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[Zombie James]

Was just reading up on the 3770k, apparently a lot of sites are seeing some pretty high temps, especially when overclocked it'll even surpass the 3960x - What's up with that, is that because it's an engineering sample? Has there been any reviews of the actual retail product yet

Anandtech has the 3770k consuming less power than an i5 2400:

Not sure how that would translate to high temps, unless Intel downgraded the stock fan.

 

[mkenyon]

Sorry if this isn't cool, but good place to post it.

If anyone is lookin for a new computer in the Pac NW, selling my custom Fractal Arc Mini build. Wife broke her back, big bills to pay.

Asking $900

Case - Custom Fractal Arc Mini ($100 stock)
Motherboard - ASUS Maximus Gene-Z ($180)
CPU - Intel 2500K (can be overclocked to 5.0Ghz no problem) ($210)
RAM - 8GB Corsair Vengeance Low Profile ($50)
Hard Drive - OCZ Vertex 2 90GB ($150)
Video Card - MSI GTX560Ti Twin Frozr II ($200)
PSU - Seasonic X660 Gold Rated ($160)
Watercooling - 240mm XSPC RS240 Radiator, XSPC Dual Bay resovoir w/pump, Primochill Tubing, XSPC Rasa CPU Block, Bitspower Fittings ($200)

For an additional $200, I will include:
Custom uni-sleeved PSU cables ($350)
Razer Blackwidow Mechanical Keyboard ($75)
Samsung P2050 20" LCD Monitor ($100)
Razer Imperator Mouse ($70)
Razer Desctructor Mousepad ($35)

(first picture is with 7970, but I don't have a pretty picture of it in there as it was a recent swap)

*edit* added price

 

[kharma45]

I've the Sapphire 7850 on order but the MSI 7850 Twin Frozr III has just popped up with stock in the UK, is it worth the extra £10 or am I best to stick with what I've ordered?

Went for the MSI.

 

[Sethos]

Anandtech has the 3770k consuming less power than an i5 2400:

Not sure how that would translate to high temps, unless Intel downgraded the stock fan.

Yeah but all reviews seem to report the same, Tweaktown for an example;

Power use:

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/4..._ud5h_intel_z77_and_core_i7_3770k/index8.html

But also has the highest temps

I've seen reports of this in overclocked state actually hitting almost 100c and blowing past every other CPU out there when it comes to heat

 

[·feist·]

Something... something... density.

Was just reading up on the 3770k, apparently a lot of sites are seeing some pretty high temps, especially when overclocked it'll even surpass the 3960x - What's up with that, is that because it's an engineering sample? Has there been any reviews of the actual retail product yet

Retail stepping is different from all the ESs, as is leakiness.
I'd recommend waiting until IB launches, and reading as many retail part reviews as you can (at least 5-7+); particularly those with average, and max air/water overclocking results. In addition, you should look into the possibility of an i7 3820 (or 3930K) + X79, for the multi-GPU platform benefits.

High end air cooling hierarchy still looks like this: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=31540302&postcount=14874

The Silver Arrow SB-E has some trade-offs made which keep it from taking the outright crown. Performance varies based on RPM, and which CPU it's pared with. In the compact high end class, I've been pimping Cooler Master's TPC 812.

Is there a GPU equivalent to the CPU all-in-one water coolers? I love my Corsair H60 and I'd like to do the same for my new 570 that is coming in.

There have been a bunch; aftermarket and stock.

Aftermarket version of this: http://neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=36526192&postcount=2256

You probably aren't aware of them, because performancerice is even worse than the CPU equivalents, in most cases. You're better off rigging one yourself, or going with the better air coolers on sale.

 

[n0n44m]

Heat is dependent on energy and how efficient that energy is removed.. So I don't see how it is physically possible for a CPU that uses less power to be significantly hotter with the same cooling. I think the temperature sensors are different or the sensors in those Engineering Samples aren't working...

 

[Sethos]

Something... something... density.


Retail stepping is different from all the ESs, as is leakiness.
I'd recommend waiting until IB launches, and reading as many retail part reviews as you can (at least 5-7+); particularly those with average, and max air/water overclocking results. In addition, you should look into the possibility of an i7 3820 (or 3930K) + X79, for the multi-GPU platform benefits.

High end air cooling hierarchy still looks like this: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=31540302&postcount=14874

The Silver Arrow SB-E has some trade-offs made which keep it from taking the outright crown. Performance varies based on RPM, and which CPU it's pared with. In the compact high end class, I've been pimping Cooler Master's TPC 812.

