Anandtech is great site for high quality articles but not updated as much as other websites. techreport is great for game focused reviews, tom's hardware sometimes accidently writes something good and forum sites like overclock.net and hardocp are good for rumours, leaks and general community support.
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"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. Ivy, SSDs, and reading the OP. [Part 2]
- Thread starter Hazaro
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Anandtech is great site for high quality articles but not updated as much as other websites. techreport is great for game focused reviews, tom's hardware sometimes accidently writes something good and forum sites like overclock.net and hardocp are good for rumours, leaks and general community support.
The 840 comes with a migration tool that makes things easy. You can get it from Samsung's website as well.Anyone?
All in the OP yo
Wow, I really dropped the ball. Haven't checked the thread in a while, then I find it's moved! Damn new year.
My rig, she's OK. This year I will be upping the CPU to a high end 4770K from the 930 that's in there now. I was going to get IB but it was a little underwhelming, so it turned out the 930 had life in her yet! I guess it's looking like June is the tipped date for Haswell.
My rig, she's OK. This year I will be upping the CPU to a high end 4770K from the 930 that's in there now. I was going to get IB but it was a little underwhelming, so it turned out the 930 had life in her yet! I guess it's looking like June is the tipped date for Haswell.
DJ_Lae
Member
Well, mine will look more than a little haphazard compared to the beauty above but I finished putting it together last night. Best of all, it booted, got Windows 8 install clean, and had no issues at all. I consider that a victory for the first computer I've build from scratch.
I even got that 8 pin cable to stretch.
I need to do some minor cable management, but I was getting kind of impatient near the end and figured there's no point using cable ties until I was sure everything worked. Part of me wishes the inside of the back panel was black as white shows every single piece of cabling that I didn't completely hide. Oh well.
Case is about as loud as my previous Sonata III, which is nice. Didn't have time to do much other than install some drivers and essential programs, so I have no idea how loud the video card gets under load. CPU seems to idle around 35C, which I guess is normal?
Will do some testing tonight. And thanks again to everyone here for the tips and suggestions (even if I ignored them on the case).
I even got that 8 pin cable to stretch.
I need to do some minor cable management, but I was getting kind of impatient near the end and figured there's no point using cable ties until I was sure everything worked. Part of me wishes the inside of the back panel was black as white shows every single piece of cabling that I didn't completely hide. Oh well.
Case is about as loud as my previous Sonata III, which is nice. Didn't have time to do much other than install some drivers and essential programs, so I have no idea how loud the video card gets under load. CPU seems to idle around 35C, which I guess is normal?
Will do some testing tonight. And thanks again to everyone here for the tips and suggestions (even if I ignored them on the case).
So a few days ago I started getting tons of random blue screens. On average I'd I say I got one every half an hour. I ran a test of Memtest86+ to check my RAM and I got this result:
This should mean my RAM is not working properly, probably due it being defect. However, ever since running that test (two days has passed) I haven't gotten a single bluescreen nor had any other issues. What is a possible explanation to this?
This should mean my RAM is not working properly, probably due it being defect. However, ever since running that test (two days has passed) I haven't gotten a single bluescreen nor had any other issues. What is a possible explanation to this?
Anyone have experience building a PC from [literally] off the shelf parts at a place like MicroCenter/Fry's? I have a MicroCenter nearby and the total cost of my build is surprisingly good compared to newegg and co. I'm thinking it could be great as a first time builder, and I could easily exchange a dud or quickly return for any little odds and ends I might need in the process of troubleshooting.
They offer a build/stress test service for $150+ but I'll almost certainly build it myself. Was just curious if others have had experience with this. Feels weird, but it seems like a miracle that there is a retailer like this so close, so I'm getting hyped. Want to build this weekend hopefully.
If for some reason I decide against the MicroCenter thing, I'll get at least a few parts there, as they have seriously good in-store deals on some parts like the 3570k
They offer a build/stress test service for $150+ but I'll almost certainly build it myself. Was just curious if others have had experience with this. Feels weird, but it seems like a miracle that there is a retailer like this so close, so I'm getting hyped. Want to build this weekend hopefully.
