I was able to get my 970 stable @ 4GHZ with a Hyper 212 Evo. Which was $35. Maybe airflow was a problem?
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
"I need a New PC!" 2011 Thread of reading the OP. Seriously. [Part 2]
- Thread starter Hazaro
- Start date
- Status
I was able to get my 970 stable @ 4GHZ with a Hyper 212 Evo. Which was $35. Maybe airflow was a problem?
Wolf Akela
Member
Too high? I have a factory OC'd 5850 and the highest I've had was 60c. I even live in a tropical country.
BoobPhysics101
Banned
That's fine. My 570 GTX massively OC'd with an extra 0.12v hits around 72-75c in the most intense games. Once your GPU gets to the 90c+ range is where you need to be worried. Default shut-off temp on most modern GPU's is 100-110c.
Set up a fan profile in MSI Afterburner if you want more efficient cooling. Works wonders.
It's all in the program, if you know how to graph it's easy. I recommend having the fan run @ 90-100% once you hit 85-90c. Scale it to the way you want it to sound/perform.
That's a good OC for a 560ti. Try increasing your RAM by 100 mhz. I wouldn't recommend going past there if you're a newb because the higher you go, the more of a pain in the ass it becomes getting it stable/testing/etc. You don't want to go too wild if you're just starting out. It's very easy on some cards to burn out your core by using too much voltage.
Ignore 3dmark scores, they're basically e-peen boosters. I'm not sure how your score stacks up because Vantage has PPU support, different presets etc.
4 x DIMM, Max. 16 GB, DDR3 1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 ECC,Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
that is what ASUS lists as my mobo's ram compatibility. I'm confused by 1800 and 1600 having OC listed next to it. does that mean it will only work if I overclock my 1333 ram to 1600? or will it work with 1600 ram at full speed? i want to upgrade with the 8gb gskill ripjaws on sale for $30. is there a big jump from 1333 to 1600?
that is what ASUS lists as my mobo's ram compatibility. I'm confused by 1800 and 1600 having OC listed next to it. does that mean it will only work if I overclock my 1333 ram to 1600? or will it work with 1600 ram at full speed? i want to upgrade with the 8gb gskill ripjaws on sale for $30. is there a big jump from 1333 to 1600?
BoobPhysics101
Banned
Not trying to jump on you, just making a general statement: I've heard the whole 'reduction of lifespan' argument so many times and it's tired, weak, and cliche.
Let's say the lifespan of the card at stock voltages/frequencies is 10 years in best scenario cases. Then, let's further stipulate that at worst, it'd be around 4-5 years. Then, let's theoretically say that overclocking will reduce the life-span by 1-2 years, down to 2-3 years, yet you gain a solid 10-25% boost to performance depending on application.
My thoughts are that the GPU/CPU in question will be horribly outdated in 3~ , and most people upgrade within that 1-3 year span anyways. Also, most of these cards have anywhere from 2-3 year warranties ranging up to lifetime.
With all that in mind, it sounds silly not to overclock. I was extremely conservative with my estimate of chip life, btw.
In a majority of cases (let's say 98% or so) you will notice NO real world performance benefits going from 1333 to 1600 Mhz RAM at this point in time. CPU's aren't exactly starving for RAM bandwidth right now. This may change, but 1333 Mhz is fine, especially for gaming.
Wolf Akela
Member
There's like 0.0x% performance gains between clocks higher than 1333MHz, and that's on synthetic memory benchmarks.
Its time to build the new PC.
First question, I'm thinking this RAM. Do I have to worry about motherboard compatibility? I really don't know anything about assembling PCing. I'm thinking of following the "enhanced" guide in the OP. 820 seems like a good price for me. Basically I'm wondering if I pick this up now, and they have a cheaper motherboard later in the week. Will I have to worry about compability issues?
Second, are any of the parts in it, are there better ones on sale or should I at least wait till Friday and Monday for Newegg deals?
First question, I'm thinking this RAM. Do I have to worry about motherboard compatibility? I really don't know anything about assembling PCing. I'm thinking of following the "enhanced" guide in the OP. 820 seems like a good price for me. Basically I'm wondering if I pick this up now, and they have a cheaper motherboard later in the week. Will I have to worry about compability issues?
