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"I need a New PC!" 2013 Part 1. Haswell, Crysis 3, and secret fairy sauce. Read da OP

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Someone told me he was running a desktop graphics card on his laptop using some kind of external adapter. Does anyone know how this works? Will it work on all laptops, or do you need a specific kind of port avaialble?
 

mkenyon

Banned
Someone told me he was running a desktop graphics card on his laptop using some kind of external adapter. Does anyone know how this works? Will it work on all laptops, or do you need a specific kind of port avaialble?
Pairing a full sized GPU with a laptop processor and memory is like putting a Corvette V8 in a Yugo.
 
Pairing a full sized GPU with a laptop processor and memory is like putting a Corvette V8 in a Yugo.

Yea I know but for some people a desktop simply isn't an option. A friend of mine has a laptop that he'd like to be able to play games on, but he can't right now because of the graphics card. If he had an external video card, at least it would enable him to play some games on non-terrible settings.
 

HoosTrax

Member
Another woman aboard the Asus VG248QE train? :D
fixed (I get "bro" constantly too)

Yeah, I was rocking a ASUS VS248H and a 1680x1050 monitor as my secondary display previously. The new VG248QE looks a lot better paired up with it. Or it would if my old monitor actually had adjustable height and I didn't have to prop it up with books.

p1000089yv.jpg
p1000093f.jpg

There's an unsightly mess under my table now because I had to flip my PC and stuff it under the table to get the DVI cable to reach. It would normally be to the left of the leftmost table, next to the trash bin.
 
Im looking to create a nice little miniATX system (BitFenix Prodigy case), and im trying to decide on a motherboard. I don't really care for overclocking, but I would like to have a 6Gb/s SATA connection just incase I get a SSD in the future. The cheapest bored I can find that supports this it the MSI B75IA-E33. It looks to do everything I want it too, but I thought id check before ordering on other peoples views. Anyone else got one ? How is it ?
 

kennah

Member
Im looking to create a nice little microATX system (BitFenix Prodigy case), and im trying to decide on a motherboard. I don't really care for overclocking, but I would like to have a 6Gb/s SATA connection just incase I get a SSD in the future. The cheapest bored I can find that supports this it the MSI B75IA-E33. It looks to do everything I want it too, but I thought id check before ordering on other peoples views. Anyone else got one ? How is it ?

Careful, the Prodigy is a MiniITX Case not a MicroATX case. There are only a handful of boards that will fit. (That board is not one of them)
 

HoosTrax

Member
Looks like we have the same computer case, those pictures freaked me out because I have my computer laying the same way
CM590 right? In retrospect, if I could go back a few years, I would not have gone with such a deep case. I had an actual computer desk that I used to use, and the stupid case would be sticking out of the cubby hole so far that the front feet were in midair, not on the actual shelf in the desk for the computer.

Luckily, I don't think any of the fan holes are blocked when it's lying on its side.

Is that a bottle of Vanilla Vodka on the ground? :)
Ahhh. That's actually Smirnoff Whipped Cream. I was making creamsicles (orange soda + whipped cream vodka) and ran out of the soda, and I started making root beer float with it instead.
 

MisterNoisy

Member
Im looking to create a nice little microATX system (BitFenix Prodigy case), and im trying to decide on a motherboard. I don't really care for overclocking, but I would like to have a 6Gb/s SATA connection just incase I get a SSD in the future. The cheapest bored I can find that supports this it the MSI B75IA-E33. It looks to do everything I want it too, but I thought id check before ordering on other peoples views. Anyone else got one ? How is it ?

The Prodigy is a mini-ITX case (~6.5" ^2), though you could probably mod it to fit a mATX build (~9.5" ^2) if you wanted. As for your SATA 6Gb/s requirement, look at B75/H77/Z77 boards - they all should support that with at least two ports. There's actually a pretty fair selection if you know that you won't be overclocking (and thus require a Z77 board - there's only a few of those).
 

mkenyon

Banned
Im looking to create a nice little microATX system (BitFenix Prodigy case), and im trying to decide on a motherboard. I don't really care for overclocking, but I would like to have a 6Gb/s SATA connection just incase I get a SSD in the future. The cheapest bored I can find that supports this it the MSI B75IA-E33. It looks to do everything I want it too, but I thought id check before ordering on other peoples views. Anyone else got one ? How is it ?
ASrock Extreme 4-M would be the mATX board of choice.

