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[Ceebs]

Well got my video card back and promptly put it in so I can use my big monitor again.

Nothing like being stuck on a 19" monitor for a month then going back to 27".

Can't actually do anything to push it past idle until my PSU gets back on Thursday (Old PSU can easily handle it at idle, but can't push the amps needed to actually do anything with it).

 

[Birbo]

So my new Blu Ray player didn't come with software. Are there any good free (or cheap) options?

 

[hwalker84]

DAMMIT. Just went to order my Intel parts and the processor is sold out for Intel employee's

 

[mkenyon]

DAMMIT. Just went to order my Intel parts and the processor is sold out for Intel employee's

The 3930K is pretty much the same exact thing. It's like a fraction of difference in performance.

So my new Blu Ray player didn't come with software. Are there any good free (or cheap) options?

VLC.

 

[Anton668]

settle an argument please....

570 or 660TI?

 

[mkenyon]

Assuming they can be had for the same price, 660Ti is definitely the superior product. Lower heat, noise, and power draw. Higher performance and more memory.

 

[CharpyImpact]

So, I am finally getting ready to drop console gaming and go back to PC gaming in the form of a HTPC. I still have a bit of time before I settle on a build since I can't quite afford this setup. Any suggestions to save some cash in terms of PC components?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sZCO

Few questions:
1. Is there a point to getting a graphics card with 3gb of RAM? Only 30 more bucks or so and I can get it. I am trying to future proof this machine, since I don't see upgrading it past this initial build.
2. 8 GB of RAM is enough for hardcore gaming?
3. I have never overclocked a CPU. It seems like mobos now have made strides to make OC easy and basically automatic. Are there any other mobos I should be looking at that basically make OCing fool proof?
4. Lastly, is there a point to get any form of Windows beyond Home Premium?

Thanks.

 

[BronsonLee]

So I bought a micro ATX case and a micro ATX motherboard, in addition to other stuff, for my first build in years. The motherboard can fit, but the power supply can't be screwed in without hitting the motherboard, with about a quarter inch of space needed to fit. I'm returning the case tomorrow, but does this happen often with cases of this size?

 

[ShinobiFist]

So, I am finally getting ready to drop console gaming and go back to PC gaming in the form of a HTPC. I still have a bit of time before I settle on a build since I can't quite afford this setup. Any suggestions to save some cash in terms of PC components?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sZCO

Few questions:
1. Is there a point to getting a graphics card with 3gb of RAM? Only 30 more bucks or so and I can get it. I am trying to future proof this machine, since I don't see upgrading it past this initial build.
2. 8 GB of RAM is enough for hardcore gaming?
3. I have never overclocked a CPU. It seems like mobos now have made strides to make OC easy and basically automatic. Are there any other mobos I should be looking at that basically make OCing fool proof?
4. Lastly, is there a point to get any form of Windows beyond Home Premium?

Thanks.

I was in your situation a few months ago, and went with the Alienware X51, i7 3770k, 16gigs of ram, 1TB HDD, 660 1.5GB(Will update next year)All that with the Dell website discount for 1,280$ . I probably could have saved 200$ by doing it myself, but the form factor, and warranty, is worth it. Look into that as a option.

 

[LumpOfCole]

What would you guys recommend for a 120hz Monitor? I would be fine with any size between 23-inches and 27-inches, but what I really desire is the best possible color and contrast for the money spent. The budget is $500 max.

 

[Zombie James]

Damn, apparently they don't make Redmere cables longer than 15ft but shorter than 30ft (I only need about 20-25). And the only cable on Monoprice that's capable of doing 1080p at 25ft is 22AWG :/

 

[teh_pwn]

DAMMIT. Just went to order my Intel parts and the processor is sold out for Intel employee's

You should study your own product line a bit more. Are you marketing? If so, don't over indulge in your own kool aid.

Also, i5 45xxK should beat that processor in a few months for gaming, except for games that use more than 4 cores like Civ 5.

 

[hwalker84]

You should study your own product line a bit more. Are you marketing? If so, don't over indulge in your own kool aid.

Also, i5 45xxK should beat that processor in a few months for gaming, except for games that use more than 4 cores like Civ 5.

I don't work for Intel my brother in law does.

