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[Varg]

Can someone take a look at all the stuff im going to get and make sure it's good? Couldn't find the ram or mouse on the pc part picker site so i just put a link to those.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/AEDM


The ram- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00592002W/?tag=neogaf0e-20

The mouse- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826570014

If anyone has another suggestion for a GPU please let me know. Thanks!!!

 

[sorijealut]

Can someone take a look at all the stuff im going to get and make sure it's good? Couldn't find the ram or mouse on the pc part picker site so i just put a link to those.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/AEDM


The ram- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00592002W/?tag=neogaf0e-20

The mouse- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826570014

If anyone has another suggestion for a GPU please let me know. Thanks!!!

Looks good to me, it's a lot of the same parts I got:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/wxPX
I have the Xornet too but Spawn is the better mouse if you don't mind a little more.

This is my monitor, but too bad it's not on sale right now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236174
Your selected monitor has a slow response rate.

 

[kennah]

Think SLI 660 (non ti) would be able to do tri monitor 1680x1050@60Hz?

 

[bro1]

Think SLI 660 (non ti) would be able to do tri monitor 1680x1050@60Hz?

yes, without a problem

 

[kennah]

yes, without a problem

That is not the answer my wife wanted to hear Thanks.

 

[mkenyon]

Think SLI 660 (non ti) would be able to do tri monitor 1680x1050@60Hz?

Fix that before buying two 660s

I need to install a new cooler for my CPU. I know the 212 is considered the best bang for the buck. I have two questions and concerns:

How hard is it to install with the mobo in the case? I have a Corsair case with the mobo tray cut out.

Is there an easier cooler to install? My case isn't huge. It's the R300 and I'm considering getting one of Corsair's all in one water cooler to cut down on the noise.

Yeah, super easy.

I had to talk her into getting any SSD at all! Her dad was a little disappointed with the 240GB. And I attempted to get the 840 Pro, the M4, and the Neutron GTX...Frys was fresh out of all of them! But the Intel comes with a 5-year warranty, so I think she's safe.

And I suggested 24GB, but it is her computer, not mine, lol.

Typing on a mechanical keyboard feels so much better than typing on the membrane kind!

This thread is dangerous to bank accounts! So is Frys. I'm glad the nearest one to me is an hour away. If Microcenter was nearby...

Which switch type did you end up going with?

I installed the second HDD, I think I'm done now for the next year or so. Redid some of the cabeling, but it bothers me that I have like 4 different sata cables.

But all in all I'm extremely happy with it. The last time I built a PC was years ago, and clean cabeling like this was almost impossible.

Reposting for new page cause this is how cable management in the R4 is done. Bravo!

Remember it's just a guide, not a bible

So sayeth The Haz.

Well, just splurged on a KBT pure, really excited to try it out, after my disappointing
experience with the razer nostromo.
Should go well with my Logitech G700.
Why isn't that in the OP by the way? Really great mouse, so many buttons, and not too expensive.
Sorry about my earlier post asking about keyboards, I forgot to mention that I had already read the OP, and none of the keyboards seemed to suit, but I hope I made a good choice with the pure.
Anyone here with experience? (I ask now it's too late.)

I was going to put the Pure in the OP, but too many people rely on function keys. So I put the Race in there instead. They're both amazing.

G700 = wireless = disqualified.

 

[Dave_6]

I installed the second HDD, I think I'm done now for the next year or so. Redid some of the cabeling, but it bothers me that I have like 4 different sata cables.

But all in all I'm extremely happy with it. The last time I built a PC was years ago, and clean cabeling like this was almost impossible.

Great job and such a good looking case! Makes me want to get one of these instead of a Prodigy.

 

[kennah]

Fix that before buying two 660s

I already have two monitors, so it's easier to dip my feet into the tri monitor waters before going for the 120Hz ones But I'm sure eventually. Kinda waiting to see what happens with 144Hz/paying off debts first. Going this route would only put me out about 300-350$ anyway. Of course, all speculation at this point, we'll see how much is left of the tax return.

