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[kharma45]

I see the i5 2500K is $160 (their normal price).

Am I correct in assuming a 3570K is worth the 10 bucks extra?

It is yeah.

 

[saelz8]

Ok, the last difficult decision of this upgrade.

7950 or 660TI?

 

[sk3tch]

Ok, the last difficult decision of this upgrade.

7950 or 660TI?

7950

 

[TriniTrin]

I see the i5 2500K is $160 (their normal price).

Am I correct in assuming a 3570K is worth the 10 bucks extra?

how much of an upgrade is the 3570K from the 2500k speedwise?

 

[sk3tch]

how much of an upgrade is the 3570K from the 2500k speedwise?

Not much - but you're better off being on the Z77 chipset for its advancements (i.e. PCIe 3.0) versus the older, P67.

 

[TriniTrin]

Not much - but you're better off being on the Z77 chipset for its advancements (i.e. PCIe 3.0) versus the older, P67.

Ahh ok, Thanks!! What about the 3770K? im thinking about upgrading my 2500k and am not sure where to go from there with regards to cost/performance.

 

[sk3tch]

Ahh ok, Thanks!! What about the 3770K? im thinking about upgrading my 2500k and am not sure where to go from there with regards to cost/performance.

If you're on a 2500k, sit tight. Haswell next year would be a better upgrade (still likely not worth it). I thought you were considering either going P67 or Z77...sorry. If you're already on P67 then you are all good.

 

[mkenyon]

Are reliable are SSDs nowadays? Are they better or worse than HDDs for reliability?

About the same or better.

Does that include laptop SSDs or do they have more/different issues?

Entirely depends on the make/model.

Hello all, working on a new build and would like some advice.

If anyone would be so kind as to sanity check my new build I would appreciate it:
Case: Fractal Arc Midi
Mobo: Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS*
CPU: i5 Ivy 3.4GHz**
RAM: 8GB CORSAIR Vengeance
GPU: ?***
OS: Win7 Pro 64bit

*Motherboard is one thing I'm having a hard time deciding on. It's like option overload. So many firmwares and onboards and overclocks and PCI-E x4 x8 x16 xxxx yada-yada these days. I've based my initial selection off the OP, but recommendations are appreciated, it's a little overwhelming telling what's different (that matters) between mobos.

**Not a modding/OC enthusiast or anything, so I just planned to put a Cooler Master (or something) on the CPU and calling it good for now. Case is going to stay closed so I don't care about internals matching/color schemes/sexyawesomewatercoolingthatIwanttotrysomeday or whatnot.

***For GPUs I'm undecided. I was not planning to SLI, mainly because $$, so I have been waffling between a 4GB 670 and a 2GB 670 (leaning towards 4GB) because the bang for your buck on a 670 seems pretty great, but I could maybe be talked into a 680 if it will make that much difference since they have been coming down in price. My 8800GTX has been a beast and still performs well, and I plan to keep my current PC running until it dies, but... if I want 5+ years out of a single new GPU, is the 4GB 680 the way to go?

I've already got a PSU (Seasonic X750) and SSD (Samsung 256GB) on hand. Not adding additional HDD at this time. Probably will double the RAM in a few months, but 8GB will be plenty to get me going.

Definitely a 670 4GB. Get non-EVGA.

The K processor is so worth it. To OC to 4.0-4.5 is changing two values in BIOS. It's not an enthusiast only thing anymore. In lots of games it will be the difference between 60fps or not, especially anything on the UE3 engine.

For motherboard, I'd suggest going with the V-LK if you aren't going to ask a lot out of it. If you are, the V or Gene are great. If you want thunderbolt, consider the Gigabyte UP5-TH.

Ahh ok, Thanks!! What about the 3770K? im thinking about upgrading my 2500k and am not sure where to go from there with regards to cost/performance.

There is no upgrade. Overclock!

 

[omlet]

Definitely a 670 4GB. Get non-EVGA.

The K processor is so worth it. To OC to 4.0-4.5 is changing two values in BIOS. It's not an enthusiast only thing anymore. In lots of games it will be the difference between 60fps or not, especially anything on the UE3 engine.

