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[piratepwnsninja]

Anyone have router recommendations? Its time to upgrade from my D-Link DGL-4300.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Anyone have router recommendations? Its time to upgrade from my D-Link DGL-4300.

Buffalo. Great range, DD-WRT support, multiple router support, and more!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833162031

Buffalo. D-Link is such crap, I want to change it myself. Need to buy another Buffalo for massive damage!

 

[TheExodu5]

I went from a DGL-4300 to a Netgear WNDR-3700. I'm happy with it thus far. No crashing. Dual band. Good control panel. My only issue is that I have been unable to update the official firmware on it...not sure why. I'll probably just put dd-wrt on it at some point, as support has actually been paid by Netgear for dd-wrt on this router.

Buffalo. D-Link is such crap, I want to change it myself.

Most D-Links are crap. The DGL-4300 was actually half decent though. Massive upgrade from the 640 I had before that. Problem is, it started resetting after about 3 years. That seems to be the lifespan for all of my routers so far...after a few years they seem to get less reliable. Overheating, maybe?

Just go amazon brand or bluejeanscable. Should be ok at that distance

+1 Bluejeans. They make really nice cables.

While monoprice is cheap and all, I rather pay a few $ more and get some added reliability. Two of the monoprice 6' cables I have actually drop HDMI sometimes (though fairly rarely), which is kind of annoying.

http://bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/hdmi-cable.htm

Only order the thick one if you need the distance over 25'. It's really thick and inflexible. We use it for a projector run at home.

 

[grkazan12]

So I didn't start the process yet, but I've been reading this guide for a bit and was wondering, is this best way to overclock? The automatic overclocking utilities in the EFI are not as good?

Guide in question :http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/overclocking/39184-p67-sandy-bridge-overclocking-guide-beginners.html

So is this the definitive way of overlocking? and is the automatic overclocking tool in the EFI any good or better?

 

[Salsa]

well PSU was quieter till today but it suddenly started doing the constant high pitched whine again, FML, dont know if a capacitator started vibrating the wrong way or wtf. Antec True Power NEW 750w btw. Im incredibly unlucky when it comes to this stuff it seems.

Headphones even at idle it is.

 

[Mulligan]

Hey PCGAF!

I'm looking to overclock my gtx580 but have absolutely no idea on how as i've never overclocked before.. perhaps, if i feel confident enough after my 580 OC, i'll OC my CPU too. So are there any noob friendly GPU OC guides out there? a specific 580 OC guide would be even better.

 

[Ridankulous]

quick question,

I have a biostar tz68a+ motherboard and a intel 2500k cpu

I'm trying to overclock to say 4.5ghz, but the cpu multiplier in the bios won't let me go past 41. I just updated the bios too and the same thing happens.

Any ideas what this could be about?

EDIT: Turns out I don't have the 2500k cpu, just the 2500 which is capped at 4.1 ghz. Dammit i'm so pissed off, I thought I bought the k version. fuck!

 

[Always-honest]

so with that "Excellent" 1010$ build, how ill i be able to play Rage and Battlefield 3?

 

[Hazaro]

So is this the definitive way of overlocking? and is the automatic overclocking tool in the EFI any good or better?

Yes. Trial and error since every chip is different. Auto overclocking HELL NO.

well PSU was quieter till today but it suddenly started doing the constant high pitched whine again, FML, dont know if a capacitator started vibrating the wrong way or wtf. Antec True Power NEW 750w btw. Im incredibly unlucky when it comes to this stuff it seems.

Headphones even at idle it is.

That is a shame. You might want to boost some voltages in your BIOS and see if that solves it. Also take out any extra cards if you have some.

Hey PCGAF!

I'm looking to overclock my gtx580 but have absolutely no idea on how as i've never overclocked before.. perhaps, if i feel confident enough after my 580 OC, i'll OC my CPU too. So are there any noob friendly GPU OC guides out there? a specific 580 OC guide would be even better.

Boot up Rivatuner. Drag sliders until computer crashes / programs stop working.
Done!

quick question,

I have a biostar tz68a+ motherboard and a intel 2500k cpu

I'm trying to overclock to say 4.5ghz, but the cpu multiplier in the bios won't let me go past 41. I just updated the bios too and the same thing happens.

