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[mkenyon]

Could very well be. Are you sure the front ports are working?

*edit*

Or do you mean you were plugging both through the front?

The ones on the front, despite being different plugs, are controlled by a single USB source. So they would share bandwidth/power. That would certainly explain it.

 

[Quick]

Could very well be. Are you sure the front ports are working?

*edit*

Or do you mean you were plugging both through the front?

The ones on the front, despite being different plugs, are controlled by a single USB source. So they would share bandwidth/power. That would certainly explain it.

The fronts are working just fine, I just charged my Xbox 360 controller on it, and had my iPod plugged in on it, as well.

What are my options to get those USB ports working with the two drives?

 

[mkenyon]

There aren't any. You could add another front USB port if you have some additional headers on your motherboard free. Or, you could have external drives that are powered externally rather than by USB power.

Or, you know, reach around your computer when you need too. That might be excessive though

Also, when you look on the back of your case, you will see USB ports in tandem. Each 'pair' is a single USB connection. So if you are attempting to copy to both drives at the same time, you will have the transfer rate halved for each device.

 

[Celcius]

If the asus dcii, msi twin frozr, gigabyte windforce, etc... coolers are quieter and perform better than reference coolers, why do most people still buy the cards with reference coolers? Why hasn't nvidia or amd changed the reference design from blower-type coolers?

 

[cackhyena]

Increase voltage until it is stable.

Okay, this is what it's looking like, holding fine atm. Is this good? Haven't tried any programs yet, though.

 

[Quick]

There aren't any. You could add another front USB port if you have some additional headers on your motherboard free. Or, you could have external drives that are powered externally rather than by USB power.

Or, you know, reach around your computer when you need too. That might be excessive though

Also, when you look on the back of your case, you will see USB ports in tandem. Each 'pair' is a single USB connection. So if you are attempting to copy to both drives at the same time, you will have the transfer rate halved for each device.

BUT...LAZINESS. :lol

Thanks a lot for your troubleshooting. This really helped me out.

 

[knitoe]

Okay, this is what it's looking like, holding fine atm. Is this good? Haven't tried any programs yet, though.

Run Prime95 and see if the overclock is stable. Also, I would suggest you use offset for adjusting voltages instead of using a set number. This way, the voltage can decrease when the CPU speed decrease (idling) and vice versa.

 

[cackhyena]

Run Prime95 and see if the overclock is stable. Also, I would suggest you use offset for adjusting voltages instead of using a set number. This way, the voltage can decrease when the CPU speed decrease (idling) and vice versa.

Okay, will do. Thanks, gonna try it out now.

 

[MrBig]

You may also want to change the windows power plan to high performance.

 

[mkenyon]

Download HWMonitor as well to be sure. Seen some funny things with Ivy and CoreTemp.

If the asus dcii, msi twin frozr, gigabyte windforce, etc... coolers are quieter and perform better than reference coolers, why do most people still buy the cards with reference coolers? Why hasn't nvidia or amd changed the reference design from blower-type coolers?

The non-reference designs require forethought in terms of case setup, as almost all of the air is exhausted inside of the case rather than externally. Some older cases or even current restrictive cases would not work well with these. Additionally, any computer which is rotated 90 degrees (Silverstone FT02/RVXX/FT03 etc) do not work well with the non-reference coolers.

More than any of that, it adds additional cost to the 'reference' design. People are okay with spending extra money on it when they know what's going on, but having that new 670 release at $420 instead of $400 doesn't jive well with NVIDIA.

*EDIT*

Also, people buy the reference cards for a few reasons.

1) Doesn't work with their case, as outlined above.
2) Non-reference cards take weeks, sometimes a month or more to release after the reference design is out.
3) They work better in SLI/Crossfire
4) Waterblocks and aftermarket coolers are based on reference designs most of the time. There's a few exceptions, but that's the general rule.
5) Emotional loyalty to a brand (see: EVGA)

 

[cackhyena]

Okay, on it.

Well, been running Prime 95 for about a half hour now. Seems fine. I assume I should let it go for quite a while. Is 4.3 as high as I should go?

