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[Shambles]

I have a similar question. My case comes with a 120mm rear fan with possible expansions of 1 side fan (120mm), 1 front fan (120mm), and 2 top fans (120/140mm). Would the rear exhaust fan and a front intake fan be enough for a non-OC'd Sandy Bridge with stock cooler and a non-OC'd 6870 GPU with dual fans on the card? Micro ATX case form factor, standard bottom power supply layout. Please let me know from a a)component safety perspective and b)a low noise perspective.

As far as noise goes wait and see how the system sounds. Since it seems like you've already ordered the main components there's no point in spending money now that may have no noticeable affect on noise levels. If you do have an issue with noise open up the case and start replacing things based on whatever makes the most sound. Chances are the stock CPU cooler will probably be the first to go. Since you're not overclocking anything you won't have to worry about temperatures at all. As far as case fans go it depends on what case you have, some are garbage, some are decent.

Ok, I will get two to replace stock H100's fans. Do you recommend replacing stock CM 690 II's fans? If so, which ones do you recommend for air flow?

The 690II fans are fairly quiet. With the stock fans the loudest thing in my PC is the GTX 670 fans (Which are pretty damn quiet) and HDD seeking. I haven't started to seriously overclock yet until I'm sure all my components are stable and working properly at stock. So far temps are fairly good in the case. With Kepler and Ivy bridge running at stock nothing in the case really creates much heat in the first place

 

[mkenyon]

Ok, I will get two to replace stock H100's fans. Do you recommend replacing stock CM 690 II's fans? If so, which ones do you recommend for air flow?

Spectre Pro, Corsair Air Series AF120, 1200-1500RPM Noiseblockers, Scythe Slip Stream 1200RPM, Yate Loon Low RPM/1200RPM.

The Yate 1200RPM fans are the least expensive of the bunch, and spending that much more on the expensive ones (Corsair, Bitfenix) won't give you that much better of gains. They have better bearings which means longer life though.

I have the 600T. I love it though I probably need to replace the fans in it.

Aside from getting rid of the terrible 200mm fans it ships with, one of the major things you can do to reduce noise is removing the plastic cross supports on the top and front. Since the top is exhaust, you don't need a filter there. With the front, just leave a really simple cross section. The turbulence caused by those is really significant.

 

[Lateraleye]

The dual fan thing is the only issue I'd worry about. Since it's mATX, a single intake and a single exhaust should be fine as long as the fans have decent CFM. The balancing act with those non-reference coolers is getting it cooled enough from case fans to keep it from spinning up, but without adding too many case fans that end up making the same noise. What case, out of curiosity?

NZXT Gamma Classic Series
Newegg

I think I get what you're saying. Should I get two off the shelf fans of the same type (low dB, high RPM ratio) and install them in front and rear then? And add two more for intake/exhaust on the top if it gets too hot or the RPMs on the other fans are going crazy.

 

[Lateraleye]

As far as noise goes wait and see how the system sounds. Since it seems like you've already ordered the main components there's no point in spending money now that may have no noticeable affect on noise levels. If you do have an issue with noise open up the case and start replacing things based on whatever makes the most sound. Chances are the stock CPU cooler will probably be the first to go. Since you're not overclocking anything you won't have to worry about temperatures at all. As far as case fans go it depends on what case you have, some are garbage, some are decent.

Sounds like the logical approach. I won't be buying the GPU until late July (birthday present for myself) but will be assembling everything else this week. Just wanted to have everything covered so I don't have to spend my big day frantically searching local stores for parts.

 

[mkenyon]

NZXT Gamma Classic Series
Newegg

I think I get what you're saying. Should I get two off the shelf fans of the same type (low dB, high RPM ratio) and install them in front and rear then? And add two more for intake/exhaust on the top if it gets too hot or the RPMs on the other fans are going crazy.

Yep. Ultimately, you always want to have a higher amount of intake than exhaust, this is called positive pressure. If you have filters, it almost eliminates dust build up. Even if you don't, it still reduces the amount of dust buildup and always has lower temps.
*edit*
Also, to echo shambles, the 690 case fans aren't bad. They're not great, but they will certainly get the job done and only need replacing if you're unhappy with them.

 

[clav]

$89 / 79€, so it's cheaper than a R3 or Arc.

Nice.

Looks like I know what my next computer case will be.

