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[nbthedude]

Cool, thanks for the quick reply... I think I'll go for that deal, Tomb Raider and Bioshock are two games I've been meaning to get anyway... kill 3 birds with one stone.

It's not a bad deal, but for $10 more you can get a 7950 Boost with 3GB of DDR5. Sapphire is a good brand name and this is a good card. It will give you more headroom in the future over the 7870. It literally overclocks with a flip of a switch to perform really well so great for future proofing, and it comes with Bioshock Infinite and Crysis 3.

It will net you a solid 5-8 frames per second on average in most games over the 7870 and has lower latency:

http://techreport.com/review/23419/nvidia-geforce-gtx-660-ti-graphics-card-reviewed/5

 

[Data West]

Stupid question. How do I find out what graphics cards my mobo can support? I've currently got a GT640 in there and was thinking about upgrading.

 

[scogoth]

Stupid question. How do I find out what graphics cards my mobo can support? I've currently got a GT640 in there and was thinking about upgrading.

It can support all graphics cards. You should also check your PSU to see if it has enough power for the graphics card you want

 

[memecomplex]

I asked this is the Bioshock Infinite thread, but didn't see a response. I finally hooked my gaming PC up to my TV (HDMI) and A/V receiver (Optical/TOSLINK) to play BI. I have the ASUS P8Z77-v motherboard. I configure the RealTek HD Audio to output in DTS 5.1 to Digital/Optical. I see the receiver switch to DTS while playing BI, but I don't hear any rear channel audio. Any tips? This motherboard supports DTS Connect and NeoC etc. I am under the impression it can encode on-the-fly to DTS and since my A/V receiver support DTS the audio should be in surround. Thanks!

Edit: one thing to add - In the Realtek Digital Output(Optical) Properties / Advanced tab the Default Format is set to DTS Interactive (5.1 Surround). When I press the Test button I see the receiver switch to DTS, but only hear the chime in the left and right channel.

AFAIK optical toslink does not carry a 5.1 signal.

 

[Mandoric]

AFAIK optical toslink does not carry a 5.1 signal.

It should carry DTS or Dolby 5.1, just not LPCM.

 

[nbthedude]

Stupid question. How do I find out what graphics cards my mobo can support? I've currently got a GT640 in there and was thinking about upgrading.

Motherboard is not the issue. There are only two potential problems:

1) Having enough power from the Power Supply

2) Having enough space in your case.

If you have a GT640 right now, your powersupply and case can probably support almost any card on the market.

 

[A.Romero]

I asked this is the Bioshock Infinite thread, but didn't see a response. I finally hooked my gaming PC up to my TV (HDMI) and A/V receiver (Optical/TOSLINK) to play BI. I have the ASUS P8Z77-v motherboard. I configure the RealTek HD Audio to output in DTS 5.1 to Digital/Optical. I see the receiver switch to DTS while playing BI, but I don't hear any rear channel audio. Any tips? This motherboard supports DTS Connect and NeoC etc. I am under the impression it can encode on-the-fly to DTS and since my A/V receiver support DTS the audio should be in surround. Thanks!

Edit: one thing to add - In the Realtek Digital Output(Optical) Properties / Advanced tab the Default Format is set to DTS Interactive (5.1 Surround). When I press the Test button I see the receiver switch to DTS, but only hear the chime in the left and right channel.

Check the speaker configuration in windows. It should be set to 5.1, otherwise it will output to only 2 channels (default).

 

[BurningNad]

It's not a bad deal, but for $10 more you can get a 7950 Boost with 3GB of DDR5. Sapphire is a good brand name and this is a good card. It will give you more headroom in the future over the 7870. It literally overclocks with a flip of a switch to perform really well so great for future proofing, and it comes with Bioshock Infinite and Crysis 3.

It will net you a solid 5-8 frames per second on average in most games over the 7870 and has lower latency:

http://techreport.com/review/23419/nvidia-geforce-gtx-660-ti-graphics-card-reviewed/5

That's cool and all, I'd def go for it if I had the funds, but I wound up going for a cheaper deal than the first suggestion. I was pushing it at the $250 mark in the first place. Thanks though!

 

[kennah]

What did you end up getting?

 

[BurningNad]

I'm not at my computer now so I can't link it, but it was the same card, just a different brand for about $220.

 

[Smokey]

God damnit I am so divided right now.

