"I need a New PC!" 2011 Thread of reading the OP. Seriously. [Part 2]
- Thread starter Hazaro
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claviertekky said:Your recent posts just seemed arrogant to me in terms of repeated mentioning of specs (i.e. DX11, 60 fps, 1080p, recommended specs is minimum specs, consoles lol, max and ultra settings,).
If people only cared about specs, then I suppose we don't need a discussion here on what hardware to get and if something is worth it.
"Just get the best of everything since if you don't have a certain setup, your setup sucks. It doesn't matter how much it costs. Who cares about money when you can get 1080p, 60fps, and steady framerates because that's how I do it?"
That's what your posts sound like to me.
I don't think it's game-breaking if a computer can't run things max as that's a fault for the developers.
Unless there's a demo out for BF3, there can't be much said about what computer can run it.
Of course it's not game breaking if you can't run the game at max. I think you're missing the point of what I was trying to say so I'll drop it.
Main point : Crysis 2 in DX11 is beautiful! There we go.
Darklord said:
For Crysis 2 : With the new DX11 pack, at Ultra Settings, and using the Hi-res pack you can expect frames in the 30-40 range @ 1080p from what I've read. Next batch of cards probably won't hit until the end of the year or early 2012. They will no doubt be more powerful and C2 and the Witcher 2 will probably be cheaper. Of course BF3 will be out as well. Up to you to decide when to jump in, but a 570 will no doubt hold you over for a very long time.
Got another 2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaws in the mail today. Feels good to not have to worry about running out anymore.
Also, can't they design the ram/slots so that they go in easier? I always feel like I'm going to break something trying to get it in deep enough for the clip to click.
Grinchy
Banned
So, I ordered a videocard from Newegg that had a $30 mail-in-rebate.
I checked the status, and they said it failed to process because I didn't include a photocopy of the receipt. I did just that, and I also circled the only item on the receipt (because it asked you to do that too). Do these fuckers ever actually pay out on the mail-in-rebates or is that just a scam? I think I'm going to call them and bitch about it tomorrow.
I checked the status, and they said it failed to process because I didn't include a photocopy of the receipt. I did just that, and I also circled the only item on the receipt (because it asked you to do that too). Do these fuckers ever actually pay out on the mail-in-rebates or is that just a scam? I think I'm going to call them and bitch about it tomorrow.
Ok, new build. I'm scrapping the 2500k, and trying to be a little more economical.
Intel Core i5-2400 Processor 3.1GHz Socket LGA1155------------$189.99
AsRock H67M Motherboard---------------------------------------------$84.99
HIS PCI-Express Radeon HD 6870 Video Card----------------------$164.99 (AR)
Corsair 2x2GB DDR3 PC1600 Memory (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9)*----$34.99 (AR)
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 32 MB Cache----------$59.99
Antec Three Hundred Case---------------------------------------------$44.95 (AR)
CORSAIR CX430---------------------------------------------------------$34.99 (AR)
ASUS DRW Optical Drive-----------------------------------------------$20.99
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total---------------------------------------------------------------------$686.93 (includes shipping & tax)
*It's only $5 more to go from DDR3 PC1333 to DDR3 PC1600
I was initially going to go with the core i3-2100, but for $50 more I can go quad core and get the i5-2400.
AR=After Mail in Rebate
Intel Core i5-2400 Processor 3.1GHz Socket LGA1155------------$189.99
AsRock H67M Motherboard---------------------------------------------$84.99
HIS PCI-Express Radeon HD 6870 Video Card----------------------$164.99 (AR)
Corsair 2x2GB DDR3 PC1600 Memory (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9)*----$34.99 (AR)
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 32 MB Cache----------$59.99
Antec Three Hundred Case---------------------------------------------$44.95 (AR)
CORSAIR CX430---------------------------------------------------------$34.99 (AR)
ASUS DRW Optical Drive-----------------------------------------------$20.99
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total---------------------------------------------------------------------$686.93 (includes shipping & tax)
*It's only $5 more to go from DDR3 PC1333 to DDR3 PC1600
I was initially going to go with the core i3-2100, but for $50 more I can go quad core and get the i5-2400.
