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[Bombadil]

Why? Even the HAF 912 is cavernous. You people and your mini-car sized cases. Let him be.

Suit yourselves.

I got an Antec mid tower case and it has resulted in poor cable management.

The reason why it's best to have a big case is it's easier to put everything together, you have more spaces to hide the cables, and you never have to worry about the future.

 

[MrBig]

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.

I never thought about using those in this context before, cool
Would work very well for moving a game over to an HDD after you're mostly done playing it but want to keep it around.

 

[Ace 8095]

I just built a pc with an ASRock z77 extreme 4, a 2500k, and crosair vengeance lp part number CML8GX3M2A1600C9.

The RAM is not on the list of compatible memory, which I think might be causing my computer not to post. Has anyone else been able to use that RAM with the motherboard?

 

[Big Papa Husker]

I never thought about using those in this context before, cool
Would work very well for moving a game over to an HDD after you're mostly done playing it but want to keep it around.

Well damn, it didn't work the way I thought. I tried updating my podcasts in Itunes and it started downloading them to a folder that it created on the original "My Music" under my "Users" profile instead of downloading it to the E:\My Music\iTunes\Podcasts folder. Any idea what I did wrong?

 

[MrBig]

Well damn, it didn't work the way I thought. I tried updating my podcasts in Itunes and it started downloading them to a folder that it created on the original "My Music" under my "Users" profile instead of downloading it to the E:\My Music\iTunes\Podcasts folder. Any idea what I did wrong?

iirc it doesn't work with creating new files, just moving existing ones, so I can see problems like that occurring (e: reading up on this stuff again I'm completely wrong, don't listen to me). I haven't used them since the days of 120gb HDDs though so I'm not sure.

 

[MisterNoisy]

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

That case should be fine - you don't need a titanic case unless you're going with something weird like an XL-ATX or E-ATX motherboard. Even with regards to cable management, success/ease is more a function of how much time/effort you put into it and certain features of the case (holes in the motherboard tray, ziptie loops, etc.) than the sheer size of the case itself.

That FD case has cabling holes by the PSU and front edge of the motherboard and plenty of ziptie loops to tie the unused cables behind the motherboard tray - you'll be fine.

If you're buying before the end of the month, there are a couple of Lian-Lis that you might want to check out, as they're pretty similar in design (though they don't have the top fan mounts that the FD does). I only mention them because they're currently $64 with coupon code 'LLMay2012' (20% off):

PC-K9B
PC-K9WX

 

[Horsemama1956]

Suit yourselves.

I got an Antec mid tower case and it has resulted in poor cable management.

The reason why it's best to have a big case is it's easier to put everything together, you have more spaces to hide the cables, and you never have to worry about the future.

Personally I stopped caring about cable management years ago. I really don't give a shit of someone thinks it messy and I haven't had air flow issues. I would spend an extra $100 just to have a spot to hide some cables.

 

[sestrugen]

Is this computer worth $600? Someone is trying to sell it to me

Core i7 950 3.1GHz LGA1366
ASUS Rampage III Gene X58
EVGA Nvidia 470
6 GB DDR3
OCZ Gamestream 700w
320GB HDD
Case Cooler Master Storm
HSF Cooler Master v8

 

[1-D_FTW]

Personally I stopped caring about cable management years ago. I really don't give a shit of someone thinks it messy and I haven't had air flow issues. I would spend an extra $100 just to have a spot to hide some cables.

I'm not even OCD about it, and I easily put everything away. I mean, you can take the other panel off. That's the whole key to hiding cables IMO. Not only does my HAF 912 have all the cables hidden, but there's tons of empty space in my case. I guess if you're running 4 GTX 680s and 6 hard drives you'd want something bigger, but IMO even the HAF 912 is a big case. That these are the new "mid range" cases means super-sizing has hit PCs big time.

 

[Smokey]

Is this computer worth $600? Someone is trying to sell it to me

Core i7 950 3.1GHz LGA1366
ASUS Rampage III Gene X58
EVGA Nvidia 470
6 GB DDR3
OCZ Gamestream 700w
320GB HDD
Case Cooler Master Storm
HSF Cooler Master v8

For $600? I'd do it. I'd be concerned about the HDD size though.

 

[Ace 8095]

After extensive troubleshooting it seems my motherboard is no good. Does anyone know if I could get NewEgg to send me a new one while I'm sending the broken one back.

 

[DarkFlow]

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

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

Yeah I have the 912 and it's a tad bigger then I wanted but it helps airflow so it's a trade off I guess.

