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[Smokey]

If you guys had a choice for gaming, would you go for that 2560x1440 monitor or go for a cheaper smaller 120hz monitor?

I do some trading so I could see some value in having that large monitor as part of my set-up, but I want to use it also for gaming.

If you play a lot of twitchy games, or competitively, I would go with a 120hz panel. There is definitely a difference in terms of feel even when you are not gaming. Very smooth.

If you don't do the above and want to be more 'wowed' by graphics, then go with the 2560x1440 monitor.

I made the move from 120hz to 2560x1600 last week. It took me a second to become adjusted to the difference in refresh but now that I have it is fine. If you do trading I can see how a higher resolution monitor might be of more benefit for you.

Either choice will require a beefy GPU setup to get the most out of for gaming. If you go the 120hz route you need a setup that can get you at least 90 fps or so to get the benefit of the monitor. The closer to 120fps the better.

If you go with 2560x1440 monitor you'll need the same as you will be pushing a lot of pixels. Assuming you want to play at high or close to max settings at a nice framerate.

 

[EternalGamer]

If you guys had a choice for gaming, would you go for that 2560x1440 monitor or go for a cheaper smaller 120hz monitor?

I do some trading so I could see some value in having that large monitor as part of my set-up, but I want to use it also for gaming.

Unless you play a lot of multiplayer FPS games and are very competitive, get the bigger monitor. I now have a 120hz monitor and fuck if I can tell the difference, but then again Im old and dont care about competitive gaming at all.

 

[Ceebs]

Not to mention all the 120hz monitors are shitty TN panels. They are just too expensive for the quality of the screen you get.

 

[mkenyon]

Not to mention all the 120hz monitors are shitty TN panels. They are just too expensive for the quality of the screen you get.

C'mon now, you're just spewing rhetoric out.

In the essay, Frankfurt defines a theory of bullshit, defining the concept and analyzing its applications. Bullshit can either be true or false but bullshitters aim primarily to impress and persuade their audiences, and in general are unconcerned with the truth or falsehood of their statements (it is because of this that Frankfurt concedes that "the bullshitter is faking things", but that "this does not necessarily mean he gets them wrong").

My S23A looks every bit as sharp and color accurate as the display on my Transformer Prime. Not all TN are created equal, neither are all IPS. There's good and bad on both sides.

I still stick by 120hz > all. Competitive play or not, it feels like my eyes are being massaged. I go back to a 60hz display for work every day, and I can certainly feel and see a major difference. It's like stop motion vs. live action, IMO.

 

[Ceebs]

C'mon now, you're just spewing rhetoric out.

Maybe they have improved, but the last 120hz monitors I saw just did not look like what I expect for a 500 dollar monitor.

 

[jtkauff]

So I'm looking at what options I have with my current desktop machine and what I should upgrade. I find myself doing more gaming on my PC, though what I tend to do isn't cutting-edge by any means. I play mainly at MMOs and stuff picked up from Steam sales (Telltale stuff, Paradox titles, and older games) along with indie titles. Easily the most graphical-intensive games that I play are LotRO and SWTOR - everything else is pretty-much a non-issue.

That said, I'd love to get as much of a boost in my graphics ability and overall performance as I can so that I can run the stuff that I do play at higher settings. I'd love to be able to get LotRO running at/near Ultra and get decent FPS. However, I have a limited budget and my PC is one cobbled together from spare parts that my brother had. Basically I'm looking to see what kind of sub-$100 upgrades (say, 3 separate upgrades spread out over months) I could get for the best bang for my buck for the below:

Current Specs, aka. the spare parts my brother had on-hand last Christmas:
- CPU: AMD Athlon II x4 630, 2.8gHz
- Motherboard: Asus M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3
- RAM: 3gb DDR3
- Video card: nVidia GeForce 9600 GT 512mb (unsure of specific brand)
- PSU: I'm not in front of my machine to check, but last I remember my brother mentioned I had room to upgrade components without getting a new PSU. Can get this info once I'm home from work.
- misc: I've got standard 2 hard drives that I'll be keeping, and I'll be sticking with keyboard/mouse/speakers/DVD drive/case/etc as well. Wouldn't mind upgrading to an SSD eventually but my guess is that I need to get other things upgraded first.

