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"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. Ivy, SSDs, and reading the OP. [Part 2]

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D

Dizzy

Banned
kharma45 said:
Has it been dispatched yet? What are you hooking it up to? You can get a 650w Seasonic X-Series for that money

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650w...gold-90-eff-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-fan-cooling

Or the G-Series for £10 less

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650w...ld-120mm-silent-fan-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-psu

Also, surely the supplied cable should be good enough?
Click to expand...

Does it come with a cable? Only ever ordered one psu before - that was my brother and his didn't come with a cable at all.


It hasn't been dispatched yet. I'm kind of lost on psus. The PC will have a GTX 670, core i5 3570k, zalman z11 plus case and then one dvd drive, one hdd, motherboard, ram etc nothing excessive.
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
knitoe said:
Games are designed for 2GB or less. To see the difference, you need to play games with addon mods. Try playing Skyrim with mods that push VRAM to >3GB then you'll wish you had 4GB video card. The constant stuttering of data loading into limited 2GB will drive you insane.
Click to expand...
I guess I just want to see numbers.

I know people continuously return to Skyrim with mods, but it's the only example that is ever brought forward. Considering the rather distributed nature of the code (being from a number of sources), as well as the fact that you are talking about amateurs who are quite possibly unfamiliar with the same efficiency tools that a group like Bethesda might have, I don't think it's a good example to use. I *do* think it is a good example to use if the person in question has Skyrim with mods as one of their important games to run smoothly.

In either case, I haven't seen any data to support the claim that Skyrim with mods runs better on the same card but with 4GB of VRAM. If anyone has any links, I'd greatly appreciate it.
 
K

kharma45

Member
Dizzy said:
Does it come with a cable? Only ever ordered one psu before - that was my brother and his didn't come with a cable at all.


It hasn't been dispatched yet. I'm kind of lost on psus. The PC will have a GTX 670, core i5 3570k, zalman z11 plus case and then one dvd drive, one hdd, motherboard, ram etc nothing excessive.
Click to expand...

Presuming you've no issue with Scan (some people do) I'd change to the Seasonic myself.

Going by this review the X-650 does come with a plug http://www.silentpcreview.com/article986-page2.html

I find it bizarre that a PSU wouldn't have one.
 
K

kharma45

Member
Dizzy said:
Hmm. Might do. The order is on hold until the GPU is back in stock.



I guess I'll wait and see if it comes with one. I think my brother had a novotech blank box psu so maybe thats why.
Click to expand...

That's probably why then, a retail one should always come with one.

The XFX's are good (they're just rebadged Seasonic's) but you can have the real deal (and a better one at that) for the same money so it's the better buy.
 
K

knitoe

Member
mkenyon said:
I guess I just want to see numbers.

I know people continuously return to Skyrim with mods, but it's the only example that is ever brought forward. Considering the rather distributed nature of the code (being from a number of sources), as well as the fact that you are talking about amateurs who are quite possibly unfamiliar with the same efficiency tools that a group like Bethesda might have, I don't think it's a good example to use. I *do* think it is a good example to use if the person in question has Skyrim with mods as one of their important games to run smoothly.

In either case, I haven't seen any data to support the claim that Skyrim with mods runs better on the same card but with 4GB of VRAM. If anyone has any links, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Click to expand...

I am surprise professional sites, with access to video cards, haven't done tests on hitting VRAM limit. I did found a link to German review that shows what happens when you hit the 2GB vs 4GB VRAM in Skyrim. Although the test uses high AA & AF to achieve it, you can probably do the same with more/better textures and offer mods. Also, take into account, average fps doesn't show how bad stuttering can be.
http://www.hardwareluxx.de/index.ph...-geforce-gtx-680-4-gb-jetstream.html?start=16

ssaa-2.jpg
 
M

memecomplex

Member
mkenyon said:
Nearing VRAM limit doesn't mean very much though. Most games where this is a concern (like BF3) intelligently cache data to where it doesn't even affect performance when new textures are loaded in.

What I'm saying is that 'I near my limit' is a really limited reason to push for more VRAM. I'm not saying 4GB isn't worth it, but there's no data to say that it is.
Click to expand...

In some cases I don't just near my limit, I exceed it; black screen or 1 frame per 5 secs, unplayable.

Whether it's worth it or not, it depends on what you want to do with your gaming PC. If you're after the bleeding edge, yes, that extra 2 GB will come in handy. If you're more concerned with price performance ratio then perhaps not.
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
memecomplex said:
In some cases I don't just near my limit, I exceed it; black screen or 1 frame per 5 secs, unplayable.

