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

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OatmealMu said:
Well, I was able to get into Windows and load up CPU-Z. There's definitely something different with the new stick. This is what I get with the default BIOS.

http://i.imgur.com/hhWab.png[IMG][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/KOLj8.png[IMG]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/r02Yp.png[IMG][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/sgSAi.png[IMG]

Slot #4 has the XMP stick in it.[/QUOTE]

stick has same part# as the other ones, the same XMP settings, but different SPD settings

so the different SPD may explain the issues your motherboard has

I would just manually enter the XMP specified speeds in bios. So speed to 800(1600)mhz , voltage 1.5, then timings to 9-9-9-25-2T (last part is different per motherboard, so google around a bit if you're unsure)

[B]basically you'll want the CPU-Z "memory" tab to correspond with the values in the XMP part of the tabs you just posted[/B]
Click to expand...
 
Smokey said:
I've tried with vsync off as well and it will still moves all over the place. Again, I wouldn't mind if it wasn't 100% utilized if it remained constant somewhere resulting in a smooth and playable experience.
Click to expand...

have you run Heaven benchmark? If that doesn't give you 100% utilization at 1080p max settings there's definitely something wrong :p

The log function in MSI Afterburner can also help you see what's going on. Make sure the core doesn't downclock or something.

run some cpu and hdd benchmarks as well to rule those out
 
Hrmh, I was practically decided that I'd get the Asrock z68 Pro3 as my mobo, but then I started thinking about future-proofing. Ivy Bridge cpu's should be compatible (afaik anyway), but the Pro3 doesn't have PCI-E 3.0. Something like the ASRock Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 (I especially like the BIOS background on pg. 2 :lol) would be more expensive, but I wouldn't need to buy a new mobo when the nVidia 600 and AMD 7000 series come out. Decisions decisions...
 
Drazgul said:
Hrmh, I was practically decided that I'd get the Asrock z68 Pro3 as my mobo, but then I started thinking about future-proofing. Ivy Bridge cpu's should be compatible (afaik anyway), but the Pro3 doesn't have PCI-E 3.0. Something like the ASRock Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 (I especially like the BIOS background on pg. 2 :lol) would be more expensive, but I wouldn't need to buy a new mobo when the nVidia 600 and AMD 7000 series come out. Decisions decisions...
Click to expand...

You can also get PCI-E 3.0 without having to deal with a defaced BIOS. ;)
 
I'm having a very annoying problem: my Nvidia graphics driver keeps crashing.

I'm running Windows 7 64-bit, and my card is a ASUS GTX 580. It's not overheating, in fact the driver just crashes when I'm at my desktop sometimes, or watching a video. It recovers in windows, but after the recover it is never the same, and I end up having to reboot each time. It happens about 2 or 3 times a week.

Anyone else seeing this, or know how to fix it? I'm running the latest drivers.
 
n0n44m said:
have you run Heaven benchmark? If that doesn't give you 100% utilization at 1080p max settings there's definitely something wrong :p

The log function in MSI Afterburner can also help you see what's going on. Make sure the core doesn't downclock or something.

run some cpu and hdd benchmarks as well to rule those out
Click to expand...

Did that. Got the following :

4h7amq.png


It was 99% as you said. One thing I did was I went back to a couple of games, OC'd my 580 to 850mhz and upped voltage to 1.075 and utilization in the couple of games I tried was immediately better. If it wasn't at 99% it was at a percentage and was stable which resulted in a smooth experience. I also clicked "Forced constant voltage" in Afterburner.

Is there a chance that I was undervolted before? That was with stock settings though so I'm not sure. Just trying to figure out what the issue could be.
 
chaosblade said:
It trades blows with the 460 768MB. You might be able to run 1080p@30FPS if you sacrifice AA, but it will probably be close.

And I seriously doubt you'll be thinking about SLI 580s a year from now. Next-gen cards will be way too appealing.
Click to expand...
Thanks - here's hoping it can manage it.