A single 660 wouldn't be able to push three would it? What about dropping to 720p or dealing with 30fps? A third 22" monitor could easily be found locally for $80-100

 

[mkenyon]

I don't know, I've never done multiple monitors outside of once in Civ V.

I don't play many single player games or racing/flight sims though. 95% of my gaming time is in competitive games.

 

[CaptainZombie]

Up to how many 360 controllers can you use with one wireless 360 receiver on the PC? I have always wondered.

 

[scogoth]

I already have two monitors, so it's easier to dip my feet into the tri monitor waters before going for the 120Hz ones But I'm sure eventually. Kinda waiting to see what happens with 144Hz/paying off debts first. Going this route would only put me out about 300-350$ anyway. Of course, all speculation at this point, we'll see how much is left of the tax return.

A single 660 wouldn't be able to push three would it? What about dropping to 720p or dealing with 30fps? A third 22" monitor could easily be found locally for $80-100

SLI 680s struggle to get 60fps with three 1080p screens with the most demanding games. I seriously doubt a single 660 will run three screen gaming.
I'm not even sure SLI 660s will push anything greater than 720p

I don't know, I've never done multiple monitors outside of once in Civ V.

I don't play many single player games or racing/flight sims though. 95% of my gaming time is in competitive games.

No TA with three screens? I would think that would provide a good advantage.

 

[mere_immortal]

Almost disaster!

My main order from Scan didn't get dispatched out so I gave em a ring, turns out the mobo and CPU cooler were out of stock despite being in stock when I ordered. No emails or anything to let me know so just switched the colour of my cooler and the mobo from Asus to Gigabyte. Still waiting on dispatch confirmation though, gonna be annoyed if I don't get the next day delivery.

On the opposite side of that story I have nothing but praise for Aria. Cheap and great communication. Got an email for every step and a phonecall when it was dispatched just to let me know it was out, great service.

 

[MysticX]

I need some help GAF, my Windows 8 won´t boot up and I´m in the recovery menu. I´m trying to use System Restore, but when I select it, I get an error saying: "To use system restore, you must specify which Windows installation to restore" and I´ve got no idea how to do that, I tried pressing F8 on boot but that doesn´t work anymore in Windows 8

 

[kharma45]

Almost disaster!

My main order from Scan didn't get dispatched out so I gave em a ring, turns out the mobo and CPU cooler were out of stock despite being in stock when I ordered. No emails or anything to let me know so just switched the colour of my cooler and the mobo from Asus to Gigabyte. Still waiting on dispatch confirmation though, gonna be annoyed if I don't get the next day delivery.

On the opposite side of that story I have nothing but praise for Aria. Cheap and great communication. Got an email for every step and a phonecall when it was dispatched just to let me know it was out, great service.

Kudos to Aria then!

Ebuyer took an age dispatching my SSD but a quick tweet to them and it was on its way.

 

[iavi]

Does anyone know of a good sound card with an I/O kit for the front panel?

 

[mkenyon]

No TA with three screens? I would think that would provide a good advantage.

I don't even know if it supports three monitors, but latency>>>>>>>everything.

also, this is the best I could find on short notice looking at 660 performance when you are using a lot of VRAM.

That 192 bit bandwidth hurts.

Does anyone know of a good sound card with an I/O kit for the front panel?

I've been searching for this very thing myself. I can't find a single one.

I think the way to go is to mount a USB external DAC/amp as if it were an expansion device.

 

[scogoth]

Does anyone know of a good sound card with an I/O kit for the front panel?

Front panel connection are usually unshielded and sound like crap running through a box full of electromagnetic interference. If you need good sound with easily accessible connections look into USB DACs and have it sit on your desk

 

[iavi]

Front panel connection are usually unshielded and sound like crap running through a box full of electromagnetic interference. If you need good sound with easily accessible connections look into USB DACs and have it sit on your desk

Well, that clears that desire right up. If I'm going to go external, might as well go with something from M-audio or the likes that's also a recording interface.

 

[scogoth]

I don't even know if it supports three monitors, but latency>>>>>>>everything.

also, this is the best I could find on short notice looking at 660 performance when you are using a lot of VRAM.

