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[HoosTrax]

I was just wondering would two Asus DirectCU II GTX 680's fit on a regular ATX motherboard? They should right?

I would be careful about this one since the ASUS cards have a backplate. Naturally, you would think that the second card should fit if there's a two slot gap in between the two.

I tried putting a ASUS Xonar Essence in the fifth slot of my MSI P67A (my ASUS DCUII GTX570 is in the second slot) and finally gave up and put it in the first slot instead. The video card, being heavy as hell sags downward a bit and I just wasn't comfortable with how much I had to jam the Xonar in there.

Basically, the topmost ASUS video card is going to end up touching the lower one, is what I think will happen. I don't think I've seen a picture of someone with SLI ASUS DCU cards. But there is a two-slot ASUS DCUII GTX680 curiously (it's lower clocked but has 4GB of VRAM).

 

[Hex]

Ok, order is in:

COOLER MASTER Storm Stryker SGC-5000W-KWN1 Black and White Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM

Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR240GB 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770

2x Western Digital WD Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - OEM

LG Electronics Blu-ray Disc Combo Internal SATA 12X Lightscribe with 3D Play Back, Model CH12LS28

MSI Z77 MPOWER LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

EVGA SuperClocked+ 03G-P4-3663-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 3GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel ...

Arctic Silver Arctic Alumina 14g Premium Ceramic, Polysynthetic thermal compound AA-14G

SeaSonic M12II 650 SS-650AM 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Semi-modular Power ...

So I guess my next question is to stick with windows 7 or up to Windows 8 Pro?

 

[RavenHawk]

The XT seems like a real bargain. I would say the extra £25 is worth it.

Definitely. From what I have read, the Tahiti 7870s are more closely related to the 79 series than anything else. I have often seen them jokingly referred to as a "7930". The only knock I see against them is that tend to run on the warmer side.

 

[plainr_]

Ok, order is in:



So I guess my next question is to stick with windows 7 or up to Windows 8 Pro?

I'd say Windows 8. With 8.1 rumored to include start button and direct boot to desktop there should be no reason to stay on windows 7 anymore. Win8 is worth it for the boot times alone imo.

 

[Hex]

I'd say Windows 8. With 8.1 rumored to include start button and direct boot to desktop there should be no reason to stay on windows 7 anymore. Win8 is worth it for the boot times alone imo.

I am not afraid of the 8!
Sounds good to me.

 

[naib]

Edit: disregard.

Made an impulsive decision and went 670 ftw.

 

[kennah]

Hex. You did get a 3770K right? Not just a 3770?

 

[Hex]

Hex. You did get a 3770K right? Not just a 3770?

I tossed the option around, I know that you can only oc with the K but I decided that for now I am going to go with the non mainly because I ended up with a good discount for it.
Later in the summer after I get my feet wet some more (been out of the serious pc game figuratively and literally for a while) I will move this one to my gfs pc for an upgrade and then finish mine with a second GPU and an oc cpu.

 

[A.Romero]

Here's the Windows folder:

And one step deeper into the winsxs folder:

Again, any advice is super appreciated.

This doesn't make sense. How come your folder is about 14 GB but the biggest folder inside it is about half a gig?

If you sum up the biggest folders inside winsxs you get under 4 gigs!

I'm running Windows 8 Pro on my laptop and Winsxs is about 11 gb. I'll check my desktop PC (windows 7 Pro) when I get home.

 

[Valnen]

So it's finally happening. In a little over a couple weeks I will be building a PC.

This is what I'm looking at.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=30151148

The main parts I have questions on are the PSU and RAM. Did I go overkill on the PSU? I picked the one I did because I know it's very quiet and being 80+ gold I figured it would save on my power bill...also I like quiet fans, and I know that particular one is quiet. Also I was going to overclock my GPU and CPU to get as much performance as possible. I don't know, I have a feeling I could save some cash on the PSU. Also, is the RAM I picked sufficient? It looks cheap...I know looks aren't everything, but still. I'm also not completely settled on the motherboard. The case I picked has 4 fans but the motherboard only seems to have 3 system fan headers?

The primary purpose of this computer will be to play maxed out (or close to it) PC games and lots of PS2/Wii/GC emulation.

