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[mkenyon]

Alright. I am trying to 'upgrade' to Win 8 from my USB drive. I went through that process of buying it and have a key from when it was at the cheaper price. So I clicked setup from the files that were saved on my USB drive. W8 prompt comes up and I get to "Choose what to keep". I click "Nothing". Then comes back and tells me I need to free up space on my SSD as I don't have enough for installation. Well yes...I want to obviously reformat the drive and put W8 on here but can't proceed because I don't have enough space..

Trying to boot off of a USB drive does nothing. When I disabled all other options but the USB stick it tries, and then goes to BIOS. I know it sees the USB drive because it shows up under the motherboard option to upgrade the bios.

I feel like I'm missing something here. First time I've tried to do this off a USB stick so...

Is the drive set up as a bootable media with Microsoft's tool? Just throwing the EXE on there doesn't work.

http://www.mydigitallife.info/how-t...ll-from-single-edition-dvd-disc-media-or-iso/

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool

 

[GMM]

You know, I read some people saying the same thing on Tom's hardware but with varying confidence. Cuda management is definitely sounding like a big deal for the volume of nested After Effects compositions I use, so should I find a 570? Would a 5xx work well with an i7? (I'm partially ignorant on CPU/videocard relationships).

A 5xx should work great on an i7 system, but you shouldn't neccesarily take that over a 6xx card. It all comes down to the software you will run the most. If you will do 80% gaming and 20% content production, the 6xx would give you the better performance compared to a 5xx card, but if it's 80% content production with CUDA accelerated software and 20% gaming, you should go with a 5xx card.

I did consider going with two GTX 580 cards instead of a single GTX 680, but ultimately i am going with the single GTX 680.

 

[Koroviev]

Is the drive set up as a bootable media with Microsoft's tool? Just throwing the EXE on there doesn't work.

http://www.mydigitallife.info/how-t...ll-from-single-edition-dvd-disc-media-or-iso/

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool

Yep, very true. I used BurnAware and the MS tool to make a bootable USB. I think I used the guide on about.com, but I can't recall.

 

[Bucket-o-roadkill]

Is there a new driver? I've had issues at work with October drivers after some updates this year.

If not, I would try disabling fast startup (control panel, change what power button does) so you can refresh the kernel. I think restart might do that regardless. Basically the hybrid shutdown feature allows bugs to persist because you don't really reboot.

I've got rid of that fast boot feature, completely removed it due to disabling the hibernate functionality when setting up a few SSD tweaks,

 

[TimeEffect]

Depends on the case you already have. Sometimes they aren't compatible. Modern video cards and cpu fans can be quite large.

Someone else will have to answer this but I think BF3 at 60fps for $500 or less canadian is a pretty impossible request.

However. Once you decide on parts, going into Canada Computers with the list is a great plan. They have decent prices and I think they Price Match as well. They might even assemble for you at an extra charge.

Thanks buddy, my price range is $500-$600, maybe a little more than that, BF3 cant be run on 60 FPS at $600?

 

[kennah]

I don't play BF3. What would others in this thread say the minimum specs would be to get that at 60? And are you talking a solid 60 or 60 with some drops.

 

[GHG]

I'm about to try overclocking my GTX 660's. Is there anything special I need to do when overclocking in SLI? I'm going to use EVGA Precision-x.

 

[Smokey]

Is the drive set up as a bootable media with Microsoft's tool? Just throwing the EXE on there doesn't work.

http://www.mydigitallife.info/how-t...ll-from-single-edition-dvd-disc-media-or-iso/

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool

Looking at the files that were downloaded to the drive...I don't even see a w8.iso on here? When I went through that $40 process I chose the option to put it on a USB drive for later. I've got a product key and everything so if there's no .iso on here wtf did it put on the drive.

ughhh

 

[Stuggernaut]

Fuck yes. First time someone has answered yes to this!

I'll build your PC if you'd like. I'm just outside of Oly in Rainier.

*edit*

Also to be clear, this is a free service. I accept donations in the form of proper NW beer or Whiskey.