For motherboard, I'd suggest going with the V-LK if you aren't going to ask a lot out of it. If you are, the V or Gene are great. If you want thunderbolt, consider the Gigabyte UP5-TH.

Thanks for the tips.

So I guess you mean this CPU?

As for GPU, yeah, I was looking at EVGA initially since that's what I have now, but the housing on their 600 line looks like it's just asking to melt under load lol... so I was looking at models with (assumed) better looking out-of-the-box heat dispersion designs like I linked to.

What do you mean by "asking a lot out of the motherboard"? What are you paying (close to) double for on the Gigabyte UP5-TH?

 

[ithorien]

So as it's been typical for me in my builds, onboard NIC is starting to shit the bed.

I'm looking at replacing it with one of the good Intels, but has anyone had any experience between the PCI-E one and just standard PCI?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106033

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106121

They're the same price, and I have room for either type, just can't seem to find any advantages of PCI-E.

 

[mkenyon]

So as it's been typical for me in my builds, onboard NIC is starting to shit the bed.

I'm looking at replacing it with one of the good Intels, but has anyone had any experience between the PCI-E one and just standard PCI?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106033

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106121

They're the same price, and I have room for either type, just can't seem to find any advantages of PCI-E.

Same thing, different interface.

Thanks for the tips.

So I guess you mean this CPU?

As for GPU, yeah, I was looking at EVGA initially since that's what I have now, but the housing on their 600 line looks like it's just asking to melt under load lol... so I was looking at models with (assumed) better looking out-of-the-box heat dispersion designs like I linked to.

What do you mean by "asking a lot out of the motherboard"? What are you paying (close to) double for on the Gigabyte UP5-TH?

Yeah, that is the right processor.

By asking a lot out of, I mean multi-GPUs, pushing the OC line, RAID/storage/transcoding duty. That sort of thing.

The gigabyte board has thunderbolt on board with a really good/cool/reliable power system meaning parts stay healthy.

 

[TheD]

So as it's been typical for me in my builds, onboard NIC is starting to shit the bed.

I'm looking at replacing it with one of the good Intels, but has anyone had any experience between the PCI-E one and just standard PCI?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106033

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106121

They're the same price, and I have room for either type, just can't seem to find any advantages of PCI-E.

Conventional PCI is going to be supported by less and less boards, might as well get the PCI-E one so you can be sure it works on newer and newer motherboards.

 

[ithorien]

Same thing, different interface.

Conventional PCI is going to be supported by less and less boards, might as well get the PCI-E one so you can be sure it works on newer and newer motherboards.

Thanks guys.

 

[DTKT]

My EVGA FTW 670 is reaching 74 on heavy load. Should I change the fan settings to get it under 70 at all times?

 

[mkenyon]

My EVGA FTW 670 is reaching 74 on heavy load. Should I change the fan settings to get it under 70 at all times?

If you want it louder. Only really recommended for bench runs though.

 

[DTKT]

If you want it louder. Only really recommended for bench runs though.

I thought Kepler cards throttled themselves when they reached 70C or plus?

 

[saelz8]

i5 3570K and 7950 incoming! FEELS GOOD!

 

[mkenyon]

I thought Kepler cards throttled themselves when they reached 70C or plus?

They do, but its not significant when you are talking about a gaming load.

 

[CatPee]

I thought Kepler cards throttled themselves when they reached 70C or plus?

Pretty negligible difference. Throttled down 670 still handles most things at high framerates so the drop isn't much noticeable at all.

 

[mkenyon]

Have you tried running it in the following conditions (obviously, update your mobo BIOS to the latest first)?

1) Disable SLI.
2) Unhook all monitors except 1.
3) Run patch.
4) Reboot.
5) Check PCIe 3.0 status with GPU-Z, if good:
6) Re-connect all monitors.
7) Re-enable SLI.

Should work now. It's pretty finicky. However, this is with an ASUS RIVE. I would not go the Z77 route if I were you, that PLX crap isn't too bad but you get less PCIe lanes direct to the CPU - and your board, even if it doesn't support NVIDIA PCIe 3.0 now, will likely support it soon. For 3-way, your gains are like 8% MAX...even then it's minimal. I can't even really tell with 4-way.

