"I need a New PC!" 2011 Thread of reading the OP. Seriously. [Part 2]

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Gvaz said:
I see why you made the suggestion, and I'm making a note of it, but I was looking more for something I could use now, instead of ram and a mobo that would just lie around until the middle of next year.
You could put that mobo and RAM in right away. AM3+ is backwards compatible. When bulldozer comes out and you have a bit more scrilla to drop, it'd be an easy drop-in upgrade to the 8 or 4 core BD.
 
Gvaz said:
I was hoping to upgrade to intel actually since they have the instruction sets that seem to work better with emulation.

There's a 560 brand on newegg that's like $180 or $155~ after rebate or so that looks appealing. Never heard of the brand myself though.

I can get like 30-45fps in witcher 2 on medium, if that's any guide. a 460 isn't that big of performance jump to justify the price.

I also have a 500W (I think) earthwatts power supply, would I have to update that?

I've never used earthwatts so hopefully someone else can comment on the quality of their PSUs. If it's a real solid/quality 500w you should be fine.

Both mkenyon and Horsemama make good points though. The 460/6850 aren't enough a jump from your current card to be worth the upgrade. The ~$200 is not the best for you because the best value for your upgrade would come in the 6950/570 range of ~$250-300. So you may want to hold off until the radeon 7000 debuts in Q4ish or just bite the bullet for a 6950/570 if you want a significant jump in performance right now.
 
mkenyon said:
You could put that mobo and RAM in right away. AM3+ is backwards compatible. When bulldozer comes out and you have a bit more scrilla to drop, it'd be an easy drop-in upgrade to the 8 or 4 core BD.

:lol oh jeez, this made me laugh at work.
 
Goldrusher said:
No, you have expensive taste.

€250 case
€500 video card
€200 SSD
€120 keyboard

:/
Well my brother recommended that case. He has a friend who has that case and said it's great.He's also going to assemble my computer when i finally build so i trust him on that.
I guess i could go with a cheaper GPU but it would feel pretty dumb to spend over 2000€ on a computer and then get a "weak" GPU + I guess i would need the extra horse power for 3D.
The SSD is something i really want since my laptop is feeling a bit slow, is there a cheaper SSD that you would suggest instead?
I've seen lots of recommendations on that keyboard on gaf so i thought it was a good keyboard.
I'm actually fine with spending a little extra on these parts since i will probably use them for a long time so I might as well get quality stuff in my first build :P . I was just shocked at how expensive it was.
 
Flying_Phoenix said:
Jesus Christ! This is the LAST OCZ product I've brought.

Its nearly FIVE TIMES slower than its claimed speed. Unbelievable!
ATTO Disk Benchmarks:http://www.attotech.com/products/product.php?sku=Disk_Benchmark

That's the program most manufacturers used to quote. Obviously, it's not a realistic benchmark. Also the way SSD are design to protect against excessive writes in a short timeframe, if you keep on benchmarking, your results will get slower.
 
Does anyone know how much wattage I need on my PSU with a rig like this:

- i5 2500
- Geforce GTX 560 Ti Hawk
- Asus P8P67 mobo
- 8 gigs of Ram (1600)
- DVD-player

no soundcard or other devices

I was going for a XFX 550W but since these are hard to find back where I live and I'm really on a tight budget, I was wondering if I can look at the 450 or 500 range.
 
Ryan_ said:
Does anyone know how much wattage I need on my PSU with a rig like this:

- i5 2500
- Geforce GTX 560 Ti Hawk
- Asus P8P67 mobo
- 8 gigs of Ram (1600)
- DVD-player

no soundcard or other devices

I was going for a XFX 550W but since these are hard to find back where I live and I'm really on a tight budget, I was wondering if I can look at the 450 or 500 range.
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

According to power calculator above, you need about 380W. I would go with 500W.
 
Spectacular Dr Dawg said:
Well my brother recommended that case. He's has a friend who has that case and said it's great.He's also going to assemble my computer when i finally build so i trust him on that.
I guess i could go with a cheaper GPU but it would feel pretty dumb to spend over 2000€ on a computer and then get a "weak" GPU + I guess i would need the extra horse power for 3D.
The SSD is something i really want since my laptop is feeling a bit slow, is there a cheaper SSD that you would suggest instead?
I've seen lots of recommendations on that keyboard on gaf so i thought it was a good keyboard.
I'm actually fine with spending a little extra on these parts since i will probably use them for a long time so I might as well get quality stuff in my first build :P . I was just shocked at how expensive it was.

I am all for spending money on a case and peripherals. That's the type of stuff that lasts a very long time. I spent $180 on my first case ever (a Lian Li) and I JUST replaced it - 12 years later. The case I went with is the Corsair Obsidian 650D - brilliant case.