I responded to your PM heh...

Let the process begin!

 

[Bucket-o-roadkill]

Conceded defeat, back to W7 I go!

Too many teething problems, not enough support from MS, Windows 8 is a disaster in my opinion. To not have a working dual graphics solution between AMD and MS for this laptop is pretty piss poor. Judging by Acer's shoddy website, I'm pretty sure they're hardly bothered about it either. Shame.

 

[Smokey]

Conceded defeat, back to W7 I go!

Too many teething problems, not enough support from MS, Windows 8 is a disaster in my opinion. To not have a working dual graphics solution between AMD and MS for this laptop is pretty piss poor. Judging by Acer's shoddy website, I'm pretty sure they're hardly bothered about it either. Shame.

Heh perfect timing. i'm trying to upgrade to w8 pro so i can see what the fuss is about.

 

[Bucket-o-roadkill]

Heh perfect timing. i'm trying to upgrade to w8 pro so i can see what the fuss is about.

What are you upgrading it onto? If it's a laptop with dual integrated and dedicated graphics, stay the fuck away, seriously! I've had a week solid of trying one thing after another and I've got to the point where I'm bailing out. Back to W7 and will upgrade again in a year or so. However, like I said, I'm not too convinced it'll even be sorted then to be honest, this is a problem that should have been nipped in the bud ages ago..

 

[KalBalboa]

A 5xx should work great on an i7 system, but you shouldn't neccesarily take that over a 6xx card. It all comes down to the software you will run the most. If you will do 80% gaming and 20% content production, the 6xx would give you the better performance compared to a 5xx card, but if it's 80% content production with CUDA accelerated software and 20% gaming, you should go with a 5xx card.

I did consider going with two GTX 580 cards instead of a single GTX 680, but ultimately i am going with the single GTX 680.

Thanks for all the honest advice. This thread is loaded with lots of shouts into the void, so the replies are always appreciated.

 

[DarkoMaledictus]

Hey guys, was looking at upgrading my sound. One of the things I haven't payed attention in years. The OP lists the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z as an enthusiast card and a great value. Is that the best one for the money? Was looking at some more expensive solutions like the Xonar Essence STX, is the Creative lab still a better option... a lot newer in any case.

Speaker wise any recommendations? Was looking at Corsair Gaming Audio Series SP2500, any other recommendation in that price range?

Any opinions are welcomed, thanks!

 

[Koroviev]

What are you upgrading it onto? If it's a laptop with dual integrated and dedicated graphics, stay the fuck away, seriously! I've had a week solid of trying one thing after another and I've got to the point where I'm bailing out. Back to W7 and will upgrade again in a year or so. However, like I said, I'm not too convinced it'll even be sorted then to be honest, this is a problem that should have been nipped in the bud ages ago..

I don't have much experience with Win8 on mobile devices, but I've installed it a few hundred times on various desktop configurations without issue.

 

[Smokey]

Well got the W8 install issue figured out and am using it now.

The first thing I wanted to check out was the 'No destktop screen'/metro. People up in arms about this? Press the windows key on the KB and it goes right to traditional desktop..?

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

On another forum someone is selling a GTX690 for $750/shipped.

Right now I have an i7 930/GTX570/12GB. I plan to do a completely new build this summer for around $2K, assuming I can snag about $400 for my old parts. Anyway, I was probably going to go with a 7970Ghz or 680SC for a video card in the $450-$500 range. But kinda thinking I could snag that 690 now, and hold onto it.... .... I don't really think I'll find a 690 for much cheaper than that in the next ~6months, do any of you?

 

[Exuro]

Well got the W8 install issue figured out and am using it now.

The first thing I wanted to check out was the 'No destktop screen'/metro. People up in arms about this? Press the windows key on the KB and it goes right to traditional desktop..?

Not quite. Windows key goes to metro/last app you've been to. For people that don't use the metro apps then yeah its basically a metro/desktop key.

 

[Koroviev]

Well got the W8 install issue figured out and am using it now.

