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"I need a New PC!" 2011 Thread of reading the OP. Seriously. [Part 2]
- Thread starter Hazaro
- Start date
- Status
RumblingRosco
Member
Izayoi said:
Are these issues with all Sandforce-based drives or just Vertex 3 and Agility 3? ...Recently built my PC and included a Vertex 2, just wondering if I should be aware of anything. So far so good.
Hello all. PC needs a major upgrade (basically a new PC) and been putting it off for too long. Looked at the $1000 build on the first page and on another useful site for Australian's (Whirlpool) but some suggestions would be very helpful. Sound card, monitor and headphones are primarily for FPS games. Thanks for any help!
Your Current Specs: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8400 @ 2.66GHz / 4 GB DDR PC2-6400 / ASUSTeK P5G41-M LX (LGA775) / ATI 5850 / Realtek High Definition Audio / AOC LCD 223Vw 22", 1680x1050 / W7 Home Premium Edition 32 bit
Budget: $1500ish including accessories, Australia
Main Use: Gaming, General Usage
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: TW2, BF3, Skyrim
Are reusing any parts?: ATI 5850
When will you build?: Within the next couple weeks.
Will you be overclocking?: Once I get everything else sorted I'll look into it.
Upgrades I'm thinking of ($AU):
Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3 GHz - $219
Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3 Motherboard - $209
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer - $99
CoolerMaster HAF 912 Advanced - $115
Kingston ValueRAM KVR1333D3N9K2/8G 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 - $95
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit with SP1 OEM - $105
Total = $842
Accessories:
ATH-AD900 Headphones - $299
Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 - $9
Alienware AW2310 23" - $416
Total (inc accessories) = $1566
Your Current Specs: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8400 @ 2.66GHz / 4 GB DDR PC2-6400 / ASUSTeK P5G41-M LX (LGA775) / ATI 5850 / Realtek High Definition Audio / AOC LCD 223Vw 22", 1680x1050 / W7 Home Premium Edition 32 bit
Budget: $1500ish including accessories, Australia
Main Use: Gaming, General Usage
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: TW2, BF3, Skyrim
Are reusing any parts?: ATI 5850
When will you build?: Within the next couple weeks.
Will you be overclocking?: Once I get everything else sorted I'll look into it.
Upgrades I'm thinking of ($AU):
Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3 GHz - $219
Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3 Motherboard - $209
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer - $99
CoolerMaster HAF 912 Advanced - $115
Kingston ValueRAM KVR1333D3N9K2/8G 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 - $95
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit with SP1 OEM - $105
Total = $842
Accessories:
ATH-AD900 Headphones - $299
Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 - $9
Alienware AW2310 23" - $416
Total (inc accessories) = $1566
Unknown Soldier
Member
I'm not even going to bother with the "I told you so" when you guys were choosing to buy OCZ products while I and other people were recommending anything but OCZ.
Newegg has Noctua NH-D14 for $75:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...608018&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-35-608-018-_-Product
The best aircooler money can buy. However, your money must wish to buy it.
If you feel like you've learned your lesson about buying OCZ, they've got some SSD deals too. :3
They also have an Intel 320 series 80GB SSD for $170:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...167047&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-20-167-047-_-Product
And a Corsair Performance 3 series 128GB SSD for $225:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...233154&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-20-233-154-_-Product
Newegg has Noctua NH-D14 for $75:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...608018&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-35-608-018-_-Product
The best aircooler money can buy. However, your money must wish to buy it.
If you feel like you've learned your lesson about buying OCZ, they've got some SSD deals too. :3
They also have an Intel 320 series 80GB SSD for $170:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...167047&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-20-167-047-_-Product
And a Corsair Performance 3 series 128GB SSD for $225:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...233154&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-20-233-154-_-Product
Liquid_015
Gold Member
Hazaro said:
Yep that is what I was thinking, but in any case I replaced my stock AMD heatsink with a better heatsink and added two additional 120mm fans. Better safe than sorry.
First off the parts you listed are not bad. But I am wondering how they fit together.TheFury said:
You are spending $400 on sound alone and $400 on the monitor, but have a $140 GPU with a 120Hz monitor?
I personally am not a hardcore audiophile. I have my Xonar DG and my ATH-AD700's and that is as far as I probably will go. For $100 combined (US) I think that is damn good and anything above it is truly a marginal increase.
No SSD to take advantage of the Z68board? Why not get a $150 P67 board then?
Just trying to save you some money where I think it makes sense. Feel free to say no to any or all of these.
