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[kennah]

This is the most I can find on it, I'm not sure if the "K" is different from the one in that PC (the link doesn't work for me). I'd check to make sure the PC has a PCIE 2.0 slot so you know if you can upgrade later.

The benchmark link you posted is AFTER they added a dedicated graphics card - which the computer he's listing doesn't have.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/amd_a10_5700k_review_apu,10.html

Shows it as twice as fast as the Intel HD 4000.... Which is shitty.

 

[killertofu]

How much does Cache effect performance? I have a choice between a 32MB and a 64MB. This is just the drive that I'm gonna dump my media on...

 

[Kipp]

So what's the mousepad to get? SteelSeries QcK? Or is there some super cheap one that does the job just as well?
Also, is it worth it to get the QcK+ or is 12.6x10.6 plenty big? (I know I ought to know what mouse pad size is necessary, but due to the very strange desk arrangement this PC is currently on, there's only room for a tiny mouse pad.)

 

[Shambles]

So what's the mousepad to get? SteelSeries QcK? Or is there some super cheap one that does the job just as well?
Also, is it worth it to get the QcK+ or is 12.6x10.6 plenty big? (I know I ought to know what mouse pad size is necessary, but due to the very strange desk arrangement this PC is currently on, there's only room for a tiny mouse pad.)

Pfft, don't waste your money on that over-priced fluff.
This is my mousepad: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX1429

 

[TimeEffect]

This is the most I can find on it, I'm not sure if the "K" is different from the one in that PC (the link doesn't work for me). I'd check to make sure the PC has a PCIE 2.0 slot so you know if you can upgrade later.



That's not necessarily true, this is a video of a 5800 running BF3. It's doing 30fps on medium/1080p with fraps on, doesn't seem that awful to me.

edit: yeah, didn't notice that on the benchmarks. I'd get something with a discrete gpu then.

The benchmark link you posted is AFTER they added a dedicated graphics card - which the computer he's listing doesn't have.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/amd_a10_5700k_review_apu,10.html

Shows it as twice as fast as the Intel HD 4000.... Which is shitty.

So which is it?

Can you guys recommend me the cheapest PC's built possible that can run games like Battlefield decently enough, please?

I'm sort of in a hurry because I have a deal with pre-built PC's

Thanks

 

[Kipp]

Pfft, don't waste your money on that over-priced fluff.
This is my mousepad: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX1429

I figured that might be the case. Wasn't sure if there was any difference between cheap-o mousepads and the "gamer" ones.

 

[kennah]

So which is it?

Can you guys recommend me the cheapest PC's built possible that can run games like Battlefield decently enough, please?

I'm sort of in a hurry because I have a deal with pre-built PC's

Thanks

I'm just not sure what we're going to be able to do for you. There are two adages I have here.

"Good - Fast - Cheap. PICK TWO"

and

"You buy cheap - you buy twice"

If you had the time to build one yourself, shop around for parts, you can get a pretty decent deal for $600. You could look around and find something used from a generation or two back and put a good video card in it. I just can't recommend a prebuilt like that that has limited upgrade/repair options. If you want something RIGHT NOW for very little money - you're very limited and are probably not going to get something that will make you happy in the long run.

 

[TimeEffect]

I'm just not sure what we're going to be able to do for you. There are two adages I have here.

"Good - Fast - Cheap. PICK TWO"

and

"You buy cheap - you buy twice"

If you had the time to build one yourself, shop around for parts, you can get a pretty decent deal for $600. You could look around and find something used from a generation or two back and put a good video card in it. I just can't recommend a prebuilt like that that has limited upgrade/repair options. If you want something RIGHT NOW for very little money - you're very limited and are probably not going to get something that will make you happy in the long run.

Ok, what's the least expensive model that isn't necessarily cheap?

 

[mkenyon]

Guys, can you tell me what you think of this for a gaming PC: http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product...spx?path=81aeb81d3c43f89e040730dbed0f32cben02

HP Pavilion p7-1449 Desktop Computer (AMD A10-5700 / 10GB RAM / 1TB HDD / Windows 8)

I would hopefully like to play Battlefield at decent specs.

Nope. Pretty terrible.