AR=After Mail in Rebate
Umm
I installed RivaTurner with the intention to use D3DOverrider. I couldn't get it to work with Crysis 2 for some reason (V sync and triple buffering) so I uninstalled it. Now when I try and play a game with my overclock settings with MSI Afterburner, it will not work when playing a game. I can tell that the card is overclocked when in the regular environment because I can hear my fans kicking up to the 50% that I have it set to. When going into a game the fan immediately stops and goes back to normal levels. Alt-tabing shows that the settings in MSI Afterburner are my default card settings.
How do I fix this :/ ?
edit: It seems like I can still OC with the ASUS SmartDoctor tool that came with my card...but I can't use Afterburner for the reasons mentioned above.
I installed RivaTurner with the intention to use D3DOverrider. I couldn't get it to work with Crysis 2 for some reason (V sync and triple buffering) so I uninstalled it. Now when I try and play a game with my overclock settings with MSI Afterburner, it will not work when playing a game. I can tell that the card is overclocked when in the regular environment because I can hear my fans kicking up to the 50% that I have it set to. When going into a game the fan immediately stops and goes back to normal levels. Alt-tabing shows that the settings in MSI Afterburner are my default card settings.
How do I fix this :/ ?
edit: It seems like I can still OC with the ASUS SmartDoctor tool that came with my card...but I can't use Afterburner for the reasons mentioned above.
Celcius
°Temp. member
Completely uninstall both so that neither one is on your system, then look in your c:/program files folder to make sure that they were deleted. After that, re-install afterburner. Hopefully that fixes it...
edit: Also look in your "my documents folder" to see if anything is saved there.
edit: Also look in your "my documents folder" to see if anything is saved there.
ColonialRaptor
Member
Which RAM do I buy?
Hi guys, I'm particularly troubled when it comes to buying some new RAM. I just don't know what to buy.
To start with my PC specs are this:
i7-860 @ 3.5 Ghz (I believe my CPU can go higher but is being held back by my RAM which is fk'd)
G.Skill Ripjaws 2200 4x2GB (these don't clock higher than 1333, anything higher than 1333 won't post)
Gigabyte P55A-UD5
G.Skill Falcon 2
2x ATI 6950s in Crossfire (unlocked to 6970)
Corsair AX850 PSU
I'm going to buy some new RAM today because I've just about had enough of the RAM that I'm currently using and I just don't know what to use. It seems to me that RAM these days doesn't really give you that much of a benefit, or really make that much of a difference. So I'm thinking of just putting in some decent stuff and not worrying about it more than that.
So, my choice is - do I get some Corsair Vengeance 1600 RAM, 2x4GB sticks at 9-9-9-27 for $115 and be done with it. That's cheap, and that seems like pretty good RAM, and it will be a good upgrade from the way my current RAM is able to run at the moment. Or, do I spend the extra $15 and get the 8-8-8-24 timing Vengeance 1600. Will those timings really make all that much of a difference? Does it really matter having those tiny little changes in tighter timing in RAM?
In the future I plan to upgrade my RAM further and get another set of the same RAM that I'm running (you should always run the exact same type of RAM right?)
What would everyone suggest?
Thanks!!
Hi guys, I'm particularly troubled when it comes to buying some new RAM. I just don't know what to buy.
To start with my PC specs are this:
i7-860 @ 3.5 Ghz (I believe my CPU can go higher but is being held back by my RAM which is fk'd)
G.Skill Ripjaws 2200 4x2GB (these don't clock higher than 1333, anything higher than 1333 won't post)
Gigabyte P55A-UD5
G.Skill Falcon 2
2x ATI 6950s in Crossfire (unlocked to 6970)
Corsair AX850 PSU
I'm going to buy some new RAM today because I've just about had enough of the RAM that I'm currently using and I just don't know what to use. It seems to me that RAM these days doesn't really give you that much of a benefit, or really make that much of a difference. So I'm thinking of just putting in some decent stuff and not worrying about it more than that.