Any ideas what this could be about?

No idea, if you find out lmk. I'm positive you can at least get to 45.
I'd keep volts at 1.25V or around there since it only has 4+1 power phase iirc.

so with that "Excellent" 1010$ build, how ill i be able to play Rage and Battlefield 3?

Rage like 150 FPS if recommended is anything to go by. 60+ should be a lock imo.

BF3 in open 30+, 60+ possible in more closed spaces. Ultra + SSAO + 2xMSAA. Lower for more FPS.

 

[Always-honest]

Rage like 150 FPS if recommended is anything to go by. 60+ should be a lock imo.

BF3 in open 30+, 60+ possible in more closed spaces. Ultra + SSAO + 2xMSAA. Lower for more FPS.

Sounds..... nice

thanx

 

[TheExodu5]

Alright. I'm in the market for a new keyboard.

Teetering back and forth in between the DAS Silent Professional and the Topre Realforce. Thoughts?

I'd like a fairly quiet keyboard. Good feel is important, of course.

My options right now are basically: MX browns, MX reds, or Topre Capacitives.

 

[TheExodu5]

I was mistaken, I had the fans on the radiator taking air in the case and pushing it out. I'm cool with the temps being in the 80s. It's when it hits 90s that I start freaking out. Also cleaned the filters on the 3 180mm fans. Were quiteeeee dirty.

I've also switched all 3 180mm fans to High from their default Low position. I can feel the cool air coming from the bottom of the case, and it's not all that loud. Cards are sitting idle at 39c and 35c. Played Witcher again @ 910mhz for a bit, max temps from Afterburner shows 85c on top card, 74c on bottom. I did change the orientation of one of the 120mm fans on the radiator, dunno if that's helping any.

I dunno guess I'll keep messing around. Will head to MC tomorrow and look for some better 120mm fans.

I'm pretty puzzled by this. You basically have one of the best air cooled cases on the market...the only case that really cools GPUs better is the HAF X (but is a pretty big downgrade, otherwise). It shouldn't matter that you have way more intakes then exhausts. The whole idea is that the intakes are creating a lot of positive pressure inside the case, which is going to force the air out anyways. Couple that with the fact that hot air rises, and you should have pretty great airflow.

 

[Glassboy]

Those are what we refer to as auto overclocking tool / software. Generally, they offer lower speeds and use higher voltages. Thus, it's prefer to enter the settings manually. Either way you do it, as long as you keep the CPU under 75C and 1.35V, it's fairly safe. Most 2500K and 2600K will be able to hit 4.4-4.5GHz using 1.35 or less.

Ah ok. Thanks! I also have a few other quick questions if anyone could help me out. Using Real Temp, my CPU's temperature, idle, sits at about 40 C give or take. I have the installed the Coolermaster 212 and I was curious to see if that's normal. Should I be getting lower temps, or am I sitting at the right spot? If the temp is too high, is it possible that I installed the CPU cooler wrong? Does the amount of thermal paste matter? Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[knitoe]

Ah ok. Thanks! I also have a few other quick questions if anyone could help me out. Using Real Temp, my CPU's temperature, idle, sits at about 40 C give or take. I have the installed the Coolermaster 212 and I was curious to see if that's normal. Should I be getting lower temps, or am I sitting at the right spot? If the temp is too high, is it possible that I installed the CPU cooler wrong? Does the amount of thermal paste matter? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Unless it's totally off, which it's not, I wouldn't worry about idle temps. Instead, look at your load temps. Run Prime95 and see.

 

[AndyD]

What CPU is it? Normal varies by chip usually, but 40C seems reasonable if not a little high for idle.

 

[Glassboy]

Unless it's totally off, which it's not, I wouldn't worry about idle temps. Instead, look at your load temps. Run Prime95 and see.

I did run Prime95 after I did the simple change to 4.2ghz. After about 45 minutes, I think I hit a high of about 77 C. What do you think of that? Thanks again for all the help. It's badass that there are many people in this topic that are so helpful to newbies like myself.

 

[Glassboy]

What CPU is it? Normal varies by chip usually, but 40C seems reasonable if not a little high for idle.