Budget: I'd like to start by putting less than $100 into it and then going from there, so I'm thinking probably a new video card initially and then maybe another upgrade or two down the road a few months. I don't have the budget to redo the whole system.
Main use: As above, mainly semi-light gaming but with the most graphically-intensive thing being MMOs - LotRO is probably going to be my main benchmark title, trying (eventually/possibly) to get up to Ultra with the DirectX10/11 renderer and have it run at least semi-smooth in combat.
Monitor resolution: 1680x1050 is my current one, no direct plans to upgrade until I get the system ramped up a little more.
Specific games: As before, Lord of the Rings Online, with Star Wars: The Old Republic and RIFT being others that I dabble in. As long as I can get a little more performance out of these everything else will fall into place.
Timeframe: Spread out. If I can get my first upgrade within the month it would be great, then maybe one or two other $100-or-less upgrades over the next few months after that.
Overclocking: Nope.

If anyone could recommend some routes to go it would be appreciated. Money is tight (3-year-old boys are expensive) but I'd like to get a little more performance out of it without having to scrap it and start over, but since I didn't really assemble it in the first place (again, it's cobbled together from left-over/old parts from my brother) I've less of an idea of what my focus should be. Thanks!

 

[mkenyon]

Easy peasy:

Video card that has a stomachable price for you. GTX460, 6850, 6870 will probably be what you would want.

Then get a decent cooler, CM212+, and overclock your processor.

If you want more RAM, you can usually find decent kits of DDR2 for sale through various forums secondhand. 4GB will be plenty enough, though even 3GB is really enough if you dont keep much open while gaming.

 

[Sanky Panky]

If you go with 2560x1440 monitor you'll need the same as you will be pushing a lot of pixels. Assuming you want to play at high or close to max settings at a nice framerate.

I read before in here that a single GTX 670 might do the trick? or do I have to SLI for it?

 

[mkenyon]

I read before in here that a single GTX 670 might do the trick? or do I have to SLI for it?

Depends on the game, really. Check out 670 reviews and look at similar resolutions in the games you are interested in. If that's acceptable performance, then you have your answer.

 

[Fou-Lu]

I think I'll grab a 7870 and overclock it for 2560x1440 gaming, I'll just probably have to run certain games at lower resolution to max out the settings.

 

[Lovely Salsa]

Is there a reason why my newly built pc keeps hanging itself when, for example, extracting or downloading large files? I have a SSD drive

I installed windows 7 on it, gpu driver, chipset driver

Is there something I'm missing?

 

[mkenyon]

Is there a reason why my newly built pc keeps hanging itself when, for example, extracting or downloading large files? I have a SSD drive

I installed windows 7 on it, gpu driver, chipset driver

Is there something I'm missing?

This does sound odd. What SSD? Are you able to run Crystal Disk Mark to see what kinds of speeds you are getting? Might be a good idea to try that, just to compare.

Some other thoughts:
1. Try doing all of the ssd optimizing stuff listed in the OP.
2. Ensure that you have it plugged in to the right SATA port, hopefully an Intel SATA 6. If not, switch over to it.
3. Try a different SATA data cable.
4. Run windows updater to make sure you have all the latest fixes and patches.

I think I'll grab a 7870 and overclock it for 2560x1440 gaming, I'll just probably have to run certain games at lower resolution to max out the settings.

High resolutions really like crossfire/SLI. If at some point you can afford a second, it might be a good idea to go that route. Try to get a 7870 that is fairly popular or standard, to make getting a second down the line easier.

 

[Sanky Panky]

Depends on the game, really. Check out 670 reviews and look at similar resolutions in the games you are interested in. If that's acceptable performance, then you have your answer.

Thanks for the help. After some digging, I think I might put a little more money and get an overclocked Sapphire HD 7970. At least in benchmarks, it is a step above the gtx 680.

 

[Smokey]

Thanks for the help. After some digging, I think I might put a little more money and get an overclocked Sapphire HD 7970. At least in benchmarks, it is a step above the gtx 680.