Appreciate the answer. Not even sure why I want Ivy Bridge, considering the Sandy Es are out and will outperform it and still offers me PCIE 3.0. Think I might actually go down that route instead. What SLI benefits does that give me over IB?

 

[Hazaro]

Appreciate the answer. Not even sure why I want Ivy Bridge, considering the Sandy Es are out and will outperform it and still offers me PCIE 3.0. Think I might actually go down that route instead. What SLI benefits does that give me over IB?

Nothing

 

[Sethos]

Nothing

Thought so, just a question for the "for the multi-GPU platform benefits.".

So I might change it to a SABERTOOTH X79 + 3960X

 

[Hazaro]

Thought so, just a question for the "for the multi-GPU platform benefits.".

So I might change it to a SABERTOOTH X79 + 3960X

I don't understand spending the money on such low performance gains over a 2600K and 1155 system tbh.

 

[Sethos]

I don't understand spending the money on such low performance gains over a 2600K and 1155 system tbh.

Nobody's asking you to

 

[MrBig]

Yeah but all reviews seem to report the same, Tweaktown for an example;

Power use:

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/4..._ud5h_intel_z77_and_core_i7_3770k/index8.html

But also has the highest temps

I've seen reports of this in overclocked state actually hitting almost 100c and blowing past every other CPU out there when it comes to heat

From someone who is validated to have a 3570K in an OCN thread, there is a bug that peaks the temp reading randomly, and that report was likely based off the highest peak recorded in the test.

i overclocked it stable at 4.8ghz@1.21V and during load my temps average 60C-65C like i expected from my cooler. its just in some parts of IBT or Prime that it spikes up to 75-80C for a split second. i think thats what happend in that review aswell and they just noted the max recorded temp. i dunno if its a sensor error, i think it is cause they drop in 0.1 sec back to normal(60-65C) and i doubt my cooler does that.
revision 9 is the e1 stepping(release) as all the ES were revision8(stepping e0) he ran it with the release cpu-z though. the beta one properly recognizes it

It will probably be fixed via an update later.

e: Final IB release prices? 3570k for $212

 

[·feist·]

Thought so, just a question for the "for the multi-GPU platform benefits.".

So I might change it to a SABERTOOTH X79 + 3960X

More native lanes, where at most, you'll have a PLX bridge. Much better than the Nvidia and Lucid chips mainstream platforms have used which introduce issues like latency, and heat. 2-4 GPUs, x2/x4/x8 SSDs, RAID cards, and the like.

That and reduced chances of bottlenecks using the higher cache, higher core X79 parts.

 

[ParityBit]

I don't understand spending the money on such low performance gains over a 2600K and 1155 system tbh.

Every time I come on here (which is often) I waffle between a stupid I7 that I can get right now, and waiting/hoping I can buy a top of the line IB!

 

[Paprikka]

So after going through the op this is what I've come up with:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi Tower ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer

It's mostly just a tweaked excellent build, but I figured I would ask if everything looked good or if anything is missing before buying. Right now all I have is a 6+ year old laptop but I'm looking to play some new games like TERA, Guild Wars 2 and such.

Also if I buy it all now Microcenter has the i7-2600K for $199, so it's essentially a free upgrade if I build now instead of waiting.

 

[kharma45]

So after going through the op this is what I've come up with:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi Tower ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer

It's mostly just a tweaked excellent build, but I figured I would ask if everything looked good or if anything is missing before buying. Right now all I have is a 6+ year old laptop but I'm looking to play some new games like TERA, Guild Wars 2 and such.

Also if I buy it all now Microcenter has the i7-2600K for $199, so it's essentially a free upgrade if I build now instead of waiting.

Might be worth saving some money on the 7870 and go for the 7850 going by this

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=21623164&postcount=11

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=21625268&postcount=37

Seems to be a lot more money for not that big a performance boost when you overclock the 7850. Something to consider at least.

 

[Sethos]

Here's what I got so far

CPU: Intel Core i7 3930K
CPU Cooler: Maybe the Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Blue, I heard it was quite heavy though and might cause stress on the motherboard, BS or any truth to this?
Motherboard: Sabertooth x79
RAM: Kingston 16GB DDR3 1866MHz ( Maybe x2 and use RAMdisk ) ( Does these clear the cooler, height wise? )
SSD: 250 GB Samsung 830 Series ( Maybe the 128GB )
PSU: Corsair Professional Series Gold AX1200
GPU: 2 x KFA2 GeForce GTX 680 2GB GDDR5 ( Still unsure, hoping any 4GB cards hit soon )
Case: Here I'm lost - Edit: Think it's going to be the CM Cosmos II

Need a case that is wide enough to have spare room between the bottom PCI Express slot and the PSU for a possible third GPU. Also needs room for the Noctua obviously, great airflow. Any quick suggestions?