Get an Alienware X51 if you have to buy prebuilt. The i5 with the 660 is the best value.

I figured that might be the case. Wasn't sure if there was any difference between cheap-o mousepads and the "gamer" ones.

Oh there most definitely is. No freaking question whatsoever about this.

Artisan Shiden Mousepad is my favorite. The XTRAC XXL is also pretty good.

 

[kennah]

Ok, what's the least expensive model that isn't necessarily cheap?

Where in Canada are you and what is the "pre built deal" you are talking about?

 

[garath]

I figured that might be the case. Wasn't sure if there was any difference between cheap-o mousepads and the "gamer" ones.

I'll second mkenyon. There is definitely a difference between gamer pads and those crappy staples brand rubber and cloth things. I love my func archetype mousepad. I've had it for about 8 years now with no regrets over the 25 bucks I spent on it.

 

[kennah]

3M PRECISE MOUSING SURFACE (PMS)

 

[Jim E. Rossler]

Should I go from 8 to 16gb? At most I'll be doing some streaming or light video editing along with gaming

I usually only run out of 8gb after I leave Firefox+chrome up with 80 tabs open in mulitple windows over the course of weeks

 

[Shambles]

I'll second mkenyon. There is definitely a difference between gamer pads and those crappy staples brand rubber and cloth things. I love my func archetype mousepad. I've had it for about 8 years now with no regrets over the 25 bucks I spent on it.

I've used a lot of varying sizes and slickness. Basically you'll adjust to any change in surface given a couple weeks. Some people have a preference but you won't perform any better with a gaming mouse pad. And as far as those huge over-size pads go if you're throwing your mouse all over your desk you really need to adjust your mouse sensitivity so that you aren't so slow in making each gesture.

 

[mkenyon]

You're crazy Shambles!

800 or lower CPI + low in game sens for life. Waaaaaay more accurate. There's a reason why all the pros still do this. Getting a pad that allows for this in a smooth and consistent fashion is extremely important if you play competitively.

On the flip side of things, if you play a lot of RTS/ARTS/MOBA games with high sens, having a mousepad that allows better control of short movements is extremely beneficial.

Also, different types of surfaces *do* react differently with different types of sensors.

 

[minasodaboy]

The deed is done:

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card
Power Supply: Thermaltake SMART Series SP-750M 750W ATX 12V V2.3 & EPS 12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE, Modular
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

Thanks for all of the help/feedback. It's going to be a long weekend wait.

 

[kennah]

Textbook build

 

[Kipp]

Oh geez. Didn't know choosing a mousepad was going to be so difficult. Care to link me to a recommended one that's less than $20 (if possible)? I'm by no means a professional gamer or anything like that, so I feel like it'd be a bit silly to spend too much on a mousepad. Also, I'm probably going to take mkenyon's advice and get the Sensei RAW, if that makes a difference in mousepad recommendations.

 

[appaws]

Oh geez. Didn't know choosing a mousepad was going to be so difficult. Care to link me to a recommended one that's less than $20 (if possible)? I'm by no means a professional gamer or anything like that, so I feel like it'd be a bit silly to spend too much on a mousepad. Also, I'm probably going to take mkenyon's advice and get the Sensei RAW, if that makes a difference in mousepad recommendations.

I grabbed a 9.99 black Rosewill one and its been pretty good. As long as its big and it does not move around on my desk I am happy.

 

[mkenyon]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826991001

Xtrac Ripper XXL

Big enough to put your keyboard on too, so your hands have a nice place to rest. You also never run into the problem of running out of mouse room or hitting the edges.

 

[Zeth]

I need a PSU recommendation for one of the plans I'm considering. I might add a second 680 for SLI. Right now I'm using the Antec BP550 Plus, so I think I'll probably need more power. Also curious about how SLI would work with my motherboard, it's an Asus P8z77-V LK. Is it not ideal for SLi? Is 8x/8x bad? I'm kind of new to this stuff.

For a Titan or a second 680, the BP550 isn't going to cut it, I'm guessing.

 

[appaws]

Speaking of overclocked 7950s...

Did I do this right, or am I just killing my card by not changing the voltage and just upping the power limit?