Sneaky edit there at the end.

Running on three screens shouldn't add any latency. Sure you need a lot more graphics power to run it at 120+ but quad Titan SLI should be enough.

 

[mkenyon]

Sneaky edit there at the end.

Running on three screens shouldn't add any latency. Sure you need a lot more graphics power to run it at 120+ but quad Titan SLI should be enough.

Every card you add to SLI adds one frame of input lag. That's how they combat microstutter.

Ideally, I'd like to have <6-8ms frame time in any competitive game I play, that dips no lower than 8.3ms.

 

[mere_immortal]

Kudos to Aria then!

Ebuyer took an age dispatching my SSD but a quick tweet to them and it was on its way.

Well I'm guessing now that's it's gone past half 5 when they close it won't be going out until tomorrow, despite the bloke on the phone saying it would be delivered tomorrow. I've now wasted a day off because they didn't tell me about products changing from in stock to out of stock.

Don't buy stuff from Scan!

 

[kharma45]

Well I'm guessing now that's it's gone past half 5 when they close it won't be going out until tomorrow, despite the bloke on the phone saying it would be delivered tomorrow. I've now wasted a day off because they didn't tell me about products changing from in stock to out of stock.

Don't buy stuff from Scan!

It's pretty much why I tried to only buy stuff from Amazon, they're the only ones I can really trust.

 

[scogoth]

Every card you add to SLI adds one frame of input lag. That's how they combat microstutter.

Ideally, I'd like to have <6-8ms frame time in any competitive game I play, that dips no lower than 8.3ms.

Huh learn something new everyday.

 

[Addnan]

Well I'm guessing now that's it's gone past half 5 when they close it won't be going out until tomorrow, despite the bloke on the phone saying it would be delivered tomorrow. I've now wasted a day off because they didn't tell me about products changing from in stock to out of stock.

Don't buy stuff from Scan!

Just so you know, a few days ago I order at 10am and they didn't pick my parts until 6pm and dispatched at 9pm. Still got here the next day.

 

[mere_immortal]

It's pretty much why I tried to only buy stuff from Amazon, they're the only ones I can really trust.

I'm gonna give em a call tomorrow as soon as they open to see if same day delivery is possible. It's only about half an hour on the train so I could go and pick stuff up, but it's their mistake and I'd rather not be taking the train with just under a grands worth of stuff.

 

[MysticX]

reposting because of no reply:

I need some help GAF, my Windows 8 won´t boot up and I´m in the recovery menu. I´m trying to use System Restore, but when I select it, I get an error saying: "To use system restore, you must specify which Windows installation to restore" and I´ve got no idea how to do that, I tried pressing F8 on boot but that doesn´t work anymore in Windows 8

 

[mere_immortal]

Just so you know, a few days ago I order at 10am and they didn't pick my parts until 6pm and dispatched at 9pm. Still got here the next day.

Well that's good to know, hopefully I'll get some emails tonight confirming it's gone out.

Also I'll post some pics once it's built but just wanna thank everyone in this thread, you're all super friendly and knowledgeable.

 

[scogoth]

reposting because of no reply:

I need some help GAF, my Windows 8 won´t boot up and I´m in the recovery menu. I´m trying to use System Restore, but when I select it, I get an error saying: "To use system restore, you must specify which Windows installation to restore" and I´ve got no idea how to do that, I tried pressing F8 on boot but that doesn´t work anymore in Windows 8

Have you tried booting off your windows 8 disc or USB and running recovery from there?

 

[MysticX]

Have you tried booting off your windows 8 disc or USB and running recovery from there?

same error
"restart the computer, select an operating system and then select system restore"

 

[DTKT]

How would I go about calculating micro-stutter or input-lag with my system?

 

[kennah]

That 192 bit bandwidth hurts.

Thanks, maybe I'll sell the one I have and upgrade instead of doing SLI. You all are a terrible influence.

 

[mkenyon]

same error
"restart the computer, select an operating system and then select system restore"

Sounds like you have your boot device selected improperly in BIOS.