Whether it's worth it or not, it depends on what you want to do with your gaming PC. If you're after the bleeding edge, yes, that extra 2 GB will come in handy. If you're more concerned with price performance ratio then perhaps not.
Click to expand...
What game other than modded skyrim exhibits this same behavior?

*edit*

I should stipulate, I'm not trying to be difficult, I'd like to know so I can use it in testing. I'm honestly curious for that purpose.
 
Koroviev

Koroviev

Member
Is it advisable to go for 240GB+ SSDs at this point, or would it be better to wait for prices to come down a bit further? And what are the recommended brands at that capacity?
 
B

BronsonLee

Member
May be the wrong thread, but idunno.

Any thoughts on Windows 8 on the TV, in particular Metro? My one main issue with 7 is that it's not really tuned for a TV at all. Media Center is, as is Steam, but I'd like to open with more than just a wallpaper and a task bar I hid.

Also, please don't recommend Rainmeter. I tried that stuff. I'd rather light myself aflame :p
 
M

Mulligan

Banned
Trying to format my second hard drive and i keep getting the message 'Windows cannot perform system partition on this disk.' The disk is also listed as 'System Reserved'.
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Koroviev said:
Is it advisable to go for 240GB+ SSDs at this point, or would it be better to wait for prices to come down a bit further? And what are the recommended brands at that capacity?
Click to expand...
It really depends on your specific usage. I think 128GB is fine for most people. It means you might have to uninstall a game here and there, but you can have a ton of games installed. On my test bench, which has a 128GB, I have Windows 7, tons of OC utilities, Far Cry 3, Starcraft 2, Firefall, Guild Wars 2, CS:GO, Dota 2, Tribes: Ascend, Black Ops II, and Warframe all installed. There's still something like 10-12GB left.

If it's not too much of a burden on your budget, I do think the jump to 256GB is worth it. I have two 128s on my main workstation/gaming PC, and I'm super comfy there.

SSDs right now that are great are the Samsung 840 Pro, Crucial M4, and (supposedly) OCZ Vector.
 
Koroviev

Koroviev

Member
mkenyon said:
It really depends on your specific usage. I think 128GB is fine for most people. It means you might have to uninstall a game here and there, but you can have a ton of games installed. On my test bench, which has a 128GB, I have Windows 7, tons of OC utilities, Far Cry 3, Starcraft 2, Firefall, Guild Wars 2, CS:GO, Dota 2, Tribes: Ascend, Black Ops II, and Warframe all installed. There's still something like 10-12GB left.

If it's not too much of a burden on your budget, I do think the jump to 256GB is worth it. I have two 128s on my main workstation/gaming PC, and I'm super comfy there.

SSDs right now that are great are the Samsung 840 Pro, Crucial M4, and (supposedly) OCZ Vector.
Click to expand...

Well, what I have been doing is installing Steam games to the SSD, then relocating the largest file associated with certain games to the HDD when space started running out. It doesn't seem like a terrible strategy, but certain games that I like to have installed on the SSD at all times (i.e., Left 4 Dead 2) take up quite a bit of space.

It's not unmanageable or anything, but if I'm already spending $130 on a 128GB drive, why not pay an extra $50 to double the space?

And I'm a fan of Samsung. How is the standard 840? I would like to stay a bit under $200 if possible.
 
K

kharma45

Member
Koroviev said:
Well, what I have been doing is installing Steam games to the SSD, then relocating the largest file associated with certain games to the HDD when space started running out. It doesn't seem like a terrible strategy, but certain games that I like to have installed on the SSD at all times (i.e., Left 4 Dead 2) take up quite a bit of space.

It's not unmanageable or anything, but if I'm already spending $130 on a 128GB drive, why not pay an extra $50 to double the space?

And I'm a fan of Samsung. How is the standard 840? I would like to stay a bit under $200 if possible.
Click to expand...

It's not bad all in all but it's a step down from the 830 that came before it.
 
M

Mulligan

Banned
Mulligan said:
Trying to format my second hard drive and i keep getting the message 'Windows cannot perform system partition on this disk.' The disk is also listed as 'System Reserved'.
Click to expand...

Anyone have any idea? It will only let me acsess the 100mb used as system reserve and won't let me format.
 
S

sorijealut

Member
Hi guys,
So after my recent first PC build (through PCgaf ofc :)),
I was just wondering what are recommended ways to overclock?
I'm not sure how one goes about trying different settings and how I would know what works and what doesn't.

