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"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. Ivy, SSDs, and reading the OP. [Part 2]
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PedroPanache
Member
I'd really like to run GTAIV with that ice mod at 1080p/60fps. What kind of graphics card would I need? My initial pick was a 7850, but I'm prepared to put a little extra towards my GPU budget if the benefits were good value for money.
I read your entire post in the voice of a snobby nerd/hipster. Thanks for the laughs
Everyone know what one means when they say 'IPS colors', as this is the main draw of the *good* IPS panels vs. TN panels. I had it next to my Crossover 27Q, and I could barely tell a difference. I'm using three nice glossy samsung 24" monitors here at work, and even after some calibration, they still don't match the S23A. It has really good colors, is the point. However that is achieved doesn't really matter. It's not comparing it to lots of other monitors, because the point is that it is a good 23" 120hz panel.
They're not great, but you can't go wrong for $50.
As Whiteshirt pointed out, AP15 still on top in terms of performance. Swiftech Helix are also really good (pretty much an AP15 clone), but don't quite have the life. If you're just looking for something that will offer good performance while operating quietly, the Corsair SP120 Quiet Edition is hard to beat at the price. Plus, it spins slow enough that you can just plug it in to whatever power/header is available and not have to worry about using a fan controller to deal with noise.
You can do a full install off of the upgrade version.
You need a super high clocking processor, at the very least. Not certain on the graphics card front.
I think he's trying to split hairs.
Whiteshirt
Member
You're welcome to do so once you get off the phone.
IPS is not a magic bullet for "vibrant colours". If you put a very modern TN panel with good colour gamut coverage and good contrast next to something like a Dell Ultrasharp U2312HM, chances are that the modern TN panel is going to look better than the Dell U2312HM in just about every way from screen treatment, black depth, peak brightness, etc. The only time the TN panel is going to show its shortcomings is if its large and gamma shift is immediately noticeable.
The IPS > TN story was true when TN monitors suffered from severe problems. We're talking about problems with dithering, extremely low contrast, extremely horrible viewing angles and image stability, extremely poor gamut coverage, and so forth. Modern TN panels do not suffer from the same problems: dithering has improved considerably, good TN panels can have better contrast than a lot of IPS monitors, they don't suffer from IPS glow, gamut coverage has improved, horizontal viewing angles have improved, etc.
IPS on the other hand has not improved all that much. A-TW polarizers do not exist due to cost cutting so all IPS monitors suffer from IPS glow. IPS panels often suffer from considerable contrast variations so you could potentially end up with a dud monitor with 200:1 less contrast than your friends. Even the colour depth advantage doesn't really exist anymore since most non-professional IPS monitors are using 6 bit panels with dithering. A lot of IPS monitors don't even come with good factory calibration.
Again: compared to good modern TN panels (so no $100 CCFL backlit Acers), IPS is not a magic bullet like it once was.
I read your entire post in the voice of a snobby nerd/hipster. Thanks for the laughs
Everyone know what one means when they say 'IPS colors', as this is the main draw of the *good* IPS panels vs. TN panels. I had it next to my Crossover 27Q, and I could barely tell a difference. I'm using three nice glossy samsung 24" monitors here at work, and even after some calibration, they still don't match the S23A. It has really good colors, is the point. However that is achieved doesn't really matter. It's not comparing it to lots of other monitors, because the point is that it is a good 23" 120hz panel.
No problem, I aim to please
I was just obtusely saying that there's other options out there provided the screen treatment is the same.Thanks for proving my point above. Expensive TN panels aren't all that different from IPS panels these days and they've actually got the benefit of being consistent between panels. The only real lynchpin would still be vertical viewing angles.
Don't know anything about GPU performance, but his own site's FAQ says this:
The 7850 is a really good mid range GPU so it should do great. The 3570k/2500k is pretty much the best gaming CPU for the money right now.
Well if that's all you were trying to say, f yeah. I'm totally with you.
I feel like I have to add in the 'near IPS' portion to convince the people who have been on the IPS high horse for too long, and had a bad experience with some crappy TN panels.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
I'm having trouble of finding a single 8GB stick of DDR3 1600 RAM from a decent manufacturer. I see plenty for the laptop memory, just not for desktop. My heat sink takes up too much space and physically blocks some of my memory slots, so I can only have one stick in at a time.
Does anyone know of any?
Does anyone know of any?
Get the Samsung 30nm RAM. It's physically lower than the side tabs themselves. There is no heatsink that can block them.
So I've been wanting to get a gaming/HTPC for some time now to hook up to my main TV for movies and comfy couch gaming. I want decent performance, but I don't want to spend a ton of money. Here's what I've come up with so far:
Budget: The cheaper the better (sub $800-ish)
Main Use: Gaming (5), PS2/Wii/SNES Emulation (3), HD Streaming (4), General Usage (5).
