Support NeoGAF

[Mystic_Wanderer]

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.

Yeah, the $950 is with a $140 more expensive card than listed there, so it is about a $150 difference. Which I really don't mind paying for the luxury of not having to worry about building it myself, and waiting on different parts.

Now I am just wondering if I would PC game enough to justify spending $1000 on it.

 

[Momentary]

If I use Ubuntu to on one of my hard drives, would I still be able to pull media and games out of there if I choose to store files in the drive or should I partition the 3TB drive for he OS and use the rest for storage? Bah I'm just going to partition it anyways. I want to try Ubuntu for the few Steam games I have Linux copies of.

As for my SSD. I think I will go with 7. Is there any reason to even look at 8?

 

[Anton668]

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

define cheap

 

[kennah]

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

It's too bad I don't get to give you money?

 

[Koroviev]

Yeah, the $950 is with a $140 more expensive card than listed there, so it is about a $150 difference. Which I really don't mind paying for the luxury of not having to worry about building it myself, and waiting on different parts.

Now I am just wondering if I would PC game enough to justify spending $1000 on it.

...It's not just the video card. Most of the parts are cheap compromises. I mean, it's your money, but I would advise at least watching one build on YouTube before pulling the trigger. I think you might be surprised.

If I use Ubuntu to on one of my hard drives, would I still be able to pull media and games out of there if I choose to store files in the drive or should I partition the 3TB drive for he OS and use the rest for storage? Bah I'm just going to partition it anyways. I want to try Ubuntu for the few Steam games I have Linux copies of.

As for my SSD. I think I will go with 7. Is there any reason to even look at 8?

Only if you're willing to deal with a fledgling operating system and all of its hiccups. Since the $40 promotion is over, it really boils down to personal preference. At the moment, 7 is the ideal OS for gaming.

 

[kharma45]

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

Get a Dell Outlet one or a 'refurbished' (really a custom return or a cancelled order) from the multitude of eBay Dell sellers.

 

[Koroviev]

Get a Dell Outlet one or a 'refurbished' (really a custom return or a cancelled order) from the multitude of eBay Dell sellers.

Why are you trying to lead him astray from the one true path?

 

[kharma45]

Why are you trying to lead him astray from the one true path?

Because they're really not bad

 

[scogoth]

define cheap

$100 for two EK FC universal VGA blocks plus the bridge in Nickel + Acetal shipped to Canada.
Not sure what shipping would be for US, I'll have to check.

 

[Koroviev]

Because they're really not bad

No SSD. Terrible.

 

[Uthred]

How do people transport their SFF PC's? The only dedicated bag I could find is the Sugo-Pack one which seems unavailable in the EU (and the price for shipping it from the US is more than the bag itself)

 

[kharma45]

No SSD. Terrible.

I'm actually surprised Dell hasn't bunged in one of those caching/hybrid drives at this stage.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

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

A little high but its a start.

And fix that error in your post. It's making it look super long. Might be that image you put there.

 

[Koroviev]

I'm actually surprised Dell hasn't bunged in one of those caching/hybrid drives at this stage.

SATA 2 4 lyf

 

[outunderthestars]

Alright. Here is my first attempt at building a gaming pc and one to use as my music hub. Please give me feedback. I chose that specific card because it appears to run quiet, and I literally have no idea about my motherboard.

I am most interested in running Civ, Sim City, Day Z, and using it for a media hub for my movie and music collection.

CPU Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $214.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $29.99
Motherboard MSI Z77 MPOWER ATX LGA1155 $189.99
Memory Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 $93.99
Storage Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" SSD $129.99
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $74.98
Video Card Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB $297.98
Sound Card Asus Xonar DX $80.99
Case Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower $109.99
Power Supply SeaSonic 650W ATX12V / EPS12V $139.99
Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer $19.98


What do you think? I am totally open to suggestion and advice.

 

[Koroviev]

Alright. Here is my first attempt at building a gaming pc and one to use as my music hub. Please give me feedback. I chose that specific card because it appears to run quiet, and I literally have no idea about my motherboard.

I am most interested in running Civ, Sim City, Day Z, and using it for a media hub for my movie and music collection.

