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[Danne-Danger]

I'm looking at my 720x3@3.02Ghz, and my GTX 275 (stock)

And I'm looking at a i5-2500k, GTX 570 combo.

It's looking juicy.

Are there any price drops on the horizon or should I just bite now? The Z68 mobo mentioned above looks good, any reason to not go for it (I feel like doing some CPU clocking)? Also, I have a 550W PSU, proper brand, should be enough, yeah?

 

[JaseC]

I'm looking at my 720x3@3.02Ghz, and my GTX 275 (stock)

And I'm looking at a i5-2500k, GTX 570 combo.

It's looking juicy.

Are there any price drops on the horizon or should I just bite now? The Z68 mobo mentioned above looks good, any reason to not go for it (I feel like doing some CPU clocking)? Also, I have a 550W PSU, proper brand, should be enough, yeah?

With Bulldozer disappointing, the price of Sandy Bridge will only increase as Intel know they can get away with it (some have reported $10-$20 increases already), and the next generation of AMD and nvidia GPUs aren't due until Q1 next year. And, yes, 550W will suffice; I myself am running a C2D @ 3.2GHz/4GB DDR2-800/GTX 570 system with a Corsair HX-520.

Edit: If you're referring to the ASUS P8P67 Pro (I'm a 50ppp peasant ), then, yes, it's a great board, but you could save a few bucks by purchasing instead an ASRock Z68 Extreme3/4.

 

[dinosaur_hunter2]

Hello, guys.

I'll be in NY for seven days on november and I'm planning to buy a new computer. I love playing on consoles and they still are my primary source of gaming, but it's been 7 years since I had a gaming capable PC. So, if you are so kind to help me:

1- Is this laptop worth the money? Consider the dual 560M version (about $1400). Link: http://www.malibal.com/boutique/pc/configurePrd.asp?idProduct=405

2- If not, I'm planning on buying the $1000+ build. Will it be much more capable than the laptop I mentioned above? I guess the answer is yes, but I really need mobility here, there's no space at home to put a PC rig. At least there won't be for a while.

3- Is there any physical store in NY where I can buy computer parts for a good price? I ask this because I still don't know if the hotel where I'll be staying receives packages for its customers before their arrival.

Thank you so much.

 

[Danne-Danger]

With Bulldozer disappointing, the price of Sandy Bridge will only increase as Intel know they can get away with it (some have reported $10-$20 increases already), and the next generation of AMD and nvidia GPUs aren't due until Q1 next year. And, yes, 550W will suffice; I myself am running a C2D @ 3.2GHz/4GB DDR2-800/GTX 570 system with a Corsair HX-520.

Edit: If you're referring to the ASUS P8P67 Pro (I'm a 50ppp peasant ), then, yes, it's a great board, but you could save a few bucks by purchasing instead an ASRock Z68 Extreme3/4.

Right, thanks a lot!

 

[Quadrangulum]

I finished my third PC build ever late last night. It's been a few years since my last and I suppose that's why I'm still making the same rookie errors like forgetting the 8 pin CPU connector. I also neglected to plug the power led into the right jumper slot and I forgot to plug the CPU fan into the motherboard connector. I'll just live with last two since they aren't essential; I don't want to do the wire management again for a very long time.

The system's cool and barely audible. I ran the 2500K at 4.6GHz all night doing the prime stress test. There were no errors and the temperature fluctuated at around 55-60 Celsius. Not too shabby for a micro-ATX case I reckon.

I can't wait to try out Xenoblade and Shogun 2.

 

[Lucius86]

Just buy a Xonar. The Xonar DG is recommended for the lower price tier, but there are other higher-end models, such as the DX.



Klipsch's 2.1 offering(/s?), if you can find one.

I have heard promising things about a Xonar, but do you know if there is a true difference in modern Realtek chipsets to dedicated sound cards?

I will check out Klipsch and see what they have.

Thanks for your input.

