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[toastyToast]

Does anyone have experience with video card coil whine? Specifically in menus when the fps is in the 1000s

I've had a GTX 670 since Friday and I've noticed it in the Crysis menu and when exiting Heaven benchmark. Otherwise it doesn't happen at all. I usually play with v-sync on anyway so ordinarily, I'd never hear it

Is this common? I think my last card did it, but I'm kind of paranoid that it'll get worse

 

[Takuya]

Whoa, what kind of setup is that? Beautifully clean and tidy!

I also want to know. Fell in love.

Those pics... it's beautiful.

Thanks! =)

It's actually my first ever complete build and I'm pretty satisfied with it. Took a lot of time to pick and choose the parts, even return some and order new ones.

The build is as follows:

- Intel i7 3770k @ 4.6Ghz
- ASUS z77 Sabertooth Motherboard
- Corsair H100 Water Cooling Unit
- 4x Cougar Vortex Hydro fans
- 16GB Mushkin Enhanced Redline Frostbyte 993996
- 2x OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SSD
- 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black HDD
- Corsair Obsidian Series 800D Case
- Corsair HX1050 PSU
- 2x EVGA GeForce GTX 680 SUPERCLOCKED+ SLI
- ASUS Blu-Ray Writer
- NZXT Sleeved Cable Extensions

 

[mkenyon]

Very clean build! 800D is so monolithic.

 

[Anth0ny]

I read the OP but I just want to be sure.

I'm ready to buy a Radeon HD 6870 and a whole bunch show up for various prices. Is there a different between the cards? They all look the same but have different brand names and prices.

I'm so confused.

 

[Wolf Akela]

I read the OP but I just want to be sure.

I'm ready to buy a Radeon HD 6870 and a whole bunch show up for various prices. Is there a different between the cards? They all look the same but have different brand names and prices.

I'm so confused.

All down to brand preference. They're pretty much the same but with different stickers.

More expensive ones are usually overclocked by default. If they don't have custom coolers it's pretty much a waste of money since you can overclock it yourself.

 

[Caesar III]

I have a quick and perhaps easy to answer question of a friend of mine. He built a similar setup as mine with SSD and storage hdd. They are plugged to SATA1 and SATA2 and in bios it all is nice and dandy so the SSD is disc0, HDD is disc1. But as soon as he uses the Windows install and from this time on those two switch (in Windows) so the HDD is the first disc. Any way to prevent this? Installing without the HDD and pluggin' in later does not work. It switches as soon as the HDD is connected. It drives him crazy HELP

 

[kharma45]

I read the OP but I just want to be sure.

I'm ready to buy a Radeon HD 6870 and a whole bunch show up for various prices. Is there a different between the cards? They all look the same but have different brand names and prices.

I'm so confused.

Get the one with the best RMA service.

 

[knitoe]

I have a quick and perhaps easy to answer question of a friend of mine. He built a similar setup as mine with SSD and storage hdd. They are plugged to SATA1 and SATA2 and in bios it all is nice and dandy so the SSD is disc0, HDD is disc1. But as soon as he uses the Windows install and from this time on those two switch (in Windows) so the HDD is the first disc. Any way to prevent this? Installing without the HDD and pluggin' in later does not work. It switches as soon as the HDD is connected. It drives him crazy HELP

Is SSD label drive C: in Windows? If no, what is it? If yes, I don't see what the issue is other than device name is reverse.

 

[Caesar III]

Is SSD label drive C: in Windows? If no, what is it? If yes, I don't see what the issue is other than device name is reverse.

Sure the SSD is drive C:\
He'd like to have the SSD to be disc0 (perfectionist and ocd). For whatever it is worth the performance index in windows is only saying the primary drive does have 5.9 points on his pc. He thinks this is based on exactly this problem for example. I've got the exact same machine and the hdd is @ 7.9 (as it should be)

 

[Bucket-o-roadkill]

It has to be a fan, fans are the only thing that cause noise in a computer other than PSU coil whine. Stop each fan in your computer (heatsink, case fans, video card, psu) one at a time to find out which it is.