I'm getting a new CPU and I'm very torn between the i5 3570k or the i7 3770k. I can easily afford the i7 at the moment, but I still don't want to throw away money unnecessarily.

I just get the feeling that more and more games will be using more and more cpu cores as they get optimized...

Gaf please help me decide!

I want to overclock whichever I buy, and I also do extremely heavy Photoshop work, but I am not sure if it is very CPU bound or not.

If you have the option, then go with the 3770k.

Or wait a few months (june) to see what Haswell has to offer.

 

[Sorral]

So I turned on my PC for the first time. I am getting a "Memory not installed" error 55 from Dr.Debug, and from there, I checked all slots. Only A2 works and I was able to get past the error.

Is this a case of bent pins in the CPU or faulty memory slots? :/ really hope not.

 

[brentech]

So I turned on my PC for the first time. I am getting a "Memory not installed" error 55 from Dr.Debug, and from there, I checked all slots. Only A2 works and I was able to get past the error.

Is this a case of bent pins in the CPU or faulty memory slots? :/ really hope not.

Not sure what you mean by checked all slots. Does that mean you removed RAM from each slot and then used just one stick and tried each slot to see if it was recognized there?

That'd be a good way to go. Take it further, and do it with each stick of memory you own. Should narrow down if it's a problem with the stick or mobo, or HOPEFULLY, just not seating correctly.

 

[teh_pwn]

So I turned on my PC for the first time. I am getting a "Memory not installed" error 55 from Dr.Debug, and from there, I checked all slots. Only A2 works and I was able to get past the error.

Is this a case of bent pins in the CPU or faulty memory slots? :/ really hope not.

Run memtest86+ for about 30 minutes to catch clearly bad RAM, for a few hours to catch RAM that is mostly working (I hate when this happens).

Consult your motherboard manual to see where it recommends putting the specific number of modules. Sometimes it's not obvious (like 2 sticks goes into channel 2 instead of 1).

Make sure your BIOS has the RAM set at the right frequency and timings.

 

[Sorral]

Yeah, I tried with just one stick until it worked in A2. I will try what you are saying with the other stick. Hopefully it is just that..

 

[brentech]

Yeah, I tried with just one stick until it worked in A2. I will try what you are saying with the other stick. Hopefully it is just that..

Yeah, I tried with just one stick until it worked in A2. I will try what you are saying with the other stick. Hopefully it is just that..

While it should work either way when it's all working, it's generally recommended by motherboard documentation to use slots
A1 and B1 together, or A2 and B2.

A1   A2       B1    B2
|    |         |    |
|    |         |    |

Then as stated above, run memtest and see what you got.

 

[Sorral]

A1 and B1 slots definitely don't work. Both RAM sticks worked in A2 and B2 (so no dual channel).

Run memtest86+ for about 30 minutes to catch clearly bad RAM, for a few hours to catch RAM that is mostly working (I hate when this happens).

New system, no OS installed and nothing else have been done to it. Or is memtest86x in the BIOS?

While it should work either way when it's all working, it's generally recommended by motherboard documentation to use slots
A1 and B1 together, or A2 and B2.

Yeah, I saw that in the manual. It has to be the 1s or 2s for dual channel. Both sticks don't work in A1 and B1 and I get that error when I put the ram there.
Googling this got me to this, so I thought of bent CPU pins. That cooler is a pain to take off and do all of that again.

Edit: I think I will try to rule out bent pins first. Checking the CPU right now.

 

[teh_pwn]

New system, no OS installed and nothing else have been done to it. Or is memtest86x in the BIOS?

You create a boot disc. Burning a DVD/CD is the surest way in terms of compatibility.

 

[brentech]

A1 and B1 slots definitely don't work. Both RAM sticks worked in A2 and B2 (so no dual channel).


New system, no OS installed and nothing else have been done to it. Or is memtest86x in the BIOS?



Yeah, I saw that in the manual. It has to be the 1s or 2s for dual channel. Both sticks don't work in A1 and B1 and I get that error when I put the ram there.
Googling this got me to this, so I thought of bent CPU pins. That cooler is a pain to take off and do all of that again.

Edit: I think I will try to rule out bent pins first. Checking the CPU right now.

Fine to check pins. But as a heads up I don't know if you typed wrong or a misunderstanding, but A2 B2 is dual channel. Just want the numbers to match.
(not that I wouldn't be upset when the other slots aren't working)

Memtest86x can work on bookable USB or cdrom.

