Support NeoGAF

[XenoRaven]

This isn't really a hardware question, but I'm not sure if there is a better place to ask this or not. I am getting terrible screen tearing in a lot of my games. Even ones that I should have no problem running. I am using D3DOverrider and it doesn't really seem to be helping very much. My settings are Vsync ON and Triple Buffering ON. I have tried detection levels of Low, Medium, and High for the various games I'm having issues with. What steps can I take to help remedy this?

My current setup:

CPU: i7 2600K @ 3.4 GHz
GPU: 2x SLI EVGA GTX 570 Superclocked
RAM: 8 GB DDR3 (Corsair Dominator GT)
MB: ASUS P8P67 WS Revolution

I haven't tested out all my games, but recently I've noticed it in Fallout New Vegas and BIT.TRIP Runner.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Momentary]

Well this is about it for what I'm looking for. Only thing I'm concerned about is the monitor and getting the Samsung RAM. The RAM is supposed to be back in stock on the 15th. I've heard that new monitors are supposed to be hitting the streets in March. So until then I'll use the VW246H that I've had since 2009 that I used on 2008 build

Well here's my almost finalized list:

I've taken into consideration a lot of what people have suggested. Only thing I want to get, but might skip out on, is a nice headset. I don't think my fiance would like it too much if I wore those, especially after coming back from deployment for almost a year. I was looking at the Sennheiser PC 360, but I guess they're discontinued since the only prices I've seen are marked up WAY too much.

 

[Anton668]

I was looking at the Sennheiser PC 360, but I guess they're discontinued since the only prices I've seen are marked up WAY too much.

they are being replaced with the PC 363D's

 

[kennah]

Sell the H100. Put the GPU and CPU under water. .

Know any good prodigy water cooling guides? I am taking your advice and dropping the optical. Was thinking that I'd have to replace my hard drives for SSDs but If I can just attach it to the top... Might just go all out on this one.

 

[mkenyon]

Swap the TIM for some Phobya HeGrease or Prolimatech PK-2/3.

Add some Mayhem's Biocide.

Check out MDPC for sleeving/tools as well. I think it's a bit nicer than the paracord.

You could go with a less insane PSU. Keep in mind that the Seasonic PSU's are EXTREMELY difficult to sleeve, to the point that Lutro0 himself even has troubles. Going with the AX860 (not i, the i versions are NOT seasonic) and getting a set of braided cables from Corsair would save you tons of time and money.

If you're set on doing it yourself, get a heat gun too.

I like the Monsoon compression fittings the most simply for their ease of installation. Comp fittings rape fingers. The EK ones are good though.

Do you need 6TB of storage in your main PC? Are you planning to record? Do you want it to be both a fileserver and a workstation?

Have you considered delidding your 3770K?

Have you considered getting a less insane CPU heatsink? The one you have comes with Indigo Extreme, which is a TIM pad that ensures a perfect application and mount.

Know any good prodigy water cooling guides? I am taking your advice and dropping the optical. Was thinking that I'd have to replace my hard drives for SSDs but If I can just attach it to the top... Might just go all out on this one.

There aren't any guides, but I can run you through any questions you might have. I did a *ton* of research on it for a planned build that got sidelined for the glory of tri-SLI 670s.

*edit*
Most of my original planning was based around the OC3D.tv review of the case where he goes over all of the fitting options.

 

[radjago]

I'm helping a friend upgrade his system. Here's his current setup.

i7-930
x58 board
3x 2gb ddr3 1333
2x GTX260
1tb hdd
750w psu

He wants to run Skyrim and Guild Wars 2 maxed @1080p, 60 fps. Since there's no upgrade path on his CPU, I said buy a better cooler and OC it, get a 670 (he's on team nvidia), bump the RAM up to 3x4gb cause it's cheap, and go ssd. Any other suggestions?

 

[mkenyon]

If he wants to play Skyrim with lots of mods, then he should get a 4GB version of the 670/680.

But yeah, OC that bad boy to 4.0+ levels and it'll do just fine. Nehalem is still a beast.

 

[scogoth]

I'm helping a friend upgrade his system. Here's his current setup.

i7-930
x58 board
3x 2gb ddr3 1333
2x GTX260
1tb hdd
750w psu

He wants to run Skyrim and Guild Wars 2 maxed @1080p, 60 fps. Since there's no upgrade path on his CPU, I said buy a better cooler and OC it, get a 670 (he's on team nvidia), bump the RAM up to 3x4gb cause it's cheap, and go ssd. Any other suggestions?