Thanks for the reply. Funnily enough it wasn't a fan, but your post gave me the idea to eliminate everything one by one. Turns out it's the mechanical hard disk drives creating the noise. I have 2 1tb Samsung Spinpoint 3's and 1 Seagate 500gb. They all seem to be creating whirring between them. I've tried dampening them with rubber bits so they fit better in the bays but the whirring remains. What on earth can I do?

 

[MrBig]

Thanks for the reply. Funnily enough it wasn't a fan, but your post gave me the idea to eliminate everything one by one. Turns out it's the mechanical hard disk drives creating the noise. I have 2 1tb Samsung Spinpoint 3's and 1 Seagate 500gb. They all seem to be creating whirring between them. I've tried dampening them with rubber bits so they fit better in the bays but the whirring remains. What on earth can I do?

Replace them with SSDs

Spoiler

nothing much

 

[Sarcasm]

What kind of specs do you need if you want to do the 3 montior setup. 30" @ 2560x1600 (or 1440 I forget) with like 2 20" turned portrait on each side (like 1440x980 or something)..


Like CPU / GPU wise?

 

[Anth0ny]

All down to brand preference. They're pretty much the same but with different stickers.

More expensive ones are usually overclocked by default. If they don't have custom coolers it's pretty much a waste of money since you can overclock it yourself.

Get the one with the best RMA service.

Sooooooooooooo.... the cheapest one.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Bucket-o-roadkill]

Replace them with SSDs

Spoiler

nothing much

Haha good answer! I have 2 SSD's at the moment but still need that storage..!!

 

[mkenyon]

Sooooooooooooo.... the cheapest one.

Thanks for the help!

They have different coolers, some of which cool better than others and are quieter. The MSI cooler is the best of the bunch on the page you linked.

*edit* I had that Sapphire one as well, was whisper quiet, good temps.

Haha good answer! I have 2 SSD's at the moment but still need that storage..!!

If you have any older parts laying around (and I know you said you just upgraded the case), make a file server. Get them HDDs in a closet where they belong.

What kind of specs do you need if you want to do the 3 montior setup. 30" @ 2560x1600 (or 1440 I forget) with like 2 20" turned portrait on each side (like 1440x980 or something)..


Like CPU / GPU wise?

What games at what frames? Dual good cards (570/80, 6970/50, 670/80, 690, 7950/70/7870) with a 2500K. If you have a prior gen intel, those will do fine too with a decent overclock (talking socket 1156/1366). On the cards where more VRAM is a choice, you want the higher one.

 

[Bucket-o-roadkill]

I have to be honest, I totally gutted with my Bitfenix Shinobi purchase. It is literally just as loud as my previous ancient case. I specifically got it because the OP said it was a 'quiet option' and its just.. a complete disappointment. I'm more angry at myself than anything else, I should have realised that these HDD's would have been loud in any case and did more research, but man.. What a waste of money.

 

[Caesar III]

Sure the SSD is drive C:\
He'd like to have the SSD to be disc0 (perfectionist and ocd). For whatever it is worth the performance index in windows is only saying the primary drive does have 5.9 points on his pc. He thinks this is based on exactly this problem for example. I've got the exact same machine and the hdd is @ 7.9 (as it should be)

Additional information: When using windows 8 consumer preview the SSD is device 0... LOL?

 

[Shambles]

I have to be honest, I totally gutted with my Bitfenix Shinobi purchase. It is literally just as loud as my previous ancient case. I specifically got it because the OP said it was a 'quiet option' and its just.. a complete disappointment. I'm more angry at myself than anything else, I should have realised that these HDD's would have been loud in any case and did more research, but man.. What a waste of money.

Is it just the hard drives that are noisy or fans as well? Usually HDD noise is not transmitted through air but through vibrations into the case. You can try suspending your drives in your case in elastics in order to completely remove any vibration noise they create. Doesn't make your money come back but it might make you a little less unhappy.

