Definitely going to want an intel CPU before you do anything. If you want to save some money for the time being, have you tried unlocking your processor?
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"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. Ivy, SSDs, and reading the OP. [Part 2]
- Thread starter Hazaro
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Baconsaurus Rex
Member
New wave will arrive end of Q1 right? I'm going to take the plunge very soon, however my upgrade is much bigger. Going from a GTS250 to 7970 so I can't wait much longer.Save your money until next year and get the next wave of GPUs, your 6950 will be good until thenever looked to see if you can unlock yours to a 6970?
Isn't it a die shrink refresh? If you're upgrading from a gts 250, don't even bother waiting any longer. I'm upgrading to a 7850
Baconsaurus Rex
Member
I'm not familiar with that term, but to clarify, I will be going the whole nine yards and assemble a completely new build. My old pc will go to my mum.
While we're on the subject, here's my build.
Code:
i5-3570k + Hyper212 Evo
XFX PRO550W
Gigabyte GV-R797OC-3GD
ASRock Z77 Pro4
Intel SSDSC2CT120A3K5 (15-20 cheaper than m4 and 830)
Corsair Vengeance 8 GB DDR3-1600 Kit
Carbide 300R
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-BitI think this will be my final configuration. Any last tips would be greatly appreciated.
Looks great!
2) Whatever you want, it doesn't matter. They're designed to run at full RPM nearly silently. I dont *think* the ASRock E4 has voltage control (3 pin), so it will not control the fans. I'd go straight to PSU or controller which I would leave turned up.
3) Nope, windows does that for you.
4) UEFI is the replacement for BIOS. BIOS has been gone since P67/Z68, but people still call it BIOS for simplicity's sake. Installing off of a USB is the best way to go, but DVD will work fine. In either case, you just set it to be the primary boot device in UEFI/BIOS.
1) It's not even close to 550w. More like 300W.
2) Whatever you want, it doesn't matter. They're designed to run at full RPM nearly silently. I dont *think* the ASRock E4 has voltage control (3 pin), so it will not control the fans. I'd go straight to PSU or controller which I would leave turned up.
3) Nope, windows does that for you.
4) UEFI is the replacement for BIOS. BIOS has been gone since P67/Z68, but people still call it BIOS for simplicity's sake. Installing off of a USB is the best way to go, but DVD will work fine. In either case, you just set it to be the primary boot device in UEFI/BIOS.
I'd guess around April time or so.
Wow, going from a GTS 250 to a 7970 will blow your fucking mind.
SecretMoblin
Member
I really appreciate you taking the time to type this out.
Thanks!
Now to look for some deals on 7950s and W7...
Look at the MSI and Gigabyte 7950s, they'd be the two I'd try to go for.
ss_lemonade
Member
Felt the same. Thought I was going to break something with the socket lever/lock
I've done it at least 100 times, and I still cringe.
This is what I come up with:
Intel Core i7-3930K
ASUS P9X79 PRO
Corsair Obsidian Series 800D
Corsair Professional Series Gold AX1200
3 x EVGA Nvidia GTX 680 2GB Tri-SLI
16gb corsair Vengeance DDR3 RAM
Samsung 830 128GB SSD
Corsair Hydro Series H60 Cooler
24X DVD
Windows 7 Pro
First of all does this look sound? Also I have some concerns. Will I need additional cooling for the GPU's? Also will I see any benefit to going with the 4GB version of the 680's? Can I get away with the single SSD for OS as well as games? I don't plan on using PC for any kind of storage. Its purely to play games.
I plan to play games using Nvidia 3D Surround using 3 27" 3D monitors. Any advice will help me alot.
Read the top rated comment here
Hello there person from the future! Here's the comment:
"As odd as it sounds, this is one of the many reasons I chose AMD for my last build. I did my brother's 3770k a couple of weeks back and nearly prolapsed whilst pushing that lever down..."
"As odd as it sounds, this is one of the many reasons I chose AMD for my last build. I did my brother's 3770k a couple of weeks back and nearly prolapsed whilst pushing that lever down..."
