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[The_Inquisitor]

Read and write look pretty good to me.
Give Crystal Disk a run it shows you more.

Sure. I just resized my windows partition and am in the process of copying it to my SSD via Partiton Manager. Seeing as I had 200gb in use, i should probably let it run overnight. The scary part was the resize, so now that it is "copying" I am not too worried.

I wonder how long it will take to read 200gb from my seagate 5600rpm drive to my new ssd.

 

[Fantomex]

660Ti is far better.
Galaxy seems to have a better exhaust and a 3yr vs 1 yr warranty from PNY.

Hey Hazaro, thanks for the feedback. If I can ask though, it seems I remember hearing that its better to have more bits when it comes to memory interface instead of a higher core clock. I notice that the EVGA has a higher Memory Interface of 320 bit compared to the Galaxy Cards 192 bit. Any truth to this or is the Galaxy just better all around. Only a $12 price difference between both

Comparison Link

 

[Hazaro]

Hey Hazaro, thanks for the feedback. If I can ask though, it seems I remember hearing that its better to have more bits when it comes to memory interface instead of a higher core clock. I notice that the EVGA has a higher Memory Interface of 320 bit compared to the Galaxy Cards 192 bit. Any truth to this or is the Galaxy just better all around. Only a $12 price difference between both

Comparison Link

The 660Ti beats the shit out of the 570 if it wasn't clear.
The 192 bit interface is to save costs as the memory runs much much faster as you can tell from the clock speeds. It's also an entirely new architecture so you can't directly compare the specifications at all.
Like you can also look at CUDA Cores 480 vs 1344. And tell me which you think might be slightly faster

The 660Ti is roughly around 20% faster and uses 33% less power as well.
You can also find all of this info from browsing the OP or using Ctrl + F 'benchmark' or something similar or look at the News and Reviews sites near the bottom of the post

 

[Ledsen]

Another fan question from me!

So I've noticed that my system is not as quiet as I would like it to be in idle, and after looking at fan speeds it's because my back case fan (default Fractal R3 fan) is running at a seemingly constant 1300 rpm no matter the system load. It's connected to the sys_fan1 on my motherboard (see page 23 for schematics). My front case fan is connected to sys_fan2 and does seem to run slower at lower clocks (since it's running at like 3-400 rpm in idle). So my question is, what to do? Should I put the back case fan in the "pwr" header, will that even work like I want it to? Or should I just buy new case fans? Are case fans typically speed controlled?

Alright, thanks!

I'm really excited to finally doing this. I've kind of been disappointed with how console gaming is going, and everyone just says "buy a PC!" you know, so it's crazy to think I can finally do so, and a good one to boot.

If I do buy the necessary parts for the suggested one, how well should I be able to run the newest games? Will the look noticeably better than the PS360 editions?

It will look like you stepped into next-gen. The difference in fps+IQ is compeltely mind-blowing the first time you see it.

 

[Hazaro]

Can you check in your BIOS Fan control to see if there's a low rpm / quiet setting that might be enabled on SYS_FANs or something?

 

[Ledsen]

Can you check in your BIOS Fan control to see if there's a low rpm / quiet setting that might be enabled on SYS_FANs or something?

BIOS seems to only have controls for the CPU fan :/

 

[Rur0ni]

Does anyone know the difference between the M and non-M Vertex 4? My eyes must be failing me.

512 GB      VTX4-25SAT3-512G	842024030379
512 GB (M)  VTX4-25SAT3-512G.M	842024031567

Amazon has the M version on sale for $360 - $20 rebate, today only it seems.

Edit: Seems it's NAND difference. Was just having a brain fart.

