Do The Mario
Unconfirmed Member
Lol shows how long I have been away from PC gaming!
The HD 7850 will "pick up" the sound card over the HDMI output right?
Thanks!
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Lol shows how long I have been away from PC gaming!
The HD 7850 will "pick up" the sound card over the HDMI output right?
Thanks!
No. The sound, plus picture, will come directly from your video card to your receiver. There's no need for the sound card at all in this case.
Do The Mario
Unconfirmed Member
Ok I am a bit confused now (I guess I was always confused). I take it I should still run an optical audio cable from the sound card to my receiver.
You have 2 options for video & sound:
1) HDMI (video and audio) > receiver.
2) HDMI (video) & optical (sound) > receiver.
Option #1: Requires only 1 cable (HDMI) and no need to change settings in Windows.
Option #2: Requires 2 cables (HDMI & optical) cables and need to select sound card as the default audio device playback. If the sound card offers better sound, you might want to go this route. Otherwise, I would go with Option #1 as it's more simpler.
Do The Mario
Unconfirmed Member
Perfect. When you said "no need for sound card" I figured you meant the sound card itself is redundant.
Ps thank you!
My TV is 1:1 pixel in non-PC mode. In PC mode the TV does something that actually give me like a 1/4" border around the whole picture. Not optimum, but at least it works and I can see the task bar.
I have not played with the GPU Overscan stuff. I am using a GTX 670. I'll take a look at that tonight. It would be great to be able to run my PC through HDMI to my receiver yet still still the whole screen while not using the TV's PC mode (Samsung LED DLP).
DJ_Lae
Member
Anyone know why i am getting slow speeds ?
Kingston V300 120gb
MSI Z77 GD65
win8 64
Man, I didn't realize how bad the write speeds were on my drive (I mean, I paid next to nothing for it a while back so I can't really complain, but still). Maybe there's an update for it or something.
Yeah. Use the video cards overscan option and increase the image size to fit your TV. That should solve your problem. Seems weird that 1:1 pixel settings with PC mode leaves borders on your TV.
OriginofHysteria
Banned
By default my TV has overscan with 1:1 pixcel mapping. The PC mode, I am not sure what it does other than shrink the screen so there is actually underscan. I'd prefer to shrink the screen to fit the display. I'll try tonight when I get home from work. I was using the PC HDMI port for my Mac Mini since it didn't have any option to make the screen fit.
Is 800w overkill for 2 7970s and OCed cpu? (and probably both 7970s and ram down the line)
No. PSU are most efficient at 50-60% under load. Unlike many, I try not to run ~70-80% load long term.
It's seem 144mhz is the thing now.
Maybe I'm not looking hard enough, but I'm only finding the ASUS? Ah, there's a BenQ model that NewEgg doesn't carry.
theSlacker
Member
This. Don't try to future proof, especially before we even know the effects the next gen consoles are going to have. Get a card that suits the curent gen right now for cheap, and then another in 2 years when all those unknowns are known. Will end up paying less in the long run.
Since most modern games use hor+, they should support any resolution that is XX:9. There are exceptions of course, but these 21:9 aspect ratio screens may be a better option for people who are planing on using multiple monitors for gaming already. Frame rate will be better for one.
Yes you are out of luck with the AMD card if you want to use the lightboost hack. For more information on it refer to this site.
HDMI will not be able to get you the 120hz at 1080p.
is there a USB based sound card that will encode to dolby headphone? I have a prodigy based build so no space for a card, and stereo speakers is fine but I'd like surround encoding for headphones (feeding sennheiser 555s)
Does PC GAF have any opinion on this 27" monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824160080
Reviews seem decent and my 23" ASUS monitors are aging poorly.
Reviews seem decent and my 23" ASUS monitors are aging poorly.
Confusatron
Member
For a while now I've been toying with the idea of building a SFF Steam box to put under my TV. Pair a Logitech K400 and a wireless 360 controller with it and I'll just sit out the next console generation. I've gone through mkenyon's SFF guide (which is a fantastic guide, thanks for putting it together). I've also kept an eye on the Alienware X51 and any deals that come along for it.
