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[CaptainZombie]

Is there a a huge difference between a EVGA 560 2GB DDR5 vs. getting a 660 TI 2GB or 3GB card? I have had the 560 for almost a year now and really like the card, but it seems like the 600 series provides more efficiency and a bit more power.

 

[Hazaro]

Is there a a huge difference between a EVGA 560 2GB DDR5 vs. getting a 660 TI 2GB or 3GB card? I have had the 560 for almost a year now and really like the card, but it seems like the 600 series provides more efficiency and a bit more power.

If you are ok with your 560 now wait for the new series in Q2 imo
You can do a rough comparison with this: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU12/372

 

[Felix Lighter]

AMD waiting on WHQL certification for the 13.1 drivers, supposed to be out tomorrow now.

Also mkenyon, this should interest you. AMD 13.2 beta, a driver update to reduce Radeon frame times.

Oooooo sounds interesting, though the improvements are targeted at specific apps but apparently another possible general performance boost is coming soon. I'd like them to take a look at the Witcher 2. In windowed mode I managed to get a reasonable smooth experience, with minor stuttering but in full screen it was annoyingly stuttery.

 

[DJ_Lae]

Seems like the toughest part will be the Hyper 212 Evo.

That was the toughest - or at least the most nerve-wracking part of mine.

My previous build was AM2-based, and the cooler for that plopped onto the CPU and then had a bracket inserted, looped over the CPU mount, and tightened with one twist of a little lever. That was it.

The Evo, on the other hand, yuck. Near the end I was wondering if I was doing it right the screws were under so much pressure (but I guess that's just the way it fits with the springs).

 

[Zeth]

I just installed a 212 EVO yesterday and it wanted it on the heatsink. Put it on the CPU. It's flat enough it shouldn't matter.

Good to know, I'll just put it on the CPU. Thanks!

That was the toughest - or at least the most nerve-wracking part of mine.

My previous build was AM2-based, and the cooler for that plopped onto the CPU and then had a bracket inserted, looped over the CPU mount, and tightened with one twist of a little lever. That was it.

The Evo, on the other hand, yuck. Near the end I was wondering if I was doing it right the screws were under so much pressure (but I guess that's just the way it fits with the springs).

I think I'm ok so far. It's just a bit awkward watching multiple videos with various multiple fan setups + included instructions. Having trouble finding a good video for a basic 212 install.

 

[blindrocket]

Newegg has this 1TB HDD for $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...713-Index-_-InternalHardDrives-_-22148697-L0E

Good choice?

 

[HarryDemeanor]

With new AMD Catalyst drivers coming out soon do people still use Driver Sweeper after uninstalling? Or is that not needed these days?

 

[Zeth]

Making progress. Need to figure out which direction my 212 evo fan should face. Toward the upper rear fan in my Fractal R4? I

 

[scogoth]

awesome. Does he have an recommendations for a cpu?

I'd go with the lowest power envelope possible. So, i3 3220.

Also load up on RAM. ZFS is pretty RAM hungry for any production environment, you should get at least 8GB. For a small amount of users any CPU will do.

 

[Omega]

I need help choosing a CPU for my PC. I'm building it primarily for gaming and maxing out games isn't really that important.

I think the most demanding game I have right now is GTA4 which I heard doesn't run that well on a dual-core. Upcoming games I'm looking forward to that might be demanding are Witcher 3, GTA V, Day Z.

Anyway, should I just go with a dual-core for now and upgrade later or just go with a quad-core?

I'm looking at the i3-3220 and i5-3350p.

 

[mkenyon]

3570K, if you can make it work in your budget.

 

[kennah]

There's an i5-2500k in the BST thread right now for $150 with Hyper 212.

Or jump right to the 3570k. It isn't that much more than the other ones, and will last years longer.

 

[Zeth]

If I'm using just the stock fan on the hyper 212 evo, I should have it pushing out toward my case's rear exhaust, is that correct?

Something like this (photo not mine):

 

[FallingEdge]

Mine is facing the ram. I believe you want a push/pull configuration for the best air flow but I could be wrong.

