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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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Polishin8r
Member
thanks for the help peps
Lookin' good. It might be worthwhile moving the hard-drive to one of the bays on the lower rack, then removing the top hard-drive rack, as it'll help with airflow. Other than that, all good.
Polishin8r
Member
GoldenEye 007
Member
So going by that chart in the OP, if I wanted to get a new GPU to replace my current 8800GTX, would you recommend the GTX 560/Ti or HD 7850 (1 or 2GB)?
Gaming needs aren't that important as previously stated here. I play mostly Source games and I may want to get into strategy games moving forward. Civilization or something.
Budget-wise I'd rather not go over $200 if at all possible. Ideally I'm spending around $150. I'm seeing some benchmarks around the net and of course these cards are an improvement over the beastly 8800GTX. But I'm just not sure what is a good card for the price/performance ratio and one that would give me as few driver issues as possible.
I'll be running Win8 64bit now and I know the nVidia drivers I've been using for years have given me like no issues. I hear AMD drivers are iffy sometimes.
Edit: And I am jealous of some of these builds with the amazing cable management. I'll definitely try to take more time and care into managing the inside of the case. I imagine electrical tape and zip-ties are your friends?
Gaming needs aren't that important as previously stated here. I play mostly Source games and I may want to get into strategy games moving forward. Civilization or something.
Budget-wise I'd rather not go over $200 if at all possible. Ideally I'm spending around $150. I'm seeing some benchmarks around the net and of course these cards are an improvement over the beastly 8800GTX. But I'm just not sure what is a good card for the price/performance ratio and one that would give me as few driver issues as possible.
I'll be running Win8 64bit now and I know the nVidia drivers I've been using for years have given me like no issues. I hear AMD drivers are iffy sometimes.
Edit: And I am jealous of some of these builds with the amazing cable management. I'll definitely try to take more time and care into managing the inside of the case. I imagine electrical tape and zip-ties are your friends?
Between 560Ti and 7850 I'd pick the later, as it has a more modern architecture and runs cooler and less power-hungry.
Should've mounted the HDD/SSD in the bottom rack and remove the top rack for better airflow. Have fun with the new PC!
Edit: Oh wait, it's an R4. Don't know if that's possible.
The 7850 is supposed to be very good value at the moment. If you do go with the 7850, though, make sure to get the 2GB version.
Should've mounted the HDD/SSD in the bottom rack and remove the top rack for better airflow. Have fun with the new PC!
Edit: Oh wait, it's an R4. Don't know if that's possible.
Yep, it's possible. Wasn't on the R3, but it is on the R4.
Also, I suggested it four posts earlier
GoldenEye 007
Member
Damn you Sannndy! It's been awhile since I ordered from Newegg and I forgot one of their their main shipping hubs is out of NJ. So it'll be awhile before things are even able to ship out. Probably won't get anything until next week at the earliest.
I did get a new mouse and PSU from Amazon, though. Should be here tomorrow.
I did get a new mouse and PSU from Amazon, though. Should be here tomorrow.
Irobot82
Member
thanks for the help peps
Looks great, My R4 is en route from CA right now. I got it for $89. One piece of advice. Put your HDD on the bottom rack and take out the top rack. You'll get better air flow.
Irobot82
Member
Wish i could do this with my R3.
Can't you unbolt it from the chassis?
I wish I could have got a white R4, they look so sexy. Most retailers were sold out or higher prices then I wanted to pay. I think, a restock is coming or they are going to release an R5 soon.
Infinite Justice
Member
While seeing these posts i forgot that the lower drive bays of my case can be removed so it might just do that to get more air in there.
I think the last two things I need to nail down are bluetooth and the PSU.
There's nothing in the OP about bluetooth, which I imagine I'll need for my keyboard and mouse since whenever I use this PC I'll probably be sitting 10-15 feet away from the tower. Are there any particular PCIe Bluetooth adapters I need to look out for? And what are the best prices on wireless keyboards and mouses?