Didn't work.... *sadface*

Going to contact Gigabyte to see if they would sponsor a build with the UP7. Dat white and orange!

 

[MiniBossman]

Working on my build plan, what is the recommended 7950 GPU right now?

 

[mkenyon]

Sapphire (non-Toxic), Gigabyte Windforce, ASUS DCII, MSI Twin Frozr, Powercolor twin fan guy.

 

[MiniBossman]

So this is where I am at with my build plan:

Basic use will be to play games in my basement on my TV, maybe some gameplay capture via a capture card of my retro game consoles.

Case: Fractal Arc Midi $69
PSU: SeaSonic M12II 750 $119
CPU: i5 3570K $229
FAN: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 $37
MB: ASUS P8Z77-V LK $139
RAM: G-Skill Ares 1.5v 2x8GB DDR3 1600 $79
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB $199
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100352-2L Radeon HD 7950 3GB $299

I have extra optical and mechanical HDs around, but am i missing anything? Places where my money could be better spent?

Damage is $1175.

 

[gurudyne]

Definitely a 670 4GB. Get non-EVGA.

I'm curious. Why the 4GB? Do the added benefits of the 4GB model outweigh the added costs?

MicroCenter bringing it with another sale:

$170 3570k
$270 3770k

$140 ASUS P8z77-V ATX (-$40 bundle with CPU above savings)

More to it, but that's the main gist. Damn.

This would be so tempting if I didn't live out in the middle of nowhere. Stupid in-store discounts. Grumble grumble.

Newegg has a combo deal--25 off with another 15 in rebates for a 3570K with ASUS P8Z77-V LK. It's tempting--do you think I'd be better off waiting for Cyber Monday, or is this a good enough deal to pull the trigger on?

 

[mkenyon]

I'm curious. Why the 4GB? Do the added benefits of the 4GB model outweigh the added costs?

If you are the type of person plunking down change on a 670 already, going that extra little bit to ensure enough VRAM for games a year or two down the road is a worthy bump in price. It's not a huge deal, but it seems like a no-brainer unless you are on a tight budget and just barely squeezing that 670 in there.

So this is where I am at with my build plan:

Basic use will be to play games in my basement on my TV, maybe some gameplay capture via a capture card of my retro game consoles.

Case: Fractal Arc Midi $69
PSU: SeaSonic M12II 750 $119
CPU: i5 3570K $229
FAN: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 $37
MB: ASUS P8Z77-V LK $139
RAM: G-Skill Ares 1.5v 2x8GB DDR3 1600 $79
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB $199
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100352-2L Radeon HD 7950 3GB $299

I have extra optical and mechanical HDs around, but am i missing anything? Places where my money could be better spent?

Damage is $1175.

Looks great! You could certainly go down on the PSU to a 550W. Also keep a look out on Seasonic's X series on newegg. They're clearing stock for the new X series (minor changes) so they seem to be going on sale daily. I've seen the X750 for $100 a few days ago.

 

[omlet]

By asking a lot out of, I mean multi-GPUs, pushing the OC line, RAID/storage/transcoding duty. That sort of thing.

The gigabyte board has thunderbolt on board with a really good/cool/reliable power system meaning parts stay healthy.

I'm not sure my body is ready to put down almost $400 for the extended ATX Maximus V, what about the mATX version? All I'm losing is some PIC slot count, right? I'm not on a strict budget really, but $200 range sounds much more palatable for motherboard. Never built with mATX though, I won't be able to SLI (again, wasn't planning to at first, but who knows if I'll change my mind in a couple years) if I add a soundcard or something, right?

I've seen the X750 for $100 a few days ago.

I snagged one

 

[mkenyon]

I'm not sure my body is ready to put down almost $400 for the extended ATX Maximus V, what about the mATX version? All I'm losing is some PIC slot count, right? I'm not on a strict budget really, but $200 range sounds much more palatable for motherboard. Never built with mATX though, I won't be able to SLI (again, wasn't planning to at first, but who knows if I'll change my mind in a couple years) if I add a soundcard or something, right?