For example, my CPU(i5 3570k) overclocked itself through ASUS AI Suite II's TurvoV EVO, and I thought it succeeded to OC to 4.2Ghz but the number now keeps fluctuating between 1.6~3.5. Occasionally the 4.2 shows.

That's just one thing though. Then there's RAM and GPU. @_@ Also, do I have enough power to OC at 550W?

here are my components one more time:
i5 3570K
Sapphire 7950 (I think just normal ver.)
Samsung GAF RAM
XFX PRO550W
 
C

Coldsnap

Member
So i gots a i5 2500k but a mini motherboard that cannot overclock. I'm in the market for a new motherboard. Should I just wait for intels new chip and upgrade both?How long would the wait be?
 
O

opticalmace

Member
Coldsnap said:
So i gots a i5 2500k but a mini motherboard that cannot overclock. I'm in the market for a new motherboard. Should I just wait for intels new chip and upgrade both?How long would the wait be?
Click to expand...

What I would probably do: check if I have a friend with a 1155 motherboard who is planning on upgrading to Haswell, and see if I could get his old board for cheap.

Don't know what you should do though. Even at stock the 2500K is pretty fast.
 
S

scogoth

Member
mkenyon said:
What game other than modded skyrim exhibits this same behavior?

*edit*

I should stipulate, I'm not trying to be difficult, I'd like to know so I can use it in testing. I'm honestly curious for that purpose.
Click to expand...

I would be curious to know too because BF3 at 6000x1080 with 4x MSAA only uses 2GB for me.
 
LiquidMetal14

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
Coldsnap said:
So i gots a i5 2500k but a mini motherboard that cannot overclock. I'm in the market for a new motherboard. Should I just wait for intels new chip and upgrade both?How long would the wait be?
Click to expand...

I just sold my whole rig for around 500. If I would have seen this before, I would have given you priority on this MB. It's a P67 which currently houses my 4.8ghz CPU.

You could probably sell that MB on ebay for a reasonable price then just get a decent 100-150~ P67 or even a Z77 motherboard that has some new bells and whistles including support for Ivy Bridge CPU's.
 
A

AkIRA_22

Member
My next PC purchase has been discovered. Nothing short of amazing, TJ11 has a challenger for best 'mainstream' water cooling case on earth, caselabs don't count IMO because they are too reliant on people knowing exactly what and are available only in the states.

736020_517270621646364_276985282_o_zps1760172b.png


321029_517270661646360_1435741622_n_zpse0b2c4cf.png


408633_518626048177488_327704824_n_zps019952a5.png


14820_518626088177484_800511986_n_zps23c3e5e6.png


23407_518626148177478_1432275004_n_zps27414e4d.png


738395_517270694979690_1720488171_o_zpsd4076de8.png
 
M

Mik2121

Member
Anyone here in Japan? I've been living here for a while and now I need to update my desktop PC (mainly for quite memory intensive 2D work (photoshop) and 3D (3DSMax)). I have been searching a bit online but I don't really know much anymore about the current models and prices, and I don't know if this stuff is cheap or expensive...

Anyway, I found this:

Dospara Raytrek 2013 (Japanese)

I will try to translate the stats but I don't know the exact english words (I'm from Spain) so some stuff might be translated in a weird way..


OS: Windows 7 Professional 64bit
Price: 229,980 Yen ($2554)
---------------------------------------
- Intel Core i7-3820 (Quad core / 3.60GHz / TB 3.80GHz / L3Cash 10MB/HT Compatible)
- NVIDIA Quadro 4000 2GB
- 32GB DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-12800/4GBx8/4Channel)
- SSD 120GB (Intel 520) + 2TB HDD (SATA3)
- DVD Super multi-drive (??)
- Intel X79 Express Chipset ATX Motherboard

- SR598M ATX case

The model name is Raytrek 2013, though I guess this is only for Japan, but whatever.

What do you guys think? I have this feeling that PCs in Japan might be a bit too expensive, but then again, I'm not sure...

Also, if I pay 1200 Yen (about $10 or so?), I can get Windows 8...

Also can lower the HDD to 1TB and then change the memory slots to 8Gbx4 so I use less slots and still have 32Gb, for the same price, which I might do because I really don't think I need 2TB for now...
 
T

Timedog

good credit (by proxy)
Okay, the fan on my 4870 broke and it overheats and shuts my system after about 1 hour. I need a new card, like, pronto. Like now and shit. I need it like now and shit, playboy. I got like 200 bones to spend on one, you feel my playboy?

Tell me what to buy, GAF.
 
E

EMT0

Banned
Timedog said:
Okay, the fan on my 4870 broke and it overheats and shuts my system after about 1 hour. I need a new card, like, pronto. Like now and shit. I need it like now and shit, playboy. I got like 200 bones to spend on one, you feel my playboy?

