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[AwesomeSauce]

Well, just put together a computer for the first time. Actually wasn't too hard after watching that tested video. Only annoying parts were getting the board to line up with the IO shield and the damn tabs and cable management. I have no idea where/how to even hide the cables on this Antec 300.

Anyways, just went for a low-budget build.

Antec 300
Corsair 430w PSU
ASUS P8H61M-LE
Intel Core i3 2100
4GB G.Skill DDR3
Seagate 500GB
AMD Radeon 4870
ASUS PCE-N13 Wireless N Card

Came out to around $470 CAD after tax.

This reminded me, I built a buddy of mine a pretty decent system for about $280~ a couple weeks ago.

AMD Phenom II x4 925
4GB DDR3 ram
Asus AM3+ Motherboard(Bulldozer ready)
AMD Radeon 5770
2TB HDD
Thermaltake 430w PSU
Wireless Logitech KB & mouse

I was able to pick up the processor, gpu, ram, and psu from some guy locally for $150 and picked up the rest of the parts off of Fry's.

All put inside a really old ATX case I had during my GF4 Ti4200 days lol. My friend needs to come up on some funds for a new case.

I think it's a pretty decent deal considering my friend is absolutely new to PC gaming.

 

[mkenyon]

Any recommendations on a lcd fan controller?

I almost picked up a Das last night but didn't. Been considering the WASD one instead.

Lamptron Rheobus FC-5 V2. 30W per channel means a ton of fans, and it won't burn out. This seems to be the controller of choice by a lot of serious folks in the performance world. Installed mine on Monday, absolutely loving it so far.

 

[Septimius]

You mean this one, right? Sounds good, but apparently if needs software to work. Does that mean that it won't work when I'm setting up my PC for the first time (like installing Windows)? Would I need to use a different keyboard to get everything up and running, or will this one just work?

The software has to be in regards to the backlighting of the keyboard, and not the keyboard functionality itself, as I see no reason that has to be anything but standard keyboard input. And it has always worked for me. Unless you plan on installing Windows 98. I'd ask some linux sages if you plan on installing linux.

 

[pirata]

The software has to be in regards to the backlighting of the keyboard, and not the keyboard functionality itself, as I see no reason that has to be anything but standard keyboard input. And it has always worked for me. Unless you plan on installing Windows 98. I'd ask some linux sages if you plan on installing linux.

Thanks, I was just making sure that I wouldn't run into any stupid issues when I try to get my PC up and running.

 

[Septimius]

Thanks, I was just making sure that I wouldn't run into any stupid issues when I try to get my PC up and running.

I'm just about to install W7 from scratch - I'll let you know if it doesn't work, so if I don't post again you know it works!

 

[RS4-]

Lamptron Rheobus FC-5 V2. 30W per channel means a ton of fans, and it won't burn out. This seems to be the controller of choice by a lot of serious folks in the performance world. Installed mine on Monday, absolutely loving it so far.

Thanks, oddly enough the first thing I saw when I just randomly typed in fan controller at NCIX, the FCV2 came up.

Will look into WC setup first, then the fan controller.

 

[Citizen K]

Those are fine. You didn't mention which type of Asus 580 you had. Try what I mentioned earlier, based on which card it is.

Oops, yeah it's the direct cu version. So I guess I'll stick an extra fan in the front for intake and 1 at the top for exhaust?

 

[wowzors]

Running the 2500k at 4.2ghz with prime95 running getting about 60c as a high in realtemp after about 20 minutes, is that good or too high? Im tempted to go to 4.4 or 4.5, but want to make sure the 60c is acceptable or not.

 

[knitoe]

Running the 2500k at 4.2ghz with prime95 running getting about 60c as a high in realtemp after about 20 minutes, is that good or too high? Im tempted to go to 4.4 or 4.5, but want to make sure the 60c is acceptable or not.

Under 80C will be fine.

 

[wandering goat]

Running the 2500k at 4.2ghz with prime95 running getting about 60c as a high in realtemp after about 20 minutes, is that good or too high? Im tempted to go to 4.4 or 4.5, but want to make sure the 60c is acceptable or not.

That's good. Feel free to OC more, just stay under 73C if possible. If you're under that with a fair amount of time in Prime95, then you're alright as no program should exceed that.

 

[Smokey]

Saw this at overclock.net

GTX 570 @ Fry's for $270 after MIR. Just thought I'd pass it along for those looking.

