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"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. 22nm+28nm, Tri-Gate, and reading the OP. [Part 1]

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MrBig

Member
Hey guys.

Why is the Crucial m4 256GB SSD going for that low price compared to the rest of brands? Is it in clearance? or is the new version coming soon? or maybe there is something wrong with it (Performance wise)?

Crucial m4 256GB : $210
Samsung 830 256GB : $264
Intel 520 240GB : $345

Price competition starting to get hotter. Those you listed are all the top end drives, while you have lesser OCZ drives going for a lot less that plenty of people are picking them up. The M4 and 830 will probably be around the $150 mark in a few months.
 

Ledsen

Member
Hey guys.

Why is the Crucial m4 256GB SSD going for that low price compared to the rest of brands? Is it in clearance? or is the new version coming soon? or maybe there is something wrong with it (Performance wise)?

Crucial m4 256GB : $210
Samsung 830 256GB : $264
Intel 520 240GB : $345

There's nothing wrong with it, in fact from what I read before I bought one it's basically as reliable as Intel drives. It's not the fastest SSD, but still super fast because... it's an SSD. It's a very good buy, that's all.
 

Madridy

Member
Price competition starting to get hotter. Those you listed are all the top end drives, while you have lesser OCZ drives going for a lot less that plenty of people are picking them up. The M4 and 830 will probably be around the $150 mark in a few months.

Nice. Competition between the different brands is always good for consumers.

There's nothing wrong with it, in fact from what I read before I bought one it's basically as reliable as Intel drives. It's not the fastest SSD, but still super fast because... it's an SSD. It's a very good buy, that's all.

Good to here that it is reliable. I'm planing to build 3 PCs, for me and my 2 brothers, in early July and all of them gonna need SSDs for the OS. I was checking AnandTech SSD benches and the Samsung 830 beats Crucial's m4 in almost everything, but by not that much.

Anyway seems I'll be going with m4 for the PCs unless Samsung drops the price on their 830 SSDs.
 

longdi

Banned
I just got my M4 today that I ordered last night. I'm kind of bummed I only ordered the drive itself because I will probably have to go hunt for some cables. Also, it looks like they redesigned their logo - its completely different than what is on Newegg, TigerDirect, etc.

beVpkl.jpg

different box too, where is yours made in?
 

clav

Member
quick question guys.. my build is seriously strapped for cash.

how viable is it to use Windows 8 preview as my OS for a little bit???

I really only want to play Diablo III right now.

thanks guys.

You can use it. Just uninstall the Metro apps that come with it as most of them are in an alpha state (aside from Finance and Weather).

Release candidate is in a few weeks.

I haven't had any problems with Blizzard games on my old setup.
 

Celcius

°Temp. member
If you've got an older card where the fan runs at 100% for 4-5 sec when the machine first boots (during post), is it possible to flash the bios to make it run at 30% during post instead?
 
You can use it. Just uninstall the Metro apps that come with it as most of them are in an alpha state (aside from Finance and Weather).

Release candidate is in a few weeks.

I haven't had any problems with Blizzard games on my old setup.

thanks.. I am going to give it a shot. I can always purchase 7 if things get bad.
 

alternade

Member
So I think this what im going to go for. Trying to keep it below $800, but would be willing to bump some stuff up if its going to affect performance:

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $59

Samsung by Seagate Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ/ST500DM005 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $79

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified $89

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B $49

BIOSTAR TZ77XE3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS $129

COMBO $360
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

GIGABYTE GV-N550WF2-1GI GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card


TOTAL: $770.93

Am I forgetting anything? Does this look ok to run most games at moderate settings? Thanks in advance!
 
Alright, I've fixed the motherboard spacer issue and finished the build. It works 100%, except when I try to add a videocard, a 4870 in this case, the PC doesn't power up. No response at all. When I remove the card, the PC does turn on properly. I also switched the card out with a friend's 3870, same problem: no response from the power button.

