Support NeoGAF

[Mully]

So I recently saw this rather long, but extremely helpful video. The guy really does a good job at showing and teaching how to build a gaming PC for beginners like myself.

One of the things he suggested for rookies, was to purchase one of New Egg's super combos. After I immediately heard that I went onto New Egg for the first time and picked out this super combo, plus a few other items I think would work well with the build. It's in my cart waiting for me to check out.

The super combo included:

CPU - Intel Core I7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601960

Power Supply - COOLER MASTER Silent Pro RS850-AMBAJ3-US 850W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.92 SLI Ready 80

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Case - COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0 and Black Interior

Memory - CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMP6GX3M3A1600C8

Hardrive - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

CPU Fan - COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler Intel Core i7 compatible


I also added a few other items:

Monitor - Asus VE248H Black 24" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers

Wireless Adapter - TRENDnet TEW-687GA Ethernet Port Wireless Gaming Adapter

Mouse and Keyboard - Microsoft Comfort Curve Desktop 2000 - OEM

Headset - Logitech G930 USB Connector Circumaural Wireless Gaming Headset

Software - Windows 7 Home, and Norton Anti-Virus


Does anyone see any problems with any of the items in the Super Combo or any of the stuff I picked out myself?

 

[Hazaro]

I think he's far more likely to be GPU limited than CPU limited. A 2500k @4.8GHz is basically twice the speed of a C2Q or Phenom x4 @ 3.0GHz. FRAPs takes very little CPU power while recording since it records uncompressed video. The really important thing when recording with FRAPS is that you save to a drive other than your games drive, as it takes a good 50MB+ a second.

I meant streaming rather than recording.
Recording 100% the 580.
Maybe I read wrongly since I have been doing some stream optimizing myself.

After disabling the JMicron and Marvell controllers on the P8P67 Pro, my bootup time almost halved.

Yes. It is nice.

Money to spend: $1000 give or take.

What I want: A serious gaming PC that's ready by the time Battlefield 3 comes out and is powerful enough to run it smoothly at good settings. I also want a SSD for my OS (unless there's a good reason not to). I will need a new computer case as well and I want my machine to be relatively quiet.

I'm planning to buy most of my stuff from Umart

What I'm looking at buying currently:

i7 2600K
Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 4GB (2x XMS3 2GB)
OCZ 120G Vertex II E Series SSD (to install my OS on - Windows 7)
Nvidia GTX570 (already own, will put into the new system)
Antec 650W power supply (reusing from old system)
Asus P8P67 PRO V3 L1155 P67 (not really sure what motherboard I need/should get)

I'll grab a cheap blu-ray reader/dvd burner and a 1TB or 2TB SATA3 harddrive as well. I'll probably need a good cooling fan for the cpu, but I'm not sure what to get. I have no idea about what case to get either but I'd like it to keep the computer's noise down.

Do you think you guys can help me? I'd say I have intermediate computer skill.

2500K (No need for HT for gaming)
Unless that Vertex is on sale I'd suggest you look at the Intel 320 line.
PRO is probably overkill, I'd suggest the ASRock in the OP if it is available from your seller.
Samsung F3 1TB/F4 2TB if they have it. Otherwise 1or2TB WD Black.
CM 212+ for heatsink (make sure it fits)

What PSU should I get to comfortably run a mildly OCed i3, a few SATA drives, and a 5850/5830? 430W? 500W?

A CX430W V2 would be fine if you are looking budget wise.

Alright here is my final build..

Corsair Builder Series CX600, 600W PSU

Total after MIR and shipping: $932.35

Kept it under $1000 =) Anything I am missing?

Can't let you only spend that much on the PSU!
The XFX Core series is a good buy for many.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

Ok I just put everything together and for some reason I'm not POST'ing The monitor is just flashing. I've checked all connections and everything is where it should be. I'm not getting any error beeps as well either. One thing I'm noticing is that about 10 seconds after I hit the power button initially and everything starts spinning up, everything just suddenly stops for a couple of seconds and then starts back up as normal. I'm running a 2500k, P8P67 Pro, gtx 460, 8gb of ram and a haf 922 case. Any ideas? This is driving me nuts :/

1 stick of mem. Try different slot and stick.
Clear CMOS/BIOS (check manual). Unplug. Hold power. Replug.
Hand trace all PSU connections and unplug and replug them.