If you are SURE that your primary boot device is indeed the drive that has Win 8 installed, then check out this resource: http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-fix-windows-8-mbr-master-boot-record/

How would I go about calculating micro-stutter or input-lag with my system?

Input lag is hard, as you need to take into account input devices, native input lag of monitor, and frame time.

Looking at microstutter, you generally just have to run some frame time graphs.

See these really big spikes in either direction?

That's microstutter.

 

[Smokey]

I'm reallllllllllly drunk right now but love you smokey. Also love the rest of PC GAF, you guys are awesome.

:Lol

 

[Jex]

Apologies for treating this thread like a tech support thread, but you folks were very helpful late last year when I was looking to build a new PC. Thanks again for your support in that matter.

Well, it's a few months down the line and I've had a problem with my graphics card. Not the simple "it's died" problem though. For reference, I ordered a Sapphire HD 7850 2GB from an online UK retailer last September. When I opened my computer to clean out some dust yesterday I noticed that the lattice which holds connects the cooling fans to the rest of the graphics card had broken away from the main body of the card. It was still connected by a cable, but the plastic with screws in has apparently broken off. I found pieces of broken plastic and a screw inside my case.

Sapphire's website states that you should contact the retailer directly, which I did. My response from the retailer was that Sapphire's warranty doesn't cover broken fan blades and therefore they couldn't return the item to Sapphire. Now the fan blades themselves are not broken and I don't see that exact clause on Sappihires website anyway.

In short, have any of you had any experience dealing with faulty graphics cards, particularly from Sapphire? Would you suggest I try going to the manufacturer directly? Any thoughts are welcome.

 

[mkenyon]

Yeah, contact Sapphire directly. They have pretty good customer support here in the States.

I'm reallllllllllly drunk right now but love you smokey. Also love the rest of PC GAF, you guys are awesome.

How did I miss this?

And how are you feeling this morning brah?

 

[scogoth]

Yeah, contact Sapphire directly. They have pretty good customer support here in the States.

How did I miss this?

And how are you feeling this morning brah?

Better. I ate a package of salami, a bag of tortilla chips and Melba toast.

 

[MysticX]

Sounds like you have your boot device selected improperly in BIOS.

If you are SURE that your primary boot device is indeed the drive that has Win 8 installed, then check out this resource: http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-fix-windows-8-mbr-master-boot-record/

well, the windows 8 logo pops up like before and is starting, then bam...a pops up and it restarts again

 

[v0mitg0d]

Hi guys!

I'm putting together notes so i can make a meatier post for what I'm looking for, however I have a quick question before i do that.

A few of the stipulations I agree upon with my wife on the new build are:

• It must be liquid cooled, for maximum silence. I have zero experience with liquid cooling.
• It must fit in a slot in the desk with the following dimensions: 18'' Tall, 10'' wide and 16'' deep.
• New machine/setup must support my consoles, so I assume this means the new monitor must have HDMI + good speakers?

...am I screwed? I need a really solid gaming pc to last about 3 years on ~$2,000 budget.

 

[mkenyon]

No. I hope that slot is breathable though.

You can build silent PC's without putting your graphics card under water. If you're referring to things like the H100/H80 closed loop coolers, you can get lots of coolers that will perform the same duty for less money.

 

[kennah]

This is the first of a few. GAF has been kind to me so I'd like to pay it forward.

I have up for grabs a Powercolor AMD 6850 1gig card.

This can't go to just anybody however, there are a couple stipulations.

1. You need to prove that you currently have a worse video card. This could be a picture of the inside of your case with your username on a piece of paper, a screenshot of your Device Manager over GAF, or some other such method.

2. Helps if you've posted in the thread before.

3. Write a short essay why you deserve this card and what the first game you're going to play with it will be.

Winner will be chosen from a panel of judges, I'll cover shipping to a reasonable amount, but help with the shipping would be awesome. Deadline is noon EST on Sunday Feb 3rd. Winner will be announced in the week following.

