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[TommyT]

"display driver has stopped responding and has recovered" - same issue again even though I've got an outside fan blowing directly on the card and it never gets over 71C when hitting 95% load on the card. This is happening while playing BF: BC2.

This is making me think this is no longer a heat issue so much as it's a driver issue. Any thoughts? (EVGA Geforce 560 Ti)

 

[Laurentius]

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.

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.

In terms of warranties, the EVGAs did have 3 year warranties, and I don't see myself having the card beyond three years.

Still, I see where you're coming from. That MSI card you linked looks pretty darn good, especially at that price. With a bit of extra overclocking, I could certainly see the benefit.

Wouldn't be worth 30.

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.

Nice, and it runs stable at 900? Are you running just the stock cooler on your GTX 460?


I think you guys are probably talking me into the 460...

 

[Horsemama1956]

"display driver has stopped responding and has recovered" - same issue again even though I've got an outside fan blowing directly on the card and it never gets over 71C when hitting 95% load on the card. This is happening while playing BF: BC2.

This is making me think this is no longer a heat issue so much as it's a driver issue. Any thoughts? (EVGA Geforce 560 Ti)

Any monitoring software running while playing? Something like Fraps or Afterburner? Try disabling that. Which drivers are you running? Fermi is pretty finicky with drivers at times.

In terms of warranties, the EVGAs did have 3 year warranties, and I don't see myself having the card beyond three years.

Still, I see where you're coming from. That MSI card you linked looks pretty darn good, especially at that price. With a bit of extra overclocking, I could certainly see the benefit.



Nice, and it runs stable at 900? Are you running just the stock cooler on your GTX 460?


I think you guys are probably talking me into the 460...

Yup, just a reference EVGA 1GB 460. I replaced the TIM, and removed the shroud, but it's completely stable and only hits 70 degrees. I haven't really bothered to check if I can get more clocks with that voltage, or lower the voltage though. Haven't had a single issue since doing it.

At 1680x1050 it will be a very capable card for the money spent on it.

 

[Hazaro]

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

Well you can overclock the 560 too obviously...

850/800 = 6.25% faster

I decided to hold out until October to get my build. All I have so far is ram. Would the 2500k still be the best all-around choice once BF3 launches?

Dont know. BD will be out. Probably 2500K though.

 

[TommyT]

Any monitoring software running while playing? Something like Fraps or Afterburner? Try disabling that. Which drivers are you running? Fermi is pretty finicky with drivers at times.

Just GPU-Z, but nothing like fraps or anything like that. Latest drivers as I got them today: 275.33

 

[Laurentius]

After thinking so much about the NVIDIA cards, I'm practically forgetting about the AMD ones. After the great advice, I've been leaning towards this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-127-518

But then this 6850 looks like it might be even better, for about the same price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127566

Ugh. I'm going to just have to finally pick one and stick with it. Haha.

 

[Cptkrush]

After thinking so much about the NVIDIA cards, I'm practically forgetting about the AMD ones. After the great advice, I've been leaning towards this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-127-518

But then this 6850 looks like it might be even better, for about the same price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127566

Ugh. I'm going to just have to finally pick one and stick with it. Haha.

Would only be 5 bucks more for a 6870:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102913

 

[Coldsnap]

What's a good wireless keyboard / mouse combo, I need the wirless to be strong enough to go across my room *probably 10 feet*. The logitech one I have doesnt do this currently. Mouse will be used for gaming unfortunately, cant get a setup to where my wired death addler will work.

 

[Laurentius]

Would only be 5 bucks more for a 6870:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102913

Oh, nice, you're right. Hadn't even noticed that card yet. (The only thing I like better about that MSI is the look of it. Helped a friend of my install one into his case, and I've got to say it's quite the interesting looking card.)

Is choosing a GPU the hardest part for anyone else? CPU was easy, the i5 2500k was a no brainer for me. Motherboard has been a bit tricky, but I think I've got one locked down. PSU was a bit of a dilemma, but memory was extremely simple.

There's just so many choices when it comes to the GPU. Not only are there a slew of different models, there's the half dozen or so different brands to further complicate the issue. And then sales come along and really throw me for a loop, wondering if I should jump for such and such a card since it's $xx off.

I think I'll give myself at least one more day (possibly a few) to think it over, then I'll just grab one, and no looking back.

 

[Cptkrush]

Oh, nice, you're right. Hadn't even noticed that card yet. (The only thing I like better about that MSI is the look of it. Helped a friend of my install one into his case, and I've got to say it's quite the interesting looking card.)