Edit: I just noticed that you had a whole bunch of posts above that I didn't see. My post might not be helpful at all :S

 

[Ceebs]

Thanks for the reply. Funnily enough it wasn't a fan, but your post gave me the idea to eliminate everything one by one. Turns out it's the mechanical hard disk drives creating the noise. I have 2 1tb Samsung Spinpoint 3's and 1 Seagate 500gb. They all seem to be creating whirring between them. I've tried dampening them with rubber bits so they fit better in the bays but the whirring remains. What on earth can I do?

My current drives do this too. I have written it off to my rickety 10 year old case I have kept reusing over the years. It's mostly vibration, but it gets amplified by bouncing around in a huge metal tower that is mostly empty air. I used to leave my PC on all the time, but I have had to shutdown overnight recently it has gotten so bad (it would keep me up at night)

 

[Bucket-o-roadkill]

Is it just the hard drives that are noisy or fans as well? Usually HDD noise is not transmitted through air but through vibrations into the case. You can try suspending your drives in your case in elastics in order to completely remove any vibration noise they create. Doesn't make your money come back but it might make you a little less unhappy.

Edit: I just noticed that you had a whole bunch of posts above that I didn't see. My post might not be helpful at all :S

I have actually bought some bungee cord from Ebay and I'm going to try this out. The irony of all irony is the fact I'm not sure whether I can remove the lower 3.5'' bays very easily from this new case, I new i could remove them from my old one. What a nightmare.

My current drives do this too. I have written it off to my rickety 10 year old case I have kept reusing over the years. It's mostly vibration, but it gets amplified by bouncing around in a huge metal tower that is mostly empty air. I used to leave my PC on all the time, but I have had to shutdown overnight recently it has gotten so bad (it would keep me up at night)

Yep thats it alright. Well the best advice I can give is to learn from my mistake and DON'T waste your money on a brand spanking new flash case to try and fix this problem! It won't! Get bungee cord instead! Haha

 

[Ceebs]

I have actually bought some bungee cord from Ebay and I'm going to try this out. The irony of all irony is the fact I'm not sure whether I can remove the lower 3.5'' bays very easily from this new case, I new i could remove them from my old one. What a nightmare.



Yep thats it alright. Well the best advice I can give is to learn from my mistake and DON'T waste your money on a brand spanking new flash case to try and fix this problem! It won't! Get bungee cord instead! Haha

I need a new case no matter what. I am still using the original full tower case Alienware used when they were a new company. It's seriously over a decade old.

Edit: This monolith

 

[Bucket-o-roadkill]

I need a new case no matter what. I am still using the original full tower case Alienware used when they were a new company. It's seriously over a decade old.

I had a no name one (overclockers from the UK i think!?) for about a decade and this Bitfenix is literally just as loud, even with brand spanking new fans, etc. It looks nicer by far, don't get me wrong.. But that's about it. :\

 

[Ceebs]

Mine suffers from airflow and dust issues as well, so even if it's not quiet those problems will be fixed.

 

[IcyRhythms]

I'm guessing this is likely a driver issue as I'm running the new NVIDIA drivers that were released a couple weeks ago.

That said, I've had no problems with any other games since installing my GTX570. I used to have a 560TI, but it was giving me issues and the deal I got for a brand new 570 was too good to pass up considering the 560TI was taking a shit. Anyway, I remember playing Just Cause 2 on my 560TI at High settings with a framerate that stayed between 55-60 at all times. I've lowered all the settings possible in this game with my 570, and it just will not budge lol

I'm getting between 25-35 on some of the lowest settings. Roll back drivers?

 

[Smokey]

Huge GTX570 overstock delays GTX 660 until August

Read this on OCN, click link for more info.

 

[vaelic]

can anyone recommend a decent online place that sells canned air for cheap?

 

[RS4-]

Huge GTX570 overstock delays GTX 660 until August

Read this on OCN, click link for more info.

Drop the price to 150 and I'll be 3.

 

[I H8 Memes]

can anyone recommend a decent online place that sells canned air for cheap?