 

[MysticX]

so I decided to do the Refresh PC option instead, and now it says that the Windows drive is locked and I have to unlock it now

 

[mkenyon]

@V0mitg0d

1. Love the name.
2. Are you opposed to ITX? Do you need more than a single expansion slot?
3. If you do want it fully watercooled, are you interested in having someone build it for you? If yes, are you in the States or Canada? If you are interested in building it yourself, this is what I'd suggest:

 

[mkenyon]

so I decided to do the Refresh PC option instead, and now it says that the Windows drive is locked and I have to unlock it now

Quick google has this: http://social.technet.microsoft.com...l/thread/fc3c93ae-95d8-4b26-a085-b2742674bc8f

 

[v0mitg0d]

@V0mitg0d

1. Love the name.
2. Are you opposed to ITX? Do you need more than a single expansion slot?
3. If you do want it fully watercooled, are you interested in having someone build it for you? If yes, are you in the States or Canada? If you are interested in building it yourself, this is what I'd suggest:

I'm not really opposed to 1 expansion slot. I never planned on utilizing SLI, and I could build it myself yes. I can't think of any other reason I'd want (or need) another slot on my machine. Can you think of any?

I was actually looking at Alienware X51 and Falcon's Tiki. Both are interesting, with the Tiki looking the more formidable. It's watercooled, small, beautiful (love the granite) but kind of pricey.

I'm in the states. What is that beautiful thing?

 

[mkenyon]

So, they say 'watercooled' when they throw on any closed loop cooler, which is kind of disingenuous. For all intents and purposes, the small closed loop coolers for CPUs are just compact air coolers. The thing that creates more noise than any component is the video card, which is what you want to get under water.

There are really really nice video card coolers out that do run nearly silent, like the ASUS DCII and Gigabyte Windforce.

For your purposes, I'd point you towards the 'enthusiast' BitFenix Prodigy build in the SFF guide. In the OP.

 

[v0mitg0d]

So, they say 'watercooled' when they throw on any closed loop cooler, which is kind of disingenuous. For all intents and purposes, the small closed loop coolers for CPUs are just compact air coolers. The thing that creates more noise than any component is the video card, which is what you want to get under water.

There are really really nice video card coolers out that do run nearly silent, like the ASUS DCII and Gigabyte Windforce.

For your purposes, I'd point you towards the 'enthusiast' BitFenix Prodigy build in the SFF guide. In the OP.

Excellent advice good sir, thank you!

I'm going to dig deeper into this and check out the info you pointed me towards and invariably be back with more questions--I think you just got me excited to build a PC for the first time in years.

 

[140.85]

Welp, just put my order through. My first build ever. I'll be back to this thread as soon as I got everything in my room and ready to put together.

CASE: COOLER MASTER CM Storm Series Trooper
MOBO: ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
GPU: GIGABYTE GV-R797OC-3GD Radeon HD 7970 3GB
POWAH: SeaSonic X-850 850W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91
CPU: Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 2011 130W Six-Core
SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive
HDD: Seagate Constellation 1TB 7200 RPM SAS 6Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive
CPU COOLER: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
RAM: (16GB) Samsung Electronics Extreme Low Voltage 30nm UDIMM 8 Dual Channel Kit DDR3 1600 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM

 

[Shambles]

@V0mitg0d

1. Love the name.
2. Are you opposed to ITX? Do you need more than a single expansion slot?
3. If you do want it fully watercooled, are you interested in having someone build it for you? If yes, are you in the States or Canada? If you are interested in building it yourself, this is what I'd suggest:

Hrmmm, that would be a very tight fit. Assuming his opening has a width of exactly 10" that leaves him 0.16" of clearance on the side, it'll make a nice thermal blanket for the case.

 

[mkenyon]

The airflow on that case is front -> top/rear, so it's not a big deal the sides will be covered. I've been running one with a solid panel on one side, and a window on the other, which is effectively the same thing.

 

[v0mitg0d]

Hrmmm, that would be a very tight fit. Assuming his opening has a width of exactly 10" that leaves him 0.16" of clearance on the side, it'll make a nice thermal blanket for the case.

Yeah I was just looking at that too. This is a cause for concern right?


edit: I see, thanks mkenyon for clearing that up.