Yeah, I know that the next gen of cards will appeal but financial realities exist too, hehe. All depends on the price point and how significant a leap they represent. Either way the 6790 is a definite stop-gap until that picture becomes clear.
 
My new rig is almost complete but I am clueless about the power supply ( 550W vs 750W or more)

Here are the stuff
-Intel Core i5-2500K Processor 3.3GHz
-ASRock P67 Extreme 4
-Corsair XMS3 4GBx4 (16GB)
-CM Hyper 212 plus
-EVGA nVidia GeForce GTX570 1280MB DDR5 2DVI
-Cooler Master HAF X RC-942
-WD 1TB and will buy more HDDs for sure later ( maybe I will get SSD too I dunno)

I think 550w is fine but going with the ot advice
Power Supplies:
In general a good 500w is fine for 1 GPU. 650/750 for 2 midrange GPUs.
If you go dual GTX580's you'll want a very solid 850W MINIMUM (Should be around the price of a 1000W PSU).
Click to expand...

It seems like I need an 750w PSU to be safe?
 
Totobeni said:
My new rig is almost complete but I am clueless about the power supply ( 550W vs 750W or more)

Here are the stuff
-Intel Core i5-2500K Processor 3.3GHz
-ASRock P67 Extreme 4
-Corsair XMS3 4GBx4 (16GB)
-CM Hyper 212 plus
-EVGA nVidia GeForce GTX570 1280MB DDR5 2DVI
-Cooler Master HAF X RC-942
-WD 1TB and will buy more HDDs for sure later ( maybe I will get SSD too I dunno)

I think 550w is fine but going with the ot advice


It seems like I need an 750w PSU to be safe?
Click to expand...
Yes 750w with good amps per rail is good.
 
Finally putting together a system to replace my old c2d e8500 rig.

I've gotten:
i5 2500k - $220
asrock p67 extreme4 - $150
PNY GTX 570 1280MB - $320
16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 1600 Corsair Vengeance - $115
1TB Western Digital Caviar Black 7200RPM - $80*
128GB Crucial m4 SSD - $180
CoolerMaster HAF 932 - $143
750W Corsair 80+ - $110**

Some rebates here and there, maybe $50 or so in total if I bother filling them out. No aftermarket CPU cooler yet, might grab one later when I'm more motivated to tinker. Probably turn my old PC into a HTPC.






*I thought this was the 2TB model when I ordered it, so I'll probably return it and get something else
** I should be getting a second video card free at some point, so this is for SLI
 
*sigh* Build my brother a $450 Office PC. The motherboard I was looking for had an integrated graphics card but that was not available so I picked a model higher than that, which was on sale for the same price.

I thought I don't need any power so I picked a Case with a 450W power supply; good enough for everything.

Got home, installed the whole damn thing. Once I decided to connect the VGA/HDMI/DVI-D Cable... it's not there.

FUCK!!!! So I decided to ask my other brother, who was going to upgrade his card, if I can take his and we'll go shop for his new card tomorrow. He said sure. I remove his card and his motherboard doesn't have integrated card either.

FUCK!!!!!! It's OK. He can wait for a couple more hours. I decided to install the Card, and then realized two things: 1. The power supply is going to be weak. 2. The power supply with the case doesn't have 4-pin connector for the card.

FUCKKKK!!!!!! I went to my dad's office, sneaked out his PC and took his 550W power supply and replaced them. And then I realized I removed the LED connectors by accident and I don't have the manual to see where they connect, with no indication on his motherboard where shit connects.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!! Trial and error finally got me there. What sucks is that there was a pre-built PC which had EVERYTHING I needed, except it had less RAM (4GB vs 8GB. Shouldn't matter for an Office PC) and smaller HDD space (1TB vs 500GB, which some will debate that 500GB is better, and I agree). The only difference was that it cost $80 extra. Now I gotta buy a card and it's costing us again. Fuck me!