Second, are any of the parts in it, are there better ones on sale or should I at least wait till Friday and Monday for Newegg deals?
I noticed that my GA-MA790X-UD4P can now support AM3 CPUs through the newest firmware update. Anyone know if I would be able to get a substantial upgrade from my X4 940 BE @ 3.6ghz? Thanks.
my gut says no. What TDP can it support?
X4 940 is an AM3 proc.
TDP is thermal design power, the wattage it draws. Also, mind blown about 940 being AM2+. thought the 9xxx series was the last of AM2+. seems to be the exact architecture as the 955 and up. Same NM, cache, everything. Doubt an upgrade would make much of an impact at all.
(on vacation on iPad, research abilities are minimal)
Ok, thanks!
Looking for some help, PC GAF!
I've been debating between a new laptop and a high(ish)-end gaming HTPC. I'm currently leaning towards building my own machine, as the total comes out to be much cheaper by about $500-$600.
I'd like to be able to run games like the Witcher 2, Saints Row the Third and Batman: Arkham City at the best possible settings for an external HDTV display. Also looking forward to titles such as Diablo III and Guild Wars 2 whenever those come out. Ultimately, my desire is to make sure the thing is future-proof for awhile. My current setup, a Gateway 6860FX laptop, has lasted me 3+ years. I can game at 720p at playable framerates and tweaked medium settings for a few recent games.
That said, going by the info in the OP and an HTPC guide I found at this link, I've come up with the following build.
Of note is the case, as it needs to fit inside the home theater cabinet we have set up. Unless there's something smaller or the same size, it can't be changed. Apart from that, a concern I have is if the 450W power supply is good enough; the CPU and GPU will consume ~320W at load, leaving 130W for overhead.
My budget is ~$1000 USD. It looks like Amazon has the best prices (no taxes and free shipping, compared to Newegg, as I live in California) for most of the items, and I have some credit there. With the exception of the sound card, everything will be purchased new.
Case: Silverstone Grandia GD05B
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 PRO3-M Micro ATX
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K
Cooling: SilverStone NT07 (has a low profile for the case)
Memory: G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333MHz Value Series
Power Supply: Silverstone ST45SF 450W
GPU: EVGA Geforce GTX 560 Ti 1GB
Sound Card: onboard + additional M-Audio 2496 in the extra PCI slot
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB (post-flood prices aside, this seems better to me for gaming than the larger F4EG 2TB, given the 5400 RPM speed; what do you all think?)
Optical Drive: ASUS 24X SATA DVD Burner
OS: Windows 7 OEM
How does this look? I'm also currently researching a decent wireless KB/M solution, but I have older gear I can use in the interim.
Anyhow, thanks for the info, links and guides that helped me get up to speed! It's been years since I've had to put together a rig.
I've been debating between a new laptop and a high(ish)-end gaming HTPC. I'm currently leaning towards building my own machine, as the total comes out to be much cheaper by about $500-$600.
I'd like to be able to run games like the Witcher 2, Saints Row the Third and Batman: Arkham City at the best possible settings for an external HDTV display. Also looking forward to titles such as Diablo III and Guild Wars 2 whenever those come out. Ultimately, my desire is to make sure the thing is future-proof for awhile. My current setup, a Gateway 6860FX laptop, has lasted me 3+ years. I can game at 720p at playable framerates and tweaked medium settings for a few recent games.
That said, going by the info in the OP and an HTPC guide I found at this link, I've come up with the following build.
Of note is the case, as it needs to fit inside the home theater cabinet we have set up. Unless there's something smaller or the same size, it can't be changed. Apart from that, a concern I have is if the 450W power supply is good enough; the CPU and GPU will consume ~320W at load, leaving 130W for overhead.
My budget is ~$1000 USD. It looks like Amazon has the best prices (no taxes and free shipping, compared to Newegg, as I live in California) for most of the items, and I have some credit there. With the exception of the sound card, everything will be purchased new.
