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

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Exuro

Member
Get the Gigabyte Windforce OC. That shit is heavenly.
Right now it's between that and the evga ftw edition. Waiting next week for some deals. the Windforce wasw $350 the other day so I'm hoping it drops down to that or better in the coming week.

EDIT: what's the difference between the short/long pcb versions? Noticed theres one with 2 fans vs 3.

EDIT2: Newegg still has it on sale for $350 plus 20 mir and 2 games hmm. This is the one I should be looking at right? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423
 

fokkusu

Member
Hi Neogaf,

CPU: i2500k @ 4.0 GHz -> tried to get higher but it start to give BSOD or system hang (I am quite newbie with overlocking)
MOBO: ASRock P67 Extreme4, P67 (B3)
RAM: Elixir 4GB CL9-9-9-24 (DDR3-1333) nothing special here, basic RAM
GPU: Sapphire HD 6950 2GB no OC'd
HDD: Samsung 830 SSD

Playing AC3 with 22" display (1680x1050) and the performance is not the best (30-40fps). Is the GPU the bottleneck here, should I get GTX 670 or 680 instead? Or should I investigate more to the overcloking the CPU/GPU?
 

mkenyon

Banned
Right now it's between that and the evga ftw edition. Waiting next week for some deals. the Windforce wasw $350 the other day so I'm hoping it drops down to that or better in the coming week.

EDIT: what's the difference between the short/long pcb versions? Noticed theres one with 2 fans vs 3.

EDIT2: Newegg still has it on sale for $350 plus 20 mir and 2 games hmm. This is the one I should be looking at right? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423
One is on the 680 PCB and has been known to OC well, the other is on 670 PCB.
Hi Neogaf,

CPU: i2500k @ 4.0 GHz -> tried to get higher but it start to give BSOD or system hang (I am quite newbie with overlocking)
MOBO: ASRock P67 Extreme4, P67 (B3)
RAM: Elixir 4GB CL9-9-9-24 (DDR3-1333) nothing special here, basic RAM
GPU: Sapphire HD 6950 2GB no OC'd
HDD: Samsung 830 SSD

Playing AC3 with 22" display (1680x1050) and the performance is not the best (30-40fps). Is the GPU the bottleneck here, should I get GTX 670 or 680 instead? Or should I investigate more to the overcloking the CPU/GPU?
Increase voltage. What settings do you have in game?
 

fokkusu

Member
One is on the 680 PCB and has been known to OC well, the other is on 670 PCB.

Increase voltage. What settings do you have in game?

I tried to increase the voltage but when running tests, prime95 it does the crashing..

AC3 settings:
MultiSampleType=0
VSync=1
EnvironmentQuality=1
TextureQuality=1
ShadowQuality=0
 
I just got my first SSD up and running. I was disappointed in how inconvenient it was to change default user folder locations. I could have accidentaly filled it up too fast. Apparentl Windows 8 optimizes for it better, but are there any other canges I should make to the drive that was specifically stated?
 

mkenyon

Banned
I just got my first SSD up and running. I was disappointed in how inconvenient it was to change default user folder locations. I could have accidentaly filled it up too fast. Apparentl Windows 8 optimizes for it better, but are there any other canges I should make to the drive that was specifically stated?
OP
Holy hell, I didn't realize this was a thing. I just got the 7870, How often will I need to replace the coolants?
He means in custom loops with custom water blocks like this here:

OJ5Lb.jpg

 

Hellish

Member
Tidy mate. You might want to put some of these on the side fans;

SilverstoneDustFilter.jpg


I'd personally put them outside the case.
The case comes with a magnetic fan filter for the top and side panels:

hDXM1l.jpg

as well as front, I just took them off for pictures

------

those might very well be the best fans money can buy but damn they're an eyesore.
i should know since i got Noctuas for one of my builds (i know those are not Noctuas but you get the point).

i don't want to sound like a jerk, your build still looks ace!

:)

I bought those fans solely for how they look, I love them

7423043262_61d51de203_z.jpg


------


Very slick!