 

[CarbonatedFalcon]

Saw this at overclock.net

GTX 570 @ Fry's for $270 after MIR. Just thought I'd pass it along for those looking.

Eh, it's PNY which always seems to undercut other manufacturers a bit. Also, from reading the reviews on Newegg, their version of the card and/or customer support/warranty aren't as good as other brands.

 

[childplease]

In case you're on the fence, I say do it. The already ridiculous prices that Microcenter charges for the 2500/2600k plus the current $40 off combo deal they're running means a pretty insane savings.

Ok I'll buy it tomorrow.

Then I'll only need .

- Power Supply
- Case
- Video Card


Hopefully they have some good deals on those in store.

 

[Hazaro]

Under 80C will be fine.

For your GPU sure. CPU keep it under 70C load, 65 if you can.

 

[Kadey]

I finally built my first PC. Yay! Does the temp look right to you guys? I overclocked my CPU to 4.0ghz. It's so easy with the Asrock Bios thing.

Thanks to those that helped me. Especially Hazaro and Black Vegeta.

 

[Kilrogg]

About RAM:

I've heard prices fluctuate a lot, but do they get lower overall? What I mean is, is it possible that buying RAM, say, a year from now could be risky because prices could have gone up by then?

 

[Hazaro]

Everything looks like it checks out. If that is 1.2V @ 4.0 that is a nice OC.
Which PSU was that again? Cougar?

About RAM:

I've heard prices fluctuate a lot, but do they get lower overall? What I mean is, is it possible that buying RAM, say, a year from now could be risky because prices could have gone up by then?

This might be outdated but I think most desktop DDR3 has passed peak production. It should stay about as low as it is now until it rises again.

That's my guess anyway.

 

[Tallshortman]

Hmmm I have a chance to pick up a brand new 2600k for for $200. I was planning on waiting for BD but this deal seems too good to miss.

What do you guys think? I don't do any CPU intensive programs besides gaming and the 2600k has only small gains over the 2500k for current games but still... damn fine price

 

[CarbonatedFalcon]

Hmmm I have a chance to pick up a brand new 2600k for for $200. I was planning on waiting for BD but this deal seems too good to miss.

What do you guys think? I don't do any CPU intensive programs besides gaming and the 2600k has only small gains over the 2500k for current games but still... damn fine price

Cheaper than the base price of a 2500k, so why not? If you're building a new PC that is. If it's just an upgrade, then it's a tossup.

 

[Tallshortman]

Cheaper than the base price of a 2500k, so why not? If you're building a new PC that is. If it's just an upgrade, then it's a tossup.

Well I'm upgrading from an old phenom so the performance boost will be pretty significant since I'm already bottlenecking my 6950.

 

[CarbonatedFalcon]

Well I'm upgrading from an old phenom so the performance boost will be pretty significant since I'm already bottlenecking my 6950.

Go for it then. Even with BD, I highly doubt the price on Intel's chips is going to drop $100 without any new chips themselves.

 

[wowzors]

I finally built my first PC. Yay! Does the temp look right to you guys? I overclocked my CPU to 4.0ghz. It's so easy with the Asrock Bios thing.

Thanks to those that helped me. Especially Hazaro and Black Vegeta.

Your temps and voltages look good, were running about the same setup. I have a gigabyte instead of A rock, but I'm easily at 4.2 with the settings you have (its even stable at 4.4, haven't tried higher) but if you wanted to you could easily push it another 200mhz or so.

61c under prime95 after about an hour.

 

[LordCanti]

I've spent the last couple of hours trying to figure out why my internet connection was down. Turns out, an electrical storm yesterday took out my ethernet switch (and nothing else). Until the replacement arrives, all I can connect to the internet on is my old laptop. I'm currently a sad panda, and I'd like to take this time to stress the importance of a surge protector that protects not only things plugged in via power, but also ethernet. Nothing else was damaged, which leads me to believe that a surge went right up the ethernet cable, and blew out my switch.

At least the surge didn't make it from the switch to my computer, and blow it up.

 

[wowzors]

I've spent the last couple of hours trying to figure out why my internet connection was down. Turns out, an electrical storm yesterday took out my ethernet switch (and nothing else). Until the replacement arrives, all I can connect to the internet on is my old laptop. I'm currently a sad panda, and I'd like to take this time to stress the importance of a surge protector that protects not only things plugged in via power, but also ethernet. Nothing else was damaged, which leads me to believe that a surge went right up the ethernet cable, and blew out my switch.

