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"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. Ivy, SSDs, and reading the OP. [Part 2]

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A

ashbash159

Member
I'm looking to upgrade my PC.
I'll be displaying images at 1920 x 1080.

My current specs are:

CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.50 GHz
RAM - 4.00 GB (it's probably DDR2 although I have no clue)
Motherboard - Asus P5G41T-M LX2 Series
GPU - ATI Radeon HD 5770
PSU - I'll have to look

I'd like to be able to run games like Planetside 2 and Far Cry 3 at good frame rates.

If I'd like to upgrade to a GPU at around £200, such as the nVidia GeForce GTX 660, would I have to upgrade my motherboard and CPU? Is it even worth upgrading around this time, or is it worth waiting. I'm not aware of the current PC hardware technologies and state of the industry. I'm just looking for some advice on when to upgrade and if it's worth upgrading from what I currently have.

Thanks.
 
D

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
What's the best recommended solution to using a keyboard/mouse on a computer hooked up to a tv. It's not really positioned in any way that I could use a table while looking at it from a distance.
 
longdi

longdi

Banned
Dragonzord said:
What's the best recommended solution to using a keyboard/mouse on a computer hooked up to a tv. It's not really positioned in any way that I could use a table while looking at it from a distance.
Click to expand...

if you are using windows 8, logitech t650 is a good touchpad for content consumption from your tv. almost as good as apple's own when running it with win8

t650-wireless-rechargeable-touchpad.jpg


http://www.logitech.com/en-us/mice-pointers/mice/touchpad-t650
 
longdi

longdi

Banned
Darte said:
Is there a reason why I'm hearing folks go for the 830 SSD over the 840 SSD?
Click to expand...

I think it is because you need to look at the expensive 840Pro for a real upgrade which makes the 830 looks much cheaper and just slightly slower which is hardly noticeable with SSD. Also 840 uses less durable NAND flash that degrades faster.
 
pants

pants

Member
pants said:
After careful consideration I'm returning this board for an asus, even if I fix it it's buggy.
Click to expand...

Worked like a charm. All the same parts with a better Asus board and no more stupid bootloop. Now to see if they take the board back based on that.
 
pants

pants

Member
Infinite Justice said:
IIRC it seems to be a common issue so they might (assuming they are usually up to speed with info).
Click to expand...
It boggles my mind that they havent recalled or fixed this product line. I'll be sure to tell everyone I know of this horrible experience and make sure they steer away from gigabyte.
 
S

scogoth

Member
pants said:
It boggles my mind that they havent recalled or fixed this product line. I'll be sure to tell everyone I know of this horrible experience and make sure they steer away from gigabyte.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm a gigabyte hater too, had a P55 and an x58 board DOA from them.
 
E

Esiquio

Member
I'm doing a build on a budget and the difference between two cards I'm look at is that one has PCI Express 3 and one has version 2. I Googled a bit and couldn't find a solid answer to this question: if I'm not going to go out and spend hundreds on a graphics card (Maybe $150 max, at a later time), do I really NEED PCI x3?
 
K

kharma45

Member
HarryDemeanor said:
Which of these cards has the better cooler? Sapphire or MSI?

I was originally going to go with this Gigabyte until I read about its problems.
Click to expand...

The MSI. You can also get it with the TF4 cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127688

Esiquio said:
I'm doing a build on a budget and the difference between two cards I'm look at is that one has PCI Express 3 and one has version 2. I Googled a bit and couldn't find a solid answer to this question: if I'm not going to go out and spend hundreds on a graphics card (Maybe $150 max, at a later time), do I really NEED PCI x3?
Click to expand...

You don't, only card you can argue the need for PCIe 3 for is the GTX 690.
 
D

DTKT

Member
Anyone has any experience with gaming headphones?

These seem like a good deal for 50$. Do I actually need a dedicated audio card for the 7.1? Or can I just use on-board?
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
pants said:
It boggles my mind that they havent recalled or fixed this product line. I'll be sure to tell everyone I know of this horrible experience and make sure they steer away from gigabyte.
Click to expand...
It is a fraction of a fraction of affected parts. Their support is what counts in a situation like that, which happens with all of the companies. Don't let your anecdotal experience color your impression of the company. Their Z77 boards are second to none.
scogoth said:
Yeah I'm a gigabyte hater too, had a P55 and an x58 board DOA from them.
Click to expand...
You shut your gold plated mouth. ;)
 
S

Shambles

Member
Anyone had issues trying to make a bootable USB 3 stick? I have a 32GB Sandisk Extreme that i'm trying to load a Windows installation image onto and can't get it work for the life of me. It IS formatted as FAT32 but still refuses to be bootable. Was wondering if someone else has been down this path already.
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Shambles said:
Anyone had issues trying to make a bootable USB 3 stick? I have a 32GB Sandisk Extreme that i'm trying to load a Windows installation image onto and can't get it work for the life of me. It IS formatted as FAT32 but still refuses to be bootable. Was wondering if someone else has been down this path already.
Click to expand...
Just use the USB 2 ports or load the USB 3 drivers during installation. Win 7 doesn't have native USB 3 drivers.
 