 

[GK86]

Newegg has a bunch of things on sale.

http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/Dec-0-2012/lastmingift17/index-landing.html#EL

 

[mkenyon]

You should study your own product line a bit more. Are you marketing? If so, don't over indulge in your own kool aid.

Also, i5 45xxK should beat that processor in a few months for gaming, except for games that use more than 4 cores like Civ 5.

Wow. Way to jump in claws first.

 

[catashtrophe]

Right guys, I have a 3+ year old desktop PC which I haven’t used in a long long time.

The specs are:
* AMD Phenom 9850 Quad Core Processor AM2+ (2.5GHz, 4MB Cache, 2000MHZ)
* Windows 7
* ASUS M2N68-VM - AMD HDMI-DVI Mainboard, AMD Socket AM2+ - Micro ATX
* 4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM - (2x 2GB)
* 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive with 16MB Buffer
* Samsung 22x Dual Layer DVD Writer Super Format +R/-R/RW/RAM
* 256MB NVIDIA GeForce GPU with HDMI - Integrated Graphics (SMA)

What can I do to turn this into a Steam games machine which can play/handle most of the best stuff out there? Or is this PC so crap by today’s standards I need to start from scratch?

 

[neoanarch]

Right guys, I have a 3+ year old desktop PC which I haven’t used in a long long time.

The specs are:
* AMD Phenom 9850 Quad Core Processor AM2+ (2.5GHz, 4MB Cache, 2000MHZ)
* Windows 7
* ASUS M2N68-VM - AMD HDMI-DVI Mainboard, AMD Socket AM2+ - Micro ATX
* 4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM - (2x 2GB)
* 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive with 16MB Buffer
* Samsung 22x Dual Layer DVD Writer Super Format +R/-R/RW/RAM
* 256MB NVIDIA GeForce GPU with HDMI - Integrated Graphics (SMA)

What can I do to turn this into a Steam games machine which can play/handle most of the best stuff out there? Or is this PC so crap by today’s standards I need to start from scratch?

If you just want a second PC or HTPC which might run them in 720p in less than 30fps? Maybe ram and a new graphics card. You'd probably be better off building a cheap pc.

 

[kharma45]

Right guys, I have a 3+ year old desktop PC which I haven’t used in a long long time.

The specs are:
* AMD Phenom 9850 Quad Core Processor AM2+ (2.5GHz, 4MB Cache, 2000MHZ)
* Windows 7
* ASUS M2N68-VM - AMD HDMI-DVI Mainboard, AMD Socket AM2+ - Micro ATX
* 4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM - (2x 2GB)
* 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive with 16MB Buffer
* Samsung 22x Dual Layer DVD Writer Super Format +R/-R/RW/RAM
* 256MB NVIDIA GeForce GPU with HDMI - Integrated Graphics (SMA)

What can I do to turn this into a Steam games machine which can play/handle most of the best stuff out there? Or is this PC so crap by today’s standards I need to start from scratch?

Start from scratch, you'll need to upgrade your CPU, GPU, RAM and motherboard at least.

So, I am finally getting ready to drop console gaming and go back to PC gaming in the form of a HTPC. I still have a bit of time before I settle on a build since I can't quite afford this setup. Any suggestions to save some cash in terms of PC components?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sZCO

Few questions:
1. Is there a point to getting a graphics card with 3gb of RAM? Only 30 more bucks or so and I can get it. I am trying to future proof this machine, since I don't see upgrading it past this initial build.
2. 8 GB of RAM is enough for hardcore gaming?
3. I have never overclocked a CPU. It seems like mobos now have made strides to make OC easy and basically automatic. Are there any other mobos I should be looking at that basically make OCing fool proof?
4. Lastly, is there a point to get any form of Windows beyond Home Premium?

Thanks.

1. 7950 offers better performance at usually a lower price, I'd suggest going for it.

2. Plenty.

3. Ones in the OP are good for it afaik.

4. Not really.

also, I'd change your SSD to a Samsung 830 and look at the XFX Core series of PSUs to save a bit of money as they're just rebadged Seasonic units.