Case: Silverstone Grandia GD05B
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 PRO3-M Micro ATX
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K
Cooling: SilverStone NT07 (has a low profile for the case)
Memory: G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333MHz Value Series
Power Supply: Silverstone ST45SF 450W
GPU: EVGA Geforce GTX 560 Ti 1GB
Sound Card: onboard + additional M-Audio 2496 in the extra PCI slot
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB (post-flood prices aside, this seems better to me for gaming than the larger F4EG 2TB, given the 5400 RPM speed; what do you all think?)
Optical Drive: ASUS 24X SATA DVD Burner
OS: Windows 7 OEM
How does this look? I'm also currently researching a decent wireless KB/M solution, but I have older gear I can use in the interim.
Anyhow, thanks for the info, links and guides that helped me get up to speed! It's been years since I've had to put together a rig.
Any thoughts on replacing my GTX260 216 with a GTX560 448? My plan is to swap the GTX260 to a friend, and use their 8800GT to build an Ubuntu-based HTPC.
Is the upgrade worth it? Or should I go bigger? The 570 doesn't seem much better considering the price difference, and the 580 is really rather expensive. I'm aiming to run Skyrim well at 1920x1200, Assassin's Creed I & II and a few other more recent games. Thoughts?
Is the upgrade worth it? Or should I go bigger? The 570 doesn't seem much better considering the price difference, and the 580 is really rather expensive. I'm aiming to run Skyrim well at 1920x1200, Assassin's Creed I & II and a few other more recent games. Thoughts?
I think that is a good step up. Benches will say.
Money saved on the OS and HDD...
But you want to replace the PSU 100% and the 2600K would be better as a 2500K to spend another $100 on the GPU.
It's 'ok' I guess. You can get better parts and longer warranties if you do it yourself.
If it all fits the components seem fine to me. Make sure the RAM is 1.5V.
I ran my OS and games from that 2TB 5400 for a while and it is 100% fine. You are talking loading differences of 4 seconds tops as the 2TB is only about 10-15% slower due to its much higher data density.
Any low profile heatsink for the CPU?
Which of these Graphics cards would be good then? I'm looking for the Ti version, but I also noticed a standard 560 from Galaxy, with 2GB.
I also need a heck of a lot of help with Motherboards, where do I even begin.
I also need a heck of a lot of help with Motherboards, where do I even begin.
cartman414
Member
Nothing listed on that page. But 560 Ti is right within the ballpark.
Decided to just put everything down.
How does this look?
The case is one of the Black Friday sales, its less than the recommended ones after rebate. It should fit everything though correctly?
2nd, Graphics card is just the cheapest of the 560Ti, but I don't mind upgrading to a more noticeable brand.
How does this look?
The case is one of the Black Friday sales, its less than the recommended ones after rebate. It should fit everything though correctly?
2nd, Graphics card is just the cheapest of the 560Ti, but I don't mind upgrading to a more noticeable brand.
cartman414
Member
Not too shabby sir. I might consider an ASUS mobo though, if you don't mind paying a little more.
Awesome. Thanks, Hazaro!
Good to know that the 5400 RPM drive isn't as slow as I thought it would be. My laptop has a 320GB 5400 RPM drive and I equated lower RPM speeds in general to being "slow". Given that it's not that much of a speed decrease, is cheaper and has more space, I'll switch to that.
Just checked and the RAM is definitely 1.5V.
As for the heatsink, the available low profile choices are the Silverstone NT07-1156, Scythe Big Shuriken SCBSK-1000, and Prolimatech Samuel 17. All are supposed to come in at under 70mm, with the Silverstone clocking in at 37mm (going by the info on the manufacturer's website). Given that and its low price, I'm opting to go that route.
Lastly, I have to admit, as tempting as a shiny new laptop is, putting together a new machine from scratch is really appealing. Unless any really killer Black Friday laptop deals come up I will most likely take the plunge and build a new PC.
BP550 for $70? :/ You could easily wait on some BF deal for that.
The Corsair 650W is $60 AR and the TX750 V2 is $70 AR. Granted, both are not modular.
You should have no troubles with an OC'd 2700K and 16GB.
The Corsair 650W is $60 AR and the TX750 V2 is $70 AR. Granted, both are not modular.