And yeah, as noted above, the Prodigy is ITX. Short list of great mATX cases:

Lian Li V354
Lian Li A04
Fractal Define Mini
Fractal Arc Mini
Silverstone TJ08
Silverstone PS07
Silverstone SG09
Silverstone FT03
Xigmatek Gigas
 
Woops sorry I did mean mini ITX, which the motherboard ive been looking at is. It does seem you can make a beastly little system inside one of those Prodigy cases, but I would just like to make sure the mobo ive seen fits the bill :)
 
CM590 right? In retrospect, if I could go back a few years, I would not have gone with such a deep case. I had an actual computer desk that I used to use, and the stupid case would be sticking out of the cubby hole so far that the front feet were in midair, not on the actual shelf in the desk for the computer.

Luckily, I don't think any of the fan holes are blocked when it's lying on its side.
Actually, looking at the pic again, is that carpet it's laying on? Can't that cause the fucker to overheat, regardless of fan placement?
 

HoosTrax

Member
Actually, looking at the pic again, is that carpet it's laying on? Can't that cause the fucker to overheat, regardless of fan placement?
I'm guessing no, because a couple of years ago, I put a layer of foam soundmat on both side panels. So if that hasn't caused any problems up until now, I don't think a layer of carpet on the outside is going to cause any serious problems either, other than more dust buildup than usual.
 

mkenyon

Banned
Woops sorry I did mean mini ITX, which the motherboard ive been looking at is. It does seem you can make a beastly little system inside one of those Prodigy cases, but I would just like to make sure the mobo ive seen fits the bill :)
Follow the OP SFF guide to get a bit better value. Ideally you'll want a Z77 board.
 
Im thinking about making the jump to 120Hz, but i use a multimon setup, and if its all the same id rather only replace my gaming monitor with 120 Hz since it wont really matter for non gaming.

Currently im using 2x ASUS VS247H-P, if i go with 1x ASUS VS247H-P and 1x ASUS VG248QE, will it be fine?
 
I got in my SSD from Amazon today, and it looks like the bulk of my PC parts will be in on Monday and my case on Tuesday. I'm pretty excited, but I was going over the OP regarding SSDs and I'm a bit scared.
 

Pandemic

Member
With this new PC on its way, I thought I'd take more time in taking care of it hah. With my current PC, I didn't clean it for at least 2 years, which I then eventually opened the gates to shitloads of dust. It's still been kicking up until now, which is 4 years which is good.

When should you clean the inside of your PC? And what do you use?

Thanks.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
Huh? I removed it from my order, how come?

Oh. I thought you, like, already had it in your possession or something. My next system will absolutely require a wireless card, but I've had a lot of trouble in the past looking for a good one. It'll need a high-gain antenna too because I'm setting it up pretty far away from the router.
 

Pandemic

Member
Oh. I thought you, like, already had it in your possession or something. My next system will absolutely require a wireless card, but I've had a lot of trouble in the past looking for a good one. It'll need a high-gain antenna too because I'm setting it up pretty far away from the router.

Ohhh okay, got it. Yeah, I have an antenna on my current PC, works alright, hate wireless though. I was able to move the router into the room with the PC, so I ditched the wireless card with this new PC.
 

MedIC86

Member
A local shop in town is having a good deal on memory right now, i want to upgrade to haswell in June, i can assume it will still use DD3 memory right? any particular speed i should be looking at? 1600 or 1866mhz?
 

Mad Max

Member
I'm currently trying to decide on a suitable case for my Haswell build in june. I'm mostly looking for a well built mid tower with good cooling performance, subtle looks, and that has moderate sound production at a price of around €100. The trouble is I'm also planning to use a h100 for a cpu cooler, that I want to mount under the top exit vents of the case.

From what I've seen this leaves the following options: lian li PC-7HX, corsair carbide R500, fractal define R4. Now I'd prefer to get the lian li since this is the best looking case (imo), and its not much of a downgrade in terms of looks from my PC-101B. However I'm not sure the case can actually fit the 240mm rad from the h100 including fans, without having to move the fans outside the case. Can anyone tell me if this can fit? Or should I go for one of the other options (or something else entirely)?
 