Because you can buy the Intel 510Izayoi said:
Sure it's a bit more expensive... and a touch slower per capacity... but it probably won't be as quirky. You already knew that when you signed up for a Vertex 3 though.
Unknown Soldier
Member
Izayoi said:
Then you have learned nothing, and you deserve to continue suffering. OCZ's entire history has been like this ever since their founding. A fool and his money are soon parted though, so keep giving OCZ money!
Unknown Soldier
Member
Hazaro said:
I fail to see how OCZ re-badging Sandforce controllers and selling them paired with MLC NAND modules is forcing innovation. They just happen to be the only ones who don't feel that quality control is necessary and will sell any damn thing at cut-rate prices to make a quick buck. I personally wouldn't trust OCZ to sell me a quality nail I could use to hammer into a board with their history and reputation, but it seems many people love OCZ products even after a PSU fries and takes their mobo, CPU, and RAM with it, or their RAM seems incapable of running as labeled on the modules (a VERY common problem), or their SSDs self-destruct and require you to fight in a gladiatorial arena in order to quality for an RMA.
But this is America, everyone wants everything cheaper and faster and they want it NOW and there's no doubt OCZ were first out of the gate with the new generation of Sandforce 2200-based SSDs first and damn were the benchmarks juicy. Until the drive self-destructs and now Izayoi can't watch any anime or play any games for a few weeks. I'm sure the price and benchmarks are doing him a lot of good now, right? But OCZ has some kind of cult quality surrounding them, which is why Izayoi is STILL defending them even though they sold him a self-destructing product. I wonder if OCZ's founder and CEO (who happens to have a criminal record a mile long) takes lessons from Steve Jobs about that sort of thing. I mean seriously, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...well, you won't get fooled again, right? Or whatever it is that George W. Bush used to say.
Unknown Soldier
Member
Soka said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SandForce
Sandforce has a number of OEMs selling drives with their controllers inside. Curiously enough, nobody ever reports problems with anybody else's drives. To be fair, most of Sandforce's OEM manufacturers only operate in the OEM or server spaces and consumers can't buy their products. But it just so happens that Corsair also sells a line of Sandforce controller drives (the Corsair Force line) and I haven't heard any horror stories about Corsair's SSDs. Meanwhile everybody knows somebody who has an OCZ SSD horror story, and somehow they just keep selling those things like hotcakes.
Linux can't play games, but I'll be damned if it's going to keep me away from anime.
Not defending OCZ, just stating they have the fastest product on the market - which wouldn't be a lie.
Did you miss the recall, Unknown? OCZ is not the only company having these problems. It's every company who used the new Sandforce controller.
Not defending OCZ, just stating they have the fastest product on the market - which wouldn't be a lie.
Did you miss the recall, Unknown? OCZ is not the only company having these problems. It's every company who used the new Sandforce controller.
Unknown Soldier
Member
Izayoi said:
You know, I can OC my Core i7 to 5ghz. It can't boot Windows, all I can do is make it to the POST screen before it locks up. But I'm just stating that a Core i7 running at 5ghz is the fastest product on the market - which wouldn't be a lie.
Are you seeing the point I'm making here?
Let me be clear about this. There are only 2 companies which have reached the market with Sandforce 2200 controller SSDs. Corsair has recalled their 120GB Force 3 Sandforce 2200 controller SSDs. OCZ has not issued a general recall. Corsair is a company with a long reputation of standing behind products it sells and treating customers right. OCZ is a company with a long reputation of hiding behind lies and ignoring customer complaints. Corsair is replacing all 120GB Corsair Force 3 drives at no cost to the purchasers and promising a 10-day turnaround. OCZ is, well, you know what OCZ is doing. And you still defend OCZ? Why?
Not really, no. I paid for speed, and I got speed. If I had wanted to pay for reliability I would've bought an Intel drive. The OCZ is a buggy piece of shit, but it's a fast buggy piece of shit.Unknown Soldier said:
Did OZC kick your dog? I'm not defending them. Calm down. I can RMA for a full refund whenever I want in the next two years, if so I choose. They're not holding anything over my head, I'm not losing money unless I choose to.Unknown Soldier said:
Unknown Soldier
Member
Izayoi said:
Very well then, I stand corrected. For EVERYBODY ELSE considering buying a SSD with their new PC, I would advise them to steer well clear of OCZ's SSD products. For Izayoi, well, I dunno, enjoy trying to make the mkv container format work in Linux I guess?
I appreciate the help so any advice you have is taken note of. Thanks for the suggestions.Hazaro said:
It's also a ATI 5850 HD Black Edition if that's any help at all. There might be a price disparity between countries or it's gone down in price but it was a lot more expensive when I bought it. I don't have extensive knowledge on the matter.
