everything.
The most important thing to me is 4xAA and 16xAF. A GTX580 will do that no problem and I don't plan on upgrading for a long time but if I do I will just add another GTX580 when they're cheap.
I am also paranoid about heat and my corei7 2600K never goes over 34C because I watercool, I know a decent air-cooler is more than capable but watercooling is a part of the hobby for me.
Laurentius
Member
Any reason not to go for this card? I'm trying to stay within a budget, and this seems to be the best card for that price, at least that I can find:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130664&cm
$190, and $180 after MIR.
I can't figure out the difference between that card and this one, either:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130661
I compared the specs side by side, and they were identical.
Picking out a graphics card is so tricky. Heh.
EDIT:
All right, filling this out again, as I'm getting closer to finalizing the build!
Basic Desktop Questions:
Budget: ~$700 (but the more I can hit that "sweet spot" between price and performance the better). USA
Main Use: Gaming, possibly emulation
Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050 for now. Possibly 1920x1080 in the future. Don't think I'll go higher than that.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Nothing too crazy, but I'd like it to be able to handle things coming out in the future decently. I don't need Ultra settings on everything, but a system with enough life in it to handle things decently for a few years is preferred. I'd like to play Crysis, for example, and some games that I got from the Steam sale (Just Cause 2, Darksiders, Batman: AA, Fallout: New Vegas). Deus Ex: HR in the near future.
Are reusing any parts?: Yes. I'm reusing the case (possibly -- unless I find a good deal on a new one), optical drive, and HDD. The HDD is one I got recently, and is fine. May upgrade to an SSD as well in the future, but that won't be for some time.
When will you build?: Depends. Maybe in the next couple of weeks.
Will you be overclocking?: Yes.
I've already bought RAM for this build. Here's what I've put together so far:
Little wary about the mobo and the PSU. I've heard recommendations both ways, but I keep coming back to that PSU. Seems like the best deal for the price, and it should handle an OC'ed i5 2500k no problem, from what I've heard.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130664&cm
$190, and $180 after MIR.
I can't figure out the difference between that card and this one, either:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130661
I compared the specs side by side, and they were identical.
Picking out a graphics card is so tricky. Heh.
EDIT:
All right, filling this out again, as I'm getting closer to finalizing the build!
Basic Desktop Questions:
Budget: ~$700 (but the more I can hit that "sweet spot" between price and performance the better). USA
Main Use: Gaming, possibly emulation
Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050 for now. Possibly 1920x1080 in the future. Don't think I'll go higher than that.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Nothing too crazy, but I'd like it to be able to handle things coming out in the future decently. I don't need Ultra settings on everything, but a system with enough life in it to handle things decently for a few years is preferred. I'd like to play Crysis, for example, and some games that I got from the Steam sale (Just Cause 2, Darksiders, Batman: AA, Fallout: New Vegas). Deus Ex: HR in the near future.
Are reusing any parts?: Yes. I'm reusing the case (possibly -- unless I find a good deal on a new one), optical drive, and HDD. The HDD is one I got recently, and is fine. May upgrade to an SSD as well in the future, but that won't be for some time.
When will you build?: Depends. Maybe in the next couple of weeks.
Will you be overclocking?: Yes.
I've already bought RAM for this build. Here's what I've put together so far:
Little wary about the mobo and the PSU. I've heard recommendations both ways, but I keep coming back to that PSU. Seems like the best deal for the price, and it should handle an OC'ed i5 2500k no problem, from what I've heard.
IonicSnake
Banned
I'm looking at the amd 6870 and 6950, is it worth the extra money for 6950 over the 6870?
NullPointer
Member
OK, so I'm officially joining the cult in a few weeks. The only part I'm missing is a good wireless gamepad for those comfy couch situations.
Any recommendations for a wireless gamepad, with rumble, that will work with most PC games?