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Are you buying a new monitor? No. Hooking it up to my Panasonic VIERA TC-P65ST50 for comfy couch gaming.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Want to play upcoming games like Far Cry 3, new Tomb Raider, Crysis 3 and Bioshock Infinite and decent levels.
When will you build?: Just after Christmas as I'm looking to get some of these parts as gifts.
Will you be overclocking?: Yes
Build
CPU: i5 2500k (already purchased for $100 at MicroCenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155
RAM: Samsung 2x4GB DDR3-1600 MV-3V4G3D/US
GPU: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB
Case: HEC 7K09BBA30FNRX HTPC w/300W Power Supply
Storage: Sandisk 128GB 2.5" SSD and/or Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
Any places I can cut some corners on to save money but still have decent performance the better.
Budget: The cheaper the better (sub $800-ish)
Main Use: Gaming (5), PS2/Wii/SNES Emulation (3), HD Streaming (4), General Usage (5).
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Are you buying a new monitor? No. Hooking it up to my Panasonic VIERA TC-P65ST50 for comfy couch gaming.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Want to play upcoming games like Far Cry 3, new Tomb Raider, Crysis 3 and Bioshock Infinite and decent levels.
When will you build?: Just after Christmas as I'm looking to get some of these parts as gifts.
Will you be overclocking?: Yes
Build
CPU: i5 2500k (already purchased for $100 at MicroCenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155
RAM: Samsung 2x4GB DDR3-1600 MV-3V4G3D/US
GPU: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB
Case: HEC 7K09BBA30FNRX HTPC w/300W Power Supply
Storage: Sandisk 128GB 2.5" SSD and/or Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
Any places I can cut some corners on to save money but still have decent performance the better.
SolarPowered
Member
Lucky SOB
All I need at this point for a functioning computer are the CPU and GPU. It'd take three seconds to buy that sumbitch if it would have appeared for $100 as an online item.
Whiteshirt
Member
I definitely wouldn't trust a i5 2500k + HD7850 with a 300W HEC PSU. If you want the HTPC form factor, Antec has some good options and any PSU that comes bundled with their chassis is generally pretty good.
Does anyone have any experience with this card?
kfa2 geforce gtx 670 ex oc
Seems to have good reviews from what little there is on Google for it. Also, it's part of a pre built system @ overclockers UK so im not looking for suggestions for other 670 models. Is this card a good buy?
Thanks guys
kfa2 geforce gtx 670 ex oc
Seems to have good reviews from what little there is on Google for it. Also, it's part of a pre built system @ overclockers UK so im not looking for suggestions for other 670 models. Is this card a good buy?
Thanks guys
PC GAF, could use a bit of help here.
Lately everytime I boot up my PC I've been getting CPU Fan Error, and just today for the first time CPU temp error. I've opened it up and cleaned up the fan a bit. (an CM EVO Hyper 212)
As far as I can tell, everything is fine and it boots up just fine. Not sure what the problem is here, or what to do about it. Help?
Lately everytime I boot up my PC I've been getting CPU Fan Error, and just today for the first time CPU temp error. I've opened it up and cleaned up the fan a bit. (an CM EVO Hyper 212)
As far as I can tell, everything is fine and it boots up just fine. Not sure what the problem is here, or what to do about it. Help?
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Interesting. Do any other brands offer RAM in that size? I'm pretty stubborn about not directly supporting Samsung where possible.
Out of curiosity, why?
Samsung is one of two or three companies in the world that supply RAM. Even if you buy corsair/mushkin/whatever, chances are it's actually Samsung RAM.
I haven't personally used the new Crucial super low profile stuff, but it looks to be the same size as the Samsung RAM. Crucial is 1st party as well, so it's not made by Samsung.
Samsung is one of two or three companies in the world that supply RAM. Even if you buy corsair/mushkin/whatever, chances are it's actually Samsung RAM.
I haven't personally used the new Crucial super low profile stuff, but it looks to be the same size as the Samsung RAM. Crucial is 1st party as well, so it's not made by Samsung.
Yes, ideally I'd like an HTPC case so I can put it into my TV stand. Do I need to worry about heat issue if I plan on having it in a stand like this, but with the side door constantly open?
PedroPanache
Member
I'll be going for an ASUS 7850 card at £174. How much does the branding matter and is ASUS a good choice? There was also a Sapphire version of the card for about £20 cheaper. Which one do you think I should go for?
Asus AMD Radeon HD 7850 Card at £174
Sapphire 7850 Card at £157
Asus AMD Radeon HD 7850 Card at £174
Sapphire 7850 Card at £157
It's not the brand as much as the cooler they come with. Both of those perform really well though.
