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[lostsupper]

Of these three 670's, which one would you guys recommend?

Gigabyte: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423

Asus: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121637

MSI: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685

 

[Hazaro]

All those 670's are fantastic.
Just make sure to nab the latest beta drivers and check if your boost clocks are stable.

Personally I'd get the GB since it's the cheapest and mine clocks to the moon. Idling at 29C which I thought was impossible. Loads at 55C 50% fan speed (near silent).

I know the ASUS is close to that, but $20 cheaper and an 8 pin power (Which probably doesn't matter at all) sold me on the GB.

 

[Zombie James]

Of these three 670's, which one would you guys recommend?

Gigabyte: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423

Asus: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121637

MSI: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685

I'd get the ASUS, it's so quiet.

 

[DeathGlobe]

Would someone kindly build me a gaming rig around 800 price range something that can perform well and be future proof for upgrades. Pm's are welcome

 

[Hazaro]

Would someone kindly build me a gaming rig around 800 price range something that can perform well and be future proof for upgrades. Pm's are welcome

1st post.

 

[Ceebs]

All those 670's are fantastic.
Just make sure to nab the latest beta drivers and check if your boost clocks are stable.

Personally I'd get the GB since it's the cheapest and mine clocks to the moon. Idling at 29C which I thought was impossible. Loads at 55C 50% fan speed (near silent).

I know the ASUS is close to that, but $20 cheaper and an 8 pin power (Which probably doesn't matter at all) sold me on the GB.

You get better load temps than I get with the ASUS DC2T.

I max around 75C @ 100% load.

(I have the fans set to auto, and it seems to crank up to 50% or so at full load)

 

[Hazaro]

You get better load temps than I get with the ASUS DC2T.

I max around 75C @ 100% load.

(I have the fans set to auto, and it seems to crank up to 50% or so at full load)

That load temp is regular usage (Games/3DM11) and not FURMark to be clear.
*Did a quick Kombustor run and it's 70C load with 50% fan speed. +25mV and 110% power limit @ 1200 boost clocks.

YMMV due to case airflow, exhaust, desk positioning, etc. All good cards. 670 is so nice. I really really can't wait for the 660. That shit is going into all the builds.

 

[Cannon Goose]

Does anyone here use an Apple keyboard with their Windows machine? I used mine when Bootcamping and all the function keys worked fine with the Bootcamp drivers. However, now that I'm on a pure Windows machine I can't seem to get the Bootcamp drivers to install; it just says that I already have the latest version and then closes.

Is there a method to getting them to work or perhaps another alternative to give me full keyboard functionality?

 

[specialguy]

I'd recommend a 670 though. It pretty much destroys every other card price-to-performance-wise in its category.

That is not true. For $350 or $400-$450 the 7950 and 7970 are both equally fine choices to the 670. Moreso if all the issues the 670 seems to have are true (factory overclocked 670's frequently not being capable of running at their clocks?)

But I guess we didn't want you know, one guy in this entire thread without a Nvidia card, would throw the whole thing off kilter.

4100 iirc is just a Phenom taped to a GPU.

Huh? Did you mean Bulldozer?

 

[TheD]

They are meant to run at 100%.

4100 iirc is just a Phenom taped to a GPU. So if you can OC it a bit it should do ok. I wouldn't pair it with anything faster than a 670 though. You will see a very large boost, although some CPU intensive games (RTS, GTA IV, etc) you'll see smaller improvement.

The FX4100 is just a 4 "core" Bulldozer, not Phenom (Funnily enough it would be faster if it was!) and it does not have a GPU.

 

[eiskaltnz]

Hey Guys.

My friend just built a new computer and I was going to lend him my old graphics card until we discovered it is totally dead.

What is everybody's suggestions for the $250 USD price range?
It seems like the 6870 or 560 TI. Is it worth bit the extra for the 560? Does anyone have any particular suggestions for a version of the card?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Rubbish King]

She's alive!

98% complete. Stress testing right now, and with furmark and prime 95 running, maxing out at 49C @ 4.3 Ghz on the proc, 41C on the 690.

DAT RIG.

 

[PrematureQuiche]

Thanks everyone for the help! I just need to wait a couple weeks for the money :/

 

[gutterboy44]

Oh how I wish I could turn off the pedantic part of my brain when building PCs. When I build my friend's gaming rig, I was done in 2 1/2 hours. From box to Win 7 install. Even tweaked his fan speeds a little to make it quiet. Was satisfied with the cabling after a few minutes and he instantly enjoyed his new gaming PC from the moment he turned it on.