At least the surge didn't make it from the switch to my computer, and blow it up.

The lightning storms around the Chicago area have destroyed a couple of my friends Electrics, one had his computer fried because he had it plugged directly into the wall.

 

[black_vegeta]

I finally built my first PC. Yay! Does the temp look right to you guys? I overclocked my CPU to 4.0ghz. It's so easy with the Asrock Bios thing.

http://i.imgur.com/xNqhS.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/S8Cvr.png

http://i.imgur.com/yS9hC.jpg

Thanks to those that helped me. Especially Hazaro and Black Vegeta.

Looks great!

Those idle temps look good.

Have you stress tested it yet with Prime95?

That way you can see if your 4.0Ghz overclock is stable or not (most likely it will be fine, but doesn't hurt).

 

[LordCanti]

The lightning storms around the Chicago area have destroyed a couple of my friends Electrics, one had his computer fried because he had it plugged directly into the wall.

I bought a battery backup/surge protector to protect my electronics a few years ago. I didn't think to protect the ethernet cables though, so here I am.

(Curse UPS for not delivering on weekends)

 

[Kadey]

Yep.

I want to add more ram, get the 2600k, and a modular PSU next time. PSU I used is some PC cooling something something. I had it laying around.

Would an extra 200mhz really make a difference?

 

[wowzors]

Yep.

I want to add more ram, get the 2600k, and a modular PSU next time. PSU I used is some PC cooling something something. I had it laying around.

Would an extra 200mhz really make a difference?

Its more of a hey look at my overclock/3dmark score, although I suppose it would have minimal benefits as well, what ever your comfortable with. How much ram is in your current build?

 

[Kadey]

8gb.

I really should've went with the 2600k though. I'm doing a lot of multimedia stuff.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

need help again. bought new motherboard, ASUS P67 Revolution. I'm trying to install all 8gb of RAM from my previous build. corsair Xms 3 1600Mhz.
now i can only put RAM in the first two DIMM slots. any time i install the rest, I get a warning light from the RAM LED and shuts down on me. i've tried all the ram sticks in teh frst slots and they work fine, its when I put them in the last two slots that i am getting issues. anyone have any ideas?

 

[wowzors]

8gb.

I really should've went with the 2600k though. I'm doing a lot of multimedia stuff.

more multimedia related then the 200mhz would help more than it ould for video games, try and get the most out of it, you should be able to hit 4.4 with your current voltage. Anything over that and you might need to look into some more in depth guides cause I think the voltage would need to be increased more (and thats risky stuff). But I say go for 4.4 if your using it to transcode video or other multimedia things (could help negate the difference between 2500k and 2600k),

8gb is a good amount, have you looked at how much of it is in use when you run your applications? I usually cant get above 5gb in use with even the most demanding applications. Can always add 2 more assuming you bought a 8gb dual channel kit.

for the above post on the ram, have you tried running them at a lower speed than they state (for example try lowering from 1600 to 1333 and see if problem persists.) You have the RAM setup based on the motherboards manual, ram in 1,3 2,4 or however the motherboard states. Also you may want to try running memtest on 2 sticks for a while then switch them out and try the other 2, see if any problems occur.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

someone educate me on pci tv tuner cards.
i have 3 hdtvs in my apartment.
would i need a tv tuner card per tv?

 

[vertopci]

So...I don't suppose anyone knows where to get DDR2 ram cheapish? Best I could really find was this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220409

300 bucks for 16GB

 

[LordCanti]

So...I don't suppose anyone knows where to get DDR2 ram cheapish? Best I could really find was this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220409

300 bucks for 16GB

Ebay? Honestly, putting money into DDR2 is a waste of money at this point.

 

[vertopci]

Ebay? Honestly, putting money into DDR2 is a waste of money at this point.

Don't have a DDR3 mobo and this pc will still last me a good 2 to 3 years

 

[Chittagong]

With the sad state of console gaming, I'm thinking of joining the master race. I mean, I have played StarCraft 2 and WoW somewhat on my Mac over the last years, and have Steam games, but it has been never my primary platform before.

I have a new flat with good storage space, so here is my plan

- do a full size gaming PC based OP spec. Prob an around 700GBP option.
- place PC behind closed doors and use ASUS WHDI to get signal to 52" 1080P LCD TV and 7.1 surround
- use PC exclusively from coach

Here are my questions, very basic sorry

1. I believe I can manage the physical build with OP and videos. But how do the OS and drivers get in, will it be on the HDD when I get it? Will it simply recognize the video card, CPU and RAM when I boot the build gor the first time?

