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[ChocolatePuddin]

Hey guys finished my build on the weekend and it is freaking smooth as silk.I installed GTA 4 and the 8 gigs of Ice Enhancer mods and texture packs, and it is mind blowing !, runs really well to.So thanks for all the tips and advice guys.

 

[MrKnives]

Hey guys finished my build on the weekend and it is freaking smooth as silk.I installed GTA 4 and the 8 gigs of Ice Enhancer mods and texture packs, and it is mind blowing !, runs really well to.So thanks for all the tips and advice guys.

Curious. What's your build?

 

[gokieks]

Question.
Why 6950? From what I have researched 570 beats 6950 in every turn. Don't know after you flash it to 6970 though.

The 570 also costs about $50 more.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Yeah. 2GB 6950 for $230 vs 1GB GTX 570 for $330. That's a $100 difference + tax (Canada) and when considering the most bang for the buck, 6950 sounds like a true winner here.

Also, 570 requires more power and I'm in no mood of changing my puny little PSU, and the difference I've seen in benchmarks is 1-5fps max.

 

[ChocolatePuddin]

Curious. What's your build?

Motherboard8P67-PRO
GPU:GTX 560 Ti ( throwing in a second one in 4 months time)
RAM:8gb DDR3 Kingston
CPU:Intel Core i5 2500 Processor

 

[iSurvivedTheOutage]

Anyone have any word on how the EVGA 570 classified is on heating and power? I heard it got a beefier PCB with 6 phase power.

 

[JCtheMC]

Thanks a bunch n0n44m, those are some helpful suggestions. Now have some more things to look into. It's a shame that almost everything you suggested will probably make my build more expensive :-D As for the storage, I still have a 1 gig WD hdd i bought last year.

Also it seems that going with the 6950 might be a more budget-conscious choice.

 

[Hazaro]

I'm currently eyeing this build for my Gaming HTPC:

Intel Core i5 2500K / 3.3 GHz
ASRock P67 Extreme4
eVGA GeForce GTX 570 SuperClocked
Corsair Vengeance 8GB
Corsair Builder Series CX600 V2
SilverStone LASCALA LC13
OCZ Agility 3 Series 120 Gb SSD
Samsung SH-222AB Burner
Scythe Mugen 2 rev.B SCMG-2100

rounds out at about 970 euro's. This system was more or less based upon the OP and another gaming PC building guide. Could you guys give me some feedback on how to get even better value for money and how to make this thing as quiet as i possibly can?

Swap the CX600W for an XFX Core 550W.
How much difference is an M4 SSD?
Maybe the G.Skill Snipers for lower heatsink on RAM.

Are you positive a full ATX board with a 570 and Mugen 2 will fit?

 

[MrKnives]

Motherboard8P67-PRO
GPU:GTX 560 Ti ( throwing in a second one in 4 months time)
RAM:8gb DDR3 Kingston
CPU:Intel Core i5 2500 Processor

2500 or 2500k? If 2500 can I ask why that and not 2500k? Don't remember if there was a prize difference

Yeah. 2GB 6950 for $230 vs 1GB GTX 570 for $330. That's a $100 difference + tax (Canada) and when considering the most bang for the buck, 6950 sounds like a true winner here.

Also, 570 requires more power and I'm in no mood of changing my puny little PSU, and the difference I've seen in benchmarks is 1-5fps max.

Seems reasonable. Cheapest ones I can find is 260€ for 6950 and 300€ for 570

And FPS difference isn't that big in some and bigger in others but I agree if the difference is 100€ not sure worth it. For me it's only 40€ and I'm always liked Nvidia cards more but that's just preference.

http://www.hwcompare.com/9021/geforce-gtx-570-vs-radeon-hd-6950-2gb/

What's your setup currently?