EDIT: Think I might go for the Cosmos II

 

[Zombie James]

Shit, I'm really torn over a case. I thought I had settled on the Corsair 550D but then I come across the Shinobi XL. I like the sound-dampening padding and magnetic filters on the 550D, but I prefer the aesthetics of the Shinobi design and 230mm fans. Both are around the same price.

 

[ag-my001]

Anyone have some guidance for External HDDs? Finally did my tax returns and the checks are going to be nice. Why save when I can splurge?

Also, which brand(s) have the better warranty/quality for the 7850 cards?

 

[mkenyon]

Shit, I'm really torn over a case. I thought I had settled on the Corsair 550D but then I come across the Shinobi XL. I like the sound-dampening padding and magnetic filters on the 550D, but I prefer the aesthetics of the Shinobi design and 230mm fans. Both are around the same price.

The Shinobi XL is huge and aimed at watercooling.

 

[ParityBit]

Would you advise trying to get a gtx 680, or going SLI on two lesser cards? Thinking that maybe moving to SLI 680 someday down the road as a form of upgrade.

 

[Mordeccai]

Hey GAF, my dad is looking for a new laptop and he's asking me for recommendations. I figured I'd pop the question onto here. He won't be doing any graphic processing work or anything more than light gaming, mostly email and checking the web.

Are there any good deals out there for laptops? The price range is probably somewhere from 300-500$.

 

[jokingbird]

I was wondering if I could get some help with upgrading my current system or thoughts on whether I should just completely upgrade. Right now I have this refurbished unit:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5651022

Asus Essentio CG5290-BP007 Refurbished Desktop PC - Intel Core i7 920 2.6GHz, 9GB, 1TB HDD, DVDRW, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260, 500 Watt PSU

I added in one small fan and upgraded to windows 7. The audio out on the motherboard was busted so I added in a cheap sound card I bought from frys for $20. I was thinking of trying to get the audio port fixed, but I was worried about the cost.

I also just bought this SSD:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=557373

OCZ AGT3-25SAT3-240G Agility 3 Series 2.5" Solid State Drive - 240GB, SATA III, 6Gbps

and this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T3GRN2/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Seagate ST2000DM001 Barracuda 7200RPM 2 TB SATA 6 GB/s NCQ 64 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive

Should I get a new PSU to support the new hard drives? And any other upgrades to go along with considering the current market on prices? Or am I better off buying a whole new setup?

I appreciate any help.

 

[Paprikka]

Might be worth saving some money on the 7870 and go for the 7850 going by this

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=21623164&postcount=11

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=21625268&postcount=37

Seems to be a lot more money for not that big a performance boost when you overclock the 7850. Something to consider at least.

Thanks for that link, after reading through the thread it sounded perfect for me so I changed my order and saved about $100.

 

[Hazaro]

Anyone have some guidance for External HDDs? Finally did my tax returns and the checks are going to be nice. Why save when I can splurge?

Also, which brand(s) have the better warranty/quality for the 7850 cards?

Buy a good Internal HDD, then get a nice large open enclosure for it. Way way too many HDD deaths in terrible external drives. Not worth it when data is everything.

Dual fan cooler, then big brand. So, Sapphire, ASUS, MSI.

Would you advise trying to get a gtx 680, or going SLI on two lesser cards? Thinking that maybe moving to SLI 680 someday down the road as a form of upgrade.

670Ti at the end of month should be a much much better value proposition.

Hey GAF, my dad is looking for a new laptop and he's asking me for recommendations. I figured I'd pop the question onto here. He won't be doing any graphic processing work or anything more than light gaming, mostly email and checking the web.

Are there any good deals out there for laptops? The price range is probably somewhere from 300-500$.

See the OP for other thread and fillout list.

I was wondering if I could get some help with upgrading my current system or thoughts on whether I should just completely upgrade. Right now I have this refurbished unit:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5651022

Asus Essentio CG5290-BP007 Refurbished Desktop PC - Intel Core i7 920 2.6GHz, 9GB, 1TB HDD, DVDRW, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260, 500 Watt PSU

I added in one small fan and upgraded to windows 7. The audio out on the motherboard was busted so I added in a cheap sound card I bought from frys for $20. I was thinking of trying to get the audio port fixed, but I was worried about the cost.