2. How does comfy coach gaming with KB/M work? Stuff like Company of Heroes (lots of detail) or Battlefield 3 (very fast action), will they work from sofa?

3. Is there a good 10 foot UI foor booting games and media, or do I need to squint for a tiny mouse pointer?

4. Am I right assuming that once I build, I can then later simply swap in new CPUs, GPUs, RAM later as long as I have a large enough case?

 

[LordCanti]

Don't have a DDR3 mobo and this pc will still last me a good 2 to 3 years

What are you planning for 16GB of RAM? Multiple virtual PC's?

With the sad state of console gaming, I'm thinking of joining the master race. I mean, I have played StarCraft 2 and WoW somewhat on my Mac over the last years, and have Steam games, but it has been never my primary platform before.

I have a new flat with good storage space, so here is my plan

- do a full size gaming PC based OP spec. Prob an around 700GBP option.
- place PC behind closed doors and use ASUS WHDI to get signal to 52" 1080P LCD TV and 7.1 surround
- use PC exclusively from coach

Here are my questions, very basic sorry

1. I believe I can manage the physical build with OP and videos. But how do the OS and drivers get in, will it be on the HDD when I get it? Will it simply recognize the video card, CPU and RAM when I boot the build gor the first time?

2. How does comfy coach gaming with KB/M work? Stuff like Company of Heroes (lots of detail) or Battlefield 3 (very fast action), will they work from sofa?

3. Is there a good 10 foot UI foor booting games and media, or do I need to squint for a tiny mouse pointer?

4. Am I right assuming that once I build, I can then later simply swap in new CPUs, GPUs, RAM later as long as I have a large enough case?

I'm a bit confused, but I'll try:

1. The OS will either come on a disc (if bought retail) or as an .iso that you need to burn to a disc (if bought online through a student account or something). It will recognize the CPU, RAM, and video card, but you'll need to install drivers for the video card for optimum performance. Everything else is plug and play.

2. It doesn't really work that well, to be honest. You'll need a lap desk so that there is a flat surface for the keyboard/mouse. A better option is a wireless 360 controller with PC receiver, but not all games are compatible. Fast action games will work much better than detail games.

3. Steam? It has pretty big icons for games.


4. Not necessarily. If you build a DDR3 based machine now, there is unlikely to be a new DDR standard any time soon. When it comes, you will not be able to use it in your old board. CPU's will only stay on the same socket for a couple of years (Ivy Bridge is supposed to be on the same socket as Sandy Bridge, but I'm not sure if we have confirmation). So no, if you wait too long, you may not be able to swap out the CPU. As long as your PSU is powerful enough, a video card swap should be easy enough though.

Also, a gaming computer in an enclosed space is a bad idea. How small are we talking, here?

I've heard iffy things about wireless HDMI as well, to be honest. The further your computer is away from the mouse/keyboard, the weaker the signal (if it reaches at all) which could be an issue.

 

[Chittagong]

Thanks LordCanti, pretty much covered it all. Sounds much simpler than I figured. So basically I build, copy OS ISO to a USB drive, boot up, it installs OS, then after OS is working go online and dl drivers to optimize.

Some answers to your points

- the closet is huge, 3m wide 3m high with good airflow inside - the space for the PC would be 3x1m. Also it's directly behind the sofa where I would be playing so signal would be good.
- Tested one of the ASUS WHDI things, works perfect with PS3 at least
- Regarding UI, I was kind of thinking something like Plex, maybe it supports games too

So the only real concern would seem to be KB/M gaming on sofa, I think I would still need to do it with Diablo 3 etc.

 

[LordCanti]

Thanks LordCanti, pretty much covered it all. Sounds much simpler than I figured. So basically I build, copy OS ISO to a USB drive, boot up, it installs OS, then after OS is working go online and dl drivers to optimize.

Some answers to your points

- the closet is huge, 3m wide 3m high with good airflow inside - the space for the PC would be 3x1m. Also it's directly behind the sofa where I would be playing so signal would be good.
- Tested one of the ASUS WHDI things, works perfect with PS3 at least
- Regarding UI, I was kind of thinking something like Plex, maybe it supports games too

So the only real concern would seem to be KB/M gaming on sofa, I think I would still need to do it with Diablo 3 etc.