Any recommendations for a wireless gamepad, with rumble, that will work with most PC games?
elrechazado
Banned
360 controller with wireless adapterNullPointer said:
NullPointer
Member
You mean this?elrechazao said:
It'd be convenient, as I do have a couple Xbox controllers on hand, but the customer reviews aren't giving me much confidence. Seems like there can be interference issues and there's no software support for mapping buttons (don't know how necessary that is, but I'm new to modern PC gaming, especially on a gamepad).
NullPointer said:
Not that, it's likely a knockoff from china. You want this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QRKWKQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Microsoft doesn't sell the standalone wireless receiver anymore, sadly.
As for game compatibility, you'll find that there really isn't any standard for it. Games that were made for the consoles will usually have support. In other games, you may have to tinker with software to get it to work, and even then, it may not be ideal.
Definity
Member
This thread has been awesome. I'm finally getting back into PC gaming after being gone for 6 or so years. Getting tired of playing gimped versions of console games.
Any tips on if I want my new build connected to my Samsung LED TV? I've got my eye on the same video card that was listed in one of the OP builds:
MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr II OC GeForce GTX 570
It's amazing how much the tech has changed in six years.
Any tips on if I want my new build connected to my Samsung LED TV? I've got my eye on the same video card that was listed in one of the OP builds:
MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr II OC GeForce GTX 570
It's amazing how much the tech has changed in six years.
I received all the parts a week ago,
those are all the parts. *sorry for the crappy photos*
and yesterday I started building my PC for the first time ever.
after 6 straight hours I was able to connect everything and got it working. I was mistaken to follow Newegg's guide on youtube as it missed a lot of things that got me frustrated. in the end I connected everything thanks to the manuals.
this is the build after connecting everything.
cool case, I like that it has a button to turn on/off the front led.
only one problem I had, that is the restart button, when I press it the computer turns off completely, then turns on and gets turned off immediately after 15 seconds, and turns on again and boots. very weird problem. I tried it a few times and still the same case, even though I connected the restart button to the MB according to the manual.
what a wonderful experience I had, thank god I didn't order a pre-built one.
the thing that got me frightened the most was installing the cpu, as the cpu clip required such a force that I was so scared of destroying the cpu when trying to close it.
those are all the parts. *sorry for the crappy photos*
and yesterday I started building my PC for the first time ever.
after 6 straight hours I was able to connect everything and got it working. I was mistaken to follow Newegg's guide on youtube as it missed a lot of things that got me frustrated. in the end I connected everything thanks to the manuals.
this is the build after connecting everything.
cool case, I like that it has a button to turn on/off the front led.
only one problem I had, that is the restart button, when I press it the computer turns off completely, then turns on and gets turned off immediately after 15 seconds, and turns on again and boots. very weird problem. I tried it a few times and still the same case, even though I connected the restart button to the MB according to the manual.
what a wonderful experience I had, thank god I didn't order a pre-built one.
the thing that got me frightened the most was installing the cpu, as the cpu clip required such a force that I was so scared of destroying the cpu when trying to close it.
Qatar said:
Did you reverse the polarity by accident? If you don't need the reset button, you can just unplug it (I never plug mine in.)
On another note, did you put the memory in those slots because your manual said to, or did you do it because it wouldn't fit due to the fan? If the mobo wants them in the other slots, you could swap the fan to the other side of the cooler (having it pull air, instead of push it). If your manual didn't say anything on the issue, don't worry about it.
Welcome to the master race.
SenseiJinx said:
Build looks fine to me. I've never used ASrock, so I can't really speak to their reliability, but if the reviews on Newegg are fine, you should be okay. PSU is fine as well, as long as you aren't planning to SLI in the future.
Pick the cheaper card, as they seem identical (except for the sticker). There isn't really a better card at that price point.
Ok, so I was ready to get a MacBook air, but 64GB HDD? No thank you.
Guy at Best Buy recommended the Toshiba Portege. It's not as sexy as the Air, but only 3 pounds and it would be eligible for the free xbox promo (anything over 700, right?).
Anything else comparable? I know of the Samsung Series 9, but that's too expensive. The upcoming Asus looks cool, but the HDD is also small.
