Support NeoGAF

[Baconsaurus Rex]

It looks like I'll be dropping down from the 7970 to the 7950 to be able to afford an HDD. I'm currently looking at the Gigabyte GV-R795WF3-3GD, which is priced at €289 (€90 cheaper than the 7970 Gigabyte card I was going to buy) but I'm wondering if there are any better (7950) cards in the sub-€300 category.

 

[hwalker84]

Bought my second GTX 670. Still waiting on my damn processor and SSD.

 

[Decado]

Currently I have on board sound in my rig set up via optical out to my receiver. I cannot get DD5.1 or DTS from encoded video files or any games. I want an external sound card that will decode those signals and allow me to get surround through my receiver.

I'm looking at the ASUS Xonar U3 External USB 7.1 Sound Card. Is it any good and will it do what I need?

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=62228&vpn=XONAR U3&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1033

Thanks

 

[Redx508]

A list of sub $150 boards I'd recommend before that MSI:

Biostar TZ77XE3
ASRock Extreme 4 Z77
ASUS P8PZ77-V LK
the linked UD3H above

Can you get the UP4 for sale through microcenter with your deal?

this one http://www.microcenter.com/product/396870/GA-Z77X-UP4_TH_LGA_1155_Intel_Z77_ATX_Intel_Motherboard

if i add the cpu it drops to 145

so
3570k-$170
Samsung 8GB-$47(newegg has it for 40)
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH - 145
Grand Total $375.67

 

[kharma45]

It looks like I'll be dropping down from the 7970 to the 7950 to be able to afford an HDD. I'm currently looking at the Gigabyte GV-R795WF3-3GD, which is priced at €289 (€90 cheaper than the 7970 Gigabyte card I was going to buy) but I'm wondering if there are any better (7950) cards in the sub-€300 category.

ASUS' is pretty good iirc.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

A list of sub $150 boards I'd recommend before that MSI:

Biostar TZ77XE3
ASRock Extreme 4 Z77
ASUS P8PZ77-V LK
the linked UD3H above

Can you get the UP4 for sale through microcenter with your deal?

What about the ASRock Extreme 6? That one was just under 150 a few days back in my looks. Solid MB for the price.

 

[Trojita]

So the pin in the USB 3.0 Interface I broke on the motherboard appears to be Pin 10 on Intel's Specification. It's the pin that covers Over Current Protection. I wonder if I can still use it. I wonder how much of a risk it would be without current protection.

 

[mkenyon]

this one http://www.microcenter.com/product/396870/GA-Z77X-UP4_TH_LGA_1155_Intel_Z77_ATX_Intel_Motherboard

if i add the cpu it drops to 145

so
3570k-$170
Samsung 8GB-$47(newegg has it for 40)
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH - 145
Grand Total $375.67

\m/

What about the ASRock Extreme 6? That one was just under 150 a few days back in my looks. Solid MB for the price.

Good too, just not under $150 msrp, so I omitted it from the list.

 

[MotherFan]

Ok, here is my anniversary rig my wife let me get (best wife ever!). I will show pics then give the specs.

Here is the fully loaded cart. The story behind this is that i needed a new mouse because button 4 had broken. We went to Microcenter and she got a cart. I told her we did not need one for a mouse, but she told me to "fill up the cart"! I was so excited!

Here is a pic of the case with nothing inside it:

Here is the MB:

Here is when I got the GPU in:

Here is the full build:

And here is the best wife in the world testing it out:

I will upload full specs in a few, want to make sure pics uploaded right and get all the links from new egg. SOOOOO EXCITED!

 

[kennah]

That's awesome man, what're you upgrading from? All my wife got me for Christmas was a coffeemaker

 

[MotherFan]

That's awesome man, what're you upgrading from? All my wife got me for Christmas was a coffeemaker

Old rig had a phenom II BE 3.1ghz dual core and a 5770. 6GB of ram. This is the first high end comp I have had and was great anniversary gift and a prize due to my new job I got a year ago.

EDIT: Old rig is now wife's so we can play games together! All our irl friends are pumped because usually we had to trade off. Funny thing is I installed a new fan on old rig after getting new on built and the OS HDD crashed. It was an old 80GB from 2004ish so it was about its time. Replaced it with a 120GB intel SSD for her .

Tonight we are going to play either Civ 5, SC, or Diablo III. Tomorrow night is Supreme Commander.