I took a first crack at a SFF build on New Egg. This pretty well represents the minimum performance level I'd be willing to accept. Should run just about everything I throw at it at 1080p, top or near top settings, and at a smooth frame rate. Keep in mind I didn't take a lot of time to pick over alternatives for each individual component. A lot come right from mkenyon's guide. I was just trying to get a ballpark estimate for what I wanted.
Case Cooler Master 120 - $50
CPU I5 3570k - $220
MB Gigabyte GA-Z77N - $120
RAM GSkill Ripjaws 8GB - $69
GPU Gigabyte 660 TI - $300
HD WD Blue 1TB - $75
Optical Blu Ray Drive - $80
PSU SeaSonic S12II 520 - $65
Total $979
For $1050, I can get basically the same machine in a X51. The only difference is the video card, a 660 vs a 660 TI. But my understanding is that the 660 in the X51 isn't that far off from a TI. So nearly identical machines coming in at only a $70 difference. That doesn't seem like a very big difference for something I build vs something I pay someone to build for me.
Help me out GAF! Am I missing something? Are there more dollars to be trimmed from my SFF build while still coming away with a killer console replacement?
I took a first crack at a SFF build on New Egg. This pretty well represents the minimum performance level I'd be willing to accept. Should run just about everything I throw at it at 1080p, top or near top settings, and at a smooth frame rate. Keep in mind I didn't take a lot of time to pick over alternatives for each individual component. A lot come right from mkenyon's guide. I was just trying to get a ballpark estimate for what I wanted.
Case Cooler Master 120 - $50
CPU I5 3570k - $220
MB Gigabyte GA-Z77N - $120
RAM GSkill Ripjaws 8GB - $69
GPU Gigabyte 660 TI - $300
HD WD Blue 1TB - $75
Optical Blu Ray Drive - $80
PSU SeaSonic S12II 520 - $65
Total $979
For $1050, I can get basically the same machine in a X51. The only difference is the video card, a 660 vs a 660 TI. But my understanding is that the 660 in the X51 isn't that far off from a TI. So nearly identical machines coming in at only a $70 difference. That doesn't seem like a very big difference for something I build vs something I pay someone to build for me.
Help me out GAF! Am I missing something? Are there more dollars to be trimmed from my SFF build while still coming away with a killer console replacement?
Interfectum
Member
Question is my SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold capable of running a single Geforce Titan card? According to NewEgg that seems to be the case.
The Dell only has a 330Watt power supply and the motherboard is a lot cheaper and not as friendly for upgrading fit two graphics cards, for example and you aren't going to be overclocking it with that motherboard and that case.
That is also not a 3570k in that Dell. It is a 3330 (no K so it can't be over locked). The 3330 is only $189 on newegg, not $220.
Also, why do you want a Bluray drive in it? It is much cheaper just to buy a standalone player, especially since you need expensive software to play Bluray movies and that software doesn't come bundled with most cheaper drives. You can get a standalone Blueray payer for around $50 these days.
But if you are willing to live with less upgrade paths (virtually none given that case, powersupply, processor, and motherboard), and a cheaper videocard for an extra $100 premium, the deal isn't terrible.
In terms of your build, you can definitely do better than $70 for 8GB of RAM and $120 for your motherboard if you want to trim but keep the performance.
I currently have a Mini-ITX build similar to this. The motherboard in it at the moment isn't great and I'm looking for a replacement, I have an ASRock Z77E-ITX back-ordered on amazon, but dual ethernet and Bluetooth 4 on that Gigabyte board sounds nice. From what i've read, the Asrock is great for overclocking though. I've also heard good things about the Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe.
According to a Techspot review, an entire build with a Titan draws about 350 watts under load, so 650 watts is definitely capable of powering a Titan. Not to mention the fact that the Seasonic is gold certified and pretty efficient.
Confusatron
Member
Good point on the Blu Ray drive. So I've ripped that out and the build is now just under $900. Any recommendations on a different MB and RAM?