Guy at Best Buy recommended the Toshiba Portege. It's not as sexy as the Air, but only 3 pounds and it would be eligible for the free xbox promo (anything over 700, right?).
Anything else comparable? I know of the Samsung Series 9, but that's too expensive. The upcoming Asus looks cool, but the HDD is also small.
Mobo should be fine.SenseiJinx said:EDIT:
All right, filling this out again, as I'm getting closer to finalizing the build!
Basic Desktop Questions:
Budget: ~$700 (but the more I can hit that "sweet spot" between price and performance the better). USA
Main Use: Gaming, possibly emulation
Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050 for now. Possibly 1920x1080 in the future. Don't think I'll go higher than that.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Nothing too crazy, but I'd like it to be able to handle things coming out in the future decently. I don't need Ultra settings on everything, but a system with enough life in it to handle things decently for a few years is preferred. I'd like to play Crysis, for example, and some games that I got from the Steam sale (Just Cause 2, Darksiders, Batman: AA, Fallout: New Vegas). Deus Ex: HR in the near future.
Are reusing any parts?: Yes. I'm reusing the case (possibly -- unless I find a good deal on a new one), optical drive, and HDD. The HDD is one I got recently, and is fine. May upgrade to an SSD as well in the future, but that won't be for some time.
When will you build?: Depends. Maybe in the next couple of weeks.
Will you be overclocking?: Yes.
I've already bought RAM for this build. Here's what I've put together so far:
Little wary about the mobo and the PSU. I've heard recommendations both ways, but I keep coming back to that PSU. Seems like the best deal for the price, and it should handle an OC'ed i5 2500k no problem, from what I've heard.
PSU is way more than enough. You are looking at like 300W load with that system. If you are talking quality, you can get an XFX Core 450 or 550W instead, but it won't be modular.
Get a GTX 460 1GB (Not SE) or get a GTX 560 Ti.
I don't like the 560 as a card since it is just a higher clocked GTX 460. Overclock it yourself and get very close performance to save $30. Takes a very little amount of effort.
I'd ask the laptop thread. First line in the OP.SeanR1221 said:
LordCanti said:
I guess I will just unplug it as it won't be using it.
about the ram and cooler, I installed those according to Newegg's guide. as he said if I'm using two slots, I should install them in the white slots, also he said the fan should face the rams.
I will read the mobo manual to check on this.
I was so surprised to find Kapersky IS for cheap on amazon, I bought the 3-users version and it's only a $2 more than the 1-user version.
Time to intall steam and kill my comcast bandwidth.
the Air has 64GB SSDSeanR1221 said:
about the toshiba portege, my roommate owns it, and it's very good and has a decent battery life. after a few days from using it, the battery died, he talked to amazon customer service and they sent him a new one immediately before he got to return it, now it has passed about 3 weeks and he's very happy with it. I guess they sent him a defective unit.
Friend showed me a site that offers a service I've been looking for: Psycho Sleeve. For those of you who have been looking for a unisleeving service, this is it.
Just ordered me a Seasonic X750 to replace my Corsair HX650, and all the cables I'll need from them. Going to completely mod my 600T white over the next few months. Will post updates here.
Just ordered me a Seasonic X750 to replace my Corsair HX650, and all the cables I'll need from them. Going to completely mod my 600T white over the next few months. Will post updates here.
I'm also a X750 user. I couldn't be happier with it.
update: case posted here sold out
I'm tempted, even though I've sworn to myself that I'd never go full tower again (just too big)
With those prices (24pin especially), I can see where they got their name. Their quality seems top tier though. I'm afraid to ask how much a custom modular job would be.
update: case posted here sold out
I'm tempted, even though I've sworn to myself that I'd never go full tower again (just too big)
mkenyon said:
With those prices (24pin especially), I can see where they got their name. Their quality seems top tier though. I'm afraid to ask how much a custom modular job would be.