Shipping a combustible probably isnt cheap. I think that's why you can never find a place online that sells air.

 

[Trojita]

I was considering getting a bigger LCD Monitor to upgrade from my Dell 2408WFP. Probably go up to 27 inches or 30 if I can afford it.

I've been looking at

Dell U2711
Dell U3011
Apple Cinema Display or Thunderbolt Display

Any recommendations?

 

[Takuya]

I was considering getting a bigger LCD Monitor to upgrade from my Dell 2408WFP. Probably go up to 27 inches or 30 if I can afford it.

I've been looking at

Dell U2711
Dell U3011
Apple Cinema Display or Thunderbolt Display

Any recommendations?

Catleap/Achieva/Crossover

 

[TouchMyBox]

I was considering getting a bigger LCD Monitor to upgrade from my Dell 2408WFP. Probably go up to 27 inches or 30 if I can afford it.

I've been looking at

Dell U2711
Dell U3011
Apple Cinema Display or Thunderbolt Display

Any recommendations?

I'm absolutely loving my U2711 that I snagged for $700 CDN. I couldn't really be happier with it IQ-wise.

 

[knitoe]

Catleap/Achieva/Crossover

+1

And, if you are worry about getting a dead and/or stuck pixel(s), look for one with "perfect pixel" label, but just know, most people don't have any issue with regular label ones. For seller, most people recommend Accessorieswhole.

 

[Im_Special]

Hey guys I'm going to be building my very first PC soon and have finishing putting together my shopping list, but before I place the order could some of you PC experts glance over it to make sure everything is of good quality and compatible, being new to building from scratch I've never had to touch on things like power supplies, mobo's, sound cards etc so I know very little about them, and feedback is greatly appreciated.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 245$
Mobo: ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 152$
RAM: G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 4GB)x2 114$
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 245$
HD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB 80$
SSD: Crucial M4 128GB 125$
CD/DVD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner 21$
Sound Card: ASUS XONAR DG 5.1 30$
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 400R 110$
Power Supply: CORSAIR Professional Series HX650 650W 130$
Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO 35$
OS: Windows 7 100$

Totals ~1387$

 

[Ceebs]

Catleap/Achieva/Crossover

Yeah with those easily available there is no way I would pay what Dell wants for that 27". 1,000 bucks for that Apple display is just highway robbery. (Which also makes me anxious to see how many suckers buy their overpriced TV)

 

[MrBig]

Hey guys I'm going to be building my very first PC soon and have finishing putting together my shopping list, but before I place the order could some of you PC experts glance over it to make sure everything is of good quality and compatible, being new to building from scratch I've never had to touch on things like power supplies, mobo's, sound cards etc so I know very little about them, and feedback is greatly appreciated.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 245$
Mobo: ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 152$
RAM: G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 4GB)x2 114$
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 245$
HD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB 80$
SSD: Crucial M4 128GB 125$
CD/DVD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner 21$
Sound Card: ASUS XONAR DG 5.1 30$
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 400R 110$
Power Supply: CORSAIR Professional Series HX650 650W 130$
Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO 35$
OS: Windows 7 100$

Totals ~1387$

You don't need a soundcard unless you have 50+ ohm headphones really. 8gb of ram is more than you will ever need for gaming in the foreseeable future. The 7850 is the same price as the 560ti and much better. SeaSonic M12II 620 is more worth you money than the HX650. Unless you can get the 3570k for only a little more than the 2500k, just get the 2500k.

Don't just go to newegg, check amazon and other places as well for the best prices.

 

[mkenyon]

I had a no name one (overclockers from the UK i think!?) for about a decade and this Bitfenix is literally just as loud, even with brand spanking new fans, etc. It looks nicer by far, don't get me wrong.. But that's about it. :\

A case is only one aspect of making a system more quiet. You have to consider every moving part and how the whole thermal layout works together to create both enough airflow and a quiet environment.