Lastly, I imagine that 550w will be sufficient for the following setup:
i5 3570k
H77
HD7850
Migrating over my WD 1TB HDD
Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 SSD (which is better?)
Phantom 410
Random Optical Drive
Netgear or Linksys Wi-Fi adapter
Windows 7
No monitor
There's nothing in the OP about bluetooth, which I imagine I'll need for my keyboard and mouse since whenever I use this PC I'll probably be sitting 10-15 feet away from the tower. Are there any particular PCIe Bluetooth adapters I need to look out for? And what are the best prices on wireless keyboards and mouses?
Lastly, I imagine that 550w will be sufficient for the following setup:
i5 3570k
H77
HD7850
Migrating over my WD 1TB HDD
Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 SSD (which is better?)
Phantom 410
Random Optical Drive
Netgear or Linksys Wi-Fi adapter
Windows 7
No monitor
For $10 to $20 more on Amazon you can get the Samsung 830 which is probably the best SSD out there.
Irobot82
Member
Yeah I know. I think at this point I'm just trying to be greedy. I was hoping to drop $150ish on a 256GB SSD. I think I'll just bite the bullet and get the Samsung 830.
If you can wait a bit the price has been fluctuating on Amazon.
Irobot82
Member
All I have left to buy is a monitor, an SSD, and a GPU.
I currently have sitting in a box.
i5 - 3570K
Asrock Z77 Extreme 4
2 TB HDD 64MB Cache
Water 2.0 Performer
Geil 2x4GB DDR3 1600 (came free with the mobo, can't argue with that)
Rosewill Capstone 750W Gold, Modular
Fractal R4 is en route
I wanted to spend $150 each on SSD and Monitor. I want a 23" 2ms and 256GB SSD. I'd also like to score a 7950 for $300 or so. I can wait until Thanksgiving time frame, I'm in no rush.
Hawk269
Member
I am thinking of going with Windows 8 and want to do it as a clean install. I currently have a Samsung SSD as my OS drive and a few key programs on it and I have my 2x1TB HDD's for game files etc.
What would be the easiest steps for installing Windows 8 onto my SSD? It has been a while when I had to re-do my set up and I remember it being a pain in the ass because every time I tried to format the SSD Windows said it could not because it was the OS drive.
Just looking for the easiest way to do this, even though it will cause me to re-download all my stuff (which is ok) as long as it is simple and not a pain in the ass.
Thanks!
What would be the easiest steps for installing Windows 8 onto my SSD? It has been a while when I had to re-do my set up and I remember it being a pain in the ass because every time I tried to format the SSD Windows said it could not because it was the OS drive.
Just looking for the easiest way to do this, even though it will cause me to re-download all my stuff (which is ok) as long as it is simple and not a pain in the ass.
Thanks!
diztrukted
Member
So I've updated my parts yet again. Still not sure on what case to choose but I'll continue watching youtube videos of the ones mkenyon suggested
note: I'm pretty sure the power supply is overkill as I'm still editing just about everyday.
The hardest choice so far has been choosing a case, I like the 800d and I like the 600t but a lot of the others are nice too, like the stryker or 300r. I really want a case with just very clean lines and very good cable management. I currently have a mid sized case (element t) and I hate that thing with a passion- going to a full size may be too much since they're so tall. idk, just thinking too much about it i guess.
black/red
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100 92.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($100.74 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus V Formula EATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Corsair Force Series GT 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 800D ATX Full Tower Case ($244.96 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1772.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
note: I'm pretty sure the power supply is overkill as I'm still editing just about everyday.
The hardest choice so far has been choosing a case, I like the 800d and I like the 600t but a lot of the others are nice too, like the stryker or 300r. I really want a case with just very clean lines and very good cable management. I currently have a mid sized case (element t) and I hate that thing with a passion- going to a full size may be too much since they're so tall. idk, just thinking too much about it i guess.
black/red
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100 92.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($100.74 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus V Formula EATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Corsair Force Series GT 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 800D ATX Full Tower Case ($244.96 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1772.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
JustProgress
Member
Just FYI, 800D is a great case but mainly for watercooled units.