Finally able to play some BF: BC2 and I'm running at really high settings with my EVGA 560 Ti. The first couple of multiplayer games were no problem, however I've got stuttering and video crashing (monitor will go black, no DVI connection, then recover) so I logged it with GPUz:
I'm seeing at 95% load 83C on the card for it's highest point, well before the crash. However it will hover high 70's to 80 before it cycles down and just completely nulls out on the log. Fan speed never goes over much of 50%. I have a feeling the issue is the heat but... any tips/advice for the moment?
My case allows for 3 more fans to be placed in it (2 on the side to pull in air right at the card - CM690 ii) so I guess I'll just have to add some more fans or dial back the settings.
edit: asked this before - anyone able to map the 3.5mm jacks on the back of the ASRock P67 (B3) with the RealTek driver/software that comes with the mobo?
edit2: I'm not on the latest drivers - installing those now for the 560 Ti.
I'm seeing at 95% load 83C on the card for it's highest point, well before the crash. However it will hover high 70's to 80 before it cycles down and just completely nulls out on the log. Fan speed never goes over much of 50%. I have a feeling the issue is the heat but... any tips/advice for the moment?
My case allows for 3 more fans to be placed in it (2 on the side to pull in air right at the card - CM690 ii) so I guess I'll just have to add some more fans or dial back the settings.
edit: asked this before - anyone able to map the 3.5mm jacks on the back of the ASRock P67 (B3) with the RealTek driver/software that comes with the mobo?
edit2: I'm not on the latest drivers - installing those now for the 560 Ti.
I wanted to get a new rig especially for bf3 and of course future titles
That's what I thought of:
Samsung EcoGreen F4 2000GB, SATA II (HD204UI)
Crucial m4 SSD 128GB, 2.5", SATA 6Gb/s (CT128M4SSD2)
Intel Core i7-2600K, 4x 3.40GHz, boxed (BX80623I72600K)
Corsair XMS3 DIMM Kit 8GB PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24 (DDR3-1333)
ASUS Xonar DG, PCI (90-YAA0K0-0UAN0BZ)
Gainward GeForce GTX 570 Phantom, 1.25GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort (1732)
ASUS P8Z68-V, Z68 (dual PC3-10667U DDR3) (90-MIBGC0-G0AAY00Z)
Fractal Design Define R3 schwarz (FD-CA-DEF-R3-BL)
Corsair Hydro Series H60 (Sockel 775/1155/1156/1366/AM2/AM2+/AM3) (CWCH60)
Thermaltake ToughPower Grand 750W ATX 2.3 (TPG-750M)
Any comments?
That's what I thought of:
Samsung EcoGreen F4 2000GB, SATA II (HD204UI)
Crucial m4 SSD 128GB, 2.5", SATA 6Gb/s (CT128M4SSD2)
Intel Core i7-2600K, 4x 3.40GHz, boxed (BX80623I72600K)
Corsair XMS3 DIMM Kit 8GB PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24 (DDR3-1333)
ASUS Xonar DG, PCI (90-YAA0K0-0UAN0BZ)
Gainward GeForce GTX 570 Phantom, 1.25GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort (1732)
ASUS P8Z68-V, Z68 (dual PC3-10667U DDR3) (90-MIBGC0-G0AAY00Z)
Fractal Design Define R3 schwarz (FD-CA-DEF-R3-BL)
Corsair Hydro Series H60 (Sockel 775/1155/1156/1366/AM2/AM2+/AM3) (CWCH60)
Thermaltake ToughPower Grand 750W ATX 2.3 (TPG-750M)
Any comments?
I've been wondering the same thing since I decided I want to upgrade, and probably wont have decided until the last second... The 6870s are so much cheaper than the 6950s and aren't as good but aren't a huge step back either, so I dunno what I wanna doIonicSnake said:
One thing I thought of, was getting a single 6870 and a case this week, then come tax return time, upgrading to the new GPUs Mobos and CPUs.
