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[CrashPrime]

Not unreasonable. Do we ever see promotions on any of those boards? I'd like to keep it under $250 for the Define R4 and the Z77.

Got a Micro Center nearby? They sell the MPower for $190, R4 for $100, and if you are buying a CPU, you get $50 off the motherboard (and they have the lowest priced 3570k and 3770k).

So you'll be under $250 for mobo/case if you are planning on getting a CPU.

Sorry, what was that you said? Oooh, you want pictures of Sabertooth builds? Well, I mean, if you insist. (Translation: yay, an excuse to post my build!)

You asshole. *sigh* it's beautiful. Is that the H100 you're using? What case?

 

[sorijealut]

Any site in particular that I should be keeping tabs on? I don't plan on doing this upgrade until around the 20th, but I'm flexible if the price is right. While we're on the subject of sales, do we ever see R4 promotions? Is there a compelling reason to opt for the R4 over either of the Bitfenix cases? I'm not keen on sub-$20 mail-in rebates.

lowest price I've seen was $80 at Newegg.
I just found out NCIX is having $80 sale of it just now: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=75044&promoid=1312

I have the R4 black, and I can tell you it is awesome
But, not COMPLETELY silent like we're led to believe, with exhaust fans running exposed.

 

[Koroviev]

lowest price I've seen was $80 at Newegg.
I just found out NCIX is having $80 sale of it just now: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=75044&promoid=1312

I have the R4 black, and I can tell you it is awesome
But, not COMPLETELY silent like we're led to believe, with exhaust fans running exposed.

Dammit, I need it and that is an awesome price. I've never dealt with NCIX before though. Any different than Newegg?

 

[mkenyon]

Dammit, I need it and that is an awesome price. I've never dealt with NCIX before though. Any different than Newegg?

They can be a bit weird with getting shipments out, but I think I've bought more stuff from them over the last year than Newegg. Great customer service the few times I had to call.

 

[GMM]

Pretty torn in what to do with my motherboard for my i7 3930k, GTX680 system. I can get the system prebuilt for free if i go with an ASUS X79 SABERTOOTH motherboard, but the SABERTOOTH board only takes up to 1866 mHZ RAM, not the 2133 mHZ RAM the GIGABYTE GA-x79-UD5 can take.

 

[Aouri]

Sorry, what was that you said? Oooh, you want pictures of Sabertooth builds? Well, I mean, if you insist. (Translation: yay, an excuse to post my build!)

Is that a support beam holding your card up?

 

[sorijealut]

Dammit, I need it and that is an awesome price. I've never dealt with NCIX before though. Any different than Newegg?

I've ordered my R4 from this site, everything arrived safely and without any damage.

Only difference I can tell you about is their customer takes a bit longer for order cancellations and whatnot(which I had to do a couple times). They are more strict to their customers, they wouldn't bat an eye at my appeal for rebates.
(Edit: well, rebates are more my part than theirs. They were helpful, told me I should take scans of UPC labels before sending them out, sent me my invoice for rebates, so they are actually great)

I think it took about 7 days to arrive in December.

I also ordered my PSU and hard drive from here, and I had no trouble with those either.

 

[mkenyon]

Pretty torn in what to do with my motherboard for my i7 3930k, GTX680 system. I can get the system prebuilt for free if i go with an ASUS X79 SABERTOOTH motherboard, but the SABERTOOTH board only takes up to 1866 mHZ RAM, not the 2133 mHZ RAM the GIGABYTE GA-x79-UD5 can take.

Yeah it can.

To clear things up for you, any memory setting above 1333 is an 'overclock'. 1600 is the maximum that can be on an XMP (preset selection in BIOS). Anything above that is not a guarantee of what the RAM will run at, as it relies on both the processors IMC quality (lottery) as well as some power delivery specs on a motherboard. When a company sells 1866 RAM, what they are saying is that this RAM is binned to be good enough to run at those speeds, but it isn't a guarantee of anything.

So, when it comes to RAM speed, it's a combination of a dice roll on the processor's IMC, a dice roll on the actual memory, and your personal ability to set your timings and speed properly to get it to run at X speed.

*edit*

Also, I'm suspicious of all non-ASUS X79 boards, and even then, they have some questionable ones. It seems like everyone dropped the ball on X79.