I've got a Corsair 550w power supply, which I thought would be fine for a i5 3570k and one video card. I'm still waiting for the GTX670 to arrive, that's why I wanted to run the old 4870 for a while.

So, the question is: does anyone know what could cause this? Is the PCI slot busted?
 
Alright, I've fixed the motherboard spacer issue and finished the build. It works 100%, except when I try to add a videocard, a 4870 in this case, the PC doesn't power up. No response at all. When I remove the card, the PC does turn on properly. I also switched the card out with a friend's 3870, same problem: no response from the power button.

I've got a Corsair 550w power supply, which I thought would be fine for a i5 3570k and one video card. I'm still waiting for the GTX670 to arrive, that's why I wanted to run the old 4870 for a while.

So, the question is: does anyone know what could cause this? Is the PCI slot busted?

You're remembering to plug in the PCI Express power connectors, right? (Just making sure.)
 
You're remembering to plug in the PCI Express power connectors, right? (Just making sure.)

Yeah, they're in there. Two six pin connectors.


Shit I know what it might be. I could have accidentally left a redundant spacer/standoff in that general area. Maybe it's touching the board and it causes a short when I use the PCI slot.
 

Edgeward

Member
Reapplying thermal paste just have a question on prepping it. So I gonna use rubbing alcohol to remove the residue on the processor but do I also use it on the other side as well? I mean do i also clean the cpu fans side of the clamp Im gonna do when I put it back together?
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
I'm looking for a decent motherboard with an AM3 socket and 4 RAM slots (compatible with DDR2 if possible) for around 100$, i've looked over Newegg, but there is so many of them and so many comments about "DOA" or "dead after 2 months" that i dont know which one i should buy. I'd like one that come with the required screws too, apparently some motherboards dont even come with them. Any suggestions?
 

ReyBrujo

Member
Ok, I got a hard question. I got a friend who won't change his monitor, a 1360x768 TV monitor connected via VGA, and is looking at buying new hardware around it. He wants to play Diablo 3 and Skyrim, but that would be his maximum resolution, so many of the suggestions found around here aren't useful for him (as most don't use VGA anymore, or build computers to work in higher resolutions). Anyone got a suggestion for a video card from where we could start building his machine? Thanks.
 

sk3

Banned
Ok, I got a hard question. I got a friend who won't change his monitor, a 1360x768 TV monitor connected via VGA, and is looking at buying new hardware around it. He wants to play Diablo 3 and Skyrim, but that would be his maximum resolution, so many of the suggestions found around here aren't useful for him (as most don't use VGA anymore, or build computers to work in higher resolutions). Anyone got a suggestion for a video card from where we could start building his machine? Thanks.
If that's the max resolution, just get a 3570k and use the built in graphics. I'm using the HD 4000 graphics while I wait for someone to start stocking the direct CU II top GTX 670. I can play diablo 3 at 1400x900, everything on high (shadows on medium) and FPS never goes below 30.

If in the future he needs more performance or gets a decent monitor, just buy any 600 series geforce and stick it in. No double dipping.
 
Ok, I got a hard question. I got a friend who won't change his monitor, a 1360x768 TV monitor connected via VGA, and is looking at buying new hardware around it. He wants to play Diablo 3 and Skyrim, but that would be his maximum resolution, so many of the suggestions found around here aren't useful for him (as most don't use VGA anymore, or build computers to work in higher resolutions). Anyone got a suggestion for a video card from where we could start building his machine? Thanks.

At that resolution you wouldn't have to go all out on the video card, but I'd still try to get something somewhat future-proof, just in case he decides to buy a digital 1080p monitor or something.

New cards typically include a DVI-I port that a DVI-to-VGA adapter can be used with.
 
Right, after having removed the mobo for the zillionth time. It finally works, it did turn out to be the redundant motherboard standoff. The 4870 now works.

Victory is mine.

Hope I didn't do too much damage with my fucking around.
 