 

[comu]

How much of a clearance is there between the lower end of an ATX motherboard (30.5 cm long) and a PSU in a Define R4?

I'm worried that the PSU's motherboard power connector may not reach. Although I haven't measured it, it did seem longer than 30cm, but it will have a graphics card in the way.

 

[kennah]

I'm not at my computer now so I can't link it, but it was the same card, just a different brand for about $220.

Well, good luck. There's reasons we recommend the brands we do

 

[Sorral]

You create a boot disc. Burning a DVD/CD is the surest way in terms of compatibility.

Would be a USB drive, but yeah..fun times ahead it seems.

Fine to check pins. But as a heads up I don't know if you typed wrong or a misunderstanding, but A2 B2 is dual channel. Just want the numbers to match.
(not that I wouldn't be upset when the other slots aren't working)

Memtest86x can work on bookable USB or cdrom.

Err yeah, I typed them wrong, sorry.

I may have a case of two bent pins on the MB. I can barely tell because these two leave a different shadow. It can be seen better in person but barely shows in the photo:

 

[BurningNad]

Well, good luck. There's reasons we recommend the brands we do

Thanks. I know the risk, I've put together several of my PCs so I'm not a total newbie to this, but I have not followed the recent trends in hardware which is what led me to ask about it. But yeah, my available funds led me to risk it. Still, the help was greatly appreciated!

 

[Phreaker]

Check the speaker configuration in windows. It should be set to 5.1, otherwise it will output to only 2 channels (default).

Thanks. I looked all over and didn't find such an option. I'm using Windows 7.

I noticed where I configure what my receiver supports, if I test DTS, DD 5.1, or WMAPro I hear the chime from all channels.

 

[brentech]

Would be a USB drive, but yeah..fun times ahead it seems.



Err yeah, I typed them wrong, sorry.

I may have a case of two bent pins on the MB. I can barely tell because these two leave a different shadow. It can be seen better in person but barely shows in the photo:

its weird because viewing it large, I can't see much, but all scaled down in the quote you can see the color just isn't the same there. Can't say that's a correction I have any experience in making.

 

[Sorral]

its weird because viewing it large, I can't see much, but all scaled down in the quote you can see the color just isn't the same there. Can't say that's a correction I have any experience in making.

That's what it was in most photos I took. When I looked up bent pins online, things looked way worse than this and one or two looked similar to this.
I have no experience with this at all either. I could put everything back on and just use A2/B2 RAM slots. But this issue will rear its head back later. Maybe if Mkenyon or Scogoth were around, they would know as they love to delid CPUs and other stuff.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions by the way. I appreciate them. I will go get a magnifying glass in the mean time.

 

[brentech]

That's what it was in most photos I took. When I looked up bent pins online, things looked way worse than this and one or two looked similar to this.
I have no experience with this at all either. I could put everything back on and just use A2/B2 RAM slots. But this issue will rear its head back later. Maybe if Mkenyon or Scogoth were around, they would know as they love to delid CPUs and other stuff.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions by the way. I appreciate them. I will go get a magnifying glass in the mean time.

Yeah, I doubt missing RAM slots is the only problem that would create. Best to get it all worked out one way or another.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

Have any of y'all been playing planet explorers? I'm a backer of their kickstarter but I haven't even played yet.

 

[JordanN]

Can someone review my rig? Trying to keep costs below $1000 (including taxes/shipping), ordering from Canada and AMD only.

With shipping/taxes it's $958.91

 

[gilljoy]

Can someone review my rig? Trying to keep costs below $1000 (including taxes/shipping), ordering from Canada and AMD only.

Why AMD only?

 

[JordanN]

Why AMD only?

I'm use to their products. Would like to keep it that way.

 

[Hazaro]

I'm use to their products. Would like to keep it that way.

That's fine if you want AMD, but understand you are giving up very clear performance benefits if you do so. There are cases where it is a good option to pick AMD, but you need to know why.

Also fill out the sheet in the OP. The build you posted doesn't have any clear purpose and some parts are pretty questionable.

 

[gilljoy]

That's fine if you want AMD, but understand you are giving up very clear performance benefits if you do so. There are cases where it is a good option to pick AMD, but you need to know why.

Also fill out the sheet in the OP. The build you posted doesn't have any clear purpose and some parts are pretty questionable.