Tell me what to buy, GAF.
Click to expand...

A 7850 would line up right with your budget and is solid bang for buck.

This 7850 comes in at $195 and has some very nice base clock speeds, comparable to a 7950(in clock speeds alone): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419

EDIT: Might want to wait for someone else to yay or nay my opinion though, since I'm relatively new to PC hardware.
 
M

memecomplex

Member
mkenyon said:
What game other than modded skyrim exhibits this same behavior?

*edit*

I should stipulate, I'm not trying to be difficult, I'd like to know so I can use it in testing. I'm honestly curious for that purpose.
Click to expand...

For single GPU use, Rage's 16K texture mode gets really choppy performance when you look around and the system caches new textures, and when you get to some areas, like Wellspring and the second bandit area you encounter in the game, it runs at 1 frame per 5 secs or outright won't load (at 1080p 8x AA).

scogoth said:
I would be curious to know too because BF3 at 6000x1080 with 4x MSAA only uses 2GB for me.
Click to expand...

BF3's pretty good with VRAM from what I hear, it dynamically uses the amount of available VRAM on the card. What are the specs of your system and how does it run at those settings? Did you turn Aero off?
 
T

Timedog

good credit (by proxy)
EMT0 said:
A 7850 would line up right with your budget and is solid bang for buck.

This 7850 comes in at $195 and has some very nice base clock speeds, comparable to a 7950(in clock speeds alone): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419

EDIT: Might want to wait for someone else to yay or nay my opinion though, since I'm relatively new to PC hardware.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was about to purchase the 7850, but wanted GAF's opinion. Not really sure why the clockspeed matters, the 7950 seems to be a better card in pretty much every respect. I'm probably gonna overclock it anyway, or get an already overclocked card.
 
M

memecomplex

Member
Koroviev said:
Is it advisable to go for 240GB+ SSDs at this point, or would it be better to wait for prices to come down a bit further? And what are the recommended brands at that capacity?
Click to expand...

If you are a Steam user who likes to have a huge library of games, I recommend this little app called Steam Mover to move the games you're not playing off the SSD to a hard drive without having to uninstall. And when you do want to play a game from your catalogue, simply click one button to transfer that to your SSD for faster loading times in game.

http://www.traynier.com/software/steammover
 
Hawk269

Hawk269

Member
Koroviev said:
Is it advisable to go for 240GB+ SSDs at this point, or would it be better to wait for prices to come down a bit further? And what are the recommended brands at that capacity?
Click to expand...

Samsungs have all been rated very highly, especially the new 840 Pros. Don't confuse the 840 with the 840 pros though. 840's are good, but not as good as the speed found in the pro series. If you can still find a Samsung 830 those are also very good.

I just got 2x840 Pros (512gb) yesterday. Have not tested them out yet, but reading all the reviews they are top notch. Prices on SSD's are falling, but like almost anything, they will go down, but then a newer version will come out and those will be higher. But in general, the prices are coming down. 6 months ago I got my 830 256gb SSD for the same price I just paid for the 840 Pro 512GB. :)
 
E

Esqueleto

Banned
Just got a 660 ti for my cheap 250 dollar build I made a while back. Since I have an athlon 2 x4(its an unlocked tri core) , is the 660 ti going to be held back severely?
 
Hawk269

Hawk269

Member
memecomplex said:
If you are a Steam user who likes to have a huge library of games, I recommend this little app called Steam Mover to move the games you're not playing off the SSD to a hard drive without having to uninstall.

http://www.traynier.com/software/steammover
Click to expand...

I have used and love this app, but I see that Steam allows you to download games onto any drive you have in your system now and this app may not be needed depending on your needs. The nice thing about using this instead of the download location offered by steam is that they can all go to the main SSD drive and then moved over to a HDD if needed. I use my SSD mainly for games that have a lot of streaming and/or long load times and it has been great.
 
M

memecomplex

Member
Hawk269 said:
I have used and love this app, but I see that Steam allows you to download games onto any drive you have in your system now and this app may not be needed depending on your needs. The nice thing about using this instead of the download location offered by steam is that they can all go to the main SSD drive and then moved over to a HDD if needed. I use my SSD mainly for games that have a lot of streaming and/or long load times and it has been great.
Click to expand...

Exactly, choosing a download location means you'll be stuck running that game off that drive. The Steam Mover app lets you run off all games from your main SSD drive with just a few clicks. I think moving around Max Payne 3 (30GB) took around a minute? It's pretty quick regardless.
 
