"I need a New PC!" 2011 Thread of reading the OP. Seriously. [Part 2]

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knitoe said:
For video encoding, go Z68 MBs with Quick Sync, Asus Z68 Pro or Deluxe. Today, I would go Z68 over P67 anyway.

Also, I would go Sandforce 2200 chipset. Corsair Force GT 60GB if you going small.
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I keep forgetting about the Z68. I'll probably go with that.

I'm still a bit wary about the Sandforce 2200 SSDs - are the stability issues resolved yet?
 
Getting an SSD was the best damn upgrade I have ever gotten. I didn't do any of that AHCI stuff during install though.

Was originally planning on doing a RAID setup for SSD but I read that data loss chances are high?
 
Niblet said:
Monitor questions: I'm very much considering purchasing either a 27in or 30in monitor in the coming weeks (most likely a 27in for cost consideration) and the monitors I am considering run at 2560x1440. I'm planning on building my gaming PC at around christmas time. What performance issues will I need to account for if I do get a 2560x1440 monitor? Will that necessitate a purchase of a high end card (eg 6970, 570) to run games decently at 2560? Does running games at 1920x1080 on a 2560x1440 monitor look bad? Ideally I'd like to take advantage of running games at glorious 2560x1440 resolution, but I don't want to go further than the $350 price range on GPUs.

My monitor purchase will last me for many years to come, which is why I'm looking at a larger screen with a higher resolution. I'd rather not settle for 1920x1080 unless there great reasons to reconsider.
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Well...when you're going for a high end resolution like that the higher end cards are designed to perform at those resoultions. Would be backwards (to me at least) to get such a high resolution monitor for gaming, and then pair it with a mid range card. If you're playing graphically intensive games at that resolution (ex: Witcher 2 or Crysis 2 with DX11), the need for a high end card with enough juice becomes more apparent.

If you don't want to go over $350 then go with a AMD 6970. Comes with 2GB of RAM which is perfect for that 2560x1440.
 
mkenyon said:
Yeah, a 560ti or 570 would both be good upgrades. IIRC, the 260 is about 10". The 560ti is a bit under that and the 570 is right around that length. You won't be able to max out Metro 2033, Witcher 2, or BF3 with either of those cards though. The next set of cards won't be coming out till Q1/Q2 2012.
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Hey I should have clarified. I don't mean maxed out completely. For example in all the games I play I usually put everything at the highest setting like say texture quality and stuff like that. But things like AA or Anisotropic Filtering I never max out since I find with just 2x of AA and something similar for Anisotropic the game looks fine as is and I don't see much difference from the max setting they offer. Considering this, do you think I will get good fps in these games?
 
Niblet said:
Monitor questions: I'm very much considering purchasing either a 27in or 30in monitor in the coming weeks (most likely a 27in for cost consideration) and the monitors I am considering run at 2560x1440. I'm planning on building my gaming PC at around christmas time. What performance issues will I need to account for if I do get a 2560x1440 monitor? Will that necessitate a purchase of a high end card (eg 6970, 570) to run games decently at 2560? Does running games at 1920x1080 on a 2560x1440 monitor look bad? Ideally I'd like to take advantage of running games at glorious 2560x1440 resolution, but I don't want to go further than the $350 price range on GPUs.

My monitor purchase will last me for many years to come, which is why I'm looking at a larger screen with a higher resolution. I'd rather not settle for 1920x1080 unless there great reasons to reconsider.
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If you want to go big on res, you'll need to go big on GPU. This is what SLI and Crossfire excel at. Even SLI 560Ti's ought to do you well.


zazrx said:
Hey I should have clarified. I don't mean maxed out completely. For example in all the games I play I usually put everything at the highest setting like say texture quality and stuff like that. But things like AA or Anisotropic Filtering I never max out since I find with just 2x of AA and something similar for Anisotropic the game looks fine as is and I don't see much difference from the max setting they offer. Considering this, do you think I will get good fps in these games?
Click to expand...
Still, you're asking for great performance on the three most graphically demanding games out there. BF3, no one will know for sure until it's released.
 
Niblet said:
Monitor questions: I'm very much considering purchasing either a 27in or 30in monitor in the coming weeks (most likely a 27in for cost consideration) and the monitors I am considering run at 2560x1440. I'm planning on building my gaming PC at around christmas time. What performance issues will I need to account for if I do get a 2560x1440 monitor? Will that necessitate a purchase of a high end card (eg 6970, 570) to run games decently at 2560? Does running games at 1920x1080 on a 2560x1440 monitor look bad? Ideally I'd like to take advantage of running games at glorious 2560x1440 resolution, but I don't want to go further than the $350 price range on GPUs.