Get a massive heatsink or something like the H100 most 930s will get to 4-4.5Ghz. Mine got to 4.3 with a Noctua NH-D14. What motherboard does he have? There is a million tweaks on the x58 platform for overclocking so if you have questions let me know

 

[Momentary]

Swap the TIM for some Phobya HeGrease or Prolimatech PK-2/3.

Add some Mayhem's Biocide.

Check out MDPC for sleeving/tools as well. I think it's a bit nicer than the paracord.

You could go with a less insane PSU. Keep in mind that the Seasonic PSU's are EXTREMELY difficult to sleeve, to the point that Lutro0 himself even has troubles. Going with the AX860 (not i, the i versions are NOT seasonic) and getting a set of braided cables from Corsair would save you tons of time and money.

If you're set on doing it yourself, get a heat gun too.

I like the Monsoon compression fittings the most simply for their ease of installation. Comp fittings rape fingers. The EK ones are good though.

Do you need 6TB of storage in your main PC? Are you planning to record? Do you want it to be both a fileserver and a workstation?

Have you considered delidding your 3770K?

Have you considered getting a less insane CPU heatsink? The one you have comes with Indigo Extreme, which is a TIM pad that ensures a perfect application and mount.

So don't go with the Arctic MX-4? I really don't know crap about thermal paste.

Well I was looking at the reviews for the AX860 and people have been complaining about here being too much noise coming from it. Some people have that problem and others don't. So I saw that Seasonic had an 860 and a 1000W so I went with the 1000W since it was only 20 or 30 dollars more. But... now that I see it's pretty crappy to try and sleeve myself I might go with the AX860.

The reason I want to sleeve it myself is because I'm wanting to go with a certain color combination for my build and I at least wanted some custom work done on it. Working with wiring doesn't really bother me too much since I repair generators as a job and having to work with their terminals and PCBs is part of the job. '

I'll do a little more research on the AX860. If it looks like the reviews coming in are still crappy then I'll just create connectors from scratch.

Hell I don't even feel right with 6TB. I have over 1.2TB of games from Steam. Then with other media and programs I'm over 2TB. I'm trying to go all digital with movie, music, and game purchases. I also have some plans on recording game footage to show off the 2x Titan's power.

And I'm too scared to attempt delibbing my CPU. I really don't want to risk it unless it's really not that hard.

As for the CPU block. I could with the one that's a step down from it. But I mainly wanted it for the look more-so than anything else. Plus I found this one cheaper than what other places are selling the downgrade for.

they are being replaced with the PC 363D's

I'm guessing these are only available in Europe. Their 7.1 surround sound headsets... hmm. I'm interested.

 

[scogoth]

And I'm too scared to attempt delibbing my CPU. I really don't want to risk it unless it's really not that hard.

I'll let you know. I'll be delidding mine in the coming weeks.

 

[Momentary]

Well I'm not too keen at taking a razor blade and a hammer to my CPU.

 

[Mystic_Wanderer]

Not sure if this is the proper place to ask, but I have been thinking about getting a gaming PC.

My only requirements:
- Has to be built by someone else. I know it's supposedly easy, but I have no interest in learning to build myself.
- Has to run all games, but I am not looking for Crysis 3 max stats super real life OMG, unless it can be easily had.

Thoughts, suggestions? Thanks.

 

[mkenyon]

I'm a pansy little girly man

Well okay then.

Spoiler

I kid, I'm just as fearful

Not sure if this is the proper place to ask, but I have been thinking about getting a gaming PC.

My only requirements:
- Has to be built by someone else. I know it's supposedly easy, but I have no interest in learning to build myself.
- Has to run all games, but I am not looking for Crysis 3 max stats super real life OMG, unless it can be easily had.

Thoughts, suggestions? Thanks.

Alienware X51, unless you live in the Pac NW.

 

[scogoth]

Well okay then.

I kid, I'm just as fearful

Pssht! If you screw up put it back together and tell intel you got it that way =P

 

[Koroviev]

Not sure if this is the proper place to ask, but I have been thinking about getting a gaming PC.

My only requirements:
- Has to be built by someone else. I know it's supposedly easy, but I have no interest in learning to build myself.
- Has to run all games, but I am not looking for Crysis 3 max stats super real life OMG, unless it can be easily had.

Thoughts, suggestions? Thanks.

There isn't really much to learn...screw stuff into place and plug connectors into matching connectors.