For my build, I slave over every little fucking detail. My GB 670 came in last night, the final part to my PC, but did I play a single game last night? Of course not. I had to tweak fan speeds for 2 hours. I had to make sure all of my data was copied from my old HDD's. Wait my RAID 1 volume wasn't initialized via Intel SRT for better error management and repairs? Fucking better do that....4 hours later. It is a disease.

Even when not setting up a brand new rig I swear my tweaking to actual gaming ratio for PC's is 10:1.

I think I made a mistake with installing some programs on my HDD RAID1 array. I should just install everything on my SSD and leave the HDD for media files. I am now considering getting a second SSD just for games drive so I don't have to fuck with that at all.

 

[kharma45]

Hey Guys.

My friend just built a new computer and I was going to lend him my old graphics card until we discovered it is totally dead.

What is everybody's suggestions for the $250 USD price range?
It seems like the 6870 or 560 TI. Is it worth bit the extra for the 560? Does anyone have any particular suggestions for a version of the card?

Thanks for the help.

For that price range I'd look at a 7850, iirc there are some around that level.

 

[gutterboy44]

So now that I am back in the throws of the master race, I might as well dip my toes in the 120hz pool. I am sick of using my old 32" Sony Bravia as a monitor for my computer. It was a great all in one when was stuck in a small bedroom with room for only one screen but now that I have a separate TV and use this display for only PC I need to change it up.

Is there a unanimous best of the 120hz in the 24" range right now? The newegg reviews seem to be all over the place.

 

[mkenyon]

BenQ XL2420T, with S23A700 (for dual link dvi) and S23A750D (for display port) if you like a gloss screen.

 

[n0n44m]

Is there a unanimous best of the 120hz in the 24" range right now? The newegg reviews seem to be all over the place.

I <3 my BenQ XL2420T and it scores high on reviews from sites such as prad.de as well

Asus also has a pretty good 27" 1080p 120z model

 

[diamount]

mkenyon, is a custom water loop worth it? aesthetics aside i mean

 

[gutterboy44]

Thanks, looks like a really nice panel.

Edit: Any of you who own it hooked up a PS3 to it?

 

[RiverBed]

Side question: has the Ivy Bridge CPU released, and if so, is it all that is was cracked up to be (big leap from Sandy Bridge)?

 

[diamount]

Side question: has the Ivy Bridge CPU released, and if so, is it all that is was cracked up to be (big leap from Sandy Bridge)?

I believe the consensus is it's not a viable enough upgrade if you've already got a sandy bridge. Also runs hotter but better performance like a ivy bridge running at 4.5ghz is the equivalent to a sandy bridge running at 4.7.

 

[n0n44m]

mkenyon, is a custom water loop worth it? aesthetics aside i mean

can't think of any way to have a water loop make sense in a financial way, but damn do I feel satisfied once everything is working the way I planned

the only reasons to do it are (1) maximum daily-usable cooling (2) more silence (3) because you like to build and tweak computers. Preferably all three reasons actually.

a pretty quiet air setup with enough cooling for some light overclocking makes a lot more sense financially that's for sure. All you would need for that are a CM212 or better heatsink, a GPU with decent (aftermarket) cooler, a good case and about $100 worth of quality fans.

But if you have the funds and like to build and mod, go for it !

just booted my new build for the first time; everything seems to work and it boots my old Win7 install without issues ... but no radiator connected yet so can't run it for more than a couple of minutes lol

time to clean out and attach the radiator, get my desk sorted again then finally do some gaming for the first time in ~4 weeks

Thanks, looks like a really nice panel.

Edit: Any of you who own it hooked up a PS3 to it?

only to check whether it still worked before selling it to fund a second GTX670 for SLI

but it worked pretty good ... 1080p 16:9 screen right don't expect it to perform better than a (decent) TV as it needs 120 hz input to shine obviously

 

[mkenyon]

Thanks, looks like a really nice panel.

Edit: Any of you who own it hooked up a PS3 to it?

Has HDMI, so should be no prob. Need dual link DVI for 120hz though.

mkenyon, is a custom water loop worth it? aesthetics aside i mean

I'm a hobbyist, so building and OCing is as much fun for me as any game besides Tribes. Also, its dead silent. I can hear a watch ticking when I'm stressing the CPU and GPU.