 

[Koroviev]

I've ordered my R4 from this site, everything arrived safely and without any damage.

Only difference I can tell you about is their customer takes a bit longer for order cancellations and whatnot(which I had to do a couple times). They are more strict to their customers, they wouldn't bat an eye at my appeal for rebates.
(Edit: well, rebates are more my part than theirs. They were helpful, told me I should take scans of UPC labels before sending them out, sent my my invoice for rebates, so they are actually great)

I think it took about 7 days to arrive in December.

I also ordered my PSU and hard drive from here, and I had no trouble with those either.

Pertinent question before I order: How large is the R4? This thing is going to be situated on my desk.

 

[GMM]

Yeah it can.

To clear things up for you, any memory setting above 1333 is an 'overclock'. 1600 is the maximum that can be on an XMP (preset selection in BIOS). Anything above that is not a guarantee of what the RAM will run at, as it relies on both the processors IMC quality (lottery) as well as some power delivery specs on a motherboard. When a company sells 1866 RAM, what they are saying is that this RAM is binned to be good enough to run at those speeds, but it isn't a guarantee of anything.

So, when it comes to RAM speed, it's a combination of a dice roll on the processor's IMC, a dice roll on the actual memory, and your personal ability to set your timings and speed properly to get it to run at X speed.

I am pretty confused then. Why in the world does the Gigabyte GA-X79-UD5 then state that "Support for DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules" if it would only go to 1333 mHZ and then i would have to manual set my timings and speed to get them to run 2133 mHZ even if they are binned to be able to run at those speeds?

 

[Shambles]

Pertinent question before I order: How large is the R4? This thing is going to be situated on my desk.

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=75044&promoid=1312

 

[mkenyon]

Pertinent question before I order: How large is the R4? This thing is going to be situated on my desk.

Newegg and Fractal's website will have the dimensions.

Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_NM81822_ag

I am pretty confused then. Why in the world does the Gigabyte GA-X79-UD5 then state that "Support for DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules" if it would only go to 1333 mHZ and then i would have to manual set my timings and speed to get them to run 2133 mHZ even if they are binned to be able to run at those speeds?

Because they've successfully tested running RAM at those speeds on the board. It's all marketing bullshit to confuse people.

 

[sorijealut]

Pertinent question before I order: How large is the R4? This thing is going to be situated on my desk.

Haha, it's actually a good question. I was surprised by its size, I think it's quite big for a mid-size case. Definitely not as small as they seem in the videos.

Quite wide, quite tall, and it's very heavy.
I have it on my IKEA desk and it seems to hold up alright.

My father was surprised by its size upon seeing it haha.

 

[GMM]

Newegg and Fractal's website will have the dimensions.

Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_NM81822_ag

Because they've successfully tested running RAM at those speeds on the board. It's all marketing bullshit to confuse people.

So it's basicly PR bullcrap and i can just go with the Sabertooth? Would the Sabertooth then be able to use my 2133 mHZ ram if i were to set the speed and timings?

 

[Noaloha]

You asshole. *sigh* it's beautiful. Is that the H100 you're using? What case?

Fractal Arc Midi. I found it to be a really pretty case in exactly the sort of way that the overstated extreme-angles! kinda cases are not. The Arc 2 is out soon (if not already?) and it looks fantastic. EDIT: Oh and yeah, H100, with Noctua NF-F12s to replace the stocks.

Is that a support beam holding your card up?

Ha, I guess it sort of is. I'm assured that it's pointless, but yeah, I took a hollowed-out berol felt pen and fashioned a little strut out of it. That Asus DC2 card is frighteningly heavy.

 

[mkenyon]

If the processor's IMC is good, sure.

 

[GMM]

If the processor's IMC is good, sure.

Sems like the 3930k shouldn't have any problems with that. Thank god i came across you, you just saved me a ton of headaces.

 

[mkenyon]

Sems like the 3930k shouldn't have any problems with that. Thank god i came across you, you just saved me a ton of headaces.

Not necessarily. You might get a 3930K with a crap IMC, it's a total dice roll. I'm not attempting to instill fear in you, but just understand that there's a chance it won't work out. It's unlikely, but it's there.

 

[GMM]

Not necessarily. You might get a 3930K with a crap IMC, it's a total dice roll. I'm not attempting to instill fear in you, but just understand that there's a chance it won't work out. It's unlikely, but it's there.