Great card for that resolution. The 3GB of VRAM (although you most likely won't max this out) will suit you well.

 

[mkenyon]

7970 is a beast. There's so much OC room even above what Sapphire puts on there. I kind of miss mine.

 

[Smokey]

Was looking at Corsair's site, and saw this new RAM:

Corsair Dominator Platinum. Guess these must be new? We know that the heat spreaders aren't needed for the majority of users, but I thought these looked pretty cool.

 

[mkenyon]

Have you seen the prices on those?

I have the distinct feeling that's the Samsung 30nm RAM everyone has been raving over in the past few months, with some fancy heat spreaders and LEDs on them. Either that, or it's someone else's 30nm RAM. The 1.35V profile along with the tiny actual sticks, as well as the OC headroom is what has me thinking this.

The price is outrageous, and a total ripoff.

Spoiler

fuck i want it so bad, DID YOU SEE THE LIGHTING!?

 

[Weenerz]

That is a lot of money for 16gb of ram.

 

[Infinite Justice]

Was looking at Corsair's site, and saw this new RAM:

Corsair Dominator Platinum. Guess these must be new? We know that the heat spreaders aren't needed for the majority of users, but I thought these looked pretty cool.

that looks boss as fuck especially since they light up when you plug them in.

Could never convince myself to pay for them at that price though.

 

[Chittagong]

Figured this is the best thread to ask - why don't games allow you to set UI and 3D resolution separately?

That would be the best of both worlds. I play on my big screen TV. 720P gameplay would be totally acceptable because I could max everything, and have 4xAA too - but I absolutely can't stand the smudgy menus and meters, I need my pixel perfect one pixel lines.

 

[mkenyon]

Figured this is the best thread to ask - why don't games allow you to set UI and 3D resolution separately?

That would be the best of both worlds. I play on my big screen TV. 720P gameplay would be totally acceptable because I could max everything, and have 4xAA too - but I absolutely can't stand the smudgy menus and meters, I need my pixel perfect one pixel lines.

Because they're rendered in the same engine. Doing it the other way would mean basically two games running at once and somehow combining the image on a single screen.

 

[Smokey]

Have you seen the prices on those?

The price is outrageous, and a total ripoff.

fuck i want it so bad, DID YOU SEE THE LIGHTING!?

that looks boss as fuck especially since they light up when you plug them in.
Could never convince myself to pay for them at that price though.

lol I thought the same thing...do want but dat price. You're mainly paying for the asthetics here but fuc they looking sweeet.

 

[bee]

high speed ram is THE biggest waste of money in pc gaming, max 1fps gain going from 1333 to 2600mhz for a ridiculous amount of money, if you like playing winrar though, go for it!

 

[Shambles]

high speed ram is THE biggest waste of money in pc gaming, max 1fps gain going from 1333 to 2600mhz for a ridiculous amount of money, if you like playing winrar though, go for it!

Seeing high end RAM in someones system is the first big indicator that they are a dumbass. Paying a bit extra for something that aesthetically matches your rig is one thing. Dumping money on something that looks like a Michael Bay transformer makes you an idiot. Here's a pro-tip for the non LN2-overclockers out there. If you're buying DDR3 with any heat spreader at all, you're doing it wrong.

 

[Smokey]

Seeing high end RAM in someones system is the first big indicator that they are a dumbass. Paying a bit extra for something that aesthetically matches your rig is one thing. Dumping money on something that looks like a Michael Bay transformer makes you an idiot. Here's a pro-tip for the non LN2-overclockers out there. If you're buying DDR3 with any heat spreader at all, you're doing it wrong.

PARTY POOPER

 

[Whooter]

Yeah, Buzz Killington. Go rain on someone else's parade.

 

[AwesomeSauce]

I buy fast ram not for the speed, but the cool looking heat spreaders

 

[kennah]

SO getting CL7 vs CL9 doesn't make the difference it used to? (last time i cared it was cl2 vs cl3)

 

[mkenyon]

Seeing high end RAM in someones system is the first big indicator that they are a dumbass. Paying a bit extra for something that aesthetically matches your rig is one thing. Dumping money on something that looks like a Michael Bay transformer makes you an idiot. Here's a pro-tip for the non LN2-overclockers out there. If you're buying DDR3 with any heat spreader at all, you're doing it wrong.