If for some reason I decide against the MicroCenter thing, I'll get at least a few parts there, as they have seriously good in-store deals on some parts like the 3570k
Why wouldn't you? You'll probably save on shipping in the end. Just go for it man
Thanks! I don't know why I wouldn't, just needed some encouragement/affirmation maybe :lol. I'm getting so unbelievably hyped. I cannot wait to do this thing. It's been a long time.
Might need some advice on choosing a gpu OEM/brand but I'm otherwise set I think.
So it is! I should never underestimate the OP.
God dammit...
I ordered that NUC thing and now find that Dell further dropped the price on that desktop (http://configure.dell.com/dellstore...el_id=inspiron-660s&c=ca&l=en&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1), and no longer seem to add tax either. It's now $100 cheaper than the NUC instead of $50 more, and newegg won't let me cancel either.
Blargh. I could return the NUC I guess, but losing money by having to pay for return shipping blows too. Anybody know how much it costs to ship stuff back to newegg? About what their initial delivery charge was?
I ordered that NUC thing and now find that Dell further dropped the price on that desktop (http://configure.dell.com/dellstore...el_id=inspiron-660s&c=ca&l=en&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1), and no longer seem to add tax either. It's now $100 cheaper than the NUC instead of $50 more, and newegg won't let me cancel either.
Blargh. I could return the NUC I guess, but losing money by having to pay for return shipping blows too. Anybody know how much it costs to ship stuff back to newegg? About what their initial delivery charge was?
The Bookerman
Member
Samsung 840 pro is one killer SSD. Loving mine!
The mounting system has been consistent with 1156 and 1155. I imagine it will again with 1150. Intel doesn't want to have to make new mounting systems for their coolers either.
Yeah, I definitely would be modding some games like Skyrim, and New Vegas (I'll finally be able to play the DLC. Damn near unplayable with my PS3 version).
I found a Galaxy 660 ti 3GB for $269 (with the mail-in rebate), so I'll definitely go for that. Thanks!
All my PC components arrived today, except for the case. Seems that is coming in a separate shipment. The wait is torture!
FallingEdge
Member
That makes me feel a bit better at least, haha.
I'll probably just stick with the NUC so I don't waste more money on shipping, and it is better than the dell in several ways.
Lacking a keyboard/mouse, OS, and DVD drive out of the box kinda hurts though. I'm divided on whether to get a new monitor (eyeing http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16824236059) or just use the decrepit old monitors and speakers I've got already.
Want to get a nice wireless keyboard for cheap, but it seems every time I hear about http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product...spx?path=9c1094958309cbffdc77f5d6d582ea16en02 going for $10 it's already totally sold out.
Not my day for deals it seems.
Where in Canada are you? I have a spare logitech wireless kb+m that I could just send you
Really? That'd be so awesome! I'm in Toronto. I can be more specific via pm if you're still offering.
I'm in Winnipeg, but don't mind the post, send me a PM we'll work it out.
Sent. I think. Not used to mobile gaf.
So, PC GAF, first post here, and I really need some advice.
I ordered a Sapphire HD 7950 about a month ago, for ~$330, but it had issues and crashed randomly on everything from Battlefield 3 to Civilization IV.
So, I returned it, all should have been fine, but I accidentally ordered a refund instead of a replacement(They let me keep the free 3 games without saying a thing, though, which is nice).
I'm trying to take this as an opportunity to buy something a bit better in order to insure no issues are met. While I'm not opposed to the idea of going AMD again, I'd really feel better buying an Nvidia card, especially since my card before the 7950 was an Nvidia card and I never had any issues with it.
So, I'm thinking a GTX 670, but my price ceiling is about $30 more than what I spent on the 7950. Anyone have any advice for what I should be buying with that budget?
I ordered a Sapphire HD 7950 about a month ago, for ~$330, but it had issues and crashed randomly on everything from Battlefield 3 to Civilization IV.
So, I returned it, all should have been fine, but I accidentally ordered a refund instead of a replacement(They let me keep the free 3 games without saying a thing, though, which is nice).