Thanks
 

pants

Member
Having a bit of issues with a new PC I'm building up, parts below :

Gigabyte GA-H67MA-USB3-B3 - Socket 1155 Motherboard
Seagate - Barracuda 500GB HDD 16MB Cache - SATA 3 - 6.0Gb/s
Transcend JetRam - 4GB DDR3 1333 MHz x 2
RaidMax 730W PSU 135mm
Intel Boxed Core i5 3570K - 3.40GHz Quad Core - Socket 1155 CPU
Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 - GDDR5 PCI-E 3.0 Graphics Card - 1GB
Raidmax Super Atlas Black - Windowed Side Panel


I've assembled everything but when I power the rig on it does this weird thing were it starts up then goes off, and it does this until i power off on the PSU. It's been a while since I did a build, but I'm sure I fitted everything correctly (well obviously not lol) The case connectors were weird because I have no idea which side was positive or negative so I fitted them all to show the writing facing outwards (visible)

Can anyone give me an idea of what I am doing wrong? Help a gaffer out :( (the pc speaker makes no noise btw, .. it could be in wrong way round :I)
 
Spent today semi-building my PC, fitted the motherboard, ram and Power supply into a new case. The GPU and CPU will arrive next week, but I thought I'd see if it would power up, and make sure the PSU was ok (in the past it worked on some of my older computers, in that the PSU fan would start-up when just connected to a basic board without a CPU or GPU). However, I got nothing when I attempted to turn my new PC, and would like to know if it's different with modern motherboards and PSU's, in that they won't power up without a CPU connected.

Everything seems ok, both ATX cables are connected, power switch is connected to the right pins. I'm using a Asrock Z77 Pro4 and XFX PSU Pro550w.
 

Gowans

Member
My Mrs is no idiot, before I had the chance to blow too much in the local PC shop she got me to go Christmas shopping and hit Ikea :( still STUCK in the Sweedish labyrinth :(
 
There's so way its 65mm. Those things are about as low profile as you get. The Gemini is definitely taller.

Just to clarify, you mean the stock cooler is definitely less than 65 mm? If so, I will just stick with it, as it should plenty to cool the i3 3220, especially with no dedicated GPU in the case.
 

mkenyon

Banned
Having a bit of issues with a new PC I'm building up, parts below :

Gigabyte GA-H67MA-USB3-B3 - Socket 1155 Motherboard
Seagate - Barracuda 500GB HDD 16MB Cache - SATA 3 - 6.0Gb/s
Transcend JetRam - 4GB DDR3 1333 MHz x 2
RaidMax 730W PSU 135mm
Intel Boxed Core i5 3570K - 3.40GHz Quad Core - Socket 1155 CPU
Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 - GDDR5 PCI-E 3.0 Graphics Card - 1GB
Raidmax Super Atlas Black - Windowed Side Panel


I've assembled everything but when I power the rig on it does this weird thing were it starts up then goes off, and it does this until i power off on the PSU. It's been a while since I did a build, but I'm sure I fitted everything correctly (well obviously not lol) The case connectors were weird because I have no idea which side was positive or negative so I fitted them all to show the writing facing outwards (visible)

Can anyone give me an idea of what I am doing wrong? Help a gaffer out :( (the pc speaker makes no noise btw, .. it could be in wrong way round :I)
Sounds like it might be the Gigabyte cold boot bug.
Just to clarify, you mean the stock cooler is definitely less than 65 mm? If so, I will just stick with it, as it should plenty to cool the i3 3220, especially with no dedicated GPU in the case.
Yeah, tablet typo. It is less than 65mm.
My Mrs is no idiot, before I had the chance to blow too much in the local PC shop she got me to go Christmas shopping and hit Ikea :( still STUCK in the Sweedish labyrinth :(
Oh man. That really sucks.
Spent today semi-building my PC, fitted the motherboard, ram and Power supply into a new case. The GPU and CPU will arrive next week, but I thought I'd see if it would power up, and make sure the PSU was ok (in the past it worked on some of my older computers, in that the PSU fan would start-up when just connected to a basic board without a CPU or GPU). However, I got nothing when I attempted to turn my new PC, and would like to know if it's different with modern motherboards and PSU's, in that they won't power up without a CPU connected.

