Support NeoGAF

[opticalmace]

I have a 120GB Intel 320 SSD (SATA2, 3Gb/s), though my motherboard supports SATA3.

Worth upgrading to a newer, faster SSD? I'm fairly low on space and would probably just run both of them (1 OS each maybe).

 

[teh_pwn]

Memory seems fine but that is a hell of a lot of it.

Actually I think 16 GB will be the sweet spot in 2013 through mid 2014. Game engines are going to break the 32-bit address barrier, starting with Crysis 3 in a couple of months.

 

[EternalGamer]

660ti isn't too great for high-res. 670/7950/7970 are the best cards for beyond-1080p resolutions.

I recomment the 7970. Not only can you get it for as little as $30 more than the 660ti and not only is one of the most powerful cards on the market, but it also comes witg free Farcry 3, Hitman Absolution, and Sleeping Dogs. That sealed the deal for me.

 

[Naudi]

You want DDR3 1866 or at least 1600 which is native to that CPU at stock.

Thanks! Fixed

Why 3770K? Are you intending on doing some HD video rendering or CPU-intensive tasks other than gaming? If not, 3570K is more than capable.

Anyway, go for the Gigabyte GTX670 rather than the EVGA, 830 since it's cheaper and does just as good as the 840, and 1600MHz RAM is cheap enough to warrant a buy over 1333 too.

I just want the fastest CPU i can afford. Thats all. But i did decide to save a little $ and go with 3770 non k version since i will not OC and I saw that was the main difference.
Also i found my Windows disk so i put that 100$ to upgrade to this in stead of 670 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130794&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=


New Build http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sxfw

Thanks for helping me spend a bunch of money(for me) wisely

 

[teh_pwn]

Thanks! Fixed



I just want the fastest CPU i can afford. Thats all. But i did decide to save a little $ and go with 3770 non k version since i will not OC and I saw that was the main difference.
Also i found my Windows disk so i put that 100$ to upgrade to this in stead of 670 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130794&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=


New Build http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sxfw

Thanks for helping me spend a bunch of money(for me) wisely

i7 is no faster than i5 (actually ~1% slower) unless an application utilizes more CPU cache or leverages hyperthreading. Games don't. Some apps do, some don't.

But reconsider overclocking. It's so effortless to get to 4.2 GHz, and then a few careful tweaks and a few apps to verify temp, stress, you can get to 4.4-4.5 GHz.

 

[2San]

I just want the fastest CPU i can afford. Thats all. But i did decide to save a little $ and go with 3770 non k version since i will not OC and I saw that was the main difference.
Also i found my Windows disk so i put that 100$ to upgrade to this in stead of 670 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130794&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=


New Build http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sxfw

Thanks for helping me spend a bunch of money(for me) wisely

Get the 3570K and overclock it. The hard part of over clocking is putting custom cooler which you already doing. Overclocking with your mobo is litterly nothing more then selecting it, in the bios. It's has overclocking profiles ready.

 

[statham]

I bought a 7850 from NewEgg last week and it came yesterday with Far cry 3,sleeping dogs, hitman, dirt showdown and dues Ex HR. Pretty awesome. I wasn't supposed to get sleeping dogs or hitman. not bad for $180. Far cry is running excellent on this card.

 

[knitoe]

I have a 120GB Intel 320 SSD (SATA2, 3Gb/s), though my motherboard supports SATA3.

Worth upgrading to a newer, faster SSD? I'm fairly low on space and would probably just run both of them (1 OS each maybe).

With SSD, you don't really notice faster ones unless benchmarking. If you need space, sure, get a faster one.

 

[EternalGamer]

i7 is no faster than i5 (actually ~1% slower) unless an application utilizes more CPU cache or leverages hyperthreading. Games don't. Some apps do, some don't.

But reconsider overclocking. It's so effortless to get to 4.2 GHz, and then a few careful tweaks and a few apps to verify temp, stress, you can get to 4.4-4.5 GHz.