S

Salsa

Member
anyone has a recommended fan curve for the 680 if I wanna OC but keep it at under 80°C without the fans going ridiculously loud?

any 680 OC tips would be appreciated
 
S

Salsa

Member
messing with Precision:

ibgSreJtT1lzwA.PNG


this seems stable without touching the voltage (other that what I assume already does automatically)

reaching 1228mhz core

being new to the 600 series im surprised at how low the stock fan curve is (wich sadly lets the VRPM pop get super audible as mkenyon said). It sits at 80°C with the fans going no further than 50%
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
SalsaShark said:
anyone has a recommended fan curve for the 680 if I wanna OC but keep it at under 80°C without the fans going ridiculously loud?

any 680 OC tips would be appreciated
Click to expand...
Keep in mind it downclocks after 70C. The actual current speed is different than what you set it at generally.
 
S

Salsa

Member
mkenyon said:
Keep in mind it downclocks after 70C. The actual current speed is different than what you set it at generally.
Click to expand...

yup and apparently it does so again when it gets near 80

the downclock is like 13mhz each time though, kinda silly. Id rather live with that and keep the fan from sounding like a jet engine
 
S

Shambles

Member
I'm starting to believe that it's a faulty ISO image. Making another to check it out. Man, my USB 2.0 stick is sooooooo slow after trying it out as well.
 
I

Infinite Justice

Member
almost a month(need i check back on that) since i brought this thing to life and my mind still gets blown when it loads up pretty instantly.


a SSD is firmly in the spot of changing the status quo while using a PC and stands next to getting more memory and high speed internet for me.
 
S

Shambles

Member
Turns out it probably wasn't the image. Windows 7 doesn't support usb 3.0 natively so I can't boot the install image over usb 3.0. My usb 2.0 stick that I tested was still NTFS so I'm re-loading the image on that. Even the USB 3.0 stick on a 2.0 port didn't work so here's to hoping. What a pain in the ass, my older gear never had these issues.

Turns out it was UNetBootin that wasn't properly creating bootable media. Ended up using Microsofts software to make a bootable USB drive and it worked fine over USB 3.0 and as an NTFS drive. I even tried two separate versions of UNetBootin and neither worked. I've used it for years and haven't had a problem until now. Weird.
 
S

Salsa

Member
for some reason having power target at 132% was crashing heaven, so I settled down on 100% power target, +150mhz gpu and +400 mem

since it reaches 80°C and stays there kinda quickly, the downclock leaves me at about 1202mhz constant
 
E

Emperor Bohe

Member
are there any good priced prebuilt gaming PCs for sale in Canada (Toronto)? I'm too lazy to build one, but I'll build it if the savings are huge enough. I want something that is next-gen ready...
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Infinite Justice said:
Seriously?

Not cool Samsung...
Click to expand...
Everyone is doing it. Lower costs and more yield.

Kingston marked their new HyperX SSDs as 3K in regards to the write rate which is pretty cool.

To offset the lower write count they are minimizing the amount of writes needed per data amount (Used to be like 50x writes for 1x data, and now it's like 10x) plus doing a good job with the write balancing.

If you want something that will last more than 7 years then you buy a larger process or different kind of NAND.

It's this that is going to drive SSD prices to $0.50 a GB this year while still being as fast and hopefully doubling in capacity. Hard to complain about.
Infinite Justice said:
almost a month(need i check back on that) since i brought this thing to life and my mind still gets blown when it loads up pretty instantly.


a SSD is firmly in the spot of changing the status quo while using a PC and stands next to getting more memory and high speed internet for me.
Click to expand...
Yup :D
Shambles said:
Turns out it probably wasn't the image. Windows 7 doesn't support usb 3.0 natively so I can't boot the install image over usb 3.0. My usb 2.0 stick that I tested was still NTFS so I'm re-loading the image on that. Even the USB 3.0 stick on a 2.0 port didn't work so here's to hoping. What a pain in the ass, my older gear never had these issues.