So, my choice is - do I get some Corsair Vengeance 1600 RAM, 2x4GB sticks at 9-9-9-27 for $115 and be done with it. That's cheap, and that seems like pretty good RAM, and it will be a good upgrade from the way my current RAM is able to run at the moment. Or, do I spend the extra $15 and get the 8-8-8-24 timing Vengeance 1600. Will those timings really make all that much of a difference? Does it really matter having those tiny little changes in tighter timing in RAM?
In the future I plan to upgrade my RAM further and get another set of the same RAM that I'm running (you should always run the exact same type of RAM right?)
What would everyone suggest?
Thanks!!
Guys, I need help!
So I just got this ASUS gtx 460 video card, but when I tried it out, it doesn't display anything! The fan of the card was running when I checked so I guess it's connected, and I also did uninstall the drivers for my previous card. I have a 500 watt psu but this thing only requires minimum of 450 watts so it can't be that.
Anyone have any clue what I'm doing wrong?
So I just got this ASUS gtx 460 video card, but when I tried it out, it doesn't display anything! The fan of the card was running when I checked so I guess it's connected, and I also did uninstall the drivers for my previous card. I have a 500 watt psu but this thing only requires minimum of 450 watts so it can't be that.
Anyone have any clue what I'm doing wrong?
Mr. Enigma
Member
I know this isn't a tech support thread, but I need to flash my BIOS and I don't have a flash drive handy. Would it be okay to use my Droid's flash memory for this? Or is it even possible?
Time to retire my $20 friend.
I think I might need a keyboard rest, I'll give myself a week to try and adjust.
Typing on this keyboard makes me realize how accustomed I was to my won keyboard, like how I roll my hands to type certain words or do shortcuts. It's a bit louder than I expected, but I think I'm being a touch harder on the keys just out of habit. Not a lot of force is needed.
Also with the little props on the bottom of the keyboard up the left side moves around.
Surprisingly enough my actual typing speed has increased. I figured it might be really slight but it actually is a good 15-20% faster. I'm a pretty slow 60-80 wpm guy though.
I think I might need a keyboard rest, I'll give myself a week to try and adjust.
Typing on this keyboard makes me realize how accustomed I was to my won keyboard, like how I roll my hands to type certain words or do shortcuts. It's a bit louder than I expected, but I think I'm being a touch harder on the keys just out of habit. Not a lot of force is needed.
Also with the little props on the bottom of the keyboard up the left side moves around.
Surprisingly enough my actual typing speed has increased. I figured it might be really slight but it actually is a good 15-20% faster. I'm a pretty slow 60-80 wpm guy though.
RumblingRosco
Member
ColonialRaptor said:
Whoa, whoa, $115 is definitely not cheap if you're talking USD. The difference in timings makes a very minor difference, so minor, that I'd suggest you not worry about spending $15 just for slightly improved timings. Also, yes, you should run the same RAM modules, so if you get 2x4 now you'll want the same sticks in the future.
I don't know for your i7 what the recommended RAM voltage is, but I know for the i5 2500k and i7 2600k CPUs, 1.5 V or lower is recommended. A quick Google search seems to suggest that you'll want 1.5 V RAM or lower, so you may want to ignore my 1.65 V suggestion below.
Anyway, here are my suggestions.
$85 G.Skill 2x4GB 1.25V DDR3 1600 9-9-9-24
$75 G.Skill 2x4GB 1.5V DDR3 1600 8-8-8-24
$70 ($45 after MIR) Patriot 2x4GB 1.65V DDR3 1600 9-9-9-24
$80 G.Skill 2x4GB 1.5V DDR3 1866 9-10-9-28
Compare the timing, voltage, and clock speed. I personally use the 1.25V RAM in my i5 2500k, but the 2nd suggestion might be the best overall.
ss_lemonade
Member
When's the next round of videocards going to be released? I just recently did a couple of upgrades to my own rig but haven't changed my gpu. Here's the specs right now:
2500k @ 4.5 (from stock e8400)
4gb ripjaws x
gtx 275
hec cougar 700w
I think I'll be able to hold out, hopefully as long as something new comes out this year, or early early next year. Also, you guys think my PSU will be sufficient enough for a new single GPU (I don't plan on doing sli/xfire anytime soon)?