My monitor purchase will last me for many years to come, which is why I'm looking at a larger screen with a higher resolution. I'd rather not settle for 1920x1080 unless there great reasons to reconsider.
Click to expand...
To run at 2560 res, you are going to need highend cards in SLI / CF to run ~60fps with max settings on demanding newer games which would be at least double your $350 budget. As to how it would look at 1920 res, it would probably depend on monitor's scaling capabilities.

XiaNaphryz said:
I keep forgetting about the Z68. I'll probably go with that.

I'm still a bit wary about the Sandforce 2200 SSDs - are the stability issues resolved yet?
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Supposely, Corsair Force GT don't have issues.
 
LabouredSubterfuge said:
If I'm getting a GTX 580, do I absolutely have to have a PSU with an 8 pin PCI-E connector?

My new PSU has:

1 x 4+4pin CPU +12V
3 x 4pin Molex
2 x 6+2pin PCI-E Power
1 x FDD Power
6 x SATA Power

Will it work with a GTX 580?
Click to expand...

The 6+2pin PCI-E is the 8 pin connector.
6+2=8
 
zazrx said:
Hey I should have clarified. I don't mean maxed out completely. For example in all the games I play I usually put everything at the highest setting like say texture quality and stuff like that. But things like AA or Anisotropic Filtering I never max out since I find with just 2x of AA and something similar for Anisotropic the game looks fine as is and I don't see much difference from the max setting they offer. Considering this, do you think I will get good fps in these games?
Click to expand...
To run at 2560x1600 you wont need sli in most games if you have a beefy gpu. I run dual 480s but one died a while back and during rma I was still gaming crysis 2 maxes with zero issues (pre dx11). However if you want good fps in a dx11 title like metro you will need sli.

If you don't mind a gamble I see 480s on ebay used all the time for 200 each. Just be warned they put out mega heat.

Edit: and don't think 1920 will look good on 27-30 inches, it won't.
 
Niblet said:
Alright, understood. 7000 series will be out by then, so maybe I can get by using Xfire with the new cards.
Click to expand...

A 6970 will be doable at the res you're looking at and the price point you wanted to stay at. Won't be able to get max + 60fps in most games, but if you're willing to compromise on one of those you would be fine.

If not then it'll be SLI/Xfire or wait until the new cards if you don't want to mess with a dual card setup.
 
Niblet said:
Alright, understood. 7000 series will be out by then, so maybe I can get by using Xfire with the new cards.
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As a guy using x-fire and a total of 4/5 AMD GPUs in my household, I'd really recommend going Nvidia for SLI over AMD for X-Fire. Hoping that by chance the AMD folks are releasing crossfire profiles for the game you want is a big pain in the ass.
 
I see alot of posts regarding high CPU temps. D/L this:
http://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/
Make sure you apply the thermal compound properly first time. MX-4 is a really good paste as it's non-conductive unlike AC5.
Try youtube for some demos. Honestly, nothing beats the small blob in the middle but if doing the GPU then use the X method.
Also make sure the heatsink is seated properly, do this with the motherboard out of the case before you screw it onto the standoffs.

Take your time and enjoy building YOUR PC, it's part of the enjoyment of owning a self-built PC as it makes trouble-shooting less complex. And if you're unsure ASK, there are plenty of really help forums similar to this one. You may get some ridicule but it's all in good faith.
You will make mistakes but only once.

Similar to building a model aeroplane when you were young, you didn't buy that pre-built.
 
Niblet said:
Alright, understood. 7000 series will be out by then, so maybe I can get by using Xfire with the new cards.
Click to expand...

Start off with a high end GPU. Follow up with a second one if you deem it necessary.
 
gatti-man said:
However if you are buying in two months you are really getting into x79 28nm gpu territory. If I were building soon I would keep my ear to the ground about release dates for those products. I know x79 boards have already been spotted from all the major manufacturers. 28nm gpus should be pretty huge as well but those may not hit till Dec-Feb.

To quantify the difference between current gpu and 28nm gpus it could very well be a significant jump like the 8800gtx was or the 9800pros from ati at the time.
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Hmmm...I just read that NVIDIA will be pushing back Kepler to Q1 2012. If the new AMD GPU will be pretty much the same Cayman design shrunk down while Kepler's a new architecture, is it not worth going with a current high-end card and just waiting?

