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[CoolS]

And I have a question concerning my PSU. Which way should I install it, blowing fresh air into the system or sucking the air out? My Xigmatek Midgard has a dust filter for the PSU, so that shouldn't be the problem. I also have two fans in the case, one at the front bottom and on at the rear top. I don't wanna mess up the airflow with the PSU.

Quoting myself.

Started putting together my parts today, everything done so far that I can put my mobo into the case tomorrow. But man, the Thermalright HR-02 Macho is shitty cooler when it comes to installing it. Also, I had absolutely now idea how much thermal paste to apply. I really really hope I did it right and my CPU will stay cool. I tried to use not to much and not to little, but still :/

 

[mcrae]

i have a question about my graphics card. i got it from a friend who works at amd and its one of the ones they use to test with, so i have no documentation to go with it.

all i can find, through various methods, is that it is a 6700 series. any recomendations on how to find out if its 6750 or 6770?

also through those methods i've been informed it has between 2.7gb and 6gb of memory.. i'm assuming that is because it is borrowing some of the 12gb ddr3 system memory i have... is this normal? how can i find out what the base amount is?

ive tried cpu-z, ati tray tools, and windows experience index

 

[Stalfos]

i have a question about my graphics card. i got it from a friend who works at amd and its one of the ones they use to test with, so i have no documentation to go with it.

all i can find, through various methods, is that it is a 6700 series. any recomendations on how to find out if its 6750 or 6770?

also through those methods i've been informed it has between 2.7gb and 6gb of memory.. i'm assuming that is because it is borrowing some of the 12gb ddr3 system memory i have... is this normal? how can i find out what the base amount is?

ive tried cpu-z, ati tray tools, and windows experience index

CPUID HWmonitor should list the name of your card when you run it. http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

 

[Vigilance]

GPU-Z

 

[Celcius]

Yay, my HDD just arrived. The last one at 750GB I could find that was decently priced.
Now I just have to wait till I can pick up my CPU and my mainboard.

And I have a question concerning my PSU. Which way should I install it, blowing fresh air into the system or sucking the air out? My Xigmatek Midgard has a dust filter for the PSU, so that shouldn't be the problem. I also have two fans in the case, one at the front bottom and on at the rear top. I don't wanna mess up the airflow with the PSU.

You should position the psu so that it pulls cool air from below and then blows it out of the back. (fan facing downward)

Ok PC-Gaf I have multiple questions.

-My monitor is an old VIZIO 22" tv with 1080p. It does a decent job but I want to upgrade to a LED monitor that is at least 24". What is the best I can get or what are my options in this regard? I would like to spend around $200 or less. I'm willing to go up to $300 though if you can really convince me I need it.

-I would like to upgrade my speakers as well. This may be a question better placed elsewhere but any suggestions? I would rather go with a high-quality 2.1 setup than a decent 5.1.

-Is it worth it to splurge on a $120 case over a $50 one? What are the benefits of more expensive cases?

Thanks for any and all responses!

For 2.1 speakers, you may want to consider the antec rockus: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836578001&Tpk=antec rockus
They consistently get good reviews and the price has gone down to $100.

 

[mcrae]

CPUID HWmonitor should list the name of your card when you run it. http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

GPU-Z

thanks for the replies guys, but no luck. is it possible to determine based on the voltage information, or something?

on a unrelated note, is 73-88 C too hot for a i5-750 2.66 (non-overclocked) ?

 

[gokieks]

It has 800 shaders, so it's a 6770.

E: Oh, Barts, not Juniper. So yeah, 6790 then.

 

[Celcius]

According to those specs, it looks like a Radeon HD 6790:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Islands_(GPU_family) (the chart)

 

[mcrae]

oh, ok then. much appreciated guys. now to figure out why im getting 30 fps in half the bf3 maps on low settings

 

[Schmattakopf]

For a while, my computer would turn on, stall, shut itself off, turn on, stall, etc. until it got past the stalling and finally booted (and it would always finally boot). I couldn't figure out what the problem was and I don't know how I fixed it. I'm wondering if the wrong power cable would cause symptoms like that.