 

[JaseC]

I have heard promising things about a Xonar, but do you know if there is a true difference in modern Realtek chipsets to dedicated sound cards?

I will check out Klipsch and see what they have.

Thanks for your input.

The general consensus is that the sound quality is noticeably improved, however I don't own a dedicated sound card myself just yet so I have no experience of my own to offer.

 

[chaosblade]

I have heard promising things about a Xonar, but do you know if there is a true difference in modern Realtek chipsets to dedicated sound cards?

I will check out Klipsch and see what they have.

Thanks for your input.

If you're using digital output I'm not sure there is any difference just in terms of sound quality. Digital is digital after all. Not sure about analogue and cheaper cards though.

But I'm thinking about picking one up primarily for the Dolby Headphone though. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work even though I'm already running my sound through my receiver. Shouldn't treat it any differently than normal two channel audio unless I'm missing something.

Edit: I haven't even looked to see if my new mobo does DH though, so I guess I'll check that before I make any decisions!

Edit2: 892, it does, but if the quality is poor like some have said I might go ahead with the Xonar.

 

[TheExodu5]

I have a Realtek 889 on my motherboard, and the Xonar STX was not a big improvement over it, even testing with cans like AKG K701. I know the 892 has a much lower SNR than the 889, so perhaps not all onboard sound is made equal.

My Realtek 889 even does Dolby Headphone.

 

[LordCanti]

UPSs generally aren't a good idea with gaming PCs unless you want to spend lots of money. You have to remember that if your computer is drawing 400W then its drawing 500W at the wall if it operates at 80% efficiency. For surge protectors stick with some brand name not a generic and you should be fine. I think APC will cover any damage to equipment caused by a malfunctioning surge protector.

I've got my gaming rig on a UPS. It's never been an issue, and it's saved my ass more than a few times. One of the computers I didn't have on a UPS got blown up by lightning earlier this year.

Definitely worth the investment (I'm using an APS NS 1250. It was $100 or so a couple years ago. Haven't needed to replace the battery yet.)

 

[chaosblade]

I've got my gaming rig on a UPS. It's never been an issue, and it's saved my ass more than a few times. One of the computers I didn't have on a UPS got blown up by lightning earlier this year.

Definitely worth the investment (I'm using an APS NS 1250. It was $100 or so a couple years ago. Haven't needed to replace the battery yet.)

That and what looks to be it's replacement model runs $200+ new now, almost $150 for a refurb. I'll probably just go with a good surge protector, as nice as the battery has been.

And I found out mine is actually only rated 360 watts. Double sad face.

 

[MisterNoisy]

Dunno if anyone needs/wants one, but sellout.woot.com is offering the Razer TRON mouse (7 buttons/5600 DPI) for $35 after shipping today. I love me some ambidextrous mice, and at that price, it's okay if it isn't amazing.

 

[scogoth]

I've got my gaming rig on a UPS. It's never been an issue, and it's saved my ass more than a few times. One of the computers I didn't have on a UPS got blown up by lightning earlier this year.

Definitely worth the investment (I'm using an APS NS 1250. It was $100 or so a couple years ago. Haven't needed to replace the battery yet.)

Don't know how you managed to get it for $100 but at that price its worth it. Yeah now its 200+ for some reason. Even 750W might now be quite enough for me though =(

 

[LordCanti]

That and what looks to be it's replacement model runs $200+ new now, almost $150 for a refurb. I'll probably just go with a good surge protector, as nice as the battery has been.

And I found out mine is actually only rated 360 watts. Double sad face.

If you get a lot of lightning storms, it may still be worth it. Think about it as $150 now, versus hundreds more to replace your electronics later if you don't buy it. A surge protector is just that; A surge protector. One bolt of lightning and all the electronics in your house are going up in smoke. A power outage could stop an HDD mid-spin, and corrupt your data, etc.

I can understand the hesitation though.

Don't know how you managed to get it for $100 but at that price its worth it. Yeah now its 200+ for some reason. Even 750W might now be quite enough for me though =(

It was at either Sam's Club or Costco. They offer pretty big random discounts on some things.