Ah, i will get a 3930k no matter what, so i better cross my fingers because i really need to use some fast RAM.

 

[GMM]

So i am pretty sure this is how the final machine will be like after taking mkenyon's advice regarding the mobo pr bullcrap:

1 x Intel Core i7 3930K 3.2 Ghz [LGA2011]
1 x Intel Liquid Cooling RTS2011LC (LGA2011)
1 x ASUS SABERTOOTH X79 [LGA2011]
2 x Intel 520 Series 120GB SSD
1 x LiteOn - iHAS122 - DVD±RW Black
1 x Fractal Design Define R3 Black Midi Tower
1 x Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2
1 x ASUS GeForce GTX 680 (4GB DDR5)
2 x Kingston 32GB HyperX Beast QC DDR3-2133

 

[kennah]

mkenyon would never recommend an optical drive. So jealous of your setup.

 

[Koroviev]

Haha, it's actually a good question. I was surprised by its size, I think it's quite big for a mid-size case. Definitely not as small as they seem in the videos.

Quite wide, quite tall, and it's very heavy.
I have it on my IKEA desk and it seems to hold up alright.

My father was surprised by its size upon seeing it haha.

Wait, is there an R4 with a Window on it?

 

[GMM]

mkenyon would never recommend an optical drive. So jealous of your setup.

Yeah, i NEVER use optical drives, but i do burn the odd disc 2-3 times a years, so i threw in a cheapo burner.

 

[Dave_6]

Wait, is there an R4 with a Window on it?

Yep.

 

[mkenyon]

Wait, is there an R4 with a Window on it?

There sure is. The window quality is kind of iffy though. It was a total dust magnet for me, and scratched up pretty easily. I haven't heard similar reports though.

At the very least, you could just mount a piece of acrylic in the opening if your window starts to look worn.

So i am pretty sure this is how the final machine will be like after taking mkenyon's advice regarding the mobo pr bullcrap:

1 x Intel Core i7 3930K 3.2 Ghz [LGA2011]
1 x Intel Liquid Cooling RTS2011LC (LGA2011)
1 x ASUS SABERTOOTH X79 [LGA2011]
2 x Intel 520 Series 120GB SSD
1 x LiteOn - iHAS122 - DVD±RW Black
1 x Fractal Design Define R3 Black Midi Tower
1 x Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2
1 x ASUS GeForce GTX 680 (4GB DDR5)
2 x Kingston 32GB HyperX Beast QC DDR3-2133

FWIW, the GSkill Trident is the RAM of choice for the Benching crowd. I don't know much other than that.

Should go for the R4 instead of the R3.

840 Pro > Intel 520.

 

[sorijealut]

Yeah, windowed is usually more pricey but may very well be worth it.
I'm not entirely sure of noise differences but if you have some good looking components you really can't go wrong.

 

[GMM]

FWIW, the GSkill Trident is the RAM of choice for the Benching crowd. I don't know much other than that.

Should go for the R4 instead of the R3.

840 Pro > Intel 520.

The Kingston RAM seems to be the best in my price range for the amount and speed i need, and they seem pretty popular for the 32gb kits out there.

I see the 840 Pro is a bit better and in similar price ranges of the 520, so i think i will opt for two of the 128gb versions then

Sorry, i meant for it to say the R4

The rig:

1 x Intel Core i7 3930K 3.2 Ghz [LGA2011]
1 x Intel Liquid Cooling RTS2011LC (LGA2011)
1x ASUS SABERTOOTH X79 [LGA2011]
2 x Samsung - 840 Pro SSD - 128GB
1 x LiteOn - iHAS122 - DVD±RW Black
1 x Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl
1 x Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2
1 x ASUS GTX680-DC2-4GD5 (4GB GDDR5)
2 x Kingston 32GB HyperX Beast QC DDR3-2133

 

[mkenyon]

Planning on some multimedia work with this?

 

[Bleeether]

Nice build, that's one of the cleanest builds i have ever seen. A+ on cable management.

Question: I have an h100 and was thinking about going with some noctuas as well, how are the temps/noise level compared to the stock fans?

 

[catmincer]

So, just got my new PC....

I've installed Windows onto the SSD. Firefox and apps I use often onto the hard drive. Is there anything I should disable in windows to prolong the SSD life?