So, lots of people are going to start posting "DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY OMG OVERKILL" type responses. Ignore those. I have to drive home from work, and I'll get to this later in like 30 mins or so.
yeap. it's unlocked i think. to 4cores and clocked to 3.4GHz
wanted to grab a SSD.. but still pricey.
looking at some graphics card.. perhaps
using a dying MX518 mouse along with a Filco keyboard
thinking of upgrading the mouse too.
bringing them home (out of the US) once i'm done with my study trip here.
hope my promo credits can cover these all!
This was the first time I've built a PC. It took me almost 2 hours to work up the courage to force the lever. It sounded like the thing was going to snap in half.
My Sapphire 7870 ghz edition says Power Connector: 2x6pin. That means I plug 2 PCI-E 6 pin connectors from the PSU to the GPU? The PC booted in my test, so I assume that was correct.
Hey GAF, about to finish up my build. Already have an i5 3570k and a 7870. Need to pick up a monitor and kb/mouse as well. Here's the parts I put in following the guide from the OP, but i'd really like to shave off a few bucks if at all possible. Can anyone help me cut some corners, and check to make sure if I cant that all these will go well together? Think my biggest worry atm is if the PSU I have will power the 7870 which needs two six pin connectors.
Mobo: Biostar TZ77B
RAM: Kingston HyperX Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model KHX16C9B1RK2/8
Cooler: Hyper 212 (I want to OC the processor so I need this.)
HDD: WD Blue 500 GB
PSU: Antec BP550 plus
Disc Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST
Case: Coolermaster HAF 912
Ideally, I want to keep these parts to 450$ max. Which gives me like 80 bucks to buy a monitor with and that doesn't really fly. Do I have to suck it up and bump the budget to 500, and can anyone recommend a monitor? I'm used to shit monitors for gaming but do want a good resolution one to run that 7870 like it should be used. Fast edit, I mean, could I save some money and game on my 42 inch HD TV instead? Or does that introduce some fuckery? I guess I would like to have a monitor on the desk to actually write papers at, but it could always wait until after winter break. Semester is over anyway.
Fuuuuuu I need the OS as well. sonofabitch!
Mobo: Biostar TZ77B
RAM: Kingston HyperX Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model KHX16C9B1RK2/8
Cooler: Hyper 212 (I want to OC the processor so I need this.)
HDD: WD Blue 500 GB
PSU: Antec BP550 plus
Disc Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST
Case: Coolermaster HAF 912
Ideally, I want to keep these parts to 450$ max. Which gives me like 80 bucks to buy a monitor with and that doesn't really fly. Do I have to suck it up and bump the budget to 500, and can anyone recommend a monitor? I'm used to shit monitors for gaming but do want a good resolution one to run that 7870 like it should be used. Fast edit, I mean, could I save some money and game on my 42 inch HD TV instead? Or does that introduce some fuckery? I guess I would like to have a monitor on the desk to actually write papers at, but it could always wait until after winter break. Semester is over anyway.
Fuuuuuu I need the OS as well. sonofabitch!
Thanks I await ur response mkenyon. I'm actually going to Fry's in a few hours to pick up all this stuff so hopefully I hear back from you in time. Btw love your build from a few pages back
Mohonky
Member
Okies GAF what is my bottleneck.
Win7 64bit
Intel Core i7 920 (using a Zalman CNPS9900 cooler)
Gigabyte X58 mobo
6gb DDR3 1366mhz
GTX570
If I change my processor, I'm in for a whole new mobo. So I am trying to stay with what I have for the time being but will accept that if my biggest weakpoint is the CPU, then it's time to update.
Ram is currently occupying the triple channel, will adding any more be of any real benefit?
I'm just sort of on the fence because I'm not sure which way to go. It doesn't seem to me that there have been any major improvements in CPU (am I wrong?) so could there be something just around the corner?
I am mostly curious as Far Cry 3 is the first game I've played I couldn't really max out on.
I could afford a whole new rig but I'm trying to save so I just don't want to throw cash at a new build.
Also, shit scared of overclocking and no idea how to do it so best avoided for me.