THANK YOU!! It turns out that I didnt have my speaker set up, so I wasnt able to diagnose the problem properly.
Everything is running smooth now
Btw whats the usual speed on the samsung 830? I did a speed test with that crystal app and got something like 265 mb/s on sequential write/read
I'm using factory firmware/settings though
520 Read, 320 Write, you might have plugged into a SATA2 port.
diztrukted
Member
I really can't decide if I want to go with watercooling or not.
They look nice as far as glowing colored liquid goes and I'm sure they do a great job of actual cooling but what difference in temps would I get? is it significant? or is watercooling more of eye candy.
AND...if I'm concerned about neatness of cable management...loops going all over the place may not be where I want to go unless I use those 90 degree elbows but those decrease efficiency don't they.
at this point I'm really clueless as to what I want to do. I want something quiet, neat, and rather powerful but I feel like there has to be a compromise in one of those to achieve what I'm looking for.
TL;DR i'm confused.
JustProgress
Member
Can't tell if my problem is vibration or just loud fans. Previously, in the default configuration my front fan was super loud so I got a replacement but ended up just taking it out. My top fan was also very loud but if I put my hand over the top grates, the sound would stop.
So basically I took out the top fan and front fan. Replaced the top 2 AF fans and mounted another AF fan on the drive cage. It's alright now, not perfect. Still looking for a replacement.
7850 the much better buy. Faster at stock, overclocks like a demon if you avoid the reference ones and the 12.11 drivers bring a great performance boost.
also, get the 2gb version.
Better than porn. Damn!
Edit: btw I just finished mounting the Hyper 212 EVO I just received. CPU has never been cooler, it's such an amazing improvement on my old CM Vortex 752. Really happy, I think the fan is at full speed (1500+RPM) and I can't hear a thing.
Tarin02543
Member
^^
looks like a Portal 2 level, and a very difficult one at that!
looks like a Portal 2 level, and a very difficult one at that!
It reminded me of Mirror's Edge too. That green <3
GoldenEye 007
Member
So I went ahead and went full throttle..... ordered the new conventional hard drives at 500GB each for a RAID mirror setup to compliment the 120GB SSD from Intel.
And just said fuck it too and ordered the HD 7850 in the 2GB config. Just ripped the band-aid off all at once. The new PSU and mouse are here now and everything else should be in tomorrow on my day off. So I should be able to dedicate some time to at least attempting a nice internal cable setup.
And just said fuck it too and ordered the HD 7850 in the 2GB config. Just ripped the band-aid off all at once. The new PSU and mouse are here now and everything else should be in tomorrow on my day off. So I should be able to dedicate some time to at least attempting a nice internal cable setup.
diztrukted
Member
mkenyon where did you get your waterblocks (if you don't mind sharing), i've been having a hard time finding places with waterblocks for asus gtx 670 dc ii
They are EKWB
Was reading your OCN posts mkenyon, those guys really slammed the monsoons
EDIT:Side note i got the electrical working with the aquaero, the LED strips are dimmable off the two PWM controllers and my monitor accent lighting works off the relay. Once you get that set up I can help you to make those LEDs controllable.
EDITEDIT: voted
Frozen CPU. Performance PCs has the DCII blocks in stock.
That thread in particular has a group of haters that just post snark all day.
Polishin8r
Member
Hey guys i was shopping for a monitor and it come down to these two and which one is better?
Asus-VS247H-P-24-inch
or
Asus-VS248H-P-24-inch
i don't get the difference seems it comes down to Brightness(Max) : 250 cd/㎡ vs 300
Asus-VS247H-P-24-inch
or
Asus-VS248H-P-24-inch
i don't get the difference seems it comes down to Brightness(Max) : 250 cd/㎡ vs 300
Here's a few of my posts from that thread:
I kind of miss the days of redoing my PC every week, but it got out of hand. Mostly I wish I'd been smarter with my money during my modding and cooling adventures.