I only want to make sure you benefit, but most likely yes it will help your encode provided it isn't a stream/bandwidth problem
You should have no troubles with an OC'd 2700K and 16GB.
BoobPhysics101
Banned
Batman AC is $25 for a code, so the SSD is $70 essentially. Pretty good deal.
.
I only want to make sure you benefit, but most likely yes it will help your encode provided it isn't a stream/bandwidth problem
You should have no troubles with an OC'd 2700K and 16GB.
Retailer are apparently bumping up the prices like mad. Maybe I should just opt for the 2600k. Newegg has a deal for it with free shipping and $20 gift card.
BoobPhysics101
Banned
You could also buy a 2500k for half price. $150 on Newegg supposedly, and same at Microcenter.
Hi All. further to my above query is the following PC any good with a 6850?
Processor
Intel Pentium Dual Core G840 Processor 2.8GHz,
Sandy Bridge
3MB Cache
Memory
6GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM
Configuration: 2GB + 4GB
Expandable to 16GB Max
2 x DIMM slot
Hard Drive
1TB SATA II
Optical Drive
DVDRW Supermulti
Thanks
Processor
Intel Pentium Dual Core G840 Processor 2.8GHz,
Sandy Bridge
3MB Cache
Memory
6GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM
Configuration: 2GB + 4GB
Expandable to 16GB Max
2 x DIMM slot
Hard Drive
1TB SATA II
Optical Drive
DVDRW Supermulti
Thanks
Trying to OC my GPU but when i get to a certain clock my drivers crash in 3D Mark..
The temps seem to be okay with only reaching a max of 64. Is this a driver error meaning i need to reinstall them or have i OC'd too far? I have a 560ti and i am at 970MHz core clock with 2160MHz memory clock.
The temps seem to be okay with only reaching a max of 64. Is this a driver error meaning i need to reinstall them or have i OC'd too far? I have a 560ti and i am at 970MHz core clock with 2160MHz memory clock.
Might get bottled by the CPU. Check out an i3 or i5 build, especially if you plan on running Dolphin.
I built my old man a core i3 system, 4GB ram and a gtx 560, runs like a treat and only cost about £450. Step up to a core i5 with a decent mobo, looking at around £650, depending.
edit: yeah, looking back, not too shabby.
Intel Core i3 2100 3.10GHz Socket 1155 3MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor
Asus P8P67-M R3.0 Socket 1155 8 channel Audio ATX Motherboard
Gigabyte GTX 560 OC Edition 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI Mini HDMI PCI-E Graphics Card
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 XMS3 i5 Memory Kit CL9(9-9-9-24)
Antec 300 Three Hundred Case
LiteOn iHAS224 24x DVD±RW DL RAM & Lightscribe SATA Optical Drive -
Corsair 430W V2 CX Series PSU
came up to about £450, but mind that's also reusing hdd's from an old pc, so take that into account as well, especially with current hdd prices.
Your motherboard is an AM3 socket. It is not an AM2+ (although it supports it). AM2+ is the old socket that was able to support the Phenom II line if you didn't want to upgrade to an AM3 motherboard. The target socket of the Phenom II product line is AM3, which your motherboard already has.
And you motherboard is the exact same one as mine and the socket in it is an AM3, not an AM2+. So your original post doesn't make much sense (i.e. upgrading a X4 940 BE to another AM3 CPU, since the X4 already is an AM3)? The only other AM3 upgrade would be an X6, which you have had the opportunity to upgrade to in since the CPU got released.
Kiyamon
Member
Its $200 right now, I would love it goes down to $150.
ToyMachine228
Member
Are either of these towers on sale at Best Buy a good deal?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway...rive/3435377.p?id=1218402134957&skuId=3435377
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+...rive/3237058.p?id=1218388673178&skuId=3237058
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway...rive/3435377.p?id=1218402134957&skuId=3435377
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+...rive/3237058.p?id=1218388673178&skuId=3237058
Jist wanted to reiterate my question.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Great deals on cases, 500r is really nice (I'm using one, recommend it, ESPECIALLY for the price), and it's hard to beat the 690 II Advanced on there too. And $30 for 8GB RAM isn't a new deal (I just paid that a week ago) but it's a great deal nonetheless.