 

[kennah]

Sounds like you deserved it I'm hoping to have enough left over on income tax refund to get a Haswell chip and board. It'll be my first current gen computer since the Pentium 4 2.4ghz. (Q6600 right now)

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Good stuff. Brings a tear to my internal core.

 

[A.Romero]

So I recently got a new Video Card (XFX 7950) and the things is huge. I've never had a video card this large.

I had an XFX 4770 before and came across a few problems with the new installation:

- Had to change the case (went full tower this time, NZXT Phantom) as the SATA cages would not allow me to install the GPU.
- Wasn't able to plug all my SATA cables due to the fact that in the MB that I have (An older 780 chipset gigabyte one) the Video card sits right on top of them.

So I'm feeling compelled to upgrade my MB and my CPU as well and truly take advantage of the card (I'm currently running a Phenom 9550).

So I was thinking about getting a 3750K but I'm not sure what motherboard. I'd love to get something at less than $200 US but after this the layout became a major concern.

What Mobo would you recommend that won't suffer because of the huge video card?I would prefer if I was able to buy it from Amazon given that I live in Mexico and not all retailers allow me to buy with an international CC. I do have a US shipping address.

Do you have the same card? What Mobo do you have? Did you need to compromise something because of the size?

 

[MotherFan]

Ok, here are full specs:

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130799
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119252
Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233303
SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227706
HDD: Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM (I dont dl alot of huge files other than games and can get another drive when necessary)
MB:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131819
PSU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018&Tpk=ocz 700w
Keyboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126100
Mouse: $20 6 button generic mouse. Like the cheap ones. Wired of course
Monitor: Had this already, but I am using an ASUS 24 inch 60hz LED monitor

Came to $2083
So that's the full build! If I am missing anything just ask.

 

[mkenyon]

Ok, here is my anniversary rig my wife let me get (best wife ever!). I will show pics then give the specs.

Here is the fully loaded cart. The story behind this is that i needed a new mouse because button 4 had broken. We went to Microcenter and she got a cart. I told her we did not need one for a mouse, but she told me to "fill up the cart"! I was so excited!

Oh man, I can't even imagine that kind of excitement! Grats!

Also, that case just screams to have watercooling gear in it. Come on back if you get the itch

 

[Akkad]

So I decided to upgrade and got a 3570k plus a mobo, and the Bitfenix prodigy case. Now I have a i5-750 (with a brand new intel heatsink) and this mobo to go with it for sale if anybody is interested. I also have the Corsair 500R case with everything that came with but the shipping will probably be killer on that if anybody wants to buy it.

 

[kharma45]

Whoops! That'll teach me to skim.

 

[mkenyon]

So I decided to upgrade and got a 3570k plus a mobo, and the Bitfenix prodigy case. Now I have a i5-750 (with a brand new intel heatsink) and this mobo to go with it for sale if anybody is interested. I also have the Corsair 500R case with everything that came with but the shipping will probably be killer on that if anybody wants to buy it.

How much for the proc/mobo? Which mobo did you go with for the prodigy?

For a build like that I'd look to go with a better quality PSU than an OCZ. Why so much RAM?

I'd change your SSD to this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147192

Also, would a 670 not suffice over a 680, or do you really want a 680?

Already purchased, see above

Gotta be supportive now!

 

[Akkad]

How much for the proc/mobo? Which mobo did you go with for the prodigy?

Already purchased, see above

Gotta be supportive now!

Let's say $120? Shipping included obviously.

I got the ASUS P8Z77-I DELUXE with the prodigy.

 

[MotherFan]

For a build like that I'd look to go with a better quality PSU than an OCZ. Why so much RAM?

I'd change your SSD to this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147192

Also, would a 670 not suffice over a 680, or do you really want a 680?

I have had OCZ in the past and I have had no troubles with them. If I need to replace it eventually I can, but I don't see any problems. As for the SSD me and my friend got one each on sale. Since I had one I did not pick up another one for it because I would prolly have gotten a look from the wife since she knew I had the SSD .

For the ram, I want 32 GB because I want to try out running open world games like skyrim and Fallout on a ramdisk (one that backs up saves to the HDD every so often) to see how it does. Plus, I wont have to worry about getting more ram for awhile. Ram right now is dirt cheap.