I'm trying to take this as an opportunity to buy something a bit better in order to insure no issues are met. While I'm not opposed to the idea of going AMD again, I'd really feel better buying an Nvidia card, especially since my card before the 7950 was an Nvidia card and I never had any issues with it.
So, I'm thinking a GTX 670, but my price ceiling is about $30 more than what I spent on the 7950. Anyone have any advice for what I should be buying with that budget?
MajorGravy
Neo Member
Last time I upgraded my graphics card was 2011 with a HD6870. I wonder if I should upgrade again this year and if so should I get another 6870 and do crossfire or get a HD8xxx series amd gpu or nvidia? keep in mind I probably won't be spending beyond $299 USD if I get a new card. Have games reached a point yet where the upgrade will be worth it? I know if I do Battlefield and Planetside 2 will look prettier but they are gorgeous already with a single 6870.
Yeah, it was a faulty card. Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I had no issues before when I was using my 550ti, nor after I sent it back while running Intel integrated graphics in Civ IV.
Last time I upgraded my graphics card was 2011 with a HD6870. I wonder if I should upgrade again this year and if so should I get another 6870 and do crossfire or get a HD8xxx series amd gpu or nvidia? keep in mind I probably won't be spending beyond $299 USD if I get a new card. Have games reached a point yet where the upgrade will be worth it? I know if I do Battlefield and Planetside 2 will look prettier but they are gorgeous already with a single 6870.
If you're content, I'd wait. Q2 is the saying for the next wave of AMD, and the price/performance is rumored to be fantastic, especially if you are not going to go over $300.
I just purchased this http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=74982&promoid=1201 card. $269 after rebate, seems like a solid price for a 660 ti 3GB card.
Case - Silverstone Redline ATX Tower Case
Motherboard - ASUS P8Z77-V Lk ATX LGA1155 Z77
CPU - Intel Core i5 3570K
Heatsink - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
RAM - Corsair Vengeance Blue Lowprofile 8GB
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM
PSU - Antec Basiq BP550 Plus 550W
and that is the rest of my build. I'm always paranoid about the PSU, but I'm sure it's enough.
I'll get a sound card later, and just use an external disc drive. May re-use the drive from my old computer, but it's a good 7 years old now.
Case - Silverstone Redline ATX Tower Case
Motherboard - ASUS P8Z77-V Lk ATX LGA1155 Z77
CPU - Intel Core i5 3570K
Heatsink - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
RAM - Corsair Vengeance Blue Lowprofile 8GB
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM
PSU - Antec Basiq BP550 Plus 550W
and that is the rest of my build. I'm always paranoid about the PSU, but I'm sure it's enough.
I'll get a sound card later, and just use an external disc drive. May re-use the drive from my old computer, but it's a good 7 years old now.
Koroviev
Member
If they match online prices like Frys does, then I would definitely buy all of the parts from there. And you better better build it yourself! That $150 is much better spent on additional upgrades than paying some monkey to work a screwdriver.
Infinite Justice
Member
I get sad whenever I see this thread since I know I'm still running on a Core 2 Duo and DDR2 ram.
The machine i had before i built the current one (thanks PC GAF) was way worse than what you have so don't feel too bad.
I get sad whenever I see this thread since I know I'm still running on a Core 2 Duo and DDR2 ram.
I felt your pain, since I was on the same since 2005 with a Dell desktop. My friends each upgraded to gaming PCs and I was left in the dust. Luckily my PC died, and I was forced to upgrade.
I can't bring myself to spend too much on a PC, though. So this thread has been extremely useful in finding the best price/performance sweet spot.
Hawk269
Member
I am going to be doing a small upgrade to my case fans on Radiators to the new Noiseblockers, also got some better fan filters that I am going to install. I also decided to move to the Samsung SSD 840 pro as well.
I am just not sure if I should stick with Windows 8 however. My main use of my rig is to game on it, nothing else other than surfing the net. I do a lot of benchmarking, gaming and overclocking to get the most out of my system, but moving from Win 7 to Win 8 has been nice, but I find a lot of issues with some programs in Win 8. When I went from W7 to W8 I used the upgrade and had a horrid time getting to work, but finally I did and now that I am going to do a fresh install with some upgraded parts I am debating if I should go back to Win 7.