Or just dont fool with it until you need to a good while from now.

 

[GK86]

Yeah! I was sold on it after i stumbled upon this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5lQ7i-HMPE. The rig in that is a modded Storm Trooper, the Stryker is the white version of that case. I'm excited ! lol

Lol, I can see why. I think next time I upgrade, or put together a new build, I will spend a little extra on a great case.

On a side note, I love new eggs videos. Very informative, and well done.

 

[2San]

[/B]

Or just dont fool with it until you need to a good while from now.

That ASrock has predefined overclocked profiles. Pick something like 4.2GHz and you literally have to do nothing. Not 100% sure on that though. It was possible on a Z77 pro 3 at least.

 

[Naudi]

i7 is no faster than i5 (actually ~1% slower) unless an application utilizes more CPU cache or leverages hyperthreading. Games don't. Some apps do, some don't.

But reconsider overclocking. It's so effortless to get to 4.2 GHz, and then a few careful tweaks and a few apps to verify temp, stress, you can get to 4.4-4.5 GHz.

Get the 3570K and overclock it. The hard part of over clocking is putting custom cooler which you already doing. Overclocking with your mobo is litterly nothing more then selecting it, in the bios. It's has overclocking profiles ready.

I understand what you guys are saying about OC'ing being easy but having to run programs to monitor temps just wont happen considering my wife and kids will be using it 90% of the time. Or is that a one time thing?

And will i really never see a performance difference between 3570k and 3770k? Honestly its horrible but part of me just wants the i7 for the name since i so rarely get new comps lol
Plus it fits in the budget and i really just wont OC so i may as well right?

More importantly is this vid card the one you would buy if you were spending 550$ on one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Thanks again all....so close to clicking buy

 

[teh_pwn]

I understand what you guys are saying about OC'ing being easy but having to run programs to monitor temps just wont happen considering my wife and kids will be using it 90% of the time. Or is that a one time thing?

And will i really never see a performance difference between 3570k and 3770k? Honestly its horrible but part of me just wants the i7 for the name since i so rarely get new comps lol
Plus it fits in the budget and i really just wont OC so i may as well right?

It's a one time thing. You'll change a CPU voltage offset slightly, and maybe load line calibration, then go into Windows and run a stress test while eyeballing temps, making sure they don't exceed 70 Celcius. If it stays cool and works, that's it, you're done. If it gets too hot or freezes, you enter BIOS and decrease the offset voltage slightly, and repeat.

There are some professional apps where i7 makes a big difference, but for games and consumer stuff I don't think it does.


As for the video card, I wouldn't go crazy. New cards will be out in 4-6 months. I'd go with medium high range and plan on replacing it in early 2014.

 

[Ty4on]

I just want the fastest CPU i can afford. Thats all. But i did decide to save a little $ and go with 3770 non k version since i will not OC and I saw that was the main difference.

All Intel CPUs with Ivy Bridge from Pentium G2120 to i7 3770k have identical CPU cores so the only way to have faster cores is with faster clock rates. Ivy Bridge is also really easy to overclock, when future games start lagging you increase the multi for the CPU and add some voltage to keep everything stable. If you rather want to sell when it gets old then K series CPUs go for a much higher price, pretty much retail today.

The difference between desktop i5s and i7s is only hyper threading. Both are quad cores, but the cores in an i7 can pretend to be dual cores and give you an "octa core" CPU. Games however aren't perfect so splitting the load over eight threads is very hard to do perfectly which means most games don't benefit at all. To add to that these extra cores won't work as full cores, in Cinebench (rendering, really easy to make threaded) they only gave a 27% increase in speed which makes the i5 better bang for buck in most rendering apps.

The i7 is a nice speed increase in apps that can make use of many threads, but games just want beefy cores which makes even i3s and Pentiums (dual cores) good enough for most games while AMD octa cores struggle. Go for a 3570k or if you really need the extra threads a 3770k. The money you save going with a non k will not make up for it when you need the extra power that's two clicks away in a k CPU, it overclocks to 4Ghz like it's nothing, 4.5 if you want to.