 

[Weenerz]

Looking for a gaming monitor, someone please recommend one. Need it to be 27", have the ability to swivel up and down, and have 2560x1044 resolution. Looking to spend around $500.

 

[MrBig]

Looking for a gaming monitor, someone please recommend one. Need it to be 27", have the ability to swivel up and down, and have 2560x1044 resolution. Looking to spend around $500.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0384780

 

[HyperionX]

NVM

 

[CarbonatedFalcon]

Question:

If I got something like a 16GB Flash Drive and installed Diablo III on it, would it run faster off that than my HDD? I could put a SSD in my laptop, but that would mean taking out the DVD drive (or paying out the ass for a large SSD), which I'm not willing to do. This would just be a short term sort of fix until I get around to building a PC, which I will have a SSD for.

I was looking at SD cards as an option as well, which would be more convenient as I'm not often using that port, but it seems that even SDHC UHS cards might not be competitive with with faster USB 2.0 sticks, or even USB 3.0 sticks in my 2.0 ports.

 

[Lizard with a ladder]

I'm putting together my friend's build and he's got a front usb 3.0 cable running from his case but his motherboard doesn't have a 20 pin header connection. Is his best bet to buy a usb 3.0 pci express card with an internal 20 pin header or does he have better options?

 

[Chris R]

I'm putting together my friend's build and he's got a front usb 3.0 cable running from his case but his motherboard doesn't have a 20 pin header connection. Is his best bet to buy a usb 3.0 pci express card with an internal 20 pin header or does he have better options?

I'd see if you can't find a 20pin to 9pin adapter if he doesn't mind only having usb 2.0 speeds and has a free header on his motherboard for that.

 

[MrBig]

Question:

If I got something like a 16GB Flash Drive and installed Diablo III on it, would it run faster off that than my HDD? I could put a SSD in my laptop, but that would mean taking out the DVD drive (or paying out the ass for a large SSD), which I'm not willing to do. This would just be a short term sort of fix until I get around to building a PC, which I will have a SSD for.

I was looking at SD cards as an option as well, which would be more convenient as I'm not often using that port, but it seems that even SDHC UHS cards might not be competitive with with faster USB 2.0 sticks, or even USB 3.0 sticks in my 2.0 ports.

It's not worth going to that extent. Flash used in USB sticks isn't all that great, and you're probably limited by USB2 bandwidth if you get a new USB3 flashdrive made for performance, assuming this is an old laptop you want to replace with the desktop. Just play it off your HDD and deal with the extra few seconds in loads.

 

[Whooter]

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0384780

How does something like that compare to the Achieva/Catleap/Crossover 27" panels from Korea that are on eBay? The eBay ones seem to be fairly well-regarded, and there's precious little info on that one at Microcenter...

 

[Lizard with a ladder]

I'd see if you can't find a 20pin to 9pin adapter if he doesn't mind only having usb 2.0 speeds and has a free header on his motherboard for that.

Yeah he's got the free headers. So it comes down to losing his front 3.0 usb for a 2.0 usb panel or losing a pci express slot.

 

[MrBig]

How does something like that compare to the Achieva/Catleap/Crossover 27" panels from Korea that are on eBay? The eBay ones seem to be fairly well-regarded, and there's precious little info on that one at Microcenter...

This one is a (rebranded) PCBank Super with a new PCB with Display Port, HDMI, VGA, DVI-D, an OSD, a scalar, and includes a warranty. Same panel that is in the Apple display, just like the rest of the korean displays. Much better deal than going through any of the ebay sellers, and cheaper than the multi input models they offer. There's threads about this on OCN and [H].

 

[Let me in]

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.

Have you always played on a TV? And always with triple buffering? Any syncing method will have a hit on performance as the hardware has to wait for the device to refresh before displaying the rendered image instead of just rendering as fast as possible and displaying.

Your average FPS with syncing on/off wasn't that different and going by the min FPS your system is struggling with it either way in certain areas. Is your CPU holding back the GPU, perhaps? It's not that old, though.

Why not try with just vsync enabled though the control panel and see what happens.

 

[Whooter]

This one is a (rebranded) PCBank Super with a new PCB with Display Port, HDMI, VGA, DVI-D, an OSD, a scalar, and includes a warranty. Same panel that is in the Apple display, just like the rest of the korean displays. Much better deal than going through any of the ebay sellers, and cheaper than the multi input models they offer. There's threads about this on OCN and [H].

Cool, good info to have, thanks! Looks like it requires DisplayPort at both ends to get 2560x1440, so that would mean a new video card for me (yay!)

