Glass Rebel
Member
ugh, still waiting for most of my parts and it looks like I have to wait for up to 5 hours. fuck. only RAM, GPU, CPU heatsink and SSD are here.
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"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. 22nm+28nm, Tri-Gate, and reading the OP. [Part 1]
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I know it's only around £2 but you could save some money with this RAM here and it's low profile RAM too which the Crucial stuff isn't
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00569K7LM/
I've also spotted that this is now available, it's the 1GB model of the 7850 which comes in at £20 less than the 2GB model.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-306-SP
I don't know much about it compared to the 2GB model though. This is all I could find on it http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/h...0-1gb-vs-sapphire-hd-7850-oc-2gb-3845066.html
There's a comparison here on Anandtech of between the 6870 and the 7850 2GB version http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/540?vs=549 and I'd imagine the 1GB version would be similar as long as the VRAM doesn't become a bottleneck in any games, but it's the same amount as the 6870. Plus the 7850 runs cooler, uses less power and should overclock well if it's anything like the 2GB version.
There is also this review from TechPowerUp too on the 1GB verison http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Club_3D/HD_7850_RoyalQueen/1.html where they gave it a 9.5 out of 10. It seems to be a much better card than I first thought as I was worried about the VRAM on it but that review seems to put that to rest.
It seemed to overclock almost as well as the 2GB 7850 which gives you almost stock 7950 levels of performance
I know it's a bit of a spanner in the works but I'd seriously consider it over the 6870.
It may be a cheap case but it does seem to get very good reviews from users
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
http://www.ebuyer.com/172779-casecom-6788-all-black-case-km-6788-black
http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-CHAL...dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2193964
http://forums.hexus.net/chassis-mods/177592-casecom-km-6788-review-pob.html
And it won a Toms Hardware shootout too http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...challenger-silverstone-precision,2723-16.html
Of course though if you can afford it go for a better quality of case but for a £600 budget you'd have to take a drop on some of the other components to be able to afford one. If Jexhius was to drop to say 4GB of RAM he might be able to get one, or dropped down to a 500W PSU if he was going for that 1GB 7850 instead of the 6870, or heck do both and then get a better case.
Jex
Member
Nice, thanks.
You guys really aren't making this easy. After reading through that extensive review, however, it looks like it will be worth the money. I'll opt for that instead.
How much are we talking about for a better case? If I can get a notable upgrade for say, £30 more, I would definitely do that. Those reviews sound good but I am certainly concerned about having a troubling case. I don't really want to skimp on something important.
This is like, the last thing I am considering changing. For real. No takebacks.
Better high resolution or high AA performance.
Usually more ram on graphic cards means more headroom fore > 1080p resolutions. Nowadays it can mean you are future proof for next gen games that will push the envelope. Personally, I think 1g is fine if you game at 1080 for the foreseeable future.
It does seam a little high. Stock cooler ? Temps in the bios are typically higher then real temps. For CPU at least. But normally you should be around 40 ish at that ambient temp. Board seems a little high too. Not sure why. I got the same board and with an ambient of 27 degree it was hovering around 32. Maybe fan configuration ? Need more details.
Felix Lighter
Member
I'll just post this again, quick, in case anyone has any opinions:
Last time, I promise.
Last time, I promise.
Garou
Member
SSDs usually come with a cloning tool from which you can boot, so if the new SSD is as big or bigger than the old one just clone it and then hook it up to the same SATA-port.
Hey guys I'm back home finally, but running off again so hopefully I can update the OP in a week or so.
It's mostly just GPU price changes so it's not that big a big deal.
Honestly unless you need a 7970 for whatever reason an unlocked 7950 or 660Ti are already very strong cards.
Swap to this PSU (big deal): http://www.ebuyer.com/141007-antec-basiq-power-550w-psu-6x-sata-2x-pci-e-20-4pin-atx12v-bp550plus-gb
Corsair's CX line is pretty meh. Get a modular PSU and not support Corsair's cash in on their brand name.