 

[terrdactycalsrock]

I have a video that shows the PC that Im thinking about buying. And I need to make sure that the case is large enough to hold a high end GPU (such as a 680). If someone more experienced than me could take a look at it I would be very appreciative. He opens the case up at the 2:15 mark


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JohQkdB8dMs

 

[k3yring]

Googling around, I found this note which confirmed this.

Would installing a Sound card make it possible to do this?

 

[mcdomination]

A friend of mine wants to upgrade his PC for a smoother gaming experience. Currently, he's rocking an Intel C2D E8600 and an ATI HD4570. He mostly plays SWTOR and says that he has to turn down most of the settings in order to achieve smooth gameplay...and it's still not as smooth as he would like.

I figured his setup shouldn't be that bad for SWTOR, but I don't play it, so I'm not sure how taxing that game really is. I'm trying to get him more into the PC gaming universe with Steam and some other games like Dark Souls, Skyrim, and even the new FFXIV: ARR.

My question is, would he need to replace his CPU, or could a new graphics card like a GTX 570/660ti along with an SSD be enough of a boost to smooth out his gaming experience with the games listed above.

He's not into FPS, so Crysis, FarCry3, and other games like that won't really be relevant for him. He's mostly an MMORPG gamer who wants smooth gameplay with pretty graphics. Thanks!

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Can someone give me a good price on an SSD? A sale would be appreciated. Around 80-120. I don't are if it's only 128GB. Mounting is another question but I assume I can just use an HDD bay or screw it on somewhere. I think I have some XMAS money coming and want to get one before upgrading to my following questions....

I need a PSU that can potentially tackle a gtx690. I read on the site that the min spec is a 750w PSU. I have an OC'd 2500k at 4.8ghz and am running a maxed out OC'd 6970 as well with a 600w PSU right now.

And if someone will bother to read this, my GPU is about 13" long and I read that the clearance on a 690 is around 13-14. Is it unheard of to cut a bit of the inner HDD bays to fit the card in? I'm talking about just literally modding my case by cutting some tin out. I don't know without seeing but I do have about another inch of clearance on my case but would have to commit to a super expensive card and not have it fit. This is something I'm trying to plan with income tax money and am trying to have forward thinking.

 

[Hazaro]

I guess my MOBO had some sort of auto-overclock feature in the BIOS that I inadvertently enabled. Is it alright to just leave it like that, or should I go in and manually adjust the values/settings with the help of a guide? It hasn't crashed in the 2 weeks since I did that, so I guess it's stable. The only thing that concerns me is that the BLCK/PEG Frequency was changed to 102, rather than just increasing the ratio like the Clunk guide. It's at 4.284 MHz, 1.168v. Should a run Prime95 to test the stability just in case?

edit*
It's called ASUS Optimal Mode by the way

It seems like the voltage is more like 1.32v when Prime95 is running,

You should be able to manually set the voltage down to 1.30V at LEAST. Check the OC guide in the OP.

My PC Build. Suggestions please. Let me know if i'm missing anything!

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=29110248

Saw your follow up posts. Seconding a 3930K system.

my slight OCD with these computer parts is starting to annoy me since the BP550 doesn't match the color of my case and its sticking out like a sore thumb

Hopefully i can continue to ignore it since the BP550 has been a fucking champ so far.

There are some white PSUs if it really irks you.

A friend of mine wants to upgrade his PC for a smoother gaming experience. Currently, he's rocking an Intel C2D E8600 and an ATI HD4570. He mostly plays SWTOR and says that he has to turn down most of the settings in order to achieve smooth gameplay...and it's still not as smooth as he would like.

I figured his setup shouldn't be that bad for SWTOR, but I don't play it, so I'm not sure how taxing that game really is. I'm trying to get him more into the PC gaming universe with Steam and some other games like Dark Souls, Skyrim, and even the new FFXIV: ARR.

My question is, would he need to replace his CPU, or could a new graphics card like a GTX 570/660ti along with an SSD be enough of a boost to smooth out his gaming experience with the games listed above.

He's not into FPS, so Crysis, FarCry3, and other games like that won't really be relevant for him. He's mostly an MMORPG gamer who wants smooth gameplay with pretty graphics. Thanks!

MMOs tend to favor more CPU than other games, but there's no way a 4750 is going to continue to cut it.
Budget route: Buy a used 6870 / 6850 / GTX 460 and overclock his CPU to 3.8Ghz+ if possible. 7850 new if possible. Will probably need a PSU upgrade.