Charmicarmicat
Banned
Just had a quick question, I have a midrange Core 2 Duo and 2 gigs of ram, what would be a good budget card to play Fallout New Vegas at decent settings at 1080p?
A local shop rebuilt my computer and replaced the broken motherboard. They didn't do a great job inside, one of the fans and the power lights weren't plugged in. Easily fixed though.
However they also put the fan from my 212+ on a different side to where I did, it is now facing the rear fan on a Fractal R3. Is this a problem?
However they also put the fan from my 212+ on a different side to where I did, it is now facing the rear fan on a Fractal R3. Is this a problem?
f0rk said:
as long as airflow is going out the rear it should be OK, it is a problem if it is blowing in another direction as the rear fan (fans blow in the direction of the side the sticker/framework is at)
so in this situation it should suck air through the 212 and out the back
it is a bit less efficient than blowing it through the 212 from the front though, any reason why they put it on the back?
toastyToast
Member
LordCanti said:
Pretty sure it's considered a mid tower despite its width, it has 7 expansion slots. It saves on a bit of room on the back since everything plugs onto the top so you can push it up against the wall or whatever.
I love the design but the RV02 was slightly too gaudy looking for me so I went with the FT02.
Laurentius
Member
Hazaro said:
Cool, thanks for all the good advice.
Regarding the 460 vs. 560, that does make sense. I'm taking a look at the one you had for the $600 build in the OP. How hard would it be to overclock it to the level of a 560? And do you think it would be possible to get it near the performance of that factory overclocked 560 I had in my build? The 460 you linked in the OP has a core clock of 720MHz, and shader clock of 1440MHz, and the GTX 560 I was looking at has an 850MHz core clock, and 1700MHz shader clock...
Still, the 460 is $30 cheaper. Choices choices...GPU has been the hardest for me to pin down so far, haha. Maybe I'm overthinking it.
Laurentius
Member
Hazaro said:
How much of a performance difference do you think I would be getting between, say, that overclocked 460 at 800Mhz and the factory overclocked 560 I was looking at running at 850Mhz? Theoretically of course, with me running at 1680x1050 (and possibly 1080p in the future) and with the i5 2500k in conjunction? Running, say Crysis. Are we basically just talking a 3-8 frames or something?
Still trying to decide if I should justify that extra $30. =D
Apricorn PCI Drive Array & Apricorn Mac Array
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=28285205#post28285205
Apricorn Velocity Solo
http://www.apricorn.com/products/desktop-ssd-hdd-upgrade-kits/velocity-solo.html
Apricorn Velocity Monarch
Neither of the two EVGAs you had listed have a lifetime warranty.
$150 - MSI N460GTX Hawk
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127518
Cooler and quieter than those 560s you had listed, while costing $30 less. You can pocket the difference, or spend a bit on PCB component cooling to help ensure GPU durability, if you overclock it further. Even if you decide to leave the MSI 460 "stock", real world performance is comparable to the average 560 non-Ti.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=28285205#post28285205
Apricorn Velocity Solo
http://www.apricorn.com/products/desktop-ssd-hdd-upgrade-kits/velocity-solo.html
Apricorn Velocity Monarch
The vanilla GTX 560 has been a questionable buy since launch, and is likely to remain that way until the 460s are gone, or something changes.SenseiJinx said:
Neither of the two EVGAs you had listed have a lifetime warranty.
$150 - MSI N460GTX Hawk
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127518
Cooler and quieter than those 560s you had listed, while costing $30 less. You can pocket the difference, or spend a bit on PCB component cooling to help ensure GPU durability, if you overclock it further. Even if you decide to leave the MSI 460 "stock", real world performance is comparable to the average 560 non-Ti.
Horsemama1956
Member
Wouldn't be worth 30.SenseiJinx said:
Depending on air flow in your case you can just set the voltage to the max supported by the default bios, 1.087 and see if the 460 will hit 900. Mine's currently running at that.
If you can get 850 or so on the core, you basically get GTX470 performance, which is damn fine for 150.
- Status