 

[Mystic_Wanderer]

There isn't really much to learn...screw stuff into place and plug connectors into matching connectors.

Zero interest. Want it done for me so I know it's done right (haha?).

 

[Koroviev]

Zero interest. Want it done for me so I know it's done right (haha?).

Are you willing to pay double or close to that? Do you know someone who can do it for you?

 

[Mystic_Wanderer]

Are you willing to pay double or close to that? Do you know someone who can do it for you?

Well, if it is truly as simple as you make it seem, I probably wouldn't mind - I just feel that it is likely more complicated than dedicated PC gamers make it seem.

I've never played a game on PC aside from solitaire, let alone built my own PC.

 

[mkenyon]

Are you willing to pay double or close to that? Do you know someone who can do it for you?

I wouldn't go that far. X51 is only about $100-150 above a similarly spec'd self built.

 

[outunderthestars]

Not sure if this is the proper place to ask, but I have been thinking about getting a gaming PC.

My only requirements:
- Has to be built by someone else. I know it's supposedly easy, but I have no interest in learning to build myself.
- Has to run all games, but I am not looking for Crysis 3 max stats super real life OMG, unless it can be easily had.

Thoughts, suggestions? Thanks.

alienware x51

Though I was in your boat and have been having a blast learning about gaming pc parts. This thread is friendly, patient, and incredibly helpful.

 

[Koroviev]

Well, if it is truly as simple as you make it seem, I probably wouldn't mind - I just feel that it is likely more complicated than dedicated PC gamers make it seem.

I've never played a game on PC aside from solitaire, let alone built my own PC.

Yeah, unless you're installing water cooling or something like that, it's pretty straightforward. Just don't shuffle your feet on carpet before you start grabbing components

If you want all the specifics, check out the guides in the OP and watch some YouTube videos. It really is just screwing parts into place and making sure that everything has power (matching connectors fool-proofs this) and a means to interface with the motherboard (storage/drives connected via SATA cables, GPU and RAM in the correct slots, etc.).

I wouldn't go that far. X51 is only about $100-150 above a similarly spec'd self built.

Oh, I forgot about that thing. Is it upgradeable?

Most of the other pre-builts I've seen either a) cost double the parts or b) cost double and the parts suck. Then you have the "someone built it for me. It was only $2000!"..."Uh, you don't have $2000 worth of parts here...not even close. As a matter of fact, these are all last-gen parts and you were charged more than double" (This actually happened recently!)

Edit: Wait, the lower-end X51s don't even have gaming-tier GPUs. I would call that a deal-breaker.

 

[outunderthestars]

Random questions:

Does Window 8 bring anything to the table gaming wise? Where does one buy Windows 7 or 8 at a decent price when building a new pc? If I already have windows 8 on a machine I no longer use, can i transfer the license over?

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Well this is about it for what I'm looking for. Only thing I'm concerned about is the monitor and getting the Samsung RAM. The RAM is supposed to be back in stock on the 15th. I've heard that new monitors are supposed to be hitting the streets in March. So until then I'll use the VW246H that I've had since 2009 that I used on 2008 build

Well here's my almost finalized list:


I've taken into consideration a lot of what people have suggested. Only thing I want to get, but might skip out on, is a nice headset. I don't think my fiance would like it too much if I wore those, especially after coming back from deployment for almost a year. I was looking at the Sennheiser PC 360, but I guess they're discontinued since the only prices I've seen are marked up WAY too much.

Buy a good pair of headphones, then just buy a modmic and attatch it to them. When you just want to listen to music, take the mic off. It's the best of both worlds: you can buy superior cans for listening to music, then add the mic when it's time to game.

Gaming headsets fucking suck. Terrible audio quality and good for nothing more than use as a mic (they have really good mics), but you should enjoy the game sounds and/or music...that means quality headphones.

If you need advice on headphones, visit the headphone thread in the OT and read through the OP. the mic can be found at modmic.com.

Random questions:

Does Window 8 bring anything to the table gaming wise? Where does one buy Windows 7 or 8 at a decent price when building a new pc? If I already have windows 8 on a machine I no longer use, can i transfer the license over?

Win 8 doesn't add much. maybe a couple of extra fps, and some extra incompatibilities with older games. You can transfer the license over. Just install with the same serial.

 

[kharma45]

Oh, I forgot about that thing. Is it upgradeable?