 

[Piercedveil]

Hey guys. My current processor currently draws 65W. Am I able to replace it with a processor that draws 125W as long as my power supply can handle it and its the same socket? I don't know if my motherboard makes a difference or not is basically my problem.

 

[Wolf Akela]

Motherboards shouldn't be a problem unless stated otherwise. Out of all the motherboards I've seen, only one had this specific "125W max" rule but IDK about that.

 

[jstevenson]

Alright, here's what I'm thinking, probably going to hold off to Cyber Monday just to see if anything else is on sale.

Gaming and maybe some emulation at 1920x1080.

CPU:Intel i5 2500k
GPU:EVGA 570GTX (I looked at the 560GTX Ti Hawk from MSI... it was about 50 bucks cheaper, which seems like it's worth spending the 50 bucks to jump to the 570gtx, thoughts? Only thing I'm still conflicted on)
Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V
Ram: G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB)
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W ATX12V
HDD: Samsung F3 1TB (hard drive prices make me cry)
SSD: Crucial 64GB m4
Sound: Xonar DG
Case: NZXT Technologies H2
CPU heatsink/fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212+
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

Probably will grab some sort of bluetooth keyboard/mouse + X360 wireless PC controller.

 

[Piercedveil]

Motherboards shouldn't be a problem unless stated otherwise. Out of all the motherboards I've seen, only one had this specific "125W max" rule but IDK about that.

I think I would be okay, but I'd feel stupid to buy it and have it not work. I kind of want to upgrade my GPU, processor and PSU without buying a new mobo yet.

Anyone else have an opinion about the mobo thing?

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Alright, here's what I'm thinking, probably going to hold off to Cyber Monday just to see if anything else is on sale.

Gaming and maybe some emulation at 1920x1080.

CPU:Intel i5 2500k
GPU:EVGA 570GTX (I looked at the 560GTX Ti Hawk from MSI... it was about 50 bucks cheaper, which seems like it's worth spending the 50 bucks to jump to the 570gtx, thoughts? Only thing I'm still conflicted on)
Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V
Ram: G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB)
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W ATX12V
HDD: Samsung F3 1TB (hard drive prices make me cry)
SSD: Crucial 64GB m4
Sound: Xonar DG
Case: NZXT Technologies H2
CPU heatsink/fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212+
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

Probably will grab some sort of bluetooth keyboard/mouse + X360 wireless PC controller.

Really solid build. The GTX 570 is much better than the GTX 560Ti if you're going to overclock, because once overclocked it's as fast/faster than a GTX 580.

Don't get a wireless 360 controller, get a wired one. Amazon has them on sale too! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZSN600/?tag=neogaf0e-20

$29 shipped is an amazing price for a wired 360 controller. Wired >>> Wireless for PC.

I'm using the same CPU/mobo/CPU Heatsink+fan and it's a great, great combo. Overclocked to 4.5 Ghz effortlessly just by adding a tiny bit of voltage (+0.05) and changing the multiplier. Runs cold as hell too (under 60c at load while gaming.) You will be very pleased.

Hey guys. My current processor currently draws 65W. Am I able to replace it with a processor that draws 125W as long as my power supply can handle it and its the same socket? I don't know if my motherboard makes a difference or not is basically my problem.

As long as that CPU is supported by your motherboard, you'll be fine.

 

[Piercedveil]

As long as that CPU is supported by your motherboard, you'll be fine.

Great, thanks.

 

[Hazaro]

Hey guys. My current processor currently draws 65W. Am I able to replace it with a processor that draws 125W as long as my power supply can handle it and its the same socket? I don't know if my motherboard makes a difference or not is basically my problem.