The first thing I wanted to check out was the 'No destktop screen'/metro. People up in arms about this? Press the windows key on the KB and it goes right to traditional desktop..?

I don't get it. It just feels like a cleaner version of Win7 to me once you've removed the superfluous tiles and icons.

 

[GMM]

I think i am going away from the desktop pc i was looking for and will go for a pimped out iMac 27' instead since it is a full on mac and not really that much slower than the other build for my needs + i get a GREAT display and wire Apple Keyboard/Mouse with it. I am mostly defaulting to this solution due to the fact that it is reliable as hell and i wanted a better monitor, so i think the performance loss is acceptable here.

But thanks for the tips Gaf!

I do have some new things i want gaf to help me with in order to connect my storage devices.

I am thinking of putting my two old 1tb HDD's in a RaidSonic IB-4320STu3 Icy Box:

Seems like it's a good box for a good value.

What kind of enclosure (USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt) would give me the best SSD performance for my money?

 

[DarkoMaledictus]

On another forum someone is selling a GTX690 for $750/shipped.

Right now I have an i7 930/GTX570/12GB. I plan to do a completely new build this summer for around $2K, assuming I can snag about $400 for my old parts. Anyway, I was probably going to go with a 7970Ghz or 680SC for a video card in the $450-$500 range. But kinda thinking I could snag that 690 now, and hold onto it.... .... I don't really think I'll find a 690 for much cheaper than that in the next ~6months, do any of you?

That's new or used pricing?

 

[Isaccard]

Anyone in the San Antonio area wanna build a PC? >_>

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

That's new or used pricing?

Used. New I don't ever see anywhere but retail for $1K. I usually see used in the $850/range.

 

[Data West]

So my laptop says on the system info that it's a 1.5 quad, but I'm positive that's not right. Any idea what might be going wrong? I'm pretty sure I'm a 3.5 dual on this thing.

 

[kennah]

Model number?

 

[v0mitg0d]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058UUR6E/?tag=neogaf0e-20


Looked at the OP and the suggested monitors, however I have a $200 budget, would like the HDMI port and really feel like this is the best for that budget and needs.

Thoughts from you (much smarter) folks?


edit: dat 2ms!

Anyone have an opinion on this monitor? I'd love to hear someone elses thoughts.

 

[kharma45]

So my laptop says on the system info that it's a 1.5 quad, but I'm positive that's not right. Any idea what might be going wrong? I'm pretty sure I'm a 3.5 dual on this thing.

I'd imagine it turbo boosts up, and it's probably reading the extra threads as cores.

 

[scogoth]

I dont want to order online, essentially I can get $500 off a PC through work benefits, I'm going off of this site:

http://www.canadacomputers.com/

to shop for the $550 model in OP, but I cant seem to find some of these parts. I dont know if the in-store employees would try to screw me if I just hand the list to them, or if they'd start asking me questions I dont know the answers to.

I doubt all these are in their store, and I dont know if Id be able to understand any alternatives... Im assuming the guys at the store would be able to adjust for all this if I hand them the OP list...

Sorry late to the GTA party but you can order the parts at NCIX and pay $50 for them to assemble it then you can pick it up locally at one of their shops. CC doesn't assemble. If you really want to buy from CC and need someone to build it/help build it I live in the GTA. I have 4 midterms this week but after that I can help.

EDIT: I can also be a shopping assistant. CC will have all the parts just a matter if they are in stock and at which store.
EDITEDIT: well mkenyon maybe our make-shift US/CAN GAF PC services will actually start to happen
EDITEDITEDIT: I also play BF3, cant wait for another BF3 gaffer

 

[kennah]

Thanks buddy, my price range is $500-$600, maybe a little more than that, BF3 cant be run on 60 FPS at $600?

Ok... going through NCIX, this is the cheapest possible system I've come up with that doesn't use super shitty parts.