I'm a little annoyed at the price of the case but I LOVE the design, it's pretty much perfect for me and the removable filters will be nice for my dusty apartment. But man, if I could save some cash on the PSU and case I'd probably be able to throw in an SSD too..

 

[cpp_is_king]

This doesn't make sense. How come your folder is about 14 GB but the biggest folder inside it is about half a gig?

If you sum up the biggest folders inside winsxs you get under 4 gigs!

I'm running Windows 8 Pro on my laptop and Winsxs is about 11 gb. I'll check my desktop PC (windows 7 Pro) when I get home.

He probably has windows set to not show hidden/system folders

 

[scogoth]

Here's the Windows folder:

And one step deeper into the winsxs folder:

Again, any advice is super appreciated.

That winsxs is where all the updates, patches, service packs, etc are stored. Not much you can do other than permanent install the service if it is not already. Check out this site for more info http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2795190

 

[scogoth]

This doesn't make sense. How come your folder is about 14 GB but the biggest folder inside it is about half a gig?

If you sum up the biggest folders inside winsxs you get under 4 gigs!

I'm running Windows 8 Pro on my laptop and Winsxs is about 11 gb. I'll check my desktop PC (windows 7 Pro) when I get home.

There are a lot a lot a lot a lot a lot a lot of other folders not shown in that screenshot all 20mb.

 

[RumblingRosco]

This doesn't make sense. How come your folder is about 14 GB but the biggest folder inside it is about half a gig?

If you sum up the biggest folders inside winsxs you get under 4 gigs!

I'm running Windows 8 Pro on my laptop and Winsxs is about 11 gb. I'll check my desktop PC (windows 7 Pro) when I get home.

OK, thanks for checking with your system.

He probably has windows set to not show hidden/system folders

Nah, not the case I believe.

That winsxs is where all the updates, patches, service packs, etc are stored. Not much you can do other than permanent install the service if it is not already. Check out this site for more info http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2795190

There are a lot a lot a lot a lot a lot a lot of other folders not shown in that screenshot all 20mb.

scogoth is correct; there are hundreds or maybe thousands of small folders in there. Also, scogoth, looking at the link you sent me, it looks like the instructions simply suggest running disk cleanup and removing service pack backup files. I did that a long time ago; nothing to remove anymore (just checked). Am I missing something in those instructions?

Here's a question: Can I delete the nVidia folder on my C: drive? It's almost 2 GB. Or, at least, I think the Installer2 folder in there (which is about 1.8 GB) should be safe to remove, right? Looking around online seems to say "yes, both are fine" but I'm having trouble getting a reliable answer anywhere.

 

[Dave_6]

Wooooohooooo it works! Finally. Few questions though:

I got in a hurry (plus I'm really tired) and installed Steam to the SSD. How can I move it to the HD or can I? Seems like it didn't ask me where to install it or either I missed it.

It is hooked up to my Pioneer plasma and automatically set the resolution to 1080p once I got the latest drivers installed. Problem is it is 'windowed' with a fairly large black border all the way around. How can I make it 'full screen'?

 

[brentech]

Just thought I'd post this for anyone building with question as to which OS is right for you. If web browsing speed is of any importance, TomsHardware has a nice article up now:

Since we use the exact same test system and benchmark suite for both versions of Windows, we can now say that, no matter which browser you use, upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8 results in a boost to Web browser performance, period.

And as to which browser they recommend:

Upon adding the four non-performance metrics, Chrome takes the definitive lead in both operating systems. Firefox places second on both versions of Windows, ceding its performance lead and quite a bit more ground to Chrome in the areas of memory efficiency, security, and standards conformance. IE10 places third on its native Windows 8 platform. That's far from the show-stopping debut that bolstered IE9 just 18 months ago, but also a massive step forward from its predecessor's performance in Windows 7 today. Opera is sandwiched between the two versions of Internet Explorer, finishing last under Windows 8, but outperforming IE9.

Entire article available here.

They have an article on gaming benchmarks on the two OS's and the results are pretty insignificant. The browser article actually leads with:

Although Windows 8 didn't exactly do anything for the performance of productivity-oriented applications or gaming, and it didn't save AMD's FX. But we haven't yet seen how Microsoft's new operating system affects Web browsing.

 

[The Broken Ska Record]

I'd say Windows 8. With 8.1 rumored to include start button and direct boot to desktop there should be no reason to stay on windows 7 anymore. Win8 is worth it for the boot times alone imo.