 

[Monarch]

Download HWMonitor as well to be sure. Seen some funny things with Ivy and CoreTemp.

The non-reference designs require forethought in terms of case setup, as almost all of the air is exhausted inside of the case rather than externally. Some older cases or even current restrictive cases would not work well with these. Additionally, any computer which is rotated 90 degrees (Silverstone FT02/RVXX/FT03 etc) do not work well with the non-reference coolers.

More than any of that, it adds additional cost to the 'reference' design. People are okay with spending extra money on it when they know what's going on, but having that new 670 release at $420 instead of $400 doesn't jive well with NVIDIA.

*EDIT*

Also, people buy the reference cards for a few reasons.

1) Doesn't work with their case, as outlined above.
2) Non-reference cards take weeks, sometimes a month or more to release after the reference design is out.
3) They work better in SLI/Crossfire
4) Waterblocks and aftermarket coolers are based on reference designs most of the time. There's a few exceptions, but that's the general rule.
5) Emotional loyalty to a brand (see: EVGA)

Agree. I just sent back my Asus 570GTX DC2 to Amazon and ran a prime95 blend test, max temps dropped compared to when the card was installed.

 

[MrBig]

Okay, on it.

Well, been running Prime 95 for about a half hour now. Seems fine. I assume I should let it go for quite a while. Is 4.3 as high as I should go?

You could take it up to 4.4 or 4.5. How are temps? Would be best to keep it <~70c. When you think you've found your max stability put it through p95 overnight.

 

[Sutton Dagger]

Okay, on it.

Well, been running Prime 95 for about a half hour now. Seems fine. I assume I should let it go for quite a while. Is 4.3 as high as I should go?

Depends on what temps you're getting. I've got a 4.4 OC with a max of 72 Celsius, I don't think I really need to go higher than that. What are your temps?

 

[cackhyena]

Well I've got prime 95 running now and it's running between 71 and 81.

 

[MrBig]

Well I've got prime 95 running now and it's running between 71 and 81.

If you can't lower voltage at all it might be best to lower the clock to 4.2ghz to bring it down some. Also, is voltage stable in CPU-Z? That's what LLC is for.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

If you have a decent aftermarket cooler, start at 43 multiplier and 1.2V. If not stable, increase volts. If stable, decrease volts until no longer stable, then go one back.

This looks like a pretty good guide too.

If you don't want to learn about the process, just skip down to Step #1 in that guide, and go from there.

Well then thank goodness they're not around anymore!

As said above, kits are simply three or six sticks of the same RAM they package in dual or quad channel packages.

Oh for fucks sakes, stop being so goddamn petty. AMD AMD AMD AMD are you happy now instead of having an actual discussion? Some of us have been gaming long enough that we still refer to them as ATI occasionally from force of habit instead of AMD, get over it.

 

[cackhyena]

I can try to lower the voltage some. This is the first stable go at it, so I'm sure there's leeway for some tinkering. Here's what HWMonitor is saying.

 

[Kilrogg]

Alright I think I got myself a nice build (France):

CPU: i5 2500K
MoBo: ASRock Z77 Pro4
RAM: Corsair Value 2*4GB
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD6870 1GB
Storage: Samsung 830 128GB SSD + Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
PSU: Seasonic 520W
Case: Fractal R3
Optical: Samsung SH-222BB
Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Solar K750
Mouse: Logitech M525

Cost: 951.65&#8364;

What do you guys think?

[EDIT] Like RedSwirl below though, I'm wondering what kind of wireless card I should get. First, it's really noobish of me to ask, but I suppose I want to buy a PCI card, right? I'm wondering what I can get for cheap that's reliable, with good driver support/compatibility and good antennas. Any suggestions?

 

[RedSwirl]

I think I may need to replace my wireless PCI card for the third time, but this time I plan to buy one that isn't from some Chinese company. What are some actual good brands? Broadcom? Netgear? Linksys?

Also, a lot of the ones I'm seeing on Amazon don't have antennas.