2500k @ 4.5 (from stock e8400)
4gb ripjaws x
gtx 275
hec cougar 700w
I think I'll be able to hold out, hopefully as long as something new comes out this year, or early early next year. Also, you guys think my PSU will be sufficient enough for a new single GPU (I don't plan on doing sli/xfire anytime soon)?
End of this year/start of next most likely.georaldc said:
Is your RAM running at 1.65V? If it doesn't POST over 1333 you should RMA the sticks.ColonialRaptor said:
Personally I'd just change the FSB to RAM ratio and keep your G.Skill and ignore the hassle of buying extra RAM.
ColonialRaptor
Member
Soka said:
Hazaro said:
Thanks guys.
I'm just sick of the hassle of dealing with these stupid high clock RAM sticks... I know that I shouldn't be 'meh' about my money, but I bought this RAM about two years ago now and it's given me nothing but greif.
So, I've decided to buy RAM and replace it with new stuff, then I'll RMA the G.Skill stuff and then sell it off to some lucky person for cheap on here or something I guess... it'll be dang cheap G.Skill 2200 DDR3 freshly brand new from G.Skill, so I'm sure that will be nice!
I want to move up in my RAM size anyway, 16GB would be nicer than a total of 8GB so yeah.
$115 is AUD, yes, we get screwed on everything... I know. It's basically the cheapest price I can find.
I ended up buying the 8-8-8-24 timing 1600 Mhz Corsair Vengeance DDR3, I spoke to one of the sales reps at the store that I buy all my gear from and apparently anything over 1600Mhz always appears to give difficulty to my Chipset anyway (P55A) so it could just be that anyway...
Either way, I think I'll be happy that I can finally start to play around with the overclocking of my board again without having to worry about my damn RAM not being able to cope.
momolicious
Member
Soka said:
I can manually control the fans, but i dont understand how to get it to just stay at a low speed only when idling, but when doing something like gaming naturally turn up to keep up. Seems unsafe to lower it and dont remember to turn it back on fully when things get hot
black_vegeta
Member
Mully said:
GTX 570. Either the MSI Twin Frozr or the ASUS DU II brands
RumblingRosco
Member
momolicious said:
Here's a short how-to for Speedfan.
1) Under the Readings tab, check "Automatic fan speed"
2) Then, under that same tab, click Configure.
3) Under the Temperatures tab, find the fans you're looking for; I wanted to adjust the speed of my 2 CPU fans, so I went to the CPU sub-category and checked the boxes for both fans. It can be tricky to figure out which fan is which, so you might have to play around with it a bit. Also, be sure to click the CPU sub-category and set the "Desired" and "Warning" temperature values; for my i5, I set it to 40 and 62 C respectively.
4) Under the Speeds tab, check the boxes for the same fans you checked in Step 3. Then, select each one, and at the bottom of the window, set the min/max speed values. I run mine at a minimum of 20% and a maximum of 100%; I believe the program will default max to 100% pretty much no matter what. Also, be sure to check the Automatically Variated box at the bottom for each fan.
That should keep your fans running much slower at idle and ramp up as needed. You can also fiddle with the Options tab and adjust a few settings such as "Minimize on close" or "Set fans to 100% on program exit," which I recommend. You can also get Speedfan to load at startup so it's always running.
momolicious
Member
Soka said:
oh k, im using the asrock Xtreme Tuner that came with the mobo, it has fan speed control. I see the fan target speed lvl 1-10 and a Target temperature bar. So if i set the target speed low, it will ramp up to the set target temperature, so safe no matter what?