Swap Memory (very small difference, but they are better brands imo) to:
http://www.ebuyer.com/266722-kingston-8gb-ddr3-1600mhz-hyperx-plug-n-play-memory-khx1600c9d3p1k2-8g
or
http://www.ebuyer.com/274035-corsair-8gb-ddr3-1600mhz-low-profile-vengeance-memory-cml8gx3m2a1600c9
Any hunt for deals on a 7850 if you can stretch it!
To reduce power spikes you can lower the voltage your CPU gets (undervolting), and downclock your GPU, possibly undervolting that as well if possible.
I don't think you can lose much more than say 50W. What are your components? Most gaming PCs peak under 400W draw. Don't forget your monitors can add power draw.
Do you have a subwoofer or printer as well?
It's mostly just GPU price changes so it's not that big a big deal.
Look at the $950 build, get a $90 mobo, $40 case, and drop the 212+.
Honestly unless you need a 7970 for whatever reason an unlocked 7950 or 660Ti are already very strong cards.
Pick a different case, maybe a Source 210 or Antec 300?
Swap to this PSU (big deal): http://www.ebuyer.com/141007-antec-basiq-power-550w-psu-6x-sata-2x-pci-e-20-4pin-atx12v-bp550plus-gb
Corsair's CX line is pretty meh. Get a modular PSU and not support Corsair's cash in on their brand name.
Swap Memory (very small difference, but they are better brands imo) to:
http://www.ebuyer.com/266722-kingston-8gb-ddr3-1600mhz-hyperx-plug-n-play-memory-khx1600c9d3p1k2-8g
or
http://www.ebuyer.com/274035-corsair-8gb-ddr3-1600mhz-low-profile-vengeance-memory-cml8gx3m2a1600c9
Any hunt for deals on a 7850 if you can stretch it!
BIOS temps are funny. Check in Windows using the utilities in the OP.
Your PSU simply draws what it needs. A 800W PSU and a 500W PSU will (effectively) draw the same power not accounting from the small difference in efficiency.
To reduce power spikes you can lower the voltage your CPU gets (undervolting), and downclock your GPU, possibly undervolting that as well if possible.
I don't think you can lose much more than say 50W. What are your components? Most gaming PCs peak under 400W draw. Don't forget your monitors can add power draw.
Do you have a subwoofer or printer as well?
Seems fine to me. Just clone the drive using Windows or some other free utility and you should be good to go.
If memory serves right, OCZ agility/vertex 2 drives were damn fast for their time. In my opinion the OS responsivness would be the same. Only in benchmarks would you be able to notice a difference. OCZ delivered fast drives. Kind of iffy on reliability but since yours seems to work fine, I'd keep it as an OS drive.
Shin Johnpv
Member
That should be fine. If I remember right for what ever reason your CPU is actually running full tilt when ever in the bios.
The case you could upgrade to something like an Antec 300 (although mkenyon isn't too keen on them) or a Corsair Carbide 300R for a branded name one, myself I'd be happy with the Casecom as it would keep it within budget. It's the sort of thing you could talk yourself into quite easily to get a better one, and then you might think it'd be worth the extra £20 for the 2GB version of the 7850 too. It's always easy to justify upgrades to yourself
Looking around there's also the Coolermaster HAF 912 Plus as well which would be just over £30 more than the Casecom, as well as the Zalman Z9/Z11 and Bitfenix Shinobi. All depends on how much you want to spend.
That Antec is slightly cheaper with Scan http://www.scan.co.uk/products/550w...p-gb-82-eff-uncertified-quiet-fan-atx-v23-psu
It's a different colour but I presume the same PSU.
Edit - Amazon appear to have it too but with a rather odd product image http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00584VHI2/ and delivery with Amazon will be free whereas Scan won't, and if anything goes wrong at least it's Amazon you're dealing with too.
Felix Lighter
Member
Ok, thanks guys for the tips. I'll weigh my options. Now I just need to find a good 256 + GB SSD, that's reasonably reliable and not insanely expensive.
What part of the world are you from? Samsung are doing £20 cashback on their excellent 830 SSD if you buy a 256GB one in the UK.
Felix Lighter
Member
Thanks, but I'm in the US.
Well the 830 is still an excellent SSD and would be my choice!