 

[Krabardaf]

Any idea how far I can stably overclock an i5-3450(Ivy bridge 3.1Ghz) with stock fan?
Should I consider buying an alternative fan to overclock it more?

I don't want to spend much on a CPU fan, but if there's something worth +- 25&#8364; that could really outperform the stock one, I could consider getting one.

Here's the build I'm going to buy, if you have any remarks, feel free to share them!

CPU : i5-3450
GPU : Gigabyte GV-N570OC-13I (GTX 570 OC) //The overclocked one is actually the cheapest, I wouldn't pay more for that.
Motherboard : MSI B75A-G43
RAM : 2*4 Corsair 1333 CAS9
HDD : Crucial M4 128GB SSD + Seagate barracuda 1To
PSU : Corsair 600W
Case: Fractal Core 3000

 

[mkenyon]

Oh for fucks sakes, stop being so goddamn petty. AMD AMD AMD AMD are you happy now instead of having an actual discussion? Some of us have been gaming long enough that we still refer to them as ATI occasionally from force of habit instead of AMD, get over it.

Sorry, my dry grinning humor doesn't translate sometimes. As I said before though, I think some of that negative association from the ATi days, as well as the general internet FUD around it leads to confirmation bias. It's always so anecdotal in nature, "yeah, I had this problem".

AMD has been pretty rock solid. There's been more catastrophic real widespread issues with NVIDIA over the past few years than AMD. The small things that seem to happen seem to be a result of PEBCAK and installing drivers improperly. That's not a driver issue though, that's an installer issue. If you notice, NVIDIA has significantly changed the way their installers work to prevent this sort of user error.

So, the reason why I'm a stickler for making people say 'AMD', is two fold. One, I think it's funny. Two, AMD's support experience couldn't be any different from ATi. My little way of whittling down that confirmation bias.

This isn't coming from an AMD fanboy either. I'm brand agnostic and buy whatever good stuff is out there. 690 is in my main computer right now. Just traded a 580 Lightning Extreme for a 7970 though for a new project. This is just to pre-empt possible ad-hominems, as this is indeed the internet.

I think I may need to replace my wireless PCI card for the third time, but this time I plan to buy one that isn't from some Chinese company. What are some actual good brands? Broadcom? Netgear? Linksys?

Also, a lot of the ones I'm seeing on Amazon don't have antennas.

I have an extra one that came as an accessory for my G1.Assassin 2 motherboard. I have no idea if it's any good, but yours for free if you want. PM me if interested.

Alright I think I got myself a nice build (France):

CPU: i5 2500K
MoBo: ASRock Z77 Pro4
RAM: Corsair Value 2*4GB
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD6870 1GB
Storage: Samsung 830 128GB SSD + Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
PSU: Seasonic 520W
Case: Fractal R3
Optical: Samsung SH-222BB
Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Solar K750
Mouse: Logitech M525

Cost: 951.65&#8364;

What do you guys think?

[EDIT] Like RedSwirl below though, I'm wondering what kind of wireless card I should get. First, it's really noobish of me to ask, but I suppose I want to buy a PCI card, right? I'm wondering what I can get for cheap that's reliable, with good driver support/compatibility and good antennas. Any suggestions?

I like it. No idea on wireless though. That shit is the devil's work and should be avoided if possible.

Any idea how far I can stably overclock an i5-3450(Ivy bridge 3.1Ghz) with stock fan?
Should I consider buying an alternative fan to overclock it more?

I don't want to spend much on a CPU fan, but if there's something worth +- 25&#8364; that could really outperform the stock one, I could consider getting one.

Here's the build I'm going to buy, if you have any remarks, feel free to share them!

CPU : i5-3450
GPU : Gigabyte GV-N570OC-13I (GTX 570 OC) //The overclocked one is actually the cheapest, I wouldn't pay more for that.
Motherboard : MSI B75A-G43
RAM : 2*4 Corsair 1333 CAS9
HDD : Crucial M4 128GB SSD + Seagate barracuda 1To
PSU : Corsair 600W
Case: Fractal Core 3000

Up that 3450 to a 2500K or a 3570K. At the very least, it will have a profound effect on your ability to resell the system. But, overclocking is crazy easy.