The boot time is amazing. It takes me 13 seconds from when the BIOS beeps to when I can enter my password. sogood.gif

 

[cpp_is_king]

Is there any good software that can display both CPU and GPU temp as a Direct3D overlay in games as well as send alerts when they get too high?

 

[demented]

Bought all my parts and brought them home, will take pics and set it up later today! Biggest thing to do will be setting up the windows after I install it, and then transfering stuff between my 2 backup hdds(ones I used until now) and formatting them

 

[RavenHawk]

Wooooohooooo it works! Finally. Few questions though:

I got in a hurry (plus I'm really tired) and installed Steam to the SSD. How can I move it to the HD or can I? Seems like it didn't ask me where to install it or either I missed it.

It is hooked up to my Pioneer plasma and automatically set the resolution to 1080p once I got the latest drivers installed. Problem is it is 'windowed' with a fairly large black border all the way around. How can I make it 'full screen'?

Leave Steam where it is, you can install the games to your HD.

Not sure what card you have, but if it is an AMD, go into Catalyst and adjust the overscan.

 

[Hawk269]

Wooooohooooo it works! Finally. Few questions though:

I got in a hurry (plus I'm really tired) and installed Steam to the SSD. How can I move it to the HD or can I? Seems like it didn't ask me where to install it or either I missed it.

It is hooked up to my Pioneer plasma and automatically set the resolution to 1080p once I got the latest drivers installed. Problem is it is 'windowed' with a fairly large black border all the way around. How can I make it 'full screen'?

Here is what I would do. Leave Steam on the SSD and download any games you buy to the SSD as well. Download and use Steam-Mover and then move them to your HDD. The reason I say to do it this way is that let's say you end up with a game and realize that it really does benefit from the speed of a SSD (such as games with extreme in-game streaming). You can easily then move the game back to the SSD. I have 3 SSD's and 2 Hdd's and it has worked out great for me.

 

[Pandemic]

They ended up fitting the H100i into my PC, so I'm going to go pick it up now. Pretty pumped

 

[cpp_is_king]

Is there any good software that can display both CPU and GPU temp as a Direct3D overlay in games as well as send alerts when they get too high?

 

[neoanarch]

anyone know of anywhere I could snag an older motherboard for cheap? Basically needs to be am2+, with phenom 2 X4 AM3 support, 4 DDR2 memory slots, and pci e x16. Have 6gb ddr2 on hand, but the motherboards full with only 2 memory slots. Anyone have an old one they could part with? lol

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083B6HEQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I bought this when my old MB died and I needed something to hold me over.

Problem is it can only take either two ddr2 or ddr3 ram sticks.

 

[Mad Max]

You should get a D5 pump and the D5 X-Res. They're a lot more reliable, and much much quieter.

If you are using barbs, you will want to use tubing that is slightly smaller diameter than the fittings. With 1/2" barbs, you would want to use 7/16"x5/8" tubing.

The 360 rad is definitely more than plenty for your CPU, and could handle a 7950 as well.

*edit*

Also, if you want to have a drain, what I suggest is drilling a small hole in the bottom of your case and run the T fitting to a fill port. It becomes as simple as unscrewing the fill port on the bottom of your case and the fill port on the top of your reservoir.

Thanks for the advise, I've changed the tubes to 16/12mm and I'll make a fillport in the bottom as you said, since it seems much simpler. Also I've ordered the case and rad already .
About the pump: I can change to a D5, but for some reason there are no places here in the netherlands which have the D5 X-Res in stock, so I'd have to go with a different top/reservoir. So I could go with this instead, although I'm not sure about the quality of the res.

 

[erick]

I'd say Windows 8. With 8.1 rumored to include start button and direct boot to desktop there should be no reason to stay on windows 7 anymore. Win8 is worth it for the boot times alone imo.

Not to say that fast boot times aren't great, but how often does one reboot their PC nowadays anyway?
Mine has uptimes exceeding 3 weeks on a regular basis. There is almost nothing save for some very specific software updates (like drivers or mandatory Windows security patches) that require a restart.

Also, restart/power cycles wear down components. The less your PC has, the better for it's long term health!