Turns out it was UNetBootin that wasn't properly creating bootable media. Ended up using Microsofts software to make a bootable USB drive and it worked fine over USB 3.0 and as an NTFS drive. I even tried two separate versions of UNetBootin and neither worked. I've used it for years and haven't had a problem until now. Weird.
Click to expand...
Yeah USB 3.0 can have some power requirements and non native support means you should be installing from 2.0 to be sure.

Took me a while to figure out why my KB wasn't being detected in my BIOS 1st time.
Emperor Bohe said:
are there any good priced prebuilt gaming PCs for sale in Canada (Toronto)? I'm too lazy to build one, but I'll build it if the savings are huge enough. I want something that is next-gen ready...
Click to expand...
You can pick parts and have NCIX assemble it for $40 or $50.
 
S

SoulClap

Member
Emperor Bohe said:
are there any good priced prebuilt gaming PCs for sale in Canada (Toronto)? I'm too lazy to build one, but I'll build it if the savings are huge enough. I want something that is next-gen ready...
Click to expand...

Rather than going the prebuilt route and paying more for worse parts you can order everything from NCIX and have them assemble it for you for $50. There's a store in Mississauga you could pick it up from too if you don't want to pay for shipping.
 
Q

QaaQer

Member
SoulClap said:
Rather than going the prebuilt route and paying more for worse parts you can order everything from NCIX and have them assemble it for you for $50. There's a store in Mississauga you could pick it up from too if you don't want to pay for shipping.
Click to expand...

+1. they can even load your OS. Unless you enjoy mucking about with computer gear like I do, let them build it for you.
 
E

Emperor Bohe

Member
SoulClap said:
Rather than going the prebuilt route and paying more for worse parts you can order everything from NCIX and have them assemble it for you for $50. There's a store in Mississauga you could pick it up from too if you don't want to pay for shipping.
Click to expand...

That's dope. I didn't know that they had a service like that. what do they ship with? I'm in downtown Toronto.

edit: I forgot that I had already pre prepped a list of potential parts a few months ago. what do you guys think? any parts that I should swap out?

CPU Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $238.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $34.98
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H ATX LGA1155 $119.99
Memory Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $51.99
Video Card EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card
Power Supply Corsair 650W ATX12V / EPS12V $109.99
Optical Drive Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer $79.99
Hard Drive SSD Crucial M4 128GB SSD (for MacOS/Mountain Lion)
Hard Drive Mechanical SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB SATA HDD (for Windows 7)
Wireless adapter TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 PCI Express x1 Wireless N Dual Band Adapter
Case http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16811352007
Monitor http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16824236052


do you guys think I should ditch the gtx680 and just run with a 670? what are the pros and cons of each? I'll be running everything in 1920 x 1080

edit: and which manufacturer should I go with? and overclocked?

edit 2: i'm thinking of this 670 rather than the 680 I listed....what do you guys think?
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814130787
Click to expand...
 
J

JayDub

Member
Question about Samsung low profile ram. Seems like its very popular among enthusiast builders, but it has a latency of 11?
 
A

Arsin

Member
Getting my big Christmas present from my mom soon and I want to get a 120hz Monitor. I have read this thread a lot and see the Samsung S23A950D come up quite a bit. Would that still be the one to get right now or is there a better model that has come out recently?
 
J

Jharp

Member
Hazaro said:
Is Q or a similar key a shortcut to 'home' or 'start of playlist'?
Run a CCleaner and the registry cleanup.
I'd run a SMART test and memtest 86+ to make sure it's not some hardware being funky.

Sounds like it could possibly be a keyboard issue as well?
.
Click to expand...


Sorry for a late response, and sorry for using you as my personal tech support, but here's the current situation- it's still happening. So I'm not sure if I initially stated this, but these two issues have been accompanied by Windows error sounds, occurring at random, with no accompanying message or notification. I just now noticed that every time a Steam text box (whether it's a chat window or the store search) enters the "qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq" on its own, that error sound plays. The two are happening at exactly the same intervals and exactly the same time, indication that they must be related. I checked iTunes to see if it would switch selections on its own at the same time as the sound playing, and in fact it did. So the three things are related:

1. Windows error sound seemingly at random
2. iTunes media selction switches to a different podcast/file, and it's always the same file
3. Any text box within Steam automatically, without my touching a keyboard, enters a sequence of the letter q, and it's always the same sequence (qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq).

I'm certain the three are related, but not certain how they are related. I went into Event Viewer to check any error messages, and found an inordinate amount of Bonjour Services errors, Bonjour being an apple service that's required for iTunes network and wireless functionality. I at first tried uninstalling all apple related software and reinstalling, and when that didn't work, attempted disabling Bonjour, which also didn't work. Taking your advice, Hazaro, I just ran a SMART Test on both of my harddrives, neither of which yielded any errors, and used CCCleaner to clean up my registry, noting several missing .dll's, a number of which related to .Net Framework.