 

[Thraktor]

Any idea how far I can stably overclock an i5-3450(Ivy bridge 3.1Ghz) with stock fan?
Should I consider buying an alternative fan to overclock it more?

I don't want to spend much on a CPU fan, but if there's something worth +- 25&#8364; that could really outperform the stock one, I could consider getting one.

You can't stably overclock an i5-3450 with any fan, you'll need a CPU with an unlocked multiplier (ie a model with a K at the end) for overclocking. For i5s, that means either the 2500K or the 3750K.

Edit: To actually answer your question a bit better, for unlocked CPUs (2500K & 3750K) you can overclock with the stock fan, but it's going to be noisier than a custom cooler, and you won't be able to push the clock speed quite as high.

 

[mkenyon]

Ah yeah, B75 chipset doesn't allow overclocking either. Any chance of upgrading that to a Biostar TZ77B?

 

[Ysiadmihi]

Does anyone know of any good custom drivers for the MX518? My sensitivity is randomly changing constantly and no amount of reinstalling the official drivers seems to help.

 

[Hazaro]

Does anyone know of any good custom drivers for the MX518? My sensitivity is randomly changing constantly and no amount of reinstalling the official drivers seems to help.

http://uberoptions.net/ might help

 

[Kilrogg]

I like it. No idea on wireless though. That shit is the devil's work and should be avoided if possible.

What do you mean about wireless? That you went for LAN? It's nice and all, but I'd like wireless for convenience. Thanks all the same for the comment .

 

[cackhyena]

So trying to lower the voltage and all, I have to switch to manual. If I want to go back to offset mode, it auto locks back at 1.2 for voltage. Is that a mandatory thing because it's reading how high I've clocked it?

 

[mkenyon]

It's just always spotty. There's always going to be some odd issue that is going on. Also, I rely on a fileserver, so a limited transfer rate bugs the crap out of me.

I think wired LAN is pretty darn convenient too. No need for crazy router settings or IP conflicts or a billion other problems that always crop up. You put a cord in your computer and call it good. If you have different rooms, there are the little adapters where you can even use the power outlets in your house. Otherwise, some wall mounts and zip ties will keep it entirely out of eyesight.

 

[Kilrogg]

It's just always spotty. There's always going to be some odd issue that is going on. Also, I rely on a fileserver, so a limited transfer rate bugs the crap out of me.

I think wired LAN is pretty darn convenient too. No need for crazy router settings or IP conflicts or a billion other problems that always crop up. You put a cord in your computer and call it good. If you have different rooms, there are the little adapters where you can even use the power outlets in your house. Otherwise, some wall mounts and zip ties will keep it entirely out of eyesight.

Can't be assed to do that though . I've only just moved in my new apartment.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Ok Gaf I need your help. I've got $1,000 to spend on a PC I intend to build. The PC will mainly be for work which involves gaming. What is the absolute best I can get for around that price? It's been about 6 years since I built a PC so I have no clue what is compatible with what nowadays. I appreciate it.

the guide in teh OP should help lots. do you have a monitor/keyboard any other salvagable parts?

 

[Ysiadmihi]

http://uberoptions.net/ might help

I'll give it a shot, thanks.

 

[Hazaro]

I'll give it a shot, thanks.

Might want to uninstall, run CCleaner (temp and registry), restart, and do a clean install with setpoint/uber. See if that helps

 

[Krabardaf]

Thanks for your replies guys. I'm currently running a Q9550@3.4Ghz with a Zalman fan, but I could push it further quite easier.
I was unaware that overclocking requires unblocked CPUs even with Intel now. Sad, but thanks for the input! FSB era is over I take it.
2500k is slightly outdated, but 3750K seems a little overkill...and pricey. Is Ivy bridge worth it in any way?
I think I'll go either with the 3450 or the 3750K, as I'd prefer a brand new CPU. But it'll depend on my final budget...will think about that.

 

[CatPee]

2500K is by no means outdated at all.