It's the Intel core i5 2500k, stock 3.3ghz

 

[knitoe]

I did run Prime95 after I did the simple change to 4.2ghz. After about 45 minutes, I think I hit a high of about 77 C. What do you think of that? Thanks again for all the help. It's badass that there are many people in this topic that are so helpful to newbies like myself.

You want to stay under 75C. 77C is high for only that speed. The auto overclocking tool is probably using too much voltage. Run Prime95 with HWmonitor to see what the max cpu voltage.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Build went without a hitch. Been testing OC settings the past 2 days. Can't seem to find a stable setting over 4.5 GHz, at least without going over 1.35v in Vcore. I can get stable at 4.5 with 1.305v, max core temps of 61/62/65/66 C, CPU temp reading of 52 C.

Is 1.35v still the recommended safe limit for 24/7 OC?

 

[knitoe]

Build went without a hitch. Been testing OC settings the past 2 days. Can't seem to find a stable setting over 4.5 GHz, at least without going over 1.35v in Vcore. I can get stable at 4.5 with 1.305v, max core temps of 61/62/65/66 C, CPU temp reading of 52 C.

Is 1.35v still the recommended safe limit for 24/7 OC?

Did you enable Internal CPU PLL when trying to go >4.5GHz? Most recommend 1.35V. Personally, I would stay 1.30V or under for 24/7.

 

[iSurvivedTheOutage]

Did you enable Internal CPU PLL when trying to go >4.5GHz? Most recommend 1.35V. Personally, I would stay 1.30V or under for 24/7.

Listen to this person.

 

[Hazaro]

Build went without a hitch. Been testing OC settings the past 2 days. Can't seem to find a stable setting over 4.5 GHz, at least without going over 1.35v in Vcore. I can get stable at 4.5 with 1.305v, max core temps of 61/62/65/66 C, CPU temp reading of 52 C.

Is 1.35v still the recommended safe limit for 24/7 OC?

Sound about right. 1.30V imo 1.25V if you can must it. 1.28V will probably net you 4.4Ghz fine

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Did you enable Internal CPU PLL when trying to go >4.5GHz? Most recommend 1.35V. Personally, I would stay 1.30V or under for 24/7.

I left PLL overvoltage on auto. I can get 4.6 GHz stable at around 1.365. Haven't tried to push past that yet when I'd expect to have t just set it to enabled.

Looking around, looks like most of the posts saying 1.35v were from back in the early part of the year. Then I found this recent post from about a week ago:

There was a huge thread posted by an ASUS overclocking expert here a while back ago that really ought to be sticked or somthing. in that thread he stated that ASUS had binned literally thousands of sandy bridge cpu's as far as voltage and clocks go here is what cam out of that thread

1. anything in the 1.4- 1.47 (with 75%LLC) range is fine for 24/7 use.
2. anything up to 1.52 is probably fine as well however past the 1.47 point return in clock speed are basically negligible which leads to points three and four
3. if you can get it to boot at a specific multi at 1.5 volts or less you can probably get it stable if you want conversely if it wont make it to the desktop at 1.5 volts you have hit your chips multi wall and that's all the farther it will go period.
4. If it's not stable (or really close) at 1.47 or less the amount of voltage that you need to get it stable won't be safe for 24/7 use because 1 you may degrade your chip and 2 you probably won't be able to keep the heat in check.

With how my chip seems to be performing, I'm guessing I'd be able to only get to around 4.8 at the 1.45 range assuming point 1 is accurate.

Sound about right. 1.30V imo 1.25V if you can must it. 1.28V will probably net you 4.4Ghz fine

You nailed it, I was stable at 4.4 at 1.28. 4.3 was stable at 1.25 for me.

Granted, these are all based off just 60 min Prime95 tests. Still need to confirm a longer stress test for most of these.

 

[RukusProvider]

Build went without a hitch. Been testing OC settings the past 2 days. Can't seem to find a stable setting over 4.5 GHz, at least without going over 1.35v in Vcore. I can get stable at 4.5 with 1.305v, max core temps of 61/62/65/66 C, CPU temp reading of 52 C.

Is 1.35v still the recommended safe limit for 24/7 OC?