Intel i3-3220 with Asus P8B75-M LE Motherboard Bundle Deal for $170
XFX AMD 7850 with Bioshock Infinite and Tomb Raider $170 (and a further $20 rebate)
2x2gig of Kingston Value Ram 1333 $33
500Gig Seagate 7200.12 Hard Drive $58
BitFenix Merc Case Currently on sale for $30
Antec VP450 Powersupply $45
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit $98
LG Dvd Burner $24

That comes to a total of $639.50 plus taxes. They also have a $50 assembly and OS install option. I really wouldn't recommend any cheaper than that, and I really doubt it would be amazing in BF3.

EDIT: from what I can find, looks like you'd be getting between 30-40 FPS in BF3 with this setup.

 

[Bucket-o-roadkill]

fuck sake, how the hell do I enable my 7670m? It just refuses to be recognized.

 

[Pandemic]

Question, if I go with the i5 3750k, how long will it last me? By that, I mean how long will it last me till I need a whole new PC (since I'm guessing you can't upgrade the CPU?), I'll upgrade other parts such as the GPU, etc in the future, but yeah.

Thanks.

 

[kennah]

2-3 years easily.

We are at End of Life for the socket but the chip is so far ahead in performance that software is still playing catch up and the next gen of cpus (June) is only looking to be 10% faster anyway.

 

[Pandemic]

2-3 years easily.

We are at End of Life for the socket but the chip is so far ahead in performance that software is still playing catch up and the next gen of cpus (June) is only looking to be 10% faster anyway.

Oh okay, so it may even last me more than 3 years? I guess the performance with games after 3 years will just slowly need to be notched down? If that makes any sense, heh.

 

[ziadoz]

Finally pulled the trigger on the remaining parts for my build, which should arrive later this week. I'm glad I went with the AMD bundle, as I doubt I'll be able to afford any games for a few months (also planning on grabbing an SSD further down the line). Exciting times ahead.

Final Specs:
i5 3570k
CM Hyper 212 Evo
ASUS P8Z77-V LK
8GB Kingston DDR3 1600Mhz
Gigabyte 7950 3GB
Antec BP550
Fractal Arc Midi R2
WD Blue 1TB
CM Xornet/Logitech K120

Appreciate all the help I've gotten in these threads, and the info in the OP.

 

[KalBalboa]

So, here's where I'm at for my video-editing build I'm doing in a week: I need to decide on my card.

I'm hearing about a 60/40 ratio of people saying on GAF, Tom's Hardware, etc, to go with a 570 instead of a 660ti. I've heard the 570 is better at handling Cuda related tasks (I'm using CS5, Premiere & After Effects specifically) and it's half the cost of a 660ti... but there has to be a catch, right?

Between these two cards, which should I get? GTX 660 Ti Superclocked or a GTX 570 ($140 cheaper).

Money isn't much of a factor, but if there's a negligible difference in performance, noise, heat, and power, I'll just go with the cheaper card... but I know cheaper means there must be some real drawback. Can anyone explain why so many think that a $300 660 ti just isn't worth it? I feel like I'm missing something.

 

[Koroviev]

Anyone in the San Antonio area wanna build a PC? >_>

I would happily do it, but I'm in SoCal

 

[kennah]

Oh okay, so it may even last me more than 3 years? I guess the performance with games after 3 years will just slowly need to be notched down? If that makes any sense, heh.

Maybe not - games may start taking advantage of more than one processor core. I'm banking on my 2550K lasting me the next 4 years.

 

[kn1ves24]

Quick Question:

I have sorta been out of the GPU market for awhile so I haven't been following along too closely to the current batch of cards. Can someone make me a suggestion on the best way to improve from running 2x5770's in crossfire to going to one card with leaving the option to do crossfire later.

Basically this is what I'm looking at Newegg link

It sort of has to be an AMD card cause the current board I have only does crossfire, and not crossfire and sli both.

My over all goal is to spend no more than around $130 for a single card right now but be able to run current gen games better than I am with the dual 5770's. I'm not expecting 60 fps with max settings all around, but I like to run stuff at 1080p with most of the bells and whistles on.