 

[AranhaHunter]

This might be the best thread to ask this, but does anyone know the best place to buy good, high quality monitors? I'm looking to buy two 22-25" monitors.

 

[Shambles]

This might be the best thread to ask this, but does anyone know the best place to buy good, high quality monitors? I'm looking to buy two 22-25" monitors.

Depends what your intentions are. If you are wanting colour accuracy and image quality you're looking at monitors with IPS panels. If you're talking about gaming then you're probably care more for 120Hz monitors. What are the monitors mainly going to be used for?

 

[mkenyon]

This might be the best thread to ask this, but does anyone know the best place to buy good, high quality monitors? I'm looking to buy two 22-25" monitors.

Newegg, Frys, Microcenter, Ebay.

Go back a couple of pages and check out the Crossover/Achevia/Catleap love.

 

[Digital-Hero]

I'm going to build a new PC and get back into PC gaming in a few weeks. This thread has been very helpful.

 

[hypernima]

Depends what your intentions are. If you are wanting colour accuracy and image quality you're looking at monitors with IPS panels. If you're talking about gaming then you're probably care more for 120Hz monitors. What are the monitors mainly going to be used for?

I really want an IPS panel for Creative work, are there any more affordable options?

 

[LordAlu]

I really want an IPS panel for Creative work, are there any more affordable options?

How much is "affordable"?

 

[MrBig]

I really want an IPS panel for Creative work, are there any more affordable options?

The lower end stuff in the $200 range is plagued with backlight issues, as I found when I was first researching monitors. For IPS its really either $300-$400 (from Dell, Asus, Crossover, Achieva, etc) or $800+ (from HP, Dell, etc). If you're getting an IPS panel one of the korean models is really the best option.

If you're worried about the warranty with them, be sure to buy from Accessories Whole, they have the best customer support by far.

 

[2San]

So I recently created that pc for my brother, everything works fine except for the time. It keeps showing the wrong time. It only shows the right time when you let it update. He also kept the PC on for a while to rule out a battery failure on the mobo's part.

You guys have any idea what might be wrong?

 

[MrBig]

So I recently created that pc for my brother, everything works fine except for the time. It keeps showing the wrong time. It only shows the right time when you let it update. He also kept the PC on for a while to rule out a battery failure on the mobo's part.

You guys have any idea what might be wrong?

Right click the clock, adjust date/time, sync with the windows time server.

 

[mkenyon]

So I recently created that pc for my brother, everything works fine except for the time. It keeps showing the wrong time. It only shows the right time when you let it update. He also kept the PC on for a while to rule out a battery failure on the mobo's part.

You guys have any idea what might be wrong?

As in, once you update it then it shows the correct time, but if you power off the computer or restart, then it's wrong?

 

[2San]

Right click the clock, adjust date/time, sync with the windows time server.

Already did that.

As in, once you update it then it shows the correct time, but if you power off the computer or restart, then it's wrong?

Even if you keep the computer on it shows the wrong time after a while.

 

[mkenyon]

That is strange....


*edit* PM sent.

 

[ArecxP]

I don't understand how you guys are getting 50-60~ temperatures for your overclock settings. Maybe I'm just not doing it right. I have my 3570k OC'd to 4.0ghz and when I run Prime95, temperatures get to around 80C. My voltage is slightly tweaked from max but nothing extreme.

What am I doing wrong here to get similar temperatures or are you guys just using some super extraordinary fans?

 

[Shambles]

I don't understand how you guys are getting 50-60~ temperatures for your overclock settings. Maybe I'm just not doing it right. I have my 3570k OC'd to 4.0ghz and when I run Prime95, temperatures get to around 80C. My voltage is slightly tweaked from max but nothing extreme.

What am I doing wrong here to get similar temperatures or are you guys just using some super extraordinary fans?

What voltage does your CPU run at and what CPU cooler and case are you using?

 

[mkenyon]

It's all about the cooler.

 

[Infinite Justice]

I don't understand how you guys are getting 50-60~ temperatures for your overclock settings. Maybe I'm just not doing it right. I have my 3570k OC'd to 4.0ghz and when I run Prime95, temperatures get to around 80C. My voltage is slightly tweaked from max but nothing extreme.

What am I doing wrong here to get similar temperatures or are you guys just using some super extraordinary fans?

If you are using the default cooler then that might be the problem i think.

