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[scogoth]

Can someone convince me not to get an Dell U3011 Monitor? It is going for $1100 at a local computer store. That is extremely expensive for a computer monitor but the trough of Civ5 at 2560x1600 is, just, hmmmmmmm.

Buy three 120Hz monitors. Or even better three 2560x1600 monitors. Civ5 at 7680x1600, hmmmmmmm.

 

[doniewhalberg]

Been doing some preliminary research on a pc I'll be building March/April-ish for the living room. It's going to be a SFF system and I keep coming back to the bitfenix prodigy. Man that case looks nice, very well ventilated, room for a good card with good cooling, pretty much everything I'd want within the boundaries of a smaller system. The only thing thats putting me off it is the flex fibre feet thing they went for. Pretty much every review and site I've read up on mentions it, and given the system will be situated up on a table, it's a kind of terrifying thought that the system might be shaky at all. I know it's pretty easy to take off the feet but then it's just kind of disappointing having to buy something and having to take bits off to be satisfied.

IF I do't go with the prodigy, it'll probably be a sg08/march equivalent, just wondering if anyone has a Prodigy/has anything to say either way about the feet and how the case sits on them after everything is in it. Like I said, I really like the prodigy, it's just that one thing that gave me pause.

 

[2San]

No, I havent yet because I'm kind of scared about doing it. If there was a nice tutorial you could point me to... lol. I want to though.

Depends on your motherboard. Which mobo do you have? With the ASRock Z77 pro mobo's for example it's nothing more then selecting the proper profile for example(and testing for stability). It is highly advisable to get an after market cooler. Hyper 212+/evo is nice. It's a waste to have a 2500k and not overclock it imo. You should be able to hit 3.8GHz relatively easy on a stock cooler though, at least that's what I heard when the 2500k just came out.

 

[mrboo001]

You could always look at the Korein 2560x1440/1600 monitors. They are much cheaper and supposedly pretty good.

That said I have the U3011 and it indeed is a great monitor.

That is what I am reading from it's reviews. I could order something online but being able to buy it local is tempting. Hell, I don't even have to go outside (Campus comptuer store and I live on campus, connected by tunnel)

I only have a GTX 460 though... hmmm

Buy three 120Hz monitors. Or even better three 2560x1600 monitors. Civ5 at 7680x1600, hmmmmmmm.

Oh god, 7680x1600! I wish I was rich...

but the 3 120hz monitors do sound like a cheaper idea... maybe

 

[The Game]

Finally decided to build new desktop PC instead of buying gaming lap top as I haven't done any proper gaming on PC in a while.

CPU: Intel i5 3570K 220$
Motherboard: As Rock Z77 Extreme4 128$
Memory: Samsung 30nm (2x4GB) 1600MHz 40$
GPU: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB 180$

What do you think of this build, rest will scrap from old computer and upgrade as I have money, my only worry is since my family is buying this in USA how likely is the chance for some parts to be defective or DOA if that happens I am screwed.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Man... I finished all the final touches on my girlfriend's new PC last night (thanks for the occasional bits of trouble shooting, various PC-Gaffers!) and now I'm sad because I'm done. I scoured the internet trying to find any further tweaks I could do, and when it was all finally as good as I could get it, I just wanted to start over.

I'm seriously considering building low-budget PCs and selling them at-cost or at a slight profit just as a hobby. I live in a pretty decent sized campus town, so there is definitely at least a small market for something like that here. I'd probably only build <5 a year anyway, so if I stick to the low budget range it wouldn't be too insane of a hobby, cost-wise.

Building computers is way too much fun.

 

[garath]

Anyone with some experience overclocking an ASUS GTX660ti? I'm going to try and get the most out of my purchase. It came stock overclocked at 1058 which doesn't seem like much. I've used Afterburner to get it up to 1150 pretty easily (only reaching 55C max temp with my nice ASUS DirectCU II setup ) but not sure how high to push it.

With my 2500k at 4.2ghz and my 660ti OC'd to something nice, I'll be pretty happy for the next couple years.

 

[iavi]

This is why I hardly use anyone but Steam.