If still not POSTing assemble outside of case with bare minimum.

So I recently saw this rather long, but extremely helpful video. The guy really does a good job at showing and teaching how to build a gaming PC for beginners like myself.

One of the things he suggested for rookies, was to purchase one of New Egg's super combos. After I immediately heard that I went onto New Egg for the first time and picked out this super combo, plus a few other items I think would work well with the build. It's in my cart waiting for me to check out.

The super combo included:

Does anyone see any problems with any of the items in the Super Combo or any of the stuff I picked out myself?

The CPU and motherboard are old news. You want a 2500K build. The OP build is extremely solid.
Fill out the list in the OP.

I've seen that video also, I'll probably add it to the OP if it isn't there already.

 

[vilmer_]

After running that mem ok test, she boots!! However now I'm getting another issue - when I hit the windows 7 installation main window, my mouse and keyboard stop responding... Ugh lol!

Edit - Had my keyboard and mouse in the usb 3.0 ports All good now!

 

[Paracelsus]

http://amdmotherboards.com/news/Gra...Force-GTX-560-Overclock-Edition-Graphics-Card

Anything better than this-^ in the 150€ range to pair with a 2500k? 150€ is the most I can spend over the gpu, assuming my 550w psu is not a branded one and it will have to be replaced.

Quoting for new page, also

http://www.kitguru.net/components/g...70-hawk-twin-frozr-iii-thermal-design-review/

More or less in the same price range, just a bit cheaper.

 

[BigAT]

I'm currently eyeing the 8GB of Kingston RAM on sale at NewEgg to add to my system, which currently has 4GB of G.SKILL in it. I'm wondering if there would be any conflict or problems having both, since they are listed as having different voltages (1.65 and 1.5). My mobo is an ASUS P7P55D-E PRO.

 

[Spookie]

and I put it where my ear is basically and it showed a reading of roughly 55 decibels. Is that high/low? Am I being overly sensitive?

I'd consider that loud. My PC is currently at 36db under load to put that in perspective!

 

[black_vegeta]

After running that mem ok test, she boots!! However now I'm getting another issue - when I hit the windows 7 installation main window, my mouse and keyboard stop responding... Ugh lol!

Edit - Had my keyboard and mouse in the usb 3.0 ports All good now!

hahah, gotta install dem drivers to make the 3.0 ports works. 2.0 will work right out of the box.

 

[Hazaro]

Quoting for new page, also

http://www.kitguru.net/components/g...70-hawk-twin-frozr-iii-thermal-design-review/

More or less in the same price range, just a bit cheaper.

Imo you get a 460,560ti,or 6950. The 560 (non ti) is just a revamped 460 running faster.
Depending on where you are I'd get a 560 ti / 6950. Whichever is cheaper.

I'm currently eyeing the 8GB of Kingston RAM on sale at NewEgg to add to my system, which currently has 4GB of G.SKILL in it. I'm wondering if there would be any conflict or problems having both, since they are listed as having different voltages (1.65 and 1.5). My mobo is an ASUS P7P55D-E PRO.

If you are just gaming don't bother. Both RAM should run at either 1.65V or 1.5V but its not the best idea to mix them. Another set of 8GB 1.5V DDR3 will pop up eventually, or you can just buy the same 4GB kit for $43.

 

[leng jai]

So I've got an old 6600GT lying around. How exactly do you install a card for Physx? Just plug it into a PCI-E slot and away you go? I'm guessing the drivers auto detect the card.

 

[RS4-]

Tempted to sell/trade my 2gb 6950 and go for the GTX 580. Should be worth the extra $100 or so bucks right?

I guess I could CF the 6950 too but I'm still wary on dual GPUs lol

 

[Hazaro]

So I've got an old 6600GT lying around. How exactly do you install a card for Physx? Just plug it into a PCI-E slot and away you go? I'm guessing the drivers auto detect the card.

Don't bother. I doubt a 6600GT is going to do anything but waste power and make heat.

Tempted to sell/trade my 2gb 6950 and go for the GTX 580. Should be worth the extra $100 or so bucks right?

If you are unhappy with your performance now.

 

[SRG01]

Thanks very much, those cards seem very suitable. Out of the two, which one is better or are they pretty equal?