580 is an all-around better card, and assuming you get a 3GB model will also be a fine GPU to use down the line. Just be aware we'll probably see new GPUs from AMD in Q1 of next year, so don't be disappointed if suddenly 580-level performance costs around $320 or so in two or three months from now.
The Gateway isn't a bad deal for a general use PC. Asus has a better CPU/onboard GPU/RAM, but it's not really worth the price difference. Neither would be recommended for gaming though.
580 is an all-around better card, and assuming you get a 3GB model will also be a fine GPU to use down the line. Just be aware we'll probably see new GPUs from AMD in Q1 of next year, so don't be disappointed if suddenly 580-level performance costs around $320 or so in two or three months from now.
The Gateway isn't a bad deal for a general use PC. Asus has a better CPU/onboard GPU/RAM, but it's not really worth the price difference. Neither would be recommended for gaming though.
Well, I'd be expecting then Nvidia to lower their prices of the 580 by then.
I just really need to build a good desktop now and can't afford waiting for the new graphics cards. I'm just still wondering since a 6970 is massively cheap compared to a 580.
Here are my parts. My rig is already built. I'll post more pics later. I had a buddy put everything together at his place, for me. Infinite thanks to him.
I just finished getting all of the essential drivers installed. Now the REAL fun begins
EDIT
I need to order a micro SATA cable for my optical drive. The FT03 only accepts slot style drives. Like many, I ordered my drive without realizing the that a standard SATA cable was too large. No biggie though. Windows is already installed, so I'm not in desperate need of it.
I just finished getting all of the essential drivers installed. Now the REAL fun begins
EDIT
I need to order a micro SATA cable for my optical drive. The FT03 only accepts slot style drives. Like many, I ordered my drive without realizing the that a standard SATA cable was too large. No biggie though. Windows is already installed, so I'm not in desperate need of it.
Generational changes don't really affect prices of NIB previous gen cards.
Whether it is worth it is up to you. You certainly don't get the $
erformance of the 6970 with a 580, but you get more performance. If you are trying to cut costs, it's a pretty good place to do so. Check out the "race your PC" thread here to see what folks can do with the two cards.arts&crafts
Member
What is the best deal on a good video card for black friday? I Have a 5770 now but it is starting to show age. If there is a good deal on a significantly better card this week I may bite.
Big Baybee
Member
This 1000w Cooler Master Silent Pro PSU is on sale for $99 after MIR. I may be buying this.
Broadbandito
Member
how are these parts for my upgrade? I like that if the 2500k goes down in price in before Dec 24th I get money back so Im not afraid to shop now. I am also waiting for this SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128D/AM 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Desktop Upgrade Kit to get back in to stock and order that
edit:
I just swapped the one in my image with this one. good looking
how are these parts for my upgrade? I like that if the 2500k goes down in price in before Dec 24th I get money back so Im not afraid to shop now. I am also waiting for this SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128D/AM 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Desktop Upgrade Kit to get back in to stock and order that
edit: I just swapped the one in my image with this one. good looking
You need to get the Pro version or higher of the Asus motherboard to overclock that 2500k.
Okay, so I've cleaned the CPU+heatsink, applied new thermal compound (MX-4) and have been running the computer at the BIOS screen for the last 25 minutes.
It is holding the temperature at 74 degrees centigrade, dipping and rising a degree either side then always returning to 74. A massive improvement over 120, obviously, but I understand 74 degrees is the temperature the CPU should be at under load, not idling at the BIOS screen.
I hear talk of a 'breaking in' period - can I expect those temperatures to fall further after time?
If they don't, is such a high temperature cause for alarm still? I appreciate I'll probably have to stress-test the CPU under load first to be entirely sure.
It is holding the temperature at 74 degrees centigrade, dipping and rising a degree either side then always returning to 74. A massive improvement over 120, obviously, but I understand 74 degrees is the temperature the CPU should be at under load, not idling at the BIOS screen.
I hear talk of a 'breaking in' period - can I expect those temperatures to fall further after time?
If they don't, is such a high temperature cause for alarm still? I appreciate I'll probably have to stress-test the CPU under load first to be entirely sure.
- Status