Edit: I know about the name, if it makes you feel better then Intel puts dual cores into laptops and in some call them i7s
The overclocking is either done by a standard setting on a mobo or yourself. By yourself you increase the multi for the CPU (how fast it runs, x40 means 4Ghz on Ivy) which makes the system faster, but can make the system unstable. To make it stable you give it more voltage, but that increases the temp quite a bit. Some spend a lot of time by putting the system in constant stress with Prime95 or some other app for several hours (up to 24, maybe more) to make sure it is stable, but I think a regular Ivy Bridge CPU can be overclocked to 3.9/4Ghz without any extra voltage and do well on the stock cooler. There are also a loooooot of knowledge on the web about overclocking and settings.

 

[GK86]

Is OC recommended if you would be using stock cpu fans?

 

[DTKT]

Is OC recommended if you would be using stock cpu fans?

Minor OC, maybe. But anything major will push that poor little fan.

 

[Ty4on]

Is OC recommended if you would be using stock cpu fans?

Said it in the above post, but some people are getting 4Ghz on the stock cooler. If it overheats and you don't notice the system will take care of itself.

 

[x3r0123]

sweet, new pc up and running
stable oc at 4.3ghz with 16gb 30nm samsung ram
need to oc gpu now

Also, bringing all the settings from firefox to this one is freaking sweet

 

[The Frankman]

Even though the SSD HDD talk is over with the person picking their choice i would add that the best choice imo is the best of both worlds and the poster could have half his SSD and get a 1TB with the savings plus some extra.

So why pick one or the other when you can have both?

If you mean me, I already have a WD Caviar Black 750 GB drive. I was just instaling a new OS and wondering if I should get a SSD for it, or a WD Blue. The 750 wil be for my data/programs now.

 

[GK86]

Minor OC, maybe. But anything major will push that poor little fan.

Said it in the above post, but some people are getting 4Ghz on the stock cooler. If it overheats and you don't notice the system will take care of itself.

Thanks guys. I probably wont try my hand at OC'ing until next month or so.

 

[knitoe]

If you mean me, I already have a WD Caviar Black 750 GB drive. I was just instaling a new OS and wondering if I should get a SSD for it, or a WD Blue. The 750 wil be for my data/programs now.

For OS, definitely, put it on a SSD. Difference will be night and day.

 

[luiztfc]

Thoughts on a DIY key cap puller? If so, any guide to build one? Or should I buy a Filco one? Thanks

 

[luiztfc]

normal butterknife not work for mechanical? lol

They probably do, but I read you should apply even pressure on both sides in order to avoid damaging the switches.

 

[DTKT]

Thoughts on a DIY key cap puller? If so, any guide to build one? Or should I buy a Filco one? Thanks

You just want something that can apply even pressure on both sides of the cap. It needs to be pulled straight up and never with just one side or with an angle.

It should be pretty easy to do it yourself with some flexible plastic.

 

[luiztfc]

You just want something that can apply even pressure on both sides of the cap. It needs to be pulled straight up and never with just one side or with an angle.

It should be pretty easy to do it yourself with some flexible plastic.

Yeah, that's what I thought. I believe I saw some DIY that used paper clips, so I'll try with one. Thanks!

 

[iavi]

Just ordered the Biostar TZ77EX3 on mobo on Newegg that came with the free G. Skill Sniper DD3 1600. Also ordered the Crucial M4 64gb SSD that's on sale at amazon for $66~ Along with the Corsair 550D and Seasonic 550 PSU that I picked up during the black friday/cyber monday sales, I'm almost there.

Now... I just have to buy the most expensive parts lol. For another check.