Sorry for the late reply. The 5830 is usually priced above the 5770 for some odd reason despite marginal performance differences (and power consumption advantages). That being said, either one at $100 should be fairly good and I would choose the 5770 over the 5830 on availability alone (the 5830 tends to sell out quite quickly if it's on sale below the 5770).

The 5770 is on sale at Tigerdirect.ca for about $100, I believe.

 

[Suite Pee]

So, I'm about to build my first desktop and I'm a little nervous. I've occasionally checked this thread, so I'm aware of many of the many resources available. I'd just really like to get a second opinion on this build I'm thinking about ordering. I don't want to go all out, but eventually I will probably double up on the 6950 (or whatever card I decide on, I'm still not sure) and order more RAM (of the same type, of course). The sound card is kinda necessary because I never know when I'll be helping my dad out when he DJ's, so I need good audio in case I'm playing for a ballroom. I also might grab an SSD for Windows to boot from. If that's my main use, do I really need more than 64g or whatever? Most of my storage is for music, videos, and steam games. May add a Blu-Ray drive, but that's obviously not necessary right away.

This is the build.

A friend suggests I swap out for an i7, but I'm not sure.

And, just in case..
Basic Desktop Questions:
Your Current Specs: Q6600 2.4ghz quad / 4 gig DDR2 / Crossfire 4850s
Budget: 1000-1300
Main Use: Gaming
Monitor Resolution: Current is 1680x1050, unsure if I'll upgrade
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: BF3, Witcher 2, Skyrim
Are reusing any parts?: Probably not, maybe an old HDD or DVD drive
When will you build?: Hopefully in the next month
Will you be overclocking?: Not for a while, if at all. I'd upgrade to crossfire first.

 

[Paracelsus]

Imo you get a 460,560ti,or 6950. The 560 (non ti) is just a revamped 460 running faster.
Depending on where you are I'd get a 560 ti / 6950. Whichever is cheaper.

If you are just gaming don't bother. Both RAM should run at either 1.65V or 1.5V but its not the best idea to mix them. Another set of 8GB 1.5V DDR3 will pop up eventually, or you can just buy the same 4GB kit for $43.

1gb 460 gtx Cyclone is ~150€ shipped, 560 gtx gigabyte oc is ~170, 6870 hawk is ~160, sapphire 1gb 6950 is ~195, Palit 560 Ti is ~195 as well.

 

[Izayoi]

Posting from a USB Linux installation now. Going to try and see if all of the hoops OCZ wants me to jump through fix the problem, otherwise I'll be RMA'ing for a refund.

 

[RS4-]

So ignoring the OCZ Sandforce issue, what are your takes on them?

I've got to pick between a Crucial M4, Intel 320 and OCZ Agility 2. I would sure love the Intel 510 series and the Vertex 2/3 but they don't sell those at Bestbuy. They do have the original Vertex though.

Nm about the OCZ drives, it's just down to Intel, Crucial and Corsair lol

 

[B-Dex]

So are new cards coming out this fall/winter? (Video Cards) So if I build my comp now just got for a 560ti and wait to make a big purchase when the new line comes out later?

 

[Hazaro]

So, I'm about to build my first desktop and I'm a little nervous. I've occasionally checked this thread, so I'm aware of many of the many resources available. I'd just really like to get a second opinion on this build I'm thinking about ordering. I don't want to go all out, but eventually I will probably double up on the 6950 (or whatever card I decide on, I'm still not sure) and order more RAM (of the same type, of course). The sound card is kinda necessary because I never know when I'll be helping my dad out when he DJ's, so I need good audio in case I'm playing for a ballroom. I also might grab an SSD for Windows to boot from. If that's my main use, do I really need more than 64g or whatever? Most of my storage is for music, videos, and steam games. May add a Blu-Ray drive, but that's obviously not necessary right away.

This is the build.

A friend suggests I swap out for an i7, but I'm not sure.

And, just in case..
Basic Desktop Questions:
Your Current Specs: Q6600 2.4ghz quad / 4 gig DDR2 / Crossfire 4850s
Budget: 1000-1300
Main Use: Gaming
Monitor Resolution: Current is 1680x1050, unsure if I'll upgrade
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: BF3, Witcher 2, Skyrim
Are reusing any parts?: Probably not, maybe an old HDD or DVD drive
When will you build?: Hopefully in the next month
Will you be overclocking?: Not for a while, if at all. I'd upgrade to crossfire first.