I also just bought this SSD:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=557373

OCZ AGT3-25SAT3-240G Agility 3 Series 2.5" Solid State Drive - 240GB, SATA III, 6Gbps

and this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T3GRN2/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Seagate ST2000DM001 Barracuda 7200RPM 2 TB SATA 6 GB/s NCQ 64 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive

Should I get a new PSU to support the new hard drives? And any other upgrades to go along with considering the current market on prices? Or am I better off buying a whole new setup?

I appreciate any help.

HDDs add 10W max each so you are fine. The stock 500W in there is probably a crappy unit, but if it's powering a 260 now you could toss in a 6870 or something for a nice boost.

If you could overclock you'd be in a really nice spot, but that is not a bad system.

 

[sk3tch]

Need a case that is wide enough to have spare room between the bottom PCI Express slot and the PSU for a possible third GPU. Also needs room for the Noctua obviously, great airflow. Any quick suggestions?

EDIT: Think I might go for the Cosmos II

Get the NZXT Switch 810. I liked mine so much I bought a 2nd. 9 PCI slots...plenty of room for most boards (even XL-ATX). Just be careful if you're gonna roll MSI Big Bang XPower-II - you can only run tri-SLI max. Go RIVE for quad.

 

[ParityBit]

670Ti at the end of month should be a much much better value proposition.

In SLA? I hope to have my list this weekend to post and see what you guys think.

 

[AkIRA_22]

You probably aren't aware of them, because performancerice is even worse than the CPU equivalents, in most cases. You're better off rigging one yourself, or going with the better air coolers on sale.

I think I just threw up in my mouth.

 

[jokingbird]

Buy a good Internal HDD, then get a nice large open enclosure for it. Way way too many HDD deaths in terrible external drives. Not worth it when data is everything.

Dual fan cooler, then big brand. So, Sapphire, ASUS, MSI.

670Ti at the end of month should be a much much better value proposition.

See the OP for other thread and fillout list.

HDDs add 10W max each so you are fine. The stock 500W in there is probably a crappy unit, but if it's powering a 260 now you could toss in a 6870 or something for a nice boost.

If you could overclock you'd be in a really nice spot, but that is not a bad system.

Thank you!

 

[Sethos]

Get the NZXT Switch 810. I liked mine so much I bought a 2nd. 9 PCI slots...plenty of room for most boards (even XL-ATX). Just be careful if you're gonna roll MSI Big Bang XPower-II - you can only run tri-SLI max. Go RIVE for quad.

Thanks for the suggestion, that Switch looks way too plain for my taste. Have to say, really fallen in love with the Cosmos II so that's my decision. Love the curves, it's huge and there's plenty of room <3

On another note, stumbled on something yesterday. Apparently it's a bit of a rollercoaster to get Gen 3 PCI Express working on x79 boards with the 680. It's one of my reasons for upgrading and future proofing, as Gen 2 will bottleneck your card in 8x lanes, which I'd hate.
Apparently Nvidia can enable and disable them driver level, they apparently choose to go with the disabled route, as one of their earlier drivers it worked.

http://www.guru3d.com/news/x79-motherboards-dont-run-gtx-680-in-pcie-gen-3/

Definitely won't be going x79 if that's a persistent issue. Those high-res benchmarks from another forum, that really showed off a huge boost in performance with Gen 3 and how much Gen 2 could potentially be bottlenecking, has me on edge.

 

[Hawk269]

GAF, I want to build a new PC. It's a massive waste of money and might be a small upgrade over my current, what the primary parts of the machine is concerned but I like building, I like new stuff and I wouldn't mind a spare LAN PC.

Current:

Motherboard: Sabertooth P67
CPU: Core i7 2600k @ 4.5GHz ( With the Hyper 212 )
RAM: Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600MHz CL8 (2x4)
GPU: MSI N580GTX Twin Frozr II/OC
PSU: Corsair HX750
Case: CM 690 II Advanced

No slouch by any measure. As I said, want a spare PC and want to move up to an SLI setup that allows room for a third card down the road. Plus the above setup can't handle 2560x1600 gaming.