My 7950 arrives from Newegg with the Never Settle promo codes from AMD for Far Cry 3, Hitman Absolution, and Sleeping Dogs. SD, and Hitman register on Steam fine, but Far Cry 3 is a promo code to use through Ubisoft's uplay store. So, I go through the steps: adding FC3 to the cart, applying the promo code and everything, and checking out. And all is good... until I try to actually get the game. The final invoice page says I can download the executable, so I try, but am taken to a 'server error' page. Multiple times. So, I figure that I'll try through the Uplay desktop client; the game isn't even listed in my library (games tab). I try to get back to the page with the executable for download; it isn't listed in my previous transactions to do so. I try to redo the store checkout; it now says my promo code is invalid. I give it a night to fix itself; it still isn't there. Ubisoft fucked me.

I've put in a support ticket. Pretty good for a first with the service, I'd say lol.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I occasionally have my games crash and get a "nvidia display has stopped responding" error, anyone know what could be the problem? I've tried a couple different drivers for it, it's a 570 GTX.

 

[Xdrive05]

Anyone with some experience overclocking an ASUS GTX660ti? I'm going to try and get the most out of my purchase. It came stock overclocked at 1058 which doesn't seem like much. I've used Afterburner to get it up to 1150 pretty easily (only reaching 55C max temp with my nice ASUS DirectCU II setup ) but not sure how high to push it.

With my 2500k at 4.2ghz and my 660ti OC'd to something nice, I'll be pretty happy for the next couple years.

I have the same exact card and I'm going to use this:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1265110/the-gtx-670-overclocking-master-guide#post_17391121

Using the quick method, let's see where how our cards compare with overclocking (let's stick to Heaven I guess).

 

[garath]

I have the same exact card and I'm going to use this:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1265110/the-gtx-670-overclocking-master-guide#post_17391121

Using the quick method, let's see where how our cards compare with overclocking (let's stick to Heaven I guess).

Awesome guide! I was going to use the Asus tool as I read on another site it worked very well with the Asus 660ti top card but I will try precisionx too. I'll definitely share my heaven results. Will give it a shot later today.

 

[sorijealut]

This is why I hardly use anyone but Steam.

My 7950 arrives from Newegg with the Never Settle promo codes from AMD for Far Cry 3, Hitman Absolution, and Sleeping Dogs. SD, and Hitman register on Steam fine, but Far Cry 3 is a promo code to use through Ubisoft's uplay store. So, I go through the steps: adding FC3 to the cart, applying the promo code and everything, and checking out. And all is good... until I try to actually get the game. The final invoice page says I can download the executable, so I try, but am taken to a 'server error' page. Multiple times. So, I figure that I'll try through the Uplay desktop client; the game isn't even listed in my library (games tab). I try to get back to the page with the executable for download; it isn't listed in my previous transactions to do so. I try to redo the store checkout; it now says my promo code is invalid. I give it a night to fix itself; it still isn't there. Ubisoft fucked me.

I've put in a support ticket. Pretty good for a first with the service, I'd say lol.

My 7950 has yet to come... thanks for being the pioneer here. My problem now is that if Ubisoft continues to be idiots, I wouldn't want to sell this to any fellow gaffer.

 

[Xdrive05]

Awesome guide! I was going to use the Asus tool as I read on another site it worked very well with the Asus 660ti top card but I will try precisionx too. I'll definitely share my heaven results. Will give it a shot later today.

Cool. I'm going to stick with the Asus tool as they're very similar, just some of the terms are different. I'm working on it now. I'm getting stability issues that's making me think my CPU is not stable (3570k @ 4.4Ghz). I'm using the auto-OC feature on my motherboard, so maybe that's not the best way to stably OC a CPU. Hmmm...

 

[garath]

Cool. I'm going to stick with the Asus tool as they're very similar, just some of the terms are different. I'm working on it now. I'm getting stability issues that's making me think my CPU is not stable (3570k @ 4.4Ghz). I'm using the auto-OC feature on my motherboard, so maybe that's not the best way to stably OC a CPU. Hmmm...

Typically the auto-overclock feature is a pretty stable OC. It uses a lot higher vcore than necessary. But who knows. Could be.

 

[hwalker84]

Computers built but I'm REALLY UPSET!!! Two of my port on my Asus Sabertooth X79 say Abnormal and I only see 24GB of Ram instead of 32GB's.

 

[Xdrive05]

Typically the auto-overclock feature is a pretty stable OC. It uses a lot higher vcore than necessary. But who knows. Could be.

Ended up being my video drivers causing the crashing in Heaven. Tried the new ones released a couple days ago. Success!