Hopefully none of the three PCs explode! :lol :lol

TL;DR: I need a PCI-E Graphics card for under $150 from NCIX (Canada) that will ensure Battlefield 3 will run smooth and sound... FUCK!
 
shagg_187 said:
TL;DR: I need a PCI-E Graphics card for under $150 from NCIX (Canada) that will ensure Battlefield 3 will run smooth and sound... FUCK!
Click to expand...
I think a 6850 is about as good as you can hope for, going by American prices. That's a BIT over on Newegg, but there's rebates that bring it down under $150.
 
shagg_187 said:
*sigh* Build my brother a $450 Office PC. The motherboard I was looking for had an integrated graphics card but that was not available so I picked a model higher than that, which was on sale for the same price.

I thought I don't need any power so I picked a Case with a 450W power supply; good enough for everything.

Got home, installed the whole damn thing. Once I decided to connect the VGA/HDMI/DVI-D Cable... it's not there.

FUCK!!!! So I decided to ask my other brother, who was going to upgrade his card, if I can take his and we'll go shop for his new card tomorrow. He said sure. I remove his card and his motherboard doesn't have integrated card either.

FUCK!!!!!! It's OK. He can wait for a couple more hours. I decided to install the Card, and then realized two things: 1. The power supply is going to be weak. 2. The power supply with the case doesn't have 4-pin connector for the card.

FUCKKKK!!!!!! I went to my dad's office, sneaked out his PC and took his 550W power supply and replaced them. And then I realized I removed the LED connectors by accident and I don't have the manual to see where they connect, with no indication on his motherboard where shit connects.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!! Trial and error finally got me there. What sucks is that there was a pre-built PC which had EVERYTHING I needed, except it had less RAM (4GB vs 8GB. Shouldn't matter for an Office PC) and smaller HDD space (1TB vs 500GB, which some will debate that 500GB is better, and I agree). The only difference was that it cost $80 extra. Now I gotta buy a card and it's costing us again. Fuck me!

Hopefully none of the three PCs explode! :lol :lol

TL;DR: I need a PCI-E Graphics card for under $150 from NCIX (Canada) that will ensure Battlefield 3 will run smooth and sound... FUCK!
Click to expand...

If you can swing just a weeee bit more http://ncix.ca/products/?sku=55077&vpn=01G-P3-1370-TR&manufacture=eVGA&promoid=1365

or

http://ncix.ca/products/?sku=54581&vpn=01G-P3-1371-AR&manufacture=eVGA

If you need something cheaper, I'm not the biggest authority on sub-$150 cards.
 
Looking at the requirements actually those cards ARE the recommended ones, so if you can squeeze a bit extra in then definitely grab those.
 
PC-Gaf i have a problem, my new gaming room looks like this

xH76g.png



now i want to use my 5.1 speakers both with my TV and my PC. i wouldnt mind using them as Stereo on my PC since most of my gaming takes place on the TV. how can i reverse the channels ony my PC so i don't have front and rear instead left and right. i mean if i would move the 5.1 so the center speaker is in front of the TV.
 
Diprosalic said:
PC-Gaf i have a problem, my new gaming room looks like this


now i want to use my 5.1 speakers both with my TV and my PC. i wouldnt mind using them as Stereo on my PC since most of my gaming takes place on the TV. how can i reverse the channels ony my PC so i don't have front and rear instead left and right. i mean if i would move the 5.1 so the center speaker is in front of the TV.
Click to expand...

If time is money, pick up a cheap pair of speakers and dedicate them to the PC. You can't just position 5.1 speakers anywhere...generally you need them to be in the right position (as set up by a chart on Dolby.com, or using a calibration microphone) in order to not have screwy sound.

I've got nothing for if time isn't money. On the bright side, a cheap pair of speakers is like...$20.

I take it that the center channel is set to be the TV right now? That causes issues, as the sound coming out of the TV won't match up with the sound on the speakers. Take a chopper flying overhead for instance. It will go from matched rear speaker, to matched front right/left, and then to....the middle channel, that doesn't sound anywhere near the same.
 
i don't really care about sound. i'm no audiophile, they just sit around and i don't even bother turning them in the right direction. sometimes a speaker lies on the floor because i knocked them down. it was a cheap logitech set i don't even think it can output great sound (z5500) i really didn't want another piece of electronic in my already cramped room but i guess there's nothing i can do.
 