 

[Koroviev]

Worth It to switch from a 120gb Corsair Force 3 SSD to a 128gb Crucial M4? It wouldn't cost me anything other than my time.

 

[DJ_Lae]

If I'm using just the stock fan on the hyper 212 evo, I should have it pushing out toward my case's rear exhaust, is that correct?

Something like this (photo not mine):

Mine's facing the RAM too - there should be an arrow indicating airflow on the top of the fan - you want it pushing through the cooler where the back fan takes it out.

So unless the fan is different I think that photo would result in some weird airflow.

 

[Zeth]

Toward the ram it is. Thanks guys.

One of the standoff screw holes in the R4 seems to be messed up. Can barely get any screws half way down. Is it ok to leave out a single standoff/screw, assuming the rest of the mother board is properly secured?

 

[kennah]

Worth It to switch from a 120gb Corsair Force 3 SSD to a 128gb Crucial M4? It wouldn't cost me anything other than my time.

Yes, do it. The controller in the Corsair is a timebomb.

 

[Koroviev]

Yes, do it. The controller in the Corsair is a timebomb.

Good to know. I'll do a fresh install tonight.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

I was reading and looking at guides on RAID 0 for SSD's and the reads were incredible. I don't know if I'd invest in RAID until I can get 2 512's for about 100 each.

I can RAID my 1TB mechanical HDD with another 1TB and that would help performance I assume but I'm not sure how much.

Would it be smart to RAID 0 2 1TB HDD's like my Samsung F3 with another F3? I already have my OS on the SSD with incredible results but if my storage drive was faster I would be a happy camper. A smaller cost for me as well since I wouldn't be investing in a pricier and much smaller SSD.

 

[kharma45]

With new AMD Catalyst drivers coming out soon do people still use Driver Sweeper after uninstalling? Or is that not needed these days?

Just install over the top.

 

[mkenyon]

If I'm using just the stock fan on the hyper 212 evo, I should have it pushing out toward my case's rear exhaust, is that correct?

Something like this (photo not mine):

No, you want the fan on the RAM side facing at the heatsink, essentially pushing air through the heatsink. There should be arrows on the fan telling you which is which.

 

[hwalker84]

3rd times a charm with my Asus Sabertooth X79. The one I got from Amazon works perfectly. Hopefully newegg doesn't try to screw me with their crap.

 

[EMT0]

Hey guys, me again. So, I was browsing through Newegg, trying to find a solid offer on a GTX 670, and I came upon this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130851

It's an EVGA GTX 670 with 4GB of VRAM, instead of the usual two, for $380. The thing is, it's refurbished.

Is the extra video ram worth it? Is it actually advisable to buy a refurbished GPU?

 

[Mulligan]

Edit: Nvm, was just some loose cables. Thanks

 

[EMT0]

So my motherboard isn't booting up at all.. It was fine earlier. I booted it up to BIOS and all my parts were fine, then i opened it up to install my soundcard and now nothing. I've checked all the powersupply cables are in the motherboard correctly, the plug is socketed correctly etc and the psu button is on. Not sure what's up.... :S

Have you tried unplugging the sound card and turning it back on? That could help you isolate the problem if it was fine before.

 

[Camp Lo]

Is it safe to put a rig together piece by piece? I'm concerned with cable management so I kind of want to put my mobo and other things in now THEN later put the CPU and cooler on next week.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Is it safe to put a rig together piece by piece? I'm concerned with cable management so I kind of want to put my mobo and other things in now THEN later put the CPU and cooler on next week.

I don't think the MB will post without the CPU so best wait. And you want to be able to diagnose the MB if that's the issue and it would make your job a lot harder if you don't handle it right.

On a side note, streaming BF3 MP shortly.

 

[scogoth]

Is it safe to put a rig together piece by piece? I'm concerned with cable management so I kind of want to put my mobo and other things in now THEN later put the CPU and cooler on next week.

