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

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Is this the defacto "omg help my pc just did something fucked up" thread too? If so, I'd like to ask this...

have you ever heard of windows just randomly rolling back to a restore point from months ago? I restarted, and it rolled back to May. Lost save games, documents, etc, because it reset my documents folder to that time too, and wiped out all other restore points. wtf.
 
Guys I bought the Cooler Master hyper 212 plus for my new PC and I'm trying to put it on. I mounted the heatsink and secured it, but I don't know which direction the fan is supposed to blow. I have not taken off the brackets from the fan that secure it to the heatsink. Do I just put it back on the way it came in the box?

Also my case has a big fan in the back, so do I put my cpu fan facing that case fan?
 
Oh damn, that sucks :( Oh and learnt from experience the hard way, if you have some sort of hdd and are trying to set it to ahci and then after updating ur firmware for the motherboard ur computers starts giving u bsods and rebooting, go check the sata controller settings, it will have been set back to ide so u need to reswitch it to ahci for windows to be able to boot...

Also, currently fighting with a different bsod that seems to ahve sth to do with the usb 3.0 xfast drivers that come with the cd of the asrock extreme p4.

One thing I learnt the past couple of days with this new build is that it'S just as likely to mess up and eat your time as it was more than 15 years ago for my first build lol
 
·feist· said:
Not sure how many times they're going to do this, but Newegg is a repeat offender when it comes to Hyper 212+ pricing. MSRP is $29.99. Don't pay a penny more. Look to Amazon, Fry's, Micro Center, etc. The Rosewill Challenger is not worth $55 - check the OP for other options, or buy the Challenger elsewhere. Even if it were, it's not a good match with your PSU. On the subject of the PSU, you don't need anything close to 750W, unless you intend to run multiple cards at some point. You can save money with a lower wattage model, or go for a better spec PSU in that price range. That ASRock now comes in a Gen3 variety. It normally costs about the same (or ~$10 more), and has more features.
Click to expand...
They have no deals on the Hyper 212 anyway, so thanks for the heads up, I can just take that out and order elsewhere.

The case was just a highly rated one that I liked the aesthetics of. I don't really want anything too gawdy looking. Just a clean box would do fine for me. I'll keep looking and research the PSU compatibility.

As far as the PSU, that was more for some sort of future-proofing. Plus the deal with the memory making it $100 was pretty good. Eventually I want to OC once I'm comfortable with what I'm doing, wouldn't I want that much to be safe? Or is it waaay overkill? I'd rather not have to upgrade it in a few months or whatever.

Good stuff though, thanks.

I believe I found the Mobo you mentioned, this one? http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265

Extra $20, but I can shop around on that too. No deals on Newegg for that one.
 
Niblet said:
Guys I bought the Cooler Master 212 plus for my new PC and I'm trying to put it on. I mounted the heatsink and secured it, but I don't know which direction the fan is supposed to blow. I have not taken off the brackets from the fan that secure it to the heatsink. Do I just put it back on the way it came in the box?

Also my case has a big fan in the back, so do I put my cpu fan facing that case fan?
Click to expand...

You can set the fan up to either suck the hot air out of the heat sink or have it blowing it out, but whichever you choose the fan in the back will suck it out completely. Also, look on the side of the fan for an arrow and it signifies what direction the air blows.
 
Niblet said:
Guys I bought the Cooler Master hyper 212 plus for my new PC and I'm trying to put it on. I mounted the heatsink and secured it, but I don't know which direction the fan is supposed to blow. I have not taken off the brackets from the fan that secure it to the heatsink. Do I just put it back on the way it came in the box?

Also my case has a big fan in the back, so do I put my cpu fan facing that case fan?
Click to expand...

I mounted one of my two wrongs and I'll eventually have to redo it ( they are both in pull now instead of being pull push). i believe it pulls from the side with the grey sticker to the side with the black one of the fan.
 
LastWindow said:
You can set the fan up to either suck the hot air out of the heat sink or have it blowing it out, but whichever you choose the fan in the back will suck it out completely. Also, look on the side of the fan for an arrow and it signifies what direction the air blows.
Click to expand...