Is choosing a GPU the hardest part for anyone else? CPU was easy, the i5 2500k was a no brainer for me. Motherboard has been a bit tricky, but I think I've got one locked down. PSU was a bit of a dilemma, but memory was extremely simple.

There's just so many choices when it comes to the GPU. Not only are there a slew of different models, there's the half dozen or so different brands to further complicate the issue. And then sales come along and really throw me for a loop, wondering if I should jump for such and such a card since it's $xx off.

I think I'll give myself at least one more day (possibly a few) to think it over, then I'll just grab one, and no looking back.

Yes, choosing a GPU has been the hardest thing I've had to do in a long time, I still haven't decided on CFX 6870s or a single 6950...

 

[Mr Nightman]

What's a good wireless keyboard / mouse combo, I need the wirless to be strong enough to go across my room *probably 10 feet*. The logitech one I have doesnt do this currently. Mouse will be used for gaming unfortunately, cant get a setup to where my wired death addler will work.

you should look into a bluetooth set, has a range of 30 or so feet

 

[Hazaro]

If you guys want Dirt 3 go for it. 460 and 6870 are great cards.

 

[Coldsnap]

you should look into a bluetooth set, has a range of 30 or so feet

Ah okay

 

[jambo]

The upgrade to SLI'd GTX 570's was a huge success.

Everything is running silky smooth in 2560x1600. Even GTA IV runs great with everything but shadows maxed out.

Metro 2033, Crysis 2 and BFBC2 are just amazing.

 

[Cptkrush]

If you guys want Dirt 3 go for it. 460 and 6870 are great cards.

I realize the 6870 is a great card, but I don't want to get burnt like i did with the 5750, bought it over a year ago and it was outdated the second I installed it :\

Then again, I don't think the 5750 was ever considered a good card.

But here's the thing, with Amazon Credit + money from an eBay sale it would be 49.99 for a single 6870 and like 149 for a single 6950. I almost feel that the bad luck I had with the 5750 would be what I feel with the 6870, but am hesitant to buy the 6950 because it's a hundred bucks more for slightly better performance. I just don't know what to do anymore haha.

 

[Horsemama1956]

I realize the 6870 is a great card, but I don't want to get burnt like i did with the 5750, bought it over a year ago and it was outdated the second I installed it :\

Then again, I don't think the 5750 was ever considered a good card.

But here's the thing, with Amazon Credit + money from an eBay sale it would be 49.99 for a single 6870 and like 149 for a single 6950. I almost feel that the bad luck I had with the 5750 would be what I feel with the 6870, but am hesitant to buy the 6950 because it's a hundred bucks more for slightly better performance. I just don't know what to do anymore haha.

Why not find a dirt cheap 5750/5770 and crossfire that until the next cards come out(unless that is your Ebay sale)?

You're right though, even unlocked and overclocked, a 6950 is not going to be all that much faster then an overclocked 6870. There would be a noticeable difference, but not a shocking amount. Though for 149 out of pocket, a 6950 would be worth it.
Unfortunately unless you spend mega bucks on high end enthusiast GPU setups, you just never know how long what you buy will last, though it's usually only a few games a year that you need to turn settings down until you get a few generations past your purchase.

Just GPU-Z, but nothing like fraps or anything like that. Latest drivers as I got them today: 275.33

If you haven't I would try the 270.61 drivers and see what happens. Supposed to be pretty stable, unlike the newest ones you have.

 

[TheExodu5]

But here's the thing, with Amazon Credit + money from an eBay sale it would be 49.99 for a single 6870 and like 149 for a single 6950. I almost feel that the bad luck I had with the 5750 would be what I feel with the 6870, but am hesitant to buy the 6950 because it's a hundred bucks more for slightly better performance. I just don't know what to do anymore haha.

You need to consider the % improvement over your current card.

Anyways, using this chart:

The 6870 offers an 83% performance increase.
The 6950 offers a 108% performance increase.

Whether or not that's worth it is completely up to you. The hardware market does not work on linear gains.

Personally, I'd say the gain is pretty small for considering triple the investment. I don't know how you can manage a 6870 for $50, but that's a very small price to pay for the increase in performance you're going to see.

 

[Hazaro]

Why not find a dirt cheap 5750/5770 and crossfire that until the next cards come out(unless that is your Ebay sale)?

Because this generally will not end well. Dual cards are for high end only, or if you are willing to put up with more troubleshooting.