 

[Wichu]

Small problem: the headphone socket on the front of my case isn't working. I've connected it up to the sound card, but no sound comes out. The sound card's back ports work fine. Is there any way I can find out what's wrong and possibly fix it?

Speaking of sound, can anyone recommend me some cheap speakers? I bought Logitech X140 speakers, but am returning them due to a fault with the headphone output... Although they worked fine otherwise, the sound quality wasn't the best.

Finally, I found out I'd installed my sound and graphics cards wrong. I'd just screwed them to the case, but noticed they were wonky and slightly misaligned. Turns out that the case has a clip mechanism and you're not supposed to use screws. So I tried to clip them in. Unfortunately, my graphics card has a metal rail on the outside which goes all the way up to right next to the PC case, meaning that firstly, the clip didn't close fully, and secondly, it got stuck (no amount of force would unclip it). I ended up unscrewing and removing the clip, and just screwing the cards in normally

 

[chaosblade]

If you get a lot of lightning storms, it may still be worth it. Think about it as $150 now, versus hundreds more to replace your electronics later if you don't buy it. A surge protector is just that; A surge protector. One bolt of lightning and all the electronics in your house are going up in smoke. A power outage could stop an HDD mid-spin, and corrupt your data, etc.

I can understand the hesitation though.



It was at either Sam's Club or Costco. They offer pretty big random discounts on some things.

Almost any decent surge protector will have $1000 warranty on it, which would cover my stuff. So the only difference I'd be paying for is time (downtime + waiting for replacement parts).

What my stupid self didn't think of before was just putting the PC on my surge protected outlets instead of the battery ones. So I guess I'm not going to be replacing anything. Woo

Edit: And I'll run my external backup drive off the battery of course, so data loss shouldn't be an issue unless the battery dies.

 

[LordCanti]

Almost any decent surge protector will have $1000 warranty on it, which would cover my stuff. So the only difference I'd be paying for is time (downtime + waiting for replacement parts).

What my stupid self didn't think of before was just putting the PC on my surge protected outlets instead of the battery ones. So I guess I'm not going to be replacing anything. Woo

Edit: And I'll run my external backup drive off the battery of course, so data loss shouldn't be an issue unless the battery dies.

I'm not sure about the edit. Then again, I don't have the best mechanical understanding of an external HDD. If data is being written to it, and the computer shuts off suddenly, does an external HDD have the ability to stop writing safely and spin down?

Using the surge outlets is a good idea. Make sure to use the ethernet protection slots if you are using a wired internet connection. A surge up the ethernet cable is what killed one of my computers (and a networking switch =/ it was a bad day).

 

[chaosblade]

I'm not sure about the edit. Then again, I don't have the best mechanical understanding of an external HDD. If data is being written to it, and the computer shuts off suddenly, does an external HDD have the ability to stop writing safely and spin down?

Using the surge outlets is a good idea. Make sure to use the ethernet protection slots if you are using a wired internet connection. A surge up the ethernet cable is what killed one of my computers (and a networking switch =/ it was a bad day).

Just an assumption, but I assume any HDD, external or otherwise, will have a failsafe if it suddenly stops receiving data (provided it has power). Probably just stops writing and then goes into a normal idle state, spins down, etc. That seems like it would be a very basic feature/failesafe for a HDD these days. So you'll be left with some partial data that may or may not be accessible through normal means, but that should be about it.

Edit: Not sure if what I said is the case or not, but it looks like NTFS has it covered regardless.

 

[chrisisawesome]

Kinda weird but fantastic: I finally got around to changin my hd4850 for the GTX 560ti and added an extra 2gb ram while I was at it. What the hell! The pc feels so much snappier in regular windows use and it's also more quiet! No complaints I was expecting the new beast card to be a jet engine, but nope!