Win7 64bit
Intel Core i7 920 (using a Zalman CNPS9900 cooler)
Gigabyte X58 mobo
6gb DDR3 1366mhz
GTX570
If I change my processor, I'm in for a whole new mobo. So I am trying to stay with what I have for the time being but will accept that if my biggest weakpoint is the CPU, then it's time to update.
Ram is currently occupying the triple channel, will adding any more be of any real benefit?
I'm just sort of on the fence because I'm not sure which way to go. It doesn't seem to me that there have been any major improvements in CPU (am I wrong?) so could there be something just around the corner?
I am mostly curious as Far Cry 3 is the first game I've played I couldn't really max out on.
I could afford a whole new rig but I'm trying to save so I just don't want to throw cash at a new build.
Also, shit scared of overclocking and no idea how to do it so best avoided for me.
Where are you feeling it? What games.res.settings?
Overclock your 920 first or spend $350.
Overclock your 920 first or spend $350.
I don't think so, unless you plan to do some serious storage management. Or keep the amount of installed games limited.
I don't think I'll have anymore than 3-5 games. Far Cry 3, Hawken, and eventually Project C.A.R.S. and GTAV. Can I fit this amount of games as well as Windows 7 on a single 128gb SSD? Should I opt out for the 830 256 instead? I keep all my music movies and other large files on my laptop and backup to 70gb REV disks.
I have 2 SSDs (128 gb for OS and games) and 256gb (just for Steam). The 128 has the OS and 3 games: Diablo 3, Mass Effect 3 and Burnout Paradise, and other programs installed. Out of 119 gb (what you will get out of 128) I have 57.6gb free space. I hope that helped you.
I'm trying to get creative with installing an OS and am coming up short. I have the ability to get a windows 7 upgrade copy free from my university, but obviously I need a full version. So I searched for a copy of vista to hopefully avoid paying 100$ for the OS, and couldn't find it on Amazon or Newegg, nor could I find XP. My very uneducated guess is that those OS's have just been pulled. Anybody have ideas?
very helpful indeed thanks
I'm not sure, since even though I have a 128gb ssd as well. I have a lot of other programs installed on it as well. You should be fine I think, unless GTAV turns out huge. Quick google tells me Max Payne 3 was 35gigs. If you're going to spend that much money on a pc why not go the extra mile for a proper sized SSD?
Thanks for this warning. Now I'm preparedRead the top rated comment here
Hello there person from the future! Here's the comment:
"As odd as it sounds, this is one of the many reasons I chose AMD for my last build. I did my brother's 3770k a couple of weeks back and nearly prolapsed whilst pushing that lever down..."
OC is the only way. Time to grow a pair. That is going to be your major bottleneck right now, no question.
So, where I said a lot of people are going to tell you 'don't waste your money', here is where I say 'this is how you maximize your money'.
First things first is that NVIDIA/Kepler does not officially support PCI-E 3.0 on X79/SB-E (AMD does though, how 'bout them drivers AMD haters?). There's a chance that your motherboard will properly flash to support it, but there's also a chance that it won't. Since you are planning on that kind of a setup, I'd immediately suggest swapping to Ivy/Z77.
So, take a gander at the 3770K and 3570K. They offer identical gaming performance, so unless you just want to have the best processor out there, or you might be doing some multimedia work like rendering videos or encoding lots, the 3570K is definitely the best buy. In fact, it will offer near identical gaming performance to the 3930K you have selected. Pretty mind blowing, I know, but the games that are CPU bound are that way because they only use one or two threads/cores. What determines performance then is per thread/core performance, and there's basically no difference between the processors in this regard.
For Z77 motherboards (I've been doing my homework on these because I'm going to be buying one for a test bench in the next few weeks), the Gigabyte UP7 gives you real meaningful overhead when it comes to overclocking over the other boards. If pushing the boundaries of an overclock is not your thing at all, then the only two other boards worth looking at are the Gigabyte G1.Sniper 3 Z77 and the ASUS Maximus V Extreme are the only other two worth looking at. The reason why is tied to what you are trying to achieve with your videocards. These boards offer the best 2x and 3x SLI options in that they have onboard chips that do a really good job of multiplying IvyBridge's native 16 lanes of PCI Express without degrading the bandwidth or introducing lag.