 

[1-D_FTW]

The 660Ti beats the shit out of the 570 if it wasn't clear.
The 192 bit interface is to save costs as the memory runs much much faster as you can tell from the clock speeds. It's also an entirely new architecture so you can't directly compare the specifications at all.
Like you can also look at CUDA Cores 480 vs 1344. And tell me which you think might be slightly faster

The 660Ti is roughly around 20% faster and uses 33% less power as well.
You can also find all of this info from browsing the OP or using Ctrl + F 'benchmark' or something similar or look at the News and Reviews sites near the bottom of the post

Plus it's a bunch to do about nothing if you ask me (when comparing even directly to the 670 or 680). I'm failing to see any abnormalities even at the higher resolutions that don't align with the difference in clock speeds between those. If you believed some people, you'd think it was under-performing by 50 percent under certain conditions.

660ti is a great card and most certainly the choice for the above poster.

 

[Fantomex]

Can you check in your BIOS Fan control to see if there's a low rpm / quiet setting that might be enabled on SYS_FANs or something?

Plus it's a bunch to do about nothing if you ask me (when comparing even directly to the 670 or 680). I'm failing to see any abnormalities even at the higher resolutions that don't align with the difference in clock speeds between those. If you believed some people, you'd think it was under-performing by 50 percent under certain conditions.

660ti is a great card and most certainly the choice for the above poster.

Thanks! That's what I'll be ordering

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-ti-memory-bandwidth-anti-aliasing,3283-12.html

Interesting...

The 7870 kills the 660 ti when AA is turned up.

 

[1-D_FTW]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-ti-memory-bandwidth-anti-aliasing,3283-12.html

Interesting...

The 7870 kills the 660 ti when AA is turned up.

Not sure if it's pro/con for the 660ti, but aside from keeping the same minimum framerate (Pro), looks normal to me.

A card that's 20 percent cheaper, is about 20 percent slower under worst case scenarios. Maybe I'm weird for thinking this is normal, but I do.

EDIT: That's the worst case scenario graph there. And can someone explain why they disabled HBAO and MVSS? That seems stupid. If you're going to run some stupid setting, run everything. 8X AA at 1440P is just retarded anyways, so why not go the whole nine yards.

 

[RibbedHero]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-ti-memory-bandwidth-anti-aliasing,3283-12.html

Interesting...

The 7870 kills the 660 ti when AA is turned up.

http://media.bestofmicro.com/T/5/349673/original/2560_5_8xAA.png[img][/QUOTE]

Interesting article. I know it's Tom's (so its potentially unreliable), but I found this particularly interesting:

[IMG]http://media.bestofmicro.com/H/S/349264/original/Framerate%201920x1080%20FPS.png

AMD takes increased AA very well, the 670 hits a cliff edge at 8x and the 660Ti's limited memory bandwidth is a major constraint.

 

[Infinite Justice]

Not sure if it's pro/con for the 660ti, but aside from keeping the same minimum framerate (Pro), looks normal to me.

A card that's 20 percent cheaper, is about 20 percent slower under worst case scenarios. Maybe I'm weird for thinking this is normal, but I do.

EDIT: That's the worst case scenario graph there. And can someone explain why they disabled HBAO and MVSS? That seems stupid. If you're going to run some stupid setting, run everything. 8X AA at 1440P is just retarded anyways, so why not go the whole nine yards.

huh the 7870 is cheaper than the 660ti

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

Is Tom's the Kotaku of the PC realm? What are some other reliable sites to check for benchmarks and GPU reviews? Still new to this stuff, so apologies.

 

[kamspy]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-ti-memory-bandwidth-anti-aliasing,3283-12.html

Interesting...

The 7870 kills the 660 ti when AA is turned up.

http://media.bestofmicro.com/T/5/349673/original/2560_5_8xAA.pngimg][/QUOTE]

It's a shame the 7870 get's 0 FPS with PhysX enabled.

 

[1-D_FTW]

huh the 7870 is cheaper than the 660ti

I don't care about AMD cards. I absolutely love 3D and AMD's solution is garbage. So for this reason alone, I'll pay the Nvidia tax. But this isn't what I'm referring to anyways. I'm talking about people saying the 660ti is crap compared to the 670. It's price/performance compared to the 670 is not worse. It's a cheaper card. Of course it's not going to have identical performance. But it certainly doesn't have a worse performance/price delta.