HoosTrax

Member
when forced to do so, use a ps2 for a fashionable and elegant monitor stand, that's what I did :)
iyUTJGsuAPmc.jpg
I only have a PS2 Slim, wouldn't do much good haha

I see that you have a glass desk as well -- I like the elegant look of them, but I worry about using a clamp-style monitor stand with one. Mine has a metal edge on the left and right sides that might work though, not sure.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
So lemme get this straight: Do most parts (CPUs, cases, memory, etc.) come with installation instructions? I don't remember seeing any the last time I bought a graphics card or a PSU, only the instructions that came with the Dell I installed them in.
 

brentech

Member
So lemme get this straight: Do most parts (CPUs, cases, memory, etc.) come with installation instructions? I don't remember seeing any the last time I bought a graphics card or a PSU, only the instructions that came with the Dell I installed them in.
Usually the motherboard manual will tell how how to install any parts to it if said part doesn't come with its own. Some cases provide instructions, some don't.
It's hit and miss.
 
I'm in need of advice PC-GAF.

Basically, should I upgrade my current PC or just build an entirely new one?

My current gaming PC which I built in December 2009 with some little upgrades since then:

  • Case- Cooler Master Storm Scout
  • MB- Asus M4A79xtd EVO AM3 790X ATX
  • GPU- XFX 5770 1GB
  • PSU- Corsair 550VX
  • CPU- AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black edition
  • Memory- 8GB (4 2GB sticks) G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3
  • HDD- Western Digital Caviar Black 750GB
  • Sound- Asus Xonar DG
  • Cooling- Corsair H60
  • Sony DVD drive

When I built this PC in December 2009, the 5770 was more than enough for gaming since I was only gaming at 1280x1024. Since then I've gotten a 1920x1080 monitor and in more recent games its starting to show its age. Probably about a year or 1.5 years ago I unlocked the 4th core on my X3 720 without any problems and once I got the Corsair H60 to replace the stock cooling, I overclocked my CPU to about 3.4GHz without any issues.


So what I was thinking of doing in terms of upgrading was this:

Basically, upgrade my 5770 to a 660 Ti, add an SSD and a Blu Ray drive.

  • Is the 660 Ti a good upgrade? Or would the 7950 be better? I've only briefly compared the 2 but they seem about equal in performance and I'm not partial to either Nvidia or AMD. Basically, if I could run most games at 1920x1080 with most options on high, a little AA and at a smooth 60 fps or around there, I'll be happy.

  • Would a 660 Ti or a 7950 be bottlenecked by my processor? Like I said, I unlocked the 4th core and overclocked it beyond its stock 2.8GHz with no issues. But I don't think there is much of an easy upgrade path for me that would be worth the money with another AMD processor that would work on my existing MB. I just feel like upgrading to a more modern Intel CPU would mean getting a new MB and at that point I'd be tempted to just build a whole new computer.But if the new GPU would be held back by my existing CPU, then I might just need to make a whole new PC.

  • Would my power supply be sufficient for adding in an SSD, BluRay drive and a 660Ti or 7950? Its 550W but I see varying opinions on how much power you need once you start adding things and especially since I've overclocked and unlocked the 4th core on my CPU.

  • Is there any new GPU stuff on the horizon worth waiting for? I'm probably not going to do any upgrading or building until the early summer, but if there was something noteworthy on the horizon beyond that, I'd be willing to wait.
 

scogoth

Member
So I want to use my iMac as a monitor. On NewEgg I see they sell these

http://m.newegg.com/ProductList?Keyword=iMac+display+cables

iMac mini display cables. This should work if I want to run HDMI into the IMac right ??

No those cables won't work. Those are displayport+ to HDMI and DVI, it doesn't work the other way around. You would need an active HDMI to displayport adapter and they aren't cheap
http://www.startech.com/AV/Converters/Video/Active-HDMI-or-DVI-to-DisplayPort-Converter~HDMI2DP

Do you have a 27in iMac? Only the 27in iMac's support video in through the displayport.
 

Adam Blue

Member
So, monitors.

I can get a 24 inch ASUS, or a 23inch Asus IPS, or go big with a 27 inch monitor?

I guess it preference, but what's the best advice for this? The 24 and 23 are in my rpice range but have differences.

I have a 22 inch Samsung that's actually really nice and I downsample all of my games. But is there a sweet spot where a larger monitor is better? Maybe mine is fine and just save up for 144hz?
 

JB1981

Member

brentech

Member
Updated pictures again since I switched cases to the R4:

8646028770_58db0dfa40_z.jpg


8646028658_d110cdbb19_z.jpg


8644928383_e31b90e289_z.jpg


8646028528_4a1de382ed_z.jpg


Real solid. I don't see any reason why I would switch cases in the future if the fit works. Really love it. I wasn't a fan of my old case's blue fan in the front. The R4 manages to remain clean and minimalistic even with the side window version.
 
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