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[Smokey]

I don't know how the 285's are but my 295 idles in the 65-76c range!

Geez. I guess I'm not used to seeing these temps as my machine is the first build I've done. Had the DCII Asus 580 and it idle'd at 33-35, and the same with my Lightning that I have now. Those temps you just posted are what I get when I'm gaming. Actually when running the Heaven benchmark it usually maxs out at 72-73c. Mindblowing to me.

 

[demigod]

Geez. I guess I'm not used to seeing these temps as my machine is the first build I've done. Had the DCII Asus 580 and it idle'd at 33-35, and the same with my Lightning that I have now. Those temps you just posted are what I get when I'm gaming. Actually when running the Heaven benchmark it usually maxs out at 72-73c. Mindblowing to me.

Yep its ridiculous. The Zotac was idling at 40. I would've RMA the 295 but BFG went under.

I pressed the button reset CMOS while the pc was off (like written in the mobo manual) but nothing changed.

Never heard of a CMOS button. Isn't that just a reset button you're clicking? If i'm not mistaken, there looks to be a green pull up pin to the left of the MSI chip/word. It's connected to the first 2 pins, pull it up and connect it to the 2nd and 3rd pin for 10secs, then put it back to normal.

 

[LordCanti]

I bought GTAIV on Steam during the sales a while back, and actually just tested it without the mod. Any versions out that work with the Steam version?

I think 1.07 might work, but don't quote me on that. I don't have the Steam version, so I really haven't looked into it.

 

[MizzouRah]

Do you think $600 is a decent price for that rig?

 

[chaosblade]

Never heard of a CMOS button. Isn't that just a reset button you're clicking? If i'm not mistaken, there looks to be a green pull up pin to the left of the MSI chip/word. It's connected to the first 2 pins, pull it up and connect it to the 2nd and 3rd pin for 10secs, then put it back to normal.

Lot of boards these days have buttons that reset it so you don't have to deal with the pins, pretty sure both of my recent boards have.

But if that doesn't work try the above since that should force it to reset.

 

[JackEtc]

I think 1.07 might work, but don't quote me on that. I don't have the Steam version, so I really haven't looked into it.

Alright, I'll check it out.

 

[karlhungis]

Looking at upgrading my GPU.

I currently have a HD4850 and I am considering upping it to a 6850, 6870, or 6950.

My current rig is a
Intel Q9870X
6GB DDR2
misc other items....

So, in your opinion, is it worth the money to go with a 6950 over a 6850?

 

[Shambles]

I finally beat my piece of shit Y560. Pulled the damn thing apart to pull the CMOS battery in order to reset the BIOS from using the dedicated GPU that does not work. Laptop had been down for almost a month. Now I can at least turn it on, use it for basic stuff and play basic stuff like civ4 on it. The fan has an annoying whine but I still feel like I am victorious.

I've taken laptops apart before but this one didn't seem to want to detach completely. Had to reach my fingers into a small gap while bending the motherboard to give me some space to reach the battery. However I really was trying to avoid as much disassembly as possible.

 

[RibbedHero]

What does everyone do to their old graphics card when they upgrade? Do you sell it on ebay, return it to the retailer or something else entirely?

I'm looking upgrade my graphics cards, but don't know how to get some cash for them to go towards a new graphics card.

Can anyone else answer this question? Particularly you UK-GAF people.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

Geez. I guess I'm not used to seeing these temps as my machine is the first build I've done. Had the DCII Asus 580 and it idle'd at 33-35, and the same with my Lightning that I have now. Those temps you just posted are what I get when I'm gaming. Actually when running the Heaven benchmark it usually maxs out at 72-73c. Mindblowing to me.

hey chump, im ready for our transaction. let's do this.
get on aim.

 

[Smokey]

hey chump, im ready for our transaction. let's do this.
get on aim.

Who the fuck are yo--viakado?!

Ice raven lol?

I'm in traffic right now

 

[Clydefrog]

Alright, I'll check it out.

Let me know what you find out. I have the Steam version of GTA IV and would love to see icenhancer in person

 

[blackprophesy]

Sorry this is probably a noob question, but I'm reading conflicting information regarding powering two CPU fans (specifically two Coolermaster Blade Master 120 PWM fans on a Hyoer 212+) off the single CPU fan header on the Asus P8P67 Pro motherboard.

According to my mobo manual the PWM CPU header supports 1amp. And according to Coolermaster the Blade Master 120 pulls 0.36amps max each. So in theory it should be ok with just a Y splitter from the CPU fan header.

However some people suggest to use a PWM splitter with a molex connector from the PSU. This I guess is the safer option.

Any recommendation?

 

[Wazzim]

Can anyone else answer this question? Particularly you UK-GAF people.