If my back fan blows out the case, don't I want my CPU fan to suck heat and blow it out to the back fan? And if the back is pulling in air, don't I want the CPU fan to take that air and hit the heatsink?

Which direction is my fan blowing? @_@ I hope the case fan has the arrows.

Edited for clarity.

Edit 2: I have used my sharp mind to deduce that the fan on the case blows air out. Thus, I think the best course of action is to mount the heatsink's facing the back fan, blowing outward. Thus maximizing heat dissipation. Thanks to boulayman's post, I feel confident in this assessment.

Edit 3: Not so confident now. Urgh.
 
ShadyLurker said:
They have no deals on the Hyper 212 anyway, so thanks for the heads up, I can just take that out and order elsewhere.

The case was just a highly rated one that I liked the aesthetics of. I don't really want anything too gawdy looking. Just a clean box would do fine for me. I'll keep looking and research the PSU compatibility.

As far as the PSU, that was more for some sort of future-proofing. Plus the deal with the memory making it $100 was pretty good. Eventually I want to OC once I'm comfortable with what I'm doing, wouldn't I want that much to be safe? Or is it waaay overkill? I'd rather not have to upgrade it in a few months or whatever.

Good stuff though, thanks.

I believe I found the Mobo you mentioned, this one? http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265

Extra $20, but I can shop around on that too. No deals on Newegg for that one.
Click to expand...
That's the correct motherboard. If you can't find it less than the $20 extra, be sure to take a look at the differences between the B3 and Gen3 versions, to see if it even matters to you. Very little point in paying for added features if you know that you'll almost never use them.

Any self-respecting 500W PSU will run that GPU, and an OC 2500K. Getting something in the 550-650W range is more a matter of having more future headroom - that you may or may not ever need - or less stress on the PSU. So, 750W is way more than needed, though it looks like NE has the 650TX and 750TX at the same price (??). Could be due to that bundle you mentioned. Did you check the OP cases? Most of the LEDs you see can be turned off, or disconnected. The Diablotek Evo is high o my list od good budget options. It's still reasonably priced at $50, though the $20 shipping at NE.ca is out of the question. For subtle, quality cases that are still inexpensive, something like the $70 Cooler Master CM690 II Basic is one of the best. You can turn off the LEDs, and if the chrome trim is too shiny for your tastes, it's easily removed. BTW, Newegg.ca seems to have the lowest price, without relying on a rebate like the $80 690 II Advanced deal.

CMHD.TV - Cooler Master CM 690 II: Advanced and Basic Versions Comparison
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AubfqMN9XgE
Cooler Master 690 II Advanced Video Review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGvBjEmXJnI

Without chrome (not my case or pics):

IMG_2740.jpg

IMG_2748.jpg
 
I'm planning on getting an SSD in the near future, but right now I'm on a f4 2tb. How should I set up my partitions to have the easiest transition to SSD in the future? 1 OS partition with most critical software installed there with a second partition as data? Or don't worry about any of that?
 
PC GAF, is it worth upgrading from CoolerMaster USP100 to 690-II Plus (white)? It costs about $30 more. I haven't bought anything yet, but my upgrade will involve these:

Intel i3-2100 (3.1GHz)
Asrock H61M-VS B3
G.Skill Sniper 8gb (dual) ddr3 1600 (F3 12800CL9D 8GBSR2)
Palit GTX 560 1gb/256bit ddr5 (OC Ed)
Corsair CX600 (600W)
Apollo Blast 1000va
Gskill Falcon SATAll 2.5inch 64GB

I liked having sliding trays but I dunno if it's worth it.

HAF 912 costs $5 more than the 690-II Plus.
 