Can someone give me a good price on an SSD? A sale would be appreciated. Around 80-120. I don't are if it's only 128GB. Mounting is another question but I assume I can just use an HDD bay or screw it on somewhere. I think I have some XMAS money coming and want to get one before upgrading to my following questions....

I need a PSU that can potentially tackle a gtx690. I read on the site that the min spec is a 750w PSU. I have an OC'd 2500k at 4.8ghz and am running a maxed out OC'd 6970 as well with a 600w PSU right now.

And if someone will bother to read this, my GPU is about 13" long and I read that the clearance on a 690 is around 13-14. Is it unheard of to cut a bit of the inner HDD bays to fit the card in? I'm talking about just literally modding my case by cutting some tin out. I don't know without seeing but I do have about another inch of clearance on my case but would have to commit to a super expensive card and not have it fit. This is something I'm trying to plan with income tax money and am trying to have forward thinking.

If you are spending just get a Samsung 830.

Any fixation on the 690? Dual 670's are better in many ways iirc (Length, Noise, Cooler), and dual 7950's are very close and much much cheaper.

X850 / AX850 for PSU. You only need a 750W, but if you drop 1k on GPU you should spend another $30 IMO.

 

[HoosTrax]

Do you guys have any thoughts re: sound cards? I busted my five year old X-Fi a while back, and I've been trying to make do with onboard sound, but the squealing and static noises every time I move my mouse is driving me nuts.

I'm looking specifically at the ASUS cards (Xonar STX etc), but I guess I'd consider the Creative ones too. Looking for impressions etc.

 

[SkyscraperFan]

My parts just arrived and I'm so tempted to unpack them and start putting things together. I'm going to wait until my buddy who has built countless pc's can help me out though.

Quick question about case fans. I've heard the term "push/pull" used a bit on forums before. Is this the standard fan system used by pc gamers? and how do I set up my fans to be as efficient in cooling as possible?

 

[HoosTrax]

My parts just arrived and I'm so tempted to unpack them and start putting things together. I'm going to wait until my buddy who has built countless pc's can help me out though.

Quick question about case fans. I've heard the term "push/pull" used a bit on forums before. Is this the standard fan system used by pc gamers? and how do I set up my fans to be as efficient in cooling as possible?

Push = fan is moving air from outside into the case
Pull = fan is moving air from inside the case out into the room

(I might have that backwards, but in any case, that's how the two concepts work)

This varies from person to person, but I typically have the side fans (which are usually above the video cards) and the front fans set to pull air into the case. And the rear and top fans set to move the hot air out of the case.

---

Another context in which you might see the concept of push-pull is wrt to aftermarket CPU heatsinks -- sometimes people will put one fan on the front and one on the back of the heatsink, with both fans blowing in the same direction, towards the rear of the case, so the two fans are working in tandem to move air through the heatsink.

 

[garath]

My parts just arrived and I'm so tempted to unpack them and start putting things together. I'm going to wait until my buddy who has built countless pc's can help me out though.

Quick question about case fans. I've heard the term "push/pull" used a bit on forums before. Is this the standard fan system used by pc gamers? and how do I set up my fans to be as efficient in cooling as possible?

As the "buddy" in these situations, do yourself a favor and do the work yourself and just have your friend supervise. You'll get a lot more out of it and the next time you can tackle it yourself. It's definitely nice to have someone looking over your shoulder but get that hands on experience yourself. Teach a man to fish etc etc.

By default you'll have airflow that moves from the front of the case to the back. The ones in the front will pull air in and the ones in the rear will push out. Whatever the case is stock is fine to leave alone unless you have a specific plan for it.

Push/pull usually refers more to how you put the fan on the CPU cooler. You can put it "pushing" the air through the heatsink, "pulling" the air through the heatsink, or putting one on either side creating the "push/pull". One should be sufficient and push is the better way.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Saving this for the new page...

 

[SkyscraperFan]

Ya I'm definitely planning on building it myself, I just want to have someone there who can make sure I don't screw up, and knows what to troubleshoot if something goes wrong.

