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

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garath

Member
Damn. I've been wanting to hold off for the 760, but that price is effin right.

Might have to bite then flip the 660 about this time next year.

Seems like we're in the same boat :p

I'm really torn. The price is what's really swaying me. $265 is really the right price for a video card for me. I don't spend more than $300 on a card. It's never been worth it to me.
 

Xdrive05

Member
Seems like we're in the same boat :p

I'm really torn. The price is what's really swaying me. $265 is really the right price for a video card for me. I don't spend more than $300 on a card. It's never been worth it to me.

Yup. Same here. My last five cards have been: 6800, 8800GT, GTX 260, GTX 460, GTX 560 TI, LOL. So I like my $200-$250 price range. And each time I flip the previous card for about $150 on craigslist or ebay, so $50-$100 in the hole for a new mid-range card each year or two.

The 660 takes its knocks at higher resolutions, but my monitor is only 1680x1050 so it should be a great fit there. Especially at $264.
 

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
Two (maybe stupid) questions. I have never build a pc before, so I don't know the set up process. My keyboard might not arrive today, but everything else will.

1- is there a way to set it up without a kb/m?
2- can you set it up using a wireless kb?/m? Or does it have to be a wired one?

Thanks.
 

ithorien

Member
Guys and gals, could use some help in the Cooled PC competition. Need votes to solidify a solid 6th/7th place. I only ask a few minutes of your time to register if you don't like the Facebook integration. http://www.cooledpc.com/build/237

Done and done.

Two (maybe stupid) questions. I have never build a pc before, so I don't know the set up process. My keyboard might not arrive today, but everything else will.

1- is there a way to set it up without a kb/m?
2- can you set it up using a wireless kb?/m? Or does it have to be a wired one?

Thanks.

Need kb at least, can be wireless as long as PC recognizes the dongle no problem which nowadays shouldn't be an issue.
 

garath

Member
Yup. Same here. My last five cards have been: 6800, 8800GT, GTX 260, GTX 460, GTX 560 TI, LOL. So I like my $200-$250 price range. And each time I flip the previous card for about $150 on craigslist or ebay, so $50-$100 in the hole for a new mid-range card each year or two.

The 660 takes its knocks at higher resolutions, but my monitor is only 1680x1050 so it should be a great fit there. Especially at $264.

Same boat indeed. lol

I went 6800, GTX 260, GTX 460 now GTX 660ti. My monitor is only a 1680x1050 too. To be honest even the 460 is still doing the job. I rock high settings most games.

I just ordered it. The ASUS cooler gets really high marks from HardOCP and the benchmarks are great. For the price it's pretty much perfect for me. Instead of selling my 460 though I may try to use it as a dedicated PhysX card for shits and giggles.
 

n0n44m

Member
Guys and gals, could use some help in the Cooled PC competition. Need votes to solidify a solid 6th/7th place. I only ask a few minutes of your time to register if you don't like the Facebook integration. http://www.cooledpc.com/build/237

done

and since I am now registered I also added my own rig :)

http://www.cooledpc.com/build/318

btw 20 prizes available for Limited CSQ, with only 14 contestants ? lol @ anyone who qualifies but doesn't register :p
 

Pachimari

Member
Guys, do you know why Windows Vista isn't stretched out my entire 24" screen? There's black bars at the left, right, bottom and top.

It says it has the latest driver and I'm running VGA>HDMI cable.
 

scogoth

Member
Guys, do you know why Windows Vista isn't stretched out my entire 24" screen? There's black bars at the left, right, bottom and top.

It says it has the latest driver and I'm running VGA>HDMI cable.

Try the scaling in nvidia control panel/catalyst control or your monitors built in scaling controls. Also how/why? VGA to HDMI wouldn't work with out an active converter and why not use your graphics cards DVI or HDMI port?
 

Xdrive05

Member
Same boat indeed. lol

I went 6800, GTX 260, GTX 460 now GTX 660ti. My monitor is only a 1680x1050 too. To be honest even the 460 is still doing the job. I rock high settings most games.