For the other components I've always taken a price to performance standpoint. The tough question is "will the extra money you spend now equal more life later"? Usually the answer is no. Even if something like the GPU is still potent in raw horsepower, new technologies leave it wanting - i.e. DirectX upgrades and the like. I always plan on upgrading CPUs every 4-5 years and GPUs every 3-4. What I buy is the best for the price at that time. Right now that would be the 560 ti for GPU and the Intel i5 2500k.

So in short, I wouldn't get a 580 because the 560 ti can run everything on high right now and by the time it can't I would upgrade to something in 3 years that would blow away the 580 for a combined total price of just around the 580.
 
garath said:
I am all for spending money on a case and peripherals. That's the type of stuff that lasts a very long time. I spent $180 on my first case ever (a Lian Li) and I JUST replaced it - 12 years later. The case I went with is the Corsair Obsidian 650D - brilliant case.

For the other components I've always taken a price to performance standpoint. The tough question is "will the extra money you spend now equal more life later"? Usually the answer is no. Even if something like the GPU is still potent in raw horsepower, new technologies leave it wanting - i.e. DirectX upgrades and the like. I always plan on upgrading CPUs every 4-5 years and GPUs every 3-4. What I buy is the best for the price at that time. Right now that would be the 560 ti for GPU and the Intel i5 2500k.

So in short, I wouldn't get a 580 because the 560 ti can run everything on high right now and by the time it can't I would upgrade to something in 3 years that would blow away the 580 for a combined total price of just around the 580.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm probably going to wait for the GTX 660 then since i have lots of games that run on my current laptop.
 
Ryan_ said:
Does anyone know how much wattage I need on my PSU with a rig like this:

- i5 2500
- Geforce GTX 560 Ti Hawk
- Asus P8P67 mobo
- 8 gigs of Ram (1600)
- DVD-player

no soundcard or other devices

I was going for a XFX 550W but since these are hard to find back where I live and I'm really on a tight budget, I was wondering if I can look at the 450 or 500 range.

A solid 500W+ should do fine IF you don't skimp on the quality. Order it online if they're hard to find for a reasonable price where you live.
 
Flying_Phoenix said:
Jesus Christ! This is the LAST OCZ product I've brought.

Its nearly FIVE TIMES slower than its claimed speed. Unbelievable!

My Vertex 2 that I just got back from RMA is actually pitiful. 70MB/s sequential read which is about half of what other people are getting from the same drive with the same benchmark. They need way better QA, and the amount of money I've paid for shipping back their products is unbelievable.
 
Are there any indications when the next generation of graphics cards will hit the streets?

I just upgraded to an i5 2500k but I'm still using my GTX 260. It does the job and I can't possibly justify more money into the computer right now so I'm pretty comfortable waiting till next gen if it's within 6-8 months. Else I'll tuck some money away for a xmas 560 ti.
 
garath said:
Are there any indications when the next generation of graphics cards will hit the streets?

I just upgraded to an i5 2500k but I'm still using my GTX 260. It does the job and I can't possibly justify more money into the computer right now so I'm pretty comfortable waiting till next gen if it's within 6-8 months. Else I'll tuck some money away for a xmas 560 ti.
Either late this year or early next year. IIRC AMD was really pushing for this year at least.
 
Gvaz said:
I was hoping to upgrade to intel actually since they have the instruction sets that seem to work better with emulation.

There's a 560 brand on newegg that's like $180 or $155~ after rebate or so that looks appealing. Never heard of the brand myself though.

I can get like 30-45fps in witcher 2 on medium, if that's any guide. a 460 isn't that big of performance jump to justify the price.

I also have a 500W (I think) earthwatts power supply, would I have to update that?
EA 500W will be fine.
 
garath said:
Are there any indications when the next generation of graphics cards will hit the streets?

I just upgraded to an i5 2500k but I'm still using my GTX 260. It does the job and I can't possibly justify more money into the computer right now so I'm pretty comfortable waiting till next gen if it's within 6-8 months. Else I'll tuck some money away for a xmas 560 ti.
7xxx series Q4 2011, 6xx series late Q1 early Q2 2012. They've run into some recent troubles with the manufacturing process and the place they outsource to, per an Nvidia rep two weeks ago.
 
mkenyon said:
7xxx series Q4 2011, 6xx series late Q1 early Q2 2012. They've run into some recent troubles with the manufacturing process and the place they outsource to, per an Nvidia rep two weeks ago.

Whew. Q2 2012. Hope my 260 holds up. That's a long time.

Of course it's possible that ATI's 7xxx series will convince me to buy ATI for the first time since my 9700pro.
 
garath said:
Whew. Q2 2012. Hope my 260 holds up. That's a long time.