 

[TheExodu5]

Because this generally will not end well. Dual cards are for high end only, or if you are willing to put up with more troubleshooting.

Agreed. 5750 is far too low end to consider for Crossfire.

 

[- J - D -]

How do you guys feel about in-case expansion/pci-slot fans? Inexpensive ones from Antec, Thermaltake, vantec, etc.

A waterblock is too pricey for my means. I'd like a quick solution to bring down temps a little on my gtx 580. One example, Antec makes an exhaust fan (the Super Cyclone Blower). I'm thinking that putting it under my 580 would suck out the stagnant hot air in that corner of my case.

 

[Hazaro]

Too rich for my blood.

I'd tie a 80 or 120mm fan somewhere pointing at it.

 

[- J - D -]

Too rich for my blood.

I'd tie a 80 or 120mm fan somewhere pointing at it.

That could be a better solution if i can not make it look ugly and slapshod. Will have to do further reading.

 

[psykomyko]

I posted here awhile back about a question on upgrading my PC, but I never got around to doing it (No money). So i'm back to ask, here is my PC specs:

Dell Inspiron 530
Intel(R) Core 2 Duo CPU E7400 @ 2.80 GHz
Memory (RAM) 6.0GB

I just want to upgrade my processor, graphics card, and I will probably have to upgrade my power supply. Would I be able to just upgrade these without having to upgrade other parts? I'm on about a $400-$500 budget. Or would it be better just to completely build a new PC?

These are the parts that I am currently looking at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130570
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

 

[Horsemama1956]

Agreed. 5750 is far too low end to consider for Crossfire.

Disagree. If he has the board for it, and can get one for 50 or so since he has credit it would hold him off until he can get a next gen card. It'll have around the same performance of current mid range cards and he can see if he likes multi GPU setups.

5770/5750 crossfire was and still is pretty popular and won't cripple him all that much compared to an overclocked 6950. Considering the cost, it's not a terrible option.

I'm not suggestion he go for it and ignore a new card, but it is a cheap and interesting alternative.

If he isn't interested in ever going multi gpu, then it's just a matter of picking something.

 

[Hazaro]

I posted here awhile back about a question on upgrading my PC, but I never got around to doing it (No money). So i'm back to ask, here is my PC specs:

Dell Inspiron 530
Intel(R) Core 2 Duo CPU E7400 @ 2.80 GHz
Memory (RAM) 6.0GB

I just want to upgrade my processor, graphics card, and I will probably have to upgrade my power supply. Would I be able to just upgrade these without having to upgrade other parts? I'm on about a $400-$500 budget. Or would it be better just to completely build a new PC?

These are the parts that I am currently looking at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130570
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

New motherboard and new RAM too.

Disagree. If he has the board for it, and can get one for 50 or so since he has credit it would hold him off until he can get a next gen card. It'll have around the same performance of current mid range cards and he can see if he likes multi GPU setups.

5770/5750 crossfire was and still is pretty popular and won't cripple him all that much compared to an overclocked 6950. Considering the cost, it's not a terrible option.

I'm not suggestion he go for it and ignore a new card, but it is a cheap and interesting alternative.

If he isn't interested in ever going multi gpu, then it's just a matter of picking something.

Except for the games have have no, or a bad 2 card config he will get 5750 performance.

 

[psykomyko]

New motherboard and new RAM too.

So I basically need a whole new build then?

 

[Hazaro]

So I basically need a whole new build then?

Yup

 

[psykomyko]

Yup

That's what I was worried about...

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Cptkrush]

You need to consider the % improvement over your current card.

Anyways, using this chart:

The 6870 offers an 83% performance increase.
The 6950 offers a 108% performance increase.

Whether or not that's worth it is completely up to you. The hardware market does not work on linear gains.

Personally, I'd say the gain is pretty small for considering triple the investment. I don't know how you can manage a 6870 for $50, but that's a very small price to pay for the increase in performance you're going to see.

Thanks for this, I'm going with the 6870 then, 50 bucks for a huge increase is worth it to me! Besides, I'm going to be at 1680x1050 for a long time, so I don't think the 2GB of memory will be useful to me for a long time. I also plan on upgrading everything in my rig with my income tax so only spending 50 bucks and replacing it so soon won't feel so bad.

As far as getting one for 50 bucks, I have 86 bucks in trade in credit and just made a 45 dollar sale on eBay for my old phone which brings the total to 48.92 (w/ free 2 day shipping) with exact maths done. Not to mention, I can sell my 5750 when the new card comes in.

 

[AwesomeSauce]

That's what I was worried about...