I'm being conservative with the GPU OC, but so far I'm stable at 1135 core / 6900 mem. This Asus cooler is amazing.

 

[Muffin Awesome]

My Proposed purchase:

Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

$64.99

XFX Core Edition FX-785A-CNL4 Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

$194.99

SILVERSTONE Strider Plus ST50F-P 500W ATX 12V v2.3 & EPS 12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply

$79.99

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

$45.99

ASRock Z77E-ITX LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157312

$149.99

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
Item #: N82E16819116504

$219.99


Newegg Promotional Gift Card - $15.00

Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835608018

$80.99

Subtotal: $836.93

Shipping: $9.65

What am I missing besides OS as this is my first build, I already have my case (BitFenix Prodigy).

Thanks in advance.

 

[doniewhalberg]

I already have my case (BitFenix Prodigy).

Thanks in advance.

If you've already got the case, any thoughts on what I asked up above? Any opinions from peeps who have had a look in person at the case would be greatly appreciated, woul be great to know if it's a legit concern or not.

 

[blindrocket]

^Does your case already have a PSU?
Can you afford an SSD with this purchase?

 

[kharma45]

My Proposed purchase:

Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

$64.99

XFX Core Edition FX-785A-CNL4 Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

$194.99

SILVERSTONE Strider Plus ST50F-P 500W ATX 12V v2.3 & EPS 12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply

$79.99

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

$45.99

ASRock Z77E-ITX LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157312

$149.99

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
Item #: N82E16819116504

$219.99


Newegg Promotional Gift Card - $15.00

Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835608018

$80.99

Subtotal: $836.93

Shipping: $9.65

What am I missing besides OS as this is my first build, I already have my case (BitFenix Prodigy).

Thanks in advance.

I'd consider changing the PSU to a Seasonic G-Series, either the 450w or the 550w one, as well as changing your RAM to this Samsung stuff here.

You can get a better 7850 for less money to with one of XFX's Double D models

 

[mkenyon]

I'd consider changing the PSU to a Seasonic G-Series, either the 450w or the 550w one, as well as changing your RAM to this Samsung stuff here.

You can get a better 7850 for less money to with one of XFX's Double D models

That silverstone is actually a really nice PSU, and it's a really nice form factor that leaves lots of room in the Prodigy for easier cable management. It has the bonus of being able to work with a large number of ITX cases as well, since it is SFX instead of ATX.

Only other thing I would check on is whether or not that Noctua works with the ASRock board. It has a small mSATA port on the back that interferes with a ton of heatsink backplates. You also run the risk of bringing your cooler too close to the PCI-E slot which can interfere with a video card there.

Those are the main reasons why I am a fan of the Gigabyte and ASUS ITX boards over the ASrock. I think the EVGA board would work well too.

 

[Akai__]

I currently have a i7-860 processor and I think it's getting cooled by a stock fan, which comes with it and this thing is just too loud.

Is there a way, to decrease the RPM of the fan? Would it be smart to decrease it?

 

[kharma45]

That silverstone is actually a really nice PSU, and it's a really nice form factor that leaves lots of room in the Prodigy for easier cable management. It has the bonus of being able to work with a large number of ITX cases as well, since it is SFX instead of ATX.

Yeah I had a look at it and it reviewed well, but I just thought that since the Seasonic offered 80+ Gold and it was quieter it might've been a good alternative, but I didn't take the physical size of the unit into consideration so slap on the wrists for me!

 

[NoRéN]

I currently have a i7-860 processor and I think it's getting cooled by a stock fan, which comes with it and this thing is just too loud.

Is there a way, to decrease the RPM of the fan? Would it be smart to decrease it?

I'm sure that's something you could do in speedfan. As for smart, don't know.

Why not get a Hyper 212+ or Evo to cool the CPU?

 

[kharma45]

I'm sure that's something you could do in speedfan. As for smart, don't know.

Why not get a Hyper 212+ or Evo to cool the CPU?

That'd then also give the option to overclock too and get a performance boost whilst you're at it.

 

[Akai__]

I'm sure that's something you could do in speedfan. As for smart, don't know.

Why not get a Hyper 212+ or Evo to cool the CPU?

I guess speedfan is a tool for in/decreasing your fan speed?

And I'm not getting a new cooler, because I'm in the process of building my 1st PC on my own and I will go with watercooling with the new one.