If you leave on the power savings stuff, you'll not be running at 1.35v. You might touch that here and there but it's not like you'll be at 24/7 running 1.35v.

 

[Hazaro]

I left PLL overvoltage on auto. I can get 4.6 GHz stable at around 1.365. Haven't tried to push past that yet when I'd expect to have t just set it to enabled.

Looking around, looks like most of the posts saying 1.35v were from back in the early part of the year. Then I found this recent post from about a week ago:



With how my chip seems to be performing, I'm guessing I'd be able to only get to around 4.8 at the 1.45 range assuming point 1 is accurate.


You nailed it, I was stable at 4.4 at 1.28. 4.3 was stable at 1.25 for me.

Granted, these are all based off just 60 min Prime95 tests. Still need to confirm a longer stress test for most of these.

I read that or something like that a while back. I just don't want to run my hardware at those levels. We went from 45nm to 32nm and people are running more volts through the chips. Doesn't sit well with me.

 

[Smokey]

I'm pretty puzzled by this. You basically have one of the best air cooled cases on the market...the only case that really cools GPUs better is the HAF X (but is a pretty big downgrade, otherwise). It shouldn't matter that you have way more intakes then exhausts. The whole idea is that the intakes are creating a lot of positive pressure inside the case, which is going to force the air out anyways. Couple that with the fact that hot air rises, and you should have pretty great airflow.

Yeah I dunno man . Maybe the Lightnings are too good for my case :shrug. Is my cable management that bad?

 

[knitoe]

Yeah I dunno man . Maybe the Lightnings are too good for my case :shrug. Is my cable management that bad?

If you have video card(s) that blows heat around inside the case, you better have good in - out airflow. With that case you don't, it only has 1 small exhaust fan.

 

[Hazaro]

Just buy a 200CFM 120mmx38mm Delta
You don't mind noise right?

 

[Glassboy]

You want to stay under 75C. 77C is high for only that speed. The auto overclocking tool is probably using too much voltage. Run Prime95 with HWmonitor to see what the max cpu voltage.

So, I used the easy oc tweaking (4.2ghz again) and I ran prime95 and HWmonitor and the max cpu voltage was 1.34, that was after about 15 minutes.

 

[Mutagenic]

Alright. I'm in the market for a new keyboard.

Teetering back and forth in between the DAS Silent Professional and the Topre Realforce. Thoughts?

I'd like a fairly quiet keyboard. Good feel is important, of course.

My options right now are basically: MX browns, MX reds, or Topre Capacitives.

I just bought a das silent. It's far from silent, but has a great feel. Do not buy if you're looking for something quiet.

 

[knitoe]

So, I used the easy oc tweaking (4.2ghz again) and I ran prime95 and HWmonitor and the max cpu voltage was 1.34, that was after about 15 minutes.

What is your room temp? How is your case airflow? You could try manually entering a lower CPU voltage.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

So, I used the easy oc tweaking (4.2ghz again) and I ran prime95 and HWmonitor and the max cpu voltage was 1.34, that was after about 15 minutes.

Very likely too much for 4.2, you can likely achieve that under 1.25v.

 

[ConstructMe]

Yeah I dunno man . Maybe the Lightnings are too good for my case :shrug. Is my cable management that bad?

I know your having problems with it, but that is a dream setup right there.

 

[Glassboy]

What is your room temp? How is your case airflow? You could try manually entering a lower CPU voltage.

Room temp is pretty chilly, probably in the low 70s. Airflow in my case seems like it should be fine. I'm going to follow the guide listed in the OP and do all the manual settings. Tomorrow, I'm going to do that and double check cable management in my case to see if anything can be improved. Thanks for the help again. I figured the easy setting might be a little wonky but I wanted to give it a shot anyways. I'll let you know how things go tomorrow. Goodnight!

 

[Glassboy]

Very likely too much for 4.2, you can likely achieve that under 1.25v.

Yeah, that is what the overclocking guide in the OP also showed. I think it stated that 4.5 can be achieved with 1.25v~1.27v, so the 1.34v that was being used to achieve 4.2 was causing the CPU to heat up more than it should. Thanks for the help! Tomorrow, I will figure all this out. I have 2 weeks of vacation starting tomorrow, so I have plenty of time to mess around with the computer.