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

It's a shame the 7870 get's 0 FPS with PhysX enabled.

So, how many games actually support GPU accelerated PhysX? I'm really curious about this since I see it listed as a bullet-point when others are trying to compare AMD vs Nvidia.

 

[Infinite Justice]

I don't care about AMD cards. I absolutely love 3D and AMD's solution is garbage. So for this reason alone, I'll pay the Nvidia tax. But this isn't what I'm referring to anyways. I'm talking about people saying the 660ti is crap compared to the 670. It's price/performance compared to the 670 is not worse. It's a cheaper card. Of course it's not going to have identical performance. But it certainly doesn't have a worse performance/price delta.

oh

Should have made that clearer in your post given the one you quoted was talking how the 7870 beats it in a certain test.

 

[1-D_FTW]

oh

Should have made that clearer in your post given the one you quoted was talking how the 7870 beats it in a certain test.

In fairness to me, he stealth edited. He originally just had the Tom's Hardware link and "Interesting..." as his post.

So I didn't know what he was talking about. I thought he was referencing the earlier post/debate that the 660ti is this massively inferior product compared to the 670 (that's popular with some).

 

[legacyzero]

My 670 <3<3

It was totally worth it!

 

[RibbedHero]

My 670 <3<3

It was totally worth it!

Same; I love my 670. If you're squeezed for money then get a 7870 or maybe a 660Ti, if you can afford the extra £60 then go for a 670 as its more future-proof and more versatile when it comes to in-game settings.

With a decent OC this card will cut through games for a good couple of years. Then, I might add a second one, or pawn it off and upgrade.

 

[kharma45]

So, how many games actually support GPU accelerated PhysX? I'm really curious about this since I see it listed as a bullet-point when others are trying to compare AMD vs Nvidia.

There's not that many, Physx wouldn't sway me either way, and if you really want it you can just buy a cheap nvidia card and hack it to run Physx alongside an AMD one.

 

[ss_lemonade]

So, how many games actually support GPU accelerated PhysX? I'm really curious about this since I see it listed as a bullet-point when others are trying to compare AMD vs Nvidia.

Not enough IMO to warrant a switch if you're already running a good AMD card.

The only game I really miss nvidia specific features is Just Cause 2. That game looked good when I was running it on my 275. Now I'm missing effects with a 6970, but in exchange for a better framerate so it wasn't all that bad

 

[YianGaruga]

I don't have very strong PSU, it's around 550 W (although good quality) and have a GTX 560Ti. Would it be possible to upgrade to a GTX 670 with this PSU? Or do I need to upgrade that too?

 

[cackhyena]

My 670 <3<3

It was totally worth it!

Mine arrives tomorrow. Pumped. Upgrading from a 4870..

 

[1-D_FTW]

I don't have very strong PSU, it's around 550 W (although good quality) and have a GTX 560Ti. Would it be possible to upgrade to a GTX 670 with this PSU? Or do I need to upgrade that too?

The 670 uses the same as the standard 560ti, less than the 560ti 448.

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

I don't have very strong PSU, it's around 550 W (although good quality) and have a GTX 560Ti. Would it be possible to upgrade to a GTX 670 with this PSU? Or do I need to upgrade that too?

Which PSU? A good quality 550W is more than enough for a single 670.

 

[Shambles]

Makes sense with his 3D needs. However with the 7950 hitting $300 I don't see any other reason to pick up a 660 Ti. AMD sure crapped the bed when they were the first to launch the latest generation of cards but now they're offering a much better price/performance value than nVidia.

Edit: bah looking at reviews from different sites some have the 7950 clearly on top, others have it the other way around. They must be pretty close until you started implementing AA.

 

[YianGaruga]

Which PSU? A good quality 550W is more than enough for a single 670.

Well, I just checked and maybe it's not THAT great.