If you are using the recommended coolers in the OP and its giving those temps then i think something is really wrong

 

[ArecxP]

What voltage does your CPU run at and what CPU cooler and case are you using?

My default voltage is 1.085 and I amped it up to 1.1.

Cooler is Cooler Master HYPER TX3 since I bought the custom computer off ebay and the recommended cooler wasn't an option.

My case is Cooler Master Gladiator ATX Mid Tower Case. I noticed too late that I could've got the 922 but the reviews on this case are still pretty good.

Right now, unless stated otherwise, I'm going to assume my cooler isn't up to par and my case might be blocking some air flow or something.

Edit: forgot to mention that I have an additional case fan so I'm not sure how that effects anything tbh.

 

[mkenyon]

1) Ambient temp?
2) TX3 isn't a great cooler, but 80 does seem high.
3) Might consider removing it, cleaning the CPU and heatsink, and reseating it.
4) Do you mean you only have a single case fan? Or one more than usual?

 

[ArecxP]

1) Ambient temp?
2) TX3 isn't a great cooler, but 80 does seem high.
3) Might consider removing it, cleaning the CPU and heatsink, and reseating it.
4) Do you mean you only have a single case fan? Or one more than usual?

One more than usual. My idle temps are normal I suppose. Low is around 39 and highest is 50. Off the top of my head since I'm no longer around my pc.

 

[hypernima]

How much is "affordable"?

about 200-300

 

[MrBig]

about 200-300

U2312 or U2412. I would recommend a 27" but the $300 Shimian model has issues.

 

[terrdactycalsrock]

Can someone teach me about graphic card drivers? I think Im having serious issues and Im not sure what they are or how thier updated. Im obviously new to this stuff, so please just bear with my silly question

 

[RedSwirl]

Don't look at FPS difference, look at percentage difference. It's more like 30-50% in the CPU bound games. Simple as this though, if you want something more powerful now, get a new videocard. Once performance just isn't cutting it for you or if you start playing a game that requires too much out of your CPU, then you upgrade the rest of the system.

I've already been told that my CPU would be a bottleneck if I upgraded the GPU any further. I've also been told that there isn't really anything that provides a significant leap over my current GPU unless I get into the really expensive ones.

 

[Karmum]

Sorry if the deal was possibly dead this morning, I didn't even honestly consider trying it out right before I went out the door (8 AM EDT).

I was really considering getting another SSD, even though I picked up the M4 last month. Probably should have, damn.

 

[mkenyon]

I've already been told that my CPU would be a bottleneck if I upgraded the GPU any further. I've also been told that there isn't really anything that provides a significant leap over my current GPU unless I get into the really expensive ones.

As the article demonstrates, bottlenecks aren't a binary thing and based entirely on the game being played. BF3, for example, performs pretty much the same across the wide spectrum of processors tested.

If you don't want to spend the money to upgrade to something that's going to give you better performance though, I'm not sure what else there is to discuss. Sounds like maybe you want to wait for the next major CPU/GPU refresh.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

As the article demonstrates, bottlenecks aren't a binary thing and based entirely on the game being played. BF3, for example, performs pretty much the same across the wide spectrum of processors tested.

If you don't want to spend the money to upgrade to something that's going to give you better performance though, I'm not sure what else there is to discuss. Sounds like maybe you want to wait for the next major CPU/GPU refresh.

that's what I'm doing. Ivy Bridge is a small upgrade. Not worth the money to upgrade everything. I did get a new gpu though. I'll wait to upgrade everything when windows 8 / next gen console games start coming out. Games that start requiring dx11 is a good start.

 

[AranhaHunter]

Depends what your intentions are. If you are wanting colour accuracy and image quality you're looking at monitors with IPS panels. If you're talking about gaming then you're probably care more for 120Hz monitors. What are the monitors mainly going to be used for?

Mainly coding and leisure, occasional gaming for PC exclusives.

Newegg, Frys, Microcenter, Ebay.

Go back a couple of pages and check out the Crossover/Achevia/Catleap love.

Will do. Thanks.

 

[j2theizzay]

I just ordered the Samsung 830 128gb to replace my Crucial c300 64gb. Would there be any issues if I clone the SSD instead of reinstalling windows altogether? All of my programs and users folders are still on the 64gb.

 

[2San]

That is strange....


*edit* PM sent.

But, now that I think about it. It's OEM Windows 7 that he has used on his old PC would that matter? We let it register online though and let it update and it didn't complain about it.