Here's what I have so far which also outlines the places I need suggestions:

Motherboard: Sabertooth Z77
CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K ( What's considered the best air cooler around right now? )
RAM: Any suggestions? 16GB max, don't need that monster overkill.
GPU: Waiting for any 4GB versions of the 680 but I might pull the trigger on two 2GB KFA2s I can get fairly cheap.
PSU: Would like the 1000w Seasonic but it's completely out of stock or grossly overpriced compared to the AX1200 which is the second choice.
Case: Also need some suggestions for a case that'll fit a 3 Way SLI Setup especially towards the bottom as I'd like the last GPU to extend beyond the motherboard, as I also have to fit my ASUS Xonar Essence in between the GPUs, prefer as much air room between the GPUs as possible. Also, none of these vile cheap cases that has a trillion fans and lights.

And I'll top it off with the Samsung 256GB SSD and then I have a few 1TB + 2 x 750GBs discs for downloads and games I don't want on the SSD.

Wow...you are as bad as me...well not that bad. For a case, I am really digging the Antec 280 I got. It is really nice and a ton of room inside for everything. It will accomadate the 3 way SLI no problem.

I am still working out the kinks in my new rig. I had to redo Windows because I use a SSD on the old rig ang I read and asked here that I could just reboot the new rig and then have windows format the SSD and be good to go...well it really f'd everything up. I kept getting device errors, hardware not found errors, no matter what Overclock I put on the CPU it would fail...and weird stuff like whenever the system booted up, it would disable/turn off my numberlock key on my keyboard.

Upon researching some more, I found that Windows does not format a SSD properly and that the likely case was that there was some data still on the drive and that could of caused the issue. So I had to re-do everything and use one of the reguler HDD to get the system up and running, then install the Samsung SSD software, then be able to wipe the SSD properly. Such a pain in the ass.

 

[Hawk269]

Thanks for the suggestion, that Switch looks way too plain for my taste. Have to say, really fallen in love with the Cosmos II so that's my decision. Love the curves, it's huge and there's plenty of room <3

On another note, stumbled on something yesterday. Apparently it's a bit of a rollercoaster to get Gen 3 PCI Express working on x79 boards with the 680. It's one of my reasons for upgrading and future proofing, as Gen 2 will bottleneck your card in 8x lanes, which I'd hate.
Apparently Nvidia can enable and disable them driver level, they apparently choose to go with the disabled route, as one of their earlier drivers it worked.

http://www.guru3d.com/news/x79-motherboards-dont-run-gtx-680-in-pcie-gen-3/

Definitely won't be going x79 if that's a persistent issue. Those high-res benchmarks from another forum, that really showed off a huge boost in performance with Gen 3 and how much Gen 2 could potentially be bottlenecking, has me on edge.

While correct to a point, Nvidia is in the process of certifying x79 motherboards that meet whatever their needs are to have 3.0 working on X79 platforms. So, x79 users for the most part will have 3.0 access without a hack to the driver, but no one knows which x79 boards will be certified. From what i read, most of the higher end x79 boards will be certified, but not time table as of right now.

However, even if you get a z77 board and Ivy Bridge, you will still not get true 3.0 until Nividia add's that into the drivers again...so we basically are going to be waiting on Nvidia to do unlock it even though we have the hardware that supports it. Should be interesting to see the results of a true unlocked 3.0 lanes.

The bad thing about alot of the Z77 boards is that most of them only have one lane at x16 and the 2nd at x8...not too many 3 lanes as well (x16, x8, x8). So for those that want the best of the best for SLI and 3.0 lanes at x16, right now the only mobo coming out would be the EVGA one.

 

[Sethos]

While correct to a point, Nvidia is in the process of certifying x79 motherboards that meet whatever their needs are to have 3.0 working on X79 platforms. So, x79 users for the most part will have 3.0 access without a hack to the driver, but no one knows which x79 boards will be certified. From what i read, most of the higher end x79 boards will be certified, but not time table as of right now.

However, even if you get a z77 board and Ivy Bridge, you will still not get true 3.0 until Nividia add's that into the drivers again...so we basically are going to be waiting on Nvidia to do unlock it even though we have the hardware that supports it. Should be interesting to see the results of a true unlocked 3.0 lanes.

The bad thing about alot of the Z77 boards is that most of them only have one lane at x16 and the 2nd at x8...not too many 3 lanes as well (x16, x8, x8). So for those that want the best of the best for SLI and 3.0 lanes at x16, right now the only mobo coming out would be the EVGA one.