 

[Laekon]

So I'm probably installing my new parts today after work. Is there a good guide to what files I should copy over from my old hard drive? I'm mainly interested in the best way to move over my Steam games and save files.

 

[ph33nix]

I need help
I have an asus p8p67 pro mobo. I already had 4 gigs of ram with this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231190





and today I wanted 4 extra. went and got this

http://www.frys.com/product/6088628?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

but when i try installing it won't work. blank screen. i've tried different combinations to see if one is defective but neither works...what should i do?

 

[MC RaZaR]

I need help
I have an asus p8p67 pro mobo. I already had 4 gigs of ram with this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231190





and today I wanted 4 extra. went and got this

http://www.frys.com/product/6088628?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

but when i try installing it won't work. blank screen. i've tried different combinations to see if one is defective but neither works...what should i do?

Put the G. Skill sticks in the black slots. Put the Corsair sticks in the blue slots. See if that works. You can try to run Memtest if it doesn't work.

 

[ph33nix]

Put the G. Skill sticks in the black slots. Put the Corsair sticks in the blue slots. See if that works. You can try to run Memtest if it doesn't work.

I just did that----on its own, the computer rebooted after a few seconds. I tried Memtest and it still doesn't work...still didn't work


I've read maybe updating bios helps but internet update doesn't seem to work and I downloaded a .rom file that I have no idea what to do with

 

[Gvaz]

I just did that----on its own, the computer rebooted after a few seconds. I tried Memtest and it still doesn't work...still didn't work


I've read maybe updating bios helps but internet update doesn't seem to work and I downloaded a .rom file that I have no idea what to do with

Put one stick in of the new ram only, run memtest for like 2 hours+, run the second stick only in memtest for 2+ hours

if either report even a single error, send the sticks back.

 

[ph33nix]

you guys i have no idea what i did i just kept trying and trying with no aim and now it works, so i'll take it lol. but yeah, i do have the g.skill in the black slot and corsair in the blue. thanks!!

 

[MC RaZaR]

That's good to hear. Don't have to deal with the hassle of RMA'ing the memory sticks.

 

[Arsenic]

you guys i have no idea what i did i just kept trying and trying with no aim and now it works, so i'll take it lol. but yeah, i do have the g.skill in the black slot and corsair in the blue. thanks!!

I'd run the memtest anyways just incase.

 

[Tallshortman]

Hello, guys.

I'll be in NY for seven days on november and I'm planning to buy a new computer. I love playing on consoles and they still are my primary source of gaming, but it's been 7 years since I had a gaming capable PC. So, if you are so kind to help me:

1- Is this laptop worth the money? Consider the dual 560M version (about $1400). Link: http://www.malibal.com/boutique/pc/configurePrd.asp?idProduct=405

2- If not, I'm planning on buying the $1000+ build. Will it be much more capable than the laptop I mentioned above? I guess the answer is yes, but I really need mobility here, there's no space at home to put a PC rig. At least there won't be for a while.

3- Is there any physical store in NY where I can buy computer parts for a good price? I ask this because I still don't know if the hotel where I'll be staying receives packages for its customers before their arrival.

Thank you so much.

Well after confirming what I'd read before, 560M SLI is little a slower than a single 580M, which itself is largely equivalent to a gtx 460. In terms of comparable performance, you'll be getting about the performance of the $600 build from that $1400 laptop.

 

[vaelic]

BTW, wasn't there issues with the sandy bridge when they first came out? Have all those issues been resolved?

 

[MC RaZaR]

The chipset was affected and not the CPU I believe. It had something to do with the SATA controller degrading faster than usual I believe due to a design mistake. It's been fixed and good.

 

[vaelic]

The chipset was affected and not the CPU I believe. It had something to do with the SATA controller degrading faster than usual I believe due to a design mistake. It's been fixed and good.

ah so any MB/processor you order is free of that?

 

[Babalu.]

need help looking for a new monitor.

I haven't bought one in like 7 years so i'm out of the loop. I just play games and photoshop and internet stuff. Its a i7 with gtx 580 lightning video card.