I think the issues with WHDI were mostly range based. If your PC is on the other side of a wall, that shouldn't be an issue.

I heard something about XBMC having game launching support a while ago, but I think that support is still in its infancy. You could always check it out though. If a better solution exists, I don't know of it (which definitely doesn't mean that it doesn't exist).

If you do go the KB/M route, I definitely suggest finding a small (no number pad) keyboard, and a nice, big lap desk. Trying to use KB/M on a coffee table will put you in a pretty poor position in terms of ergonomics.

 

[Corky]

So I have a silly/embarrassing question :

Gaf, I'm VERY anal about HDD space and what I've got installed. I've used roughly 10% of my disk and still I feel like I should keep it more clean. Tell me I'm just being stupid and I can go ahead and install a couple of games. Again, I've barely used 100gb of a 1TB hdd. But some non rational fear of mine is that if I start installing another game or two then all of the sudden my pc will start to chug even if I defrag a million times and keep my registry clean.

Halp!

( OCD )

 

[LordCanti]

So I have a silly/embarrassing question :

Gaf, I'm VERY anal about HDD space and what I've got installed. I've used roughly 10% of my disk and still I feel like I should keep it more clean. Tell me I'm just being stupid and I can go ahead and install a couple of games. Again, I've barely used 100gb of a 1TB hdd. But some non rational fear of mine is that if I start installing another game or two then all of the sudden my pc will start to chug even if I defrag a million times and keep my registry clean.

Halp!

( OCD )

You're being stupid.

 

[Gvaz]

Hmmm I have a chance to pick up a brand new 2600k for for $200. I was planning on waiting for BD but this deal seems too good to miss.

What do you guys think? I don't do any CPU intensive programs besides gaming and the 2600k has only small gains over the 2500k for current games but still... damn fine price

Cheaper than a 2500k, I say go for it.

Otherwise just get an 2500k

Tell me I'm just being stupid

You are being stupid

 

[Dennis]

So I have a silly/embarrassing question :

Gaf, I'm VERY anal about HDD space and what I've got installed. I've used roughly 10% of my disk and still I feel like I should keep it more clean. Tell me I'm just being stupid and I can go ahead and install a couple of games. Again, I've barely used 100gb of a 1TB hdd. But some non rational fear of mine is that if I start installing another game or two then all of the sudden my pc will start to chug even if I defrag a million times and keep my registry clean.

Halp!

( OCD )

Clearly the solution is to buy two new 2TB HDDs so you can install your new games.

One game per drive for optimum performance.

 

[Corky]

You're being stupid.

I knew it!

Clearly the solution is to buy two new 2TB HDDs so you can install your new games.

One game per drive for optimum performance.

Hey now mr sli 580s... not all of us can afford one 1TB / Game TYVM...

 

[LordCanti]

One game per SSD RAID array is where it's at. Dual 256gb SSD's RAID'ed together, with only Battlefield 3 installed....beautiful.

 

[Corky]

One game per SSD RAID array is where it's at. Dual 256gb SSD's RAID'ed together, with only Battlefield 3 installed....beautiful.

A man can dream, a man can dream...

Anyway I'm putting on my big boy pants and installing a couple of games. Gaf... If I don't log back on in a day that means I'm dead, divide my account accordingly.

 

[Septimius]

One game per SSD RAID array is where it's at. Dual 256gb SSD's RAID'ed together, with only Battlefield 3 installed....beautiful.

Is there any point to this outside of just being a bit of a dunce?

 

[knitoe]

For your GPU sure. CPU keep it under 70C load, 65 if you can.

The TCase max is 72.6C, but the CPU core temps can be much higher, ~90C.

As for GPUs, my 6970s only sounds like a jet taking off when it hits 90C so they can definitely go above it.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I keep getting BSODs with the memory_management error. I've taken out each RAM stick, tried various combinations, etc etc and sometimes it works for a while, but eventually it returns.

Any ideas? I can't have 4 dodgy RAM sticks... can I?

 

[knitoe]

I keep getting BSODs with the memory_management error. I've taken out each RAM stick, tried various combinations, etc etc and sometimes it works for a while, but eventually it returns.

Any ideas? I can't have 4 dodgy RAM sticks... can I?

Highly doubtful. Did you manually set the memory timings and voltage? If you are overclocking, run stock. Also, run memtest to test your ram sticks.