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[Nostalgia~4ever]

Wow, I wasn't aware Gainward was still in business. Their cards were awesome years ago. Although they were definitely known for being overpriced/expensive.

it's their special edition card.

this is their original

 

[Fixed1979]

My boss asked me to jump on Dell to pick out a desktop for his dad (+60). He needs it pretty much for Skype and looking at pictures (24"+ monitor). Is Dell the best option? It sickens me to even try to put together something there.

 

[Kalnos]

My boss asked me to jump on Dell to pick out a desktop for his dad (+60). He needs it pretty much for Skype and looking at pictures (24"+ monitor). Is Dell the best option? It sickens me to even try to put together something there.

Why?

It's a fine option for pre-built systems for casual users.

 

[Fixed1979]

Why?

It's a fine option for pre-built systems for casual users.

Microsoft® Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook

No option to remove it completely only to spend more to get a better version.

McAfee SecurityCenter, 15-Months

I dislike McAfee and I know in 15 months that the old guy is going to be dealing with pop ups and e-mails.

I'm sure that there'll be a bunch of other software on there that I would find annoying, I guess I just need to put all that past me.

I also hate building budget computers for people who don't need much more than a typewriter as I find it hard to say OK that's enough memory, processor, etc.

 

[crazy monkey]

My boss asked me to jump on Dell to pick out a desktop for his dad (+60). He needs it pretty much for Skype and looking at pictures (24"+ monitor). Is Dell the best option? It sickens me to even try to put together something there.

dell or hp both are fine.

 

[Chris R]

Go to Dell's small business site. You can select no Microsoft Office/Antivirus there. Usually better build quality too (usually...)

 

[Kalnos]

I guess I'm used to dealing with old/bad hardware, I work with some clients that still use a 80gb HDD, Windows XP, and SQL server 2000 for their server needs. If they all had even a 3yr old Dell for a server I would be pleased.

 

[Fixed1979]

Go to Dell's small business site. You can select no Microsoft Office/Antivirus there. Usually better build quality too (usually...)

Same thing except the Antivirus is Trend...I guess if he wants a Dell it'll be a Dell. I'll still feel a little dirty about it though.

I guess I'm used to dealing with old/bad hardware, I work with some clients that still use a 80gb HDD, Windows XP, and SQL server 2000 for their server needs. If they all had even a 3yr old Dell for a server I would be pleased.

Sounds exactly like my workstation... =(

 

[·feist·]

Intel LGA 2011 Sandy Bridge-E Core i7-3960X Core i7-3930K Core i7-3820

http://www.donanimhaber.com/islemci...islemci-ailesi-icin-resmi-fiyat-bilgileri.htm

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=30874592&postcount=12798
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=30166723&postcount=9330

 

[RukusProvider]

Intel LGA 2011 Sandy Bridge-E Core i7-3960X Core i7-3930K Core i7-3820

http://www.donanimhaber.com/islemci...islemci-ailesi-icin-resmi-fiyat-bilgileri.htm

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=30874592&postcount=12798
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=30166723&postcount=9330

Price drop for 2500k and 2600k? I'm hoping the P67/Z68 boards drop a little in price as X79 boards come out.

For gamers, SB-E doesn't seem to offer anything at all. I also expect X79 boards to carry a premium to compliment the more expensive CPU's.

 

[lakesideflight]

I'm thinking about putting a pc together (first time), I'm looking to stay under $800 before tax. I was thinking of these parts, will they work together, are there any better options I should look at?

CPU: i5-2400 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074

mobo: GIGABYTE GA-P67A-D3-B3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128487

GPU: evga gtx 560 Ti http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130610

ram: 4gb gskill ripjaw http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

psu: CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

case: antec 300 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

hdd: western digital 500gb @7200 rpm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

dvd drive: asus drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

 

[Mudkips]

I also expect X79 boards to carry a premium to compliment the more expensive CPU's.