Its a lot harder to install the cpu and cooler inside the case than outside the case but its definitely possible.

 

[Smokey]

Thanks, running 680 SLI so might be an SLI issue overall. I'll try re-downloading from Nvidia and check.

i haven't had any issues with .90 and SLI. reading some other forums though i've read of others having the startup issues.

is it me or does it seem like nvidia is getting worse with their drivers?

 

[oconnomiyaki]

So I'm thinking about going PC-and-Wii U-only for the next gen. I don't currently have a PC. What sort of tech would be the bare minimum going forward? Keep in mind I live in New Zealand so this should give an idea of prices for tech.

I've tried to research but a lot of it is basically looking at what's available freely in the States.

 

[Camp Lo]

So I'm thinking about going PC-and-Wii U-only for the next gen. I don't currently have a PC. What sort of tech would be the bare minimum going forward? Keep in mind I live in New Zealand so this should give an idea of prices for tech.

I've tried to research but a lot of it is basically looking at what's available freely in the States.

SSD for OS and frequently played games is a must.

 

[Zeth]

Almost finished building this thing. Not sure how to connect power to my 660Ti. It has 6+6 pin connectors. Directly out of my Anteq Basiq psu are a 6+2 PCI-E and a 4+4. Do I need to use all the pins on the GPU?

Edit: Ok, a 6pin PCI E cable came with PSU. I'm thinking I connect that to the card and the PCI E output from PSU, then connect the other 6 pin PCI E that comes directly out of PSU. I think I got it.

 

[mkenyon]

Almost finished building this thing. Not sure how to connect power to my 660Ti. It has 6+6 pin connectors. Directly out of my Anteq Basiq psu are a 6+2 PCI-E and a 4+4. Do I need to use all the pins on the GPU?

Edit: Ok, a 6pin PCI E cable came with PSU. I'm thinking I connect that to the card and the PCI E output from PSU, then connect the other 6 pin PCI E that comes directly out of PSU. I think I got it.

The 4+4 is for processors. There should be one 6+2 pin connector and one 6 pin connector with your PSU. Use those.

 

[Zeth]

The 4+4 is for processors. There should be one 6+2 pin connector and one 6 pin connector with your PSU. Use those.

Thanks again. I'm up and running as of a few minutes ago. Sweet relief so far. Still installing Windows, hopefully everything continues to go well.

Update: Had an issue with recognizing my network card, but I'm good to go now. First build ever complete, and first capable gaming PC in about 8 years. I'm hyped! Thanks everyone for the help!

 

[ss_lemonade]

Going to be building a new comp from scratch. Is the 3570k vs 3770k similar to the 2500k vs 2600k situation before where you would see little gain if all you did was play games? My old rig had a 2500k oc'ed to 4.5 ghz with a simple multiplier bump and that worked pretty well for gaming and running emulators. Will I easily be able to get the same or better performance with a 3570k (I heard they're harder to overclock)?

Also is a 4gb 680 worth the price over the 2gb version? I don't plan on multiple monitor gaming anytime soon, 3dvision maybe if I had a capable monitor but I may just stick to a standard 1920x1080 screen

 

[iavi]

Techreport's latest on the 7950xFrame Latency issue is that the recent 13.1 drivers reduce the issue greatly, and in q couple cases to parity with Nvidia's offering, but that we won't see the full extent of what AMD's doing till a few weeks from now.

Something to do with a complete rewrite of the mem management. I feel like something great is going to come from all of this, aside from the obvious.

 

[Camp Lo]

Also is a 4gb 680 worth the price over the 2gb version?

Most games only use up to 1 gb VRAM so 4 gb is unnecessary overkill at this point

 

[sorijealut]

AMD waiting on WHQL certification for the 13.1 drivers, supposed to be out tomorrow now.

Also mkenyon, this should interest you. AMD 13.2 beta, a driver update to reduce Radeon frame times.

This is AMAZING! I was kind of saddened after seeing the comparison between 7950 vs. 660Ti in terms of latency (I own a Sapphire7950), and this seems to pretty much put it on par with nvidia latency levels.
Good to see that Radeon stands behind its products.