 

[blindrocket]

Here's my build, GAF. Please give me some advice if you see something that should be changed or if I am missing something. I haven't built a PC since just before Doom 3 / HL2 released. I've never touched SATA or an SSD. lol
I'm wondering if I can get away with not installing an optical drive.

This rig will primarily be used for hardcore PC gaming, I do intend to overclock, and I may run SLI in the future.

CPU: Intel i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9 GHz Turbo) $320
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501

Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709011

MOBO: ASUS P8Z77-V LE Plus LGA $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131848

Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) $92
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233299

Graphics: MSI N670 PE GeForce GTX 670 2GB $390
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-127-685

SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 250GB SATA III $180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147189

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Black $105
http://www.jr.com/fractal-design/pe/FRI_FDCADEFR4BL/

PSU: Corsair AX750 $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139016

My god man, that's going to be over twice the cost of my PS3 when I bought it.

 

[NoRéN]

I guess speedfan is a tool for in/decreasing your fan speed?

Yup. It's listed in the OP. It allows you to monitor fan speeds and

That'd then also give the option to overclock too and get a performance boost whilst you're at it.

 

[Dizzy]

Pc noob here.

I want a stock speed i5, and a gpu like the 660ti or 670. The gpus all seem to be overclocked though.


Im just wondering what kind of cooling im going to need for this. Front and rear fans are already on the cases. Typically they seem to be around 120mm or 80mm. Will I need to buy any additional side fans if im not planning to overclock?

 

[Akai__]

Yup. It's listed in the OP. It allows you to monitor fan speeds and

Thanks.

I should probably re-read the OP more often and not only once.

That'd then also give the option to overclock too and get a performance boost whilst you're at it.

No need to do that, because I don't need the extra performance right now, but thanks for suggesting it.

 

[kharma45]

Here's my build, GAF. Please give me some advice if you see something that should be changed or if I am missing something. I haven't built a PC since just before Doom 3 / HL2 released. I've never touched SATA or an SSD. lol
I'm wondering if I can get away with not installing an optical drive.

CPU: Intel i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9 GHz Turbo) $320
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501

Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709011

MOBO: ASUS P8Z77-V LE Plus LGA $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131848

Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) $92
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233299

Graphics: MSI N670 PE GeForce GTX 670 2GB $390
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-127-685

SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 250GB SATA III $180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147189

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Black $105
http://www.jr.com/fractal-design/pe/FRI_FDCADEFR4BL/

PSU: Corsair AX750 $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139016

You'll get away without an optical drive fine, install Windows with a USB pen like a pro

What are you looking to do with your PC? Gaming and general use? photo and video editing?

Pc noob here.

I want a stock speed i5, and a gpu like the 660ti or 670. The gpus all seem to be overclocked though.

Im just wondering what kind of cooling im going to need for this. Front and rear fans are already on the cases. Typically they seem to be around 120mm or 80mm. Will I need to buy any additional side fans if im not planning to overclock?

You won't need any additional fans for the OC'd GPU (the cooling solution supplied by the OEM is usually good enough unless you're doing big overclocks using more than 1.25v), as for the CPU to OC it something like a Hyper 212 would do the job.

Is your i5 a K model btw like the 2500K or 3570K?

 

[Echoplx]

Here's my build, GAF. Please give me some advice if you see something that should be changed or if I am missing something. I haven't built a PC since just before Doom 3 / HL2 released. I've never touched SATA or an SSD. lol
I'm wondering if I can get away with not installing an optical drive.

CPU: Intel i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9 GHz Turbo) $320
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501

Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709011

MOBO: ASUS P8Z77-V LE Plus LGA $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131848

Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) $92
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233299

Graphics: MSI N670 PE GeForce GTX 670 2GB $390
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-127-685

SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 250GB SATA III $180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147189

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Black $105
http://www.jr.com/fractal-design/pe/FRI_FDCADEFR4BL/

PSU: Corsair AX750 $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139016

My god man, that's going to be over twice the cost of my PS3 when I bought it.

I'd recommend this GPU over the MSI if you want something quiet.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121637

The 830 and 840 pro SSDs are better than the standard 840, but the 830 is out of stock and the 840 pro is much more expensive, maybe look into the Crucial M4 drives?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148530

And this RAM is generally the most recommended here

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096

You could also get away with a smaller PSU, I'm running an i7 and GTX670 on a HX620

 

[Dizzy]

You won't need any additional fans for the OC'd GPU (the cooling solution supplied by the OEM is usually good enough unless you're doing big overclocks using more than 1.25v), as for the CPU to OC it something like a Hyper 212 would do the job.