 

[Hazaro]

2500k is slightly outdated, but 3750K seems a little overkill...and pricey. Is Ivy bridge worth it in any way?
I think I'll go either with the 3450 or the 3750K, as I'd prefer a brand new CPU. But it'll depend on my final budget...will think about that.

Answers are all in the OP.

If you don't need to pinch $15 get 3570K

 

[disappeared]

Looking into buying a desktop for university. I figure I won't need a laptop for school for two reasons:

1. I'm living right on campus, meaning I have a home base for a desktop.

2. I won't be taking a laptop to any classes, I hand write everything and I can transfer it later.


Here is the form, filled out, from the OP:

Your Current Specs: none. My last computer died over a year ago.

Budget: ~$500-$600, Canada

Main Use: Gaming (4/5), General Usage (5/5).

Monitor Resolution: 720p visuals are fine. I'm not too picky so long as it's not 640x480

List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Skyrim *+mods*, Hitman Blood Money, Metro 2033, Just Cause 2

Looking to reuse any parts?: N/A

When will you build?: N/A --> I don't want to put another computer togther. I've done it twice and that was fun enough. If the website is willing to put it together for me, all the better.

Will you be overclocking?: No.



Notes: I just want something that can make Skyrim look and run smoother than its console versions, run a few mods, and be able to run a word processor for school papers. Hard drive space isn't going to be a big deal, as I usually transfer everything to a portable hdd. ~300GB is fine.

 

[cackhyena]

So no matter what I set it to for offset, it keeps crashing, most times before windows can boot. I assume that means I'm under voltage for 4.2. I've gone from 0.100 to 0.060 and still it's the same. Anyone?

Edit.

4.2 with LLC set to medium and voltage in offset at 0.005. Someone tell me this is good enough. Haven't stressed it yet, though.

 

[ROBOKITTYZILLA]

Having a weird issue with a GTX 670. I bought two of them brand new and one of them is booting into a red screen. It boots into the desktop and then about 10-20 seconds later it's a blank red screen.

I swapped the card into my other system and it works fine so I don't think it is an issue with the GPU. I ran memory tests and tried replacing the memory with some other memory I had lying around, tried reseating everything and looked for driver conflicts but couldn't find anything. Uninstalling and re-installing the driver didn't work either.

Anyone experience this before or have any ideas?

 

[Thraktor]

Looking into buying a desktop for university. I figure I won't need a laptop for school for two reasons:

1. I'm living right on campus, meaning I have a home base for a desktop.

2. I won't be taking a laptop to any classes, I hand write everything and I can transfer it later.


Here is the form, filled out, from the OP:

Your Current Specs: none. My last computer died over a year ago.

Budget: ~$500-$600, Canada

Main Use: Gaming (4/5), General Usage (5/5).

Monitor Resolution: 720p visuals are fine. I'm not too picky so long as it's not 640x480

List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Skyrim *+mods*, Hitman Blood Money, Metro 2033, Just Cause 2

Looking to reuse any parts?: N/A

When will you build?: N/A --> I don't want to put another computer togther. I've done it twice and that was fun enough. If the website is willing to put it together for me, all the better.

Will you be overclocking?: No.



Notes: I just want something that can make Skyrim look and run smoother than its console versions, run a few mods, and be able to run a word processor for school papers. Hard drive space isn't going to be a big deal, as I usually transfer everything to a portable hdd. ~300GB is fine.

I know you say you don't want to build yourself, but from a purely budgetary perspective it's well worth spending an afternoon putting it together in order to save possibly a couple hundred dollars. Five or six hundred dollars Canadian won't get you much pre-built, but it'll get you a decent machine if you're willing to do a self-build. Anyway, really up to you.

As far as parts go, probably best to look at the parts listed in the "Standard" build in the OP, and check the prices on the Canadian retailers listed further down the OP.