Hello PC-GAF.
I just finished a European holiday, and it turns out I over budgeted quite a lot, so I'm figuring I can use the left over money to build my new, which I was planning to do at the end of the year anyway. So I guess my first question is, and I know this is an annoying question because the answer is "There is always something better coming out", but if there anything game changing coming out between now and the end of the year that I should wait for that will either be totally awesome or make things today totally awesome heaps cheaper? Or should I just look to build in the next month or two instead?
Without further delay:
Basic Desktop Questions:
Your Current Specs: E6750 / 2GB DDR2 RAM / ASUS PK5-SE / 8800GT 512MB
Budget: Approximately $1000, in Australia
Main Use: Gaming, Emulation (PS2/Wii), general usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback)
Monitor Resolution: I currently use a 1080p monitor and can't see myself upgrading in the near future. Unless I'm misinformed, I thought we'd sorta hit the point of diminishing returns in terms of what the human eye can actually see on a 23 inch screen from a couple of metres away?
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: I'll probably get BF3. Honestly, I'd just like the mid-2011 equivalent of the machine I bought at the end of 2007 (see above). Because it was completely awesome and still lets me run basically everything.
Are reusing any parts?: I don't need a monitor and I'll most likely reuse my DVD-RW and my copy of Windows 7.
When will you build?: In the next couple of months, most likely. Depending on what happens with my tax return...
Will you be overclocking?: I doubt it.
Thanks in advance.
I just finished a European holiday, and it turns out I over budgeted quite a lot, so I'm figuring I can use the left over money to build my new, which I was planning to do at the end of the year anyway. So I guess my first question is, and I know this is an annoying question because the answer is "There is always something better coming out", but if there anything game changing coming out between now and the end of the year that I should wait for that will either be totally awesome or make things today totally awesome heaps cheaper? Or should I just look to build in the next month or two instead?
Without further delay:
Basic Desktop Questions:
Your Current Specs: E6750 / 2GB DDR2 RAM / ASUS PK5-SE / 8800GT 512MB
Budget: Approximately $1000, in Australia
Main Use: Gaming, Emulation (PS2/Wii), general usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback)
Monitor Resolution: I currently use a 1080p monitor and can't see myself upgrading in the near future. Unless I'm misinformed, I thought we'd sorta hit the point of diminishing returns in terms of what the human eye can actually see on a 23 inch screen from a couple of metres away?
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: I'll probably get BF3. Honestly, I'd just like the mid-2011 equivalent of the machine I bought at the end of 2007 (see above). Because it was completely awesome and still lets me run basically everything.
Are reusing any parts?: I don't need a monitor and I'll most likely reuse my DVD-RW and my copy of Windows 7.
When will you build?: In the next couple of months, most likely. Depending on what happens with my tax return...
Will you be overclocking?: I doubt it.
Thanks in advance.
i'm finally gonna pick up all the parts for my new build later today. yay! thanks for all the help, pc-gaf!
one last thing... this psu just went on sale at my store:
be quiet! STRAIGHT POWER, E8 CM 680W 80plus Silver
it's now almost the same price as the one in my build:
Seasonic X-560 (SS-560KM) Gold
i could still switch it out. what do you guys think? the be quiet! 680w or the seasonic 560w?
one last thing... this psu just went on sale at my store:
be quiet! STRAIGHT POWER, E8 CM 680W 80plus Silver
it's now almost the same price as the one in my build:
Seasonic X-560 (SS-560KM) Gold
i could still switch it out. what do you guys think? the be quiet! 680w or the seasonic 560w?
OP build + 560 Ti + Cheaper power supply (A good 550W, XFX Core / Corsair / Seasonic). Should fit around there in AUD.legend166 said:
Only thing coming out in two months is Bulldozer which should be competitive to the Intel line right now.
GPU wise there will be a new line at the very end of this year, more likely Q1 next year.
It's a great time to buy.