100% agree with this. I've a 3770K and a 7970 Card and the amd card is simply fantastic but there processors aren't as good a value for money as intel

 

[Anton668]

Can someone review my rig? Trying to keep costs below $1000 (including taxes/shipping), ordering from Canada and AMD only.

so you have nothing at all right now? no monitor, keyboard, etc?

and personally, I just upgraded my 965BE as its pretty much the lowest entry point cpu nowadays IIRC

 

[kharma45]

Can someone review my rig? Trying to keep costs below $1000 (including taxes/shipping), ordering from Canada and AMD only.

For that AMD rig I'd change the PSU to this 450w XFX (it's a Seasonic inside) http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=63238&vpn=P1450SX2B9&manufacture=XFX and consider getting the FX 6300 over the Phenom.

Also change to a 7770 as well http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=43_557_558&item_id=053293 It's cheaper than that 7750. I would also think about a better motherboard as well as that plus a good custom cooler like the Hyper 212 would let you OC the 6300. Dropping the optical drive and doing a USB Windows install could accommodate that.

 

[plainr_]

Can someone review my rig? Trying to keep costs below $1000 (including taxes/shipping), ordering from Canada and AMD only.

Have you considered signing up for Amazon Prime Free Trial? Use the savings you get from free shipping towards a mid tier graphics card and a better PSU. 7850 or 7870

 

[Sorral]

Man, these two pins are killing me. Both of them are hardly bent yet they're taking two memory slots and who knows what with them.

I can barely tell which direction they are bent to and trying to fix them isn't doing anything. sigh

 

[Hazaro]

For that AMD rig I'd change the PSU to this 450w XFX (it's a Seasonic inside) http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=63238&vpn=P1450SX2B9&manufacture=XFX and consider getting the FX 6300 over the Phenom.

Also change to a 7770 as well http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=43_557_558&item_id=053293 It's cheaper than that 7750. I would also think about a better motherboard as well as that plus a good custom cooler like the Hyper 212 would let you OC the 6300.

At the very least as a starting point.

#1 would be picking the parts from NCIX to get lower prices if that hasn't been done already.

 

[JordanN]

so you have nothing at all right now? no monitor, keyboard, etc?

and personally, I just upgraded my 965BE as its pretty much the lowest entry point cpu nowadays IIRC

I've been using a laptop so yeah, I'm starting from scratch.

Your Current Specs: HP Pavilion G62
Budget: Less than $1000 (Canada)
Main Use:
Light Gaming (5),
Gaming (5),
Emulation (1),
Video Editing, HD Streaming (3),
3D/Model work(5),
General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback) (5).

Monitor Resolution: New Monitor, 1080p, would upgrade to 4k in the distant future

List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Should run current gen (PS3/360) level games at 60fps minimum.

Looking to reuse any parts?: No reuse (all new)

When will you build?: ASAP (within this month)
Will you be overclocking?: No.

 

[Momentary]

Numbers for new intel/nvidia laptops are out... I don't know what the score means though.

Combined with a Haswell-based Core i7-4900MQ, a 3DMark Vantage score of P29458 has been leaked.

 

[kharma45]

motherboard wise this is on offer at Newegg http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138372 but as Haz says NCIX could well be a better place to look.

 

[ATLiens]

Alright guys long time lurker here, been reviewing computer parts and reading up on them for the last couple of months.

This will be my first time building a computer my self, and would like for you guys to review what I have picked out.

Anything that sticks out I should change or add ..? Was trying to keep it around $1k in price.

------

Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Black Pearl Silent ATX Mid Tower Case

Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

OR

Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

CORSAIR HX series HX650 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

SAPPHIRE 100355OCL Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card OC Version

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible with Intel 1366/1155/775 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+

---

The only thing I wasn't sure on, was which hard drive to get ..

Also tried to Find all the parts on Pcpartpicker for easy viewing
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Itsvice/saved/1rmV

Mostly going to be browsing the web and gaming..

.. Any thoughts? Was probably going to start ordering parts later today, First being the case as I believe Newegg has $20 off on it right now.

 

[Hazaro]

Parts are all good, but you should fill out the OP.

On storage get 1 or 2 WD10EZEX's imo. Black is too loud and costly. Seagate is probably fine, but I dislike them atm.

 

[teh_pwn]

Would be a USB drive, but yeah..fun times ahead it seems.