Games:
Skyrim - Can be CPU-limited. The i3-2120 should run it fine for the sort of settings you'd be looking at, but I'd avoid anything lower (ie Pentium line). Don't really know about how mods may affect this, though.
Blood Money - Will run on pretty much anything, I'm sure.
Metro 2033 - Can cripple even the most powerful PCs on high settings, but I've heard from friends that it actually runs quite well with the settings turned down on less powerful machines, so you should be okay, especially at 720p.
Just Cause 2 - Should run smoothly enough on pretty much any of the builds in the OP.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Sorry, my dry grinning humor doesn't translate sometimes. As I said before though, I think some of that negative association from the ATi days, as well as the general internet FUD around it leads to confirmation bias. It's always so anecdotal in nature, "yeah, I had this problem".

AMD has been pretty rock solid. There's been more catastrophic real widespread issues with NVIDIA over the past few years than AMD. The small things that seem to happen seem to be a result of PEBCAK and installing drivers improperly. That's not a driver issue though, that's an installer issue. If you notice, NVIDIA has significantly changed the way their installers work to prevent this sort of user error.

So, the reason why I'm a stickler for making people say 'AMD', is two fold. One, I think it's funny. Two, AMD's support experience couldn't be any different from ATi. My little way of whittling down that confirmation bias.

This isn't coming from an AMD fanboy either. I'm brand agnostic and buy whatever good stuff is out there. 690 is in my main computer right now. Just traded a 580 Lightning Extreme for a 7970 though for a new project. This is just to pre-empt possible ad-hominems, as this is indeed the internet.


I have an extra one that came as an accessory for my G1.Assassin 2 motherboard. I have no idea if it's any good, but yours for free if you want. PM me if interested.

I like it. No idea on wireless though. That shit is the devil's work and should be avoided if possible.

Up that 3450 to a 2500K or a 3570K. At the very least, it will have a profound effect on your ability to resell the system. But, overclocking is crazy easy.

What major widespread issues did Nvidia have recently? I'm pretty sure there were 3 or 4 for AMD this gen, I know oddworld with munch's/stranger's did for AMD. Granted everything was terrible but AMD had especially bad problems and they took forever to patch it compared to the patch that came quicker and worked on the Nvidia cards. There was 2 or 3 others I thought but my memory is bad since I've had Nvidia for a little while. Last one I actively remember was Age of Conan on ATI since I had a X1950XT back then, I loved that card. I think AMD is still really nice like I said but I've started to like Nvidia if nothing more than Physx if they're the same price, if AMD has a better price/performance then you just buy a second cheapy card for Physx with no problem.

 

[hitmon]

So after replacing my heatsink, I've been getting a CPU Fan error upon powering up the PC. Any tips on how to fix this error? The temps seem fine and the fans are all moving.

 

[ROBOKITTYZILLA]

Having a weird issue with a GTX 670. I bought two of them brand new and one of them is booting into a red screen. It boots into the desktop and then about 10-20 seconds later it's a blank red screen.

I swapped the card into my other system and it works fine so I don't think it is an issue with the GPU. I ran memory tests and tried replacing the memory with some other memory I had lying around, tried reseating everything and looked for driver conflicts but couldn't find anything. Uninstalling and re-installing the driver didn't work either.

Anyone experience this before or have any ideas?

What the ... did another clean install of drivers and got the red screen again. I unplugged the HDMI cable from the back of the GPU and plugged it back in and the image came back. Every time I restart it boots into a red screen but unplugging and plugging the cable back in fixes it. Hmmmm....

 

[mkenyon]

What major widespread issues did Nvidia have recently? I'm pretty sure there were 3 or 4 for AMD this gen, I know oddworld with munch's/stranger's did for AMD. Granted everything was terrible but AMD had especially bad problems and they took forever to patch it compared to the patch that came quicker and worked on the Nvidia cards. There was 2 or 3 others I thought but my memory is bad since I've had Nvidia for a little while. Last one I actively remember was Age of Conan on ATI since I had a X1950XT back then, I loved that card. I think AMD is still really nice like I said but I've started to like Nvidia if nothing more than Physx if they're the same price, if AMD has a better price/performance then you just buy a second cheapy card for Physx with no problem.