Most of the 5.1 headsets at that price are kind of weak, both in sound and build quality. CM Storm Sirus has a positive review from a friend of mine. If you don't need a good mic, you could look at a decent pair of cans from headphone GAF.
Hey, guys. I'm having some serious contemplation about going 7970 crossfire.
I already own one, so I'd just be buying another at the current prices. Are the drivers good, now? Is micro-stutter still a thing? Is it worth it? I've gotten into down-sampling lately, and my single 7970 just can't seem to cut it, sometimes even when I'm just at 1080p. Frankly, I'm becoming frustrated. Also, this is for single monitor use, apart from the secondary I'm using for browsing.
I'm very perceptive towards frame-rate degradation, so I'm worried micro-stutter is just going to be the same shit different name.
I already own one, so I'd just be buying another at the current prices. Are the drivers good, now? Is micro-stutter still a thing? Is it worth it? I've gotten into down-sampling lately, and my single 7970 just can't seem to cut it, sometimes even when I'm just at 1080p. Frankly, I'm becoming frustrated. Also, this is for single monitor use, apart from the secondary I'm using for browsing.
I'm very perceptive towards frame-rate degradation, so I'm worried micro-stutter is just going to be the same shit different name.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
I'd rather not get into that here as it will just result in a derail, and I'm not interested in battling with people who may feel like defending Samsung for whatever reason. I'll just say that I don't like them as a company and try to avoid supporting them whenever possible.
I'll check out the Crucial low-profile stuff and see if that will work. I'll also continue to search for a single 8GB DDR3 1600 stick as that will work, too.
I don't hear people talk about microstutter like they once did, but I haven't had dual AMD cards since the 5870. Catalyst Application Profiles are still kind of slow to come out, but you can make your own now, which is great. As far as performance goes, they do scale better than Kepler too. Drivers are in a good enough place right now for the 7970 to actually be the #1 performing single GPU out on the market too.
Are you sure your cpu fan is plugged in the system fan port, and not the regular case fan ports?
Everything is where it should be. Everything run fine up until recently I started getting the CPU Fan error suddenly.
Alright, well your mobo may just be over sensitive to low fan speeds. It's the winter. So if the fan is in auto, it most likely is running slower. Just check temps during idle and load to make sure they are fine. See if your mobo has cpu fan monitoring, and turn that off. IF temps are really high, then you might have a dying fan.
Keep in mind you won't get the benefits of dual channel with a single stick.
Go into a local electronics store and take a close look at the 27" 1080P monitors. They look a little funky, IMO. I think 23-24" is the right size for them.
If you want a giant monitor, check out the Crossover 27Q. 1440p IPS screen that is quite nice. If you want to really step into next gen, take a look at the 24" 120hz offerings. The Samsung S23A700D is on sale for $250 this week.
If you want a giant monitor, check out the Crossover 27Q. 1440p IPS screen that is quite nice. If you want to really step into next gen, take a look at the 24" 120hz offerings. The Samsung S23A700D is on sale for $250 this week.
creid
Member
Yeah, I don't do a lot of online gaming so mic is optional. Didn't realize headphone GAF was a thing, thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
joeygreco1985
Member
I have an OCZ Vertex 2 and an OCZ Vertex 3 in my build (OS on the V3, games on the V2) with zero problems. I'd recommend the Vertex 3 easily.
Let me know if you find this
The price is only valid on stock Samsung has (none for this monitor), and not all retailers will honor this price.Been on Samsung/Tigerdirect/CompUSA chat lines trying to see if they'll honor Samsung's $250 Black Friday sale, but I don't think they are. Tigerdirect/CompUSA has this for $280 w/ Free Shipping (4-9bus days) & no tax in certain states which is still good considering I can't find this monitor on Amazon/Newegg/Frys for this price. Mine will be here Tuesday next week, can't wait!
so far I only found an MSI 670 locally, that and a regular EVGA 670 reference card
any idea on how's the MSI one? is it basically a ref card or is it better? is it just the reference 670 pcb? :/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127675
it's an OC model, clocks are around 1000mhz
seems to be the cheapest model of 670 there is, any justification as to why? hot? loud?
any idea on how's the MSI one? is it basically a ref card or is it better? is it just the reference 670 pcb? :/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127675
it's an OC model, clocks are around 1000mhz
seems to be the cheapest model of 670 there is, any justification as to why? hot? loud?
joeygreco1985
Member
So here's a quick question, need some advice:
I built my PC close to 2 years ago.
Core i7 940 overclocked to 3.6 ghz (1366)
EVGA X58 FTW3 Motherboard
3 x 2 GB OCZ RAM (triple channel kit)
Vertex 2 and 3 SSDs
Gigabyte GTX 670 (I changed my videocard this year)
So I've seen RAM prices come down considerably since I built this. Is it worth upgrading my 6 GB setup? Do games take advantage of having more than 6 GB?