+3.3V (A)24
+5V (A)24
+12V1 (A)22
+12V2 (A)22

-12V (A)0.3
+5Vsb (A)2.5
Max. 12V (A)35
Max. 12V (W)420
Max. 3,3V + 5V (W)130

The bolded seems a little low. I think Nvidia recommends 30 A, so I'm cutting it close if I intend to OC my i5 and the 670, right?

 

[mkenyon]

It's a shame the 7870 get's 0 FPS with PhysX enabled.

Your troll post is factually wrong, as you can't enable it. Just sayin.

Is Tom's the Kotaku of the PC realm? What are some other reliable sites to check for benchmarks and GPU reviews? Still new to this stuff, so apologies.

They're more like the IGN. Anandtech, TechReport, Guru3D, Overclock3d.net, Skinnee Labs, Martin's Liquid Lab, and HardOCP are my oft-frequented sites. I generally rely on Overclock.net and ExtremeSystems.org for aggregated news, much like many do with NeoGAF.

Well, I just checked and maybe it's not THAT great.

The bolded seems a little low. I think Nvidia recommends 30 A, so I'm cutting it close if I intend to OC my i5 and the 670, right?

It'll be fine.

It's price/performance compared to the 670 is not worse. It's a cheaper card. Of course it's not going to have identical performance. But it certainly doesn't have a worse performance/price delta.

While generally true, I think in comparison to the AMD products, the 660Ti is in a much much worse position than the 670 is. Between the gimped memory and the relatively lackluster high AA/resolution performance, it's a really really hard product for me to endorse.

 

[Madridy]

Wanted to post these photos for a while now, but was distracted with other stuff: (Sorry for the shitty iPhone camera)

Seasonic Packaging is awesome:

Fanless mode

TJ08-E is a lovely case:

The Re-moveable motherboard tray is a god send!

Hardest part was installing the HSF CM Hyper 212+

G.Skill RAM:

ASUS DCUII 670 looks sick

Final Build

---------

---------

My novice cable management:

This build has been in the making for the past two years now, wanted to do a Sandy bridge build when it came out, but got busy with University. After much delays and hesitation. I started ordering the parts since May and now finished it last week.

Thanks and Acknowledgements:

- mkenyon: Every time I enter this thread I learn something new from you.
- Hazaro: Your updates to the OP, suggestions and advice have been essential to my build.
- brain_stew: The reason why I started thinking about making myself a new PC again.

Other members which helped me indirectly: MrBig, TheExodu5, Smokey, BoobPhysics101.


Spec:

Old PC:
CPU: C2D E6750 @ 2.67 GHz
GPU: EVGA GTX460 SE
RAM: Kingston 4GB DDR2 800 MHz
MOBO: EVGA nForce 680i SLI
Case: Antec P182
PSU: Corsair HX620W


New PC:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Motherboard: Asus Maximus V Gene Micro ATX
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" SSD
Video Card: Asus DCUII GTX 670 TOP
Case: Silverstone TJ08B-E MicroATX Mini Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic X-560W


Shame I'm going on a holiday soon, otherwise I'd start OCing and tinkering with it.

 

[AB12]

Galaxy GTX 670 GC - $349.99 After $30 Instant Saving and $20 Mail in Rebate @ TigerDirect

 

[legacyzero]

Galaxy GTX 670 GC - $349.99 After $30 Instant Saving and $20 Mail in Rebate @ TigerDirect

DO EEEET

 

[Theonik]

So I ended up buying the Vertex 4, just finished installing Windows and whatnot, holy shit at the performance boost first SSD I got too.

 

[mkenyon]

Gigabyte 670 is on NCIXUS for $380 after MIR. I think the silence is worth every bit of that $30.

@Madridy

Thanks for the compliment and update! Build looks absolutely fantastic. Arent those Corsair fans amazing? Everything from the rubber bushing mounts to the swappable rings are so well done. The Gene in that TJ08 looks like they were made for each other too.