I snagged one

That's why I was saying the Gene V. It is a very overclocker-oriented board, but there's a lot of cool stuff on it that's good for every day use. You get a great NIC, awesome onboard sound (no soundcard needed with this guy), and super quality VRMs and capacitors.

That being said, if you're trying to save a buck, the V-LK is a great deal too.

 

[Ty4on]

That's why I was saying the Gene V. It is a very overclocker-oriented board, but there's a lot of cool stuff on it that's good for every day use. You get a great NIC, awesome onboard sound (no soundcard needed with this guy), and super quality VRMs and capacitors.

That being said, if you're trying to save a buck, the V-LK is a great deal too.

What's your take on the P8Z77-M Pro versus the Gene V?

 

[omlet]

That's why I was saying the Gene V. It is a very overclocker-oriented board, but there's a lot of cool stuff on it that's good for every day use. You get a great NIC, awesome onboard sound (no soundcard needed with this guy), and super quality VRMs and capacitors.

That being said, if you're trying to save a buck, the V-LK is a great deal too.

Cool. I could handle a $60 difference between the V-LK and the Gene V. Gene V still within my price range, especially considering I'm going with a cheaper case than I budgeted for and I got the PSU on sale.

 

[AB12]

If anybody is interested Tiger Direct is selling a Sapphire 7870 for $180 with a $15 rebate and $70 Coupon.

 

[theytookourjobz]

Anybody have experience with USB wifi adapters? I moved to a new place and the way my room is setup, a wired connection is not doable.

 

[beje]

Anybody have experience with USB wifi adapters? I moved to a new place and the way my room is setup, a wired connection is not doable.

As long as you just have one wall at most in the way, it's perfectly fine. More than that can be hit and miss, but still doable.

Personally, I'd rather have an internal PCI or PCI-E wifi card, as most of them can take advantage of Windows native drivers while most of the USB ones need extra drivers and crapware installed in order to work. Plus, internal ones come with an antenna that might give you a better signal reception.

Edit: another option would be installing PLC, but quality would be completely dependable on your electric installation. Wouldn't advise it in an old building.

 

[theytookourjobz]

As long as you just have one wall at most in the way, it's perfectly fine. More than that can be hit and miss, but still doable.

Personally, I'd rather have an internal PCI or PCI-E wifi card, as most of them can take advantage of Windows native drivers while most of the USB ones need extra drivers and crapware installed in order to work. Plus, internal ones come with an antenna that might give you a better signal reception.

I get a great signal and great speeds from my phone and iPad so I'm assuming my signal is fine here. I don't really play too many games online so high ping isn't an issue. Guess ill try it out and see how it goes.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[MiniBossman]

So looking this over a bit more

Maybe I need to change the case to something quieter? Am i really giving up anything going with the MSI or Biostar boards vs the Asus from the Hazaro build?

Is the Gigabyte Windforce card quieter or the Sapphire better for some other reason?


Case: Fractal Arc Midi $69
PSU: SeaSonic M12II 750 $119
CPU: i5 3570K $229
FAN: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 $37
MB: ASUS P8Z77-V LK $139
RAM: G-Skill Ares 1.5v 2x8GB DDR3 1600 $79
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB $199
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100352-2L Radeon HD 7950 3GB $299

 

[kharma45]

Anybody have experience with USB wifi adapters? I moved to a new place and the way my room is setup, a wired connection is not doable.

I've two Belkin G+ MIMO one and they're fine, never had a single issue.

So looking this over a bit more

Maybe I need to change the case to something quieter? Am i really giving up anything going with the MSI or Biostar boards vs the Asus from the Hazaro build?

Is the Gigabyte Windforce card quieter or the Sapphire better for some other reason?


Case: Fractal Arc Midi $69
PSU: SeaSonic M12II 750 $119
CPU: i5 3570K $229
FAN: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 $37
MB: ASUS P8Z77-V LK $139
RAM: G-Skill Ares 1.5v 2x8GB DDR3 1600 $79
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB $199
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100352-2L Radeon HD 7950 3GB $299

I'd go Gigabyte for the 7950, better brand imo and at least here in the UK their RMA is much superior.

With regards to your PSU, you could probably drop to a 650w Seasonic one if you wanted to save some cash, unless you plan to Crossfire in the future.