Marco1 said:
I see alot of posts regarding high CPU temps.
Make sure you apply the thermal compound properly first time. MX-4 is a really good paste as it's non-conductive unlike AC5.
Try youtube for some demos. Honestly, nothing beats the small blob in the middle but if doing the GPU then use the X method.
Click to expand...
I read somewhere the line method is better for the new i5s/i7s, and others still swear by making as thin a layer as possible across the whole CPU (which is how I've always done it).
 
gatti-man said:
To run at 2560x1600 you wont need sli in most games if you have a beefy gpu. I run dual 480s but one died a while back and during rma I was still gaming crysis 2 maxes with zero issues (pre dx11). However if you want good fps in a dx11 title like metro you will need sli.

If you don't mind a gamble I see 480s on ebay used all the time for 200 each. Just be warned they put out mega heat.

Edit: and don't think 1920 will look good on 27-30 inches, it won't.
Click to expand...
I play at 1920x1200 since that's what my monitor supports. That also eases the load a bit I suppose.

It's just going to suck if I upgrade to a new card to have games not run smooth lol.

BTW is it better to play 1920x1200 or 1920x1080? Does it even matter?
 
Be prepared for some heartache when going SLi.
I had problems with some games not getting a SLi profile and running under AFR.
I had the infamous SLi stutter and could never get rid of it. It's great for running the latest games maxed but it comes with a price.
Stick with 1 GPU.
Also cards like the GTX590 advertise as 3GB VRAM but they only utilise 1.5GB as they 2 GPUs running SLi with 1.5GB each.
 
Ok, even more useful advice. Since I'm building late December/January I'm passing on the 6k series as 7k will be out when I build, but I doubt 600 will be out from Nvidia. Damnit, if only 2560 wasn't so alluring.
 
XiaNaphryz said:
Hmmm...I just read that NVIDIA will be pushing back Kepler to Q1 2012. If the new AMD GPU will be pretty much the same Cayman design shrunk down while Kepler's a new architecture, is it not worth going with a current high-end card and just waiting?


I read somewhere the line method is better for the new i5s/i7s, and others still swear by making as thin a layer as possible across the whole CPU (which is how I've always done it).
Click to expand...

To be honest I don't know. I think it will be a large difference especially in lower thermals. I will be dissappointed if we don't see a 20-25% edge in new 28nm gpus. Im planning a gpu upgrade in early 2012 because im worried about max bf3 at 2560x1600.
 
Strangely enough I could "run" Deus Ex Human Revolution leak with this PC I got now.

Intel Celeron D 3.47GHZ
2GB DDR2 Ram
Nvidia 9600GTO 1.5GB ram

weird?

I mean it's still pretty crappy and I really need to change the motherboard + processor but I'm just low on cash right now. It still plays some games I wanted to be able to play again though, like Hitman BM.
 
Niblet said:
Ok, even more useful advice. Since I'm building late December/January I'm passing on the 6k series as 7k will be out when I build, but I doubt 600 will be out from Nvidia. Damnit, if only 2560 wasn't so alluring.
Click to expand...

If you wait for the next big thing in PC's then you will never start your build.
The secret is to build a mid-range PC and then upgrade parts when the premium price drops off.
Don't buy the latest greatest thing, it's to expensive now but not after 8 months later.
The latest cpus may be 6 core with hyperthreading but very few games use that.
The advantage sandybridge brought to the table is that they OC really well for the price.
Now is the time to buy a SB with Z68 MB.
 
Marco1 said:
Be prepared for some heartache when going SLi.
I had problems with some games not getting a SLi profile and running under AFR.
I had the infamous SLi stutter and could never get rid of it. It's great for running the latest games maxed but it comes with a price.
Stick with 1 GPU.
Also cards like the GTX590 advertise as 3GB VRAM but they only utilise 1.5GB as they 2 GPUs running SLi with 1.5GB each.
Click to expand...
But for every story of problems there are stories like mine. I have zero stutter and most games can have profiles made for them by the community before nvidia releases them if they aren't day and date.

Also saying the 590 doesn't utilize its 3gb vram is disingenuous. It certainly uses it just each gpu needs its own vram just like standard cards.
 
The 590 got a bad rap in the beginnning because people were treating them like 580s and thinking they could be OC'd in the same way. Instead they were blowing up. They can be OC'd, just not pushed as hard as standalone cards.
 