Its also worth noting that since my motherboard uses a triple-channel setup then I'd have to purchase a quad-channel kit and keep one of the sticks as an extra.
Any ideas? Or possible suggestions even?
I built my PC close to 2 years ago.
Core i7 940 overclocked to 3.6 ghz (1366)
EVGA X58 FTW3 Motherboard
3 x 2 GB OCZ RAM (triple channel kit)
Vertex 2 and 3 SSDs
Gigabyte GTX 670 (I changed my videocard this year)
So I've seen RAM prices come down considerably since I built this. Is it worth upgrading my 6 GB setup? Do games take advantage of having more than 6 GB?
Its also worth noting that since my motherboard uses a triple-channel setup then I'd have to purchase a quad-channel kit and keep one of the sticks as an extra.
Any ideas? Or possible suggestions even?
Stick with 6GB, unless you're doing media work there isn't any need for more imo.
You could probably push your OC a bit more but bar that your rig is still more than competitive.
so far I only found an MSI 670 locally, that and a regular EVGA 670 reference card
any idea on how's the MSI one? is it basically a ref card or is it better?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127675
it's an OC model, clocks are around 1000mhz
seems to be the cheapest model of 670 there is, any justification as to why? hot? loud?
Looks like a reference model to me. I have a reference MSI 680 and it's pretty loud. If I could do it again I would have waited for the non-reference models.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
I'm thinking of upgrading my HD 5870 1GB to an HD 7970 3GB sometime between now and the end of the year. Does anyone have a recommended brand or specific card? Preferably something that comes in under or around $400 on Amazon or Newegg (US).
Alternatively, does it look like there's anything coming out in the first few months of next year that will outperform the 7970 for cheaper?
Thanks!
Alternatively, does it look like there's anything coming out in the first few months of next year that will outperform the 7970 for cheaper?
Thanks!
i'm at 3.2ghz but its an unlocked x3 so i can't push it any further :\
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Hmm... Now that I'm looking into it, it appears that the 670 may be a better performer than the 7970.
Any great comparisons out there? Seeing a lot of confused posts when searching online.
Any great comparisons out there? Seeing a lot of confused posts when searching online.
Anyone here have current experience with crossfire? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
joeygreco1985
Member
The windforce is the coolest and quietest videocard I've ever owned. Those 3 fans dont need to spin anywhere near the max to cool the card
Stick to brands like MSI or Gigabyte (amongst others) for the best ones.
Ah right, damn :\
With the 12.11 drivers the 7970 is faster
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/Catalyst_12.11_Performance/23.html
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/46905-amd-catalyst-1211-benchmarked/
And that's before any overclocking too, something which the 7xxx series is very, very good at.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Damn... now I'm torn on this 7970 vs 670 thing.
It's going to come down to price and whether or not I want to take advantage of the Nvidia exclusive features, I guess.
Going to have to think about this for a while.
It's going to come down to price and whether or not I want to take advantage of the Nvidia exclusive features, I guess.
Going to have to think about this for a while.
MrTeachwell
Member
Hey guys, I've been shopping around for a new video card to replace my 6850 and I've had my eyes on a gigabyte 7950 but I notice its rarely recommended in this thread. Is that mainly because of pricing ( or cheaper pricing of similar cards) or for another aspect?
Where I live the 7950 is about $325 where there 670 goes for about $390-400. So it seems that the 7950 is the better deal and within my price range but I'm wondering if I'm seeing the whole picture.
Edit: hmm looking at the above post it seems the 7870 is a decent upgrade from the 6850 and that goes for about $250 here ( or a msi twin frozer for $235 is that any good?). Its tough because there always seems to be a new card around the corner which will either knock down the price of the current ones or slip in price wise. Maybe I'm better off waiting till I get back from China next February.
Where I live the 7950 is about $325 where there 670 goes for about $390-400. So it seems that the 7950 is the better deal and within my price range but I'm wondering if I'm seeing the whole picture.
Edit: hmm looking at the above post it seems the 7870 is a decent upgrade from the 6850 and that goes for about $250 here ( or a msi twin frozer for $235 is that any good?). Its tough because there always seems to be a new card around the corner which will either knock down the price of the current ones or slip in price wise. Maybe I'm better off waiting till I get back from China next February.
I helped my bro build a new pc with the help of this thread. We are now starting it up for the first time and getting the " no memory detected" beep code.He has an asus p8 z77v mother board and corsair xms3 ddr3 ram units. I am hoping its something stupid since we are both amateur pc builders. Any insight gaf?
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