Oh that's reassuring. Was afraid it'd be a constant tug of war with the support and then they'd have some deal with Intel that the IB architecture would just be native support day 1, no hassle while the rest of us would just have to suffer needlessly. I'm definitely more inclined going for an x79 build, as it is a bit more established. ( See me last build post ). So x79 it is. Also, any boards that has 3 x 16x lanes or is that crazy talk? Like the Sabertooth x79 I'm looking at appears to have 2 x 16 when in Dual mode whilst the last slot is 8x - Just want to have the upgrade space as Tri-SLI is in my future upgrade plans.

Also noticed that the 3930k is a Hex core, meaning it can actually be a great asset when working with certain software that scales well with cores, that's really appealing. This tick of Ivy Bridge hasn't really impressed me so far and the Odd heat sensor / Piss poor temp numbers aren't helping it either.

So this might end up being my final build http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=36926764&postcount=6534

I've really fallen in love with the Cosmos II http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6792

 

[Hawk269]

Here's what I got so far

CPU: Intel Core i7 3930K
CPU Cooler: Maybe the Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Blue, I heard it was quite heavy though and might cause stress on the motherboard, BS or any truth to this?
Motherboard: Sabertooth x79
RAM: Kingston 16GB DDR3 1866MHz ( Maybe x2 and use RAMdisk ) ( Does these clear the Noctua, height wise? )
SSD: 250 GB Samsung 830 Series ( Maybe the 128GB )
PSU: Corsair Professional Series Gold AX1200
GPU: 2 x KFA2 GeForce GTX 680 2GB GDDR5 ( Still unsure, hoping any 4GB cards hit soon )
Case: Here I'm lost - Edit: Think it's going to be the CM Cosmos II

Need a case that is wide enough to have spare room between the bottom PCI Express slot and the PSU for a possible third GPU. Also needs room for the Noctua obviously, great airflow. Any quick suggestions?

EDIT: Think I might go for the Cosmos II

Nice...I decided on the 3930k on my build as well. The 3960x is on it's way back home to Amazon...so that $1000.00 should be nice when it hits my bank account again. Have you considered getting the H100 for a cooler? I only had mine for 2 days and so far it has done a very good job. My temps are slightly lower on my 3930k at 4.6 vs. my 2600k at the same 4.6k\\ but using a 212 air cooler...thing is, the 3930k is running all 6 cores at that speed, so it naturally will run hotter, but the h100 on the middle fan speed setting is keeping temps in the very low 70's at the moment at that is at full load after about 2 hours of prime.

 

[TommyT]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway...rive/3152445.p?id=1218380507379&skuId=3152445

I'm gonna recommend the same system as I recommended to the guy wanting to build for his aunt (who pretty much disappeared again).

It's a very nice system. Glossy case. An i3 2120 (very under-rated). 6GB RAM. 1TB hard drive. BUILT-IN WIRELESS. Currently on sale for 449.99.

Only thing I caution against is the keyboard and mouse and the worst piece of plastic known to man. They've somehow managed to devolve the category to a new low. So might want to spend the money that's been saved and get something else for that.

She actually linked me to that SKU when she originally asked for this. It's between that and another system off Amazon where I can get a few other extras they're wanting as well.

 

[Sethos]

Nice...I decided on the 3930k on my build as well. The 3960x is on it's way back home to Amazon...so that $1000.00 should be nice when it hits my bank account again. Have you considered getting the H100 for a cooler? I only had mine for 2 days and so far it has done a very good job. My temps are slightly lower on my 3930k at 4.6 vs. my 2600k at the same 4.6k\\ but using a 212 air cooler...thing is, the 3930k is running all 6 cores at that speed, so it naturally will run hotter, but the h100 on the middle fan speed setting is keeping temps in the very low 70's at the moment at that is at full load after about 2 hours of prime.

Yeah, did read up on a ton of reviews of the H100 in comparison to the various high-end air coolers and the conclusion in pretty much all of them was the H100 can only go head-to-head in numbers with most of the high-end air coolers at a higher RPM. So you basically have to crank up the fan to achieve the desired effect. As I like my builds as silent as possible, regular air is my flavour.

And yeah, the 3960x is nice and all but it seems the gap between that and the 3930k is minuscule at best. Sure I like throwing around money but there has to be a reason behind the madness.

 

[Hawk269]

Yeah, did read up on a ton of reviews of the H100 in comparison to the various high-end air coolers and the conclusion in pretty much all of them was the H100 can only go head-to-head in numbers with most of the high-end air coolers at a higher RPM. So you basically have to crank up the fan to achieve the desired effect. As I like my builds as silent as possible, regular air is my flavour.

And yeah, the 3960x is nice and all but it seems the gap between that and the 3930k is minuscule at best. Sure I like throwing around money but there has to be a reason behind the madness.