You're probably correct, which is annoying because the boards won't need a northbridge, saving manufacturing cost.

 

[MisterNoisy]

I bought this baby for BF3.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GWtVUpVDs9M/TQ9bYKd_TDI/AAAAAAAAAeE/5pGmyjO2GwM/s1600/108a.jpg

it's the Geforce 570 GTX Phantom which is ultra silent yet with great performance.

Recommended.

Looks hawt. I'd end up strapping fans onto it though, just to OC it some more.

 

[IchigoSharingan]

Don't know if it's been posted but...

for those looking for a good GPU deal, here's one!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005C8RTTU/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB DDR5
Price: $162.19
Price after rebate: $142.19

 

[cartman414]

So I take it the quad-core hyperthreading tax continues with IB?

 

[ShadyLurker]

That's the correct motherboard. If you can't find it less than the $20 extra, be sure to take a look at the differences between the B3 and Gen3 versions, to see if it even matters to you. Very little point in paying for added features if you know that you'll almost never use them.

Any self-respecting 500W PSU will run that GPU, and an OC 2500K. Getting something in the 550-650W range is more a matter of having more future headroom - that you may or may not ever need - or less stress on the PSU. So, 750W is way more than needed, though it looks like NE has the 650TX and 750TX at the same price (??). Could be due to that bundle you mentioned. Did you check the OP cases? Most of the LEDs you see can be turned off, or disconnected. The Diablotek Evo is high o my list od good budget options. It's still reasonably priced at $50, though the $20 shipping at NE.ca is out of the question. For subtle, quality cases that are still inexpensive, something like the $70 Cooler Master CM690 II Basic is one of the best. You can turn off the LEDs, and if the chrome trim is too shiny for your tastes, it's easily removed. BTW, Newegg.ca seems to have the lowest price, without relying on a rebate like the $80 690 II Advanced deal.

CMHD.TV - Cooler Master CM 690 II: Advanced and Basic Versions Comparison
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AubfqMN9XgE
Cooler Master 690 II Advanced Video Review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGvBjEmXJnI

Without chrome (not my case or pics):

Thanks for steering me in the direction of those CM 690 II cases. They are the look I was going for. The tool-less bays look handy and it comes with a SSD bay, black inside looks sharp, nice cable management options and it should be more than enough room for the Hyper 212. I was wondering about cooling too, but they certainly live up to the CoolerMaster name. Room for 10 fans? You'd be blowing paintings off the wall :lol.

Don't think I'm going to go with the GEN 3 version of that motherboard. I don't know that I'll need the extras. Seem to have OC issues in some cases as well. Where as the B3 has the opposite, most people were saying it makes OC a breeze.

So far my build is looking like:
CPu- i5-2500k w/ Hyper 212+
mobo- AsRock P67 Extreme 4 b3
Gpu- EVGA GTX570 (now with more batman :lol, nice freebie)
Ram- Gskill Sniper 2x4gb
PSU- http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171036
Case- CM 690 II Advanced
HD- Samsung F3 1TB
SSD - Crucial M4 64GB

I think (hope) I'm getting close to my final build now, thanks to a lot of help from you and everyone else. I still have few smaller questions if anyone knows.

-My case should be large enough to fit the cpu cooler, but I've read that people say the hyper 212 can get close to the ram in some cases. Is that just an issue with the taller sticks with the heat fins on top? Think the recommended memory is a safe distance away?

- One other, I linked the PSU there in my build list. The price looks steep, but it came in a combo deal with my case, $20 off + plus $30 off mail-in (I actually do those) essentially making it $69.99. It was the best rated PSU in the list of deals (Coolermaster only), I haven't seen too many people ITT mention their PSU's, just wondering what anybodys experience with them was, or if there's a better one I could get for ~$70.

Also, I can't believe how much I'm getting into this stuff now, I couldn't imagine actually being excited to build a computer :lol. I'll take it slow my first time though. I'm enjoying the planning almost as much I think, much more fun bouncing back and forth ITT between people than reading endless computer forums. So thanks to everyone helping.