Everything seems ok, both ATX cables are connected, power switch is connected to the right pins. I'm using a Asrock Z77 Pro4 and XFX PSU Pro550w.
Yeah, many will not boot without the CPU installed.
 

Jharp

Member
Opt out of Steam beta. It's an issue.What are you looking for?

I wasn't in any Steam betas on this PC (I have the Big Picture beta on my old PC, which is now plugged into the TV), but I tried opting in then opting back out, and neither did anything with the "qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq" issue. As for the iTunes issue, I was poking around Event Viewer and noted a ton of Bonjour Service errors, which may have been the cause of several windows error noises that I'd heard at random. I uninstalled all Apple services and am currently re-installing iTunes, so hopefully that solves these issues. Still no idea what's going on with Steam and "qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq." Google has yielded nothing.

What do you mean what am I looking for?
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
I wasn't in any Steam betas on this PC (I have the Big Picture beta on my old PC, which is now plugged into the TV), but I tried opting in then opting back out, and neither did anything with the "qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq" issue. As for the iTunes issue, I was poking around Event Viewer and noted a ton of Bonjour Service errors, which may have been the cause of several windows error noises that I'd heard at random. I uninstalled all Apple services and am currently re-installing iTunes, so hopefully that solves these issues. Still no idea what's going on with Steam and "qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq." Google has yielded nothing.
Is Q or a similar key a shortcut to 'home' or 'start of playlist'?
Run a CCleaner and the registry cleanup.
I'd run a SMART test and memtest 86+ to make sure it's not some hardware being funky.

Sounds like it could possibly be a keyboard issue as well?

Not really sure so I'm just throwing things out there.
To be sure though, does it matter which way around you put in your front panel cables?[/QUOTE]
Not power/reset.
 

Elhandro

Member
Gaf...Call for Help.

Putting together a Christmas upgrade of a new HTPC. Need some help making sure i put together a winner prior to signing on the dotted line.

This will be mainly be for playing games on my Projector @ 1080P / 60 FPS and streaming HD video. Looking at capturing something that will stand up to Next Gen and robust enough not to break down any time soon.

Gaf Have at it

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/oNK8
 

pants

Member
Read up about this, sounds possible. Will test the given solutions now and report back.

To be sure though, does it matter which way around you put in your front panel cables?

Fail. I have the HDMI and Standard monitor connector in (had them in both onboard and GFX card) and dont even get a post. It still does that stupid boot and shutdown thing even after I followed the various work arounds given. I know my pc speaker is connected properly at least because I tried booting without RAM
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Gaf...Call for Help.

Putting together a Christmas upgrade of a new HTPC. Need some help making sure i put together a winner prior to signing on the dotted line.

This will be mainly be for playing games on my Projector @ 1080P / 60 FPS and streaming HD video. Looking at capturing something that will stand up to Next Gen and robust enough not to break down any time soon.

Gaf Have at it

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/oNK8
Can go cheaper on PSU: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093

Not sure if a CM212+ will fit in that case, look at a Gemini II.
Also low profile RAM like in the OP. Corsair Vengeance LP
 

mkenyon

Banned
recorded a video of the sound the card is making:

http://youtu.be/LXZxMQ9wb7I

that's running 3Dmark11. Reaches around 100fps but mostly 60
Yeah, that's most definitely VRM pop. No question. Been a thing since last few gens on both sides (AMD and NVIDIA). I think historically people didn't notice due to fan noise.
Any deals on backlit Mechanical Keyboards? I know amazon has the Razar BW for 100.
CM Store has some deals, and I like their boards a lot more than Razer.
Yup back from Toys R Us & Ikea a broken man, skint and the PC shop is shut.

Defo going for the cheap option now.
You already said you went to IKEA. Zing!
 

Salsa

Member
Yeah, that's most definitely VRM pop. No question. Been a thing since last few gens on both sides (AMD and NVIDIA). I think historically people didn't notice due to fan noise.

thanks for the clarification. Much louder than the fan here though

speakers/headphones mostly cover it unless im really looking for it. I'll deal

you ever had it yourself?
 