MrBig

Member
Ok, I got a hard question. I got a friend who won't change his monitor, a 1360x768 TV monitor connected via VGA, and is looking at buying new hardware around it. He wants to play Diablo 3 and Skyrim, but that would be his maximum resolution, so many of the suggestions found around here aren't useful for him (as most don't use VGA anymore, or build computers to work in higher resolutions). Anyone got a suggestion for a video card from where we could start building his machine? Thanks.

You could probably play skyrim/diablo at 30fps at that res with the iGPU of a 3570k alone. He can then buy an appropriate dGPU when he upgrades his monitor.
 

NIGHT-

Member
I'm a moron and ordered a M5A97 and it only has Crossfire and not SLI!! Can someone recommend me a SLI capable mobo for the same price range( amd processor)
 

Bombadil

Banned
So I think this what im going to go for. Trying to keep it below $800, but would be willing to bump some stuff up if its going to affect performance:

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $59

Samsung by Seagate Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ/ST500DM005 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $79

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified $89

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B $49

BIOSTAR TZ77XE3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS $129

COMBO $360
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

GIGABYTE GV-N550WF2-1GI GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card


TOTAL: $770.93

Am I forgetting anything? Does this look ok to run most games at moderate settings? Thanks in advance!

Don't get a mid-tower. Spring for a full tower case.
 

ReyBrujo

Member
Thanks for the suggestions. We checked around, and unfortunately in Hungary the 3570K hasn't yet launched officially. Maybe an older, one year old setup for i3 or i5 exist? Thanks again for the help.

(Edited: looks like i5-2500k can handle Skyrim mid quality, 1080p without a display card, it might be a good option to get it since he would be able to save the video card price until he needs it).
 

MooMoo

Member
With a 128GB SSD, is there anything in particular I should not install or keep on it or is everything fair game? Also, should I be migrating my user profile and/or program files folder from the SSD to the HDD? Right now my OS and user profile on my laptop is about 110GB combined but I expect that to increase a lot more once my desktop is built (kind of been restricting my space usage since my laptop is only 250GB large). Are there any good guides on this type of stuff?
 

Ledsen

Member
With a 128GB SSD, is there anything in particular I should not install or keep on it or is everything fair game? Also, should I be migrating my user profile and/or program files folder from the SSD to the HDD? Right now my OS and user profile on my laptop is about 110GB combined but I expect that to increase a lot more once my desktop is built (kind of been restricting my space usage since my laptop is only 250GB large). Are there any good guides on this type of stuff?

What kind of stuff do you have on your user profile? After installing Windows 7, all the programs I need and Skyrim, I still have 60 GB free on my 120 GB SSD.
 

MooMoo

Member
What kind of stuff do you have on your user profile? After installing Windows 7, all the programs I need and Skyrim, I still have 60 GB free on my 120 GB SSD.
My user profile pretty much has all my documents, videos/movies/TV shows, and music. I've cut out much of the latter two just to fit them on my laptop HDD but once this desktop is built I'd like to start having direct access to them on my desktop rather than having to resort to reaching out to the cloud for access. I'm guessing I could keep all those on the HDD and just install the OS/most commonly used apps on my SSD?
 

Ledsen

Member
My user profile pretty much has all my documents, videos/movies/TV shows, and music. I've cut out much of the latter two just to fit them on my laptop HDD but once this desktop is built I'd like to start having direct access to them on my desktop rather than having to resort to reaching out to the cloud for access. I'm guessing I could keep all those on the HDD and just install the OS/most commonly used apps on my SSD?

Oh. Yeah, NO music/movies etc on the SSD. OS, programs and games only or it'll fill up really fast. Get a secondary HDD or a NAS HDD if you want to store stuff.
 

MrBig

Member
Besides the tower, any suggestion?

Also whats the cheapest route to get windows 7/8?

Personally I'm going with the W8 CP (or the RC if that is out in time) and then getting in on the cheapest W8 deal when it comes out. Buying W7 at retail price now is a waste.
 

MrBig

Member
How stable is it? Any problems with games or compatiblilty issues?