Don't you have a nationally known Tech site with some buy/sell stuff? I just sell and buy stuff on Tweakers which is the biggest PC orientated site here. Just search around for a good forum in the UK.

 

[Tattooth]

Can anyone else answer this question? Particularly you UK-GAF people.

CEX would give you some money, but not alot. Last time I checked, they gave around £50 for a GTX 460, if that helps.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

Who the fuck are yo--viakado?!

Ice raven lol?

I'm in traffic right now

Lol. I needed a new rebranding of myself.
This is what happens when you insult bish.
Ok, just aim me when ur available.

 

[Desaan]

Can anyone else answer this question? Particularly you UK-GAF people.

Shove everything on ebay, if you have an account in good standing selling second hard PC components is not a problem.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Thanks, I want to make the most of my setup and if I can get a card to bare some of the load on something regarding Physx.

I guess that means what is the cheapest card that will do this for me?

MSI GTS 450 single slot card is perfect for PhysX.

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-GeForce-GTS450-Catalog-Category/dp/B005FNEZAI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1316641371&sr=8-5

I bought it at newegg for 129 but I dont see the single slot listed. the mazon link has it used for 85.

 

[RibbedHero]

CEX would give you some money, but not alot. Last time I checked, they gave around £50 for a GTX 460, if that helps.

Yeah, it looks like CEX and ebay are the only options. Will probably try ebay first; CEX offers me a pittance.

 

[JackEtc]

Let me know what you find out. I have the Steam version of GTA IV and would love to see icenhancer in person

Alright, apparently there's a way to downgrade Steam GTA to get it working with iCEnhancer:

http://www.gtagaming.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2198415

Then it'll work with the Steam version.

 

[Hazaro]

Yeah, it looks like CEX and ebay are the only options. Will probably try ebay first; CEX offers me a pittance.

Something like http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/ ?
Most bigger tech sites have a member buy/sell section.
Otherwise eBay.

 

[Tallshortman]

Looking at upgrading my GPU.

I currently have a HD4850 and I am considering upping it to a 6850, 6870, or 6950.

My current rig is a
Intel Q9870X
6GB DDR2
misc other items....

So, in your opinion, is it worth the money to go with a 6950 over a 6850?

Yes, the 6950 has great performance to value and you'll want that extra power if you plan on playing GPU intensive games like BF3 will be.

 

[karlhungis]

Yes, the 6950 has great performance to value and you'll want that extra power if you plan on playing GPU intensive games like BF3 will be.

I am looking at a Sapphire model on Amazon for 245 after rebates and it comes with dirt 3 and Deus EX HR. Has anyone had any experience with Sapphire cards before? Seems like a pretty good deal if they get any more in stock.

 

[Smokey]

Multi-monitor stands...are they all $200+?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824995182

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824994053

Am I doing it wrong?

 

[LordCanti]

Multi-monitor stands...are they all $200+?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824995182

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824994053

Am I doing it wrong?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082808

Not sure how jury-rigged you want your setup to be, but you could probably mix and match some of monoprice's stands to create a 3 panel setup.

I'm using one for one of my monitors. It's alright for the price (since the price is cheaaaaaap)

You could also get three of these http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AMJC2K/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Would save $50 that way

Also, this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0023ED22Y/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Seems to have good reviews. I've never used one though, so I can't say for sure.

 

[PigSpeakers]

AGH. I thought I had everything figured out and it was going to be easy street. I've been just going through the motherboard integrated video right now, but I'm trying to install my gtx 460 now. If I plug in the gtx 460 and plug my video (DVI) into the motherboard, I get no video whatsoever. Do I need to change some setting on my computer BEFORE I plug the card in? Would it be something in the motherboard BIOS settings?

EDIT: Never mind. For the moment at least.

 

[LordCanti]

AGH. I thought I had everything figured out and it was going to be easy street. I've been just going through the motherboard integrated video right now, but I'm trying to install my gtx 460 now. If I plug in the gtx 460 and plug my video (DVI) into the motherboard, I get no video whatsoever. Do I need to change some setting on my computer BEFORE I plug the card in? Would it be something in the motherboard BIOS settings?

Go into the bios, and change "integrated graphics" to off (or "graphics" to PCI-E). It depends on the mobo.

Make sure you're plugging the 460 in, if it requires a PCI-E power cable from your PSU. Otherwise, make sure the card is fully seated.

 

[Mr Nightman]

AGH. I thought I had everything figured out and it was going to be easy street. I've been just going through the motherboard integrated video right now, but I'm trying to install my gtx 460 now. If I plug in the gtx 460 and plug my video (DVI) into the motherboard, I get no video whatsoever. Do I need to change some setting on my computer BEFORE I plug the card in? Would it be something in the motherboard BIOS settings?