Socket 2011 requires tinkering of the BCLK to get good clocks. High end RAM makes that a breeze. HOW BOUT THAT MR. HIGH HORSE.

 

[legacyzero]

Dammit, I wish I had better knowledge on what kind of card to upgrade to. I'm thinking that my price range is between $300-$400.

Also My CPU is an AMD Phenom II Deneb 3.2 Quad Core. That's good enough, right??

 

[Pandemic]

The standard kit for development on UE4 at Epic is an i7/680/16gb ram so if you get an i7/670/8gb ram you will likely far exceed the specs of next gen consoles.

Interesting, thanks for the response.

So in saying that, any rough estimation on how much that would cost? (i7/670/8gb ram)

 

[sk3]

Interesting, thanks for the response.

So in saying that, any rough estimation on how much that would cost? (i7/670/8gb ram)

Around $1000.

 

[MrBig]

Interesting, thanks for the response.

So in saying that, any rough estimation on how much that would cost? (i7/670/8gb ram)

Around $1300 for the build if you want higher end stuff, not including monitors or other peripherals. Those specs are not at all a guarantee - nothing ever is in this industry - but it at least gives us a good idea of what to expect.

Here's a modification of my recent build, it's about what you're looking for just to give you an idea.

Case: $120 Fractal Design R3 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352016
Mobo: $190 ASUS P8Z77-V Pro - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131819
RAM: $48 8gb Samsung 30nm - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096
CPU: $430 Asus GTX 670 TOP - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121638
CPU: $300 2600k (or 3770k +$50) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070
Heatsink: $53 HR-02 Macho - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ERSN7G/?tag=neogaf0e-20
PSU: $90 Seasonic 620w Mod - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095
SSD: $120 128gb Crucial M4 - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W2JL2A/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Total: $1350

Around $1000.

How would you get it to $1000 without skimping?

 

[dragonlife]

I finally ordered a 1TB HDD for myself last night to replace my near death 9-year-old HDD, but I have a quick question: if I want the new drive to be my primary Windows drive, would I be able to use the same product key I used on the old HDD? Or will it tell me it's invalid? Naturally I Googled before coming here, but this specific question isn't answered. At least, I don't think so.

If you plan to use the new hard disk as the primary partition that contains Windows, then you'll have to install Windows on the disk before you can use your computer. You'll need a Windows 7 installation disc to do this. For more information, search Help and Support for "Installing and reinstalling Windows."

I go to that other guide, but I'm still not sure it answers my main question--if I can use the same product key I used before. Here's the "Installing and reinstalling Windows" guide if anyone wants to call me dumb for missing something Would I have to leave the old HDD installed to do a transfer or something? /ignorant

 

[FoxMcCloudDS]

Guys I have the EVGA GTX 570, and I am kinda feeling like I should have went with a GTX 680 or 70.

Is it hard to install a new Graphics card into my system? What do you do? I am thinking about returning it to Amazon, and getting the 680

 

[longdi]

high speed ram is THE biggest waste of money in pc gaming, max 1fps gain going from 1333 to 2600mhz for a ridiculous amount of money, if you like playing winrar though, go for it!

it is actually games (and memory benchmarks) that see the most out of higher speed ram! more like 2-5% better fps but i wont be caught buying expensive rams too.
just get those highly rated samsung 30nm 1600mhz super low profile rams, overclock better than your typical corsair vengeance line up! will not block your big cpu cooler fan either

 

[mkenyon]

Guys I have the EVGA GTX 570, and I am kinda feeling like I should have went with a GTX 680 or 70.

Is it hard to install a new Graphics card into my system? What do you do? I am thinking about returning it to Amazon, and getting the 680

It's literally the easiest thing to do in a computer. Well, maybe swap memory. But then definitely expansion cards.

Dammit, I wish I had better knowledge on what kind of card to upgrade to. I'm thinking that my price range is between $300-$400.

Also My CPU is an AMD Phenom II Deneb 3.2 Quad Core. That's good enough, right??