Most of the other pre-builts I've seen either a) cost double the parts or b) cost double and the parts suck. Then you have the "someone built it for me. It was only $2000!"..."Uh, you don't have $2000 worth of parts here...not even close. As a matter of fact, these are all last-gen parts and you were charged more than double" (This actually happened recently!)

It is. Good thread on it here on GAF too http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=472732

 

[kennah]

So realistically what am I looking at in costs for watercooling? i already have vga block so would need
Cpu
Reservior
Tubing

Am I missing something else? What's a water newb to do!

 

[Koroviev]

Random questions:

Does Window 8 bring anything to the table gaming wise? Where does one buy Windows 7 or 8 at a decent price when building a new pc? If I already have windows 8 on a machine I no longer use, can i transfer the license over?

Yeah, that's not an issue. Is it an upgrade copy? If it is, you'll need to format the drive with an old OS (i.e., Win7/Vista/XP, doesn't need to be activated) prior to doing a clean install, otherwise you'll get an error.

 

[mkenyon]

So realistically what am I looking at in costs for watercooling? i already have vga block so would need
Cpu
Reservior
Tubing

Am I missing something else? What's a water newb to do!

Two rads - $100
Reservoir + Pump - $100-150
Tubing - $20
Fittings - $80-100
CPU Block - $50-100

 

[Momentary]

Are you willing to pay double or close to that? Do you know someone who can do it for you?

I don't know about double, but the higher end you go the more they start punching your wallet. I mean I know they are charging for labor, but I laugh at some of the prices they set for their higher end components.

Oh, I forgot about that thing. Is it upgradeable?

Most of the other pre-builts I've seen either a) cost double the parts or b) cost double and the parts suck. Then you have the "someone built it for me. It was only $2000!"..."Uh, you don't have $2000 worth of parts here...not even close. As a matter of fact, these are all last-gen parts and you were charged more than double" (This actually happened recently!)

Edit: Wait, the lower-end X51s don't even have gaming-tier GPUs. I would call that a deal-breaker.

Whew! If someone like OriginPC or Digital Storm was doing my build. I bet it would be close to $9,000. Hell, just by sleeving everything some people charge $500.00 to do it.

 

[Koroviev]

Whew! If someone like OriginPC or Digital Storm was doing my build. I bet it would be close to $9,000. Hell, just by sleeving everything some people charge $500.00 to do it.

I like working on my own computer. I don't trust "IT specialists" to do it right. Bunch of con artists.

I don't know about double, but the higher end you go the more they start punching your wallet.

Depends on how ignorant the person is about PCs. Many people still believe that PCs are powered by magic and that it takes a wizard to work on one.

 

[Anton668]

I'm guessing these are only available in Europe. Their 7.1 surround sound headsets... hmm. I'm interested.

I have yet to see them available in the US (I keep looking). Amazon shows them as out of stock

I see them on a bunch of UK sites, but that does me no good.

been eying them since I saw them here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYpmSrnvw24

 

[JayDub]

Can I use 2 SSDs as "1 drive" via RAID 0? By "1 drive" I mean not having to choose between 2 drives when saving files and the OS recognizes it as 1 c drive. .

 

[Mystic_Wanderer]

Would a GT 640 be a good enough graphics card or would I have to get a new one?

 

[Koroviev]

Would a GT 640 be a good enough graphics card or would I have to get a new one?

The GT 640 isn't even designed for gaming. I install them for dual-monitor setups for office use at work.

Edit: You wouldn't happen to live in SoCal, would you?

 

[Mystic_Wanderer]

The GT 640 isn't even designed for gaming. I install them for dual-monitor setups for office use at work.

Would a GTX 660 be worth $150 more, or would I be better off buying the card elsewhere?

Also, if I did buy a card elsewhere, is it simply plug in, like literally take the old one out, plug the new one in, no screwing/unscrewing, wiring, etc. or not?

 

[vazel]

Can I use 2 SSDs as "1 drive" via RAID 0? By "1 drive" I mean not having to choose between 2 drives when saving files and the OS recognizes it as 1 c drive. .

What you want is spanning. Sometimes called JBOD but apparently this is an incorrect term.

 

[Mystic_Wanderer]

Would a GTX 660 be worth $150 more, or would I be better off buying the card elsewhere?

Also, if I did buy a card elsewhere, is it simply plug in, like literally take the old one out, plug the new one in, no screwing/unscrewing, wiring, etc. or not?

Also, it is the GDDR5 version of the 640, if that means anything.