The ASRock board is great for the price but I don't like how the CPU socket is so close to the pci-e slot. Kinda limits your options for a decent cooler if you're sticking with air. The Asus P8Z77 is the one I have my eye out for but damn is it expensive. Kinda hard to justify its price when I don't even plan on overclocking for my itx build.
Everyone in this thread that has bought one has fallen in love. I've been playing on computers seriously since the 386 days. The biggest jumps to me in computing experience have been (in order):
1. Broadband
2. Discrete 3D Cards
3. 120/144Hz LCD panels
4. Solid state drives
Everything else is incremental. These are game changers.
X51 is stuck at a low frequency with the processor, while this will reliably go up to 4.2GHz. That's a huuuuuuuuuuuuge difference.
I agree with the changes noted above, but I'd also get one of the CPU coolers from the OP SFF guide. If you can afford to spend a smidgen more, I'd say the jump to the Fractal Node 304 would be worth it.
This is why I omitted it from the guide in the OP. The hidden cost of the ASRock board is that you have to buy a more expensive CPU cooler as it has tons of fitting issues.
Cannon Goose
Member
I had a couple of things (including the mouse) plugged in with some VERY cheap USB extension cables. I shuffled some stuff around on my desk so I don't need the cords anymore, hopefully that fixes it.
cpp_is_king
Member
Man what a bummer. Wish someone would have raised all these issues when I first bought my AMD card. Not even sure why AMD is recommended so frequently when everything about it seems inferior.
* Catalyst Control Center sucks and doesn't let you force triple buffering or any number of other useful features
* Lightboost hack doesn't work
* Crossfire is shit compared to SLI
Why do people recommend AMD in light of all this? Going to try to offload my 7970 OC and get a GTX 680 instead.
Will a GTX 680 be ok with a 600W power supply?
You can use lightboost with an AMD card, it just needs to be enabled with an NVIDIA GPU. Can even bring it to a friend's house to first do it.
The reason why they are suggested is that they provide a lot more performance for the money, and consistently have really good game packages that come with them.
Lightboost isn't for everyone either. A lot of the IQ people dislike it due to how it can throw off colors.
The 680 is a sub 200W card, so yes, it will work with that PSU.
The reason why they are suggested is that they provide a lot more performance for the money, and consistently have really good game packages that come with them.
Lightboost isn't for everyone either. A lot of the IQ people dislike it due to how it can throw off colors.
The 680 is a sub 200W card, so yes, it will work with that PSU.
PoweredBySoy
Banned
I just build this exact same thing last week. I posted about it yesterday.
I did look at the Alienwares a bit, and while they look good on paper and the form-factor is perfect, it seems they are gimped in a few ways. For one, their 660's don't have as much VRAM.
The K400 works pretty well, but my main gripe is that the touchpad is too sensitive to double-clicks. Meaning if you're moving your finger in multiple swipe motions, and you swipe too fast, it'll sense it as a double-click. So I'm often opening files and programs by accident. I even went into mouse options and turned the double-click sensitivity all the way down. SetPoint doesn't seem to offer any options to remedy this either.
At this point I can't recommend the SilverStone FT03 enough for an HTPC environment.
Otherwise your build looks great. I spent too much on my Asus motherboard, but I do really like Gigabyte as well. I should have saved on the motherboard and put that money towards a TI.
Hey, were you able to run one of those benchmarks to see max GPU temp?
One of the downfalls of the 90 degree rotated design that Silverstone offers is that non-reference video cards can get excessively hot, to the point that the become very loud and limit OC potential. It's hit or miss on which of the non reference cards work with it, so I was curious if your Gigabyte suffers the same issue.
One of the downfalls of the 90 degree rotated design that Silverstone offers is that non-reference video cards can get excessively hot, to the point that the become very loud and limit OC potential. It's hit or miss on which of the non reference cards work with it, so I was curious if your Gigabyte suffers the same issue.
Seeing this at $264.99 makes me slightly annoyed that I bought a 60Hz 24" ASUS for around $200 just last year.
Train of Midnight
Banned
Hey guys, let me pick your brain for a moment.
My Mobo has built-in DisplayPort output, but my 560ti's do not. Can I connect a monitor through the on-board DPort and still use my Nvidia cards for graphics processing?