I just ordered it. The ASUS cooler gets really high marks from HardOCP and the benchmarks are great. For the price it's pretty much perfect for me. Instead of selling my 460 though I may try to use it as a dedicated PhysX card for shits and giggles.

Just ordered it too. I even wanted AssCreed3, so win-win. That 460 will make one hell of a PhysX card man. Enjoy it. :)
 

Ty4on

Member
Sorry for using flash, bad lightning in this corner of my room and I didn't have any tape to put over the reflectors, but holy crap the FT03 mini is tiny!

The rest will come later this week along with a Sugo Pack* and I was wondering:
If I carried the PC in a bag as hand luggage on a short plane trip, would it be wise to take the GPU out and put it somewhere else in the antistatic bag with something soft around it or will it be ok inside the computer? GPU will be an OEM 7870.

*Didn't know my backpack would fit it when I bought it, but I still don't think the zippers will last carrying it :p
 

n0n44m

Member
Voted. Clean up that desk cabling!


I don't get some of the top ones in Limited CSQ. The danger blue one is actually quite ugly and not that well done.

hehe all the cables for TV/Receiver/Speakers/Lights are already cleaned up, and I rather keep the PC cables a bit loose so I can disconnect them easily without having to disassemble my entire desk. Desk itself is pretty clean imho :p

(slanted walls so basically I had to do all cabling while moving around like a baby seal ... getting the receiver properly connected from that position was a nightmare lol)


as for the votes ... well ... check out the names of the owners and the nationalities of the people posting comments. Not all votes have been 100% objective probably :)

Sorry for using flash, bad lightning in this corner of my room and I didn't have any tape to put over the reflectors, but holy crap the FT03 mini is tiny!

The rest will come later this week along with a Sugo Pack* and I was wondering:
If I carried the PC in a bag as hand luggage on a short plane trip, would it be wise to take the GPU out and put it somewhere else in the antistatic bag with something soft around it or will it be ok inside the computer? GPU will be an OEM 7870.

*Didn't know my backpack would fit it when I bought it, but I still don't think the zippers will last carrying it :p

haha that's awesome

you need to make sure the GPU is secure and doesn't move ... it can damage the PCI-e connector on the card or on your motherboard if it shakes it around too much. Just the regular screw on the I/O panel probably isn't enough, but it depends on the weight of the card itself as well.

I've seen those boutique PC builders ship their systems with special "air pockets" around the CPU heatsink and GPU so that they don't move during transport, but I can't really find any examples right now
 

beje

Banned
any idea when 8000 series will be out and 700 series?

I don't want get a 7000 series now or a 600...

They have barely launched their mid-low tier cards a couple of months ago (HD 7750 and Nvidia 650) and their mainstream cards like the 7850 weren't out until March 2012 and hitting mass market price more or less now so unless you plan on buying top of the like cards (HD 8950/70 or Nvidia 780/90) at an outrageous price (>500$) you're going to wait for at least one full year.

If you really NEED to upgrade in less than 3 months, a current card is your best bet.
 

Azzurri

Gold Member
They have barely launched their mid-low tier cards a couple of months ago (HD 7750 and Nvidia 650) and their mainstream cards like the 7850 weren't out until March 2012 and hitting mass market price more or less now so unless you plan on buying top of the like cards (HD 8950/70 or Nvidia 780/90) at an outrageous price (>500$) you're going to wait for at least one full year.

I believe we will see high end video cards April/May
 

Ty4on

Member
you need to make sure the GPU is secure and doesn't move ... it can damage the PCI-e connector on the card or on your motherboard if it shakes it around too much. Just the regular screw on the I/O panel probably isn't enough, but it depends on the weight of the card itself as well.

I've seen those boutique PC builders ship their systems with special "air pockets" around the CPU heatsink and GPU so that they don't move during transport, but I can't really find any examples right now

Yeah, in this NCIX vid they show off a shipped computer with zip wires around the GPUs and bubble wrap everywhere. With 5800 series cards (back then the 58XX where high end cards like the 79XX while 59XX (5970) was dual GPU) they shipped them with the GPU outside the case and it had to be mounted.