Is your i5 a K model btw like the 2500K or 3570K?

Havent bought it yet, it might be the 3570 or the 3570k depending on price. I don't want to overclock it though.

This will be my first pc so im just wondering if the supplied coolers and two case fans would be enough for a gaming rig.

 

[mkenyon]

Yeah I had a look at it and it reviewed well, but I just thought that since the Seasonic offered 80+ Gold and it was quieter it might've been a good alternative, but I didn't take the physical size of the unit into consideration so slap on the wrists for me!

HOW DARE YOU TRY TO BE HELPFUL! SHAME!

Havent bought it yet, it might be the 3570 or the 3570k depending on price. I don't want to overclock it though.

This will be my first pc so im just wondering if the supplied coolers and two case fans would be enough for a gaming rig.

Yes you do. Two values in BIOS nets you reduced frame latency and much better performance in a good number of games. For the small premium of the K part and a heatsink, it is well worth every penny. It's not scary anymore at all.

But if you are absolutely set on not doing it for a specific reason, then the stock cooler is fine. It does run a bit more loud than an aftermarket one.

As far as cases go, anything in the OP should handle even an overclocked processor just fine. The TDP of IvyBridge is really really low, as are modern video cards. Cases with giant fans everywhere are very much outdated.

 

[DrForester]

And this RAM is generally the most recommended here

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096

You could also get away with a smaller PSU, I'm running an i7 and GTX670 on a HX620

Very grateful for PC gaf turning me onto these. I was unaware that with new low voltage ram, the fins are useless now. Also love the low profile look of these when installed.

 

[mkenyon]

Very grateful for PC gaf turning me onto these. I was unaware that with new low voltage ram, the fins are useless now. Also love the low profile look of these when installed.

The fins have been pretty much useless since DDR3 started. DDR2 ran really hot, which is when they started to get popular. DDR3 runs cool as a cucumber though.

 

[Widdly Scuds]

Recently purchased the following from Microcenter:

intel i5 3570k ($170)
asus p8z77-i deluxe ($145)
bitfenix prodigy ($75)

After tax it came to $421.xx

I still need:
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H60 74.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Memory: Samsung 8GB or Corsair Vengeance 8GB
Storage: Some 500GB-1TB HDD
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Video Card: HD 7970 or GTX 680
Power Supply: Corsair AX750?


The reason I'm posting is because I need some build help.

I'm looking at the HD 7970 and the GTX 680. I don't need any help deciding between the two but rather I'm looking for recommendations on specific models of the two.

I'm currently considering the following:

7970: HIS IceQ X² H797QM3G2M and Gigabyte
GV-R797OC-3GD
680: EVGA 02G-P4-2687-KR

As for the PSU, would 650W be enough or should I go with 750W?
Also, are there less expensive options than the Corsair which I'm considering?

 

[blindrocket]

You'll get away without an optical drive fine, install Windows with a USB pen like a pro

What are you looking to do with your PC? Gaming and general use? photo and video editing?

Primarily PC gaming, which I do understand the i5 benches quite well with. Are we all sure that an i7 will never give any significant performance game in future titles? Crysis 3 is recommending it for their high-end specs, aren't they?

I'd recommend this GPU over the MSI if you want something quiet.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121637

The 830 and 840 pro SSDs are better than the standard 840, but the 830 is out of stock and the 840 pro is much more expensive, maybe look into the Crucial M4 drives?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148530

And this RAM is generally the most recommended here

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096

You could also get away with a smaller PSU, I'm running an i7 and GTX670 on a HX620

Thank you for the tips. Quiet is something I would like to focus on. Though I read several times that the MSI was a quiet one. I will definitely check out what you recommended.

That RAM, isn't the 9 cas latency of what I selected preferable?

And I have the high PSU to give me some headroom if I decide to run SLI in the future. I saw some benchmarks with dual 670's in SLI and I believe they recommended a minimum of a 750 watt PSU. I'd love to run and continue running games at max settings @1080p resolution for as long as I can.