 

[Infinite Justice]

Wanted to post these photos for a while now, but was distracted with other stuff: (Sorry for the shitty iPhone camera)

pics

Nice and i'm loving the red and black motiv you went with

 

[MrBig]

Still need to get a good side fan for my R3. I have one of the stock fractal fans on there now, without a side fan I can't keep the GPU at comfortable temps with the side panel on, but it makes a whining noise when it's screwed up to the grate. Currently I just have strips of cardboard wedged in each of the corners to create a gap, which gets rid of most of the noise. I notice those corsair fans have rubber mounts, would they be a good choice to use as intake fans?

 

[legacyzero]

Gigabyte 670

I love this one. Stays VERY cool too.

38 idle and 60 max so far

 

[Madridy]

@Madridy

Thanks for the compliment and update! Build looks absolutely fantastic. Arent those Corsair fans amazing? Everything from the rubber bushing mounts to the swappable rings are so well done. The Gene in that TJ08 looks like they were made for each other too.

They are indeed awesome, quiet and cool. But the SP heatsink fan is 3-pin, which seems contradictory by Corsair since most people want to use them connected to the 4-pin PWM CPU fan slots on the MOBO. Mine is running @ 1350rpm (full speed) all the time and I can't hear it.

Nice and i'm loving the red and black motiv you went with

Thanks.



I also plan on adding a 2-3 TB HDD to one of the 5.25 inch slots soon, already bought this:

Waiting for the HDD prices to drop some more. My 256GB can hold me for while longer and I'm still using my old PC for media storage.

 

[Absol]

So, the Gigabyte 670 has a current offer of 10% off the price right now on NewEgg with the code HARDOCPX912G. It brings down the price to 359. Really tempted to get one now to replace my dinky 6850 since I just got one of those IPS 27" 1440p monitor at Micro Center and my card is having problems running games in settings I find acceptable.

 

[kafiend]

So I ended up buying the Vertex 4, just finished installing Windows and whatnot, holy shit at the performance boost first SSD I got too.

SSD is the "one thing" if anyone is thinking about just doing something to improve their day to day computer experience.

Even now, after months of using it, I still smile when it boots and then I'm doing stuff in such a amazingly short time. Even just opening up a browser is just wow!

 

[mkenyon]

Still need to get a good side fan for my R3. I have one of the stock fractal fans on there now, without a side fan I can't keep the GPU at comfortable temps with the side panel on, but it makes a whining noise when it's screwed up to the grate. Currently I just have strips of cardboard wedged in each of the corners to create a gap, which gets rid of most of the noise. I notice those corsair fans have rubber mounts, would they be a good choice to use as intake fans?

Yeah, the AF quiet edition would be the one to get.

So, the Gigabyte 670 has a current offer of 10% off the price right now on NewEgg with the code HARDOCPX912G. It brings down the price to 359. Really tempted to get one now to replace my dinky 6850 since I just got one of those IPS 27" 1440p monitor at Micro Center and my card is having problems running games in settings I find acceptable.

Definitely worth it for 1440p.

 

[Hazaro]

Wanted to post these photos for a while now, but was distracted with other stuff: (Sorry for the shitty iPhone camera)

This build has been in the making for the past two years now, wanted to do a Sandy bridge build when it came out, but got busy with University. After much delays and hesitation. I started ordering the parts since May and now finished it last week.

Thanks and Acknowledgements:

- mkenyon: Every time I enter this thread I learn something new from you.
- Hazaro: You're updates to the OP, suggestions and advice have been essential to my build.
- brain_stew: The reason why I started thinking about making myself a new PC again.

Other members which helped me indirectly: MrBig, TheExodu5, Smokey, BoobPhysics101.
Spec:

Old PC:
CPU: C2D E6750 @ 2.67 GHz
GPU: EVGA GTX460 SE
RAM: Kingston 4GB DDR2 800 MHz
MOBO: EVGA nForce 680i SLI
Case: Antec P182
PSU: Corsair HX620W


New PC:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Motherboard: Asus Maximus V Gene Micro ATX
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" SSD
Video Card: Asus DCUII GTX 670 TOP
Case: Silverstone TJ08B-E MicroATX Mini Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic X-560W


Shame I'm going on a holiday soon, otherwise I'd start OCing and tinkering with it.