A bag carried by a person will of course not be dropped unlike a box during shipping, but to be safe I think I will carry it with the GPU somewhere else. I could have an accident and drop the bag and those Dash 8's can have some bouncy landings sometimes ^^

They have barely launched their mid-low tier cards a couple of months ago (HD 7750 and Nvidia 650) and their mainstream cards like the 7850 weren't out until March 2012 and hitting mass market price more or less now so unless you plan on buying top of the like cards (HD 8950/70 or Nvidia 780/90) at an outrageous price (>500$) you're going to wait for at least one full year.

If you really NEED to upgrade in less than 3 months, a current card is your best bet.

Don't forget the prices. 7850s and 7870s weren't very good value untill the 650ti/660/660ti came forcing price drops. Back then the 6870 was the value card to go for even though the 7770 and 7850 where out.
 

mkenyon

Banned
After a slight delay, I under estimated how little clearance there was between the cards, there isn't enough for two compression fittings! So I express posted a bitspower SLi fitting.

So it's all in and connected, with fluid flowing and I'm just leak testing (hence the paper towel) I'll have full tests for you all tomorrow, 3D mark/vantage 11 tests as well as BF3 and Metro 2033 FPS scores.

I tell you what, after staring at it all weekend I'm bugging out, but I must be strong and ensure the leak test is OK before applying power to the whole PC.

A reminder, I bought the second 7970 with the block installed, Hence why it's copper and not Nickel. I also had to buy the fatty 140mm Rad to cope with the extra load, it's a black ice and it's dense.... bloody dense. I might have to buy some high static pressure 140mm fans to cope (any one know any good ones?)
Looks really good man. I hear a lot of positive things about the bgears 140s, but you do need to spin them down a bit. Noctua has a new 140mm out that works really well too, doesn't fit your theme at all. Spectre Pro 140s would work wonders, but again, run pretty loud at stock speeds. Otherwise you could get some 140->120 shrouds. I know that noiseblocker is working on 140mm versions of the eloops too.
I put a vote in. Is this website sponsored or ran by EK? Seems to be that way. Is there anything special I need to do after signing up with my Facebook account to be able to join in on the competitions?

I won't be building anything until Maxwell hits, but since computer cases don't really go down in price that much over time (like the 800D) I figured that the next time the Cosmos II goes on sale I can go ahead and purchase it to do s paint job on it. How difficult is it to try and get an automotive grade paint job done on a chassis (or whatever companies like OriginPC do for their custom painted towers.) Really want to try some form of white after looking at your build and I think it would look amazing on the Cosmos II. If there is a tutorial on an enthusiast website somewhere I can hop on there and check it out.

Might wait until 2013 to see if Corsair, CoolerMaster, Silverstone or BitFenix brings out another sleek full/ultra tower. I was looking at Little Devil, but I'm not very knowledgeable on how to handle bare-boned towers and the prices for their towers are definitely expensive. Though, it does seem like they would be easier to paint than the other mainstream towers.
Thank you!

I think you need to make your own account to post one, but am not certain. Automotive quality paint jobs are fairly pricey, and you need to know how to remove all of the rivets in your chassis as well as put it back together. I think a good option for this is to get a CaseLabs SM8, since they can ship it unassembled with just primer. That saves a bit of money on a good paint job. The SM8, for the price, is a pretty outstanding product. I'm not a fan of their aesthetic, but a great paintjob would certainly help.

Also keep in mind those automotive grade paintjobs will scratch fairly easily, which is why most folks opt for powdercoating.
Can anyone recommend a case that the IceQ Boost will fit into? It's 29.5cm long and doesn't fit into my Fractal Design R3.
Just about any non-budget case from the OP.
done

and since I am now registered I also added my own rig :)

http://www.cooledpc.com/build/318

btw 20 prizes available for Limited CSQ, with only 14 contestants ? lol @ anyone who qualifies but doesn't register :p
Thank you, and I voted for yours too! You can vote for as many as you want.
Voted. Clean up that desk cabling!


I don't get some of the top ones in Limited CSQ. The danger blue one is actually quite ugly and not that well done.
It's more of a popularity contest than a proper judging of good jobs. If it were the latter, the RedHarbinger and 800D would be #1 and #2 by a long shot.
Done! I am a big fan of the green and white.
Registered and voted. I appreciate all the info you post in this thread.
Voted. Thanks for all your help/work
Thank you all!
 