Its never worth it in terms of $erformance though. Its really the only way to squeeze out more frames when you have a 3820 and a 690 though

 

[saltinekracka]

I got Windows up and running last night. No regrets at all on the Samsung SDD. That thing is QUICK. Doesn't come with a SATA cable though. Wat.

I guess I need to get a new monitor now. I'm hooked up to my 720p 32in TV right now at 1024x768. ;_;

 

[knitoe]

I got Windows up and running last night. No regrets at all on the Samsung SDD. That thing is QUICK. Doesn't come with a SATA cable though. Wat.

I guess I need to get a new monitor now. I'm hooked up to my 720p 32in TV right now at 1024x768. ;_;

Drives don't usually comes with cables. I can't remember if I ever got one with a drive. They do come with the MB.

 

[Smokey]

I got Windows up and running last night. No regrets at all on the Samsung SDD. That thing is QUICK. Doesn't come with a SATA cable though. Wat.

I guess I need to get a new monitor now. I'm hooked up to my 720p 32in TV right now at 1024x768. ;_;

o_0

 

[saltinekracka]

Drives don't usually comes with cables. I can't remember if I ever got one with a drive. They do come with the MB.

It wasn't listed as a bare drive so I just assumed. I just unplugged my other hard drive. No biggie, they're $3.50 on Amazon.

 

[metalshade]

Hey guys, very close to a completed build list now, just trying to narrow down the last few things, I already have this ordered for my day to day keyboard usage http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/advent-akbent11-wireless-keyboard-black-09949652-pdt.html
(Hope this is actually decent.)
But I am not particularly comfortable with WASD movement in games, I have been using a 360 pad for many years.
Can anyone recommend an option where I can have an analogue thumbstick in my left hand for movement, but in my right hand still have the superior mouse aiming. I guess the left hand thumbstick side would also have to have some normal keyboard like buttons too.
Does anything like this really exist.
I vaguely recall something like split fish or something, but I have no idea if that sort of thing would be practical in Battlefield or portal or C&C

 

[MrBig]

Hey guys, very close to a completed build list now, just trying to narrow down the last few things, I already have this ordered for my day to day keyboard usage http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/advent-akbent11-wireless-keyboard-black-09949652-pdt.html
(Hope this is actually decent.)
But I am not particularly comfortable with WASD movement in games, I have been using a 360 pad for many years.
Can anyone recommend an option where I can have an analogue thumbstick in my left hand for movement, but in my right hand still have the superior mouse aiming. I guess the left hand thumbstick side would also have to have some normal keyboard like buttons too.
Does anything like this really exist.
I vaguely recall something like split fish or something, but I have no idea if that sort of thing would be practical in Battlefield or portal or C&C

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/member.php?u=1378 this guy has an interesting avatar, you should send him a pm

 

[DSmalls84]

I'm looking to get a monitor for my pc and want to spend $250 or less. Would you guys recommend the ASUS monitors in that range? I know they have a pretty good rep for the parts they manufacture but I really don't know much about monitors and usually game on my tv.

 

[bucknuticus]

Looking at doing a new comp soon and im going to order the SSD here since some are on sale. Which Should I go with? Or any other suggesitons?

http://www.buy.com/prod/sandisk-extreme-240gb-2-5-sata-iii-solid-state-drive-ssd/227072805.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233211

 

[EternalGamer]

Hey guys, very close to a completed build list now, just trying to narrow down the last few things, I already have this ordered for my day to day keyboard usage http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/advent-akbent11-wireless-keyboard-black-09949652-pdt.html
(Hope this is actually decent.)
But I am not particularly comfortable with WASD movement in games, I have been using a 360 pad for many years.
Can anyone recommend an option where I can have an analogue thumbstick in my left hand for movement, but in my right hand still have the superior mouse aiming. I guess the left hand thumbstick side would also have to have some normal keyboard like buttons too.
Does anything like this really exist.
I vaguely recall something like split fish or something, but I have no idea if that sort of thing would be practical in Battlefield or portal or C&C

I'd say just grit your teeth and learn the wsad. Just start with a slower paced game where you can easily map commands to mouse buttons and not have to take your left hand off wsad often. Maybe an RPG like Skyrim or Fallout or Stalker (the last one worked well for me since the combat is slower paced and more about gun play at a distance). Just dont be afraid to remap things to mouse buttons instead of number keys until you are comfortable with wsad.