 

[Bleether]

Just ordered the Biostar TZ77EX3 on mobo on Newegg that came with the free G. Skill Sniper DD3 1600. Also ordered the Crucial M4 64gb SSD that's on sale at amazon for $66~ Along with the Corsair 550D and Seasonic 550 PSU that I picked up during the black friday/cyber monday sales, I'm almost there.

Now... I just have to buy the most expensive parts lol. For another check.

Nice, post pics of your build

 

[iavi]

Nice, post pics of your build

Will do. I can't wait to start snapping pics of it all set up.

 

[Moegames]

Well after about a week of research i finally pulled the trigger on a another PC build.

I would like to thank everyone giving their opinions/input/recommendations in this thread as it was a HUGE help putting me in the right direction with some components and saved me some bucks.

I did skimp on a few things but its ok..i can always upgrade the things i didn't go higher end with. I had a budget of around $800 give or take a few bucks and kept it in that price range and managed to put together a rather powerful system to last me some years. I will be overclocking and i do have quite a bit of experience with OC'ing so i'll be able to enhance the power a bit over time and maybe do a little upgrading here and there when i can afford to do so in the future.

Newegg is damn fast with their free shipping... Amazon is a heck of a lot slower it seems with their free shipping. I have half my parts now that i bought from Newegg which was the mobo,ram,thermal paste,fan and a few other things...rest i bought from Amazon. I wanted to order it all from newegg but had some issues doing a second order on the same day with my checking card for some odd reason. So i am just waiting on my parts from Amazon which will arrive by the end of next week before xmas.

CASE: Thermaltake Versa II Mid Tower Case
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009034H3E/?tag=neogaf0e-20
More Info On This Case at the link below (I love the clean look of this case)
PIC's http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1411&ID=2134#Tab0

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

CPU COOLER: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes (RR-B10-212P-G1)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPH0/?tag=neogaf0e-20

VIDEO CARD: Gigabyte AMD Radeon HD 7870 2 GB GDDR5 DVI-I/HDMI/2x Mini-Displayport PCI-Express 3.0 Graphic Card GV-R787OC-2GD
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007PJVB3Y/?tag=neogaf0e-20
(NOTE: I paid $229 at Amazon - looks like Amazon is now out of stock, newegg still has them in stock though with 2 free games)

MOTHERBOARD: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

RAM: G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416
(NOTE: Ram came free with the Mobo - current newegg promo)

THERMAL PASTE: Arctic Silver CMQ2-25G Céramique 2 Tri-Linear Ceramic Thermal Compound
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100018
(NOTE:$7.49 for 25grams of this stuff and it rocks)

DVD DRIVE: LG 24X DVD Burner - Bare Drive 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136259

HARD DRIVE: Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3250310NS 250GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148818

CASE FANS: (Will use a total of Six 120mm Fans - Bought one extra for spare - tower comes with two already)

(ONE) Xigmatek 120mm Blue Blade White LED Copper Bushing Axis Cooling Fan XAF-F1256
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007CJEUPS/?tag=neogaf0e-20

(TWO) MassCool 120mm Cooling Fan for Computer Case (FD12025S1L3/4)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ENPRMO/?tag=neogaf0e-20

(TWO) COOLER MASTER R4-L2S-122B-GP 120mm 4 Blue LED Case Fan 2 in 1 pack
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103022

POWER SUPPLY: XFX P1550SXXB9 Core Edition Power Supply - 550W, 80 Plus Bronze, 135mm Fan, Active PFC, Single +12V Rail
Output Current:3.3V @ 24A, +5V @ 24A, 12V1 @ 44A, -12V @ 0.5A, +5VSB @ 2.5A
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RJ8EKI/?tag=neogaf0e-20
(NOTE: Seasonic actually manufactures this XFX Core Edition PSU - Its the Core Edition but its not stated in the title@Amazon)

MOUSE/KEY COMBO: Logitech Cordless Desktop LX310 Laser
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Q6RETS/?tag=neogaf0e-20

MONITOR: I am using my 58" Panasonic Plasma Viera HDTV as a monitor.