 

[Raoh]

In that case, you may want to hold out for the upcoming round of 28nm GPUs. If you can deal with the noise for now, you'll get a very healthy increase in performance for relatively little outlay. Even if you decide not to get one, the current crop of 40n AMD 6000s, and GTX 500s will have a host of clear-out deals up for grabs.

cool, i'll start investigating some upcoming models and add a 6000 series to my cart and monitor its price drop at the same time.

any specific models I should be eyeing? and will they require a better power supply than i currently have?

thank you.

 

[iSurvivedTheOutage]

cool, i'll start investigating some upcoming models and add a 6000 series to my cart and monitor its price drop at the same time.

any specific models I should be eyeing? and will they require a better power supply than i currently have?

thank you.

Raoh its smoke from

Spoiler

modojo

Hey guys my case fan came with a molex connector. do i have to use it? Seriously its in the way. I have a feeling that if i dont use the molex it wont be able to run full speed.

 

[chaosblade]

Raoh its smoke from

Spoiler

modojo

Hey guys my case fan came with a molex connector. do i have to use it? Seriously its in the way. I have a feeling that if i dont use the molex it wont be able to run full speed.

That connector is just there in case you don't have anywhere to plug the fan into the motherboard, or a fan controller. You don't have to use it.

 

[Ooccoo]

Updated my build thanks to the feedback of some valuable members. It's really appreciated, you guys rock. I'll post the complete list before I buy. Do you recommend the Vertex 3 over the Vertex 2? I decided to put a bit more budget into my build, hence why the case is double the value from what I had in mind.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core ($219.99 @ newegg)

Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Toxic Radeon 6950 2GB ($289.99 @ newegg)

Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel ($179.99 @ newegg)

Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) ($67.99 @ newegg)

Power Supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650M 650W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular High Performance Power Supply ($109.99 @ newegg)

SSD : OCZ Vertex 2 120GB ($179.99 @ newegg)

HDD : SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" ($79.99 @ newegg)

Case: Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ($169.99 @ newegg)

Aftermarket Cooler : COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler ($30.99 @ newegg)

Monitor : ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) Built-in Speakers ($199.99 @ newegg)

 

[Marsipolami]

Thanks a bunch n0n44m, those are some helpful suggestions. Now have some more things to look into. It's a shame that almost everything you suggested will probably make my build more expensive :-D As for the storage, I still have a 1 gig WD hdd i bought last year.

Also it seems that going with the 6950 might be a more budget-conscious choice.

To store .txt files on?

 

[VibratingDonkey]

If money's not too big a concern, the R3 should be better than the P182 for the Asus GPU you want. I tried the 580 DCU II myself in my P183, and the temps were horrible. That's with the top exhaust blocked off though, which should definitely have made a difference, though how big, I don't know. With the R3, you can customize the air flow a lot more, so if things are too hot, you can open up the top exhaust, and then the side if you need even more.

As for the P182's fans, they should be just as removable as any others. If they're like the P183's, they just have an RPM control as part of their fan cables, and the control is screwed into the opening at the back. You can probably re-use them in the R3, it's just that the controls will be inside the case.

if you could fit the Asus in a P183 it shouldn't be a problem with the R3. So that's that solved.
Not entirely sure what I'll do with the fan situation.

From the P182 I can scavenge one inaudible, but inefficient Noctua. And three Antec TriCool. Two of which would have controllers dangling around inside the case. They can push lots of air at higher RPMs, but that makes them quite noisy. Perhaps I should just get new fans as well.

The R3 comes with one 120mm in the back and one in the front. Think those are supposed to be ok but not great. I'd definitely want to put another exhaust in the rear top, and/or possibly on the side. Perhaps another intake in the front? I've never bothered to think about this stuff before.

 

[iSurvivedTheOutage]

That connector is just there in case you don't have anywhere to plug the fan into the motherboard, or a fan controller. You don't have to use it.

thx chaos.

 

[Pennybags]

Idiot question:

I'm upgrading from a GT430 (lol) to a 560 Ti.

Do I have to do anything about drivers before I make the switch?