 

[Stubo]

Crosspost from the Cheap Arse GAFer thread:

Samsung 840 Pro 256Gb - £144.18 @ Amazon (with potential £15 Samsung cashback)

Anyone considering it, get on this before HUKD clears it out!

 

[CyanideFuse]

I have a can of compressed air that I want to use to do some dusting on my PC components.

I tested it on an old keyboard and on the odd occasion some liquid comes out. I am worried about using it on the components. I am following the instructions and doing very quick presses at the recommended distance.

In the event some liquid was to land on the components, would the following be safe?

• Not use the computer for a few hours prior to spraying
• Use the air
• Not use the computer for a further few hours

Or is any kind of moisture, at any time, bad news? I don't know if I feel stupid to ask this or not!


Also:

I have searched and not found an answer to this, so was wondering on the off-chance somebody had an answer:

When I am using my PC for boring things like work(!) I have noticed that Windows Live Mail makes my graphics card heat up to around 38 degrees.

When I close the software it goes back down to the idle temperature of 26-28 degrees.

What would be the reason for this? It is definitely this software as I can make the temperature go up without fail when opening the software.

I have other software open and it has not effect.

 

[F#A#Oo]

I have a can of compressed air that I want to use to do some dusting on my PC components.

I tested it on an old keyboard and on the odd occasion some liquid comes out. I am worried about using it on the components. I am following the instructions and doing very quick presses at the recommended distance.

In the event some liquid was to land on the components, would the following be safe?

• Not use the computer for a few hours prior to spraying
• Use the air
• Not use the computer for a further few hours

Or is any kind of moisture, at any time, bad news? I don't know if I feel stupid to ask this or not!


Also:

I have searched and not found an answer to this, so was wondering on the off-chance somebody had an answer:

When I am using my PC for boring things like work(!) I have noticed that Windows Live Mail makes my graphics card heat up to around 38 degrees.

When I close the software it goes back down to the idle temperature of 26-28 degrees.

What would be the reason for this? It is definitely this software as I can make the temperature go up without fail when opening the software.

I have other software open and it has not effect.

I've seen people on YouTube using leaf blowers on their PC. It works a treat from what I've seen. There are some really nasty cases too where the people literally never de-dusted them ever and there is coating you can visibly measure. A few seconds from the leaf blower and its almost as good as new.

 

[Burgess_101]

I would be careful about this one since the ASUS cards have a backplate. Naturally, you would think that the second card should fit if there's a two slot gap in between the two.

I tried putting a ASUS Xonar Essence in the fifth slot of my MSI P67A (my ASUS DCUII GTX570 is in the second slot) and finally gave up and put it in the first slot instead. The video card, being heavy as hell sags downward a bit and I just wasn't comfortable with how much I had to jam the Xonar in there.

Basically, the topmost ASUS video card is going to end up touching the lower one, is what I think will happen. I don't think I've seen a picture of someone with SLI ASUS DCU cards. But there is a two-slot ASUS DCUII GTX680 curiously (it's lower clocked but has 4GB of VRAM).

Kind of what I thought as well. I have been planning on upgrading my motherboard so we'll see how it goes for now.

 

[Mad Max]

Thanks for the advise, I've changed the tubes to 16/12mm and I'll make a fillport in the bottom as you said, since it seems much simpler. Also I've ordered the case and rad already .
About the pump: I can change to a D5, but for some reason there are no places here in the netherlands which have the D5 X-Res in stock, so I'd have to go with a different top/reservoir. So I could go with this instead, although I'm not sure about the quality of the res.

Welp, changed a few things and ordered: Here's the final thing:

 

[Akai__]

The Samsung 840 (basic edition) 120GB will be 79€ at Media Markt here in Germany. Should I jump on the deal? Sounds pretty good, imo.

 

[Pandemic]

PC has arrived, will post some photos in the morning. :]

 

[VE3TRO]

Is it ok to add an additional fan to my CPU cooler rad? I currently have 2 on the rad at the moment in push/pull config but I wondered if I could attach another fan to the push so I had 3 fans in total.

Would it work at all or be pointless? The fans are Corsair SP 120's high performance.

 

[News Bot]

Overclockers didn't have any Crysis 3 vouchers left when I purchased my 7970, so sent the BioShock Infinite voucher alongside a choice between three other games (I picked Far Cry 3).