 

[mcrae]

hey guys, i have an antec 300 case, i want to get a water-cooling system because the fans are just too damn loud. water cooling would be significantly quieter right? just the video card and psu fans would be running?

what set up should i buy?

 

[Hazaro]

hey guys, i have an antec 300 case, i want to get a water-cooling system because the fans are just too damn loud. water cooling would be significantly quieter right? just the video card and psu fans would be running?

what set up should i buy?

If you want quiet just go for a $40/$80 air cooler imo. Get some nice Noctua/Low speed Yate Loon/Scythe Kama fans or something.

 

[mcrae]

If you want quiet just go for a $40/$80 air cooler imo. Get some nice Noctua/Low speed Yate Loon/Scythe Kama fans or something.

well the case has 3 5.25" and a 8" (i think those are the sizes) already, you're saying i should jsut replace them with a better brand?

 

[HooYaH]

well the case has 3 5.25" and a 8" (i think those are the sizes) already, you're saying i should jsut replace them with a better brand?

I think you meant 3x120mm and 1x140mm right? Yes, the brand listed by Hazaro are known to be quiet. Also what fan are you using for your CPU?

 

[mcrae]

I think you meant 3x120mm and 1x140mm right? Yes, the brand listed by Hazaro are known to be quiet. Also what fan are you using for your CPU?

yes, those are the sizes. CPU is stock cooler which i know i could upgrade easily for 50 bucks, but i think watercooling might work better, even though i dont know much about it

if i dont turn all the fans on high when playing games, my room gets too hot. but if i dont turn them all the way low before i go to bed, or when watching certain movies, they're too loud. opening up the case and finding all 4 toggle switches twice a day is getting really annoying, which is why i was thinknig watercooling.. good enough for when the case heats up due to gaming, and good enough for reaaaally quiet when i want to go to bed.


*i leave my computer on when goign to bed either because a) im watching something before bed or b) i use some sort of youtube alarm clock to help wake myself up... so i dont feel like turning it off at night

 

[Sarcasm]

I have a friend with a 9800 something nvidia card and he wants to upgrade to be able to play GTA4 and some other games,

what do you recommend? Has like an i3 CPU.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

Yeah I dunno man . Maybe the Lightnings are too good for my case :shrug. Is my cable management that bad?

case and psu for $60.

 

[Hazaro]

I have a friend with a 9800 something nvidia card and he wants to upgrade to be able to play GTA4 and some other games,

what do you recommend? Has like an i3 CPU.

GTA IV is pretty demanding and it really likes a quad core CPU. The CPU for almost everything is solid.
So for that he'd upgrade both. Otherwise depending on budget... all the GPUs above $150 are a good buy really.

yes, those are the sizes. CPU is stock cooler which i know i could upgrade easily for 50 bucks, but i think watercooling might work better, even though i dont know much about it

if i dont turn all the fans on high when playing games, my room gets too hot. but if i dont turn them all the way low before i go to bed, or when watching certain movies, they're too loud. opening up the case and finding all 4 toggle switches twice a day is getting really annoying, which is why i was thinknig watercooling.. good enough for when the case heats up due to gaming, and good enough for reaaaally quiet when i want to go to bed.

*i leave my computer on when goign to bed either because a) im watching something before bed or b) i use some sort of youtube alarm clock to help wake myself up... so i dont feel like turning it off at night

Does your motherboard have fan controller settings? What fan connections do you have? How about a $20 front panel fan controller so you can just turn some knobs?
A $40 heatsink would be fine, H70 or something like it isn't much better. Dedicated water setup is $150+.

 

[chaosblade]

yes, those are the sizes. CPU is stock cooler which i know i could upgrade easily for 50 bucks, but i think watercooling might work better, even though i dont know much about it

if i dont turn all the fans on high when playing games, my room gets too hot. but if i dont turn them all the way low before i go to bed, or when watching certain movies, they're too loud. opening up the case and finding all 4 toggle switches twice a day is getting really annoying, which is why i was thinknig watercooling.. good enough for when the case heats up due to gaming, and good enough for reaaaally quiet when i want to go to bed.