Go to your mobo makers website, type in the model (use CPU-Z to check), then click CPU LIST/CPU SUPPORT.

Some mobos were not made to be compatible with the 125w CPUs, and almost all will need a BIOS update to work with them.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

I'd put in the OP that contrary to intuition a power supply with a high wattage actually uses less power when idle than one with a low wattage

 

[jstevenson]

$29 shipped is an amazing price for a wired 360 controller. Wired >>> Wireless for PC.

even across my living room? :-D

(probably going wireless due to the wifey factor)

I may bug you once I get it running on OC stuff though

 

[Piercedveil]

Go to your mobo makers website, type in the model (use CPU-Z to check), then click CPU LIST/CPU SUPPORT.

Some mobos were not made to be compatible with the 125w CPUs, and almost all will need a BIOS update to work with them.

I think you actually are correct. I believe my motherboard is only compatible up to 95W. Honestly, I think the best thing to do would be to wait another year and then upgrade, seeing that I would have to upgrade almost everything to get exactly what I want.

 

[InfiniteNine]

my RAM selection went out of stock today and they removed it from my cart: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

Any suitable replacements for when I order on Friday?

 

[Gvaz]

my RAM selection went out of stock today and they removed it from my cart: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231314

Any suitable replacements for when I order on Friday?

Yeah some 1333 ram instead of 1600

 

[InfiniteNine]

Yeah some 1333 ram instead of 1600

Thank you~! Constantly checking up on everything to make sure everything is good to go when I order so this takes a load off for now.

 

[Varna]

Alright, here's what I'm thinking, probably going to hold off to Cyber Monday just to see if anything else is on sale.

Gaming and maybe some emulation at 1920x1080.

CPU:Intel i5 2500k
GPU:EVGA 570GTX (I looked at the 560GTX Ti Hawk from MSI... it was about 50 bucks cheaper, which seems like it's worth spending the 50 bucks to jump to the 570gtx, thoughts? Only thing I'm still conflicted on)
Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V
Ram: G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB)
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W ATX12V
HDD: Samsung F3 1TB (hard drive prices make me cry)
SSD: Crucial 64GB m4
Sound: Xonar DG
Case: NZXT Technologies H2
CPU heatsink/fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212+
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

Probably will grab some sort of bluetooth keyboard/mouse + X360 wireless PC controller.

Pretty much the exact same build I have now (I have a 580, different sound card and PSU). You will not be disappointed.

Personally I think the Wireless X360 controller is a good investment. I have my PC in the living room connected to my HDTV. It's so awesome to be able to play all my multiplatform titles that way.

 

[Hazaro]

Thank you~! Constantly checking up on everything to make sure everything is good to go when I order so this takes a load off for now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416
1600 and same price.

 

[Gvaz]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231416
1600 and same price.

There's no real reason to get 1600 but if it's the same price and reasonably cheap then why not.

Heatsinks though can leave though. There's no practical reason for them, and they can get in the way in cramped cases.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

My brother just bought a Gigabyte GA-Z68P-DS3:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128520

And has asked me what type of RAM to get.

I've looked online and I think I have a pretty good idea of what to tell him, but what does GAF think/decide?

 

[BasicMath]

My brother just bought a Gigabyte GA-Z68P-DS3:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128520

And has asked me what type of RAM to get.

I've looked online and I think I have a pretty good idea of what to tell him, but what does GAF think/decide?

DDR3 1333 or 1600 RAM. Corsair and G Skill are good brands.


Hell, I took a look at the QVL (click on Memory Support List) and these should work.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311

Weird how 1600 is cheaper than 1333. Too bad 1600 is out of stock.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Danke, kind man or woman.

 

[JJBro One]

Can someone help me find a motherboard thats good with my GPU CPU combo? All these guides I've been looking at say contradicting things.