...but I already own Far Cry 3. What to do.

 

[scogoth]

scogoth is correct; there are hundreds or maybe thousands of small folders in there. Also, scogoth, looking at the link you sent me, it looks like the instructions simply suggest running disk cleanup and removing service pack backup files. I did that a long time ago; nothing to remove anymore (just checked). Am I missing something in those instructions?

Here's a question: Can I delete the nVidia folder on my C: drive? It's almost 2 GB. Or, at least, I think the Installer2 folder in there (which is about 1.8 GB) should be safe to remove, right? Looking around online seems to say "yes, both are fine" but I'm having trouble getting a reliable answer anywhere.

Unfortunately if you've done disk cleanup and removed service pack backups that about all you can do. The whole NVIDIA folder can be deleted no problem. It simply stores the installer files for the drivers but after the drivers are already installed there is not much need for them anymore.

Is it ok to add an additional fan to my CPU cooler rad? I currently have 2 on the rad at the moment in push/pull config but I wondered if I could attach another fan to the push so I had 3 fans in total.

Would it work at all or be pointless? The fans are Corsair SP 120's high performance.

Pointless, even push/pull has very little benefit over single fan.

 

[plainr_]

A double push to pull wouldn't be recommended because the CFM and static pressure on the pull end would remain the same. That's why it's recommended to have identical fans on both sides in a push/pull config.

Also, the last time I tried a push/pull setup on the radiator it seemed to make little to no difference at all for my temps. Maybe 1-2C cooler. Wasn't worth the extra noise so I took it off.

 

[CyanideFuse]

Overclockers didn't have any Crysis 3 vouchers left when I purchased my 7970, so sent the BioShock Infinite voucher alongside a choice between three other games (I picked Far Cry 3).

...but I already own Far Cry 3. What to do.

How much would you want for the voucher?

 

[News Bot]

How much would you want for the voucher?

I see Far Cry 3 for only like £15 these days so probably that.

 

[CyanideFuse]

I'll hang on for it to drop a bit, sorry.

 

[Dave_6]

Leave Steam where it is, you can install the games to your HD.

Not sure what card you have, but if it is an AMD, go into Catalyst and adjust the overscan.

It's a Sapphire 7970. I didn't have time to go into Catalyst last night so I'll look there later.

Here is what I would do. Leave Steam on the SSD and download any games you buy to the SSD as well. Download and use Steam-Mover and then move them to your HDD. The reason I say to do it this way is that let's say you end up with a game and realize that it really does benefit from the speed of a SSD (such as games with extreme in-game streaming). You can easily then move the game back to the SSD. I have 3 SSD's and 2 Hdd's and it has worked out great for me.

Thanks, I'll check out Steam Mover. I was wondering if some games would benefit from being installed on an SSD.

 

[Pandemic]

A little disappointed that I didn't go with windows 8 considering the latest rumours. Hmm..

 

[Dave_6]

A little disappointed that I didn't go with windows 8 considering the latest rumours. Hmm..

Me too. Oh well...

 

[Outdoor Miner]

A little disappointed that I didn't go with windows 8 considering the latest rumours. Hmm..

Latest rumors being what?

 

[whatsinaname]

Is there something like Prime95 for GPUs? Got a few crashes while playing Spec Ops, wanted to try and diagnose the issue.

 

[bro1]

Is there something like Prime95 for GPUs? Got a few crashes while playing Spec Ops, wanted to try and diagnose the issue.

You can run 3DMark or Unigine in a loop or EVGA OC Scanner

 

[whatsinaname]

You can run 3DMark or Unigine in a loop or EVGA OC Scanner

Thanks. Does the EVGA OC Scanner log temps? Or is it better to run 3DMark and GPU-Z at the same time to get the logs?

 

[Shambles]

That is why some refer to Windows as being "bloated"

edit* Just checked my Windows folder. 19.7 GB, so yeah something weird is up

32.6 GB on my work machine. Although I don't put much of any faith in the people who administrate the network here so I wouldn't be surprised if it's twice as large as my home machine.

 

[Akai__]

Latest rumors being what?

I think they are referring to Windows 8.1 being able to deactivate the Metro start page. But I'm not sure.

 

[Burgess_101]

I have grown to really love Windows 8, just feels a little faster to me. The start screen works fine as well.