*i leave my computer on when goign to bed either because a) im watching something before bed or b) i use some sort of youtube alarm clock to help wake myself up... so i dont feel like turning it off at night

Water cooling isn't going to be that much quieter than a good heatsink with a quiet fan. You still have noise from the pump and water going through the rad(s).

Stock heatsinks are very, very noisy. You could probably get a 212+ and be happy even with the included fan since it will be so much quieter than the stock fan.

And buying a fan controller sounds like it would be a good investment for you if you're constantly opening the case to change fan speeds.

 

[kitch9]

Hey PCGAF!

I'm looking to overclock my gtx580 but have absolutely no idea on how as i've never overclocked before.. perhaps, if i feel confident enough after my 580 OC, i'll OC my CPU too. So are there any noob friendly GPU OC guides out there? a specific 580 OC guide would be even better.

Install and run MSI Afterburner.

Turn GPU speed up, click ok. Test for stability in game, (Look for weird flashes / crashes.) if issue found turn speed down, if not turn speed up and repeat tests. Find sweet spot

Profit.

 

[mcrae]

Does your motherboard have fan controller settings? What fan connections do you have? How about a $20 front panel fan controller so you can just turn some knobs?
A $40 heatsink would be fine, H70 or something like it isn't much better. Dedicated water setup is $150+.

i... dont know. yes? is that what sys_fan 1/2 are? on the phsyical board it is only 3 prongs and only says sys_fan 1

 

[n0n44m]

watercooling for noise without watercooling the videocard is pointless. Besides even then you'd need fan controllers and everything as well to keep it cool. I have a €180 fan/pump controller with a processor and software and remote and all that controls everything according to temperature

most sane people don't spend €180 on a fan controller so here's what you want to do

1. get a normal €20 fan controller (Scythe, Sunbeam, whatever) with the potentiometers to control your casefans

2. get a 212+ or another CPU cooler with PWM support, and have its speed controlled by the motherboards PWM speed control (assuming you have a somewhat recent motherboard)

3. Use MSI Afterburner to regulate the fan speed of the videocard (on idle).

what board is that?

 

[mcrae]

watercooling for noise without watercooling the videocard is pointless. Besides even then you'd need fan controllers and everything as well to keep it cool. I have a €180 fan/pump controller with a processor and software and remote and all that controls everything according to temperature

most sane people don't spend €180 on a fan controller so here's what you want to do

1. get a normal €20 fan controller (Scythe, Sunbeam, whatever) with the potentiometers to control your casefans

2. get a 212+ or another CPU cooler with PWM support, and have its speed controlled by the motherboards PWM speed control (assuming you have a somewhat recent motherboard)

3. Use MSI Afterburner to regulate the fan speed of the videocard (on idle).

what board is that?

i honestly didn't know you could watercool the videocard until i saw a picture of it 15 minutes ago. theres a reason i come to this thread haha.

its a GA-p55-ud3l

this is one of those things im willing to just throw money at, for some reason, since it will serve the dual purpose of allowing me to OC as well. i5 750 and 6950 both at factory settings right now.

the casefans i have now only have a cord with a high/med/low switch, and the power cord coming out of them. so i would have to buy 4 new fans in order to connect them to a fan controller, yes? those+controller+cpu cooler and im looking at $100 anyways

 

[n0n44m]

no just set the fans to high and connect them to the fancontroller

you might need some adapter cables for that, or just solder them yourself if you know how to do that

in the manual of the board I see it has a PWM fan connector so PWM CPU fan control should work

 

[sam27368]

GAF! Please help!

So myself and the Mrs have a little one whose quickly growing up and is almost 3, all his DVDs are getting scratched on a daily basis and we keep having to rebuy them.
What I am after is a cheap media PC (small case to fit in the home theatre unit) where we can rip his DVDs, download legitimate media and use it as a media server as well.
We don't have a big budget and don't need anything powerful videocard wise. All we need is for the audio and video to output through HDMI. And has a built in wifi.

Also, I have seen some beautiful home theatre programs (that act in a similar manner to Windows Media Center), which of these can you recommend? Which supports a TV remote so it makes it easy for the Mrs to flip through (as she isn't so great on computers)

I am English so the budget is in GBP£. Probably around £100-200 if possible. But am willing to stretch! Thanks in advance