 

[LordCanti]

Idiot question:

I'm upgrading from a GT430 (lol) to a 560 Ti.

Do I have to do anything about drivers before I make the switch?

Wouldn't hurt to uninstall them, and then freshly install the newest Nvidia drivers after installing the new card (well...not newest...people are having trouble with the newest Nvidia drivers. Get 275 if you can. That is the non-bugged one, right guys?)

Is it necessary though? I don't think so. I could be wrong, but I remember reading about how Nvidia's drivers were unified, and that they worked for pretty much all newer models.

 

[Hazaro]

Updated my build thanks to the feedback of some valuable members. It's really appreciated, you guys rock. I'll post the complete list before I buy. Do you recommend the Vertex 3 over the Vertex 2? I decided to put a bit more budget into my build, hence why the case is double the value from what I had in mind.

Crucial M4 or Intel 320

 

[Flame Lord]

Which one of these cards are better?

The Twin Frozr III

or

EVGA Classified

The only difference between the two are the core and memory clock (I don't know what either of those things do).

 

[Ooccoo]

Crucial M4 or Intel 320

Thanks, I guess the Vertex problems are true after all :/

 

[Hazaro]

Which one of these cards are better?

The Twin Frozr III

or

EVGA Classified

The only difference between the two are the core and memory clock (I don't know what either of those things do).

MSI if you don't know what those things are.

Thanks, I guess the Vertex problems are true after all :/

The Intel 320 has an 8MB bug, but honestly the reports of it are extremely low.

 

[Pennybags]

Wouldn't hurt to uninstall them, and then freshly install the newest Nvidia drivers after installing the new card (well...not newest...people are having trouble with the newest Nvidia drivers. Get 275 if you can. That is the non-bugged one, right guys?)

Is it necessary though? I don't think so. I could be wrong, but I remember reading about how Nvidia's drivers were unified, and that they worked for pretty much all newer models.

Thanks much.

 

[black_vegeta]

The Intel 320 has an 8MB bug, but honestly the reports of it are extremely low.

That's was fixed with the firmware update correct?

 

[Red Blaster]

Which one of these cards are better?

The Twin Frozr III

or

EVGA Classified

The only difference between the two are the core and memory clock (I don't know what either of those things do).

I have the TFIII (Amazon had it for only 329 back in July but it seems they've readjusted the price to 369), absolutely fantastic card.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

New cards = get!
Old cards = packed!

GTX 460: $3.59 per fps (avg).
HD 6950: $3.51 per fps (avg).

HD 5770: $3.54 per fps (avg).
HD 6950: $3.55 per fps (avg).

Surprising that AMD with better processor (2.66Ghz vs 2.9Ghz) and Faster RAM (2666 Mhz vs 2912Mhz) performed slightly worse.

LOVE the massive jump from 5770 to 6950!

 

[Hazaro]

New cards = get!
Old cards = packed!

Surprising that AMD with better processor (2.66Ghz vs 2.9Ghz) and Faster RAM (2666 Mhz vs 2912Mhz) performed slightly worse.

LOVE the massive jump from 5770 to 6950!

Your CPUs are closer than that.

 

[iSurvivedTheOutage]

Which one of these cards are better?

The Twin Frozr III

or

EVGA Classified

The only difference between the two are the core and memory clock (I don't know what either of those things do).

If I were you I would wait for that price to drop on that MSI card. For close to 400 you should be looking at a 580.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Your CPUs are closer than that.

I guess... I'm a little jelly cause my PC is "newer" than my brothers yet it took an extra fps hit.

Thanks again for the recommendation!

So happy that I can play BF3 at 60fps now, don't care if it'll be at low!

 

[Hazaro]

I guess... I'm a little jelly cause my PC is "newer" than my brothers yet it took an extra fps hit.

Thanks again for the recommendation!

So happy that I can play BF3 at 60fps now, don't care if it'll be at low!