Lastly, for the GPU I wanted the very top of the line single GPU solution. Since this was spur of the moment I have not been able to see the differences in the 670 vs the 680. My 680 has OC'd just fine and is working beautifully. Sometimes you just got to go all out when the opportunity arises.

EDIT: I want to go with watercooling in the future but not for awhile. My birthday is on the 16th so it is not far enough away to be able to get it then. I am going to ask her for no Bday gift or to collaberate with a couple of my friends for an aftermarket heatsink.

 

[kharma45]

How much for the proc/mobo? Which mobo did you go with for the prodigy?

Already purchased, see above

Gotta be supportive now!

Whoops that'll teach me to skim read!

I have had OCZ in the past and I have had no troubles with them. If I need to replace it eventually I can, but I don't see any problems. As for the SSD me and my friend got one each on sale. Since I had one I did not pick up another one for it because I would prolly have gotten a look from the wife since she knew I had the SSD .

For the ram, I want 32 GB because I want to try out running open world games like skyrim and Fallout on a ramdisk (one that backs up saves to the HDD every so often) to see how it does. Plus, I wont have to worry about getting more ram for awhile. Ram right now is dirt cheap.

Lastly, for the GPU I wanted the very top of the line single GPU solution. Since this was spur of the moment I have not been able to see the differences in the 670 vs the 680. My 680 has OC'd just fine and is working beautifully. Sometimes you just got to go all out when the opportunity arises.

Well at least you'll be set for years to come MotherFan, health to enjoy it!

 

[MotherFan]

Whoops that'll teach me to skim read!



Well at least you'll be set for years to come MotherFan, health to enjoy it!

I am enjoying it! I played Diablo 3 at 60fps with nvidia control panel having all the fun stuff on max. 8x supersample lol. Running skyrim well with 2x supersampling as well. This is the real reason I paid the extra. I am very sensitive to frame rate changes and stutters and like to get the best graphics with the minimal amount of framerate loss. I am OCD about the tweaking and I can sit and test this shit for hours before I get it how I like. A 10% difference will be worth it in my eyes.

 

[mkenyon]

You need to get yourself a 120hz monitor then. ASAP.

 

[MotherFan]

You need to get yourself a 120hz monitor then. ASAP.

I was talking to the wife about it and prolly wont be able to get one till summer. If you know of a good deal on one could you link it? They seem to be expensive. Can my plasma TV go over 60fps? I have read that the refresh rates are high but I have never been able to get it to do so.

EDIT: I also want to get one with high resolution but thats out for awhile too.

 

[DrForester]

The goodies are in. I've got a pony to supervise, and my traditional "lets build a PC" movie.

See you on the flip side!

 

[kharma45]

Now I want to build another PC

 

[Trojita]

Aside from one of the USB 3.0 Port Pins being broken, and I might have fucked up my thermal grease application for optimum cooling, everything seems fine on my computer build.

Thank you everyone that answered my questions here.

Now I just need to figure out whether I should add more fans to my R4 Case. Stock it has 2, one on Front and back, but it has space for up to 7 fans.

 

[mkenyon]

I was talking to the wife about it and prolly wont be able to get one till summer. If you know of a good deal on one could you link it? They seem to be expensive. Can my plasma TV go over 60fps? I have read that the refresh rates are high but I have never been able to get it to do so.

EDIT: I also want to get one with high resolution but thats out for awhile too.

Samsung S23A700/750D are both going on/off sale for less than $300.

If the device does not have dual link DVI or displayport, it can not display 120hz. Anything over HDMI is not 120hz, same with single link DVI.

Now I want to build another PC

That's definitely the main issue with being helpful here. It starts to drain the wallet quickly.

Aside from one of the USB 3.0 Port Pins being broken, and I might have fucked up my thermal grease application for optimum cooling, everything seems fine on my computer build.

Thank you everyone that answered my questions here.

Now I just need to figure out whether I should add more fans to my R4 Case. Stock it has 2, one on Front and back, but it has space for up to 7 fans.

Only add more if you find things running a bit hot (and therefore fans spinning faster) in the case. I found that with the two 140s in the front, a 120 in the rear and the top rear, things actually got a bit more quiet as there was a DCII 7970 in there.

 

[kharma45]

That's definitely the main issue with being helpful here. It starts to drain the wallet quickly.