Glass Rebel
Member
I installed Win 7 on my SSD but my HDD won't shop up. First time doing this, any ideas what went wrong/how to fix it?
Did you assign the drive a letter? If not right click my coputer then go to Disk Management under the Storage heading on the left, selecting a disk will show you the current partitions and right clicking will give you options to format and assign drive letters.
Bucket-o-roadkill
Member
Interesting, may pick one up for my laptop. how do you go about doing this then?
Glass Rebel
Member
I can only go under properties or turn it into a dynamic disk :-/
I assume I got the cables switched up?
Edit: ah, figured it out
thank youFelix Lighter
Member
Ok sounds good, I'll keep an eye out for good pricing.
http://www.samsung.com/uk/student/cashback.html or this is the paper form http://www.dabs.com/images/article/pdf/samsungaugust2012cashback.pdf
It's a back to school promotion but no actual need to be a student. The 512GB you get £50 off.
So my HDD is kaput!
Can't install my copy of windows xp. they are going to replace it. omg...3 weeks and still not done anything. can't even test if my music gear is working and hope that's not damaged otherwise no guarentee.
I checked my bios and i could read the temp. the cpu temp was 35 degrees with a corsair h70. is this normal? seems kinda high being in BIOS only.
Can't install my copy of windows xp. they are going to replace it. omg...3 weeks and still not done anything. can't even test if my music gear is working and hope that's not damaged otherwise no guarentee.
I checked my bios and i could read the temp. the cpu temp was 35 degrees with a corsair h70. is this normal? seems kinda high being in BIOS only.
Sorry you are having additional troubles. Was it a caviar green?
Temps don't mean much at all at idle. Only huge differences are really noteworthy.
Jex
Member
The case you could upgrade to something like an Antec 300 (although mkenyon isn't too keen on them) or a Corsair Carbide 300R for a branded name one, myself I'd be happy with the Casecom as it would keep it within budget. It's the sort of thing you could talk yourself into quite easily to get a better one, and then you might think it'd be worth the extra £20 for the 2GB version of the 7850 too. It's always easy to justify upgrades to yourself
Very true. Price creep is a serious problem, especially when it's in £20 increments. Therefore, after some agonising I've settled on a final build, which runs as follows:
Once again, thanks to everyone in this thread who has provided advice/information. You've all been a great help!
CPU
Ivy Bridge Quad Core i5-3570K - £175
Graphics Card
Sapphire HD 7850 1024MB - £143.99
Motherboard
Asus P8Z77-V LX - £81.68
RAM
Kingston 8GB DDR3 1600MHz - £35
Hard Drive
Samsung F3 HD103SJ 1TB internal Hard Drive SATAII 32MB Cache 7200RPM OEM - £57
Power Supply
Antec Basiq Power 550W PSU - £55.63
Cooling
Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler - £26.99
Case
NZXT Source 210 White (Why must Black be out of stock?) - £41.6
Total = Lots.
I look forward to the joy of assembly.
I had debated (but it's late now) about the RAM. 8 GB is fine for about everything, and the MB has 4 RAM slots (32 GB max). So, what I purchased was 2 4GB cards. I wonder if it would work with just 1 8GB card. Thinking ahead, if I ever wanted to max out the RAM, I'd have to get replacement cards, instead of just filling up the empty slots.
But I kind of remembered RAM being tricky, about having an even amount of RAM cards.
But I kind of remembered RAM being tricky, about having an even amount of RAM cards.
RibbedHero
Member
Haven't heard great things about the reliability of OCZ SSDs, and while the Vertex 4s may be an improvement, I don't think the Vertex 2s are all that great. But still, for 44 bones they'd be decent value at the very least.
Felix Lighter
Member
From everything I've read and from what I heard from friend of mine who had an OCZ Vertex 2 that failed, I think I got extremely lucky with my OCZ Agility 2 SSD I bought a few years ago. They seem to die all the time.
Infinite Justice
Member
it was a 90 bucks a few times so hopefully it will go to that point again.
I honestly say get the 2gb 7850 since some games can eat all that 1gb already.
maybe get that samsung ram mykenyon has hyped in here.