Should try and figure out how much you can bump your CPU speed, should help with BF3.
Probably something like 3.4Ghz and run that bench again and see how your min frames do.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Should try and figure out how much you can bump your CPU speed, should help with BF3.
Probably something like 3.4Ghz and run that bench again and see how your min frames do.

Will do when I get a better heatsink and not the AMD-installed heatsink. I am afraid of overclocking. Baby steps!

 

[garath]

Updated my build thanks to the feedback of some valuable members. It's really appreciated, you guys rock. I'll post the complete list before I buy. Do you recommend the Vertex 3 over the Vertex 2? I decided to put a bit more budget into my build, hence why the case is double the value from what I had in mind.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core ($219.99 @ newegg)

Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Toxic Radeon 6950 2GB ($289.99 @ newegg)

Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel ($179.99 @ newegg)

Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) ($67.99 @ newegg)

Power Supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650M 650W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular High Performance Power Supply ($109.99 @ newegg)

SSD : OCZ Vertex 2 120GB ($179.99 @ newegg)

HDD : SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" ($79.99 @ newegg)

Case: Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ($169.99 @ newegg)

Aftermarket Cooler : COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler ($30.99 @ newegg)

Monitor : ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) Built-in Speakers ($199.99 @ newegg)

The only thing I'd do differently is replace the Corsair Vengeance ram with the low profile version. That way you are guaranteed no issues with CPU coolers and RAM slots on the board. My slot 1 on my MSI board was clearly under the Hyper 212+ and the stock Vengeance RAM didn't fit. The low profile version is only ~$10 more and fits perfectly.

 

[th3dude]

Sorry if this has been posted, but I didn't see any info:

What's that benchmarking tool you all are using (and I see folks in the BF3 thread using)?

 

[TheExodu5]

^You can get nice 8GB G.Skill RAM without a heat spreader for $44.

AMD is a little slower clock-for-clock, so it's not that surprising.

 

[Velion]

Sorry if this has been posted, but I didn't see any info:

What's that benchmarking tool you all are using (and I see folks in the BF3 thread using)?

First 2 lines on the pictures. Unigine Heaven Benchmark 2.5

 

[wandering goat]

if you could fit the Asus in a P183 it shouldn't be a problem with the R3. So that's that solved.
Not entirely sure what I'll do with the fan situation.

From the P182 I can scavenge one inaudible, but inefficient Noctua. And three Antec TriCool. Two of which would have controllers dangling around inside the case. They can push lots of air at higher RPMs, but that makes them quite noisy. Perhaps I should just get new fans as well.

The R3 comes with one 120mm in the back and one in the front. Think those are supposed to be ok but not great. I'd definitely want to put another exhaust in the rear top, and/or possibly on the side. Perhaps another intake in the front? I've never bothered to think about this stuff before.

People have posted builds here with the R3 and a DCU II cooler, so it won't be a problem.

As for the fans, you could always experiment with 3 or 4 in there. I'd start by putting an extra in the front and keeping the top blocked off, as that'll be quietest. Then take ones of the fronts (or an extra fan if possible) and put it on the top. You can also try using the bottom intake. I'd do the side panel last if needed, as that'll bring dust into the case.

 

[iSurvivedTheOutage]

Whats a good program that allows you to control the speed of your fans?

 

[abuC]

Anyone have a logitech g13? I'm really interested in getting one since it has the analog on it and you can map wasd to it.

 

[Wazzim]

Whats a good program that allows you to control the speed of your fans?

SpeedFan.

 

[iSurvivedTheOutage]

SpeedFan.

Call me stupid but I downloaded it and cant seem to figure out which tab controls the fan speed....lol

 

[Smokey]

The Intel 320 has an 8MB bug, but honestly the reports of it are extremely low.

This has been fixed with a patch.

Sorry if this has been posted, but I didn't see any info:

What's that benchmarking tool you all are using (and I see folks in the BF3 thread using)?