 

[Koroviev]

Would a GTX 660 be worth $150 more, or would I be better off buying the card elsewhere?

Also, if I did buy a card elsewhere, is it simply plug in, like literally take the old one out, plug the new one in, no screwing/unscrewing, wiring, etc. or not?

Also, it is the GDDR5 version of the 640, if that means anything.

I'm not that familiar with the layout of the x51. On a standard desktop, all you need to do is slide the GPU into the PCIe slot, secure it on the side with a screw or two, and plug in the appropriate power connector(s). That's it.

And for less than $300, I would stick with AMD. More power for less money.

Edit: 640 is a lousy card.

 

[teh_pwn]

Can I use 2 SSDs as "1 drive" via RAID 0? By "1 drive" I mean not having to choose between 2 drives when saving files and the OS recognizes it as 1 c drive. .

Yes, but remember that's 2x the risk of loss of data. RAID 1 gives you nearly double read speed and it reduces risk of loss data (you can get an email when a drive fails, and just swap it and volume is rebuilt).

 

[Mystic_Wanderer]

I'm in AZ now, heading to San Diego in June.

 

[Koroviev]

I'm in AZ now, heading to San Diego in June.

I'm assuming you're looking to get setup with a gaming PC sooner than that

 

[Mystic_Wanderer]

I'm assuming you're looking to get setup with a gaming PC sooner than that

Haha, yeah.

I am reading reviews for the GTX 660 card, which is only $150 more on the Alienware site.

It has pretty good reviews: http://community.futuremark.com/hardware/gpu/NVIDIA+GeForce+GTX+660/review

Would an X51, with 8gb DDR3 memory, i5-3330 (6M Cache, up to 3.0 GHz)
1TB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache be a good price at $949?

 

[Koroviev]

Haha, yeah.

I am reading reviews for the GTX 660 card, which is only $150 more on the Alienware site.

It has pretty good reviews: http://community.futuremark.com/hardware/gpu/NVIDIA+GeForce+GTX+660/review

Would an X51, with 8gb DDR3 memory, i5-3330 (6M Cache, up to 3.0 GHz)
1TB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache be a good price at $949?

In my opinion, no. Let me see what I can whip up for you on PCPartPicker to illustrate what you can get for $1000. I just can't, in good conscience, recommend a prebuilt machine.

Edit: Would you look at that! I already have one saved from last time

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CFXe

 

[TerryLee81]

I asked last night to no avail, what is a good PC speaker set for the 50-70 range?

I bought a pair of Creative Gigaworks T20 because I don't have a lot of space for surround speakers and subwoofers, and I really like them.

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-GigaWorks-Multimedia-BasXPort-Technology/dp/B001RNOHDU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360531333&sr=8-1&keywords=creative+gigaworks+t20

 

[Mystic_Wanderer]

In my opinion, no. Let me see what I can whip up for you on PCPartPicker to illustrate what you can get for $1000. I just can't, in good conscience, recommend a prebuilt machine.

Edit: Would you look at that! I already have one saved from last time

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CFXe

Forgive my ignorance, but what's the difference between the two, aside from a slightly better processor? According to the site I was looking at, the GTX 660 is slightly better too.

 

[kennah]

Two rads - $100
Reservoir + Pump - $100-150
Tubing - $20
Fittings - $80-100
CPU Block - $50-100

Hmm. Ok. It'll have to wait. SFF hoooooo!

Spoiler

come on maiiillll.

 

[Koroviev]

Forgive my ignorance, but what's the difference between the two, aside from a slightly better processor? According to the site I was looking at, the GTX 660 is slightly better too.

This is pretty much what you're getting for nearly $1000:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CG4n

(You can add $40 or something to account for the little box they give you.)

In other words, it's not a good deal. For around that same amount, you can have a much more capable machine that permits overclocking, not to mention the inclusion of an SSD and a respectable GPU.

 

[kennah]

Wow that puts it into perspective.

 

[mkenyon]

The 660 in the X51 is a slightly tweaked 660Ti, and not the same as the desktop 660.

 

[Koroviev]

The 660 in the X51 is a slightly tweaked 660Ti, and not the same as the desktop 660.

Yeah, but for that you're looking at more than $1100 before tax :|

 

[scogoth]

Hmm. Ok. It'll have to wait. SFF hoooooo!

Spoiler

come on maiiillll.

Too bad you have the GPU blocks I have two universal block that are phenomenal that I am selling for cheap.