 

[Koroviev]

There sure is. The window quality is kind of iffy though. It was a total dust magnet for me, and scratched up pretty easily. I haven't heard similar reports though.

At the very least, you could just mount a piece of acrylic in the opening if your window starts to look worn.

FWIW, the GSkill Trident is the RAM of choice for the Benching crowd. I don't know much other than that.

Should go for the R4 instead of the R3.

840 Pro > Intel 520.

Should I avoid the windowed version? I kind of like the window on my Enermax case. Does one of the other quiet cases offer a better windowed variant?

 

[NoRéN]

So, just got my new PC....

I've installed Windows onto the SSD. Firefox and apps I use often onto the hard drive. Is there anything I should disable in windows to prolong the SSD life?

Check the OP for SSD tips.

 

[GMM]

One question more.

Would it be a good idea of me to set up my two Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD's in a RAID0 configuration with a OCZ Velociraptor 3 60GB? Would i gain from putting in this smaller and older disc in an array with the new faster and bigger ones?

 

[Noaloha]

Nice build, that's one of the cleanest builds i have ever seen. A+ on cable management.

Question: I have an h100 and was thinking about going with some noctuas as well, how are the temps/noise level compared to the stock fans?

Thanks. :] It's my first (only!) build. I learned everything from this (last summer's) thread, the cable management guide in the OP and just looking at images of other people's builds (thank you PCBuild-GAF!). If anyone who's never built a PC before is worried about the process, I assure you: I am a fucking moron. If I can manage it, you can too.

My 3570K has a 24/7 overclock of 4.5. In general usage, the Noctuas are.. well, very quiet. The only time I ever really hear them is if I use Prime or whatever and crank up CPU usage to 4x100%. Prior to typing out this post, I just ran P95 for twenty minutes or so and I've got max temps of 54/65/60/57. It's difficult to judge temps without taking the ambient room temp into consideration to obtain the delta though. I'll say it's quite a mild night here. Room temp's probably 19 or 20C. And I never used the stock H100 fans as I'd heard pretty bad things about them whilst researching the build (I understand the H100i fans are an entirely better level of stock). But yeah, as far as I'm concerned, the Noctuas are effectively silent and the temps for a 4.5 clock on 3570K are perfectly acceptable (interested to see how this clock fares through a proper summer).

 

[n0n44m]

One question more.

Would it be a good idea of me to set up my two Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD's in a RAID0 configuration with a OCZ Velociraptor 3 60GB? Would i gain from putting in this smaller and older disc in an array with the new faster and bigger ones?

since your 3-disk max would then be 180 GB your gain would be negative 136GB

don't do that, two Samsungs SSDs in RAID-0 are lightning fast already (got such a setup as well) , in fact I have a 80GB Intel SSD duct-taped to the back of my motherboard tray which I use to unrar downloads and stuff like that

always use identical disks with identical sizes for RAID-0 (or any RAID for that matter)

 

[DTKT]

Just installed the Noctua F12 and it's dead-silent. Awesome fan. Doesn't have any motor whine or anything.

 

[GMM]

since your 3-disc max would then be 180 GB your gain would be negative 136GB

don't do that, two Samsungs SSDs in RAID-0 are lightning fast already (got such a setup as well) , in fact I have a 80GB Intel SSD duct-taped to the back of my motherboard tray which I use to unrar downloads and stuff like that

always use identical discs with identical sizes for RAID-0 (or any RAID for that matter)

Ah, never used any RAID0 configuration, so i just assumed the third disc would add to the overall array, will just use the last one for smaller project storage then

 

[drkOne]

Just built a PC with a ASRock Z77 Extreme4, and I'm getting no Playback/Recording Devices on Windows.
Downloaded the Realtek drivers for this board from ASRock site but they don't seem to install.
Downloading the ones on Realtek's site right now.

Wondering if anyone had this happen to them already, and if so how to solve it.

Edit: Apparently it was disabled on the BIOS, working now.

 

[Zeth]

Anyone familiar with Microcenter returns/exchanges? Bought my rig Jan. 17 but hoping to upgrade the 660ti to something beefier; will probably resell if an exchange isn't possible. Guess I'll give them a call tomorrow either way.