Seasonic is built better, better protection for your components, better efficiency. If you are only looking to power 1 card I'd get that. It can also handle 2 mid rangecards, really.jarosh said:
Well I've grown to like it a bit more.Ezahn said:Congrats Haz, I'll need to try one of those some day.
Let us know how it goes.
There's a lot of initial impressions in the first post.
Gaming so far has been no problem. Hopefully I can find my hotkeys in Starcraft II the same.
Not using a rest right now seems ok. Like I said I'll probably know a lot more in a week.
That's not to say the be quiet PSU's are bad. They are fairly good. They lack that component that buffers spikes in your load though, so it will be harder pressed to save your components if something bad does happen.
The Seasonic X series is just the best out there and it is hard to compete with that.
The Seasonic X series is just the best out there and it is hard to compete with that.
Unknown Soldier
Member
Coldsnap said:
Crysis 1 had the same engine bug, if you expose a 24hz setting on the HDTV to the videocard, it will default to that (the lowest available). There are workarounds for it, just as there were for Crysis 1.
legend166 said:
I made a noob error with this too. Had an old DVD-RW and a HDD from a system and I thought I'd just use those.
Well they were IDE, and new motherboard only took SATA. I'm sure you're not as dumb as me, but just a word of warning if transplanting from an older system.
A few question for you intelligent computer builders.
I know nothing has been released yet, but does this build look like it'll be able to handle BF3?
I'm looking to spend about ~$1000 on a really nice desktop soon, I'm not in a hurry to purchase it, and I already have a nice monitor and an hdtv, but I"m trying to get an idea of prices and figuring out what I *might* need to run BF3 at max. I understand it's just an assumption now, but this is off hp's website for about $1100 after coupon. I'm going to sell the free 360 it comes with, so it'll knock it down to $900 after all is done.
Is ~$900 a reasonable price for something like this?
Thanks in advance.
I know nothing has been released yet, but does this build look like it'll be able to handle BF3?
I'm looking to spend about ~$1000 on a really nice desktop soon, I'm not in a hurry to purchase it, and I already have a nice monitor and an hdtv, but I"m trying to get an idea of prices and figuring out what I *might* need to run BF3 at max. I understand it's just an assumption now, but this is off hp's website for about $1100 after coupon. I'm going to sell the free 360 it comes with, so it'll knock it down to $900 after all is done.
Is ~$900 a reasonable price for something like this?
Thanks in advance.
zychi said:
Hey man, that looks pre assembled (?) and for 1000$ ( usd? ) I think that's a terrible deal, have a look at the OP and see what a grand really gets you.
And to answer your question, there's no way that a gt 530 would be able to handle BF3 even semi-decent.
Fair Trial
Member
I have a MSI P67-GD65 motherboard and a gainward gtx 560ti phantom core (2.5 slots cooler).
Can i fit in the motherboard another 560ti phantom to go SLI or there's not enough room?
Also, is it difficult to connects gpus in SLI? Where do i found the bridge?
Can i fit in the motherboard another 560ti phantom to go SLI or there's not enough room?
Also, is it difficult to connects gpus in SLI? Where do i found the bridge?
daviyoung said:
Not saying the parts are not good per se, but that's an "old" cpu, from a dead socket, for that price at that. No mention of a motherboard so they probably went for the cheapest model.
In the end, why pay 1000$ for a build ( if you have the option to ) when you can buy a much much better build for the same cost.
edit : for the sake of comparison here's the op-build
2 TB HDD
570 Gtx twin frozr II
Corsair 750w psu
4gb gskill ram
p67 lga 1155 socket ( which supposedly Ivy Bridge uses )
212+ cooler master heatsink
The only thing missing is a case and you can have great cases for 100$.
I'm willing to bet that the total performance difference of the builds is atleast by a factor of 2X.
Try like 5x. You can get a fantastic case for $70. Good for less. Specialized for more.Corky said:
If you have half a slot of room you should be fine. Just make sure you have good case airflow and know that the blocked card will likely run 10C hotter (or more).Principe Nero said:
Bridge should come with each card.
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