Of course it's possible that ATI's 7xxx series will convince me to buy ATI for the first time since my 9700pro.
It's not ATI anymore, it's AMD. It's more than a name change to me as well, they've completely turned around on driver support and quality. I'm glad we are at a point where there are two clearly even companies as far as quality and support go. It's like you can't make a bad decision anymore.
 
Help me GAF, I'm going insane here and can't work out why my Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus isn't fitting on my mobo (socket 1155) properly. (Sorry for picture quality)

I've placed it this way round (could be wrong).

8ULoJ.jpg



From the top side of the mobo I can get the screws to align with the back plate with a bit of a struggle.

GBY5v.jpg



From the bottom side I can only get one to align.

DmevA.jpg



No matter which position I place the variable position screws on the top bracket, I can't get all 4 to align at all. What the hell am I doing wrong?
 
It should be mounted to where the fan would be blowing from the right to the left of the mobo, not oriented towards the expansion slots. I know you *can* do it that way in some instances, but maybe your mobo is just not one of those.

Also, don't be shy on forcing the crap out of it. The mobo is a lot stronger than most people think. *edit* Also be sure to tighten/align the screws by going opposite corner. So like top left, then bottom right, then top right, then bottom left.
 
LabouredSubterfuge said:
Help me GAF, I'm going insane here and can't work out why my Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus isn't fitting on my mobo (socket 1155) properly. (Sorry for picture quality)

I've placed it this way round (could be wrong).

http://i.imgur.com/8ULoJ.jpg


From the top side of the mobo I can get the screws to align with the back plate with a bit of a struggle.

http://i.imgur.com/GBY5v.jpg


From the bottom side I can only get one to align.

http://i.imgur.com/DmevA.jpg


No matter which position I place the variable position screws on the top bracket, I can't get all 4 to align at all. What the hell am I doing wrong?


I just did this with my Hyper 212 two nights ago. Check the manual, but you might have to rotate the top bracket 180 degrees. The "upper" portion of the X needs to be on the correct side, if that makes sense.
 
mkenyon said:
It's not ATI anymore, it's AMD. It's more than a name change to me as well, they've completely turned around on driver support and quality. I'm glad we are at a point where there are two clearly even companies as far as quality and support go. It's like you can't make a bad decision anymore.

They'll always be ATI to me :)

Glad the newest cards have been that good. I really hated the driver support of my 9700pro.
 
LabouredSubterfuge said:
Help me GAF, I'm going insane here and can't work out why my Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus isn't fitting on my mobo (socket 1155) properly. (Sorry for picture quality)

I've placed it this way round (could be wrong).

[IMGhttp://i.imgur.com/8ULoJ.jpg[/IMG]


From the top side of the mobo I can get the screws to align with the back plate with a bit of a struggle.

[IMGhttp://i.imgur.com/GBY5v.jpg[/IMG]


From the bottom side I can only get one to align.

[IMGhttp://i.imgur.com/DmevA.jpg[/IMG]


No matter which position I place the variable position screws on the top bracket, I can't get all 4 to align at all. What the hell am I doing wrong?

WHOA WHOA

Um you notice how there are little notches where the screws are on the arms of the mounting apparatus? If you didn't notice the screws as you have them pictured are centered in different sections. There are three positions for each screw. For 1155 they need to be in the middle. Yours are all over the place. Reposition them in the arms of the mounting bracket and it will fit perfectly.

It says this in the instructions. You did read the instructions right?
 
LabouredSubterfuge said:
Help me GAF, I'm going insane here and can't work out why my Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus isn't fitting on my mobo (socket 1155) properly. (Sorry for picture quality)

I've placed it this way round (could be wrong).

8ULoJ.jpg



From the top side of the mobo I can get the screws to align with the back plate with a bit of a struggle.

GBY5v.jpg



From the bottom side I can only get one to align.

DmevA.jpg



No matter which position I place the variable position screws on the top bracket, I can't get all 4 to align at all. What the hell am I doing wrong?

It looks like the "X" is wrong. Look at the manual, the picture shows how the X is supposed to be oriented with regards to the heatpipes.

Also I'm a little curious, why are you mounting it with the fan pointing up? It made a little more sense to me to mount it with the fan blowing right into the rear exhaust. Air flow in the case goes from front to back.
 
Hey guy, I'm Canadian and my friend wants a new PC in the 500-600 dollar range. Can you suggest the best price-performance parts including case and OS that will fit that price range? Make sure to take into account Canadian prices. Thanks.
 
AppleSmack said:
Hey guy, I'm Canadian and my friend wants a new PC in the 500-600 dollar range. Can you suggest the best price-performance parts including case and OS that will fit that price range? Make sure to take into account Canadian prices. Thanks.
Check the OP, its the first build.
 
mkenyon said:
7xxx series Q4 2011, 6xx series late Q1 early Q2 2012. They've run into some recent troubles with the manufacturing process and the place they outsource to, per an Nvidia rep two weeks ago.

booo Nvidia, you can't give AMD that much time on the market. I can't wait to replace my aging GTX 470 with your newest most powerful single GPU card.
 