Looks very solid to me.
I'd get the regular 6950 to save $20.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127588

And you can buy the CM212 from other places so you don't support newegg price gouging!
I'm not sure on the X-Fi though. You might want to ask head-fi and find out a bit more.

If you just need an amped sound card I'd suggest the ASUS Xonar DG.

So are new cards coming out this fall/winter? (Video Cards) So if I build my comp now just got for a 560ti and wait to make a big purchase when the new line comes out later?

Possibly end of this year iirc. I wouldn't wait on it. 6 months is a long them, then you have to wait for Ivy Bridge which might be delayed. Buy now.

1gb 460 gtx Cyclone is ~150€ shipped, 560 gtx gigabyte oc is ~170, 6870 hawk is ~160, sapphire 1gb 6950 is ~195, Palit 560 Ti is ~195 as well.

560 Ti. Odd the prices are so close. Usually nVidia is more expensive.

So ignoring the OCZ Sandforce issue, what are your takes on them?

I've got to pick between a Crucial M4, Intel 320 and OCZ Agility 2. I would sure love the Intel 510 series and the Vertex 2/3 but they don't sell those at Bestbuy. They do have the original Vertex though.

Nm about the OCZ drives, it's just down to Intel, Crucial and Corsair lol

Intel Intel Intel.

 

[Liquid_015]

39c is OK for idle

it should be under 60C when stress testing not 60F (nobody uses F anyways in technology )


did you run it before he pulled off the heatsink and reinstalled it?

either way I'm pretty sure it's OK at the moment, cleaning it and remounting with fresh paste will improve the temperatures but functionality is probably not affected at the moment

Ahhh ok, I mean damn 60F is a bit low for temperature. Nope, he just said it was incorrectly installed and fixed a few cabling issues I had. So would you recommend reapplying the paste, or so I just live with it? I mean I might some games, so I don't know if that would ruin my computer?

 

[SRG01]

By the way, I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, but is an old P4 sufficient as a DLNA server of sorts? Or should I not even bother converting my old box and just purchase some premade solution?

 

[B-Dex]

msi or EVGA for a GTX 580?

Actually the msi 570 is on sale this week :S can save about 200 bucks.

 

[vilmer_]

Woww, this 2500k absolutely RIPS! What a massive jump from an e5200 it's scary. 28c idle with the Hyper 212 Plus, I feel like it's Christmas in June

 

[ColonialRaptor]

I'm in the same boat as others - I was thinking of doing an upgrade during tax return time (July) and I will have saved myself up about $2,000 to spend at that time.

I've just bought myself 2x 6950's but they're only an interim upgrade as I said on the last page, in reality I'd like more than that...

I'd prefer to be able to game everything EVERYTHING at +60fps at 2560x1440

Currently my PC specs are as such:

i7-860 @ 3.5Ghz (I got a crappy CPU and it doesn't clock higher than stably, any higher and I get crashing issues no matter what I do)
Corsair Hydro H50 Water Cooler
8Gb DDR3 2100 RAM (I'd never buy such high clocked ram again, I'd only get 1600 ram next time, had too many hassles, never been able to get this ram to get to XMP EVER)
P55A-UD5 (happy with this board, although I don't know how having 2xPCIe 8 lanes will affect Crossfire because it can't handle 2x 16 when I get the 2 6950s
HIS ATI 5970
Corsair AX-620W PSU
G.Skill Falcon 2 120Gb SSD
Corsair 700D Case (best case EVER, even if it is rather large, or beastly large for that matter)
Auzentech Forte 7.1 X-Fi Sound Card


So we don't know when the next round of upgrades are coming, and my goals are for everything above 60fps at 2560x1440 with good IQ (so some AA). I've just purchased the two 6950s and I'm thinking that they are going to service the system quite well for the time being.