I can almost justify it to myself. If Nokia somehow let me keep this Lumia 920 they lent me for 2 weeks (it's now been 4) then I could stick the money from that to another PC to have in my uni house... damn this thread

 

[MotherFan]

Samsung S23A700/750D are both going on/off sale for less than $300.

If the device does not have dual link DVI or displayport, it can not display 120hz. Anything over HDMI is not 120hz, same with single link DVI.

Na, no dual dvi or displayport. $300 is a good price but prolly not till summer, maybe April or May. It is something to look forward to!

 

[mkenyon]

Na, no dual dvi or displayport. $300 is a good price but prolly not till summer, maybe April or May. It is something to look forward to!

Definitely!

The jump for me was right there in line with discrete 3D cards, online gaming, and broadband in importance.

Once you get that CPU OC'd, then your system can handle 120fps without issues in just about everything outside of newly released system hogs like Farcry 3.

I can almost justify it to myself. If Nokia somehow let me keep this Lumia 920 they lent me for 2 weeks (it's now been 4) then I could stick the money from that to another PC to have in my uni house... damn this thread

Oh man, just you wait.

I somehow rationalized to myself watercooling an HTPC. "But this way, you'll be able to OC that A10 to insane levels, giving yourself a near silent HTPC that can play games! It would be wrong of you to NOT watercool it, for your wife's sake!"

 

[DrForester]

So as I'm putting this together, a question comes to me. This is my first SLI build. Do I install both cards from the start, or install one, and the other once other stuff is in? Does it matter?

 

[kharma45]

Oh man, just you wait.

I somehow rationalized to myself watercooling an HTPC. "But this way, you'll be able to OC that A10 to insane levels, giving yourself a near silent HTPC that can play games! It would be wrong of you to NOT watercool it, for your wife's sake!"

Hahaha I love moments like this.

For £400 I've specced this and it feels so right http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/vxwM

 

[MotherFan]

Definitely!

The jump for me was right there in line with discrete 3D cards, online gaming, and broadband in importance.

Once you get that CPU OC'd, then your system can handle 120fps without issues in just about everything outside of newly released system hogs like Farcry 3.

Ya, its going to be nice . Got my CPU to 4.0ghz atm, but don't want to go over it with stock cooler. I know it has more room to go, with water cooling I have no idea how high I can get it.

 

[mkenyon]

Ya, its going to be nice . Got my CPU to 4.0ghz atm, but don't want to go over it with stock cooler. I know it has more room to go, with water cooling I have no idea how high I can get it.

Ivy caps out around 4.5GHz, and it's an issue with the whole processor series. Watercooling is more about silencing GPUs these days than anything.

Hahaha I love moments like this.

For £400 I've specced this and it feels so right http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/vxwM

It would almost be foolish of you to NOT buy it.

Or go H77 ITX. Have you looked at the Intel NUCs?

So as I'm putting this together, a question comes to me. This is my first SLI build. Do I install both cards from the start, or install one, and the other once other stuff is in? Does it matter?

First one, but, no it doesn't really matter.

 

[kharma45]

It would almost be foolish of you to NOT buy it.

Or go H77 ITX. Have you looked at the Intel NUCs?

I have not heard of NUCs, time to do some research!

Basically it'd just be a budget gaming build to complement what I have at home.

I shall toy with this, could be a nice project for after exams and dissertation.

 

[DeSo]

Question on thermal paste, guys, is what comes with the cooler good enough (looking at the 212) or should I buy AS5 or something?

 

[t-ramp]

Question on thermal paste, guys, is what comes with the cooler good enough (looking at the 212) or should I buy AS5 or something?

Yes, it's good enough, not that that means anything in this context. AS5 isn't the go-to paste of choice these days, though.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

The goodies are in. I've got a pony to supervise, and my traditional "lets build a PC" movie.



See you on the flip side!

Can't really see it all the way but is that a 3570k?

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Ok, here is my anniversary rig my wife let me get (best wife ever!). I will show pics then give the specs.

And here is the best wife in the world testing it out:

I will upload full specs in a few, want to make sure pics uploaded right and get all the links from new egg. SOOOOO EXCITED!

case is as big as she is. how tall is that? damn.

The goodies are in. I've got a pony to supervise, and my traditional "lets build a PC" movie.



See you on the flip side!

be careful with the fans on that GPU. their mounted in by duct tape and prayers. Any meaningful application of force and they'll break right the fuck off.