 

[kharma45]

Recently purchased the following from Microcenter:

intel i5 3570k ($170)
asus p8z77-i deluxe ($145)
bitfenix prodigy ($75)

After tax it came to $421.xx

I still need:
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H60 74.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Memory: Samsung 8GB or Corsair Vengeance 8GB
Storage: Some 500GB-1TB HDD
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Video Card: HD 7970 or GTX 680
Power Supply: Corsair AX750?


The reason I'm posting is because I need some build help.

I'm looking at the HD 7970 and the GTX 680. I don't need any help deciding between the two but rather I'm looking for recommendations on specific models of the two.

I'm currently considering the following:

7970: HIS IceQ X² H797QM3G2M and Gigabyte
GV-R797OC-3GD
680: EVGA 02G-P4-2687-KR

As for the PSU, would 650W be enough or should I go with 750W?
Also, are there less expensive options than the Corsair which I'm considering?

For a single card 650w is plenty, and as for the PSU this would get my vote

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

GPU wise don't discount the 670, the difference between the two isn't all that much http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/598?vs=555 If you're looking at a single card to drive a single monitor the 670 might well be a smarter buy.

Moreover, don't get the standard Samsung 840. Either go 830 or 840 Pro.

Primarily PC gaming, which I do understand the i5 benches quite well with. Are we all sure that an i7 will never give any significant performance game in future titles? Crysis 3 is recommending it for their high-end specs, aren't they?

The Crysis 3 specs I'm highly sceptical of from what I remember of them.

I'd change your PSU to the one I've linked above (or the 850w version of it, which is cheaper than the 750w for some reason), do the SSD change that's been recommended, drop your RAM to 8GB of this stuff.

Also, I don't know if it's just me but the price of that cooler seems awfully steep.

 

[Echoplx]

Primarily PC gaming, which I do understand the i5 benches quite well with. Are we all sure that an i7 will never give any significant performance game in future titles? Crysis 3 is recommending it for their high-end specs, aren't they?



Thank you for the tips. Quiet is something I would like to focus on. Though I read several times that the MSI was a quiet one. I will definitely check out what you recommended.

That RAM, isn't the 9 cas latency of what I selected preferable?

And I have the high PSU to give me some headroom if I decide to run SLI in the future. I saw some benchmarks with dual 670's in SLI and I believe they recommended a minimum of a 750 watt PSU. I'd love to run and continue running games at max settings @1080p resolution for as long as I can.

If you need some convincing on the Asus card just look here

http://www.silentpcreview.com/ASUS_GeForce_GTX_670

I picked mine up just last week and I'm very happy with it, haven't even heard it yet

@RAM question: In benchmarks, yes, in actual performance in general, you won't notice at all. the samsung also has a lot of headroom for OCing and tightening the timing manually if you are willing.

 

[Necrovex]

How many years should one wait before replacing the CPU in the PC? I am about to hit my third year for this CPU, which would make this CPU around four years, and I am trying to decide if it is time to start saving for a new one.

 

[teh_pwn]

How many years should one wait before replacing the CPU in the PC? I am about to hit my third year for this CPU, which would make this CPU around four years, and I am trying to decide if it is time to start saving for a new one.

It's increasingly going to depend on what you have and what's available. CPUs haven't had a huge increase in speed since Sandy (2011). Intel has no x86 competition and is focusing improvement on power efficiency. Even once they decide to improve performance, Moore's law is going to start slowing down soon.

 

[NoRéN]

I'd recommend this GPU over the MSI if you want something quiet.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121637

The 830 and 840 pro SSDs are better than the standard 840, but the 830 is out of stock and the 840 pro is much more expensive, maybe look into the Crucial M4 drives?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148530

And this RAM is generally the most recommended here

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096

You could also get away with a smaller PSU, I'm running an i7 and GTX670 on a HX620

Crucial m4 is $10 cheaper on amazon as well.

 

[mkenyon]

For a single card 650w is plenty, and as for the PSU this would get my vote

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

The Seasonic X fits in really really tight in the Prodigy. I got my AX650 in there, but I'm not kidding when I say that I had to push it down with both hands while my wife screwed it in. Not a lot of people would be comfortable with that. Granted, I was using the corsair single braided cables, so those might bulk out a bit more than the standard cables.