I think in my future there are some upgrades on the cards. I will upgrade CPU, Mobo and RAM when Intel bring out their CPU's with the 3D transistors. I'm hoping that the 6950's will service BF3 properly at 2560x1440 above 60 with all the bells and whistles with some AA. If they don't, then at that time (or some time in between if I have some spare cashola) I will upgrade PSU to an 850W and BIOS flash them up to 6970s. Ultimately I'd like to end up with 2x GTX 580's and I was considering buying one 580 now and another 580 when BF3 comes out but I thought that I would get the two 6950's now and then possibly sell them later and buy two 580s then (or possible a whole new system with the 3D transistor CPU, and new Nvidia top end GFX card when the next round of cards come).

Anyone got any advice?

Fake Edit: I just got a call from the place that is selling me the reference 6950 cards... it turns out that unfortunately they didn't have 2x HIS cards they only have one of the reference cards of HIS and more than one reference XFX card, the ones that are BIOS flash-able up to 6970s. Is it suitable to do this to two different branded cards? Anyone in the know please give their advice on this... It would be better to get two of the same cards right? Maybe I should get two of the XFX cards, people like XFX and they're likely to hold they're value better in the future right, plus they offer two year warranty yeah?

 

[-Winnie-]

Monitor - Asus VE248H Black 24" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers

Watch out for ghosting on this one. I have it, had pretty bad ghosting out of the box. Sent it to get fixed and it changed nothing.
I'm using it as a secondary monitor, so it doesn't bother me that much.

 

[Liquid_015]

Update:


I just stress tested my CPU utilizing HWmonitor and Prime95, and my CPU temperature was able to go beyond 60 Celsius. It went to 63C, but if I were to let Prime95 run any longer the temperature would have been higher. I would guess that the intelligent thing to do, is to purchase a new fan and reapply the thermal paste?

Note: Currently using a stock AMD Phenom II X4 BE Heatsink/Fan

 

[AwesomeSauce]

I've been using my Antec Sonata case for like 6-7 years now and was wondering do i need to update my case? I like the minimalistic look and focus on quiet operation my Sonata was designed to do.

If anything i might repaint it as it has collected some scuffs here and there over the years. If i do repaint it, does anyone have any tips?

 

[sestrugen]

I want to get a computer for BF3, should I wait a couple more months for the prices to come down a little bit or pull the trigger now?

 

[barnone]

Can't let you only spend that much on the PSU!
The XFX Core series is a good buy for many.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

Hmm I would lose my 2500k bundle deal on newegg. Is this PSU really worth an additional $40?

Here is the corsair again for reference

(and the bundle link)

 

[momolicious]

Just wondering. Why was the OP $1000 build motherboard changed to ASROCK

oh, and is the speed jump worth the price jump from Intel SSD 310 to Intel 510 for the 120gb model?

 

[cartman414]

So I recently saw this rather long, but extremely helpful video. The guy really does a good job at showing and teaching how to build a gaming PC for beginners like myself.

One of the things he suggested for rookies, was to purchase one of New Egg's super combos. After I immediately heard that I went onto New Egg for the first time and picked out this super combo, plus a few other items I think would work well with the build. It's in my cart waiting for me to check out.

The super combo included:

CPU - Intel Core I7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601960

Power Supply - COOLER MASTER Silent Pro RS850-AMBAJ3-US 850W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.92 SLI Ready 80

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Case - COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0 and Black Interior

Memory - CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMP6GX3M3A1600C8

Hardrive - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

CPU Fan - COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler Intel Core i7 compatible


I also added a few other items:

Monitor - Asus VE248H Black 24" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers

Wireless Adapter - TRENDnet TEW-687GA Ethernet Port Wireless Gaming Adapter

Mouse and Keyboard - Microsoft Comfort Curve Desktop 2000 - OEM

Headset - Logitech G930 USB Connector Circumaural Wireless Gaming Headset

Software - Windows 7 Home, and Norton Anti-Virus


Does anyone see any problems with any of the items in the Super Combo or any of the stuff I picked out myself?

I would go the Sandy Bridge path. Faster, likely to be cheaper, lower power consumption, and you only need to buy DIMMs for a dual channel memory scheme vs. a triple.

 

[black_vegeta]

msi or EVGA for a GTX 580?

Actually the msi 570 is on sale this week :S can save about 200 bucks.

Sale, where at???

 

[Kintaco]

XFX 6870
Is this a good deal? Are there better deals on something comparable?

 

[Izayoi]

So they updated the firmware for the OCZ drives... except they don't actually tell you how to use the Linux firmware flasher so I suppose they want you to just guess or something?