 

[Chris R]

Any thoughts on this before I pull the trigger later tonight?

CPU: i5 2500k
Mobo: Asus P8Z68-V LE
Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)

with a Cooler Master Hyper 212+

Gives plenty of room to upgrade to 16GB down the road, supports USB 3.0, Sata3 and SLI (though a new GPU would probably be better than Crossfire'd 5770s).

 

[cartman414]

By the way, what is Wolfdale still doing on the Pentium segment of that map? Isn't that 2 generations old?

 

[knitoe]

Any thoughts on this before I pull the trigger later tonight?

CPU: i5 2500k
Mobo: Asus P8Z68-V LE
Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)

with a Cooler Master Hyper 212+

Gives plenty of room to upgrade to 16GB down the road, supports USB 3.0, Sata3 and SLI (though a new GPU would probably be better than Crossfire'd 5770s).

You should be sure about Asus Z68 LE. If it's anything like the P67 LE, they don't support CF/SLI nor have overclocking options in the Bios. For SLI, you probably need the Pro version.

 

[chessnut]

So my open box gtx 560ti came in today, and it looked brand new! I replaced it with my old ass 8800gts, and I my room feels so much cooler!!! I'm so proud of my build, I spent $800 on everything including my monitor.

 

[Rabid Wolverine]

Opinions on Prelim Build?
------------------------
*Intel CORE i5 2500K/3.30GHz/6MB CACHE/LGA1155 CPU
*ASRock Z68 EXTREME4 Gen3 MB, Intel Z68, 4x DDR3, D-SUB, DVI-D, HDMI, DP, 7.1CH, GbLAN, PCIe 3.0, SATA3, USB3.0, ATX
*NEW! Corsair 8GB (2x4GB) CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Unbuffered DIMM Vengeance Memory for AMD, Intel Dual Ch DDR3 1.5v
*Corsair Carbide 500R Case - White
*Will re-used Radeon 5850 until the new 28nm 7970 or Nvida 600 series arrive and
520W Corsair Gold PSU - Reusing until I get SLI which will upgrade to 850W or above.

-------------------------

Need a 2TB hard drive also which will be the main drive until SSD drops a bit lower in price. Which is the best HDD to get now-adays? 5900rpm vs 7200rpm? Nowadays does it make much of a difference?

 

[Gvaz]

cheapest 2TB right now

this is handy as well

http://forre.st/storage#hdd

 

[gokieks]

You should be sure about Asus Z68 LE. If it's anything like the P67 LE, they don't support CF/SLI nor have overclocking options in the Bios. For SLI, you probably need the Pro version.

There's no CF/SLI support, but the P8Z68-V LE can overclock fine. Voltage control isn't quite as great as I'd like, but my 2500K runs at 4.4GHz @ 1.33V max easily.

 

[Rabid Wolverine]

cheapest 2TB right now

this is handy as well

http://forre.st/storage#hdd

CHeers,

Do the west digitals still have the idle bug?

 

[Gvaz]

Uhm....I believe I have two EARS and they've been fine for 6mo+

what's hte idle bug?

 

[chaosblade]

Yeah, they do have the idle bug. Wouldn't recommend a WD Green for as a primary HDD.

Idle bug is an issue where the HDDs park the heads after like 12 seconds of inactivity. The drive will eventually wear itself out and die from that.

And that drive also has a shipping cost, which pushes it over the cost of a Samsung F4 anyway.

 

[knitoe]

There's no CF/SLI support, but the P8Z68-V LE can overclock fine. Voltage control isn't quite as great as I'd like, but my 2500K runs at 4.4GHz @ 1.33V max easily.

Are you overclocking through the Bios or are you doing through the Asus software program?