It's not unlike what many of us went through when trying to learn how to use a dpad after using joysticks or learning to use to analog sticks after being use to dpads. Keyboard and mouse is a tried and true input system and while controllers work well for some games, you'd really be doing yourself a disservice by avoiding learning to use it. Many many great games are specifically designed with that set up in mind.

 

[MrBig]

I'd say just grit your teeth and learn the wsad. Just start with a slower paced game where you can easily map commands to mouse buttons and not have to take your left hand off wsad often. Maybe an RPG like Skyrim or Fallout or Stalker (the last one worked well for me sonce the combat is slower paced and more about gun play at a distance).

It's not unlike what many of us went through when trying to learn how to use a dpad after using joysticks or learning to used to analog sticks after being used to dpads. Keyboard and mouse is a tried and true input system and while controllers work well for some games, you'd really be doing yourself a disservice by acoiding learning to use it. Many many great games are specifically designed with that set up in mind.

What? Pressing a button to move a character is a terrible feeling (though can be mitigated by the actuation point-less red switch mech keyboards), and an anolgue stick is a much more natural and precise way to control any movement, and something like one of those nostromo let you use only you thumb for movement, freeing up the rest of your fingers for other functions, whereas wasd makes you take fingers off of them to press other buttons. You're still using a mouse for looking around, which is much better than an anolgue stick for speed and accuracy, but I really don't know how you can make an argument for the keyboard for movement.

 

[metalshade]

What? Pressing a button to move a character is a terrible feeling (though can be mitigated by the actuation point-less red switch mech keyboards), and an anolgue stick is a much more natural and precise way to control any movement, and something like one of those nostromo let you use only you thumb for movement, freeing up the rest of your fingers for other functions, whereas wasd makes you take fingers off of them to press other buttons. You're still using a mouse for looking around, which is much better than an anolgue stick for speed and accuracy, but I really don't know how you can make an argument for the keyboard for movement.

This is precisely the point.
Coming from a 360 pad, the aiming is an improvement, but actual character movement has taken a huge dive.
I have found a couple of examples now, in the logitech G13 and the nostromo, but the trade offs seem quite severe.
I think I will try to use WASD for as long as I can stand it, before I add another £60 to a build.

 

[EternalGamer]

What? Pressing a button to move a character is a terrible feeling (though can be mitigated by the actuation point-less red switch mech keyboards), and an anolgue stick is a much more natural and precise way to control any movement, and something like one of those nostromo let you use only you thumb for movement, freeing up the rest of your fingers for other functions, whereas wasd makes you take fingers off of them to press other buttons. You're still using a mouse for looking around, which is much better than an anolgue stick for speed and accuracy, but I really don't know how you can make an argument for the keyboard for movement.

Many games are designed with keyboard in mind and all the keys you have access to while using a keyboard. It is a good set up for those games because the designers had this input method in mind when designing their game. It has been a tried and true mechanicism of input for nearly 30 years.

Also, there is also no such thing as a "natural way" to control videogame characters. Stop abusing the word "natural." Analog control and keyboard control are both learned behaviors. Nobody comes from the womb with the genetically coded instinct for using either. If you gave someone who had only played with a keyboard and mouse their whole life a controller, they would say it feels "terrible."

 

[EternalGamer]

This is precisely the point.
Coming from a 360 pad, the aiming is an improvement, but actual character movement has taken a huge dive.
I have found a couple of examples now, in the logitech G13 and the nostromo, but the trade offs seem quite severe.
I think I will try to use WASD for as long as I can stand it, before I add another £60 to a build.

I gurantee you there are many people that can control their character with wsad just as well as you can with a left analog stick. It is just learned behavior.

 

[I H8 Memes]

I made this video for the screenshot thread where someone claimed that 3rd person games couldn't be played with kbam. : /

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4fsm2g362o

I had only played through that section once months before so I wasn't sure which way to go through most of it.


PC gamers have been playing every type of game using kbam for 20 years now in some cases. The only games I would use a controller for is fighting games and some racing games. A lot of people complained about the driving in GTA4, but it controls like a dream using kbam.

 

[Sethos]

A gamepad adds fluidity, nothing else. It'll always be clunky as shit.

 

[Ceebs]

People need to remember you are just using WASD for movement. You combine it WITH the mouse. It gives you a much more precise range of movement than an analog stick.

 

[Canis lupus]

yo Gaf, quick questions. My gaming htpc is very loud as of now, 80 decibel within 50cm. Is this acceptable? I want it to be quiet as possible because I will be using it as a NAS station too. Does it make sense?