I got the CM 690 case, so I'm thinking I'll have the cpu heatsink pull air towards the rear exhaust fan since I'm pretty sure they end up being inches apart. Is the one front intake fan enough or should I pick up another? I usually don't play games for longer than 2 hours if that makes any difference.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

If you are spending just get a Samsung 830.

Any fixation on the 690? Dual 670's are better in many ways iirc (Length, Noise, Cooler), and dual 7950's are very close and much much cheaper.

X850 / AX850 for PSU. You only need a 750W, but if you drop 1k on GPU you should spend another $30 IMO.

Thank you for responding. I looked into it and basing it on your advice, I looked at this gtx670 here. 2 of those would run about 200 less than the cheapest 690 so I like this plan already. I have an important question here too regarding my current motherboard here. The 670 seems to be using PCIe 3.0, I have 2 PCIe 2.0 ports and the 670 is a 3.0 spec card, would I be losing huge performance since I would be going dual 3.0 cards on 2.0 ports? EDIT - doing a search, it seems that I can do SLI even if my MB doesn't say it does. That eliminates that worry. I guess my ultimate question would be on required PSU and a 7970 vs a 670.....the 7970's have 3GB of memory while the 670's have 2. I'm thinking this over as I will be spending lots of money on this.

PIC OF MY MB (not my own pic)

I deletes this paragraph since I already read up and edited in my findings.

The PSU's you linked a little above my price range right now but by income tax, I can bite the bullet and spend the 150-180 (as you said, 30 is small if I'm going to bother spending that much change) on a good PSU. The Samsung SSD in the 128gb config sounds fine to me but I have some questions if you would bare with me. I should plug that into my SATA 3 port or else I may not see the improvement in speed I'm looking for right? And can I place that in an HDD bay or is there some rule on not placing it directly on metal to rest?

 

[n0n44m]

Thank you for responding. I looked into it and basing it on your advice, I looked at this gtx670 here. 2 of those would run about 200 less than the cheapest 690 so I like this plan already. I have an important question here too regarding my current motherboard here. The 670 seems to be using PCIe 3.0, I have 2 PCIe 2.0 ports and the 670 is a 3.0 spec card, would I be losing huge performance since I would be going dual 3.0 cards on 2.0 ports? EDIT - doing a search, it seems that I can do SLI even if my MB doesn't say it does. That eliminates that worry. I guess my ultimate question would be on required PSU and a 7970 vs a 670.....the 7970's have 3GB of memory while the 670's have 2. I'm thinking this over as I will be spending lots of money on this.

PIC OF MY MB (not my own pic)

I deletes this paragraph since I already read up and edited in my findings.

The PSU's you linked a little above my price range right now but by income tax, I can bite the bullet and spend the 150-180 (as you said, 30 is small if I'm going to bother spending that much change) on a good PSU. The Samsung SSD in the 128gb config sounds fine to me but I have some questions if you would bare with me. I should plug that into my SATA 3 port or else I may not see the improvement in speed I'm looking for right? And can I place that in an HDD bay or is there some rule on not placing it directly on metal to rest?

I'm running (those same Gigabyte) 670 SLI on a PCI-E 2.0 board and a Corsair HX650 PSU, works totally fine

(performance difference is like a couple of % in some extreme cases, and the PSU holds up fine unless you start running Furmark & IBT at the same time)

your main issue though is the fact that your board doesn't officially support SLI ... sure there are some hacks floating around but none of those look really appealing to me when you're dropping quite some cash on twin cards -->> you just want to download the latest drivers, install & game right ? besides you don't have an SLI bridge either probably

 

[LiquidMetal14]

I'm running (those same Gigabyte) 670 SLI on a PCI-E 2.0 board and a Corsair HX650 PSU, works totally fine

(performance difference is like a couple of % in some extreme cases, and the PSU holds up fine unless you start running Furmark & IBT at the same time)

your main issue though is the fact that your board doesn't officially support SLI ... sure there are some hacks floating around but none of those look really appealing to me when you're dropping quite some cash on twin cards -->> you just want to download the latest drivers, install & game right ? besides you don't have an SLI bridge either probably

Appreciate the thoughts. Reading more about the issue, it seems like most are saying that it's handled mainly by the GPU's and even if my MB only says xfire, SLI actually works fine as some noted in my searches. They have 560's and other nvidia GPU's in SLI working fine on my MB so that sort of eases that worry. As far as the PSU is concerned, I'm glad you can run it on your 650w PSU. I think I will actually still go with that 850 with my income tax as I want to get this right the first time.