Thanks for the reply.

Sell what you have and add that to what you were going to spend on upgrades.

 

[outunderthestars]

Wrong thread! sorry!

 

[LordCanti]

That's what I was worried about...

Thanks for the reply.

The most basic compatible mobos are like $70. Add $30 for RAM (when they go on sale, and they do all the time), and you are at $100 more than you figured you'd be spending. If you can sell the old computer, you may be able to take some of the sting off.

I have a $1000 to spend on a laptop for school. I'd like to do some gaming on it, but it doesn't need to be a complete beast when it comes to gaming. I really love music and was thinking about the HP Envy:


Is the i5 processor good enough or should I spend the extra $150 and get the i7? Is 6GB of ram good?

Sorry if these questions are dumb but I have never bought a computer for more than $350 and this is all really new to me.

Would this machine be able to run the Fallout games? How about Civ V?

You want the laptop thread http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=386622

 

[Tenck]

I have $300 saved up already, and willing to put $500 from my next paycheck so I can get a little more oomph from the $600 build. What want to do right now is replace the processor on the $600 build with the quad core processor from the $1000 build. Will I have to substitute any parts on the 600 build to be compatible with the 1000 build?

 

[Hazaro]

Take the $1000 build and drop down to:
BP550 or XFX Core 550W.
$600 build MSI P67 or a ASRock ________ 3, or just keep the Extreme 4.
Downgrade GPU to 560Ti/6870/6950
2TB or 1TB for the HDD.

 

[Tenck]

Take the $1000 build and drop down to:
BP550 or XFX Core 550W.
$600 build MSI P67 or a ASRock ________ 3, or just keep the Extreme 4.
Downgrade GPU to 560Ti/6870/6950
2TB or 1TB for the HDD.

Around how much would I save if I downgraded the 1000 build a bit? Sorry to ask, but when you're on an iPad, web browsing is really annoying :/

 

[psykomyko]

Sell what you have and add that to what you were going to spend on upgrades.

That's probably what I will do, thanks.

 

[EchoOneSix]

I just got a new computer and it can barely play games like The Witcher or Fallout 3 on medium settings. I figured what I had would be good enough, but apparently not. Can anyone tell me what I need to improve in order to make it gaming quality computer?

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 645 (3.1 ghz)
RAM: 6GB DDR3
GPU: VisionTek Radeon HD 5450 (2 GB, 754.1 MB of video ram. I don't know too much about computers, so I'm not sure what the difference between the 2GB and the 754 MB of video ram, is.)
Monitor Resolution: 1600 x 900

I'd like to be able to play games like The Witcher 2 or Mass Effect 2 on high settings.

 

[Shambles]

I just got a new computer and it can barely play games like The Witcher or Fallout 3 on medium settings. I figured what I had would be good enough, but apparently not. Can anyone tell me what I need to improve in order to make it gaming quality computer?

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 645 (3.1 ghz)
RAM: 6GB DDR3
GPU: VisionTek Radeon HD 5450 (2 GB, 754.1 MB of video ram. I don't know too much about computers, so I'm not sure what the difference between the 2GB and the 754 MB of video ram, is.)
Monitor Resolution: 1600 x 900

I'd like to be able to play games like The Witcher 2 or Mass Effect 2 on high settings.

A simple GPU upgrade will do you well, your current card is about the slowest thing on the market now. Whatever you upgrade to make sure you also check your PSU to make sure it can handle it.

 

[EchoOneSix]

A simple GPU upgrade will do you well, your current card is about the slowest thing on the market now. Whatever you upgrade to make sure you also check your PSU to make sure it can handle it.

That's what I figured. Thanks for the help! Time to go video card shopping!

 

[TrounceX]

Can someone please help me I'm building a PC right now and there are these twisted up multicolor cords that say:

Power sw
Reset sw
Pow LED +
Pow LED -
HDD LED

I don't even know where to begin to put these. ???

ASUS P8p67 PRO
Corsair TX 750

 

[Deputy Moonman]

Can someone please help me I'm building a PC right now and there are these twisted up multicolor cords that say:

Power sw
Reset sw
Pow LED +
Pow LED -
HDD LED

I don't even know where to begin to put these. ???