GPU GTX 560TI Overclocked
CPU i5 2500K
If someone could recommend me a good motherboard for this setup I'd appreciate it.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

One for me while I'm still awake: what 2.1 speakers go well with Asus Xonar DG?

 

[Qwell]

Just finished building my upgrade and transfering the old guts into another old computer. Finished product on PC1:

Gigabyte Z68 mobo
2600k
16gb vengence DDR3 1600
Nvidia GTX 560ti 1gb
OCZ 120 Solid 3 SSD

I have noticed a drastic increase in BF3 performance even though I'm using the same video card I was. Still waiting on my 2x 750GB HDD that I'll be putting into Raid 0 (warranty replacements from Seagate and I have an abundance of HDD so why not)

My 2nd rig which is just going through a steam install came out to:

Asus P5ND mobo
QX6850
4gb DDR2 800
ATI 5770 1gb
400gb 7500rpm main
1tb 7500rpm games drive

Haven't tried anything, but this is essentially my old machine, its just in a new box (Antec 300), thinking of sticking it in my room hooked up to my 42" tv and getting another wireless 360 pc controller.

 

[LordCanti]

Just finished building my upgrade and transfering the old guts into another old computer. Finished product on PC1:

Gigabyte Z68 mobo
2600k
16gb vengence DDR3 1600
Nvidia GTX 560ti 1gb
OCZ 120 Solid 3 SSD

I have noticed a drastic increase in BF3 performance even though I'm using the same video card I was. Still waiting on my 2x 750GB HDD that I'll be putting into Raid 0 (warranty replacements from Seagate and I have an abundance of HDD so why not)

How is that SSD working out for you? It's currently $120 after rebate, and $1 per GB is pretty much my magical threshold for whether or not I'll purchase.

 

[MedIC86]

One for me while I'm still awake: what 2.1 speakers go well with Asus Xonar DG?

Well i guess any speaker set that you can hook onto it, its a good card.

I preffer the audio engine A2 tho, very nice speakers.

 

[Thrakier]

X360 wireless PC controller.

Buy a bluetooth connector for a buck and use one of your thousends DSIII with MotionInJoy. Works perfectly. Though you could say know that you prefer the 360 controller... O.O

 

[InfiniteNine]

Buy a bluetooth connector for a buck and use one of your thousends DSIII with MotionInJoy. Works perfectly. Though you could say know that you prefer the 360 controller... O.O

A buck you say? It'd be nice to be able to play DMC4 and The Last Remnant from the comfort of my bed.

 

[Mulligan]

Wassup PC GAF.

I'm in the market for a new monitor and am trying to pick between higher res vs 120hz, with an emphasis on being future proof. I currently have a 560ti but will be upgrading to next gen GPUs in the future. I have narrowed it down to the following two currently but if anyone else has a better suggestion for sub £300 then i'm open.

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/monitors/26inchplusmonitors/nov-lcd28f.html

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-021-AS&groupid=17&catid=1851&subcat=

I should add that this is for gaming purposes and that i play all kinds of games. RPGs, MMOs, FPS' etc.
Guidance will be much appreciated, thanks!

 

[Frankfurter]

thanks for the replies guys, but no luck. is it possible to determine based on the voltage information, or something?

pic

on a unrelated note, is 73-88 C too hot for a i5-750 2.66 (non-overclocked) ?

73-88C seems far, far too high. You might wanna double check that temperature with other tools, for example CoreTemp. The CPU should easily be in the 30 or max. 40s (Celsius) if it's idling.
What kind of CPU cooler do you have?

 

[Omikaru]

Hmm.

OCCT has a GPU memory test for nVidia.
Memtest for over 8 hours if you haven't. Then 1 stick at a time for 8 hours.

This happens off a clean install? Redownload the .iso and burn it slow on good media. USB installs I've heard of being iffy.

Yeah, this happens off a clean install. I have switched my version of Windows from Pro x64 to Ultimate x64, both different isos, slow burned at 8x (slowest my writer goes at).