 

[soulassssns]

Ok, here are full specs:

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130799
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119252
Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233303
SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227706
HDD: Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM (I dont dl alot of huge files other than games and can get another drive when necessary)
MB:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131819
PSU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018&Tpk=ocz 700w
Keyboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126100
Mouse: $20 6 button generic mouse. Like the cheap ones. Wired of course
Monitor: Had this already, but I am using an ASUS 24 inch 60hz LED monitor

Came to $2083
So that's the full build! If I am missing anything just ask.

Dang! What do you do with your PCs? A GTX 680 w/ 4 GB and 32 GB system ram? BEAST!!!!

 

[Echoplx]

Would a stock i7 860 bottleneck a gtx670 at 2560x1440? I have a hyper 212 on it but I prefer having the fan on minimum so my PC is quiet but can OC if it's really worth it

be careful with the fans on that GPU. their mounted in by duct tape and prayers. Any meaningful application of force and they'll break right the fuck off.

Damn, really glad I swapped for the Asus at the last minute.

 

[mkenyon]

Would a stock i7 860 bottleneck a gtx670 at 2560x1440? I have a hyper 212 on it but I prefer having the fan on minimum so my PC is quiet but can OC if it's really worth it



Damn, really glad I swapped for the Asus at the last minute.

Depends on the game. It's an issue of frequency, not the processor's ability though.

 

[Whooter]

Okay, PC GAF here's my dilemna:

I currently have these two video cards sitting unopened in their boxes on my dining room table:

MSI GTX 660 Ti

Sapphire Radeon HD 7950

They're the exact same base price (the Radeon 10 bucks cheaper after rebate). The main reason I wanted the Radeon (I've been an Nvidia guy forever) was for the "Never Settle" bundle, however somehow I managed to check out not noticing it wasn't in my cart. Newegg says I'm SOL on the bundle. They said I can either return the video card or accept a $25 Newegg gift card as compensation.

Which do I keep and which do I return? I really wanted the games included in the bundle, and held off buying them during recent sales because I thought I was getting them with the card.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

 

[Plasmid]

Both my laptops crapped out on me, one still works but the screen LED is cracked, the other died completely. I pulled out the hard drive from my other laptop and wanted to know if there's a way to connect it to an ASROCK b75m-DGS mobo.

This is a picture of the hard drive.

 

[mkenyon]

Both my laptops crapped out on me, one still works but the screen LED is cracked, the other died completely. I pulled out the hard drive from my other laptop and wanted to know if there's a way to connect it to an ASROCK b75m-DGS mobo.

This is a picture of the hard drive.

With a power and SATA cable. Or use an external esata/usb dock/enclosure.

Okay, PC GAF here's my dilemna:

I currently have these two video cards sitting unopened in their boxes on my dining room table:

MSI GTX 660 Ti

Sapphire Radeon HD 7950

They're the exact same base price (the Radeon 10 bucks cheaper after rebate). The main reason I wanted the Radeon (I've been an Nvidia guy forever) was for the "Never Settle" bundle, however somehow I managed to check out not noticing it wasn't in my cart. Newegg says I'm SOL on the bundle. They said I can either return the video card or accept a $25 Newegg gift card as compensation.

Which do I keep and which do I return? I really wanted the games included in the bundle, and held off buying them during recent sales because I thought I was getting them with the card.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

7950.

*edit*

Actually, 7950 if you plan on keeping it for 2+ years. 660Ti if you replace every year or year and a half.

 

[Exuro]

Alright, so yesterday we moved my brothers pc into a new case. He brought it home and it'll boot, but its shutting off a short time afterwards both before and after windows starts up. It was working perfectly in the old case, and the only thing I changed was reseating the cooler so would removing/reseating the cooler without adding new paste be the possible problem? Thanks

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Alright, so yesterday we moved my brothers pc into a new case. He brought it home and it'll boot, but its shutting off a short time afterwards both before and after windows starts up. It was working perfectly in the old case, and the only thing I changed was reseating the cooler so would removing/reseating the cooler without adding new paste be the possible problem? Thanks

Did you check MB mounts and maybe a pin in the wrong place or power cable not in right? Could be many a factors.

 

[Whooter]

7950.

*edit*

Actually, 7950 if you plan on keeping it for 2+ years. 660Ti if you replace every year or year and a half.

I don't upgrade too frequently, so yeah I'll probably keep the 7950 then.

Thanks for the advice!