 

[Angelus Errare]

My HDD just suddenly died on me. I honestly believe it was Window 8 doing as it was in the middle of "optimizing" or whatever it was doing. Now it makes my favorite sounds, sonar clicks mixed with Yeti cries. Lost a bunch of shit that I hadn't backed up yet, oh well this prompts me to get a 128GB SSD...

 

[Hazaro]

Is the P67/Z68 guide for OCing 2500K in the OP good enough to use to OC a Z77/3570K ?

Method is the same, voltages are different (lower).

I don't understand how you guys are getting 50-60~ temperatures for your overclock settings. Maybe I'm just not doing it right. I have my 3570k OC'd to 4.0ghz and when I run Prime95, temperatures get to around 80C. My voltage is slightly tweaked from max but nothing extreme.

What am I doing wrong here to get similar temperatures or are you guys just using some super extraordinary fans?

Might be partly luck of the draw, the TX3 kind of sucking, and a bad mount.

Do your load temps drop a lot if you have the side panel off?

I just ordered the Samsung 830 128gb to replace my Crucial c300 64gb. Would there be any issues if I clone the SSD instead of reinstalling windows altogether? All of my programs and users folders are still on the 64gb.

It shouldn't. To my understanding the recent cloning software accounts for SSDs now.
I think Windows 7 even has one you can use.

 

[mkenyon]

My HDD just suddenly died on me. I honestly believe it was Window 8 doing as it was in the middle of "optimizing" or whatever it was doing. Now it makes my favorite sounds, sonar clicks mixed with Yeti cries. Lost a bunch of shit that I hadn't backed up yet, oh well this prompts me to get a 128GB SSD...

I don't think software can cause a massive hardware failure like that.

 

[specialguy]

Guys I was looking at overclocking stuff (specifically, what tests to do to test CPU overclock stability, and for how long)

A guy mentioned testing with prime 95 for 12+ hours and that even small instabilities can cause operating system corruption...

That sounds pretty scary...tell me that doesn't happen much...

 

[BackwardsSuggestions]

Does the TPU switch on an Asus Mobo actually do anything? Seems to make my mobo glow a nice orange colour but don't notice any speed increase. Probably because I have a locked 2400.

 

[mkenyon]

Guys I was looking at overclocking stuff (specifically, what tests to do to test CPU overclock stability, and for how long)

A guy mentioned testing with prime 95 for 12+ hours and that even small instabilities can cause operating system corruption...

That sounds pretty scary...tell me that doesn't happen much...

Blue screens happen. It's no big deal, you just restart. It's pretty much impossible to do harm unless you're talking 5.2Ghz overclocks with voltages over 1.5.

Does the TPU switch on an Asus Mobo actually do anything? Seems to make my mobo glow a nice orange colour but don't notice any speed increase. Probably because I have a locked 2400.

What motherboard?

 

[RedSwirl]

As the article demonstrates, bottlenecks aren't a binary thing and based entirely on the game being played. BF3, for example, performs pretty much the same across the wide spectrum of processors tested.

If you don't want to spend the money to upgrade to something that's going to give you better performance though, I'm not sure what else there is to discuss. Sounds like maybe you want to wait for the next major CPU/GPU refresh.

I'm going through this because earlier in the thread, I asked if it was best to get a new system this year to hook up to a television, or keep using my current one for a little while longer and just attach that one to a TV while I get a new laptop for other purposes.

When I did a trial run of this computer on an HDTV in 1080p it ran nearly every game perfectly, only stuttering on TW2, Crysis 2 in DX11, and Skyrim while in Windhelm.

I think these are the posts suggesting I go with a new CPU/RAM this year:

Not significant enough to be worth it, in my opinion. It's literally "one step" up from the GPU you have, the next best card. It wouldn't make anything you're currently struggling with suddenly playable or last any longer than your 6850 will.

So yeah, upgrading the rest now will probably net you benefits in a number of games thanks to a better CPU and more RAM. And they should last long enough that you can drop in a GPU and maybe a RAM upgrade (might not even need that) down the line and still have a perfectly capable build.

I would keep the 6850, spending money on a <$200 card now won't be much of an upgrade. Consoles are out in ~2014 so I'd wait till 2013 or 2014 and buy from the new gen of GPUs that are out then.