 

[Smokey]

HOLY CRAP

The Steelseries Sensei Engine for my SS Raw mouse is causing my computer to straight fuck up. I plugged in the mouse and it works fine. Downloaded drivers from Steelseries website and it's been a trip to hell every since. Immediately after completing the install, the light on the mouse goes out. The light on my keyboard goes out. The light on the mouse flickers like it wants to come on and hold...but doesn't.

So I'm forced to restart and my machine won't recognize my keyboard. Unplug and plug back in. Ok it works. I'm able to login to windows fine. The lights are on the keyboard and mouse. Cool. After logging in and waiting..the lights go off on both and I can't do shit. The Steelseries Engine menu/overlay comes up...and I can't do anything.

I've uninstalled and installed twice and this has happened. In fact I'm typing this from safe mode because my computer would not recognize my keyboard and I had to repeatedly unplug/plug the keyboard back in to recognize. Uninstalled that shit as soon as possible.

WTF this is not a good look and this mouse may be going back to Amazon....

 

[Pop On Arrival]

hay guys, sorry for the tech supporty question, but I just got a new PC and plugged in my old 5.1 speakers via optical, but the center and rear speacers don't work and the audio is out of sync by like a second.

Anyone got any ideas?

 

[mkenyon]

That's crazy talk.

Check it out on Steelseries support forums.

 

[Smokey]

That's crazy talk.

Check it out on Steelseries support forums.

Yeah I'm trying but it's pretty ridiculous. I know it's the software because I'm using the mouse fine right now.

 

[mkenyon]

Your avatar is perfect for the last two posts.

 

[Smokey]

So they don't even have a phone number to call? Just a ticket system. That's great. No forum either? Even better.

 

[garath]

Yeah I'm trying but it's pretty ridiculous. I know it's the software because I'm using the mouse fine right now.

Yep. Same thing happened to me. Uninstall the software and download the stand alone firmware updater. Make sure that completes successfully before installing the steel series software. Even after that it might take a couple hard reboots to get it going. On the bright side, once its installed and the firmware is updated then it runs pretty good. Or you can take my approach and just keep trying to uninstall and reinstall until the firmware finally updates properly.

The engine installer is supposed to update the firmware on the mouse but it fucked up for me the first time and I suspect was the source of all the troubles.

Love the mouse, shit software. I kept it though. Once its up an running it is great.

 

[Smokey]

Yep. Same thing happened to me. Uninstall the software and download the stand alone firmware updater. Make sure that completes successfully before installing the steel series software. Even after that it might take a couple hard reboots to get it going. On the bright side, once its installed and the firmware is updated then it runs pretty good. Or you can take my approach and just keep trying to uninstall and reinstall until the firmware finally updates properly.

The engine installer is supposed to update the firmware on the mouse but it fucked up for me the first time and I suspect was the source of all the troubles.

Love the mouse, shit software. I kept it though. Once its up an running it is great.

Yeah I did that too. It updated fine. It's the bunk software.

Edit: Looking at the release notes for the updated firmware:

Release notes:
Firmware Repair Tool 1.21.1.5
Released: November 28, 2012

World of Warcraft® Wireless Gaming Mouse Base Station (firmware version 260):
- Base Station illumination will no longer shut off when the mouse is docked. Illumination will always represent wireless connection status (steady on = connected, steady off = disconnected, blinking = pairing)

Doesn't seem like even applies to the RAW...

 

[garath]

Yeah I did that too. It updated fine. It's the bunk software.

I must have uninstalled and reinstalled the software 5 times before it finally worked. Each time it tries to finish it would fail and kill all USB ports on the computer. One other thing I did was uninstall the setpoint software I had for my old mouse. That might have done the trick. When it finally succeeded it was after the firmware updated, the setpoint was gone and the install finished successfully.

On the bright side the mouse does work very well without the engine. I used it for the first day like that but I wanted to disable the right side buttons. I kept hitting them with my palm.

 

[Koroviev]

Anyone familiar with Microcenter returns/exchanges? Bought my rig Jan. 17 but hoping to upgrade the 660ti to something beefier; will probably resell if an exchange isn't possible. Guess I'll give them a call tomorrow either way.

If Micro Center is anything like Frys, then they will probably reject any returns past 15 days...unless you make it clear that you would like to spend more money. At first Frys said I couldn't return the 7850, but saying I wanted to upgrade to a $300-$400 card magically changed everything.

 

[sorijealut]

lol $_$.