Here's the page with the tool, but when I try to run it, I get an "unknown command" error.

Fucking hell, today has just been supremely frustrating.

 

[momolicious]

Sale, where at???

where is the sale?

 

[mandiller]

Thanks for the help so far n0n44m and Hazaro!

I've updated my current wish list. I need a little help still though.

Would anyone be able to tell me if this system looks okay, particularly whether the motherboard and RAM are alright and whether the cpu cooler will fit into the Coolmaster case I selected? I also already have a GTX570 and a 650W PSU. I think the GTX570 is about 9 inches long or so, is there ample space in the case do you think?

-----

i5 2500K 3.3GHz - $215
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=13&bid=2&sid=71642

ASRock P67 PRO LGA 1155 - $123
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=106&bid=2&sid=76540

Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 4GB - $52
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=153&bid=2&sid=51075

Intel X25-M 120GB MLC G2 - $269.00
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=159&bid=2&sid=70209

Seagate SATAIII 2TB Barracuda - $88
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=129&bid=2&sid=70640

LiteON IHAS324 SATA DVD-RW - $35
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=20&bid=2&sid=46403

Artic Silver 5 Thermal Grease - $15
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=54&bid=2&sid=1473

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - $32
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=54&bid=2&sid=52900

Coolermaster Centurion 5 II RC-502-KKN1 Black no psu - $76
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=139&bid=2&sid=56290

Thanks!

 

[ColonialRaptor]

I want to get a computer for BF3, should I wait a couple more months for the prices to come down a little bit or pull the trigger now?

Definitely wait for the beta and see how it runs with different specs... if you're like me you want all the eye candy you can muster with that game so wait to ensure that you can get the best that you can out of it. You don't want to be premature and find that just before the game a new revision of hardware comes out and for the same price that you just spent you could have gotten the next round and another 33% of power on top of what you've got now right?

 

[Izayoi]

I'm going to snap my keyboard in half. This is infuriating.

What good is creating a Linux flash drive if I have to do it from Windows when I can't fucking boot Windows because your hardware is pile of shit?

Fucking stupid. This whole SSD thing is turning out to be way more trouble than it's worth. It's been over a decade since I was last smashing my head against a wall with this kind of stuff. Forcing me to boot into Linux just to flash your piece of shit drive so it doesn't blue screen on me sounds like something I would be doing in the 90's, not now.

Fucking fuck.

 

[TheExodu5]

I've been using my Antec Sonata case for like 6-7 years now and was wondering do i need to update my case? I like the minimalistic look and focus on quiet operation my Sonata was designed to do.

If anything i might repaint it as it has collected some scuffs here and there over the years. If i do repaint it, does anyone have any tips?

If you're building something new, I highly recommend you get a better case. You'd probably be interested in the Fractal Define R3.

The Sonata is very outdated in terms of design, and is a PITA to build with.

 

[Wallach]

I'm going to snap my keyboard in half. This is infuriating.

What good is creating a Linux flash drive if I have to do it from Windows when I can't fucking boot Windows because your hardware is pile of shit?

Fucking stupid. This whole SSD thing is turning out to be way more trouble than it's worth. It's been over a decade since I was last smashing my head against a wall with this kind of stuff. Forcing me to boot into Linux just to flash your piece of shit drive so it doesn't blue screen on me sounds like something I would be doing in the 90's, not now.

Fucking fuck.

Can you not use OCZToolbox to update the drive instead of the Linux installer...?

Edit: This thing - http://www.ocztechnology.com/ssd_tools/OCZ_Vertex_2,_Vertex_LE,_Agility_2/

 

[TheExodu5]

Watch out for ghosting on this one. I have it, had pretty bad ghosting out of the box. Sent it to get fixed and it changed nothing.
I'm using it as a secondary monitor, so it doesn't bother me that much.

Their 2ms rated monitors (VW series, I think) have pretty much no ghosting.

Sadly people get attracted by the "LED", which people have mistakenly associated to better quality dispays.

 

[Izayoi]

Can you not use OCZToolbox to update the drive instead of the Linux installer...?

Edit: This thing - http://www.ocztechnology.com/ssd_tools/OCZ_Vertex_2,_Vertex_LE,_Agility_2/

No, because it's a Vertex 3 and you can't flash Vertex 3s with the toolbox if they're a Windows boot drive.