The sound and monitor is expensive, but I figured I may as well get something that won't need upgrading for a long time. I've seen a lot of people recommend the AD 900's too (I use a gaming headset at the moment) and I was interested in getting a 120Hz monitor for the benefits over 60Hz. 3D doesn't interest me and I don't think it's compatible with my GPU. Was looking into the AD 700's as well so that's a viable option to save money. I'd primarily be using them for gaming. Definitely consider the Xonar DG if there isn't a notable difference in quality since that with the AD 700's would cost $178 as opposed to $398.
SSD I have limited knowledge on so I didn't know where to start. My main use is gaming and just general things on my PC. Would getting a $150 P67 board such as this, or a Z68 and SSD be more beneficial? I guess it depends on how much I'm willing to pay but if an SSD would truly be advantageous I'll have to look into it.
Thanks again.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=17914166
Edited my build a little. Swapped out the cheap looking Nvidia case for the CM HAF 922.
Might be ordering this a little earlier than expected. Anyone have any final comments for me?
Edited my build a little. Swapped out the cheap looking Nvidia case for the CM HAF 922.
Might be ordering this a little earlier than expected. Anyone have any final comments for me?
The Teachinator
Banned
JAD0109 said:
The asrock mobo and haf 922 are pretty good. I used these in my first build just two months ago. They work great. The Haf922 is a very nice case. Lots of room for airflow. I bought two extra fans. One for the side panel and one for the bottom of the case. I wanted to get as much air in and out as possible. So far I'm very happy with it!
Azwethinkweiz
Member
TheExodu5 said:
Same. I bought mine in April. I wonder what firmware it's using. I'll have to check when I get home.
If you do end up getting the AD900, you'd probably want a better sound card since the DG would not be as adequate for your sound setup (as good the card is for the price). I'd recommend sticking with the same combo Haz is using (AD700+DG) to keep your price downTheFury said:
like $400 down
As for the monitor... I'd say pick something else, especially considering you're not even getting it for the 3D option. I believe there are better choices out there if you want a 120Hz option.
awwyeahgurrl said:
Anand has a preview of desktop Llano: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4448/amd-llano-desktop-performance-preview
tl;dr: Don't be expecting chip performance to beat i3. It's still well behind, but it delivers great performance for a low-end/HTPC.
The order is out, my brother will, thanks to kind GAF help, soon own:
-2 XFX 6950s (I was surprised, but daddy was ballin after a week in France, I guess)
-i5 2500k
-4 gig of Corsair Vengeance RAM (DDR3 1600)
-the ASrock mobo from OP
-Xigmatek Midgard
-Corsair enthusiast 850tx V2, the 850HX was just too expensive
-2 TB Spinpoint F4
-some DVD burner
For the grand amount of 1009.
He has to get Windows 7, the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ and things like a new kb himself.
Sooo, last question before hopefully showing off a bunch of expensive boxes nex tweek:
Is it worth spending 5 on better reviewed Arctic Cooling MX-4 or 10 on Scythe Thermal Elixier when I have MX-2 opened early last year (cap was on, though)?
-2 XFX 6950s (I was surprised, but daddy was ballin after a week in France, I guess)
-i5 2500k
-4 gig of Corsair Vengeance RAM (DDR3 1600)
-the ASrock mobo from OP
-Xigmatek Midgard
-Corsair enthusiast 850tx V2, the 850HX was just too expensive
-2 TB Spinpoint F4
-some DVD burner
For the grand amount of 1009.
He has to get Windows 7, the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ and things like a new kb himself.
Sooo, last question before hopefully showing off a bunch of expensive boxes nex tweek:
Is it worth spending 5 on better reviewed Arctic Cooling MX-4 or 10 on Scythe Thermal Elixier when I have MX-2 opened early last year (cap was on, though)?
Prophet Steve
Member
So my friend is on a school registered for MSDNAA and is willing to donate his Windows 7 license to me. But does somebody knows how this works? It asks for an account identifier but we have no clue what that is or how to obtain it.
Infinite Jest
Neo Member
I'm not sure if it's just my particular case or the mobo/gpu/case combo, but when I tried anchoring my Twin Frozr III gtx 570 to the back slots of the HAF 922 (using the first pci x16 slot on an asus P8P67 PRO B3), I couldn't, no matter how much I torqued and pulled on the card, line up the hole on the card and the case to screw in the 'tool-less' screw through them both. I had to move it to the next available slot (further down the mobo) where it BARELY aligned. I had to RMA the case for another problem (damned front I/O piece fell off!) so I'll see if it is recurring.