 

[Trojita]

How many motherboards support Thunderbolt now? I remember seeing only two before. Do any graphics cards support it yet?

I'm about to build a system but would like one that would be compatible with an Apple Thunderbolt Display.

 

[teh_pwn]

Are reliable are SSDs nowadays? Are they better or worse than HDDs for reliability?

Samsung's are considerably more reliable than traditional HDDs, which all SSDs should because they don't have moving parts. The reason why there were so many issues were SATA controllers not being tested. Samsung's SSDs contain Samsung SATA controllers so they're tested and developed properly. 3rd party controllers are probably getting better too (no 30 second lockups, BSOD at startup, and corrupt partition tables).

I pretty much never trust traditional HDDs without RAID 1+. Any review you find will have 15% reporting immediate failures, let alone ones that fail over 2 years.

Even with SSDs I'll probably start using RAID 1+ when prices go down.

 

[scogoth]

How many motherboards support Thunderbolt now? I remember seeing only two before. Do any graphics cards support it yet?

I'm about to build a system but would like one that would be compatible with an Apple Thunderbolt Display.

There are more than 2 now, no graphics cards support it but ASUS sells an add in card to enable thunderbolt on their motherboard with a display port passthrough that you can use with a graphics card.

 

[Trojita]

There are more than 2 now, no graphics cards support it but ASUS sells an add in card to enable thunderbolt on their motherboard with a display port passthrough that you can use with a graphics card.

Seriously!? Does it work with the Sabretooth?

Is there any lag or performance decrease? Someone before mentioned that they thought they saw that in an Anand review, but I never saw a followup.

 

[scogoth]

Seriously!? Does it work with the Sabretooth?

Is there any lag or performance decrease? Someone before mentioned that they thought they saw that in an Anand review, but I never saw a followup.

Yes the sabertooth Z77 supports the add-in card. There shouldn't be any lag or performance decrease but I haven't seen anyone specifically test that.

 

[Trojita]

Yes the sabertooth Z77 supports the add-in card. There shouldn't be any lag or performance decrease but I haven't seen anyone specifically test that.

I don't see it for sale anywhere? Is it finished?

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

What say you guys on this card?
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...d_Edition_2048MB_GDDR5_PCIe_30_x16_Video_Card

 

[Hazaro]

What say you guys on this card?
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...d_Edition_2048MB_GDDR5_PCIe_30_x16_Video_Card

I wouldn't buy any >$250 GPU without a dual fan cooler.

 

[scogoth]

I don't see it for sale anywhere? Is it finished?

Hmmm apparently it isn't available yet. Other option is to get a thunderbolt motherboard with LucidLogix Virtu to put your GPUs output through the iGPU.

 

[mkenyon]

I wouldn't buy any >$250 GPU without a dual fan cooler.

QFT (unless you are watercooling)

 

[scogoth]

QFT (unless you are watercooling)

Or quad SLI

 

[sk3tch]

Or quad SLI

Or tri-SLI. Or a GTX 690 (or two). In fact, double fan cooling is not necessarily the best. The 680 Classified has a better cooler than any of those double-fan jobbies. Nevermind that double fan means you can't do tri or quad SLI in the future.


(click to enlarge)


(click to enlarge)

 

[NobleXenon]

Can anyone recommend a computer case that is similar in being plain and black like the Antec Three Hundred case but the power supply intakes air from the bottom instead. It needs to be mid tower and nothing fancy. I also prefer to have USB 2.0 in the front. Any suggestions?

 

[sk3tch]

Can anyone recommend a computer case that is similar in being plain and black like the Antec Three Hundred case but the power supply intakes air from the bottom instead. It needs to be mid tower and nothing fancy. I also prefer to have USB 2.0 in the front. Any suggestions?

CM Scout 2 fits the bill. Awesome case. Love mine. Pics are above. Just came out a month ago. ~$100.

 

[MrPing1000]

Can anyone recommend a computer case that is similar in being plain and black like the Antec Three Hundred case but the power supply intakes air from the bottom instead. It needs to be mid tower and nothing fancy. I also prefer to have USB 2.0 in the front. Any suggestions?

Fractal Design R4.