SLI bridge is something I'm not aware of so you may have to explain that

It's still up in the air and further questioning has to be done but it's either going to be the 670's or 2 7970's. For the performance and Physx benefits, I would rather go with dual 670's if I can. The only worry is reading about AMD's xfire support. It seems shoddy at times much like the SLI support and scaling on nvidias. Reading more on it now, it seems like these newer GPU's are built better to scale so we shall see.

I already have 3 links saved for future use but I have to work now so if you or anyone has some advice or links, PM me please.

 

[garath]

Ya I'm definitely planning on building it myself, I just want to have someone there who can make sure I don't screw up, and knows what to troubleshoot if something goes wrong.

I got the CM 690 case, so I'm thinking I'll have the cpu heatsink pull air towards the rear exhaust fan since I'm pretty sure they end up being inches apart. Is the one front intake fan enough or should I pick up another? I usually don't play games for longer than 2 hours if that makes any difference.

Pushing air over the heatsink is a lot more efficient than pulling it.

The stock setup for the case should be pretty good. I wouldn't change anything immediately. Monitor the temps and see how it looks.

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

Nearly a month in, my PC is starting to build dust. How do you guys recommend cleaning?

I want to unplug everything and using a very light vacuum, clean it. Is that fine?

 

[Haly]

Nearly a month in, my PC is starting to build dust. How do you guys recommend cleaning?

I want to unplug everything and using a very light vacuum, clean it. Is that fine?

Compressed air and an open space. You're going to need much more than a light vacuum to get some of the nooks and crannies.

 

[Mulligan]

So with buying PC parts in the UK. Should i buy them now or wait for the Christmas sales? Are there generally any good sales on PC parts?

 

[kharma45]

So with buying PC parts in the UK. Should i buy them now or wait for the Christmas sales? Are there generally any good sales on PC parts?

There's nothing special deals wise on at the minute so if it were me I'd wait to see if anything happens sales wise.

 

[n0n44m]

SLI bridge is something I'm not aware of so you may have to explain that

you need one of these to connect the cards. They come with the motherboard if it officialy supports SLI

as for the hacks; yeah they'll probably work but my impression was that Nvidia is actively working against them by changing code every new driver iteration, which means you'll have to wait for a new version of the hack until you can use the new drivers

 

[sixghost]

You should be able to manually set the voltage down to 1.30V at LEAST. Check the OC guide in the OP.

The voltage is set at 1.168 in the BIOS. It's just when I when the voltage in CPU-Z it will get up to 1.3ish when running CPU intensive games or Prime95. Is that still a problem?

 

[creamfarts]

My ASRock mobo driver disk installed a bunch of RAM, LAN and USB "booster" programs. Are these just useless gimmicks? They just seem to pop up some obnoxious windows whenever I connect something.

 

[NoRéN]

Getting a CPU Fan Error! Message at boot.

Fan seems to be working fine and core temps are normal. Any idea on how to fix this?

Looks like I fixed this issue. I decided to just remove and re install the cpu fan plug onto the motherboard. It's something that is just too difficult to screw up since it has a slot/groove on one side that fits the motherboard plug. That seemed to fix the issue as I no longer get the message at startup.

In regards to when i was getting the message, it prompted me to go to BIOS. How exactly would I address this issue there? Is there a way to adjust the fan speed there?

How do i adjust the fan speed in general? No external controls. CPU and Back case fan are connected directly to the motherboard.

 

[n0n44m]

My ASRock mobo driver disk installed a bunch of RAM, LAN and USB "booster" programs. Are these just useless gimmicks? They just seem to pop up some obnoxious windows whenever I connect something.

don't bother with that stuff, the programs are probably useless and the actual drivers on those CDs are pretty much always outdated

I always just use the regular drivers that Windows installs through Windows Update

only exceptions:

1. Always install latest GPU drivers
2. Official (Intel) SATA drivers if you're running a RAID config (OS won't install otherwise)
3. Any drivers not found by Windows; get them from the site of your motherboard manufacturer to ensure you get the latest version. (In device manager, sort by connection if you can't figure out which driver is missing)

optional:

4. Intel® Chipset Device Software (INF Update Utility) --> though these should be included in the Windows Update, installing the latest version can't hurt (there might be an AMD chipset equivalent but I can't really remember right now...)