Ignoring questions because I have condensed my knowledge into spreadsheet format.
Please leave any comments, suggestions, criticisms. Point out any inconsistencies, typos, etc.

http://tinyurl.com/HazPCSep2011

The Damn Capable Build: ~$600 - Intel i3-2100, 4GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, GTX460 1GB, $40-$60 case, Corsair CX430W, Biostar TH67B Motherboard, DVD Burner. < Click for Standard wishlist (Pick Case color)

The Get a Lot More Build: ~$1000 – Intel 2500K, 8GB DDR3, 2TB HDD, GTX570, $60-$80 case, XFX 550W, ASUS P8Z68-V Motherboard, DVD Burner, Xonar DG, Cooler Master Hyper 212+. < Click for Excellent wishlist
V56zX.png
 
Wolf Akela said:
PC GAF, is it worth upgrading from CoolerMaster USP100 to 690-II Plus (white)? It costs about $30 more. I haven't bought anything yet, but my upgrade will involve these:

Intel i3-2100 (3.1GHz)
Asrock H61M-VS B3
G.Skill Sniper 8gb (dual) ddr3 1600 (F3 12800CL9D 8GBSR2)
Palit GTX 560 1gb/256bit ddr5 (OC Ed)
Corsair CX600 (600W)
Apollo Blast 1000va
Gskill Falcon SATAll 2.5inch 64GB

I liked having sliding trays but I dunno if it's worth it.

HAF 912 costs $5 more than the 690-II Plus.
Click to expand...

Go for the 690 II. It's definitely a bit of a step above the 912, for sure.
 
Okay, so I've assembled the PC without much trouble. I tried turning it on via power button, but it wouldn't start for some reason. So in the meantime I turned the system on via the power button on the mother board so I could finally install my OS and all that ****. Why is my power button not working?

And secondly, should I have tinkered with the BIOS settings before doing anything else. When I booted my PC for the first time, it asked me to put a disc into the DVD drive. I did, and it immediately took me to Windows 7 installation. Is this fine?

I'm really excited, but I wanna make sure I haven't missed any crucial steps.
 
From those Cooler Master cases above...You can take off that stupid little logo badge on the front? May have to reconsider cases from them. That thing was bothering me and pushing me away from CM for cases.

Hazaro: Spreadsheet looks good, you just have a typo near the end where you put "beats" instead of "beast".
 
Hey, any one have any experience with the HAF 912? I recently got it, and got everything installed, but am having problems with my front panel audio. When I put in a head phone into the front panel jack, in games or in video, I can hear the music and sound effects perfectly clearly, but don't hear any voice. Its like I'm losing an audio channel or something.

I tried 3 different (all working) head phones / earbuds, and all have the same problem. Is there something wrong with the audio jack, or am I maybe doing something wrong in the settings? I've installed all the drivers (realtek drivers in my case), and while I can hear everything in the self-test, the test is music, so...i don't know if its just avoiding the problem.

Also, I don't know if this matters, but shouldn't the audio stop playing in the speakers (connected to the rear audio port) when I plug in a headphone in the front panel audio port? I have it where both still work, which is not a big deal, but I have to turn the speakers off manually every time...
 
What kind of PSU is required for dual SLI 570s? I have a brand new well built 650W PSU installed now but I am thinking that's not gonna cut it with two GPUs in the mix?
 
Getting an issue now. Apparently my PC can't find the drivers for my Ethernet controller, meaning I connect connect to the Internet, meaning no Windows activation. How do I go about resolving this?

EDIT: LOL, whoops, forgot about my motherboard drivers CD.
 
Remember when i said i got rid of the PSU whining by disabling C3 and C6 report?

well after a month of using.. whining came back, out of the blue


fffffffffuuuuuuuuuuu


true PSU still in warranty, god fuckin dammit.


Now it makes this TERRIBLE noise in random situations, like menus of games and stuff like that.
 
What software should I run after building a new PC to make sure everything is running as it should?
 
prime95 for a few hours on Large FFTs or w/e, intelburntest, memtest86+ overnight

play some demanding videogames, watch some hd movies or something, etc
 
MrOogieBoogie said:
What software should I run after building a new PC to make sure everything is running as it should?
Click to expand...

I guess you'd want to stress test it. Prime 95 blend tests, while having RealTemp on, I guess.
 