Anyone ever see Samsung's low profile DDR3 RAM go on sale for less than $35 for 2x4 GB? It Is the last part of my build, but I won't be overclocking it, I just want 1.35 V low profile RAM. Having a hard time finding a good brand besides Samsung's, and thus am waiting for a sale on their sticks.
 

mkenyon

Banned
Anyone ever see Samsung's low profile DDR3 RAM go on sale for less than $35 for 2x4 GB? It Is the last part of my build, but I won't be overclocking it, I just want 1.35 V low profile RAM. Having a hard time finding a good brand besides Samsung's, and thus am waiting for a sale on their sticks.
You wont find it any cheaper. Just too much demand.
thanks for the clarification. Much louder than the fan here though

speakers/headphones mostly cover it unless im really looking for it. I'll deal

you ever had it yourself?
Yeah, on every card I've had in the last two gens. What I'm saying though, since this gen is much quieter (and AMD's 6xxx series) than previous cards, non-watercoolers are noticing it.
 

Haliela

Member
So I'm looking to build a mid range gaming/media PC. Right now I simply hook up my laptop to my TV, and it fits nicely in my TV stand. However, since I never move it getting another laptop is a waste of money since they're way overpriced for the performance you get.

What do you recommend as far as cases and innards for a smaller form factor PC? I've tried building one before and heat was a MAJOR issue. Now I don't top performance parts as I mainly play WoW and Diablo III, but I'd like to have something semi future proof at least. Looking for something around $500 altogether keeping in mind I have a mouse, keyboard, all the trimmings already.

It would be awesome to have a small PC capable of fitting on the shelf of my entertainment center, but a free standing case (as long as it's not massive) would work well too. The case, if not in the entertainment center, would be resting on carpeting, so any intakes near the bottom of the case may be slightly obstructed.

Any assistance with this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
 

mkenyon

Banned
Finished my PC projects a couple of months ago. Should keep me happy till the next consoles in two years time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MReOKJuCq3c&feature=plcp
Fanfuckingtastic! Love it.
So I'm looking to build a mid range gaming/media PC. Right now I simply hook up my laptop to my TV, and it fits nicely in my TV stand. However, since I never move it getting another laptop is a waste of money since they're way overpriced for the performance you get.

What do you recommend as far as cases and innards for a smaller form factor PC? I've tried building one before and heat was a MAJOR issue. Now I don't top performance parts as I mainly play WoW and Diablo III, but I'd like to have something semi future proof at least. Looking for something around $500 altogether keeping in mind I have a mouse, keyboard, all the trimmings already.

It would be awesome to have a small PC capable of fitting on the shelf of my entertainment center, but a free standing case (as long as it's not massive) would work well too. The case, if not in the entertainment center, would be resting on carpeting, so any intakes near the bottom of the case may be slightly obstructed.

Any assistance with this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
OP, Small Form Factor guide. (Hyperlinking on Nexus 7 is a pain, otherwise I would)

Also, since it is a new page:

STEELSERIES SENSEI RAW FOR $41 AND FLUX FOR $70 ON STEELSERIES WEBSITE! BEST MOUSE FOR SO LITTLE!
 

SkyscraperFan

Neo Member
I'm thinking about finally building my first pc, and I used the guide in the OP as a template. All I need now is a monitor. Does anyone have any suggestions for a monitor that won't cost me too much?
 
Any idea when we will hear concrete information about AMD next videocards, like specs and launch dates. I would ask about Nvidia but they release some months after AMD.

Also when it's expected to launch Intel next CPU's?
 

sixghost

Member
Thanks for all the advice guys. This is the build I ended up with. Everything is currently on its way, hopefully I'll be able to start putting it together on Friday. I'm pretty satisfied with all the parts, and I think I managed to get it all for pretty cheap. I was woefully under-prepared when it came to researching video cards though. I didn't really have any idea what to look for other than doing a bunch of benchmark comparisons. At least I'll have a point of reference for next time, and wont have the time pressure of Black Friday.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($108.24)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($14.99)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LE ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99)
Memory: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($194.99)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi Tower ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99)
Power Supply: SeaSonic SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W ($54.99)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.98)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($79.98)
Total: $731.11
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-24 17:14 EST-0500)

All I need is a monitor now. Thanks again.
 