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

So after like four hours of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Battlefield: Bad Company 2, here are my max CPU/GPU temperatures:

Intel Core i3 2100
Core 0 - 54 degrees C
Core 1 - 53 degrees C

Radeon HD 6850 - 67 degrees C

Idling, my minimum temps for both are:

Intel Core i3 2100
Core 0 - 30 degrees C
Core 1 - 29 degrees C

Radeon HD 6850 - 37 degrees C


Are these readings fine?

 

[mug]

So after like four hours of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Battlefield: Bad Company 2, here are my max CPU/GPU temperatures:

Intel Core i3 2100
Core 0 - 54 degrees C
Core 1 - 53 degrees C

Radeon HD 6850 - 67 degrees C

Idling, my minimum temps for both are:

Intel Core i3 2100
Core 0 - 30 degrees C
Core 1 - 29 degrees C

Radeon HD 6850 - 37 degrees C


Are these readings fine?

Yup, both the CPU and GPU are normal.

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

Yup, both the CPU and GPU are normal.

Okay, cool.

Here's an image I posted earlier:

This is idling.

Can you comment on everything besides the CPU and GPU temps? For instance, are my fans okay? Should I look into adjusting anything in my BIOS?

 

[Hazaro]

Temps are fine. Don't need to do anything with a 2100.
Post more benches and such!
Through your entire steam library! Res and settings and AA!!

cheapest 2TB right now

this is handy as well

http://forre.st/storage#hdd

Cheers, but the drive to get is still the Samsung F4.
Brand new, no idle bug, $5 more (less shipped).

 

[Hawk269]

Quick question on installing a new GPU...

If you are replacing a GPU with another GPU is it advisable to remove the drivers, power down the system, remove card, install new card and then install drivers? Or can I just rip out the old card, install the new card and be good to go? I am just moving from a 580 1.5gig card to a 580 3gb.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Hawk269]

Lol 150k I meant 1500. But ya most I'll spend is 2k.

Well man, you can do alot with that price, but the bulk of the money will come from you deciding on 2 crucial parts.

1. CPU
2. GPU

I mean, you can spend $1000.00 alon on a CPU, you can also spend up to $600 on a single GPU (MSI LIGHTNING). If you plan to go Water with your GPU's, you can be looking at even more for single GPU with Waterblocks.

If you budget/max is $2000.00 you can build one hell of a machine, but it all comes down to choosing the CPU/GPU first, then build around that. I know the Sandy Bridge 2500/2600 are very popular and they are pretty powerfull.

Also, do you want a single GPU or do you plan to go SLI? SLI can add up very fast, for example I just spent (yes, I am insane) $1300.00 on 2 MSI Lightning 580 Extremes...so it really all comes down to how crazy you want to get my friend.

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

Temps are fine. Don't need to do anything with a 2100.
Post more benches and such!
Through your entire steam library! Res and settings and AA!!
Cheers, but the drive to get is still the Samsung F4.
Brand new, no idle bug, $5 more (less shipped).

Hey, was meaning to respond to your PM but it completely slipped my mind.

Will do. Next game I plan to check out is The Witcher 2. Excited to see how well or not that runs.

 

[Smokey]

Quick question on installing a new GPU...

If you are replacing a GPU with another GPU is it advisable to remove the drivers, power down the system, remove card, install new card and then install drivers? Or can I just rip out the old card, install the new card and be good to go? I am just moving from a 580 1.5gig card to a 580 3gb.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Just put in the new card. Don't need to uninstall drivers or anything, especially since it's just another 580.

Well man, you can do alot with that price, but the bulk of the money will come from you deciding on 2 crucial parts.

1. CPU
2. GPU

I mean, you can spend $1000.00 alon on a CPU, you can also spend up to $600 on a single GPU (MSI LIGHTNING). If you plan to go Water with your GPU's, you can be looking at even more for single GPU with Waterblocks.

If you budget/max is $2000.00 you can build one hell of a machine, but it all comes down to choosing the CPU/GPU first, then build around that. I know the Sandy Bridge 2500/2600 are very popular and they are pretty powerfull.