No issues with games exist as far as I'm aware. It's as stable as any RTM release as long as you are using it in the same way you use W7. Areas of Metro/WinRT are still being worked on of course.
 

Ace 8095

Member
Put together my new pc today, however it will not boot. When I first plug it in it runs for about 3 seconds then shuts off. I cannot turn it back on unless I flip the switch on the power supply or press the CMOS button. The power button on the motherboard and the case does nothing. Any suggestions?
 
Ugh, I want to get my PC gaming on so bad but my fucking PC keeps restarting itself during gameplay, even after I got a different video card. Son of a bitch :(

I should just stick to consoles.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Yeah, I don't understand why people suggest gigantic cases for average gamers.

HAF 912's footprint is the largest I'd consider.

The HAF 912 is just the right size. I wouldn't really go any smaller because it could limit the hardware going inside it (GPU size, mobo size).

mATX cases like the Fractal Arc Mini are certainly an option if you want something smaller, but there's a price premium for going smaller, oddly enough.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Ugh, I want to get my PC gaming on so bad but my fucking PC keeps restarting itself during gameplay, even after I got a different video card. Son of a bitch :(

I should just stick to consoles.

Straight up reboot with no blue screens? My money's on the power supply going bad. Happened to me. Start the RMA process with Corsair.
 
Alright, I need a little help and you guys probably have the know-how to set me straight.

So, I recently upgraded to a Gigabyte GTX 670.

In synthetic benchmarks, it seems to perform just fine. For example,

Unigine Heaven (1920x1080, 8xAA, 16xAF, extreme tesselation, everything else maxed):
FPS - 44.6
Score - 1125
Min - 21.5
Max - 116.7


3Dmark 11 (extreme preset):
3DMark Score - 3099 3DMarks
Graphics - 2887
Physics - 6520 (low, but perhaps limited by my i7-860)
Combined - 3317


Both seem to be in line with the benchmarks of official reviews, I believe.

However, when I benchmarked Arkham City (everything maxed out and except tesselation at normal) I got terrible scores:

Min FPS: 16
Max FPS: 60
Avg FPS: 54

I also noticed that the game didn't run particularly well when I actually played it (lots of frame dips). Just for the hell of it, I turned off D3D Overrider (which I use for triple buffering), ran AC again, and got:

Min: 24
Max: 99
Avg: 71

The latter result is closer to what I expected. I also get better performance when I play the game (though it the frame rate is still more erratic than I would like). Only now it's tearing like crazy.

Here are my questions:

1. Why would triple buffering/D3D overrider have such a huge impact on performance?
2. If the tearing is killing me, what should I do to resolve it, given that D3D overrider seems to be problematic?
3. If Vsync is an option, should I enable it in the game or force it the nVidia control panel?

I know this is a lot, so I appreciate any help you can provide. I should note that I'm playing on a big screen TV with a max refresh of 60.
 

Chris R

Member
Disabled hibernation and moved my pagefile to the hdd. Any other ssd tricks I should know?

And I have two keys for windows 7, any way to tell if they are in use or should I just put one in? Forgot to check which key my old build was using :(
 

theRizzle

Member
Is it a lot more difficult to build inside a mid-tower case as opposed to full tower? I'm considering the Fractal Core Design 3000 mid tower for gaming

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352010

Also, why in the Enhanced build are you recommending the GTX 560ti over the ATI 7850 when the 7850 destroys it in benchmarks?

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/547?vs=549

The recommended card is a 560ti 448, not a regular 560ti.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5153/nvidias-geforce-gtx-560-ti-w448-cores-gtx570-on-a-budget/3


Actually, this set of benches might be a little more useful to you as it directly compares the 560ti 448 and the 7850. Not sure how accurate Hexus is considered to be though.

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/36125-amd-radeon-hd-7870-hd-7850-graphics-cards/?page=4
 
I finally got done installing my 256GB m4 and installing everything. HOLY SHIT its fast! I just learned about junctioning, which made it a helluva lot easier to 'move' my iTunes library to the data drive. :D
 
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