 

[Hazaro]

Going to be building a new comp from scratch. Is the 3570k vs 3770k similar to the 2500k vs 2600k situation before where you would see little gain if all you did was play games? My old rig had a 2500k oc'ed to 4.5 ghz with a simple multiplier bump and that worked pretty well for gaming and running emulators. Will I easily be able to get the same or better performance with a 3570k (I heard they're harder to overclock)?

Also is a 4gb 680 worth the price over the 2gb version? I don't plan on multiple monitor gaming anytime soon, 3dvision maybe if I had a capable monitor but I may just stick to a standard 1920x1080 screen

3570K for gaming value. Ivy is harder to OC, but consumes less power and is faster per clock cycle.

4GB 680, not on a single monitor 1080. I'd jump down to a 670 or 7950.

Techreport's latest on the 7950xFrame Latency issue is that the recent 13.1 drivers reduce the issue greatly, and in q couple cases to parity with Nvidia's offering, but that we won't see the full extent of what AMD's doing till a few weeks from now.

Something to do with a complete rewrite of the mem management. I feel like something great is going to come from all of this, aside from the obvious.

Yup, looks like a fantastic and amazingly quick update. Hopefully they are as aggressive towards games that are not on benchmark suites ;

 

[SneakyStephan]

My trusty 10 year old IIyama vision master pro monitor is about to crap out on me so I'm in urgent need of a replacement.

It started to show some lines at the very top of the screen recently and now it's intermittantly getting what looks like static interference or the power crapping out.
I guess it's going to die on me any day now.

I hope someone here can suggest a good monitor to buy, I'll detail what I'm looking for below in order of importance:

-1080p or if at all possible 1920x1200 (I'm used to 1200 vertical res it is great for browsing) I'd love a higher res monitor but my pc just isn't up to rendering at higher res anyhow. Since lcd sucks at showing non-native resolution images it would probably do more harm than good.
-22-24", can be bigger I suppose but I'd be more than happy with this size
-low (and I mean LOW) input lag, as close to 0 ms as possible. This is a must and non-negotiable
-really good motion clarity (low response time), being used to a crt monitor I find it very hard to deal with blurry motion on your average lcd panel. A blurry panel is a dealbreaker, I'd prefer to get close to crt clarity...
-120 hz or at least 75 hz refresh rate if possible. I don't like playing at 60 fps.
I can compromise on this if the panel is otherwise really good.

For the coating I'd prefer glossy (I'm used to CRT, sun glare does not bother me) and I have good window blinds for when the sun is low.
The infamous dell 'sandpaper' matte coating sounds horrifying to me.

Price: between 200-300 euros, maybe a bit more if it means I can get something that isn't a horrible compromise for the things I listed above.
I realise the limits of lcd tech and that I probably won't find the ideal panel, but I just want to know what is best in my price range right now with the above conditions.

I'd much much prefer IPS (am allergic to TN panel viewing angles and poor colors) but those don't come cheap and I don't think they have any 75-120 hz panels and all suffer from bad motion clarity?

I haven't been following monitor releases or tech in the past 2 years and since I'm in a big hurry I might not have the time to research properly with my monitor prone to crapping out on my any day/minute now.

I'm looking for advice from knowledgable and discerning people who know what it's like to have to lower your standards from CRT level to LCD level, not 'I have a 1080p samsung monitor and I think it's grate' (sorry if that sounds offensive).

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[ss_lemonade]

3570K for gaming value. Ivy is harder to OC, but consumes less power and is faster per clock cycle.

4GB 680, not on a single monitor 1080. I'd jump down to a 670 or 7950.

Ok so I guess a 670 is the better choice (I'd like to move back to nvidia for a change). What about 2gb vs 4gb 670? Not worth it too?

 

[Addnan]

I ordered those magic Samsung ram that everyone here keeps talking about, should be here tomorrow.

Anyway, GTX 670. Gigabyte windforce or Asus Direct CU II? The price is exactly the same.