I posted a link a page or two back that shows how a ton of different procs scale with a 7970. Should give you a good idea of whether or not it is worth it.

At that price point, seems like 670 or 7870 is the way to go right now.

 

[Hawk269]

This hobby can be very expensive, yet extremly fun and rewarding especially if you are building things yourself. With that said, I have yet another upgrade to my rig and this should be the final upgrade/revamp outside of adding another GPU or another Rad or somthing like that. I have been through a few cases...all of them extremly well made and worked good but then upgrading took it's toll and wanting to do more, go bigger and ultimately going to Water!

After spending a small fortune on cases and other stuff, I finally found a case that met my ever desire to just add one more thing, but also future proof myself with the room to do pretty much whatever I wanted.

Here is the new case...Case Labs Magnum TH10!!!!

The case is monsterous and allows all the flexibility anyone could ask for and alot of things that are customizable. The case also allows the motheboard tray to be removed, it even comes with little feet to make a test bed out of it.

Image of the Motherboard side. The whole mother board and expansion bays slide out of the back of the case:

Image of the Power supply side. This is where most of the Radiators will go along with the Res/Pump for the water cooling set up. The top front is the HDD/SSD case.

Here are one of the first images (that I know of) of a Water Block on a Evga GTX 690. The block looks very nice!!!

As some of you knew, I had 2 GTX 690's, but decided to sell one off due to my gaming needs at 1080p did not require 2 of these monster cards. Being the popularity of the card, I was able to sell it at face value.

Will be back with a few more pics.

 

[Pandemic]

Around $1000.

Oh wow, that's really cheap, well, in Australian dollars it is, guess I'll have to see how much the parts are here in Australia.

 

[The Hermit]

Finally i have a great PC(i5 2500k/ gtx 670/8gb ram) and am catching up with a bunch of amazing titles I couldn't run like Deus Ex HR, Witcher 2, Metro..

Its so good to play everything maxed out with smooth framerate... Never had that feeling before

 

[Pandemic]

Finally i have a great PC(i5 2500k/ gtx 670/8gb ram) and am catching up with a bunch of amazing titles I couldn't run like Deus Ex HR, Witcher 2, Metro..

Its so good to play everything maxed out with smooth framerate... Never had that feeling before

Good to hear dude, it's a good feeling in not worrying about whether this game or that game would be able to run on the PC, heh.

 

[n0n44m]

Here are one of the first images (that I know of) of a Water Block on a Evga GTX 690. The block looks very nice!!!

As some of you knew, I had 2 GTX 690's, but decided to sell one off due to my gaming needs at 1080p did not require 2 of these monster cards. Being the popularity of the card, I was able to sell it at face value.

Will be back with a few more pics.

Sold my GTX480 + block, immediately spend more than double what I got on more watercooling gear ... and a Samsung 830 256GB as well on top of that. I blame this terrible E3

I got issues

and I got two shiny blocks

(no backplates because there will be no window anyway for now)

now to wait about 6 hours for the rest of the gear. I hope I correctly counted the fittings I need [18 compression, four 90degree and two 45 degree plus some extenders and connectors] then it's all just modding & European Championship for the next week w00t

 

[Smokey]

This hobby can be very expensive, yet extremly fun and rewarding especially if you are building things yourself. With that said, I have yet another upgrade to my rig and this should be the final upgrade/revamp outside of adding another GPU or another Rad or somthing like that. I have been through a few cases...all of them extremly well made and worked good but then upgrading took it's toll and wanting to do more, go bigger and ultimately going to Water!

After spending a small fortune on cases and other stuff, I finally found a case that met my ever desire to just add one more thing, but also future proof myself with the room to do pretty much whatever I wanted.

Here is the new case...Case Labs Magnum TH10!!!!

The case is monsterous and allows all the flexibility anyone could ask for and alot of things that are customizable. The case also allows the motheboard tray to be removed, it even comes with little feet to make a test bed out of it.

Image of the Motherboard side. The whole mother board and expansion bays slide out of the back of the case:

Image of the Power supply side. This is where most of the Radiators will go along with the Res/Pump for the water cooling set up. The top front is the HDD/SSD case.