Heaven and 3DMark

 

[Wazzim]

Call me stupid but I downloaded it and cant seem to figure out which tab controls the fan speed....lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWLh7RFhhaw

 

[coopolon]

Nevermind, looking at the website it is completely different than the earlier version I have.

 

[Ooccoo]

The only thing I'd do differently is replace the Corsair Vengeance ram with the low profile version. That way you are guaranteed no issues with CPU coolers and RAM slots on the board. My slot 1 on my MSI board was clearly under the Hyper 212+ and the stock Vengeance RAM didn't fit. The low profile version is only ~$10 more and fits perfectly.

link?

 

[Tonner Cyn]

OK, today may be the day I go ahead and place my order with CyberPower (no time or experience to build on my own with confidence). They are running a 'free' upgrade to a GTX 570 that I want to take advantage of. I've already missed out on a free ssd and a free blu-ray player so I don't want to wait much longer. I would like to ask for some last minute input on the parts though. And to make sure I don't become one of those people feist mentioned a couple of pages back - thank you NeoGAF community for your help! It has raised the amount I'm spending some but I know I am getting a better computer for it.

Here's the details:
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ Side Panel Window [+2]
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-2500K 3.30 GHz 6M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified) [-110]
Cooling Fan: CoolerMaster Hyper TX3 Gaming CPU Cooling Fan [-6]
Motherboard: * [CrossFireX/SLI] GigaByte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 Intel Z68 Chipset DDR3 ATX MB w/ Lucid Virtu + Intel Smart Response Technology & 7.1 Dolby Home Theater Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, 2x SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified) [+23]
Memory: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module [-37] (Kingston HyperX [+70])
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+35] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
Power Supply Upgrade: * 750 Watts - Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2 80 Plus Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready [+83]
Hard Drive: 80 GB Intel 320 2.5 inch SATA Gaming MLC Solid State Disk [+73] (Single Hard Drive)
Data Hard Drive: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+68] (Single Hard Drive)
Optical Drive: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
Keyboard: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech B100 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 800 dpi Mouse (Black Color) [+4]
Flash Media Reader/Writer: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer [+10] (BLACK COLOR)
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)

Some notes/questions of my own:
- I want a roomy case but I'm trying to keep under 20" high. I like the Zalman for the filters and it is one of the cheaper options available. I'm open to changing it if there is a clearly better case though.
- The site does not offer the CM 212 cooling fan as far as I can tell. The Hyper TX3 gets good reviews on NewEgg though.
- Been going back and forth on the GTX 560 Ti and the 570. With today's deal it is an easy call to go with the 570.
- The psu has been another one I've been all over the place with. This one has good reviews and seems to be plenty of power for my needs.
- I was going to go with the 96 GB Kingston SSD (have read some good reviews) but hearing the problem with the 320 got fixed it seems like this is the better drive, even though it is a little smaller.

And lastly...
Your Current Specs: Athlon X2 3800+, 1 GB RAM (maybe 2), think I'm running a GeForce 5800
Budget: $1300, USA
Main Use: Gaming, general usage (Word, Web)
Monitor Resolution: 1440x990 but will be upgrading, probably to 1920x1080
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Civ V, Diablo III
Will you be overclocking?: Yes, if it doesn't involve messing with the hardware itself (never done it before)

 

[th3dude]

All my parts are here. Building tonight..


feelsgoodman.jpg

 

[chaosblade]

I'd use the Labor Day Special to get a H60 over that Hyper TX3. Wouldn't go with a 92mm cooler. Even without a push-pull config it will still run circles around it.

 

[th3dude]

I have an H60 sitting in front of me waiting to go home and be installed.

Would be happy to post impressions later.

 

[Tonner Cyn]

You know, I didn't even notice the Hyper TX3 was a 96 mm fan. Yeah, I'm going to have to change that. Not sure I want to go liquid though, so I may just go ahead and pony up for the FRIO.

 

[Smokey]

ugh last page