Maybe this isnt possible with the budget I listed, any suggestions would be welcome though. I can post more machine details if that would influence a decision one way or the other.

Thanks

 

[Pandemic]

Maybe not - games may start taking advantage of more than one processor core. I'm banking on my 2550K lasting me the next 4 years.

Hmm, tough choice hah. Thanks for the response, appreciate it.

 

[Koroviev]

Maybe not - games may start taking advantage of more than one processor core. I'm banking on my 2550K lasting me the next 4 years.

Why so long? I understand pursuing longevity when it comes to, say, a refrigerator, but I want shiny new parts fairly regularly <:T

 

[kennah]

Why so long? I understand pursuing longevity when it comes to, say, a refrigerator, but I want shiny new parts fairly regularly <:T

Married and two kids and I don't need latest greatest. My q6600 and 4850 last me 5 years (had a 6850 for the last year though)

 

[Pandemic]

Anyone know if this MOBO is any good?
ASRock FM2A85X Extreme6 Motherboard

 

[Irobot82]

Anyone know if this MOBO is any good?
ASRock FM2A85X Extreme6 Motherboard

Can't say much for the Extreme 6 but I have an extreme 4 and it's one rock solid amazing board that is easy to OC and update.

Extreme 4 for an LGA 1155 that is. But in general ARock is rock solid.

 

[DarkoMaledictus]

Married and two kids and I don't need latest greatest. My q6600 and 4850 last me 5 years (had a 6850 for the last year though)

I feel for ya man...a few of my buddies are the same way... promised myself never to go down that road ! Just gonna Clooney it !

 

[Azzurri]

Which is the best non reference gtx 680 4gb?

 

[Pandemic]

Can't say much for the Extreme 6 but I have an extreme 4 and it's one rock solid amazing board that is easy to OC and update.

Extreme 4 for an LGA 1155 that is. But in general ARock is rock solid.

Alright, cheers. I just don't know which MOBO to choose from lol..

 

[GMM]

So, here's where I'm at for my video-editing build I'm doing in a week: I need to decide on my card.

I'm hearing about a 60/40 ratio of people saying on GAF, Tom's Hardware, etc, to go with a 570 instead of a 660ti. I've heard the 570 is better at handling Cuda related tasks (I'm using CS5, Premiere & After Effects specifically) and it's half the cost of a 660ti... but there has to be a catch, right?

Between these two cards, which should I get? GTX 660 Ti Superclocked or a GTX 570 ($140 cheaper).

Money isn't much of a factor, but if there's a negligible difference in performance, noise, heat, and power, I'll just go with the cheaper card... but I know cheaper means there must be some real drawback. Can anyone explain why so many think that a $300 660 ti just isn't worth it? I feel like I'm missing something.

The 660 ti is great value and will do great for what you want to do, but for CS5 I would go with the 570 due to the better CUDA performance. If you were running CS6 then you could use the new OpenCL renderer in After Effects, giving the 660 ti a good boost in performance. I don't know how the cards compare when it comes to game performance, but both cards should give you some very good performance at a low cost.

 

[kennah]

I feel for ya man...a few of my buddies are the same way... promised myself never to go down that road ! Just gonna Clooney it !

They're worth it. Always wanted kids.

I have been having fun lately with all the wheeling and dealing though. And it is nice to do a build again, even if my motherboard angst has been driving my wife nuts. She is pretty excited for this computer to be done so I stop talking about it.

 

[DarkoMaledictus]

They're worth it. Always wanted kids.

I have been having fun lately with all the wheeling and dealing though. And it is nice to do a build again, even if my motherboard angst has been driving my wife nuts. She is pretty excited for this computer to be done so I stop talking about it.

Cool man, happy for ya man! As long as you are happy that's all that counts! My buds got the bad end of the stick, they were not so lucky!

 

[kennah]

Cool man, happy for ya man! As long as you are happy that's all that counts! My buds got the bad end of the stick, they were not so lucky!

Yeah there is that. Some people's relationships I just don't understand.

So guys what should I get for my ITX motherboard. Asus, Asrock or MSI?