 

[Wallach]

No, because it's a Vertex 3 and you can't flash Vertex 3s with the toolbox if they're a Windows boot drive.

Doh. Do you also have an HDD? If so, I guess you could create a Windows partition on that drive, install from that, then blow it up when you're done. What a clusterfuck though.

 

[Duracelllll]

Hey guys,

I've got the following parts which are all brand new, and put them together for the first time two days ago (very exciting), but it's not working.

Parts are:

Asus P7H55-M Xtreme Design Motherboard
Intel i5-760 LGA1156 2.8GHz
Gigabyte HD 5850
2x2gb Geil Black Dragon pc3 10660 1333MHz RAM
Corsair HX650W PSU
2TB WD HDD

The guy that has put it together has put together about 15 machines before...

Anyway, all of the fans (PSU, graphics card and processor fan) all spin, but there is no video output.

We tested with and without the video card and it didn't work.
We tested the RAM on another computer and it works.
We tested the Video card on another computer and it works.
We tested a different video card on this computer but it didn't work.
We tested the power supply on another computer and it works.
We tested a different power supple on this computer but it had the same problem
We removed and refitted the CPU but no difference.
We then spoke to another tech who suggested the motherboard might be getting a short from touching the case and to try and remove the case.
We then removed the motherboard from the case and tried to get video output but no change.
We triple checked all the power cords are all connected properly.

There is no onboard sound, so we're not hearing any sounds when it tries to boot to give an indication of what the problem might be.

We think the motherboard is dead, but is there any way to test this, or do you guys have any other idea on what to try? Unfortunately the motherboard was the only item I bought online from the other side of the country on ebay, the rest of the parts were bought from a local computer parts shop... :\

Thanks in advance!

 

[Izayoi]

Doh. Do you also have an HDD? If so, I guess you could create a Windows partition on that drive, install from that, then blow it up when you're done. What a clusterfuck though.

All of my HDDs are storage drives, and I don't have the room to shuffle files around in order to erase one and make it a boot drive. Doesn't matter now, though. I finally got it to work, six hours and three distros of Linux later.

If this new firmware doesn't work I'm just going to send the drive back for a refund.

 

[Hazaro]

Hmm I would lose my 2500k bundle deal on newegg. Is this PSU really worth an additional $40?

Here is the corsair again for reference

(and the bundle link)

Buying a $1k rig I would say yes. The 550W delivers better and more power than that 600w as well. The CX is the value line that is low rated. Still decent, but on the lower end. Fantastic for budget PC.

I've been using my Antec Sonata case for like 6-7 years now and was wondering do i need to update my case? I like the minimalistic look and focus on quiet operation my Sonata was designed to do.

If anything i might repaint it as it has collected some scuffs here and there over the years. If i do repaint it, does anyone have any tips?

Nah, it's fine.

I want to get a computer for BF3, should I wait a couple more months for the prices to come down a little bit or pull the trigger now?

Prices aren't going anywhere and new tech isn't coming (cept Bulldozer in 2-3 months, but it doesn't seem to be a big deal for enthusiasts).
Now is a great time.

Update:


I just stress tested my CPU utilizing HWmonitor and Prime95, and my CPU temperature was able to go beyond 60 Celsius. It went to 63C, but if I were to let Prime95 run any longer the temperature would have been higher. I would guess that the intelligent thing to do, is to purchase a new fan and reapply the thermal paste?

Note: Currently using a stock AMD Phenom II X4 BE Heatsink/Fan

Honestly I wouldn't worry about it. It's not going to break 60C sustained during normal use.

Just wondering. Why was the OP $1000 build motherboard changed to ASROCK

oh, and is the speed jump worth the price jump from Intel SSD 310 to Intel 510 for the 120gb model?

The ASRock has most of the solid features at a lower price with less intermittent issues than that MSI or ASUS.

SSD I don't know.

I'm in the same boat as others - I was thinking of doing an upgrade during tax return time (July) and I will have saved myself up about $2,000 to spend at that time.