Alright, so I'm hoping for a bit of advice. I bought some parts from a fellow GAFfer in the B/S/T thread a couple months back. They're not new, but they were MUCH better than what I had:
- ASUS M4A78 PLUS motherboard
- Phenom II X3 720 (?) Black Edition
- 4 GB of RAM
- PowerColor Radeon 5850
With the other parts I scrounged up in town, I was able to put together a new machine for a couple hundred bucks. However, I'm considering upgrading the processor to an X4 or an X6.
I can get an X4 965 for around $90 it seems. Is this going to be a worthwhile upgrade? I'd like to play some games from this generation, and other than that it's mainly just used for web browsing, etc. Nothing too intensive. I'd like an X6 1090 or 1100, but they seem to sell for a lot of money on eBay. Would the gains of going to hexacore even be worth it?
My other question is if I should buy another 5850 and SLI them. I think I can get one for a reasonable amount of money, and it seems like I'd get pretty good gains (closer to what the 6xxx cards get?) for a relatively inexpensive upgrade. I do not plan on buying a monitor that's over 1080P (costs), and this is sort of a stop gap until I finish school and can buy something better in a couple of years.
Any advice is appreciated.
- ASUS M4A78 PLUS motherboard
- Phenom II X3 720 (?) Black Edition
- 4 GB of RAM
- PowerColor Radeon 5850
With the other parts I scrounged up in town, I was able to put together a new machine for a couple hundred bucks. However, I'm considering upgrading the processor to an X4 or an X6.
I can get an X4 965 for around $90 it seems. Is this going to be a worthwhile upgrade? I'd like to play some games from this generation, and other than that it's mainly just used for web browsing, etc. Nothing too intensive. I'd like an X6 1090 or 1100, but they seem to sell for a lot of money on eBay. Would the gains of going to hexacore even be worth it?
My other question is if I should buy another 5850 and SLI them. I think I can get one for a reasonable amount of money, and it seems like I'd get pretty good gains (closer to what the 6xxx cards get?) for a relatively inexpensive upgrade. I do not plan on buying a monitor that's over 1080P (costs), and this is sort of a stop gap until I finish school and can buy something better in a couple of years.
Any advice is appreciated.
MrCunningham
Member
I am still looking around for a graphics card to purchase for a friend of mine. He gave me the money to buy something for him, because he has no idea what to shop for. So I am looking at this card to purchase before the day is over:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=69829&vpn=FX787ACDFC&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1296
The card looks great at this price, especially with the never settle bundle games and mail in rebate. Plus most reviews I have read on the new 12.11 drivers suggest that they give a 7-10% performance increase on the 7870, which makes this card look even more appealing. But whats the reputation on FXF? Are the coolers quiet on these cards? Are there any problems I should be aware of with this manufacture?
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=69829&vpn=FX787ACDFC&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1296
The card looks great at this price, especially with the never settle bundle games and mail in rebate. Plus most reviews I have read on the new 12.11 drivers suggest that they give a 7-10% performance increase on the 7870, which makes this card look even more appealing. But whats the reputation on FXF? Are the coolers quiet on these cards? Are there any problems I should be aware of with this manufacture?
I would say the first thing to be replaced is the motherboard, if not multiple components. One thing to note is that there's a good chance the 720 BE can be unlocked to a quad-core with the proper chipset. Also, your current board can't do CrossFireX (SLI is for Nvidia), is limited to DDR2 RAM, and is missing other modern features as well. For $50 or less you should be able to get a decent used board that at the least would enable potentially unlocking the fourth core. However, you'd likely need DDR3 RAM, which would be a bit extra for 4 or 8GB.
That looks really sweet.
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