Here are one of the first images (that I know of) of a Water Block on a Evga GTX 690. The block looks very nice!!!

As some of you knew, I had 2 GTX 690's, but decided to sell one off due to my gaming needs at 1080p did not require 2 of these monster cards. Being the popularity of the card, I was able to sell it at face value.

Will be back with a few more pics.

u r cray my man

 

[Caesar III]

DVD drive and RAM came today and I took some shots of my newly built rig. Only the graphics card is on its way still and should arrive early next week. Until then I'll have two cards to support the 4 displays I'm using. The hardware:
- SilverStone RV03B (the newer one with 2 face usb3)
- beQuiet 580W
- Asus P8Z77V Pro
- Intel i7 3770K (boxed cooler still)
- Corsair XMS3 2x8GB 1600
- Intel 520 SSD 180GB
- Seagate Barracuda 3TB
- Samsung Spinpoint 400GB (will be removed)
- Samsung Spinpoint 1000GB (will be removed)
- GeForce 560GTX (will be replaced by EVGA 670GTX Superclocked)
- Geforce 8600GT (will be removed)
- Soundblaster Xfi Fat4lity (pro whatever)

Pics (disclaimer: dust can be seen really good in the pics. I did not notice that much before. Cleaned afterwards without taking new pictures though):
under the mainboard/back of the tower:

The inner of the pc. The second GPU (8600GT) is in the third PCIe slot cause I needed one PCI for the Soundblaster - will be removed anyway so yeah:

Flatband cable is under the mainboard to the front (used for Soundblaster Frontpanel):

Damn close lol:

From the outside:

I'm really happy with the build (besides the dust which is removed :lol). Thanks again for help, advice and inspiration

 

[Karmum]

Have my i5-2500k overclocked to 4.4 GHz on just CPU fan + case fans, are the gains myriad by bumping it up to like 4.5 or maybe 4.6? I know it may be foolhardy and silly at that point to try and go further on just a typical fan setup. Like am I really going to see a beneficial or even noticeable gain in like BF3 for example?

 

[mambadragon]

Have my i5-2500k overclocked to 4.4 GHz on just CPU fan + case fans, are the gains myriad by bumping it up to like 4.5 or maybe 4.6? I know it may be foolhardy and silly at that point to try and go further on just a typical fan setup. Like am I really going to see a beneficial or even noticeable gain in like BF3 for example?

Realistically you'll see extremely little to no difference. You'd probably only "notice" it in benchmarks.

 

[Karmum]

Realistically you'll see extremely little to no difference. You'd probably only "notice" it in benchmarks.

I figured that, and I don't run many benchmarks so even that possible "gain" isn't really a big deal for me.

 

[KoruptData]

Just ordered the HIS iceQ 7850 2GB to replace my 6850. Will I need to uninstall all my current drivers first and uninstall my CCC and redownload the new stuff?

 

[TheThunder]

Just don't plan on overclocking.

There should be an additional 4 pin plug somewhere that you can use. 8 pin has been standard for a long time.

This is embarrassing but my PSU has a 4+4 pin connecter. My old MOBO only had a 4 pin on it for the CPU so I only connected one of them, but when I got my new ASUS Z77 it had an 8 pin one but the installation graphic on the manual made it look like you either connect a a single 4 pin or a single 8 pin so I just connected 1 of the 4 pin and left the other one.

Glad I randomly caught that one here and before I started OCing my CPU and perhaps running in some trouble.

 

[abunai]

This is embarrassing but my PSU has a 4+4 pin connecter. My old MOBO only had a 4 pin on it for the CPU so I only connected one of them, but when I got my new ASUS Z77 it had an 8 pin one but the installation graphic on the manual made it look like you either connect a a single 4 pin or a single 8 pin so I just connected 1 of the 4 pin and left the other one.

Glad I randomly caught that one here and before I started OCing my CPU and perhaps running in some trouble.

I bothered to open my case and look at my PSU, and mine has a 4+4 too. We're as bad as each other haha. At least we're good now though.

Parts arriving on Tuesday, can't wait.