The Shinobi is recommended as a quiet case because the case fans it comes with are near silent, and it doesn't have a giant mesh front that lets a ton of sound get out. It's certainly not intended to dampen noises like the Fractal Define or Antec P280, both of which have sound dampening material.

With this in mind, if you took steps to make the rest of your system silent (aftermarket VGA heatsink, CPU heatsink w/ good fans, proper HDD suspension), then you would most likely be noticing how loud your old case is in relation to the Shinobi. This difference isn't noticed since it's eclipsed by the dB of your HDD's.

I hope this all makes sense.

can anyone recommend a decent online place that sells canned air for cheap?

If you clean your computer once a month, this will actually save you money over the course of a year.

Also, +1 to the Achevia/Catleap suggestions. Just got mine for my second monitor in portrait mode. Quite nice, though you can still pry my 120hz out of my cold, dead hands.

 

[Bucket-o-roadkill]

A case is only one aspect of making a system more quiet. You have to consider every moving part and how the whole thermal layout works together to create both enough airflow and a quiet environment.

The Shinobi is recommended as a quiet case because the case fans it comes with are near silent, and it doesn't have a giant mesh front that lets a ton of sound get out. It's certainly not intended to dampen noises like the Fractal Define or Antec P280, both of which have sound dampening material.

With this in mind, if you took steps to make the rest of your system silent (aftermarket VGA heatsink, CPU heatsink w/ good fans, proper HDD suspension), then you would most likely be noticing how loud your old case is in relation to the Shinobi. This difference isn't noticed since it's eclipsed by the dB of your HDD's.

I hope this all makes sense.

If you clean your computer once a month, this will actually save you money over the course of a year.

Also, +1 to the Achevia/Catleap suggestions. Just got mine for my second monitor in portrait mode. Quite nice, though you can still pry my 120hz out of my cold, dead hands.

My Shinobi didn't even come with a fan.. Even though in the description it says it should... I've emailed the retailer. What a nightmare!

 

[mkenyon]

There is a barebones Shinobi that only comes with a single fan, but they stopped selling that SKU quite a while ago once stock ran out.

Get some decent fans to quiet down your system. Low RPM Yate Loons, Scythe GT AP-13s, Bitfenix Spectre (or Spectre Pro's for heatsink use), a host of Noctuas, or Noiseblockers.

 

[iNvid02]

A case is only one aspect of making a system more quiet. You have to consider every moving part and how the whole thermal layout works together to create both enough airflow and a quiet environment.

The Shinobi is recommended as a quiet case because the case fans it comes with are near silent, and it doesn't have a giant mesh front that lets a ton of sound get out. It's certainly not intended to dampen noises like the Fractal Define or Antec P280, both of which have sound dampening material.

With this in mind, if you took steps to make the rest of your system silent (aftermarket VGA heatsink, CPU heatsink w/ good fans, proper HDD suspension), then you would most likely be noticing how loud your old case is in relation to the Shinobi. This difference isn't noticed since it's eclipsed by the dB of your HDD's.

I hope this all makes sense.

If you clean your computer once a month, this will actually save you money over the course of a year.

Also, +1 to the Achevia/Catleap suggestions. Just got mine for my second monitor in portrait mode. Quite nice, though you can still pry my 120hz out of my cold, dead hands.

yeah i have this and it will pay for itself eventually

fucking hated those compressed air cans, they did nothing

 

[Im_Special]

You don't need a soundcard unless you have 50+ ohm headphones really. 8gb of ram is more than you will ever need for gaming in the foreseeable future. The 7850 is the same price as the 560ti and much better. SeaSonic M12II 620 is more worth you money than the HX650. Unless you can get the 3570k for only a little more than the 2500k, just get the 2500k.

Don't just go to newegg, check amazon and other places as well for the best prices.

Thanks for the criticism MRBig, I actually have a really nice pair of Schneider headphones and a decent mid-upper range 5.1 surround setup so I'm thinking a sound card is a good thing to have, I've also never not had a sound card with all my past pre-built PC's so I don't really know what its like without one. I looked into the SeaSonic and that indeed looks to be a more popular one so I'll take your recommendation and switch to that, and I know the 16GB is probably overkill now but its pretty cheap and makes me feel all warm and fuzz in side having it lol.