 

[Hazaro]

That is not true. For $350 or $400-$450 the 7950 and 7970 are both equally fine choices to the 670. Moreso if all the issues the 670 seems to have are true (factory overclocked 670's frequently not being capable of running at their clocks?)

But I guess we didn't want you know, one guy in this entire thread without a Nvidia card, would throw the whole thing off kilter.

Huh? Did you mean Bulldozer?

Agreed on 7950. The price has really been slashed and those things can overclock really nicely.
$320 shipped AR + 3 games for an MSI Twin Frozr?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127667
That's a heck of a deal.

The FX4100 is just a 4 "core" Bulldozer, not Phenom (Funnily enough it would be faster if it was!) and it does not have a GPU.

Yeah, that's right. FX still = GPU in my head. I mean it's 'Effects'. What the hell does A8 mean?

Side question: has the Ivy Bridge CPU released, and if so, is it all that is was cracked up to be (big leap from Sandy Bridge)?

IB was a big let down for me, espcially due to pricing, but I'm slowly coming around on it being ok. As a tick it was never meant to be anything huge. The major advances were proving 22nm and 3D transistor tech to setup for the big change (Haswell).

I got Windows up and running last night. No regrets at all on the Samsung SDD. That thing is QUICK. Doesn't come with a SATA cable though. Wat.

It's still up to the mobo guys to give you 2-4 SATA cables.

yo Gaf, quick questions. My gaming htpc is very loud as of now, 80 decibel within 50cm. Is this acceptable? I want it to be quiet as possible because I will be using it as a NAS station too. Does it make sense?

80db doesn't seem right. If some fan is really really complaining if it's loud, just replace the fans.
What case/fan/hs/gpu setup are you running?

 

[Manp]

So I have 7 of the one on the left, and 2 of the other one. Why are there two different kinds and where do I put the two odd ones out?

the one on the right is just exactly like the other. that small metal ring on the top just goes inside the screw hole on the motherboard to help secure and align the board while you screw it down.

i usually use the ones like that on the left for all holes but one and use the one on the right for the middle hole on the motherboard.

 

[Canis lupus]

80db doesn't seem right. If some fan is really really complaining if it's loud, just replace the fans.
What case/fan/hs/gpu setup are you running?

The case is a Zalman HD503, standard case fans. Standard i5 2500k fans. And gpu is a Sapphire HD6870.

Prior to the replacing the cpu/gpu/mobo I had a i5 750 with no gpu and it was so quiet.

I want it to be quiet as possible like a NAS, I was thinking of buying one but lost intrest when I saw those prices. Will leaving your pc on 24/7 hurt the hardware?

 

[mkenyon]

Get a case designed for it. Fractal Node, a host of Silverstone and Lian Li cases, or even grab a mid tower like the fractal define and flip it on its side. You have an ATX or mATX mobo?

 

[Hazaro]

Leaving your PC on 24/7 is fine if you know the thermals are in check.

the one on the right is just exactly like the other. that small metal ring on the top just goes inside the screw hole on the motherboard to help secure and align the board while you screw it down.

i usually use the ones like that on the left for all holes but one and use the one on the right for the middle hole on the motherboard.

Ah that makes good sense. Haven't seen them before.

 

[Canis lupus]

Get a case designed for it. Fractal Node, a host of Silverstone and Lian Li cases, or even grab a mid tower like the fractal define and flip it on its side. You have an ATX or mATX mobo?

Designed for what? I paid lots of money for this case, everything fits nicely in the case. mAtx mobo.

 

[xero273]

I just want to make sure my SSD is working correctly. I have the crucial m4 and this is what I get from crystal disk. These numbers are acceptable right?

 

[saltinekracka]

As stated before, my pc is currently hooked up to my 32in 720p tv. This simply will not do. I'm thinking of buying a 27in monitor to replace this tv. Any reason this might be a bad idea? Only other thing I use the tv for is gaming on my 360.

 

[Ceebs]

I just want to make sure my SSD is working correctly. I have the crucial m4 and this is what I get from crystal disk. These numbers are acceptable right?

I'll jump in on this as well as I have no idea how well my SSD is running other than Windows feels fast as hell.

As stated before, my pc is currently hooked up to my 32in 720p tv. This simply will not do. I'm thinking of buying a 27in monitor to replace this tv. Any reason this might be a bad idea? Only other thing I use the tv for is gaming on my 360.

If you are going for a 27" you should really try and see one in person if it's only 1080p. I found the pixels just too big at that size.