Why pick a side? Both are doing a great job right now, just grab whatever awesome card comes out that fills your need.

Also, your Avatar is pretty NSFW. I keep this thread up at work.
 
Yoritomo said:
WHOA WHOA

Um you notice how there are little notches where the screws are on the arms of the mounting apparatus? If you didn't notice the screws as you have them pictured are centered in different sections. There are three positions for each screw. For 1155 they need to be in the middle. Yours are all over the place. Reposition them in the arms of the mounting bracket and it will fit perfectly.

It says this in the instructions. You did read the instructions right?

Thanks for this. For some reason I thought there was only two positions which was where I was screwing up.
 
Here's what I'm thinking of going with:

Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz
Asus P8Z68-V
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB OC
Intel 320 Series 120GB

Seem ok?
 
Rookje said:
Here's what I'm thinking of going with:

Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz
Asus P8Z68-V
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB OC
Intel 320 Series 120GB

Seem ok?
1. What's drawing you to the Z68? With an SSD that large, you won't even be taking advantage of the caching selling point.

2. 2600K and 2500K are barely any different, 2600K just makes your OS think it has 8 cores instead of 4. Do you need that for any particular reason?
 
Agh, this is frustrating. Not quite sure what to do -- so I already have the RAM and HDD for this build, but I'm not sure whether to order today, or wait a few weeks. The problem is, if I order today, I'll likely get all of the parts Monday or Tuesday next week. However, I won't have a chance to do much (or any) computer stuff from August 6th to 22nd. Part of me wants to get everything bought and paid for before then, and get it all set up next week (especially before school starts).

The more rational part of me says to wait until the 22nd or so of August. That way I'll actually have time to devote to building and using the computer. And since I've pretty much got all of the parts I want nailed down, I can wait for deals on Newegg and get them at good prices if they come up.

Do you guys think that's a good strategy? I've heard it's best to get parts all at once (especially to make sure none of them are DOA) but is it a bad idea to get them over the course of about 3 weeks? I figure the general RMA deadline is 30 days, right? So even if I ordered my first part today and didn't build until the 22nd of August, I would still have time to RMA it, right?
 
just bought a phenom II x6 1045t w/ 6gb of ram. can someone suggest a good graphics card under 200 for this, I know I'll have to change out the PSU and I would like to know the best I could get for under 200, so I know what size PSU to get. and can you over clock these?
 
SenseiJinx said:
Agh, this is frustrating. Not quite sure what to do -- so I already have the RAM and HDD for this build, but I'm not sure whether to order today, or wait a few weeks. The problem is, if I order today, I'll likely get all of the parts Monday or Tuesday next week. However, I won't have a chance to do much (or any) computer stuff from August 6th to 22nd. Part of me wants to get everything bought and paid for before then, and get it all set up next week (especially before school starts).

The more rational part of me says to wait until the 22nd or so of August. That way I'll actually have time to devote to building and using the computer. And since I've pretty much got all of the parts I want nailed down, I can wait for deals on Newegg and get them at good prices if they come up.

Do you guys think that's a good strategy? I've heard it's best to get parts all at once (especially to make sure none of them are DOA) but is it a bad idea to get them over the course of about 3 weeks? I figure the general RMA deadline is 30 days, right? So even if I ordered my first part today and didn't build until the 22nd of August, I would still have time to RMA it, right?

In my case, I bought all my parts in groups of 2 or 3's throughout a 4 month period. Once I saw a great deal on the item on wanted, I bought it. I always had it in the back of my mind that one or more of the products I purchased would be DOA once I put everything to together. Not to mention, past the retailers 30 day RMA policy. Also, prices could have dropped while I was holding on to my parts that I already purchased which they didn't. Luckily everything is working fine and dandy after a month of it being in use.



Go with your gut feeling. DOA items come with the territory of building your own rig.
 
mkenyon said:
1. What's drawing you to the Z68? With an SSD that large, you won't even be taking advantage of the caching selling point.

2. 2600K and 2500K are barely any different, 2600K just makes your OS think it has 8 cores instead of 4. Do you need that for any particular reason?
Tbh, most of those are copypasta'd from the TechReport build.

So you suggest the 2000k and a smaller SSD? Which one?
 
Rookje said:
Tbh, most of those are copypasta'd from the TechReport build.

So you suggest the 2000k and a smaller SSD? Which one?
Nah, I'm suggesting a 2500K and a P67 mobo. I mean, if you do serious multi-threaded stuff like video encoding or multimedia stuff, the 2600K would be beneficial. If you have a big budget and aren't trying to cut costs, the 2600K is still a great proc anyway. In 2 years, it'll be in a better place than the 2500K due to hyperthreading.
 
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