Anything you can get at stock voltage is good. It isn't hurting the card. Having the power limit thing at +20 is pretty much a necessity for overclocking the 7950.

That seems pretty low for stability at 1100/1575. Most people seem to have to go up on the voltage a little to get stability there. I think a good method is to start at 1.2 volts and 1100/1500, test for stability. If you are good, you can slowly step the voltage back in small increments...(like .10) until you find the lowest setting that is still stable.

But if you are good at 1.08v 1100/1575...that's pretty awesome. How have you tested it for stability? Always watch temps@!!!

 

[mkenyon]

I need a PSU recommendation for one of the plans I'm considering. I might add a second 680 for SLI. Right now I'm using the Antec BP550 Plus, so I think I'll probably need more power. Also curious about how SLI would work with my motherboard, it's an Asus P8z77-V LK. Is it not ideal for SLi? Is 8x/8x bad? I'm kind of new to this stuff.

For a Titan or a second 680, the BP550 isn't going to cut it, I'm guessing.

Da OP yo.

Your motherboard will run each card at x8/x8 PCI-E 3.0, so they won't be bottlenecked.

I'd just hold out for the 780 though in all seriousness. Half a year away(ish).

 

[Kipp]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826991001

Xtrac Ripper XXL

Big enough to put your keyboard on too, so your hands have a nice place to rest. You also never run into the problem of running out of mouse room or hitting the edges.

Oh man. I just put a tape measure on my desk. That really is pretty massive. Haha. Thanks for the recommendation! I think I will grab that one.

 

[Katyusha]

Anything you can get at stock voltage is good. It isn't hurting the card. Having the power limit thing at +20 is pretty much a necessity for overclocking the 7950.

That seems pretty low for stability at 1100/1575. Most people seem to have to go up on the voltage a little to get stability there. I think a good method is to start at 1.2 volts and 1100/1500, test for stability. If you are good, you can slowly step the voltage back in small increments...(like .10) until you find the lowest setting that is still stable.

But if you are good at 1.08v 1100/1575...that's pretty awesome. How have you tested it for stability? Always watch temps@!!!

I've been running it at these clocks since January I believe, and I've never had any stability issue (no crashes or anything) but my temps hover around the upper 70's to lower 80's. The hottest I've seen it at was 84c, in Assassin's Creed 3 of all games.

 

[LowParry]

So in terms of performance and the better value, which CPU is better?

i5 3570 (3.4) or i7 3770 (3.5)

I plan to overclock but only at safe stock speeds, etc. Mainly my PC will be for gaming with a little side of internet use, music and movie use.


Edit: And is this a good Mobo to upgrade with?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...unction&cm_sp=&AID=10440897&PID=5961731&SID=0

 

[Xdrive05]

So my aging Antec TruePower 2.0 550w is apparently not strong enough to power my rig with the MSI 7950 I just bought. A full screen run of Uningine Valley causes my whole PC to reboot after just a few minutes of benchmarking, while running it at half resolution does not. So apparently maxing out the card for a long enough period kills the PSU.

My secondary rig has a Thermaltake TR2 500w that I *believe* might do a better job on my main rig. But I'm looking for your opinions as to whether it's worth tearing everything apart in order to test this theory.

So do you think a:

a Thermaltake TR2 500w

is better than an:

Antec TruePower 2.0 550w

for handling a more power-hungry GPU?

If not then it could save me a lot of time. If yes, then it could save me a lot of money. Many thanks in advance.

Antec:
+3.3V@32A, +5V@40A, +12V1@19A, +12V2@19A, -12V@1A, +5VSB@2A

Thermaltake:
+3.3V@24A, +5V@15A, +12V1@25A, +12V2@18A, -12V@0.5A, +5VSB@3.0A

Rig:

Antec 900 case (with one 200mm fan and three 120mm fans is all)
Asrock Z77 Extreme4
3570k @ 4.5Ghz on a CoolerMaster Hype 212 plus
16GB DDR3 G.Skill Ares RAM
MSI 7950 Twin Frozr boost/OC
Samsung 830 SSD, 128GB
WD Caviar Black 1TB

EDIT: fixed the links for the TR2

 

[Zeth]

Da OP yo.