 

[MrBig]

Cool, good info to have, thanks! Looks like it requires DisplayPort at both ends to get 2560x1440, so that would mean a new video card for me (yay!)

The official documentation on the monitor is terrible and inaccurate, likely because it's all translated. Read the OCN/[H] threads on it to find out more. Both DP or DVI-D dual link will work (though neither of those cables are included in the box, just a single link DVI and a VGA, meaning it's using its scalar to stretch the image with those). DVI-D Dual Link Cables or a DP cable cost ~$5 on monoprice. Speakers work over DP as well.
You'll need a powerful card to push games at that res anyway though :lol

 

[Whooter]

The official documentation on the monitor is terrible and inaccurate, likely because it's all translated. Read the OCN/[H] threads on it to find out more. Both DP or DVI-D dual link will work (though neither of those cables are included in the box, just a single link DVI and a VGA, meaning it's using its scalar to stretch the image with those). DVI-D Dual Link Cables or a DP cable cost ~$5 on monoprice. Speakers work over DP as well.
You'll need a powerful card to push games at that res anyway though :lol

Good to know. I'll definitely hunt down those threads. Thanks again!

 

[Keric]

No blue screens, straight up restart. It only reboots while gaming though. Still think it's the PSU?

Sounds like a heat issue to me. Do you have a big room fan? If so, open your case and put the fan right next to your PC. Have the fan blow air full blast right onto your motherboard/cpu/gpu. Then play a game, see if it restarts.

 

[ccbfan]

Woo

Finally bought all the pieces of my New PC. (Still need SSD to arrive)

i5 3570K ($200 from MicroCenter)
AsRock z77 Pro 4 ($70 with 50 discount from MicroCenter)
Corsair Vengence 8GB ($42 from NewEgg)
Samsung 830 128 GB ($110 from NewEgg)
Corsair cx430 ($17 from NewEgg)
Zalmon Z9 ($28 from MicroCenter)

Total $467

Yes I know there's no Graphics Card for now but I only plan to play Skrym, Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 on this for now (Hate FPS games). So the HD 4000 should be good for now.

Also know that the power supply is a little weak but after a little research I found out an over powered power supply is actually bad. My power calculations say my current power usage (including a 2 TB HardDrive I plan to get soon) is under 200 Watts and even after a 7850 (my planned graphics card, waiting for prices to drop when the 660 and 650 comes out) and the 3570K OCed to 4.2 ghz or whatever max ghz I can obtain with no voltage increase its still under 300 Watts.

 

[mkenyon]

Woo

Finally bought all the pieces of my New PC. (Still need SSD to arrive)

i5 3570K ($200 from MicroCenter)
AsRock z77 Pro 4 ($70 with 50 discount from MicroCenter)
Corsair Vengence 8GB ($42 from NewEgg)
Samsung 830 128 GB ($110 from NewEgg)
Corsair cx430 ($17 from NewEgg)
Zalmon Z9 ($28 from MicroCenter)

Total $467

Yes I know there's no Graphics Card for now but I only plan to play Skrym, Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 on this for now (Hate FPS games). So the HD 4000 should be good for now.

What?

You need a bit more oomph to play those at playable rates. If you're overclocking, you should look into a different PSU as well. That is going to be really limited once you look into adding a card (which you really should do right now anyway). If you don't have the budget for it, save for a few more weeks.

 

[Chris R]

Playing Diablo III @ 1920x1080 with the HD4000 right now just fine (and I've even played it on the HD3000... not as great but still works)

 

[ccbfan]

What?

You need a bit more oomph to play those at playable rates. If you're overclocking, you should look into a different PSU as well. That is going to be really limited once you look into adding a card (which you really should do right now anyway). If you don't have the budget for it, save for a few more weeks.

From what I seen, D3 and Starcraft 2 at medium setting can run at 30 FPS which is perfectly fine for me for now. When I need something stronger I'll get a graphics card and hopefully by that time the 650 and 660 will be out.

I only plan to low OC my process and from everything I've read a low OC of 4.2 ghz would mean no voltage increase and would barely effect my wattage usage. Using http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine I haven't been able to get my wattage usage above 300 yet with my desired Graphics card.

 

[clav]

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?

Dead motherboard.

After extensive troubleshooting it seems my motherboard is no good. Does anyone know if I could get NewEgg to send me a new one while I'm sending the broken one back.

Ask CS via chat.

I doubt it though.

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.

Sucks that small form factors are on the wrong end of the supply demand curve, especially considering that small form factors would require fewer raw materials.

Yeah I have the 912 and it's a tad bigger then I wanted but it helps airflow so it's a trade off I guess.