EDIT: Never mind. For the moment at least.

yea just plug in to the video card itself, no need to use integrated to install a new vid card

 

[PigSpeakers]

Windows isn't loading now. I had to do a system restore because I was stupid and thought that something wasn't working when my monitor wasn't turning on so I force quit by pressing the power button.

Now it gets to the windows is loading screen and just turns black. Keyboard won't work with it for some reason.

 

[mug]

I am looking at a Sapphire model on Amazon for 245 after rebates and it comes with dirt 3 and Deus EX HR. Has anyone had any experience with Sapphire cards before? Seems like a pretty good deal if they get any more in stock.

I've had a few Sapphire cards and have never had a problem.

 

[Tallshortman]

I am looking at a Sapphire model on Amazon for 245 after rebates and it comes with dirt 3 and Deus EX HR. Has anyone had any experience with Sapphire cards before? Seems like a pretty good deal if they get any more in stock.

Sapphire is a good brand/manufacturer. I had one of their cards before my current GPU and worked just fine with no problems.

 

[Alucrid]

How do you think the price of SSDs will fare in the next year or so? 500 gb for ~3-400?

 

[LordCanti]

How do you think the price of SSDs will fare in the next year or so? 500 gb for ~3-400?

I don't think they'll go from near a grand (or more) to 300 or 400 dollars. They'll definitely go down though.

SSD's have been getting cheaper and cheaper. I think we'll see $1 a GB soon on the lower end 60-120gb or so. Within the next year is a good bet (for the newer drives). All the older gen drives should be hitting $1 per GB any day now (some of them have during sales).

I just hope we see some increased stability out of the low end drives (there are so many cheap SSD's, with such terrible reviews on Newegg).

 

[PigSpeakers]

Everything is working now finally! 1080p through the HDMI cable connected to my video card. Thanks PC GAF!

Nvidia control panel wouldn't install with the driver CD. I tried nHancer, but that wouldn't open. Any other programs that might work as a substitute?

 

[scogoth]

How do you think the price of SSDs will fare in the next year or so? 500 gb for ~3-400?

Don't count on it, the cost per GB goes up on 512GB drives compared to lower capacities and 256GB drives are no where near $1 per GB.

Everything is working now finally! 1080p through the HDMI cable connected to my video card. Thanks PC GAF!

Nvidia control panel wouldn't install with the driver CD. I tried nHancer, but that wouldn't open. Any other programs that might work as a substitute?

Never install drivers from a CD, best to get them from Nvidia's site. nHancer hasn't been updated in a long time and don't support 5xx cards. Nvidia's own control panel will do just fine for most tweaking.

 

[abusori]

Are there any decent, overclockable motherboards still being sold (even used if priced okay) for lga 775?
Money's kinda tight, so I'd really rather keep what I've got as long as I can, but my current motherboard sucks for overclocking (which I probably need if I want to keep my Q6600 useful for another year), and I need an extra PCI slot and DDR3 slot.

So I really want another motherboard, but I'll understand if I really don't have any option but to upgrade both motherboard and cpu. If that's the case, I'd probably rather wait for ivy bridge anyway. Any advice at all would be appreciated--an hour of searching on google hasn't really helped.

 

[·feist·]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=30617280&postcount=11569

Intel: new graphics drivers will make your games run 40% faster

Sandy Bridge Driver Update Boosts Game Performance in Windows
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/sandy_bridge_driver_update_boosts_game_performance_windows

Intel has made available an updated graphics driver for Sandy Bridge processors capable of delivering up to 37 percent better performance on Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) platforms, providing you're rocking Intel's integrated HD graphics instead of a dedicated videocard.

The Santa Clara chip maker is billing the download as a "major garphics driver update for 2nd generation Intel Core processors with Intel HD graphics." ULV platforms, such as the ones most often found in ultraportable and slim notebooks, stand to gain the most from the updated driver, though Intel spokesman Dave Salvator tells CNet the update applies to any system with a Sandy Bridge chip running Intel HD graphics.

Intel is touting the following double-digit performance gains with the new driver installed:

• Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty -- Devil's Playground: 37 percent

• Resident Evil 5 Benchmark: 10 percent

• Dawn of War: Chaos Rising: 29 percent

• Battlefield: Bad Company 2: 28 percent

• Dirt 2: 12 percent

• Supreme Command 2: 16 percent

The updated driver also resolves a bunch of issues in Windows 7 and Vista, things like intermittent crashing when using an HDMI monitor and minor rendering artifacts in some games.