Squall-25

Neo Member
Vertex 4 is a bit questionable, and there are some better silent cases (Silencio 650 not bad though), but it should be fine. I assume you went with the 3930K/X79/32GB of RAM as you are doing multimedia work?

Thanks for the reply.
Yeah I figured it was a decent set up for that. Also I'm a huge fan of the total war series which are very processor intensive so the 12 threads won't hurt.
 

mkenyon

Banned
Just wondering if anything has changed on the keyboard and mouse front since the OP was written. My age old Logitech G5 and Saitek Eclipse are beginning to fail me and I was thinking I'd get something new in time for the holidays.

Any recommendations are welcome, especially if they're part of a sale!
OP is still up to date. I don't know what you are looking to spend on a keyboard, but the only thing I was going to update in there is the budget headset section and the high end keyboard part. CM Storm Quick Fire Rapid can be found for $50-70 at a number of stores right now.
I've been looking to build a mini ITX system for around €1000-1300 that can run all current games at 1080p and high to max settings. Is this feasible?

I've been looking at the Bitfenix Prodigy barebone bundles of this company (Sorry, in German, but just scroll to the bottom to see them and the specs are right there), which they overclock and configure for stability, so that would seem like a decent idea to me. But I haven't followed PC hardware in years. I wonder if you guys could tell me whether it's a good idea to get one of these plus a decent graphics card, or if they're overpriced, or if it makes sense to wait for the new Intel CPUs at this point...I'd really appreciate if somebody could help me out, because I haven't dealt with this stuff in ages...
OP has a Small Form Factor Guide. Should help with a lot of your questions. tl;dr, it is slightly more expensive than a standard build because enthusiast ITX motherboards are a new thing still, and you have to be more careful with PSU/cooler selection, which brings up the price by about $100-150.
Recommendations for a good headset around 30 - 40 bucks? Putting my Xmas list together and looking for tips. Thanks ahead of time.
Zalman clip on mic + best headphones you can find.
Thanks for the reply.
Yeah I figured it was a decent set up for that. Also I'm a huge fan of the total war series which are very processor intensive so the 12 threads won't hurt.
Total War engine is quad threaded, which means that anything above 4 threads won't be used.

*edit*

Also, games like that, which are able to take advantage of more cores than games which typically place the bottleneck on the CPU like UE3 stuff which only uses 2 cores, almost always have a very tiny amount of CPU scaling. Shogun 2, for example, doesn't perform much differently on a low end Bulldozer (bad at gaming), than a 3930K/X with the same GPU. In fact, it's pretty much on par with a $100 i3.

Shogun.jpg
 

MajorPain

Member
Looking for a new sound card need your help gaf.

Who makes the best sound cards?

What do you have?

What card would you recommend? Why?
 
I have this case (CoolerMaster Elite 334U) and it came with one fan in the top rear corner. It's got room for a bunch more fans and I was wondering where I should put them to create the best airflow.

Also there's no spot for a fan on top of the case, am I really missing out by not having the air come out the very top?
 

Birbo

Member
Putting together the parts for my first Gaming/HTPC. Please let me know if I'm overlooking anything.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-M2(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1155
Memory: SAMSUNG MV-3V4G3D/US 8GB (2 x 4GB)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 2GB
Case: nMEDIAPC HTPC 5000B HTPC
Power Supply: SeaSonic USA SSR-550RM
OS: Windows 8 (64 bit)

• Do I need an additional heat sink/fan for this build? I did get some ARCTIC MX2 Thermal Paste.
• Any opinions on the Logitech K400 Wireless Keyboard? Just looking for a small keyboard since I'll be using it to control XMBC (and mainly 360 controller comfy couch gaming).
• For those with PCs hooked up to your main TV, how are you getting your internet? I already have a modem/wireless router hooked up to another computer. Was thinking about adding a Powerline since I want to stream media off of it.
• Any easy guides for overclocking an i5 2500k?
• Would ideally like an SSD to put the OS, XBMC and Steam on and at least a 1TB HDD to store games and media on. Is this how most allocate their memory? Could I get away with a smaller GB size SSD (<128) to save money?