SOUND: Will be using on-board mobo sound to a home theater Yamaha receiver with two Infinity 12" powered subs, Boston Front Tower Speakers, Polk Rear and Center Speakers

 

[Gowans]

OK guys my upgrade got delayed but it's a couple of weeks later and I maybe able to spend a little bit more.


My Desktop PC is creaking so much I'm playing my PC games on Bootcamp on my work MacBook Pro Retina 15".

It's a 5 year old PC that I upped about 3 years ago, the hard drive is pretty pitiful too and the network card is terrible!

I want to upgrade my PC so it's at least a decent jump from that MBPr but I have a tight budget of around £350. Tho that could go up slightly with major convincing.


Ideally I want to be able to run into a local computer shop on Monday and get the kit I need.


Local Stores:

http://www.falconcomputers.co.uk/
http://www.ghi.uk.com/pdfs/pricelist.pdf
http://www.goldchip.uk.com/

Desktop PC Specs:

DXDiag Results

------------------
System Information
------------------
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
System Model: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6000+ (2 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 4096MB RAM

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: ATI Radeon HD 5670
Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Chip type: AMD Radeon Graphics Processor (0x68D8)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Display Memory: 2295 MB
Dedicated Memory: 503 MB
Shared Memory: 1791 MB
Current Mode: 1920 x 1200 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: HP w2448h Wide LCD Monitor
Monitor Model: HP w2448h
Monitor Id: HWP2815
Native Mode: 1920 x 1200(p) (59.950Hz)
Output Type: HDMI





Windows Performance Test 5.9

Processor AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6000+ 6.1
Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB 6.2
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 5670 7.0
Gaming graphics 2303 MB Total available graphics memory 7.0
Primary hard disk 5GB Free (219GB Total) 5.9




CPU-Z Results:

Name AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
Codename Windsor
Specification AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6000+
Package Socket AM2 (940)
CPUID F.3.3


Chipset
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Northbridge NVIDIA MCP61 rev. A2
Southbridge NVIDIA MCP61 rev. A2
Graphic Interface PCI-Express
PCI-E Link Width x16
PCI-E Max Link Width x16
Memory Type DDR2
Memory Size 4096 MBytes
Channels Dual
Memory Frequency 251.1 MHz (CPU/12)


DIMM # 1
SMBus address 0x50
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) (0000000000000000)
Size 1024 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-5300 (333 MHz)

Monitoring
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mainboard Model ALiveNF6G-VSTA (0x0000044D - 0xF4668DEA)

LPCIO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

LPCIO Vendor Winbond
LPCIO Model W83627EHF
LPCIO Vendor ID 0x5CA3
LPCIO Chip ID 0x88
LPCIO Revision ID 0x63

Hardware Monitors
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hardware monitor Winbond W83627EHF

API ATI I/O

Display Adapters
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Display adapter 0
Name Radeon HD 5670
Codename RV830
Technology 40 nm
Memory size 512 MB

 

[snack]

What gaming mice do you guys recommend? Something under 45 bucks.

 

[Rawket Lawnchair]

What gaming mice do you guys recommend? Something under 45 bucks.

I use a Logitech G500 for about 8 months now and I am pretty happy.

 

[Hazaro]

What gaming mice do you guys recommend? Something under 45 bucks.

see: OP
(It's there Ctrl + F Mice)

 

[Xdrive05]

I'll x-post this here too, from the high-res screenshot thread, since this is the other main PC gaming thread:

For gamers with 16:10 monitors, it may be worth it for you to create--as an OPTION--a custom 16:9 resolution that otherwise matches your monitor's native horizontal resolution. You can easily switch back and forth between your 16:10 and 16:9 native resolutions as needed. You will get the black bars on top and bottom, yes, but for the majority of games you gain a greater horizontal FOV in the trade. This is especially important for RTS, isometric and FPS/competative games that were designed for 16:9 explicitly... which is almost of them these days.