Also, do you want a single GPU or do you plan to go SLI? SLI can add up very fast, for example I just spent (yes, I am insane) $1300.00 on 2 MSI Lightning 580 Extremes...so it really all comes down to how crazy you want to get my friend.

 

[Laurentius]

What do you guys think of this monitor?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009266

Super cheap, and the reviews seem very positive. I've been looking for a cheap-ish 23" monitor for a dual monitor setup. Seems like that's a great one for the price.

 

[iSurvivedTheOutage]

What do you guys think of this monitor?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009266

Super cheap, and the reviews seem very positive. I've been looking for a cheap-ish 23" monitor for a dual monitor setup. Seems like that's a great one for the price.

Haha I was gonna buy that, but Newegg charges tax in my state. Im looking at This AOC 24'' Has really good reviews.

 

[·feist·]

You're probably correct, which is annoying because the boards won't need a northbridge, saving manufacturing cost.

Yes, but X79 is a more feature-packed platform, with native support that even the highest end consumer 1155 boards don't offer.

Price drop for 2500k and 2600k? I'm hoping the P67/Z68 boards drop a little in price as X79 boards come out.

For gamers, SB-E doesn't seem to offer anything at all. I also expect X79 boards to carry a premium to compliment the more expensive CPU's.

I wouldn't say that. Either way, SB-E/LGA 2011 isn't geared towards average users, anymore than 1366 was. If anything, 2011 skews even more in the direction of servers, workstations, and other high end use.

Looks hawt. I'd end up strapping fans onto it though, just to OC it some more.

Good chance you'd cause turbulence with the fans beneath the shroud, and likely reduce performance.

Nice cards. Shame Gainward didn't use higher quality materials on their 560/560Ti/570/580 Phantoms, though.

Thanks for steering me in the direction of those CM 690 II cases. They are the look I was going for. The tool-less bays look handy and it comes with a SSD bay, black inside looks sharp, nice cable management options and it should be more than enough room for the Hyper 212. I was wondering about cooling too, but they certainly live up to the CoolerMaster name. Room for 10 fans? You'd be blowing paintings off the wall :lol.

Don't think I'm going to go with the GEN 3 version of that motherboard. I don't know that I'll need the extras. Seem to have OC issues in some cases as well. Where as the B3 has the opposite, most people were saying it makes OC a breeze.

So far my build is looking like:
CPu- i5-2500k w/ Hyper 212+
mobo- AsRock P67 Extreme 4 b3
Gpu- EVGA GTX570 (now with more batman :lol, nice freebie)
Ram- Gskill Sniper 2x4gb
PSU- http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171036
Case- CM 690 II Advanced
HD- Samsung F3 1TB
SSD - Crucial M4 64GB

I think (hope) I'm getting close to my final build now, thanks to a lot of help from you and everyone else. I still have few smaller questions if anyone knows.

-My case should be large enough to fit the cpu cooler, but I've read that people say the hyper 212 can get close to the ram in some cases. Is that just an issue with the taller sticks with the heat fins on top? Think the recommended memory is a safe distance away?

- One other, I linked the PSU there in my build list. The price looks steep, but it came in a combo deal with my case, $20 off + plus $30 off mail-in (I actually do those) essentially making it $69.99. It was the best rated PSU in the list of deals (Coolermaster only), I haven't seen too many people ITT mention their PSU's, just wondering what anybodys experience with them was, or if there's a better one I could get for ~$70.

Also, I can't believe how much I'm getting into this stuff now, I couldn't imagine actually being excited to build a computer :lol. I'll take it slow my first time though. I'm enjoying the planning almost as much I think, much more fun bouncing back and forth ITT between people than reading endless computer forums. So thanks to everyone helping.