Looks like I fixed this issue. I decided to just remove and re install the cpu fan plug onto the motherboard. It's something that is just too difficult to screw up since it has a slot/groove on one side that fits the motherboard plug. That seemed to fix the issue as I no longer get the message at startup.

In regards to when i was getting the message, it prompted me to go to BIOS. How exactly would I address this issue there? Is there a way to adjust the fan speed there?

How do i adjust the fan speed in general? No external controls. CPU and Back case fan are connected directly to the motherboard.

under [PC Health] or something like that (where you can see all the temperatures and voltages) there is probably some Fan Control option

Asus calls it Q-Fan for example, different manufacturers have different names

 

[NoRéN]

under [PC Health] or something like that (where you can see all the temperatures and voltages) there is probably some Fan Control option

Asus calls it Q-Fan for example, different manufacturers have different names

Thank you for the reply. I do have an ASUS motherboard so i will try to check this out later on.

Is there as RPM range I should be looking for?

 

[SecretMoblin]

I was ready to come in here with mostly positive stories of having built my first PC last week and doing several successful overclocking runs throughout the day, but then?

Windows won't boot. Everything was looking extremely normal, but after changing the clock multiplier in the BIOS and exiting to boot, it gave me a blinking cursor in the upper-left and nothing I do seems to bypass it. I reset the BIOS to manufacturer settings, it recognizes the hard drive, RAM, processor, and my other components, but Windows just doesn't boot.

I doubt it's a hard drive issue, as it's new, had been working perfectly fine, and is recognized by the MOBO. Google isn't being much of a help.

Any ideas?

Edit: I should point out that right before this, Windows (Windows 8) installed an update.

 

[Ty4on]

Thank you for the reply. I do have an ASUS motherboard so i will try to check this out later on.

Is there as RPM range I should be looking for?

Not really. Your i3 should have no problem being kept cool so you could probably keep it pretty low to make the system quiet.

 

[NoRéN]

Not really. Your i3 should have no problem being kept cool so you could probably keep it pretty low to make the system quiet.

Great. Thank you.

 

[GHG]

What is the best version of the 670 GTX for SLI?

I'm looking at the gigabyte windforce at the moment but not sure how the cooling solution will handle SLI.

Anyone here with SLI 670's? Which brand have you got and how is it doing for heat/noise?

 

[EternalGamer]

Update: My overclocked 7970 3GB arrived today, though I'm still waiting for the code for my free FarCry, Hitman and Sleeping Dogs from Amazon.

I ran a few tests with some games and performance is, as predicted, amazing. With my dual cards before, a game like Rage was almost unplayable and now it runs smooth with everything maxed never dropping below 60. Same with everything else I tried. I ran a tests on about five or six games and everything I threw at it it ran at rock solid 60fps with everything at max settings 1920x1200.

I am so glad to be rid of a dual card set up after having one for two years. I will never do that shit again. This card is so much quieter and smoother running and I have space for actual expansions now.

 

[kharma45]

Update: My overclocked 6970 3GB arrived today, though I'm still waiting for the code for my free FarCry, Hitman and Sleeping Dogs from Amazon.

I ran a few tests with some games and performance is, as predicted, amazing. With my dual cards before, a game like Rage was almost unplayable and now it runs smooth with everything maxed never dropping below 60. Same with everything else I tried. I ran a tests on about five or six games and everything I threw at it it ran at rock solid 60fps with everything at max settings 1920x1200.

I am so glad to be rid of a dual card set up after having one for two years. I will never do that shit again. This card is so much quieter and smoother running and I have space for actual expansions now.

7970 wasn't it? Glad you're pleased! I always prefer a single card set-up myself.

What drivers are you running it with? Don't forget to look into overclocking too but that's not an immediate concern.

 

[GHG]

Also, whats the norm these days when building a new PC for gaming 8GB or 16GB?

Would there be any obvious benefits of going for 16GB over the 8GB?