The only game I personally own that benefits from 16:10 is The Witcher 2, which actually gives you more FOV (vertical) than 16:9. But it's definitely the exception to the rule.

There's a website where you can look up games to see screenshot comparisons of how they handle different aspect ratios: http://www.wsgf.org/

Bust out your windows calculator to find your custom 16:9 resolution =

(# of Native Res Vertical Pixels) times (.9)

Okay, so for me this means:
1680x1050 --> 1680x945, because 1050 times .9 is 945.

On Nvidia you can force games to use the 16:9 ratio of your custom resolution:

Display --> Adjust desktop size and position (then scaling mode = either aspect ratio or no scaling) --> (check the box for) override the scaling mode set by games and programs

And then remember to change the resolution setting in-game to match your new custom 16:9 resolution.

I have found that for some games this process is necessary in order to keep the black bars, thus keep the non-stretched 16:9 ratio that we want. Namely, Max Payne 3 and Just Cause 2 just wouldn't go into non-stretched 16:9 for me until I checked that box. But for all of my other games I just needed to change the resolution in-game and voilà.

Again, for a LOT of games the trade off is worth it IMO, even on my lower-than-1080p monitor. And then when I'm done gaming I just switch the resolution back to my 16:10 setting in the control panel.

Hope this helps some folks.

 

[n64coder]

Thoughts on a DIY key cap puller? If so, any guide to build one? Or should I buy a Filco one? Thanks

Why are you pulling your caps? Is it to be able to vacuum out the gunk from the keyboard?

I probably should do the same for mine since it's starting to look nasty with all the dust.

 

[garath]

Wow. This is the lowest price on an OC 660ti I've seen yet. Almost sad I bought mine a few weeks ago for 30 bucks more

48 hour deal.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...x-_-DesktopGraphicsVideoCards-_-14127711-L07C

MSI 660ti OC for 239 after 30 mir

 

[luiztfc]

Why are you pulling your caps? Is it to be able to vacuum out the gunk from the keyboard?

I probably should do the same for mine since it's starting to look nasty with all the dust.

Yep, it's for cleaning. Since this is my first mechanical keyboard, I'm trying to keep it clean.

BTW, if anyone is looking for a good cleaning tool, I'd recommend the Datavac ED500 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J4ZOAW/?tag=neogaf0e-20). It's very powerful and it blows air instead of vacuum it.

 

[Sanic]

I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this.

I'm currently using a mobo that only supports DDR2, and i'm starting to really feel like I need more than the 4 gigs of RAM I have in it now.

Problem is, I need a new CPU as well, but just can't afford anything right now. So my question is, are there ANY amd cpus that are remotely close to intel stuff, so that if I got a new amd mobo now so that I can get DDR3 memory, I won't feel like I have to go buy another mobo for an intel cpu when that time comes?

 

[mrboo001]

With that rig I'd OC your CPU (should be able to at worst hit 3.8GHz) and upgrade your GPU.

RAM wise you're still fine.

I'd do what kharma45 said. OC and upgrade your GPU.

A 7950 or a 660ti is a 100% upgrade from your 460. I just upgraded to a 660ti from my 460. I have a sandy bridge system but the old Bloomfield CPUs are still pretty good.

Alright, I'll save my money and get a new GPU in the new year (I'm done my degree next week, afterwhich I'm going to be looking to start my career). Thanks for the advice!

I've never overclocked before and to be honest, I am a bit nervous about it, still interested though. I only have the stock cooler for it so I'm pretty sure I'd have to get a new one. Besides that, any tips for me to go about that? It would have to wait until January though.

 

[Bleether]

I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this.

I'm currently using a mobo that only supports DDR2, and i'm starting to really feel like I need more than the 4 gigs of RAM I have in it now.