Next is that 2GB of VRAM isn't nearly enough for that resolution. You want 4GB cards. What I'd actually suggest, is starting with two cards and then moving to three if you don't find the performance sufficient. Since the memory bandwidth is the same on the 670 and 680, I think it's going to be worth it to rock 670s instead (using 3x 670s myself). There's such a tiny difference in performance between the two, and the fact that the 670s are cooler and quieter more than makes up for it. Grab these guys.
You will also want a case that will adequately cool three 680s, and the 800D most definitely is not it. The case was ostensibly designed for watercooling, and even by WC standards, is very very very outdated. As far as cases I would suggest for that sort of setup, take a look at the NZXT Switch 810, BitFenix Shinobi XL, Lian Li PC-A75X (sold out on newegg, but available from some other places), and the CoolerMaster Stryker/Trooper. Don't bother looking at reviews, because you will be buying fans to replace whatever comes in these. We can cross that river once you've selected something. I can also offer some more ideas if you have a specific aesthetic in mind.
Swap out the PSU for a Corsair AX860i. It's based on a Seasonic unit where the AX1200i is not (Seasonic = unrivaled PSU quality). It's a much better PSU and will provide way more power than your system will be drawing at load.
With all that, let me know what questions you have.
RumblingRosco
Member
Got all my parts for my girlfriend's <$500 "basic-uses" PC. She wanted a large monitor (>20") and is going to just use it for basic Office/web browsing type of tasks. Going to put it all together in another week or so. Here's the list of all the parts, which are all brand-new and non-refurbs:
CPU w/ iGPU: Intel i3-3220 (HD2500) $111
Mobo: ASUS P8H77-I LGA 1155 H77 mITX $90
Case: Coolermaster Elite 120 mITX $30 (AR)
SSD: Kingston HyperX 3K 120 GB $53
HDD: Recycling one from her old laptop $0
PSU: PC Power & Cooling 400w semi-modular 80+ bronze $35 (AR)
RAM: Samsung 2x4 GB 1600 MHz 30 nm $35
Monitor w/ probably crappy built-in speakers: Zalman MZ230ED 23.5" 1080p $110 (AR)
OS: Windows 8 Pro Upgrade $8
Thermal Paste: Arctic MX2 $0 (AR)
Keyboard: Rosewill RIKB-11002 slim, chiclet keys, wired $10
Wifi stick: TrendNet Wireless USB g/b $5
Total: $487 after all taxes, shipping, and a few rebates, but this does not count the roughly $25-50 I'll earn as cashback by using my Discover card. Sooo, it may end up being less than $450 when all is said and done!
We already have a mouse and a few other misc things we'll need. I'm excited to put this thing together! I'll likely overclock the RAM a bit just for kicks, but not at the cost of increasing the voltage. Should be able to lower the timings easily enough.
CPU w/ iGPU: Intel i3-3220 (HD2500) $111
Mobo: ASUS P8H77-I LGA 1155 H77 mITX $90
Case: Coolermaster Elite 120 mITX $30 (AR)
SSD: Kingston HyperX 3K 120 GB $53
HDD: Recycling one from her old laptop $0
PSU: PC Power & Cooling 400w semi-modular 80+ bronze $35 (AR)
RAM: Samsung 2x4 GB 1600 MHz 30 nm $35
Monitor w/ probably crappy built-in speakers: Zalman MZ230ED 23.5" 1080p $110 (AR)
OS: Windows 8 Pro Upgrade $8
Thermal Paste: Arctic MX2 $0 (AR)
Keyboard: Rosewill RIKB-11002 slim, chiclet keys, wired $10
Wifi stick: TrendNet Wireless USB g/b $5
Total: $487 after all taxes, shipping, and a few rebates, but this does not count the roughly $25-50 I'll earn as cashback by using my Discover card. Sooo, it may end up being less than $450 when all is said and done!
We already have a mouse and a few other misc things we'll need. I'm excited to put this thing together! I'll likely overclock the RAM a bit just for kicks, but not at the cost of increasing the voltage. Should be able to lower the timings easily enough.
i believe so
Dubbedinenglish
Banned
Sweet baby Jesus in a cardboard box. For someone who hasn't had a good rig since SC 1 Rage just shocked me. My god it it looks amazing.