1. I want something 23"+
2. is response time incredibly important? Like i want 2ms and under or bust?
3. What is the general resolution i'm looking to get? is 1920x1080 the standard now?
4. what brands should I be looking for? asus? acer?
5. is LED backlit what i want? does it make a difference?
6. contrast ratio that big a deal?

have my computer hooked up to a 65" panasonic plasma right now but want a new monitor for under $250 if possible.

 

[Wolf Akela]

2. is response time incredibly important? Like i want 2ms and under or bust?

Aim for 5ms at the very least.

3. What is the general resolution i'm looking to get? is 1920x1080 the standard now?

Yes, though very few prefer 1920x1200.

5. is LED backlit what i want? does it make a difference?

Backlit has better display quality than edge lit. The brightness looks more even across the display.

6. contrast ratio that big a deal?

Depends on person, but higher is better.

 

[MC RaZaR]

ah so any MB/processor you order is free of that?

There was a recall, so most if not all the defective boards were taken off shelves. Only H67/P67 were affected. This doesn't apply to Z68 boards since they were released after the incident, so you can buy those instead if you're worried. But the boards should be okay as I haven't heard anybody complains about having problems.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

So I have a problem with my PC.

My PC was running fine until I got the blue screen of death. Whenever I tried to restart my computer it froze at the "Starting up Windows" screen.

After doing this five times or so I decided to go into my motherboard settings and change the format from AHCI to IDE. It then worked fine. However it stated that I would need to reformat my RAID 0 HDD's.

I switched back to AHCI and it still froze. So I decided to do System Restore and go back to a restore point. I did that and restarted my computer under IDE, still worked the same. Then did it under AHCI and it still froze at the "Starting up Windows" screen.

Is this a flaw with Windows? My motherboard? Or my RAID 0 HDDs?

 

[Gvaz]

Yes, though very few prefer 1920x1200.

I liked on my other forum they have a thread for monitors titled (jokingly) "Monitor/Display Megathread: If you use 16:9 you are literally subhuman"

 

[Angelus Errare]

Newegg has a HIS 6970 2GB for $329 with a $20 rebate
HIS 6970 2GB

 

[chewydogg]

4. what brands should I be looking for? asus? acer?

I'm quite happy with my ASUS 23" monitor. Newegg often has it on sale (got mine for $140 after promo code + rebate).

 

[vaelic]

There was a recall, so most if not all the defective boards were taken off shelves. Only H67/P67 were affected. This doesn't apply to Z68 boards since they were released after the incident, so you can buy those instead if you're worried. But the boards should be okay as I haven't heard anybody complains about having problems.

thanks!

 

[Gvaz]

My DAS Professional Silent won't be here till friday, shipping to boston all the way from texas. Sure is taking its sweet old time. Can't fucking wait, comeon ups ship faster!

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

Hmmm... anyone notice any major fps dips in Team Fortress 2 lately?

I can go from 100 to 35 in a split second while playing TF2 on an i3-2100 and 6850. This wasn't the case before the last update, I'm sure.

Also, I'm getting a lot of "Hl2.exe has stopped working" error messages.

 

[M_A_C]

What do You Think of this Brand/Deal on a GTX 570? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004J6C93M/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Seems like a good deal after rebate, not sure about the brand though? I definitely want to go nvidia this time after owning a couple of ATI cards. this will replace my 4890.

Is this 560 TI a better deal? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125401

 

[Firebrand]

Hmmm... anyone notice any major fps dips in Team Fortress 2 lately?

I can go from 100 to 35 in a split second while playing TF2 on an i3-2100 and 6850. This wasn't the case before the last update, I'm sure.

Also, I'm getting a lot of "Hl2.exe has stopped working" error messages.

Try enabling/disabling multicore rendering and see if that stabilizes your frame rate.

As for the crashes, yes, that happens a lot since the Manniversary update, still waiting for a proper fix.