 

[kharma45]

This is AMAZING! I was kind of saddened after seeing the comparison between 7950 vs. 660Ti in terms of latency (I own a Sapphire7950), and this seems to pretty much put it on par with nvidia latency levels.
Good to see that Radeon stands behind its products.

Yeah I'm really pleased to see they've taken it seriously and worked on it, kudos to AMD.

I ordered those magic Samsung ram that everyone here keeps talking about, should be here tomorrow.

Anyway, GTX 670. Gigabyte windforce or Asus Direct CU II? The price is exactly the same.

I'd lean towards the Gigabyte purely for the warranty, as in the UK it's a lot better than what ASUS offer.

 

[Addnan]

Yeah I'm really pleased to see they've taken it seriously and worked on it, kudos to AMD.



I'd lean towards the Gigabyte purely for the warranty, as in the UK it's a lot better than what ASUS offer.

Excellent, will get the Gigabyte then. Would rather keep it simple if anything goes wrong.

 

[kharma45]

Excellent, will get the Gigabyte then. Would rather keep it simple if anything goes wrong.

This is typically what they're like for us in the UK

Difference in RMA speed is literally night and day.

 

[subversus]

guys, I need your help.

I want to build a second PC for LAN play (THIS TIME FOR REAL), but every time I do any configuration I end up with 1500$ monster because I can't restrain myself.

So I need your help. Please propose some configuration for 500-700$ which could play all current gen at high specs at 1920*1080. Constant 60 fps isn't a requirement, I won't play on this machine.

 

[kharma45]

guys, I need your help.

I want to build a second PC for LAN play (THIS TIME FOR REAL), but every time I do any configuration I end up with 1500$ monster because I can't restrain myself.

So I need your help. Please propose some configuration for 500-700$ which could play all current gen at high specs at 1920*1080. Constant 60 fps isn't a requirement, I won't play on this machine.

I threw this together very quickly but it's an idea http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yebH

Swap out the SSD for an HDD and you'll probably get the price down a bit, as well as going for a cheaper case like the Rosewill challenger. Cheaper PSU too, something like an XFX Core 450w would still be enough for that build. Motherboard could also be cut down a bit, as well as cheaper RAM.

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

I think I have a bit of a problem with regards to a certain someone's HTPC/slimline-case computer.

Things to remember: The case and the PSU cannot be swapped out (the PSU is proprietary), and you have only got 300 W from the PSU.

The computer has an Athlon 64 X2 6000+ and the socket is pretty much dead-ended, and the motherboard he has is also one of these original AM2 boards. The computer is paired with a GeForce 210, which has proven to be too feeble for even Blu-Rays.

We're thinking of scrapping the CPU and the motherboard right now, and given a budget of $200 (keep in mind that we already have the required DDR3 RAM (2 4GB sticks at 1600 MHz each):

AMD A10-5800K, or Intel Core i3-3320? The A10 + a motherboard will just fit ourselves under $200, and given PassMark scores, this would be a 3x increase in raw CPU performance in well-threaded loads, of which his video encoding tasks demands. He'd also like to be able to enjoy comfy couch gaming (xD) at 720p. If I went with the i3, I'd see much better single-threaded performance, about the same raw performance, and less noise, at the cost of... well, the graphics being pretty much a sideways "upgrade". Either way, both will make a lot more TDP headroom. (100 or 65, compared to current 155.5 for CPU + GPU)

So which one would it be? Or would you advise my friend to hold off for one more month?

Board size must be micro-ATX or smaller. Also, is the 210 usable as an HDMI pass-through?

Note: the disk drives are 1 TB Caviar somethings so don't bother with that

 

[kharma45]

I'd probably go for the A10, both CPUs are reasonably close performance wise so that's not an issue, and the A10 should have enough GPU grunt for 720p couch gaming.

A10 likes fast memory, that 1600MHz stuff should do well but if you can OC it you'll get a performance jump http://www.legitreviews.com/article/2106/1/