Your motherboard will run each card at x8/x8 PCI-E 3.0, so they won't be bottlenecked.

I'd just hold out for the 780 though in all seriousness. Half a year away(ish).

I will probably hold out at this point. The fact that these cards are already a year old, makes it seem like a bad investment given the timing.

 

[mkenyon]

Yeah. I get the urge to upgrade, but really, if you are using a 60hz 1080P panel, there isn't any reason to go above the 680 right now.

 

[minasodaboy]

Textbook build

Thanks! Now if anything goes wrong I know where to go. ;-)

 

[kennah]

Heh. I think this H60 I bought came with a counterfiet Noctua fan.

 

[Zeth]

Yeah. I get the urge to upgrade, but really, if you are using a 60hz 1080P panel, there isn't any reason to go above the 680 right now.

Yeah, will probably upgrade the monitor first and wait for new mainline cards. What are the new 120/144hz displays I should be looking for? Are they out now or out soon?

 

[mkenyon]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236313&Tpk=144hz

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/917361-REG/asus_vg248qe_24_1ms_1080p_3d.html

 

[Kipp]

You know you want to.

 

[Zeth]

I need one.

 

[kennah]

I can't wait to buy everyone's second hand 120hz monitors

 

[Kipp]

I can't wait to buy everyone's second hand 120hz monitors

Or my secondhand 144hz monitor when I go to 1440p 200hz?

Also, wooo. Just ordered my Quickfire Rapid Cherry Brown and that enormous mousepad!
Now only one item left. The mouse. All I want is for that Sensei RAW to drop to $50 somewhere where I can get free shipping. I really wish Amazon would pricematch NCIX... The rubberized one is $49.99 over there, but the shipping kills it.

 

[kennah]

Why does 'fully' modular add $60 to the cost of a power supply?

 

[scogoth]

Why does 'fully' modular add $60 to the cost of a power supply?

Those plastic connectors cost marketing to have to re take new pictures

 

[kennah]

But they are so pretty

 

[scogoth]

But they are so pretty

the real question is why do they come with cables at all. Should standardize modular cables so you can buy them separate, either normal or sleeved and only what you need.

 

[Kipp]

the real question is why do they come with cables at all. Should standardize modular cables so you can buy them separate, either normal or sleeved and only what you need.

That... that's very smart.

 

[kennah]

A little too smart. It would never work

 

[garath]

Or my secondhand 144hz monitor when I go to 1440p 200hz?

Also, wooo. Just ordered my Quickfire Rapid Cherry Brown and that enormous mousepad!
Now only one item left. The mouse. All I want is for that Sensei RAW to drop to $50 somewhere where I can get free shipping. I really wish Amazon would pricematch NCIX... The rubberized one is $49.99 over there, but the shipping kills it.

Amazon has a price match button where you can report a lower price on another website. I've used it a few times and always it was matched within 24 hours. That's how I got my quick fire pro with a better rebate

 

[Kipp]

Amazon has a price match button where you can report a lower price on another website. I've used it a few times and always it was matched within 24 hours. That's how I got my quick fire pro with a better rebate

I did do that earlier today, so I've been refreshing the page every so often to see if it works. Thanks for the suggestion though! Glad to hear that it does at least work sometimes. Gives me some hope for this. Haha

 

[fivehorizons]

Any reason to replace my cool master hyper CPU cooler with a water solution from corsair? It doesn't get that hot when using prime.

Also which fans were recommended instead of Noctua for cost and same performance?

 

[mkenyon]

Nope.

And the Corsair SP Quiet Editions are about neck and neck with the NF-F12. The Arctic Cooling F12 and Swiftech Helix are a better deal at $10.

 

[Koroviev]

Any reason to replace my cool master hyper CPU cooler with a water solution from corsair? It doesn't get that hot when using prime.

Also which fans were recommended instead of Noctua for cost and same performance?

I prefer the H60 for aesthetics and maintenance, but it doesn't perform any better than the CM cooler.

 

[Primordial]

I just upgraded from 9600gt to radeon hd7950. Looking forward to it.

 

[kennah]

I got bored