I used that case for a friend's build, and I really like it. Cases that take at least 120mm fans or larger are winners.

 

[mkenyon]

Sucks that small form factors are on the wrong end of the supply demand curve, especially considering that small form factors would require fewer raw materials.

The profit margin in selling mATX cases is incredibly slim. The Corsair community manager has gone as far to say Corsair has completely written off doing so because there are so few cases being sold. It's a niche of a niche.

On top of that, decent case design to allow proper high end parts increases the cost of them.

But really, someone just make an all aluminum Arc Mini. If Lian Li just flat out stole the design, it would be the most perfect case on the planet.

 

[MWS Natural]

The profit margin in selling mATX cases is incredibly slim. The Corsair community manager has gone as far to say Corsair has completely written off doing so because there are so few cases being sold. It's a niche of a niche.

On top of that, decent case design to allow proper high end parts increases the cost of them.

But really, someone just make an all aluminum Arc Mini. If Lian Li just flat out stole the design, it would be the most perfect case on the planet.

Just purchased a Lian Li v351 and have made it my mission to get a high end gaming setup working. I am going to take my time in getting just the right pieces that are powerful but don't run too hot. I have also been researching some case modding and/or water cooling. I feel in love with the look of the case when they first came out but decided on a Lanbox Lite instead, finally bought one after they went on sale this past week.

 

[kennah]

Just purchased a Lian Li v351 and have made it my mission to get a high end gaming setup working. I am going to take my time in getting just the right pieces that are powerful but don't run too hot. I have also been researching some case modding and/or water cooling. I feel in love with the look of the case when they first came out but decided on a Lanbox Lite instead, finally bought one after they went on sale this past week.

I'd be really interested in seeing your results once done

 

[Ledsen]

Suit yourselves.

I got an Antec mid tower case and it has resulted in poor cable management.

The reason why it's best to have a big case is it's easier to put everything together, you have more spaces to hide the cables, and you never have to worry about the future.

Wouldn't the only reason to go bigger than mid tower be SLI? Can't imagine needing anything bigger than my define R3 otherwise, it's huge enough as it is with tons of unused space.

 

[pyros]

Hi guys, planning on building a new computer, my 2nd, since I started windows gaming, only change this time is, I'm having it built by a professional OC'er because of time constraints, any ways, here is the list;

Intel Core i7 3930K + Asus X79 Pro - 1198
Gskill Ripjaws Z 1600Mhz CL9 32GB - 324
WD 1TB Black x2 - 400
Asus 7970 3GB DDR5 - 845
Coolermaster Storm Enforcer - 145
Coolermaster Silent Pro Gold 1000W - 245
LG 24x DVD RW - 28
Win 7 Home premium 64bit OEM - 118
Noctua D14 SE2011 CPU Cooler - 134
Advanced Tuning Package + Delivery - 220
prices in Singapore dollars

any critique would be greatly appreciated, thank you

yes I haven't added in a SSD yet, researching still, any recommendations?

 

[Chris R]

Is the rig only going to be used for gaming or do you have other reasons (video editing, rendering, ect) for going with X79 over Z77? And why go with the 7970? The 670/680 stomp it.

 

[Razgreez]

Just purchased a Lian Li v351 and have made it my mission to get a high end gaming setup working. I am going to take my time in getting just the right pieces that are powerful but don't run too hot. I have also been researching some case modding and/or water cooling. I feel in love with the look of the case when they first came out but decided on a Lanbox Lite instead, finally bought one after they went on sale this past week.

I'm using a PC-Q08 with GTX 680 and i7-@2600k. The main issue with these matx/itx boxes is the stowage of cables and the availability of good motherboards that arent ridiculously over-priced

 

[pyros]

Is the rig only going to be used for gaming or do you have other reasons (video editing, rendering, ect) for going with X79 over Z77? And why go with the 7970? The 670/680 stomp it.

To be frank, the specs are to an extent, the OC guys vision, more then mine. I actually was keen on a gtx680. The list is his recommendation, I just wanted to play it off pc gaf to get an alternate view, and yes, it's for gaming only, have a mac pro for work.

 

[JonCha]

Setting the PSU up in my Bitfenix Shinobi and I can't see any screws with it, so I used the screws bundled with the case and I only seem to have three that fit.

 

[MrBig]

What?

You need a bit more oomph to play those at playable rates. If you're overclocking, you should look into a different PSU as well. That is going to be really limited once you look into adding a card (which you really should do right now anyway). If you don't have the budget for it, save for a few more weeks.