 

[dragonlife]

If you clean your computer once a month, this will actually save you money over the course of a year.

Oh, damn. I love you for introducing me to this! I will definitely have to pick this up eventually.

 

[Darknight]

Need some motherboard advice.

Do you guys think its an OK idea to purchase a used mobo that has some of its pins bent?(CPU pins no less) I've seen some where the owner 'fixes' it and resells it n says it works fine with the CPU. In this case, would the CPU suffer damage or no? Anyone ever use one like this and have any or no issues? I found a mobo at a reasonable price and that's the only issue.

 

[mkenyon]

Need some motherboard advice.

Do you guys think its an OK idea to purchase a used mobo that has some of its pins bent?(CPU pins no less) I've seen some where the owner 'fixes' it and resells it n says it works fine with the CPU. In this case, would the CPU suffer damage or no? Anyone ever use one like this and have any or no issues? I found a mobo at a reasonable price and that's the only issue.

No no no no!

 

[Infinite Justice]

Need some motherboard advice.

Do you guys think its an OK idea to purchase a used mobo that has some of its pins bent?(CPU pins no less) I've seen some where the owner 'fixes' it and resells it n says it works fine with the CPU. In this case, would the CPU suffer damage or no? Anyone ever use one like this and have any or no issues? I found a mobo at a reasonable price and that's the only issue.

dear god NO!!!

if its somehow fucked then you are basically fucked. At least with a new one you can RMA it if something happens imo

 

[clav]

Oh, damn. I love you for introducing me to this! I will definitely have to pick this up eventually.

If you already own a house home vacuum, you can buy just the attachments as they also work. I don't have a link as I got one from a retail store a long time ago.

The one that mkenyon suggested is an exclusive solution if you don't own a vacuum.

 

[mkenyon]

If you already own a house home vacuum, you can buy just the attachments as they also work. I don't have a link as I got one from a retail store a long time ago.

The one that mkenyon suggested is an exclusive solution if you don't own a vacuum.

It's actually an air compressor, despite the name that would indicate otherwise. Vacuums also create static discharge, which is of course a concern.

 

[clav]

It's actually an air compressor, despite the name that would indicate otherwise. Vacuums also create static discharge, which is of course a concern.

Ah. I haven't had a problem for the times I've used it.

 

[VariantX]

Need some motherboard advice.

Do you guys think its an OK idea to purchase a used mobo that has some of its pins bent?(CPU pins no less) I've seen some where the owner 'fixes' it and resells it n says it works fine with the CPU. In this case, would the CPU suffer damage or no? Anyone ever use one like this and have any or no issues? I found a mobo at a reasonable price and that's the only issue.

No sir. That does not sound like a good idea at all.

 

[Sarcasm]

What games at what frames? Dual good cards (570/80, 6970/50, 670/80, 690, 7950/70/7870) with a 2500K. If you have a prior gen intel, those will do fine too with a decent overclock (talking socket 1156/1366). On the cards where more VRAM is a choice, you want the higher one.

Probably going to be building a desktop from scratch soon. Was going to pick up a 2500K and OC it or if I can spend more on something else that is OC I would. Than I prob buy one GPU and stick to one monitor - than later grab the rest of the monitors.

I want to play my backlog and new games.

 

[mkenyon]

Probably going to be building a desktop from scratch soon. Was going to pick up a 2500K and OC it or if I can spend more on something else that is OC I would. Than I prob buy one GPU and stick to one monitor - than later grab the rest of the monitors.

I want to play my backlog and new games.

You'll want to follow the "excellent" build, but swap the PSU for a Corsair AX850/Seasonic X850 (same unit), add a second video card, and get a Coolermaster 690II Advanced or Fractal Arc Midi for the case.

Of course, no one can predict the future, but that ought to be fine for a long while. Of course, the more you spend on videocards, the better it will preform now and further on.