It is faster to use 2x 4gb then 1x 8gb. It is something about dual channel configuration. It is very common and every motherboard as slot that are color coded. Usually 0-2 and and 1-3.
Albino_Samurai
Member
If someone could help me out with my setup and stuff that needs to be replaced i would realy apreciate it.
My systems main purpose is to act as a Digital Audio Workstation and consists of the following components :
Thermaltake Shark casing
Enermax Galaxy 850 Watts power suply
ASUS P8P67 EVO (rev. 3) motherboard
2x4 GB Corsair XMS3 1600 memory
Intel i5 3570 processor
Scythe Mugen 3 cooling for processor
1000 GB Western Digital harddrive
500 GB Western Digital harddrive
ASUS 8800 GTX graphics card
Windows 7 64 Pro
Samsung DVD Drive
2 x Samsung SyncMaster2243 NW monitors @1680 x 1050
MOTU 828 MKII external soundcard (for my studio equipment)
Cubase 6.5 runs perfectly, GTA4 is very playable and i just finished playing Bioshock without any hickups whatsoever. Highest settings possible ofcourse.
Temperature is nothing to worry about sofar.
But apart from the obvious, what other components should i upgrade before games like SimCity 5 and GTA5 are available on this format and can be played in full HD on my tv without running in to any major problems?
Can a single graphics card feed my two monitors and/or my Panasonic 42" 3D Plasma at the same time/indepently ?
Do i need multiple, identical cards to run even more monitors, or can i use different cards? (only running one task at the time ofcourse : i.e. Cubase or game)
One problem i do seem to have with this refurbished system is that i cant get a DVD to play properly.
The picture is all messed up and the sound stutters in both VLC and WMP.
No problems streaming media from my laptop, or media from one of the harddrives.
And eventhough autoplay is turned on, when i pop a disc in to the drive the machine doesn't forward to a prompt wich asks me for the next procedure, wich does happen when i connect a USB stick or other periprihal.
DVD drive gone bad? It is about 6 years old but i can still use it, obviously.
Any usefull advice would me much apreciated!
My systems main purpose is to act as a Digital Audio Workstation and consists of the following components :
Thermaltake Shark casing
Enermax Galaxy 850 Watts power suply
ASUS P8P67 EVO (rev. 3) motherboard
2x4 GB Corsair XMS3 1600 memory
Intel i5 3570 processor
Scythe Mugen 3 cooling for processor
1000 GB Western Digital harddrive
500 GB Western Digital harddrive
ASUS 8800 GTX graphics card
Windows 7 64 Pro
Samsung DVD Drive
2 x Samsung SyncMaster2243 NW monitors @1680 x 1050
MOTU 828 MKII external soundcard (for my studio equipment)
Cubase 6.5 runs perfectly, GTA4 is very playable and i just finished playing Bioshock without any hickups whatsoever. Highest settings possible ofcourse.
Temperature is nothing to worry about sofar.
But apart from the obvious, what other components should i upgrade before games like SimCity 5 and GTA5 are available on this format and can be played in full HD on my tv without running in to any major problems?
Can a single graphics card feed my two monitors and/or my Panasonic 42" 3D Plasma at the same time/indepently ?
Do i need multiple, identical cards to run even more monitors, or can i use different cards? (only running one task at the time ofcourse : i.e. Cubase or game)
One problem i do seem to have with this refurbished system is that i cant get a DVD to play properly.
The picture is all messed up and the sound stutters in both VLC and WMP.
No problems streaming media from my laptop, or media from one of the harddrives.
And eventhough autoplay is turned on, when i pop a disc in to the drive the machine doesn't forward to a prompt wich asks me for the next procedure, wich does happen when i connect a USB stick or other periprihal.
DVD drive gone bad? It is about 6 years old but i can still use it, obviously.
Any usefull advice would me much apreciated!
Hi Mkenyon,
I got the Caviar Black. 1 TB.
If i get my replacement. I think i will get battlefield 3 as i don't have any pc games lying around. I want to test my pc and see what temps i am getting. Also the H70 when turned on is not that quiet as i thought. So for anyone getting a h70 it isn't really silent. It might be the fans, i don't know.