I'd have to double check for the features on the IB CPUs, but I think it's the same as SB. i5 would be your basic CPU, generally a quad core. i7 is like i5 but with Hyperthreading, which is unnecessary for a general purpose or gaming build. i3 is usually a dual core with Hyperthreading to simulate a couple extra cores in applications that support it.

A Sandy/Ivy Bridge CPU should be a good step above your Q6600. You wouldn't regret upgrading, though a Q6600 is still not bad for tasks like gaming as long as it's OC'd as far as I know.

As for the rest of your questions the spreadsheet in the OP should have you covered. Consider the "Enhanced" build, maybe with some changes here and there to suit your specific needs. I probably wouldn't even bother with a new GPU, the 6850 is pretty capable and should last you another year until better ones are out, then you can get a bigger jump for the money. Generally it's best not to upgrade a component just for the sake of upgrading, if it's meeting your needs right now just stick with it.

You would be bottlenecked by the CPU with a more powerful GPU, yes but it is an option if you don't want to pay for a whole new build.

You could grab a SSD, 8gb of RAM, and a 64bit copy of W7. (~$250)

If you're ready and willing to spend the money on a new system definitely do that though.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

Blue screens happen. It's no big deal, you just restart. It's pretty much impossible to do harm unless you're talking 5.2Ghz overclocks with voltages over 1.5.

Sometimes you get some condensation. Can cause problems

 

[BackwardsSuggestions]

What motherboard?

ASUS P8Z68-V LX

 

[mkenyon]

I'm going through this because earlier in the thread, I asked if it was best to get a new system this year to hook up to a television, or keep using my current one for a little while longer and just attach that one to a TV while I get a new laptop for other purposes.

When I did a trial run of this computer on an HDTV in 1080p it ran nearly every game perfectly, only stuttering on TW2, Crysis 2 in DX11, and Skyrim while in Windhelm.

I think these are the posts suggesting I go with a new CPU/RAM this year:

Yeah. Don't upgrade unless performance isn't meeting your expectations. A lot of this is really subjective too, like I need every game to run at 120fps, where others would be happy with 30fps (I call them crazies). If you're fine, just wait until Haswell and 7xx nvidia or 8xxx amd.

 

[RS4-]

U2312 or U2412. I would recommend a 27" but the $300 Shimian model has issues.

So whats wrong with the Shimians now?

 

[MrBig]

So whats wrong with the Shimians now?

Bezels covering pixels (multiple reports on OCN recently) and of course the relatively poor build quality. The power light LED also bleeds onto the screen.

 

[Emperor Bohe]

I'm planning on building my first computer...posted in here like a week ago. These are the parts that I'm thinking of getting:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $189.99
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing $17.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 $127.86
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 $59.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB 3.5" 5400RPM $118.42
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB $507.55
Power Supply: Cougar 560W ATX12V $68.63
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer $69.98
Monitor: Acer S231HLbid 23.0" $159.99
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) $98.99

- I also want this machine to be hackintosh compatible and run MacOS as well, would anyone be able to confirm if all of these parts are compatible? I hear the the gtx 680 isn't compatible with MacOS, is there any GPU that is better/on par with it that is compatible?

- I want to use this PC as my main gaming rig for the next few years...something that can run games in Ultra settings for a few years approximately.

- are there any parts that I could replace that cut costs but retain MacOS compatibility? thanks!

 

[RS4-]

Bezels covering pixels (multiple reports on OCN recently) and of course the relatively poor build quality.

Oh lol, I thought there were more things to add on top of those.

 

[mkenyon]

I'm planning on building my first computer...posted in here like a week ago. These are the parts that I'm thinking of getting:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $189.99
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing $17.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 $127.86
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 $59.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB 3.5" 5400RPM $118.42
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB $507.55
Power Supply: Cougar 560W ATX12V $68.63
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer $69.98
Monitor: Acer S231HLbid 23.0" $159.99
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) $98.99

- I also want this machine to be hackintosh compatible and run MacOS as well, would anyone be able to confirm if all of these parts are compatible? I hear the the gtx 680 isn't compatible with MacOS, is there any GPU that is better/on par with it that is compatible?

- I want to use this PC as my main gaming rig for the next few years...something that can run games in Ultra settings for a few years approximately.

- are there any parts that I could replace that cut costs but retain MacOS compatibility? thanks!

You're going to be better served by a hackintosh forum, I know there's some out there.