Diprosalic said:
i don't really care about sound. i'm no audiophile, they just sit around and i don't even bother turning them in the right direction. sometimes a speaker lies on the floor because i knocked them down. it was a cheap logitech set i don't even think it can output great sound (z5500) i really didn't want another piece of electronic in my already cramped room but i guess there's nothing i can do.
Click to expand...

Oh, it's one of those logitech sets? Mmm...that's a little different compared to a full 5.1 setup through a receiver.

I'm trying to think about what you could do. In theory, I guess you could build a switch of some kind, that would route the audio one way, and then the other, depending on which way the switch was flipped.

That would be a pain in the balls though.

I'm trying to find out if there is any software that can do what you want.

Edit: How do the little sats connect to the subwoofer? Standard 3.5mm audio jacks?

Double Edit: Did your logitech speakers come with configuration software? This could be as easy as going in there, and reassigning those speakers as left and right for that input.
 
LordCanti said:
I'm trying to find out if there is any software that can do what you want.
Click to expand...

i searched for a software like that but i didn't really know what to search for.

the task should be quite easy. just send the audio to another speaker.

thanks for the help :)



LordCanti said:
Edit: How do the little sats connect to the subwoofer? Standard 3.5mm audio jacks?

Double Edit: Did your logitech speakers come with configuration software? This could be as easy as going in there, and reassigning those speakers as left and right for that input.
Click to expand...

uuhm, i guess, they look pretty standard and they look about the same as in other cheaper speakers.

maybe it did come with software but i bought them 5 years ago. maybe i can find the software on the net since it still is for sale. that's a great idea why did i never thought about that?
 
Diprosalic said:
i searched for a software like that but i didn't really know what to search for.

the task should be quite easy. just send the audio to another speaker.

thanks for the help :)





uuhm, i guess, they look pretty standard and they look about the same as in other cheaper speakers.

maybe it did come with software but i bought them 5 years ago. maybe i can find the software on the net since it still is for sale. that's a great idea why did i never thought about that?
Click to expand...

You may be able to do it on that little control pod thingy. I've never used one. You could try your soundcard's configuration settings as well.

I can't find any standalone software that does it. Seems to be more of a soundcard centric thing.
 
Diprosalic said:
you can't do anything on that control thingy. i don't have a dedicated sound card i just use the on from my mobo.
Click to expand...

Reading the manual, it seems like the control pod can do either 5.1 or stereo mode, depending on what you select. Is there no way (on the pod) to select stereo, and then have it only output to the speakers on your desk?

http://www.logitech.com/repository/1411/pdf/13098.1.0.pdf

If there isn't a way to do it on the control module, then I don't know. I guess software would be the only choice, but I can't find any.

Go to control panel, and look for your mobo soundcards configuration application (if one exists). There may be some settings in there to try.

Redacted edit: That would require yet more cables, to take the stereo and change it into a 3.5mm headphone jack...

There is no simple hardware way to do this with logitech speakers lol.

Edit: Actually leaving the computer to sleep, right this instant. Good luck.
 
I'm getting a new computer soon, and I want to get a new mac to replace my old one. It's served me well for 7 years. I'm updating my computer so I can learn maya, I'm hoping I'll be able to find an affordable copy.

What I'm wondering is, how is game development on macs? I know it can handle flash, but sometime down the line I want to start making some 3d stuff. Is this possible on a mac?
 
Wazzim said:
Look for any cables that may be touching the fan, I had the same problem before with my CPU fan.
Click to expand...
nah theres no wires anywhere near touching the fan. i think there is something wrong with the fan, because after implementing the new fan controls i saw some pretty nice gains, and then the day or two the heat went up quite a bit.
 