Thanks for the help. I have lots more stupid questions, but will leave it at this for now.
 

mkenyon

Banned
Looking for a new sound card need your help gaf.

Who makes the best sound cards?

What do you have?

What card would you recommend? Why?
From what I understand, it's all about picking the right kind of amplifier for your headset. Otherwise, the DACs on almost all motherboards nowadays are pretty good.
I have this case (CoolerMaster Elite 334U) and it came with one fan in the top rear corner. It's got room for a bunch more fans and I was wondering where I should put them to create the best airflow.

Also there's no spot for a fan on top of the case, am I really missing out by not having the air come out the very top?
One on the front, one in the top/rear.
Putting together the parts for my first Gaming/HTPC. Please let me know if I'm overlooking anything.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-M2(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1155
Memory: SAMSUNG MV-3V4G3D/US 8GB (2 x 4GB)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 2GB
Case: nMEDIAPC HTPC 5000B HTPC
Power Supply: SeaSonic USA SSR-550RM
OS: Windows 8 (64 bit)

&#8226; Do I need an additional heat sink/fan for this build? I did get some ARCTIC MX2 Thermal Paste.
&#8226; Any opinions on the Logitech K400 Wireless Keyboard? Just looking for a small keyboard since I'll be using it to control XMBC (and mainly 360 controller comfy couch gaming).
&#8226; For those with PCs hooked up to your main TV, how are you getting your internet? I already have a modem/wireless router hooked up to another computer. Was thinking about adding a Powerline since I want to stream media off of it.
&#8226; Any easy guides for overclocking an i5 2500k?
&#8226; Would ideally like an SSD to put the OS, XBMC and Steam on and at least a 1TB HDD to store games and media on. Is this how most allocate their memory? Could I get away with a smaller GB size SSD (<128) to save money?

Thanks for the help. I have lots more stupid questions, but will leave it at this for now.
You have an H61 motherboard and a 2500K. If you want to overclock (which you should if you are going to game on it, it's why sandy/ivy are such great processors), then you will need to get a Z68/Z77.

1) If you want it to run more quietly, or overclock, yes.
2) No opinion. I don't know enough about wireless kb/m
3) With a Cat 5E cable that goes through my wall.
4) Yeah, OP. ctrl-F overclock
5) I don't find myself hurting for room with 128gb for everything except media storage.
 

scogoth

Member
Putting together the parts for my first Gaming/HTPC. Please let me know if I'm overlooking anything.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-M2(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1155
Memory: SAMSUNG MV-3V4G3D/US 8GB (2 x 4GB)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 2GB
Case: nMEDIAPC HTPC 5000B HTPC
Power Supply: SeaSonic USA SSR-550RM
OS: Windows 8 (64 bit)

• Do I need an additional heat sink/fan for this build? I did get some ARCTIC MX2 Thermal Paste.
• Any opinions on the Logitech K400 Wireless Keyboard? Just looking for a small keyboard since I'll be using it to control XMBC (and mainly 360 controller comfy couch gaming).
• For those with PCs hooked up to your main TV, how are you getting your internet? I already have a modem/wireless router hooked up to another computer. Was thinking about adding a Powerline since I want to stream media off of it.
• Any easy guides for overclocking an i5 2500k?
• Would ideally like an SSD to put the OS, XBMC and Steam on and at least a 1TB HDD to store games and media on. Is this how most allocate their memory? Could I get away with a smaller GB size SSD (<128) to save money?

Thanks for the help. I have lots more stupid questions, but will leave it at this for now.

2500k and H61 motherboard dont make sense. You need a P67 or Z77 motherboard in order to overclock the 2500k
 
Would it be stupid to replace my Antec 900?

It just feels so cramped. The 6950 is huge, the cabling is everywhere, and I have a bunch of drives in there. If there's no benefit to upgrading it (thermals, ease of access maybe?) then I can just ignore it.