ASUS P8p67 PRO
Corsair TX 750

Did your motherboard come with an installation manual? It should have some type of picture/guide that labels all the connections on it. I believe all of the cords you listed connect from your case to the motherboard and then you would just connect a power cable from your power supply to the motherboard. The LED cables just make the lights turn on in the front of your case when your computer is on, using the HDD, etc.. If you install those incorrectly, the only thing that happens is the lights won't be on when you power up your computer. The power and reset cables are more important as you would want to be able to press the power switch on your case to turn on your computer. They all have a specific place to be inserted on your mother board, which should be labeled. Just make sure you get the positive/negative wires correct.

I'm not really the best person for giving advice, since I only just built my first pc a few weeks ago. I have a P67 extreme4 and the manual had a page with everything labeled. I don't know what came with your mobo, though.

EDIT:This was posted way back on page 70ish of this thread, and I found it helpful (or at least made me a little more confident in what I was doing when I put my pc together):
http://www.tested.com/news/video-how-to-build-the-best-1500-gaming-pc-step-by-step/152/
It's not the same case or parts, but the overall process is the same for putting together any computer. Skip ahead to about 16 minutes and 12 seconds (correction 17:54). He goes over the case cables that you're asking about, I think.

 

[Kalnos]

Yeah, check your motherboard manual (though most boards have labels now themselves), and if the LEDs don't work you probably just reversed them.

The only required one is the Power sw.

 

[TrounceX]

Did your motherboard come with an installation manual? It should have some type of picture/guide that labels all the connections on it. I believe all of the cords you listed connect from your case to the motherboard and then you would just connect a power cable from your power supply to the motherboard. The LED cables just make the lights turn on in the front of your case when your computer is on, using the HDD, etc.. If you install those incorrectly, the only thing that happens is the lights won't be on when you power up your computer. The power and reset cables are more important as you would want to be able to press the power switch on your case to turn on your computer. They all have a specific place to be inserted on your mother board, which should be labeled. Just make sure you get the positive/negative wires correct.

I'm not really the best person for giving advice, since I only just built my first pc a few weeks ago. I have a P67 extreme4 and the manual had a page with everything labeled. I don't know what came with your mobo, though.

Thanks for the response. I really appreciate it.

I figured out where the power and reset ones go. Unfortunately, my system is showing absolutely no signs of life. Not even the fans start up, no beeps, no nothing.

The light on my motherboard is on as well so it's getting power.

I have no idea what to do.

 

[ZombieFred]

Thanks for the response. I really appreciate it.

I figured out where the power and reset ones go. Unfortunately, my system is showing absolutely no signs of life. Not even the fans start up, no beeps, no nothing.

The light on my motherboard is on as well so it's getting power.

I have no idea what to do.

Have you installed the "spacers" on the tower case before screwing the motherboard in? The spacers are the components you put around the holes where your motherboard goes, then you put the motherboard over them and then use screws to screw to the spacers. The reason why for this is to avoid any issue with an electric current being connected on the casing of the tower to the motherboard. It needs to be mounted with those so it has a good surface. Did you do that?

These are the spacers,

Then you use screws to screw into the spacer when the motherboard is slotted over.

 

[Deputy Moonman]

Go back and run through a checklist of everything you've done. I'm assuming you've got the CPU set in the mobo, along with the stock cooler or aftermarket cooler, and memory sticks locked in place. Then make sure you have your optical drive, HDD/SSD, and graphics card connected to your mobo and connected in the right spots. Make sure you have power cables from your PSU to each of those parts as well. I'm not sure if you can actually boot the computer up without an OS startup disk. My friend had an Ubuntu disk which boots up off the disk and doesn't require any installation. So I used that to check and see if my parts were working, before I installed Windows7.

It could be something to do with your mobo being in contact with your case, also, as ZombieFred mentioned.

 

[TrounceX]

OK new development. I had the pow sw cable in wrong!

However...when it started the CPU LED was bright red and the computer was beeping one loud continuous beep.

What did I do?

Thanks for the help guys I really, really appreciate it.

 

[IonicSnake]

OK new development. I had the pow sw cable in wrong!

However...when it started the CPU LED was bright red and the computer was beeping one loud continuous beep.

What did I do?

Thanks for the help guys I really, really appreciate it.

You haven't forgotten to put in the cables in the GPU?

 

[TrounceX]

You haven't forgotten to put in the cables in the GPU?

No they're in.

The PCI E ones, correct?

 

[IonicSnake]

No they're in.

The PCI E ones, correct?

Yes, that's correct.

Edit: You have the 4 pin (might be 8pin depending on motherborad) from the PSU connected to the motherboard? Usually up in the corner next to the CPU.

 

[ConstructMe]

No they're in.

The PCI E ones, correct?

Yep those are it. Beaten