Any thoughts? I know things will get better with Win8 and I do like it personally, but I hate not being able to run stuff or having issues due to it. I also don't want to go through the same headache's a year from now when they have things working right and I try to upgrade again.
I am just not sure if I should stick with Windows 8 however. My main use of my rig is to game on it, nothing else other than surfing the net. I do a lot of benchmarking, gaming and overclocking to get the most out of my system, but moving from Win 7 to Win 8 has been nice, but I find a lot of issues with some programs in Win 8. When I went from W7 to W8 I used the upgrade and had a horrid time getting to work, but finally I did and now that I am going to do a fresh install with some upgraded parts I am debating if I should go back to Win 7.
Any thoughts? I know things will get better with Win8 and I do like it personally, but I hate not being able to run stuff or having issues due to it. I also don't want to go through the same headache's a year from now when they have things working right and I try to upgrade again.
Koroviev
Member
I don't know, you're building a pretty nice machine
Really, the only thing "missing" is an SSD to compliment the HDD.
DJ_Lae
Member
I was on something similar for the past 5-6 years - a computer I specifically built on a budget (about $500). And man, it did not age well.
The best thing I ever did to make it feel like a new computer, at least temporarily, was dump an SSD in it. Made general use fantastic and I temporarily forgot how awful the processor and memory and video card were.
I don't know, you're building a pretty nice machine
Really, the only thing "missing" is an SSD to compliment the HDD.
Thanks, I'm pretty excited to finally be able to put it all together, as soon as my case arrives. Tomorrow, I hope.
I definitely wanted to get an HDD, but I was pretty rushed into getting what is necessary right now, since I am without a PC.
I hope to get an SSD in the coming weeks and move the OS to that.
I'll be keeping an eye out for any sales.
My Dell actually aged pretty well. It kept up good performance with general use. It didn't handle HD video very well. Would often bring blue screens. Glad to be coming into something much more capable.
Koroviev
Member
If you have a free copy of Windows 7 kicking around, then just "roll back" until you're satisfied with the stability of 8. It's good to periodically do a reinstall anyway. Should be especially painless since presumably you only have the OS installed on the SSD and simply data on a larger HDD.
Hawk269
Member
How do you rollback? I upgraded from my purchased copy of Win7 Ultimate to Win8 that I downloaded from MS to do the upgrade. But I cannot find how or where to do the rollback to Win7.
My main gripe is the case with SWEET GAMING LEDS EVERYWHERE and non modular power supply with cords everywhere. But I feel like if I were to replace the case then I might as well replace the motherboard and cpu, then I'll need new ram too, and a sweet modular ps for the new case, and a new heatsink and fan for the new cps. Might as well get a graphics card and another SSD while I'm at it right?
So for the moment I live with my pleabmachine. I mean, I can still run most games on High-Very High most of the time, but it'd be nice to upgrade.
Koroviev
Member
Oh sorry, didn't realize you had an upgrade copy
I was thinking that you had purchased a full version. Since that's not the case, you have to decide if it's worth spending $100+ to return to an old OS. If your PC is how you make money and 7 has the support you need, then it's probably worth it. Otherwise, it might be best to stick with 8 since you've already adjusted. I personally prefer 8 and it works for the company I'm employed with, but your situation may be different.
Hawk269
Member
Oh sorry, didn't realize you had an upgrade copy
I was thinking that you had purchased a full version. Since that's not the case, you have to decide if it's worth spending $100+ to return to an old OS. If your PC is how you make money and 7 has the support you need, then it's probably worth it. Otherwise, it might be best to stick with 8 since you've already adjusted. I personally prefer 8 and it works for the company I'm employed with, but your situation may be different.
Why would I have to pay to use a copy if Win 7 that I already own? I have re-installed Win 7 on 3 different rigs that I have built as I upgraded to new motherboards etc and never had a problem. The last time I did this, I did have to call MS and they provided me the key or whatever to get it to work, so just curious why I would have to pay $100.00 to go back to Win 7.