Smokey said:
Did that. Got the following :

avg 57.4
min 32.8
max 133.5

It was 99% as you said. One thing I did was I went back to a couple of games, OC'd my 580 to 850mhz and upped voltage to 1.075 and utilization in the couple of games I tried was immediately better. If it wasn't at 99% it was at a percentage and was stable which resulted in a smooth experience. I also clicked "Forced constant voltage" in Afterburner.

Is there a chance that I was undervolted before? That was with stock settings though so I'm not sure. Just trying to figure out what the issue could be.
Click to expand...

I got

GTX480 stock
avg 44.4
min 13.7 (fluke?)
max 94.2

GTX480 910 core (pretty high for a 480)
avg 54.4
min 36.9
max 119.0

so your score looks good.

It is weird that you say utilization is better when overclocking. Basically if stock-speed-raw-power would be the issue, that would form the bottleneck and thus you will be at close to 100% utilization all the time... It's not logical to be at less than 100% utilization at stock and then achieve 100% by overclocking the GPU, if there even is a change in utilization it should be the other way around. (all without V-Sync ofcourse)

With my 480 I was only getting 60~80% utilization with a 3.5 ghz Athlon II X4. Upgraded to a 4.8ghz 2600K and now I'm always getting 99~100% with the card both at stock and overclock (and again V-Sync off).

If I still had my Athlon and I would have downclocked the GTX480 to say 33% of the original speed, then I would certainly be seeing 100% in modern games as the card would then become the bottleneck instead of the CPU.

So I have the feeling something else is at play in your situation besides the card itself. Either it does some weird driver/software stuff that causes it to underperform somehow or there is something else in the PC that doesn't perform the way it should.

try to reproduce the problem then check the Afterburner logs to see which voltage/clockspeed/so on the card was at
 
shagg_187 said:
Oh wow. Definitely going to the store tomorrow and getting that! :D

*squeezes a little*

What's the difference between these two cards? They're the same to my eyes! :/
Click to expand...

The more expensive one is custom cooled (sort of) with a slightly bigger fan in the middle, compared to the stock fan at the end of the card on the other one.

Whether this offers any drop in noise/temps/etc, I have no idea. You'd have to find benchmarks comparing the two.

As for speed, there is no difference. Both would O/C similarly.

(I'd look for benchmarks but...I only got three and a half or so hours of sleep, lol)
 
I'm quite sure the above is wrong, actually: the cheaper one is from the External Exhaust series, whereas the more expensive is the one with the reference cooler (don't ask me why, the EE series is supposed to have a higher SRP).

You can see the comparison pics here (or just google images for the GTX 460 ref. cooler, it's the one with the fan in the middle):

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...uperclocked-ee-external-exhaust-review-6.html


The EE series fan is somewhat louder, but you can pull off a lot better OC performance thanks to that.
 
Hey again, PCGAF! Finalizing parts for a new build, so I come seeking your sage wisdom to make sure I'm getting the right stuff. Here is the list, to be played on an ASUS 21.5" 1920x1080 monitor.

CASE: CM 690 II Advanced
MOBO: ASRock Z68 Pro3 Motherboard B3
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K
PSU: Seasonic M12II 620W Power Supply
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3
GPU: Gainward GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Golden Sample
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 1TB

So a couple of questions:

I'm not overly interested in thrashing the 2500k, only mainly a little overclock to get a little performance boost. For the extra $10AU though it seems I may as well still get it over the straight 2500. I'm not keen on big cooling setups and messing around too much with voltages and the like. I should be sweet with the stock Intel cooler for now, right? Would I be better just using the Turboboost instead?

The PSU is about $140AU, just wondering if I could go with anything less and save a couple of clams?

Also, can't find much online about the Golden Sample 560 ti, but the few reviews were glowing enough. It's $40AU cheaper than a Twin Frozr II and seems to have a similar level of overclock. Anyone know anything about Gainward, would this 560 ti do me right?

Hope this post isn't too much "wall of text", thanks for any help!
 