Problem is, I need a new CPU as well, but just can't afford anything right now. So my question is, are there ANY amd cpus that are remotely close to intel stuff, so that if I got a new amd mobo now so that I can get DDR3 memory, I won't feel like I have to go buy another mobo for an intel cpu when that time comes?

Here is a great link that may help you compare CPUS http://www.cpubenchmark.net/share30.html

I wouldn't recommend an amd mobo and cpu to my worst enemy... ok maybe i would. ;P lol.

If your going to upgrade, do it right. Mowing a couple lawns in a couple weekends will get you enough money to buy you something proper. Well unless you live in the east coast where its all snow...

 

[Plasmid]

Is the 576 deal good enough to play games like Guild Wars 2 at good fps? Can I play skyrim on high? Will it run Amnesia the Dark Decent? My friends recently bought gamin pcs and I have enough $ to get the 576 and ~$200 for a monitor keyboard and OS. But I just wanna make sure the games can run well enough.


Which of the posted rigs on this reddit link are the best?

http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcfor...oking_for_a_gaming_pc_at_600_wanting_to_play/

 

[x3r0123]

is it possible to move one hdd with it's data to another pc without losing the data?

i'm asking because i don't have to wait for 5+ hours to copy 500gb+ worth of data to backup hdd and copy it back to new pc

edit: just tested on a spare drive, looks like it's as simple as moving it over

 

[Tears For Fears]

should I get a 7870 or wait for the 8870?

 

[Lkr]

should I get a 7870 or wait for the 8870?

depends on what you have now. 8000 series won't drop until Q2

 

[Sanic]

Here is a great link that may help you compare CPUS http://www.cpubenchmark.net/share30.html

I wouldn't recommend an amd mobo and cpu to my worst enemy... ok maybe i would. ;P lol.

If your going to upgrade, do it right. Mowing a couple lawns in a couple weekends will get you enough money to buy you something proper. Well unless you live in the east coast where its all snow...

Dissapointing

I see a few AMD mobos on Amazon for ~$45. That's not THAT much to spend on something that can tide me over for 6-8 months until haswell drops and I have a bit more cash. And I'm just a bit too old to be mowing lawns for cash ;p

 

[Bauer Action Hour]

I use a Logitech G500 for about 8 months now and I am pretty happy.

I own this as well and really like it (comfort, adjustable weight, # of buttons, button program-ability) except for one pretty shitty flaw; the micro-switches in the LC/RC buttons aren't durable. I've now had 2 of these and w/o fail the micro-switches have failed to the point of registering single clicks as double clicks. I've had to resort to inverting the function of LC to RC and vice-versa. If you're on the computer a lot of the day, this is a real risk.

 

[Tears For Fears]

depends on what you have now. 8000 series won't drop until Q2

Nothing right now but I want to start my build as soon as possible, and the new 8870 looks enticing.

 

[Wendel Clark]

What are the differences between the RAM? Other than some numbers in the name, I'm not too sure. (example: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmz8gx3m2x1600c8b, http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmz8gx3m2x1600c7r) And how much does it matter what RAM you choose other than the size?

Also not sure what to choose for GPU (other than what's listed in the OP), what do you guys look at when choosing one other than reliable reviews?

I'm largely just looking at the OP builds for parts, money isn't an issue but obviously wanting to spend smartly.

edit- and Windows 7 or 8, does it matter?

 

[EternalGamer]

Nothing right now but I want to start my build as soon as possible, and the new 8870 looks enticing.

Well, you can get a 7970 for $360 right now and that is going to be more powerful than whatever the 8870s, which will probably be around $300+ and the 7970 currently comes with 3 awesome games (Far Cry 3, Hitman Absolution, and Sleeping Dogs). I doubt you will see any deals like that on the 8000 models for a good while.

 

[MiniBossman]

So dumb question.

Am I supposed to push all those little silver tabs on the backplate in to slide the mobo through, or push them out so they are flush with the back plate or what? My mobo keeps catching on them while trying to insert into the case