Thanks for the suggestions. Much appreciated. I'm leaning towards the AD-700's and the DG now to save some money. Should be a major upgrade over onboard sound and my headset anyway.Darkatomz said:
What would you recommend for a monitor? Most of the 120Hz I've come across are more expensive. The LG W2363D is on sale for $295, however. Would that be worth picking up instead and save some more money?
isn't it all 5.1 these days? over here all they sell is Logitech anyway, my roommate in the US had that Klipsch system as well and it sounded way better than all the Logitech I heard
for your requirements I'd say you're better of getting a (used) 2.0 amplifier with A/B speaker outputs and 2 pairs of old speakers, though you'd have to be lucky and find a good deal
for your requirements I'd say you're better of getting a (used) 2.0 amplifier with A/B speaker outputs and 2 pairs of old speakers, though you'd have to be lucky and find a good deal
Mazer Rackham
Member
Hi GAF, need to add more storage to my rig, are the samsung spinpoint f3 hdd still the way to go?
black_vegeta
Member
Mazer Rackham said:
Yes
Your Wanted Specs: i7-2600K 3.4/ 4x4GB Corsair Vengeance RAM/ ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3)/ GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi)
Budget: $1800, US
Main Use: Gaming
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Battlefield 3`
When will you build?: By October 1, 2011.
Will you be overclocking?: No
I know I already posted a Super Combo yesterday, but after reading every page in this thread so far, I decided to go the really high end route and shop all the parts by myself.
Any concerns with this build?
Budget: $1800, US
Main Use: Gaming
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Battlefield 3`
When will you build?: By October 1, 2011.
Will you be overclocking?: No
I know I already posted a Super Combo yesterday, but after reading every page in this thread so far, I decided to go the really high end route and shop all the parts by myself.
Any concerns with this build?
I think I've posted enough on OCZ. Fair or not, caveat emptor seems to apply to some companies more than others.
Yes, Ivy Bridge will be more capable, but it's still a ways away. Waiting on BD, SB-E, or IB depends on how comfortable you are with your present setup, and how patient you can be waiting on incremental improvements.
2500K/2600K would be a massive upgrade, even if you were overclocked.awwyeahgurrl said:
Yes, Ivy Bridge will be more capable, but it's still a ways away. Waiting on BD, SB-E, or IB depends on how comfortable you are with your present setup, and how patient you can be waiting on incremental improvements.
Don't believe Micron has had any glaring customer service, or product issues (mainly ram and SSDs).scy said:
Did the two of you notice Hazaro had already added two SSD news items to the OP?Spookie said:Quoting this because I had to RMA the Agility 3 I bought and I'm still waiting for my money to go back in to my bank.Izayoi said:
I was about to recommend the LG, but I can't even find a retailer that sells it anymore. If you can get it, then yeah, I'd recommend it. It's a close second to the Alienware.TheFury said:
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1280136712
Essentially, the BenQ has the best colors, but not as good performance as the Alienware and LG. Of course, when it comes to 120Hz gaming monitors, performance is more important than color reproduction anyways.
Ok, I think there are issues either with this RAM or motherboard... Woke up today and I couldn't get the PC out of sleep mode. Tried rebooting normally with no dice. It seems to boot normally, I have to hit the MemOK button :/ I'm not sure if it's incompatible RAM or what? I'm thinking I might have to manually adjust the timings in the bios? I'm using THIS exact RAM. Has anyone had this problem at all?
So I'm obsessed with having a silent PC, I've bought a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme for my CPU with a 120mm Scythe Ninja fan, an Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme Plus for my unlocked/overclocked HD6950, as well as front and rear 120mm case fans, but my PC still gets loud when I load up a game and play for a couple of minutes. Do power supply fans ramp up under heavy load? That's all I can think it could be anymore, as every other component should be silent.
black_vegeta
Member
vilmer_ said:
What motherboard do you have again?
JAD0109 said:
If you're near a Microcenter, buy some of the parts there if possible. The 2500k is under $180 last time I checked.
Infinite Jest said:
I had the same problem in my nzxt lexa - 6950 - gigabyte p35. I couldn't lock the latch to hold the GPU in. I had to screw the card into the holes anyway and I had no option of moving slots because I only had one PCIE on the mobo.
The p35 I/O plate doesn't even fit in my Silverstone FT02. I just leave it sitting on the top lol.
The Stealth Fox
Junior Member
I know people rave about MSI's video cards, but has anyone had a good experience with MSI AMD motherboards?
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