Thanks for you help btw!
Koroviev
Member
AFAIK, the upgrade version of Windows 8 invalidates the key you upgraded from. For your benefit I hope I'm wrong, but I believe that is how it works
A hardware fault can happen with any brand of card, can't really pin it down to either Nvidia or AMD as the hardware fault is probably due to one of the OEM components.
Your PSU is more than adequate, you could run a 680 on that.
Well, yeah, I mentioned it more as background info than anything. I'm just wondering if there's a better card I should be buying with my slight bump in budget/if the card I had was worth the money I paid for.
This is the card that I bought: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202003
I'm currently considering buying this card: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ZTLCZG/?tag=neogaf0e-20
My absolute maximum of a budget would be ~$380, as a max ceiling, and I'm still not entirely sure what the best card I can get with that budget is :/
EDIT: Would it help to have more info on what the rest of hardware is? Because its mostly up-to-date stuff. 3770k, 8 gigs of ram, Z77 motherboard, and so on.
If you go through Newegg you get Borderlands 2 for free
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130782
I'd look at EVGA partly for their warranty, plus against that Amazon deal as I said you get BL2 for free.
For a third party cooler Gigabyte's WF3 comes in just under budget
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423
EVGA cards are twice as loud. There's no reason to buy any EVGA card unless you plan on putting a waterblock on it or running 3+ cards in SLI.
RMA is RMA is RMA. EVGA support is just more vocal on forums to give the illusion of better support.
I personally own 3 EVGA cards, so I'm not saying they're bad. I think they just really missed the ball when it comes to proper air cooling during the last two generations.
RMA is RMA is RMA. EVGA support is just more vocal on forums to give the illusion of better support.
I personally own 3 EVGA cards, so I'm not saying they're bad. I think they just really missed the ball when it comes to proper air cooling during the last two generations.
D
Deleted member 22576
Unconfirmed Member
So I've been playing around with SuperSampling, and something doesn't look quite right. I think it has something to do with LOD bias.. but I'm not positive.
I've been following the settings advice in this topic
http://www.overclock.net/t/1250100/nvidia-sparse-grid-supersampling
Currently, I've been playing left4dead2 with 8x SGSS. It looks smooth as heck, but I feel like the textures are blurry or not quite as sharp. But now I've spent so much time staring at it I don't know whats what. It might just be the mist effect that l4d has coupled with the film grain or it might be that l4d2 in general has lower res textures than episode2 which I just played with supersampling and it looked great.
What the hell does LOD bias do? I know LOD stands for level of detail, which is why I think it has something to do with the texture blurriness I've been perceiving. I was looking at a street sign and walking forward and backwards and watching the writing get blurrier and then clearer depending on my distance from it. But that might just be how the game works anyway. AHHHH. How do I get the best image quality? I've just restored defualts on the nvida inspector and am going to restart the game to see if it looks better/different.
This seems to be what I may be exerpiencing:
http://hardforum.com/archive/index.php/t-1599214.html
I've been following the settings advice in this topic
http://www.overclock.net/t/1250100/nvidia-sparse-grid-supersampling
Currently, I've been playing left4dead2 with 8x SGSS. It looks smooth as heck, but I feel like the textures are blurry or not quite as sharp. But now I've spent so much time staring at it I don't know whats what. It might just be the mist effect that l4d has coupled with the film grain or it might be that l4d2 in general has lower res textures than episode2 which I just played with supersampling and it looked great.
What the hell does LOD bias do? I know LOD stands for level of detail, which is why I think it has something to do with the texture blurriness I've been perceiving. I was looking at a street sign and walking forward and backwards and watching the writing get blurrier and then clearer depending on my distance from it. But that might just be how the game works anyway. AHHHH. How do I get the best image quality? I've just restored defualts on the nvida inspector and am going to restart the game to see if it looks better/different.
This seems to be what I may be exerpiencing:
http://hardforum.com/archive/index.php/t-1599214.html
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