Very slick build

I love this one. Stays VERY cool too.

38 idle and 60 max so far

So, the Gigabyte 670 has a current offer of 10% off the price right now on NewEgg with the code HARDOCPX912G. It brings down the price to 359. Really tempted to get one now to replace my dinky 6850 since I just got one of those IPS 27" 1440p monitor at Micro Center and my card is having problems running games in settings I find acceptable.

The GB 670 is so damn nice. I still can't believe it idles at 34C for me. Blows my mind. Fixed at 50% fan speed it is silent for me and never goes above 65C load. Uses no power.

 

[Ryan_]

So...

WHen I had to add an extra sata cable I might accidentally touched a small bit of the cooler of my graphics card. Now, my motherboard screen is way too big and after a small bit of the windows loading screen I don't see shit anymore and my screen doesn't pick up a signal.

I'm formatting now and hoping to be able to reinstall the drivers.

But should I prepare for the worst?

EDIT: This is on a pc I built last night

 

[RibbedHero]

So...

WHen I had to add an extra sata cable I might accidentally touched a small bit of the cooler of my graphics card. Now, my motherboard screen is way too big and after a small bit of the windows loading screen I don't see shit anymore and my screen doesn't pick up a signal.

I'm formatting now and hoping to be able to reinstall the drivers.

But should I prepare for the worst?

EDIT: This is on a pc I built last night

By cooler do you mean the fan array or the heatsink? Because touching the fan array is completely fine, and even the heatsink shouldn't cause the kinds of problems you're having.

 

[Ryan_]

By cooler do you mean the fan array or the heatsink? Because touching the fan array is completely fine, and even the heatsink shouldn't cause the kinds of problems you're having.

It was the heatsink, its a 660 Ti from Gigabyte with two major windforce coolers.

I was trying to add another HD with some games on it, it also had windows installed so perhaps it has something to do with some conflict, I really don't know.

Formatting is going okey but I think that is mainly running on the intel integrated chip so...

 

[1-D_FTW]

It was the heatsink, its a 660 Ti from Gigabyte with two major windforce coolers.

I was trying to add another HD with some games on it, it also had windows installed so perhaps it has something to do with some conflict, I really don't know.

Formatting is going okey but I think that is mainly running on the intel integrated chip so...

Why would it be running on the Intel? Haven't you disabled that in the BIOS?

Was going to ask if you live in a dry climate and possibly shocked it with your finger, but if it's working now that's weird.

Or possibly not? You installed another HD with an OS installed? Is it possible Windows booted that and you had weird drivers installed that were incompatible?

My guess is it's the last. Should be fine after the reinstall and Windows has the boot order straight.

 

[Ryan_]

Why would it be running on the Intel? Haven't you disabled that in the BIOS?

Was going to ask if you live in a dry climate and possibly shocked it with your finger, but if it's working now that's weird.

Or possibly not? You installed another HD with an OS installed? Is it possible Windows booted that and you had weird drivers installed that were incompatible?

My guess is it's the last. Should be fine after the reinstall and Windows has the boot order straight.

Just ran the search on the nvidia website, it still detected my GPU so I'm hoping for the best, installing the drivers now...

 

[Ryan_]

Well, I installed the drivers from the nvidia site and the same problem.

When I try to boot, it goes black during windows loading screen while I hear the startup sound from windows etc. My GPU is dead then?

 

[AndyD]

Jumped onto a 212+, an 830 SSD and some Kingston ram.

Do I need an adapter of some sort to install the SSD into a case? I see a bunch of adapters being sold. Any suggestions for something cheap.

Edit 2: I bought the drive not the install kit version, so I still need a bracket I guess. Any suggestions?