Hyper 212+ ram distance, and clearance on the average Intel board:

extra tall
http://www.pureoverclock.com/images...hyper212plus/coolermaster_hyper212plus_11.jpg
http://www.pureoverclock.com/images...hyper212plus/coolermaster_hyper212plus_12.jpg

normal
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/2244/4ta890gxe3232010006.jpg

Your G. Skills are "average tall," so they shouldn't be an issue. In the event that your board/RAM combo presented a problem, you'd simply adjust the fan height, or place it on the opposite side of the cooler in a pull orientation.

Haven't used that particular PSU, though if I'm not mistaken, it's based on an a particular OEM platform that's used by SilverStone, and other vendors. You can try some of the OP recommendations for PSUs. Finding other ~$70 options, if you need to, in the 500-650W Bronze range isn't too difficult.

 

[Angelus Errare]

Don't know if it's been posted but...

for those looking for a good GPU deal, here's one!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005C8RTTU/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB DDR5
Price: $162.19
Price after rebate: $142.19

Must.resist.urge.promised.self.no.impulse.buys...

 

[JJBro One]

Should I start my build now or wait until they come out with new parts? People have been telling me they're coming out with new graphics cards soon especially with BF3 right around the corner.

 

[Corky]

So when multitasking, is ram the main resource at play? I mean playing a game, having several chrome tabs going, music playing in the background, etc etc.

 

[gokieks]

Are you overclocking through the Bios or are you doing through the Asus software program?

BIOS.

 

[n0n44m]

So when multitasking, is ram the main resource at play? I mean playing a game, having several chrome tabs going, music playing in the background, etc etc.

for gaming with some background stuff with a quad core CPU there shouldn't be an issue with cpu power when running just music/web/office programs, graphics aren't used for background stuff and those programs usually leave your harddrive alone so yeah memory is the most likely bottleneck out of these "big 4"

now if you have 200 tabs of tranny porn taking up all your system memory then it will affect your gaming experience I usually have ~25 tabs going on (no trannies) and that's no issue at all with 8 GB of memory

 

[Corky]

for gaming with some background stuff with a quad core CPU there shouldn't be an issue with cpu power when running just music/web/office programs, graphics aren't used for background stuff and those programs usually leave your harddrive alone so yeah memory is the most likely bottleneck out of these "big 4"

now if you have 200 tabs of tranny porn taking up all your system memory then it will affect your gaming experience I usually have ~25 tabs going on (no trannies) and that's no issue at all with 8 GB of memory

Haha cheers, thought as much.

 

[syko de4d]

Should I start my build now or wait until they come out with new parts? People have been telling me they're coming out with new graphics cards soon especially with BF3 right around the corner.

I am in the same situation and ihave decided to wait. If the leaks

are right u get a little better 6970 with one 7870. With 50% less Power Consumption u can use two of them, double power for the same Power Consumption .
If we only know the prices, but i think 7870price<<6970price right now.

 

[Spectacular Dr Dawg]

Argh the GPU and SSD were out of stock so I won't have a complete PC for 2-3 weeks.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Was this posted? Amazon Gold Box PC deals.

 

[TheExodu5]

What do you guys think of this monitor?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009266

Super cheap, and the reviews seem very positive. I've been looking for a cheap-ish 23" monitor for a dual monitor setup. Seems like that's a great one for the price.

It's usable, but to get it close to properly calibrated, you need to bring the brightness basically down to 0. That kind of annoyed me with that monitor.

The default settings are terrible. Oversaturated colors and blinding whites. Bringing the brightness way down will bring it more in check. There's not much play, though, since like I said I had to bring the brightness to 0 for it to look okay.

 

[Corky]

Hmm, what's the chance of the next line of nvidia cards ( not including the 580 equivalent ) having 2gb / 3gb?

It seems like the 7xxx series are all 2gb and up?
It would be nice if the gtx 670s had 2gb.

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

Just curious: What is THE most powerful gaming computer one could build today? Assume no price restriction. What would said monster look like?