My Mobo has built-in DisplayPort output, but my 560ti's do not. Can I connect a monitor through the on-board DPort and still use my Nvidia cards for graphics processing?
No. But there are a number of DP->DVI converters.
But, you can always use it as your secondary monitor.
So much yes, that there isn't enough yes in the world. Even the band Yes would not suffice for how much yes is in the answer to your question.
It should.
But, you can always use it as your secondary monitor.
PoweredBySoy
Banned
Not yet! But geez, now you really have me curious. I did download 3DMark last night, but The Walking Dead has me sucked in right now, so didn't do much with the computer.
I will post the results when I do though.
I will say though, from playing Bioshock on it these past few days, I haven't heard a peep out of the gpu, so I don't think the fans are ramping up too much.
Train of Midnight
Banned
I just got a nice 1440p monitor that has the DP input, I've got it plugged in through DVi right now. I was just wondering if going through the DP would get me a higher quality picture.
Even if I cannot and don't plan on getting games to 120 fps?
You can most of the time. Only big graphic hog titles really fail to hit 90+ FPS most of the time. People don't know what their computers are capable of.
You need a dual link DVI or Displayport to get 1440p, IIRC. The DP -> Dual Link DVI connectors are really expensive, and don't always work.
PoweredBySoy
Banned
Huh. So I haven't researched monitors in quite awhile - but do these new 120hz monitors use IPS panels, or something comparable? Right now I'm using an NEC with an IPS panel, which I need for the colors (which are gorgeous) with photography. It's also a pretty good gaming monitor as well.
Train of Midnight
Banned
Yeah, the monitor came with a dual-link cable. Thanks for the input!
I've seen plenty of games that, when run uncapped, can easily get into 100+ fps on a single GPU. I assume there wouldn't be any screen tearing issues running 60fps capped with the frames rendered twice if need be.
I'm going to be interested in seeing this in action in some platformers and racing games in particular.
Nope.
The Samsung S23A700/750/950D had a gloss cover which helped an insane amount with colors. It looked just as good as a Crossover 27Q that I had next to it for quite awhile (Crossover 27Q = Apple Cinema Display). But, they've since gone out of production.
There are a set of monitors that supposedly can be overclocked to 90+Hz from Overlord Computers, and it's again based on the same panel as the Apple Cinema Display. I haven't had personal experience with it yet, but plan on getting one in the next batch that they have available.
*edit*
Keep in mind, a lot of new TN panels have just as good color as IPS panels. Where the IPS panels can seem to have better color is at off angles, where the TN panels lose out on accuracy. It's not hard to properly adjust your monitor though.
theSlacker
Member
Interesting. Would it cause problems if you wanted to be able to toggle lightboost on and off for non gaming? Also the IQ people would probably still be going for IPS panels.
There are other issues with always having lightboost on though inst there? Like a flicker from the strobe effect?
Neg, TN panels.
Edit: Once again, should have refreshed before posting.
PoweredBySoy
Banned
I tried it last week on my new build and everything you've heard is true. Promptly returned it for 7.
Oh wow. That's much less than I thought it would cost for a 144 Hz monitor. Gonna take a note of that model number.
I have used w8 for over a month now. My rig is used for games 98 percent of the time. I haven't had any issues. Getting used to the new Ui is a different matter, but going strictly off of games it's been fine.
I don't really play old or classic titles though so dunno how it fares there.
Confusatron
Member
I saw your build, looked really good. That was part of the reason I decided to give this a shot again.
I took a look at the Fractal Node 304. It does look pretty damn slick, but I like having the option of building an optical drive in to the CM 120 in the future, should I choose to do so. With the suggested changes, that brings me to:
Case Cooler Master 120 - $50
CPU I5 3570k - $220
MB Gigabyte GA-Z77N - $120
RAM GSkill Ripjaws 8GB - $69
GPU Gigabyte 660 TI - $300
HD WD Blue 1TB - $75
PSU SeaSonic S12II 520 - $65
Heat CM GeminiII S524 - $40
Total $939
I think that might be a complete build. Now I just need to convince myself to open up the wallet.
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