Any thoughts one way or the other?
 

kharma45

Member
Putting together the parts for my first Gaming/HTPC. Please let me know if I'm overlooking anything.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-M2(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1155
Memory: SAMSUNG MV-3V4G3D/US 8GB (2 x 4GB)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 2GB
Case: nMEDIAPC HTPC 5000B HTPC
Power Supply: SeaSonic USA SSR-550RM
OS: Windows 8 (64 bit)

• Do I need an additional heat sink/fan for this build? I did get some ARCTIC MX2 Thermal Paste.
• Any opinions on the Logitech K400 Wireless Keyboard? Just looking for a small keyboard since I'll be using it to control XMBC (and mainly 360 controller comfy couch gaming).
• For those with PCs hooked up to your main TV, how are you getting your internet? I already have a modem/wireless router hooked up to another computer. Was thinking about adding a Powerline since I want to stream media off of it.
• Any easy guides for overclocking an i5 2500k?
• Would ideally like an SSD to put the OS, XBMC and Steam on and at least a 1TB HDD to store games and media on. Is this how most allocate their memory? Could I get away with a smaller GB size SSD (<128) to save money?

Thanks for the help. I have lots more stupid questions, but will leave it at this for now.

Motherboard has already been covered, change your GPU to this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127706
 

scogoth

Member
Would it be stupid to replace my Antec 900?

It just feels so cramped. The 6950 is huge, the cabling is everywhere, and I have a bunch of drives in there. If there's no benefit to upgrading it (thermals, ease of access maybe?) then I can just ignore it.

Any thoughts one way or the other?

I find cases mostly an aesthetic thing. Thermals/noise can vary but unless you have reallllly bad temperatures or OC a ton it wont make a huge difference. As for ease of access unless you tinker a lot (like i do almost every week) then once its built its built so its fine till you decide to upgrade in a few years.

I had an Antec 900 with a NH-D14, two GTX670s, 1000W PSU, fan controller, 6 hdds and fans on every spot possible. That case can fit a lot
 

mkenyon

Banned
Good catch on the vid card, good $10 savings there.
Would it be stupid to replace my Antec 900?

It just feels so cramped. The 6950 is huge, the cabling is everywhere, and I have a bunch of drives in there. If there's no benefit to upgrading it (thermals, ease of access maybe?) then I can just ignore it.

Any thoughts one way or the other?
I try to avoid generalizations towards brands, as it betrays some irrational behavior. But my distaste for Antec is pretty fierce. They're benignly predatory, as their designs are pretty much terrible, but they know they can bank on brand recognition and the fact that they are sold everywhere.

So yeah, I'd definitely suggest an upgrade.
 
Does anyone have a good solution for Wi-Fi using PCI Express? I'd love it if you could link to a page to buy it (UK £££ prices please).

I currently have a Linksys WUSB100 v2 and it's shit. I only get 10 Mb/s (full signal though) out of my normal 30 Mb/s I get on every other device.

Thanks!
 
Does anyone have a good solution for Wi-Fi using PCI Express? I'd love it if you could link to a page to buy it (UK £££ prices please).

I currently have a Linksys WUSB100 v2 and it's shit. I only get 10 Mb/s (full signal though) out of my normal 30 Mb/s I get on every other device.

Thanks!
I use the TP-Link TL-WN951N (£20.60 on Amazon) and it's great. I have a 100Mb/s fibre connection and I have no problems getting 7-8MB/s.
 

Birbo

Member
You have an H61 motherboard and a 2500K. If you want to overclock (which you should if you are going to game on it, it's why sandy/ivy are such great processors), then you will need to get a Z68/Z77.


2500k and H61 motherboard dont make sense. You need a P67 or Z77 motherboard in order to overclock the 2500k

Ugh. So how screwed would I be performance-wise if I stick with the H61? Know my wife already purchased it as a Christmas gift. Also, according to PCPartpicker, the case I'm getting does not have front panel USB 3.0 ports, but Z77 motherboards have an onboard USB 3.0 header; how much of an issue is this?
 

mkenyon

Banned
Ugh. So how screwed would I be performance-wise if I stick with the H61? Know my wife already purchased it as a Christmas gift. Also, according to PCPartpicker, the case I'm getting does not have front panel USB 3.0 ports, but Z77 motherboards have an onboard USB 3.0 header; how much of an issue is this?
It'll be a constraint in some games, not in others. UE3 engine games (Borderlands 2, Batman, lots of others) and SC2 will be bottlenecked heavily. Other games, you wouldn't notice a difference at all.