MadraptorMan said:
What kind of PSU is required for dual SLI 570s? I have a brand new well built 650W PSU installed now but I am thinking that's not gonna cut it with two GPUs in the mix?
Click to expand...

I think at least 750w. That may be pushing it though. Definitely 850w or above though.
 
Sweet, got a blue screen of death trying to run the Windows Experience Rating, lmao.

I noticed that my processor fan wasn't running. Could this be the issue??
 
MrOogieBoogie said:
Sweet, got a blue screen of death trying to run the Windows Experience Rating, lmao.

I noticed that my processor fan wasn't running. Could this be the issue??
Click to expand...
Yes
Plug it into CPU_FAN
 
You guys might not believe but one of my girlfriend's friends works at Intel (in the engineering dept) and he said some pretty interesting things about Ivy Bridge.

He is currently working on the Skylake project for Intel.
 
Alright, fixed my power button issue. And I'm looking closely at all the fans (including the CPU fan) and they all seem to be running.

Just got the blue screen AGAIN, however. God, I was afraid this would happen.

What do you guys suggest?
 
Wish I had real insight to help. I can only state the obvious: Did you triple check EVERY connection in your PC? What drivers have you installed before the BSOD started? Maybe the problem lies with bad driver install. Driver sweep, reboot, reinstall, reboot, try again.
 
Sorry to ask again, but please can anyone offer any advice on my PC situation?

It's making horrible noises, which I believe is coming from the graphics card (maybe the fan) do I try and fix this, or just buy a new card? If so, which do you guys recommend for someone who rarely plays PC games and is coming from a 5750, energy efficiency is key.

Also I currently run 5 VMs over 3 HDs, and at times it's slow as hell, even with 8GB RAM. Would buying an SSD and running all of them (or 3 of them) speed up things at all? fwiw this is my PC, but with 500W PSU.

Thanks!
 
Okay, I think the problem may be that my harddrive never reformated when I installed Windows 7, even though I specifically selected "Custom Install." How can I guarantee that I install Windows 7 on a freshly formatted HDD?

Sorry for the posts, but this is my first build and I want to get it right!
 
MrOogieBoogie said:
Okay, I think the problem may be that my harddrive never reformated when I installed Windows 7, even though I specifically selected "Custom Install." How can I guarantee that I install Windows 7 on a freshly formatted HDD?

Sorry for the posts, but this is my first build and I want to get it right!
Click to expand...

Not to be rude, but you need to slow down and be thorough. You are making mistakes. Not having a CPU fan running could have been disastrous.

As far as a clean install:

-Insert the Windows DVD

-Make sure you are booting from the CD/DVD drive

-Select Custom Install

-When you get to the screen where it asks you where you want to install Windows, hit the advanced button

-Delete all existing partitions (assuming you are using entire drive as system drive)

-Select the un-partitioned space as your destination for the installation

I would advise you hit up YouTube and watch some tutorials

Putting PC together

Installing Windows
 
MrOogieBoogie said:
Okay, I think the problem may be that my harddrive never reformated when I installed Windows 7, even though I specifically selected "Custom Install." How can I guarantee that I install Windows 7 on a freshly formatted HDD?

Sorry for the posts, but this is my first build and I want to get it right!
Click to expand...

It seems you already followed the steps, but make sure you follow all of the steps in :formating and clean install of w7
 
MrOogieBoogie said:
Okay, I think the problem may be that my harddrive never reformated when I installed Windows 7, even though I specifically selected "Custom Install." How can I guarantee that I install Windows 7 on a freshly formatted HDD?

Sorry for the posts, but this is my first build and I want to get it right!
Click to expand...
When you do the Windows installation, it ask you which device you want to install on. On that screen, you can format the drive. I highly doubt you are getting BSOD because the drive wasn't reformatted. Just don't install Windows using the upgrade option.

First thing, if you are overclocking anything, go back to stock. Next, I would try uninstalling and reinstalling drivers, MB, video card and etc. Then, proceed with hardware testing, ram, HDD and etc.
 
Damn, ran that Uniengine Heaven benchmark on my current card 9800GTX+ XFX overclocked edition.