Actually, the h100 has a button on the cooler for 3 levels of fan and then the mobo adjusts as needed. I keep it on the middle setting and at full load the fans do ramp up, but they are not that loud. When it is set on it's max settings, yes it does get a bit louder. I know that alot of companies make better/less noise fans that you can use on the h100 instead of the stock fans, but not sure if I will do that because the noise is not that bad at all to me.

I am using 3 Noiseblocker fans (2 for intake) and the 3rd is on the inside hdd cage pulling the cool air in and lined up with the 2 gpu's to give them a bit more air. The noiseblockers are really nice though...I just need to find out what the max fan speed on the stock ones from corsair are and then decide if I want to replace them with fans that would match the speed, but be a bit more silent.

Yeah it was a bit of madness on my part when I originally ordered it. I think I was just looking at it as it is the best of the best right now, but that best over it's $599 cousin is not that big of a disparity and as someone put it that $450 savings could go towards something else.

 

[LordCanti]

I finally updated to an SSD

I got a 64gb M4 for $59 or so, so it seemed like the right time. I migrated from a prior install (after much recovery disc command prompt finagling) and I have a few questions:

1. I unplugged the data cable from the old boot drive, and I'm wondering what the best way to go about plugging it back in would be. As long as it's lower on the boot list than the SSD, it should boot the SSD fine, right? Then I can delete the partition and use the disc as storage (it was dual partitioned which made the migration a bitch).

2. What is the most up to date SSD optimization guide for an M4 (with Windows 7)? I've read the OP, but there are so many linked articles, and some of them have differing advice (or, it depends on the SSD I should say. Some brands need some tweaks, some need others, etc).

I should have done this upgrade sooner. The time I've wasted waiting for this machine to resume from hibernation or sleep.... I'll never get it back.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Actually, the h100 has a button on the cooler for 3 levels of fan and then the mobo adjusts as needed. I keep it on the middle setting and at full load the fans do ramp up, but they are not that loud. When it is set on it's max settings, yes it does get a bit louder. I know that alot of companies make better/less noise fans that you can use on the h100 instead of the stock fans, but not sure if I will do that because the noise is not that bad at all to me.

I am using 3 Noiseblocker fans (2 for intake) and the 3rd is on the inside hdd cage pulling the cool air in and lined up with the 2 gpu's to give them a bit more air. The noiseblockers are really nice though...I just need to find out what the max fan speed on the stock ones from corsair are and then decide if I want to replace them with fans that would match the speed, but be a bit more silent.

Yeah it was a bit of madness on my part when I originally ordered it. I think I was just looking at it as it is the best of the best right now, but that best over it's $599 cousin is not that big of a disparity and as someone put it that $450 savings could go towards something else.

I have the Antec equivalent to the H60 and it keeps my AMD IIx4 840 very cool. Honestly all those over the top big coolers are a waste of money, why do you really need your CPU that cold? It's meant to run hot so as long as its a significant reduction you are good to go. That's why I think the H100 is a big waste of money. The reason I went with the smallest version of my water cooler kit is to save space over the motherboard and because my case (Fractal Midi) suits it well.

 

[Hawk269]

I finally updated to an SSD

I got a 64gb M4 for $59 or so, so it seemed like the right time. I migrated from a prior install (after much recovery disc command prompt finagling) and I have a few questions:

1. I unplugged the data cable from the old boot drive, and I'm wondering what the best way to go about plugging it back in would be. As long as it's lower on the boot list than the SSD, it should boot the SSD fine, right? Then I can delete the partition and use the disc as storage (it was dual partitioned which made the migration a bitch).

2. What is the most up to date SSD optimization guide for an M4 (with Windows 7)? I've read the OP, but there are so many linked articles, and some of them have differing advice (or, it depends on the SSD I should say. Some brands need some tweaks, some need others, etc).

I should have done this upgrade sooner. The time I've wasted waiting for this machine to resume from hibernation or sleep.... I'll never get it back.

Yes, SSD's are amazing. I think I was getting too used to them and with the issues i had with my new build i had to go with a standard HDD for right now and yeah, the time it takes to get into windows via a regular HDD is long versus a SSD. So my next project is to re-attach my ssd, use the software from samsung to wipe it, then nuke the regular hdd and then re-install all over again...this would be 3 windows install in about a 72-96 hour window. Real pain in the ass!

 

[Wolf Akela]

Installation from USB->SSD is blazing fast. I installed a fresh copy of Win7 and it took me like 7 mins till I saw my desktop.