But as it happens, Windows wasn't the problem. Ran memtest for 8 hours on each stick, no errors. However, OCCT reported 16 errors on the GPU error check, so it's time to RMA the card.

Thanks for pointing me to that program. At least it gives me something to show eBuyer beyond my bleating about my games crashing.

So in all, I was shipped a faulty CPU, GPU and motherboard. Obviously can't blame eBuyer, but I'm not too thrilled at their RMA process, which has had me jumping through more hoops than I'd like.

Hopefully this is the last one now.

 

[gogojira]

So I'm on the verge of finally building a new PC and the one lingering issue I have is the GPU.

Realistically, how much better off would I be buying the GTX580 over the 570? The price difference is pretty big considering I'd have to upgrade my power supply, too, but if it's worth it I'd opt for it.

My goal is to be able to run games like The Witcher 2 and upcoming games like Guild Wars 2 on high settings nice and smooth. My monitor is 1920X1080.

 

[Thrakier]

A buck you say? It'd be nice to be able to play DMC4 and The Last Remnant from the comfort of my bed.

Yep, they cost almost nothing.

 

[CoolS]

Fantastic. Of course I'm having problems with my GPU. Why does it always have to be the GPU with my PC

Problem at hand: my MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC shuts down my whole system if I install the drivers. Windows starts to boot, but after that logo aimation my PC just reboots and tells me there were problems shutting down Windows. Tried a couple of drivers, nothing worked. Damn it!

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Fantastic. Of course I'm having problems with my GPU. Why does it always have to be the GPU with my PC

Problem at hand: my MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC shuts down my whole system if I install the drivers. Windows starts to boot, but after that logo aimation my PC just reboots and tells me there were problems shutting down Windows. Tried a couple of drivers, nothing worked. Damn it!

Did you completely remove all the GPU drivers with something like driver sweeper? AND you might want to consider cleaning up the registry too with the free CCleaner tool. Reboot into safe mode (that's what I did) and then install the latest stable driver.

 

[CoolS]

Did you completely remove all the GPU drivers with something like driver sweeper? AND you might want to consider cleaning up the registry too with the free CCleaner tool. Reboot into safe mode (that's what I did) and then install the latest stable driver.

I'll try that right now, thanks

 

[LiquidMetal14]

I'll try that right now, thanks

Trust me on this one, when some things start going wrong, I start uninstalling some recent side programs I don't need and running a registry cleaner. Cleans up lots of errors. Also with driver sweeper, don't worry if it sits there and looks like it freezes, it's working. It took me a long time the first time I had done it because I had like 7 different drivers which I hadn't cleaned up properly. With CCleaner, make sure you clean up your browsers too BUT don't let it delete your cookies unless you don't care if your PW's and such get deleted. Good luck.

 

[Piercedveil]

Is OCZ good when it comes to power supplies? Checking this one out:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017&Tpk=ocz%20600w

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Is OCZ good when it comes to power supplies? Checking this one out:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017&Tpk=ocz%20600w

Yes, I'm using the 600w variant on my current SB build and bought another for a friend. Rock solid in my eyes and good rating.

I clicked on your link too, that's the exact same one I own. Great PSU barring of course the random defect. But that's all HW, I would pull the trigger for that price.

 

[Piercedveil]

Yes, I'm using the 600w variant on my current SB build and bought another for a friend. Rock solid in my eyes and good rating.

Awesome. Looks like a good price for a modular 600W also.

 

[ss_lemonade]

Is the Corsair HX1000 still a good psu? I may be able to swap in my current power supply (the 1st HEC Cougar 700w, current ones being sold seem to look a bit different than mine) for this + cash from a friend.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Awesome. Looks like a good price for a modular 600W also.

Yep, the cords are all nice and tidy and as you said, modularity (my own wording) is nice. Not having to clog up the innards with unnecessary cords is nice. Nice packaging and zipper case too.