Yes but it doesn't use it similar to the GTX 580 3GB.
I enjoyed my GTX295 but it give me more issues than I could care for but I can understand why you like SLi as it gives us tomorrows performance today but at a price.
I hated the micro-stuttering but I can understand that others don't have a problem with it.
 
Smokey said:
The 590 got a bad rap in the beginnning because people were treating them like 580s and thinking they could be OC'd in the same way. Instead they were blowing up. They can be OC'd, just not pushed as hard as standalone cards.
Click to expand...

Exactly, people pushed the VRAMs to much, it's a great card but you would be better with 2 GTX580's.
 
I've been helping a friend buy parts for a new desktop, and last night we actually put the entire thing together. As usual, there is always some kind of problem that occurs. I was hoping PC-GAF could help me diagnose a RAM issue.

My friend bought an Asus AM3 socket motherboard and some GSkill Sniper DDR3 4GBx2 1600mhz RAM. After assembling the entire desktop, I turned the power on and it would not even boot to the BIOS. A tiny light on the motherboard indicated the RAM was not installed properly. There is a button on the motherboard called "MemOK!" that I have been using to get it to boot everytime, but restarting the computer never works without hitting the MemOK button.

Soooo, my question is, could this be a RAM incompatibility issue? The motherboard's manual says it can take up to 2000mhz OC'd RAM but it also says it only works with 1333mhz RAM. Does updating the BIOS sometime resolve these issues or should I just have my friend buy RAM listed as compatible in the manual?

Also, this is a reallllly noob question, but when installing the RAM, I thought I wanted to alternate the sticks every other slot. Do I want the RAM in the Channel A1 and A2 slots? Or would I want the RAM in Channel A1 and B1 slots (options are A1, A2, B1, B2)?

Thanks for any help anyone can offer! RAM has always been tricky for me.
 
Marco1 said:
I read somewhere the line method is better for the new i5s/i7s, and others still swear by making as thin a layer as possible across the whole CPU (which is how I've always done it).
Click to expand...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXLu1Ms-q4

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
In the MX-2 video that is linked to from there appears to be using a line too thick, hence the excess getting squeezed out. And apparently Arctic themselves seem to suggest that the line method is best for the new i5/i7 chips, and to tint both the CPU and heatsink before application.
 
PatzCU said:
I've been helping a friend buy parts for a new desktop, and last night we actually put the entire thing together. As usual, there is always some kind of problem that occurs. I was hoping PC-GAF could help me diagnose a RAM issue.

My friend bought an Asus AM3 socket motherboard and some GSkill Sniper DDR3 4GBx2 1600mhz RAM. After assembling the entire desktop, I turned the power on and it would not even boot to the BIOS. A tiny light on the motherboard indicated the RAM was not installed properly. There is a button on the motherboard called "MemOK!" that I have been using to get it to boot everytime, but restarting the computer never works without hitting the MemOK button.

Soooo, my question is, could this be a RAM incompatibility issue? The motherboard's manual says it can take up to 2000mhz OC'd RAM but it also says it only works with 1333mhz RAM. Does updating the BIOS sometime resolve these issues or should I just have my friend buy RAM listed as compatible in the manual?

Also, this is a reallllly noob question, but when installing the RAM, I thought I wanted to alternate the sticks every other slot. Do I want the RAM in the Channel A1 and A2 slots? Or would I want the RAM in Channel A1 and B1 slots (options are A1, A2, B1, B2)?

Thanks for any help anyone can offer! RAM has always been tricky for me.
Click to expand...

Go into BIOS and make sure the voltage (VDIMM) is set to what they're actually rated for, and also try it at default SPD speeds instead of it's advertised speed, and see if that makes a difference.

And which slots you want to install the RAM in varies from motherboard to motherboard. Some will require you to install in slots 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 for dual channel mode, others might be 1 and 3 or 2 and 4. Usually the manual should specify, but if not you just try it and see if it is actually running in dual-channel mode and then switch if not.
 
MSI Lightning Xtreme Edition 3GB 580s are the fastest/best performing cards right now. Also the most expensive and can't be found anywhere at the moment. SLI those and it's a wrap.

Quad-SLI would be a couple hundred more than that setup, while taking up the same amount of slots as the SLI 580s.

:drool at both
 
i can't really wrap my head around this... everything is reporting normal cpu core temperatures (36° C) at idle: hwmonitor, bios, core temp. but that damn CPUTIN is still being reported as ~90°C by hwmonitor. i've googled it and spent like an hour reading tons of conflicting information from people with similar issues. most seem to agree that it's some sort of glitch but i dunno. no one can really give a clear answer as to what CPUTIN really measures compared to the individual core temps... i'm still a bit worried.
 