I think in my future there are some upgrades on the cards. I will upgrade CPU, Mobo and RAM when Intel bring out their CPU's with the 3D transistors. I'm hoping that the 6950's will service BF3 properly at 2560x1440 above 60 with all the bells and whistles with some AA. If they don't, then at that time (or some time in between if I have some spare cashola) I will upgrade PSU to an 850W and BIOS flash them up to 6970s. Ultimately I'd like to end up with 2x GTX 580's and I was considering buying one 580 now and another 580 when BF3 comes out but I thought that I would get the two 6950's now and then possibly sell them later and buy two 580s then (or possible a whole new system with the 3D transistor CPU, and new Nvidia top end GFX card when the next round of cards come).

Anyone got any advice?

Fake Edit: I just got a call from the place that is selling me the reference 6950 cards... it turns out that unfortunately they didn't have 2x HIS cards they only have one of the reference cards of HIS and more than one reference XFX card, the ones that are BIOS flash-able up to 6970s. Is it suitable to do this to two different branded cards? Anyone in the know please give their advice on this... It would be better to get two of the same cards right? Maybe I should get two of the XFX cards, people like XFX and they're likely to hold they're value better in the future right, plus they offer two year warranty yeah?

If you want SLi 580's you'd want a 1000W PSU (The Silent Pro 1200W is around the same price usually as well).
xFire and SLi work across brands, but I'd personally get two XFX.

Thanks for the help so far n0n44m and Hazaro!

I've updated my current wish list. I need a little help still though.
Seagate SATAIII 2TB Barracuda - $88
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=129&bid=2&sid=70640

LiteON IHAS324 SATA DVD-RW - $35
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=20&bid=2&sid=46403

Artic Silver 5 Thermal Grease - $15
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=54&bid=2&sid=1473

Coolermaster Centurion 5 II RC-502-KKN1 Black no psu - $76
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=139&bid=2&sid=56290

Thanks!

No WD or Samsung drives? I'd take both before that Seagate.
$35 DVD writer? No $20 ones?
Any MX-2/MX-4/TX-4/ICD7 for cheaper? $15 is absurd
CM 5 II is alright, but $76 is a bit much. Nothing else in the OP for the same price?

You want 1.5V DDR3 RAM if possible. 1.65V will work but is more than needed.

Hey guys,

I've got the following parts which are all brand new, and put them together for the first time two days ago (very exciting), but it's not working.

We think the motherboard is dead, but is there any way to test this, or do you guys have any other idea on what to try? Unfortunately the motherboard was the only item I bought online from the other side of the country on ebay, the rest of the parts were bought from a local computer parts shop... :\

Thanks in advance!

Sounds like mobo.

Try 1 stick of memory and reset the CMOS/BIOS via instructions a few times. Maybe replace the mobo battery.

That's about all I can think of left besides cleaning up the board with some compressed air on the connections.

 

[Jeramii]

so update for you guys (though its likely no one remembers my posts from 10+ pages ago).

i've had my computer 3 weeks now. it is fantastic!

love love love my asus GTX 570, and my i5 2500k.

also, the antec 900 is a wonderful case. runs really really cool.

 

[Hazaro]

so update for you guys (though its likely no one remembers my posts from 10+ pages ago).

i've had my computer 3 weeks now. it is fantastic!

love love love my asus GTX 570, and my i5 2500k.

also, the antec 900 is a wonderful case. runs really really cool.

You have to post pictures

 

[Cday]

Sadly people get attracted by the "LED", which people have mistakenly associated to better quality dispays.

LED displays can produce better picture than LCD, but when we're talking monitors in the $200~ range yeah, this is not the case.

Watch out for ghosting on this one. I have it, had pretty bad ghosting out of the box. Sent it to get fixed and it changed nothing.
I'm using it as a secondary monitor, so it doesn't bother me that much.

I'm also using it as a secondary monitor and can confirm some awful ghosting issues. The colors are also way off even compared to a cheaper Acer monitor I got 3 years ago.

 

[Izayoi]

moved

 

[Jeramii]

You have to post pictures

i apologize in advance if my lack of cable management in here bothers anyone (i was too anxious to get it built to take the time to patiently wire the cables. now i'm too lazy to take it back apart).

its also kinda hard to see inside the case to see what a mess it is anyway. in person you can see a couple of the cool colorful cables glowing in the light, and you can see the graphics card and cpu and thats about it (unless you look hard).

also. just to show how fucking huge the gtx 570 is...