The HD 4000 can supposedly push Skyrim at ~30+fps @1080 with medium-low settings (which is what my current 9600m GT gets). If he's already made his order it'd be nice to see what kind of results he gets, no site I've found has done a review of the HD 4000 under normal play. If people are just going to be playing games like that, just buying a 3570k instead of a 2500k + a GPU for lower end builds could be a fine recommendation.

 

[MrKnives]

Can someone enlight me please, haven't really been following lately. What's the latest opinion on HD7850 and is there any advantage in buying i5 3570K over 2500k?

 

[r4z4]

I've been dipping my feet into overclocking for the first time with my 3570k (following the guide in the awesome OP).

I have a Bitfenix Shinobi with 3 fans (front, back, top) and a 212+ Evo.

My first run was 4.4 GHz with core voltage set at 2.500. My max temps after running Prime95 were 71, 76, 76, 74.

I've been working on bringing core voltage down, and at 1.175 my temps are 67, 72, 74, 69.

Where should I go next? Keep under volting or increasing the clock speed? I am pretty happy with 4.4GHz as I know IB runs hotter than SB.

 

[r4z4]

Setting the PSU up in my Bitfenix Shinobi and I can't see any screws with it, so I used the screws bundled with the case and I only seem to have three that fit.

My Shinobi Window had 8 hex screws for 3.5" bays and PSU, they should be in there somewhere.

 

[JonCha]

My Shinobi Window had 8 hex screws for 3.5" bays and PSU, they should be in there somewhere.

Cheers. I'll have a look at the end; it seems pretty stable for now.

I/O board in after leaving it for the afternoon and going out, so hopefully that's in the right way (I put the mouse and keyboard inputs at the top). Now for the motherboard, which seems awfully complicated to get in position ...

 

[mkenyon]

Wouldn't the only reason to go bigger than mid tower be SLI? Can't imagine needing anything bigger than my define R3 otherwise, it's huge enough as it is with tons of unused space.

E-ATX, XL-ATX, more HDD space, more radiator space.

Hi guys, planning on building a new computer, my 2nd, since I started windows gaming, only change this time is, I'm having it built by a professional OC'er because of time constraints, any ways, here is the list;

Intel Core i7 3930K + Asus X79 Pro - 1198
Gskill Ripjaws Z 1600Mhz CL9 32GB - 324
WD 1TB Black x2 - 400
Asus 7970 3GB DDR5 - 845
Coolermaster Storm Enforcer - 145
Coolermaster Silent Pro Gold 1000W - 245
LG 24x DVD RW - 28
Win 7 Home premium 64bit OEM - 118
Noctua D14 SE2011 CPU Cooler - 134
Advanced Tuning Package + Delivery - 220
prices in Singapore dollars

any critique would be greatly appreciated, thank you

yes I haven't added in a SSD yet, researching still, any recommendations?

'Professional' Overclocker that picks crap RAM and so much of it that it'll bottleneck your CPU overclock? Something smells fishy, especially with the not great PSU with way too many watts.

Follow one of the OP builds. You're spending *WAY* too much money on a gaming only build. 3930K will give you an edge in benches, but not games outside of Civ V. 32GB of RAM is 4 times the amount that you would need for gaming, and the more RAM you have on socket 2011, the more crippled your overclock is on your processor. To top it off, you need fairly speedy RAM to hold a decent OC since you will be altering your BCLK anyway.

I've been dipping my feet into overclocking for the first time with my 3570k (following the guide in the awesome OP).

I have a Bitfenix Shinobi with 3 fans (front, back, top) and a 212+ Evo.

My first run was 4.4 GHz with core voltage set at 2.500. My max temps after running Prime95 were 71, 76, 76, 74.

I've been working on bringing core voltage down, and at 1.175 my temps are 67, 72, 74, 69.

Where should I go next? Keep under volting or increasing the clock speed? I am pretty happy with 4.4GHz as I know IB runs hotter than SB.

MORE POWER. Find your heat wall, go just below it.

 

[JonCha]

Switched I/O orientation because it was wrong, put CPU in but trying to lock into place is incredibly nerve racking. I'm pushing the lever down, and it's beginning to creak as I push it.

 

[mkenyon]

Switched I/O orientation because it was wrong, put CPU in but trying to lock into place is incredibly nerve racking. I'm pushing the lever down, and it's beginning to creak as I push it.

Normal. Don't fret.

 

[JonCha]

Normal. Don't fret.

Yep, it went down eventually (thanks anyway). Just had to push it a lot.

RAM's also in, which was super easy. On to the CPU cooler!