XiaNaphryz said:
In the MX-2 video that is linked to from there appears to be using a line too thick, hence the excess getting squeezed out. And apparently Arctic themselves seem to suggest that the line method is best for the new i5/i7 chips, and to tint both the CPU and heatsink before application.
Click to expand...
Do most people tint the heatsink and cpu before applying the dot or line method, or is this even necessary?
 
gokieks said:
Go into BIOS and make sure the voltage (VDIMM) is set to what they're actually rated for, and also try it at default SPD speeds instead of it's advertised speed, and see if that makes a difference.

And which slots you want to install the RAM in varies from motherboard to motherboard. Some will require you to install in slots 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 for dual channel mode, others might be 1 and 3 or 2 and 4. Usually the manual should specify, but if not you just try it and see if it is actually running in dual-channel mode and then switch if not.
Click to expand...

This is great info, thanks gokieks! I'll fiddle around with the BIOS when I get home tonight.
 
Deputy Moonman said:
Do most people tint the heatsink and cpu before applying the dot or line method, or is this even necessary?
Click to expand...
I'd guess it's not common as the main reason for tinting is to reduce the break-in/curing time.
 
PatzCU said:
This is great info, thanks gokieks! I'll fiddle around with the BIOS when I get home tonight.
Click to expand...

I always thought that when booting up a system for the first time it was recommended installing one stick of RAM.
 
Zoolader said:
I always thought that when booting up a system for the first time it was recommended installing one stick of RAM.
Click to expand...

It is, but it sounds like he was able to boot by bypassing some sort of memory check, so it's probably not an issue of one of the DIMMs not properly inserted causing problems or memory settings preventing it from booting at all.
 
jarosh said:
i can't really wrap my head around this... everything is reporting normal cpu core temperatures (36° C) at idle: hwmonitor, bios, core temp. but that damn CPUTIN is still being reported as ~90°C by hwmonitor. i've googled it and spent like an hour reading tons of conflicting information from people with similar issues. most seem to agree that it's some sort of glitch but i dunno. no one can really give a clear answer as to what CPUTIN really measures compared to the individual core temps... i'm still a bit worried.
Click to expand...
Feel the heatsink.

Is it hot?

If it is, it's doing its job.
 
jarosh said:
i can't really wrap my head around this... everything is reporting normal cpu core temperatures (36° C) at idle: hwmonitor, bios, core temp. but that damn CPUTIN is still being reported as ~90°C by hwmonitor. i've googled it and spent like an hour reading tons of conflicting information from people with similar issues. most seem to agree that it's some sort of glitch but i dunno. no one can really give a clear answer as to what CPUTIN really measures compared to the individual core temps... i'm still a bit worried.
Click to expand...

Mine says 60C all the time no matter what I'm doing, idle or prime95, so my guess is that it isn't reading mine correctly and it probably isn't reading yours correctly either. (i have a asus p8p67 pro and an i2500k)
 
Dunno if this is the right place for tech support questions. I have a computer that refuses to boot into Windows and instead boots directly to bios. What could be wrong? I've tried to boot the computer with the keyboard unplugged. Suspects:

- MB (bios seems to remember settings and time)
- PSU (would you be able to boot at all with a bad PSU?)
- HDD

Any ideas?
 
abq said:
Dunno if this is the right place for tech support questions. I have a computer that refuses to boot into Windows and instead boots directly to bios. What could be wrong? I've tried to boot the computer with the keyboard unplugged. Suspects:

- MB (bios seems to remember settings and time)
- PSU (would you be able to boot at all with a bad PSU?)
- HDD

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

make sure the sata cables that connect to the hdd are snug
 
The HDD is recognized in bios. I should add that the computer ran fine before this suddenly happened. It's my brother's computer. He claims that he shut the computer off one day and when he tried to start it again it would just go to bios.
 
My parts came in today! Just waiting on a monitor to come in tomorrow. The CPU is the 2500k and the SSD is the 320 series 120 Gig version. Can't wait to have this whole thing put together.

computer_parts_2.jpg


XiaNaphryz said:
I'd guess it's not common as the main reason for tinting is to reduce the break-in/curing time.
Click to expand...
Thanks. One last question, is there anything wrong with using Arctic Silver 5 versus MX-4?
 
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