 

[Lanbeast]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway...rive/3152445.p?id=1218380507379&skuId=3152445

I'm gonna recommend the same system as I recommended to the guy wanting to build for his aunt (who pretty much disappeared again).

Again? I didn't know I disappeared before. I'm still here, I just haven't had time to pull the trigger on it yet. We're probably going with the PC you linked.

 

[Mr Swine]

Installation from USB->SSD is blazing fast. I installed a fresh copy of Win7 and it took me like 7 mins till I saw my desktop.

Takes me 13 mi utes with a normal HHD

 

[1-D_FTW]

Again? I didn't know I disappeared before. I'm still here, I just haven't had time to pull the trigger on it yet. We're probably going with the PC you linked.

Sorry. I just meant you'd asked a number of times about the situation (seems like with large gaps in-between). Admittedly a lot of the times you weren't getting a whole lot of help. But quite a few people replied the last time and, I'll admit, I was kind of curious about what you ended up doing.

 

[Lanbeast]

Sorry. I just meant you'd asked a number of times about the situation (seems like with large gaps in-between). Admittedly a lot of the times you weren't getting a whole lot of help. But quite a few people replied the last time and, I'll admit, I was kind of curious about what you ended up doing.

Ah, no problem.

I actually went that night to show them what I was doing and check out of Newegg with my updated build. When I loaded it up, everything was gone. My cart must have timed out or something of the sort. So I started browsing again and decided you and the other two guys were probably right and something pre-built would be fine. I went to Best Buy and they had that exact PC set up so I checked it out and it's a sleek looking case and seems like a fair price.

Since my posts I've been waiting for a solid deal to pop back up on a 23-24" monitor. Once I find a good one I'm going to go ahead with the purchase and order a wireless keyboard and mouse for them.

I should say though, that you guys in this thread are fantastic. Even if I wasn't getting a lot of direct responses, I check this thread every day just to see what's going on and what choices other people are making. So thanks!

 

[Wazzim]

So how do I go about installing a SSD? You just put it in, set it as no.1 boot drive and boot up with the windows DVD?

I'm tempted to get one but not if it's a big hassle to install a SSD. I currently have 1 750gb HDD (boot drive) and a 2TB drive.

 

[TouchMyBox]

So how do I go about installing a SSD? You just put it in, set it as no.1 boot drive and boot up with the windows DVD?

I'm tempted to get one but not if it's a big hassle to install a SSD. I currently have 1 750gb HDD (boot drive) and a 2TB drive.

The only hassle is setting up your OS again the way you like it. Personally almost all of my games are on steam so the whole process of getting settled in a new install of windows is about 45 minutes.

And yeah, the process you outlined would do the trick.

 

[Wazzim]

The only hassle is setting up your OS again the way you like it. Personally almost all of my games are on steam so the whole process of getting settled in a new install of windows is about 45 minutes.

And yeah, the process you outlined would do the trick.

Thanks, sounds easy enough.

I am not sure to get a M4 series or a Samsung one. I have heard a lot of praise for the new Samsung drives, seems to be pretty fast in read/write.

 

[JaseC]

Yes, SSD's are amazing. I think I was getting too used to them and with the issues i had with my new build i had to go with a standard HDD for right now and yeah, the time it takes to get into windows via a regular HDD is long versus a SSD. So my next project is to re-attach my ssd, use the software from samsung to wipe it, then nuke the regular hdd and then re-install all over again...this would be 3 windows install in about a 72-96 hour window. Real pain in the ass!

Earlier in the year my Vertex 2 was playing up, so I had to briefly install Windows to one of my HDDs in order to research what was wrong with it (turns out the issue was a corrupt firmware -- thanks again, evlcookie!) Those few hours running Windows on a HDD once more... god, what torture. Man should not have to endure more than five seconds from the Windows startup screen to the OS being completely loaded, let alone, well, everything else taking five times longer.

 

[kpeezy]

I've had my Vertex 3 (in AHCI mode) for a few days and SSDs might be getting a little too much hype. Beyond boot time, I haven't noticed a huge difference in the Win7 desktop environment. Granted, I still haven't installed a lot of software since the format and it hasn't been very long, but I doubt much of anything is happening 5x faster.

My boot times are seriously good though, I was a little shocked. I'll be switching between SSD to HDD Win7 installs (home and work) every day so if the Aero really runs better I will notice it.

I did just realize that my motherboard doesn't support Sata 6.0GB/s (Asus P6T deluxe).