 

[Flame Lord]

Anyone know of a good program I can use to burn Windows 7 to DVD?

 

[TGMIII]

Might not be the right thread for this but what's the best 22"/24" monitor for gaming right now?

 

[Mr_eX]

To start with here are my specs

Phenom X4 965 BE
EVGA Superclocked GTX 570
8 gb ggr3 ram
1tb HDD
630w PSU
Windows 7

I've been getting BSOD since I built my PC in July 2010. Sometimes it will go weeks without happening and other times it happens every 5 minutes(last night I got 5 or 6 BSOD in less than 2 hours). It says memory_management and the error code its giving me is 0.0000001A and a few more in parenthesis. I ran memtest on it last night and got 0 errors and I used the seagate HDD utility to check my HDD not long ago and that also got 0 errors. My PC originally had a Radeon 5770 and I switched that for my GTX 570 about a month ago so I can rule that out(I formatted my HDD when I got the 570 and did a fresh install). I switched out my PSU less than a year ago and I'm using a different keyboard and mouse from when I first built it so it's probably not those. I updated the motherboards firmware Monday, it wasn't that.

I have no idea what to do now. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[teeny]

Basic Desktop Questions:
Budget: £1500, UK
Main Use: Heavy Gaming, Emulation (Wii), Photo Editing, XNA Programming, General Use.
Monitor Resolution: Would like to play at 1080p
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Skyrim, Battlefield 3
When will you build?: Early next year.
Will you be overclocking?: Yes

Found this build and like the look of it, though I am a newbie at all of this.

Sapphire 11180-00-40R HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 PCIE Graphics Card
Noctua NF-P14 FLX - Processor fan - 140 mm
Thermalright Venomous X RT - Processor cooler
ASUS 1155 P8Z68-V PRO S/L
Corsair CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B 16GB (4x4GB) 1600MHz CL9 DDR3 Vengeance
Intel Sandybridge i7-2600K Unlocked Core i7 Quad-Core Processor (3.40GHz, 8MB Cache, Socket 1155)
Corsair Graphite Series 600T Mid-Tower Gaming Case
Corsair CMPSU-850AXUK Professional Series Gold 850W Power Supply
OCZ Vertex 3 Series SATA III 2.5-inch Solid State Drive 240GB
Western Digital 2TB SATA 6Gbps Power Saving Internal Hard Drive OEM - Caviar Green

Amazon has all this at 1,369.45, so if there is anything I could upgrade or wait for, I would be happy to.

What does GAF think?

 

[Danne-Danger]

need help looking for a new monitor.

I haven't bought one in like 7 years so i'm out of the loop. I just play games and photoshop and internet stuff. Its a i7 with gtx 580 lightning video card.


1. I want something 23"+
2. is response time incredibly important? Like i want 2ms and under or bust?
3. What is the general resolution i'm looking to get? is 1920x1080 the standard now?
4. what brands should I be looking for? asus? acer?
5. is LED backlit what i want? does it make a difference?
6. contrast ratio that big a deal?

have my computer hooked up to a 65" panasonic plasma right now but want a new monitor for under $250 if possible.

I had the Dell UltraSharp 23'' U2311H recommended to me in this thread before and I couldn't be happier with it now that I have one, and this is coming from a CRT purist!

It requires very little calibration out of the box and is pretty swell all around.

 

[Lucius86]

For those that care....

To resolve my sound crisis, I went with:

a) Corsair SP2500 Speakers (review)
b) Asus Xonar DX PCI-E 7.1 (review)

£50 more than I was hoping to pay, but will hopefully be worth it.

 

[chrisisawesome]

What do You Think of this Brand/Deal on a GTX 570? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004J6C93M/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Seems like a good deal after rebate, not sure about the brand though? I definitely want to go nvidia this time after owning a couple of ATI cards. this will replace my 4890.

Is this 560 TI a better deal? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125401

Damn that's a good deal on the GTX 560ti! I just payed $240 for my evga super clocked one not even 2 weeks ago