Off the top of my head, Rage was a total disaster for a few weeks on NVIDIA cards. That's significant as it was the game that was supposedly pushing the envelope as far as graphics performance goes, and a AAA title from one of the foundational PC Devs. They released drivers that blew up GTX590s. They had a set of drivers that made it so no matter what you did, the card would never ever try to select a displayport device hooked up to it as a primary display. The only way around this was upon each boot, unplugging the device and then plugging it back it, after which you would need to change display properties. A set of drivers that weren't fixed for three weeks would cause any system with a 560Ti to experience intermittent display driver crashes. This wouldn't be a huge issue, but it also happened to be around the same time that BF3 released. If you rolled back to stable drivers, you would lose some major performance.

This gets back to my point about confirmation bias. People hear AMD and say "oh bad drivers" because they heard 50 idiots online say it, because they saw some idiots who said it too. Then, the tiniest thing pops up, like a small game such as Oddworld (not singling you out, just drawing to it as an easy reference), and it becomes empirical evidence as to why AMD drivers are bad.

Both teams put out crap, both teams put out almost entirely good stuff.

So after replacing my heatsink, I've been getting a CPU Fan error upon powering up the PC. Any tips on how to fix this error? The temps seem fine and the fans are all moving.

Go into BIOS. There should be a setting for CPU Fan error. Either reduce the value (as your new fan spins a lot slower) or disable it altogether.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Off the top of my head, Rage was a total disaster for a few weeks on NVIDIA cards. That's significant as it was the game that was supposedly pushing the envelope as far as graphics performance goes, and a AAA title from one of the foundational PC Devs. They released drivers that blew up GTX590s. They had a set of drivers that made it so no matter what you did, the card would never ever try to select a displayport device hooked up to it as a primary display. The only way around this was upon each boot, unplugging the device and then plugging it back it, after which you would need to change display properties. A set of drivers that weren't fixed for three weeks would cause any system with a 560Ti to experience intermittent display driver crashes. This wouldn't be a huge issue, but it also happened to be around the same time that BF3 released. If you rolled back to stable drivers, you would lose some major performance.

This gets back to my point about confirmation bias. People hear AMD and say "oh bad drivers" because they heard 50 idiots online say it, because they saw some idiots who said it too. Then, the tiniest thing pops up, like a small game such as Oddworld (not singling you out, just drawing to it as an easy reference), and it becomes empirical evidence as to why AMD drivers are bad.

Both teams put out crap, both teams put out almost entirely good stuff.

Go into BIOS. There should be a setting for CPU Fan error. Either reduce the value (as your new fan spins a lot slower) or disable it altogether.

I agree, but I know certain ones were reported as only having problems on AMD. I know oddworld was definitely a problem since it wouldn't run on my laptop that has an AMD chipset. I agree with it being overblown, I was just saying it's not complete fud since it's been 4 or 5 games this gen but that's less than one game a year out of tons and tons of games. I've never played rage so I didn't know that had problems, that's interesting. Like I said it's definitely overplayed but unless it's cheaper it still sucks to lose Physx. Physx is the only thing that swayed me to my GTX570 a year or so ago, pretty much nothing else.

 

[mkenyon]

I can't even think of a game that's used it prominently outside of Batman and Mirror's Edge.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I can't even think of a game that's used it prominently outside of Batman and Mirror's Edge.

Batman and Alice are both ones I can remember that had really nice use of Physx.

Edit: Metro 2033 also.

 

[MrBig]

Physx is also an integral of Planetside 2

 

[disappeared]

So I did a little looking tonight, and here's a build I came up with, based somewhat off of the Standard setup in the OP...

I mean, I didn't plan on spending $900...

Is there anything I could do to knock a few hundred bucks off that sticker, and still manage to play Skyrim at a decent clip?

Thanks in advance.

PS - thanks Thraktor for the earlier advice.

 

[RibbedHero]

So I did a little looking tonight, and here's a build I came up with, based somewhat off of the Standard setup in the OP...



I mean, I didn't plan on spending $900...

Is there anything I could do to knock a few hundred bucks off that sticker, and still manage to play Skyrim at a decent clip?

Thanks in advance.

PS - thanks Thraktor for the earlier advice.

Remove the $50 assembly and testing.