Recently purchased the following from Microcenter:

intel i5 3570k ($170)
asus p8z77-i deluxe ($145)
bitfenix prodigy ($75)

After tax it came to $421.xx

I still need:
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H60 74.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Memory: Samsung 8GB or Corsair Vengeance 8GB
Storage: Some 500GB-1TB HDD
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Video Card: HD 7970 or GTX 680
Power Supply: Corsair AX750?


The reason I'm posting is because I need some build help.

I'm looking at the HD 7970 and the GTX 680. I don't need any help deciding between the two but rather I'm looking for recommendations on specific models of the two.

I'm currently considering the following:

7970: HIS IceQ X² H797QM3G2M and Gigabyte
GV-R797OC-3GD
680: EVGA 02G-P4-2687-KR

As for the PSU, would 650W be enough or should I go with 750W?
Also, are there less expensive options than the Corsair which I'm considering?

You're going to be limited on the card you use as you only have a touch over two slots before it is touching the side of the case.. The 670 ASUS DCII would fit, but that Gigabyte most certainly won't. The HIS looks like it would work as well. I *really* dislike the EVGA non-reference coolers. They seem so half assed, to be honest.

I'd look at this Galaxy, this ASUS, this MSI. The HIS IceQ you linked does pretty well. You could grab the MSI version of the 7970 as well though.

 

[multivac]

I recently upgraded my monitor to a 27" Crossover, and now I could never go back to 1080p after experiencing 1440p. Problem is, my Radeon HD 6950 struggles to push 60 FPS (which I also don't want to live without!) at that resolution on most newer games. So, I'm entertaining the idea of an upgrade.

I haven't really looked at hardware in a year or two, so my question would be is it a bad time to be thinking about buying? Are new cards around the corner? I also seem to remember Nvidia had some huge leap on their roadmap scheduled for sometime around now? Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[Akai__]

I recently upgraded my monitor to a 27" Crossover, and now I could never go back to 1080p after experiencing 1440p. Problem is, my Radeon HD 6950 struggles to push 60 FPS (which I also don't want to live without!) at that resolution on most newer games. So, I'm entertaining the idea of an upgrade.

I haven't really looked at hardware in a year or two, so my question would be is it a bad time to be thinking about buying? Are new cards around the corner? I also seem to remember Nvidia had some huge leap on their roadmap scheduled for sometime around now? Thanks for any suggestions!

New cards are expected in Q2, so in arround 3-6 months.

 

[blindrocket]

I'd change your PSU to the one I've linked above (or the 850w version of it, which is cheaper than the 750w for some reason), do the SSD change that's been recommended, drop your RAM to 8GB of this stuff.

Also, I don't know if it's just me but the price of that cooler seems awfully steep.

The SSD is out of stock on the SAMSUNG 830, but that's okay, I am building this in February so I expect it to be stocked by then (I would hope).

I can drop my RAM and I suppose if I still want to go up to 16GB, I can throw in a couple more sticks and run 4 x 4GB.

The cooler IS expensive. Certainly more than I've ever spent on one, but I read that it's "the best" and I figured why not since I would be overclocking.

For some reason I am still hesitant on dropping down from an i7 to the i5. I'd just hate to see i7 benchmarks in several months start showing a gain.

 

[blindrocket]

I recently upgraded my monitor to a 27" Crossover, and now I could never go back to 1080p after experiencing 1440p. Problem is, my Radeon HD 6950 struggles to push 60 FPS (which I also don't want to live without!) at that resolution on most newer games. So, I'm entertaining the idea of an upgrade.

I haven't really looked at hardware in a year or two, so my question would be is it a bad time to be thinking about buying? Are new cards around the corner? I also seem to remember Nvidia had some huge leap on their roadmap scheduled for sometime around now? Thanks for any suggestions!

I read the leap would maybe be 40% boost? Which is big, but also like a $500 - $600 card, too.
That's why I decided to go with a GTX670 now, and then if necessary throw in another and run them in SLI to keep up my frames per second.

 

[Juice]

My W7 PC wakes up way too easily. A minor vibration in the room will wake the PC because of how sensitive my Razer Naga is.

However, when I disable the device's ability to wake the PC, it doesn't work.

Any ideas?

 

[TheChewyWaffles]

How do I enable Wake On Lan on my Windows 7 PC, please? I have ripped blu-ray movies on it, but I have to jiggle the mouse for my WDTV to see the SAMBA share. I've googled it but for some reason it seems unnecessarily complex.