At 1080p with 2x AA it's about 13fps, at 4x AA it's like 5fps.


Will be interesting to see the jump I get with the 580. Should be pretty massive!
 
Tallshortman said:
Best value is 6950. It rivals the 570 on some games and is significantly cheaper unless you're going for a top end 6950 model (extra cooling, OC, other features. The best 6950 I'd say is the sapphire toxic edition which has been documented to be (relatively) easy to flash to 6970 BIOS with shaders unlocked, which along with powerboost and high overclock gets up to 580 stock on some benchmarks and surpasses the 570. Other than that, the 570 is also a fine choice. There aren't any incompatibility issues between AMD chipsets and Nvidia cards.
Click to expand...

It's not like 570's can't be overclocked tho, a good aftermarket cooler like the TF III or DCII will also push the card to 580 stock levels and even beyond.
 
squicken said:
Not to be rude, but you need to slow down and be thorough. You are making mistakes. Not having a CPU fan running could have been disastrous.

As far as a clean install:

-Insert the Windows DVD

-Make sure you are booting from the CD/DVD drive

-Select Custom Install

-When you get to the screen where it asks you where you want to install Windows, hit the advanced button

-Delete all existing partitions (assuming you are using entire drive as system drive)

-Select the un-partitioned space as your destination for the installation

I would advise you hit up YouTube and watch some tutorials

Putting PC together

Installing Windows
Click to expand...

I was wrong earlier. All the fans WERE running. I just couldn't tell due to the lighting in my room. :p

But that's the thing. I tried reinstalling Windows 7 last night (I have the Upgrade version) and made sure to select custom install. Saw my HDD listed, but no Advanced option. Once the whole thing was installed again, I checked my space and the same issue.

I also tried formatting the drive manually via right click>>format, and got an error message saying that the drive could not be formatted.

I am certain this is giving me the blue screen of death. Any other solutions?
 
knitoe said:
When you do the Windows installation, it ask you which device you want to install on. On that screen, you can format the drive. I highly doubt you are getting BSOD because the drive wasn't reformatted. Just don't install Windows using the upgrade option.

First thing, if you are overclocking anything, go back to stock. Next, I would try uninstalling and reinstalling drivers, MB, video card and etc. Then, proceed with hardware testing, ram, HDD and etc.
Click to expand...

Like I said, I'm NOT selecting "Upgrade." I have the Upgrade edition of the disc, though.
 
Don't recall at the moment and can't test my PC as I'm at work. I thought all BSOD messages were the same vague description.

Either way, I need to figure out a way to format my HDD as it's not working via Windows 7 installation disc or manually selecting "Format" on the drive through My Computer. That's my main issue at the moment. All my parts are assembled correctly, I'm pretty confident. All fans are spinning, all front panel LEDs are on, all hardware shows up in dxdiag, etc.
 
Ordered a EVGA Superclocked GTX 570 yesterday. $330 is a lot of money, I'm really glad it has a lifetime warranty. It also doesn't hurt that it comes with a steam code for Arkham City.

I'm upgrading from a Radeon 5770, is there anything special you have to do when switching from an ATI card to Nvidia?
 
Bebpo said:
Damn, ran that Uniengine Heaven benchmark on my current card 9800GTX+ XFX overclocked edition.

At 1080p with 2x AA it's about 13fps, at 4x AA it's like 5fps.


Will be interesting to see the jump I get with the 580. Should be pretty massive!
Click to expand...
580s rape the heaven 2.5 benchmark
 
MrOogieBoogie said:
Don't recall at the moment and can't test my PC as I'm at work. I thought all BSOD messages were the same vague description.

Either way, I need to figure out a way to format my HDD as it's not working via Windows 7 installation disc or manually selecting "Format" on the drive through My Computer. That's my main issue at the moment. All my parts are assembled correctly, I'm pretty confident. All fans are spinning, all front panel LEDs are on, all hardware shows up in dxdiag, etc.
Click to expand...

EDIT: nvm, your issue sounds like a RAM one maybe.
 
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