So it hasn't happened since rebooting immediately following the CCCleaner registry cleanup, but that was only about five minutes ago. It may well start back up. I have no yet run a memtest because I don't have any CDs to burn the .iso too in order to boot from it. Unless there's a way to boot an .so on the harddrive, I'd do it, but I imagine the BIOS isn't going to see a virtual drive.

EDIT: Meant to note, I recently fired up Hitman: Asbolution and the sound was way WAY down on it. After turning my speakers onto the highest setting, which put the volume at about where you might normally have game volume set, it sounded as if there was a pilliow in front of my speakers. I'm not certain if this is related to the current issue, or if it's a unique Absoultion problem, but I have noted some odd sound quirks, like my preset equalizer being changed in my sound drivers on its own.

Is my fucking PC haunted?!
 
K

kennah

Member
JayDub said:
Question about Samsung low profile ram. Seems like its very popular among enthusiast builders, but it has a latency of 11?
Click to expand...
That's just the stock latency. It'll take pretty much anything you throw at it. Read the reviews. There were some posted a few pages back.
 
C

Chesskid1

Banned
Infinite Justice said:
almost a month(need i check back on that) since i brought this thing to life and my mind still gets blown when it loads up pretty instantly.


a SSD is firmly in the spot of changing the status quo while using a PC and stands next to getting more memory and high speed internet for me.
Click to expand...

i like reading things like this, since i have an SSD in the mail :p

sadly, im using a case from like 2008 so i have nowhere to mount it, but my friend told me i could just tape it anywhere, haha.
 
B

Bleether

Banned
Jharp said:
Sorry for a late response, and sorry for using you as my personal tech support, but here's the current situation- it's still happening. So I'm not sure if I initially stated this, but these two issues have been accompanied by Windows error sounds, occurring at random, with no accompanying message or notification. I just now noticed that every time a Steam text box (whether it's a chat window or the store search) enters the "qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq" on its own, that error sound plays. The two are happening at exactly the same intervals and exactly the same time, indication that they must be related. I checked iTunes to see if it would switch selections on its own at the same time as the sound playing, and in fact it did. So the three things are related:

1. Windows error sound seemingly at random
2. iTunes media selction switches to a different podcast/file, and it's always the same file
3. Any text box within Steam automatically, without my touching a keyboard, enters a sequence of the letter q, and it's always the same sequence (qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq).

I'm certain the three are related, but not certain how they are related. I went into Event Viewer to check any error messages, and found an inordinate amount of Bonjour Services errors, Bonjour being an apple service that's required for iTunes network and wireless functionality. I at first tried uninstalling all apple related software and reinstalling, and when that didn't work, attempted disabling Bonjour, which also didn't work. Taking your advice, Hazaro, I just ran a SMART Test on both of my harddrives, neither of which yielded any errors, and used CCCleaner to clean up my registry, noting several missing .dll's, a number of which related to .Net Framework.

So it hasn't happened since rebooting immediately following the CCCleaner registry cleanup, but that was only about five minutes ago. It may well start back up. I have no yet run a memtest because I don't have any CDs to burn the .iso too in order to boot from it. Unless there's a way to boot an .so on the harddrive, I'd do it, but I imagine the BIOS isn't going to see a virtual drive.

EDIT: Meant to note, I recently fired up Hitman: Asbolution and the sound was way WAY down on it. After turning my speakers onto the highest setting, which put the volume at about where you might normally have game volume set, it sounded as if there was a pilliow in front of my speakers. I'm not certain if this is related to the current issue, or if it's a unique Absoultion problem, but I have noted some odd sound quirks, like my preset equalizer being changed in my sound drivers on its own.

Is my fucking PC haunted?!
Click to expand...

Yes, you PC is in fact haunted. :(
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Arsin said:
Getting my big Christmas present from my mom soon and I want to get a 120hz Monitor. I have read this thread a lot and see the Samsung S23A950D come up quite a bit. Would that still be the one to get right now or is there a better model that has come out recently?
Click to expand...
S23A700, 750, and 950D are all the same panel. They all have different stands, 700 is Dual Link DVI only, 750 is display port only, and 950 is both. I think it is the best one out there thanks to the insane colors. BenQ XL2420T is a good choice if you prefer a matte screen.
JayDub said:
Question about Samsung low profile ram. Seems like its very popular among enthusiast builders, but it has a latency of 11?
Click to expand...
It OCs to insane levels. It is stuff that people who are not in the know are paying $200 for.
 
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