There's no issues with missing USB ports, it just means you don't get to use any.
 

Birbo

Member
It'll be a constraint in some games, not in others. UE3 engine games (Borderlands 2, Batman, lots of others) and SC2 will be bottlenecked heavily. Other games, you wouldn't notice a difference at all.

Great. Now how do I tell my wife to return a gift I'm not really supposed to know I'm getting in exchange for a more expensive one? :/
 

Petrie

Banned
I have the MSI z68a-g43 mobo and recently got an Ivy Brige processor instead of Sandy. I updated the BIOs to allow me to use it, but when I install it it still doesn't work. Is there a step I'm missing?
 

Petrie

Banned
Need way more info than that. Do you mean it isn't posting?

I can't get any video with the Ivy Processor. The fans all boot up and such, though the processor seems to get hot very quickly (all the fans turn to full speed within 15 seconds or so)
 

Petrie

Banned
Is the BIOS set to IGP output for graphics?

I'm not sure. It's currently outputting from my video card with the Sandy processor installed. I guess I'll see if I can find that setting.

I see and IGD setting in a couple places, but can't find this "IGP".
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
I'm not sure. It's currently outputting from my video card with the Sandy processor installed. I guess I'll see if I can find that setting.

I see and IGD setting in a couple places, but can't find this "IGP".
Does your current motherboard BIOS support Ivy Bridge?
 

Petrie

Banned
Does your current motherboard BIOS support Ivy Bridge?

I updated to the BIOS version that is supposed to.

I'm on version E7750IMS V5.0 which is supposed to be Ivy compatible.


Well, plugged my video cable directly into my mobo and not it displayed.

What do I need to do to use my video card though?
 

Momentary

Banned
Thank you!

I think you need to make your own account to post one, but am not certain. Automotive quality paint jobs are fairly pricey, and you need to know how to remove all of the rivets in your chassis as well as put it back together. I think a good option for this is to get a CaseLabs SM8, since they can ship it unassembled with just primer. That saves a bit of money on a good paint job. The SM8, for the price, is a pretty outstanding product. I'm not a fan of their aesthetic, but a great paintjob would certainly help.
!

I would actually prefer a powder coating. I went to CaseLabs and checked out the SM8. I really LOVE how accessible it is. But the STH10 is the one that really caught my eye. That tower looks so elegant, but it's taller than the Cosmos II and with such a big tower I feel like all that space would go to waste. I would go with the SM8 or SMH10, but they look so... fat. Never thought I'd be tempted to buy a $600 case. I'm definitely doing research between CaseLabs and Little Devil. They seem like the best case manufacturers on the market
 

mkenyon

Banned
I updated to the BIOS version that is supposed to.

I'm on version E7750IMS V5.0 which is supposed to be Ivy compatible.


Well, plugged my video cable directly into my mobo and not it displayed.

What do I need to do to use my video card though?
Have you tried both the motherboard and the video card after a full restart? As in, plug it into the mobo output, restart. If no video, plug it into the videocard output, restart. If this is not working, try going into BIOS with the SB chip in there and disabling onboard video. Then put the IVB chip back in there and try booting with video out from the videocard.
I would actually prefer a powder coating. I went to CaseLabs and checked out the SM8. I really LOVE how accessible it is. But the STH10 is the one that really caught my eye. That tower looks so elegant, but it's taller than the Cosmos II and with such a big tower I feel like all that space would go to waste. I would go with the SM8 or SMH10, but they look so... fat. Never thought I'd be tempted to buy a $600 case. I'm definitely doing research between CaseLabs and Little Devil. They seem like the best case manufacturers on the market
Yeah, they're made for high end watercoolers. Both Caselabs and Little Devil. For a similar high end chassis meant for more standard systems (as in, you don't need space for 3 radiators), Lian Li is where it's at.
 
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