Mordeccai

Member
I'm thinking about finally building my first pc, and I used the guide in the OP as a template. All I need now is a monitor. Does anyone have any suggestions for a monitor that won't cost me too much?

Newegg is having a sale on monitors until the 26th, you could check there. I'm not a pc part buff so I don't really know any other sites but it looks like you could snag a monitor from newegg on the cheap.

Is there anything wrong with just using a SSD in your build with no HDD as a backup? I really dont need much storage, all my music comes from spotify, don't have pictures and I play one to two games at a time. Do people put in a SSD and HDD just in case one of them fails?
 
So mkenyon, since you are the resident BitFenix expert around these parts, is the BitFenix Survivor a good case? It's on sale at NCIX (or should I say was as it won't let me add it into the cart.)
 

x3r0123

Member
got my psu so I just need ssd and monitor. The monitor can come in later.

I'm looking for extra 120mm fans and thermal paste. Any recommendations?
 

t-ramp

Member
Is there anything wrong with just using a SSD in your build with no HDD as a backup? I really dont need much storage, all my music comes from spotify, don't have pictures and I play one to two games at a time. Do people put in a SSD and HDD just in case one of them fails?
Nope, nothing wrong at all. There's always the chance of failure, though, so keeping your important stuff backed up on another drive, optical media, or online is a good idea. Mostly hard drives are just used for stuff that takes up a lot of room and doesn't require exceptionally quick load times - photos, movies, etc.
 

mkenyon

Banned
So mkenyon, since you are the resident BitFenix expert around these parts, is the BitFenix Survivor a good case? It's on sale at NCIX (or should I say was as it won't let me add it into the cart.)
It lacks on airflow. Replacement fans are almost a requirement. Otherwise, pretty sweet little case.
Steelseries raw better than the MX518? And if so, rubber or smooth surface?
Dear lord yes. I like the rubber a lot more.
Is there anything wrong with just using a SSD in your build with no HDD as a backup? I really dont need much storage, all my music comes from spotify, don't have pictures and I play one to two games at a time. Do people put in a SSD and HDD just in case one of them fails?
That's how I do it. Mechanical drives are for my recording machine and NAS.
got my psu so I just need ssd and monitor. The monitor can come in later.

I'm looking for extra 120mm fans and thermal paste. Any recommendations?
From lowest to highest in price: low speed yate loons, spectre pro, corsair AF quiet edition, scythe GT AP-15s, noctua nf-s12, noiseblocker eloops. For heataink duty, swap out corsair SP for AF, F12 for S12, otherwise the list stays the same.

For thermal paste, whatever comes with the heatsink will be fine. If you need some anyway, Phobya HeGrease is the best, Prolimatech PK1/2/3 are great.
 

Akai__

Member
I'm not sure, if I should order the Samsung 830 SSD, because I don't really know, if it will be compatible with my PC and if it will fit in the tower. :/

Are those things easy to install and how compatible are they in general?

It's a shame, that I'm not much into hardware...
 
I'm not sure, if I should order the Samsung 830 SSD, because I don't really know, if it will be compatible with my PC and if it will fit in the tower. :/

Are those things easy to install and how compatible are they in general?

It's a shame, that I'm not much into hardware...

as for compatibility its just a simple plug in data cable, plug in power cable, the bios should easily pick it up automatically, see drive in the OS, ??????, profit

as for fitting they are really small since its a laptop size hardrive plus your case might have an area to place those type of drives (what is your case though so i can get a better picture).

You can also just place in on top of the other drives since it doesn't give off much heat/ vibration or like mkenyon you can get some heavy duty 2 side tape and stick it on a surface.


rfBnCh.jpg


this is a build mkenyon posted, note the 2 white squares with connectors next to each other
 
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