Intel GMA Driver Windows 7/Vista 32-bit
Intel GMA Driver Windows 7/Vista 64-bit

 

[·feist·]

Are there any decent, overclockable motherboards still being sold (even used if priced okay) for lga 775?
Money's kinda tight, so I'd really rather keep what I've got as long as I can, but my current motherboard sucks for overclocking (which I probably need if I want to keep my Q6600 useful for another year), and I need an extra PCI slot and DDR3 slot.

So I really want another motherboard, but I'll understand if I really don't have any option but to upgrade both motherboard and cpu. If that's the case, I'd probably rather wait for ivy bridge anyway. Any advice at all would be appreciated--an hour of searching on google hasn't really helped.

Ebay, Craigslist, and various buy/sell/trade threads may be your best bet at this point. You may be able to find new boards from reputable buyers, but not everyone is honest, and used options make up the majority of the market. About the only options I'd look into are Gigabyte's GA-EP45-UD3P (though some swear by the UD3R, or DDR3 iterations of this platform), or the Asus P5Q line: Pro, Turbo, Pro Turbo, SE, and Deluxe. If you can get something for ~$100, give or take (preferably new, of course), these are among the best 775 boards. Once bids start rising to ~$150, or higher, I wouldn't bother.

 

[black_vegeta]

So, is this Intel driver update only for folks that don't have dedicated GPU's?

 

[knitoe]

Time to try those drives on my Asus EP121 Tablet.

 

[JesseZao]

Been thinking about building a PC for a while now and I'm probably looking to get something around the enthusiast build. Where is the best place to purchase monitors? Or what brands are good? At minimum 1080p, but if price is right I wouldn't mind a bit higher rez.

Also I buy the parts a la carte, so do I need anything else to actually build it? Thermal paste comes with chip I assume and I'll need a screwdriver...anything else?

 

[Hazaro]

Been thinking about building a PC for a while now and I'm probably looking to get something around the enthusiast build. Where is the best place to purchase monitors? Or what brands are good? At minimum 1080p, but if price is right I wouldn't mind a bit higher rez.

Also I buy the parts a la carte, so do I need anything else to actually build it? Thermal paste comes with chip I assume and I'll need a screwdriver...anything else?

Can't help on monitors. What I usually do is look for a cheap and highly rated one (that has reviews starting less than a year ago) and see if anything is wrong with it.
Paste is with cpu cooler.

 

[PigSpeakers]

Never install drivers from a CD, best to get them from Nvidia's site. nHancer hasn't been updated in a long time and don't support 5xx cards. Nvidia's own control panel will do just fine for most tweaking.

Well, I tried to uninstall the drivers using add/remove programs, and then I rebooted but it installed the drivers automatically. Nvidia control panel is still there, but won't open when I double click it.

 

[woober]

Well, I tried to uninstall the drivers using add/remove programs, and then I rebooted but it installed the drivers automatically. Nvidia control panel is still there, but won't open when I double click it.

Make sure you've uninstalled everything nVidia related in the add/remove. Restart PC. Then install the latest nVidia drivers even if Windows automatically installs its own drivers.

 

[PigSpeakers]

Make sure you've uninstalled everything nVidia related in the add/remove. Restart PC. Then install the latest nVidia drivers even if Windows automatically installs its own drivers.

I ran a driver sweeper then downloaded and installed the drivers off the nvidia website and ran as administrator. I almost always forget to do that. Now it all installed and works correctly.

 

[JesseZao]

Does memory go down in price all the time? The 8GB from OP is half off the listed price. Assuming that was updated 9/15, that's a big drop.

 

[Hazaro]

Does memory go down in price all the time? The 8GB from OP is half off the listed price. Assuming that was updated 9/15, that's a big drop.

DDR3 production has peaked, buy RAM that goes on sale now because it isn't getting any cheaper.

 

[abuC]

I'm thinking about using an iMac as a monitor for my pc, anyone doing this?

 

[abusori]

Ebay, Craigslist, and various buy/sell/trade threads may be your best bet at this point. You may be able to find new boards from reputable buyers, but not everyone is honest, and used options make up the majority of the market. About the only options I'd look into are Gigabyte's GA-EP45-UD3P (though some swear by the UD3R, or DDR3 iterations of this platform), or the Asus P5Q line: Pro, Turbo, Pro Turbo, SE, and Deluxe. If you can get something for ~$100, give or take (preferably new, of course), these are among the best 775 boards. Once bids start rising to ~$150, or higher, I wouldn't bother.

The DDR3 version of the Gigabyte board you suggested is exactly the type of thing I was looking for; I'll see if I can find it anywhere. Thank you very much for the help, good sir/madam!

 

[Trojita]

I upgraded my router and I'm pulling in like 20 more Mbps.