Hawk269

Hawk269

Member
memecomplex said:
Exactly, choosing a download location means you'll be stuck running that game off that drive. The Steam Mover app lets you run off all games from your main SSD drive with just a few clicks. I think moving around Max Payne 3 (30GB) took around a minute? It's pretty quick regardless.
Click to expand...

Yup that is what I use it for exactly. I move games that are not in my current gaming rotation to the HDD, then when I do want that game, I move it back to the SSD. Some games cannot be moved though. So far all the Half Life Games cannot be moved using this app and I think Portal 1.
 
Koroviev

Koroviev

Member
memecomplex said:
If you are a Steam user who likes to have a huge library of games, I recommend this little app called Steam Mover to move the games you're not playing off the SSD to a hard drive without having to uninstall. And when you do want to play a game from your catalogue, simply click one button to transfer that to your SSD for faster loading times in game.

http://www.traynier.com/software/steammover
Click to expand...

Cool, I was looking for something like this yesterday.

Hawk269 said:
Should of held out for the 830 instead. 840 is good, but slower than the previous generation 830's.
Click to expand...

I think I'll survive ;)
 
Hawk269

Hawk269

Member
memecomplex said:
Interesting, did not know that!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I thought it was weird too. For example, Half Life 2 does not even show up on the list of games when you load Steam-mover up, it just skips the HL games for some reason.

I just upgraded my rig from 1 SSD to 2x512GB 840Pro SSd's and am thinking of going completely 100% SSD and not have any mechanical HDD's in my rig. I am thinking of still using Steam Mover however since it affords me the ability to move games to other drives when and if I need to add a 3rd SSD. But being that all my stuff will be on SSD anyways, I wonder if I should just have Steam install games to whatever drive I want. Not sure which way I want to go with the setup yet.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Hawk269 said:
Yeah, I thought it was weird too. For example, Half Life 2 does not even show up on the list of games when you load Steam-mover up, it just skips the HL games for some reason.

I just upgraded my rig from 1 SSD to 2x512GB 840Pro SSd's and am thinking of going completely 100% SSD and not have any mechanical HDD's in my rig. I am thinking of still using Steam Mover however since it affords me the ability to move games to other drives when and if I need to add a 3rd SSD. But being that all my stuff will be on SSD anyways, I wonder if I should just have Steam install games to whatever drive I want. Not sure which way I want to go with the setup yet.
Click to expand...
Crucial said their M500 SSDs could be 1TB class for possibly $600, so that might be a good possibility soon if that extends to a 480GB/512GB model for $300.
 
M

memecomplex

Member
Hawk269 said:
Yeah, I thought it was weird too. For example, Half Life 2 does not even show up on the list of games when you load Steam-mover up, it just skips the HL games for some reason.

I just upgraded my rig from 1 SSD to 2x512GB 840Pro SSd's and am thinking of going completely 100% SSD and not have any mechanical HDD's in my rig. I am thinking of still using Steam Mover however since it affords me the ability to move games to other drives when and if I need to add a 3rd SSD. But being that all my stuff will be on SSD anyways, I wonder if I should just have Steam install games to whatever drive I want. Not sure which way I want to go with the setup yet.
Click to expand...

Nice! Did you Raid 0 those SSDs?
I was considering going all SSDs, but opted to go with a mechanical drive for back up and media storage. Very happy with it for now.
 
E

Esqueleto

Banned
Just to add to my previous question, I have this power supply. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182202 I saw on anandtech that their rig uses around 320 watts with a 660 ti but I still feel like I should get something of higher quality. Will I have problems with a 660 ti or should i just upgrade to something else?
Edit: I should also add that it's a superclocked version. http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-SUPERCLOCKED-Graphics-02G-P4-3662-KR/dp/B008S15XA0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358581565&sr=8-1&keywords=660+ti
 
K

kharma45

Member
Addnan said:
Just to make sure, these are the correct ram right?




They are so small.
Click to expand...

That's them, they're just extremely low profile, about 2/3 of the size of normal sticks.

Esqueleto said:
Just to add to my previous question, I have this power supply. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182202 I saw on anandtech that their rig uses around 320 watts with a 660 ti but I still feel like I should get something of higher quality. Will I have problems with a 660 ti or should i just upgrade to something else?
Edit: I should also add that it's a superclocked version. http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-SUPERCLOCKED-Graphics-02G-P4-3662-KR/dp/B008S15XA0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358581565&sr=8-1&keywords=660+ti
Click to expand...

Your PSU is enough, that PSU is 430w continuous so should be fine.
 
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