The MSI twin frozr 680 does display very crisp output on my HDTV. (have only been in bios, but i do see a difference)
What gear do you use? I bought a komplete audio 6, not able to test it, cause i am having trouble with my pc. I got Cubase 6.5 LE for free.
Kickass667
Banned
Hey GAF, What are your thoughts on the gigabyte Z77X-UD5H?
and if my new PC is gonna last 5 years, do I need the 4GB version of the 680? or is 2GB enough to cover it.
and if my new PC is gonna last 5 years, do I need the 4GB version of the 680? or is 2GB enough to cover it.
Grab a GTX 670 or wait for next years kepler refresh, and OC that cpu if you haven't (e: nvm not a 3570k). Kepler supports 4 monitors per gpu, older cards like that 8800 only support 2 iirc. SLI requires the same card.
I don't think Nvidia will release their new cards next year. Most of the 600 series have not been modified to the fullest yet and also the release of the ti has just been started. Also AMD is really slow this time around releasing new stuff. Nvidia will milk these 600 series as long as they can.
And yes a gtx 670 is a good choice.
That's what I'm saying, they're just going to do a refresh of Kepler. Maxwell isn't out until 2014 and they're not going to do nothing when AMD outs Sea Islands.
Felix Lighter
Member
$90 for 256GB? Holy shit. It's $200 right now on Amazon and $250 on newegg.
Jex
Member
Where were you yesterday, with your pessimism? I just placed my order with Overclockers!
MagicWithEarvin
Member
Current:
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
AMD Phenom II X4 955 @ 3.2GHz
Sapphire 1GB 5770
G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4GB DDR3
Thermaltake 500w PSU
Samsung F3 1TB Sata HDD
I'm going to be getting the EVGA 2GB 660 ti. Anything in my current build that I should upgrade - CPU or PSU?
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
AMD Phenom II X4 955 @ 3.2GHz
Sapphire 1GB 5770
G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4GB DDR3
Thermaltake 500w PSU
Samsung F3 1TB Sata HDD
I'm going to be getting the EVGA 2GB 660 ti. Anything in my current build that I should upgrade - CPU or PSU?
Albino_Samurai
Member
P.M.'d
Thanks for the advice so far you guys!
Forgot to mention that eventualy i'll be building another core gaming system for UE4 and its editor specificly and the system i have now will be for music production only.
Amazing how fast technology is going....
Nearly as amazing as how fast my bank acount plummits!
You can still cancel and change if you feel you need 2GB VRAM. If you can afford it go for it.
specialguy
Banned
I'd rather go to tech power up. Just pick any of their reviews and it'll have a handy dandy performance chart at various resolutions, so you can get a clear picture where cards stand relative to each other. Like this http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/HD_7970_Toxic_6_GB/28.html
GPU bench is OK too, good tool in the arsenal, but seems pretty limited.
PC GAF!
I'm getting a second opinion this weekend, but i think my motherboard has given up the ghost. Im currently running an AMD quad core at about 3.2ghz, DDR2 RAM.
Just seen this bundle, seems a really good upgrade, but I'm a bit sceptical. Am i safe to jump on it or should I be wary?
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/motherboardbundles/mbb-61004a.html
Im not bothered about having more than one graphics card, my 6850 does me fine for now.
I'm getting a second opinion this weekend, but i think my motherboard has given up the ghost. Im currently running an AMD quad core at about 3.2ghz, DDR2 RAM.
Just seen this bundle, seems a really good upgrade, but I'm a bit sceptical. Am i safe to jump on it or should I be wary?
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/motherboardbundles/mbb-61004a.html
Im not bothered about having more than one graphics card, my 6850 does me fine for now.
No, don't get Bulldozer. If you have to go AMD again get a Phenom II X4 but since you're getting a new mobo and CPU go Intel.
Infinite Justice
Member
no 128GB. if it was for 256gb that would have be crazy and i would spam this thread with that deal LOL.
200 - 250 is the usual price for it (i think it went 190 at one point) but sadly out of my price range.
Thanks for the heads up.
Will this be sufficient?
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/motherboardbundles/mbb-21204g.html
Or am i better biting the bullet and going for this?
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/motherboardbundles/mbb-34508a.html
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