Rezbit said:
Hey again, PCGAF! Finalizing parts for a new build, so I come seeking your sage wisdom to make sure I'm getting the right stuff. Here is the list, to be played on an ASUS 21.5" 1920x1080 monitor.

CASE: CM 690 II Advanced
MOBO: ASRock Z68 Pro3 Motherboard B3
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K
PSU: Seasonic M12II 620W Power Supply
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3
GPU: Gainward GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Golden Sample
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 1TB

So a couple of questions:

I'm not overly interested in thrashing the 2500k, only mainly a little overclock to get a little performance boost. For the extra $10AU though it seems I may as well still get it over the straight 2500. I'm not keen on big cooling setups and messing around too much with voltages and the like. I should be sweet with the stock Intel cooler for now, right? Would I be better just using the Turboboost instead?

The PSU is about $140AU, just wondering if I could go with anything less and save a couple of clams?

Also, can't find much online about the Golden Sample 560 ti, but the few reviews were glowing enough. It's $40AU cheaper than a Twin Frozr II and seems to have a similar level of overclock. Anyone know anything about Gainward, would this 560 ti do me right?

Hope this post isn't too much "wall of text", thanks for any help!
Click to expand...
Pretty nice build.

I've heard the Golden Samples are supposed to be pretty good, but I don't know much about Gainward either.

As for OCing, I wouldn't do any OCing on a stock cooler if you plan on keeping it 24/7. The 2500k would probably have a little headroom on it, but I just wouldn't trust it. So it's pretty much up to you whether or not you want to install a different cooler. If you don't plan to OC, you could step the motherboard down to a H67 and save a few dollars there too (unless you want the other features Z68 offers).

As for the PSU, I don't know where you are getting parts from, so I'm not sure what other options you have. The one you have picked out is a great choice though.
 
chaosblade said:
Pretty nice build.

I've heard the Golden Samples are supposed to be pretty good, but I don't know much about Gainward either.

As for OCing, I wouldn't do any OCing on a stock cooler if you plan on keeping it 24/7. The 2500k would probably have a little headroom on it, but I just wouldn't trust it. So it's pretty much up to you whether or not you want to install a different cooler. If you don't plan to OC, you could step the motherboard down to a H67 and save a few dollars there too (unless you want the other features Z68 offers).

As for the PSU, I don't know where you are getting parts from, so I'm not sure what other options you have. The one you have picked out is a great choice though.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Strangely enough, the site I am buying from (PC Case Gear, the main Aussie one), sells the ASRock Z68 Pro3 for cheaper than just about all of the P67s or even H67s. I might leave the overclocking for a bit, and buy a cooler if needed down the line.

For the PSU, also considering the Corsair TX 650 for about $25 less, or the Silverstone Strider Plus 600W for $40 less than the Seasonic. Here is the PSU page for reference.
 
Unfortunately I don't know anything about the quality of Silverstone PSUs, but if their cases are anything to go by it should be pretty good. Specs on it look good, and reviews aren't bad either. Probably not a bad choice, especially for the price.

The Corsair is a good choice too, but it's not modular like the other two. Not sure you could really go wrong with any of the three assuming reviews of the Silverstone can be trusted.
 
Just moved over from a HAF 922 to a Corsair 650D. From beige monsters in the 80s, to the "enthusiasts" cases like the HAFs, I finally own a case I don't hate. Cable routing is so easy, I actually don't mind the window. I finally have something that can stack up to all the case porn in the reviews.
 
chaosblade said:
As for OCing, I wouldn't do any OCing on a stock cooler if you plan on keeping it 24/7. The 2500k would probably have a little headroom on it, but I just wouldn't trust it. So it's pretty much up to you whether or not you want to install a different cooler.
Click to expand...

for the extra $10AU the 2500K should do something like 4.0~4.2 on stock cooling with (hardly) any extra voltage no ? =]

stock coolers are expected to run in dust infested cases put behind a desk in an attic with no air conditioning during a hot summer :p never mind a nice CM690II. They should keep it alive as long as you don't up the voltage
 
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