Trojita
Rapid Response Threadmaker
So the Steelseries Sensei is still the best mouse?
Was getting a Samsung 830 256 GB for $200ish good?
I'll need to pick out my soundcard and speakers by tomorrow. Still deciding on trying to find a Xonar Essence ST (Some people said the STX wasn't as good?) or that Phoebus (I see some bad reviews for it but mostly from early bugs it had with some games like BF3).
Was getting a Samsung 830 256 GB for $200ish good?
I'll need to pick out my soundcard and speakers by tomorrow. Still deciding on trying to find a Xonar Essence ST (Some people said the STX wasn't as good?) or that Phoebus (I see some bad reviews for it but mostly from early bugs it had with some games like BF3).
IISANDERII
Member
I'm looking for a new computer, nothing too fancy:
MPT 2400C5
Intel Core i5 2400 @ 3.1Ghz
Gigabyte Intel H61 chipset Motherboard
4GB PC3-10600 High Speed DDR3 RAM
500GB Western Digital SATA HD, 18X LG DVD Writer
Integrated Intel HD Graphics
Onboard 10/100 Fast Ethernet
Integrated High Definition Audio
Standard 250W Multimedia Speakers
Black Mini Tower ATX Case w. 300W p/s
$749
Is this good?
MPT 2400C5
Intel Core i5 2400 @ 3.1Ghz
Gigabyte Intel H61 chipset Motherboard
4GB PC3-10600 High Speed DDR3 RAM
500GB Western Digital SATA HD, 18X LG DVD Writer
Integrated Intel HD Graphics
Onboard 10/100 Fast Ethernet
Integrated High Definition Audio
Standard 250W Multimedia Speakers
Black Mini Tower ATX Case w. 300W p/s
$749
Is this good?
this won't be playing games, so unless you are rendering, might as well save money and go with an i3 based system or an amd based system
Trojita
Rapid Response Threadmaker
What are you going to be doing with it?
IISANDERII
Member
I hope to play some games but regular stuff mostly. I don't think I need rendering.
Trojita
Rapid Response Threadmaker
What is regular stuff?
integrated graphics is a big no no for games, especially since it is a non-k processor
Am I understanding this correctly? If I purchase a "system builder" copy of Windows OS, its entirely specific to my whole build? So if I wanted to add in an SSD in a couple of weeks/months and install the OS on it, I would be unable to do so? Ive read one report of it tying to the motherboard and another saying it ties to all parts connected to the mobo.
IISANDERII
Member
Ok how about this?:
AMD x8 Gaming System
AMD FX-8120 3.1Ghz
Asus M5A97
Kingston DDR3 1600 8G Memory
WD 1TB HDD
24x DVDRW
Geforce GTX560 1GB
Enermax Gaming Case
Thermaltake 600w Power
$768
AMD x8 Gaming System
AMD FX-8120 3.1Ghz
Asus M5A97
Kingston DDR3 1600 8G Memory
WD 1TB HDD
24x DVDRW
Geforce GTX560 1GB
Enermax Gaming Case
Thermaltake 600w Power
$768
better but you're better off going with an intel based system. check the OP for prices and go from there
iirc all you have to do is call microsoft and have them reset the activation
dark_preacher
Member
They all need to be fully screwed in so your mobo is level on the standoffs. Make sure they aren't cross threaded and if they're not use something like a plier to grip the nut edges and force them in. Should turn much easier than by hand.
There is also a program I have for my laptop that backups up the activation files in Windows and then restores them when you reinstall the OS. I'm not sure if this would work in your case(for my laptop I did it to do fresh install of the OS after I bought it), but it would be worth a shot so you don't have to call MS everytime
Awesome insight
I took a look at everything and this is what I decided to go with i7 3770 with the Asus Maximus V Extreme in the CoolerMaster Trooper Case (love the handle). I couldn't find the PSU you suggested. Is there an actual SeaSonic equivalent I should get like one of these?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151102
And thinking about the Zotac 670's or is there a better brand/model?
Also anything else you can suggest?
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