I recommended CD/DVD because lots of motherboards have USB ports that don't play well with bootable USB. If that happens, try other ports. I think the USB 2.0 and Intel ones tend to be the most compatible. I have used motherboards in which none work completely.

 

[RavenHawk]

For those with the Define R4, is the front of the case (the door) shiny in comparison to the rest of the case? I haven't seen one in person, but every picture I see makes it look shiny, and I'm not sure if is the lighting or just how it looks.

 

[Katyusha]

For those with the Define R4, is the front of the case (the door) shiny in comparison to the rest of the case? I haven't seen one in person, but every picture I see makes it look shiny, and I'm not sure if is the lighting or just how it looks.

It is pretty shiny. The front is a fingerprint magnet as well.

 

[demented]

Ok so I'm ordering components for my PC tomorrow and just having some last minute thoughts or well doubts that I mentioned earlier and gonna ask about it again.

Here's what I'm getting, not gonna list specific brands:
i5 3570k
amd 7970
z77 motherboard
8 gb ddr3
120gb ssd
heatsink and 120mm cooler

I have the rest, case, wifi card, sound card, psu, 2x600gb hdds for storage which I'm gonna format.


So here's what worries me. I've been looking at getting new 120hz monitor to go with my new pc and I've looked at some benchmarks and newest games are pushing even best graphic cards and PCs hard, which got me worried because BF4 is gonna be soon and god knows how that will run, then when new consoles hit and games keep improving I fear I'll need to update again next year. ( I might be wrong about this but I've read about 120 fps and 120hz monitor and based on benchmarks I won't be getting near that even in 1080p?)
From what I know there's a while until next graphics cards, or DDR4 which is what would require me to update to new mobo and pretty much whole PC again so I don't know.
I want to upgrade but at same time I don't want to have to upgrade again next year because unlike many people here I live in poor country and can only upgrade every 3-4 years or more, need it to last as long as possible.
I know haswell is around the corner but that won't be that big a of jump, worthy of all the extra cost and time.

What do you guys think? Really want to be sure about this before I order and buy a ticket to go buy it abroad(yey extra cost)

 

[lmpaler]

Ok so I'm ordering components for my PC tomorrow and just having some last minute thoughts or well doubts that I mentioned earlier and gonna ask about it again.

Here's what I'm getting, not gonna list specific brands:
i5 3570k
amd 7970
z77 motherboard
8 gb ddr3
120gb ssd
heatsink and 120mm cooler

I have the rest, case, wifi card, sound card, psu, 2x600gb hdds for storage which I'm gonna format.


So here's what worries me. I've been looking at getting new 120hz monitor to go with my new pc and I've looked at some benchmarks and newest games are pushing even best graphic cards and PCs hard, which got me worried because BF4 is gonna be soon and god knows how that will run, then when new consoles hit and games keep improving I fear I'll need to update again next year. ( I might be wrong about this but I've read about 120 fps and 120hz monitor and based on benchmarks I won't be getting near that even in 1080p?)
From what I know there's a while until next graphics cards, or DDR4 which is what would require me to update to new mobo and pretty much whole PC again so I don't know.
I want to upgrade but at same time I don't want to have to upgrade again next year because unlike many people here I live in poor country and can only upgrade every 3-4 years or more, need it to last as long as possible.
I know haswell is around the corner but that won't be that big a of jump, worthy of all the extra cost and time.

What do you guys think? Really want to be sure about this before I order and buy a ticket to go buy it abroad(yey extra cost)

16GB RAM or bust!!!

Seriously it isn't much more and totally worth it.

 

[Arken2121]

Hey guys, I have a quick question. I currently have the Benq XL2420XT and am trying to get audio out of the headphone jack on the side. I realized quickly that the only way was to connect to my PC via HDMI. The one problem I have is that I am unable to utilize the monitors 120hz refresh rate with HDMI. Is it possible to connect using the DVI-D and somehow get audio from the headphone jack on the side without the HDMI cable?

Edit: I tried plugging both in but I can't startup Windows with the DVI since it freezes, HDMI works though.

 

[demented]

16GB RAM or bust!!!

Seriously it isn't much more and totally worth it.

What for? Everyone I talked to said there's no need and I can easily add it later to sae the cost now because plane ticket is gonna be like 20% of PC now lol
better than spending 24 hours on train and sleeping at friend's house after