CPU Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $214.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $29.99
Motherboard MSI Z77 MPOWER ATX LGA1155 $189.99
Memory Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 $93.99
Storage Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" SSD $129.99
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $74.98
Video Card Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB $297.98
Sound Card Asus Xonar DX $80.99
Case Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower $109.99
Power Supply SeaSonic 650W ATX12V / EPS12V $139.99
Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer $19.98


What do you think? I am totally open to suggestion and advice.

For the CPU cooler, I would go with the H60, but it's really just an aesthetic thing. The Evo cooler is massive.

Here is my setup up with the H60: http://i4.minus.com/jblP6rQbKjdWDR.jpg

16GB RAM is probably overkill. Save money and go with 8GB low-profile (Samsung if you can find it and it's <$50).

I think you can get the 128GB 840 Pro for the same price, so I would opt for that instead of the 830 at this point.

Otherwise, everything looks really solid. If they still have it in stock, I would order the R4 from NCIX for $80.

 

[outunderthestars]

For the CPU cooler, I would go with the H60, but it's really just an aesthetic thing. The Evo cooler is massive.

Here is my setup up with the H60: http://i4.minus.com/jblP6rQbKjdWDR.jpg

16GB RAM is probably overkill. Save money and go with 8GB low-profile (Samsung if you can find it and it's <$50).

I think you can get the 128GB 840 Pro for the same price, so I would opt for that instead of the 830 at this point.

Otherwise, everything looks really solid. If they still have it in stock, I would order the R4 from NCIX for $80.

Thanks. I only considered the 16GB just because I thought it might help with ripping and streaming my media.

Do water colors require maintenance?

 

[Koroviev]

Thanks. I only considered the 16GB just because I thought it might help with ripping and streaming my media.

Do water colors require maintenance?

For media, I'm not entirely sure. I'd wait for a second opinion on that.

And afaik, closed-loop coolers do not.

Edit: Appear to be having some issues with Waterfox + Youtube again. Have a video running, then all of a sudden the signal to the monitor gets dropped. This has happened twice and only seemed to respond to a restart. Going to see if it happens again. In the past this issue has always been linked to having hardware acceleration enabled, but I already have it disabled this time.

 

[kennah]

I think the link to the overclocking guide in the op is dead. Anyone got another good one?

 

[Koroviev]

I think the link to the overclocking guide in the op is dead. Anyone got another good one?

I would check YouTube because I prefer videos.

 

[kennah]

I would check YouTube because I prefer videos.

I prefer articles, the only time I really have to look at these things is here and there at work. (Though did watch the OC3d.tv Prodigy review today... made me want it even more.)

 

[Koroviev]

I prefer articles, the only time I really have to look at these things is here and there at work. (Though did watch the OC3d.tv Prodigy review today... made me want it even more.)

Oh, I like pictorial guides.

 

[killertofu]

It's a killer deal. I went with microcenter for my CPU as well, however, I took advantage of another deal they run.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/388577/Core_i5_3570K_34GHz_LGA_1155_Processor

Reason I went 3570k was the limited use of HT in gaming, combined with the value proposition of Micro Center offering $50 off any Z77 motherboard when buying a 3570k.

You can get something like an OC Formula + 3570k for $380. (I went with the MSI MPower for the ease of onboard wifi, and more value).

For me the it wasn't worth the $90 price difference to jump to a 3770k over a 3570k. For you it might be, and you won't find a better deal at retail either way.



.

Thanks for the tip. Micro center really got me with some deals today

Ended up with an
I5 3570k
Z77 board
Samsung 120gb ssd
16gb ram

For about 500$. Not bad?

 

[Koroviev]

Thanks for the tip. Micro center really got me with some deals today

Ended up with an
I5 3570k
Z77 board
Samsung 120gb ssd
16gb ram

For about 500$. Not bad?

You done good!

 

[Zeth]

Spent the day trying to decide if I really need to upgrade my 660ti for 1080P gaming. It was driving me crazy, but outside of Crysis 3 (which I'm very much interested in, and actually became hooked on the mp beta) I don't know if it's worth it. As much as I wish I could max out AA and downsample as much as possible, it wouldn't be cheap.

The 660Ti SLI option has crossed my mind as well. Could I run two of them on the Antec BP550? But then I'm not sure I want to "deal with" SLI. Seems over-complicated for a 1080P setup. Maybe I'll prioritize a high res monitor.

My SSD will arrive this week, so that should keep me busy for a little while.

 

[Confusion Illusion]

I'd say go with the processor/mobo first, but shoot for both in the long run.

The GTX 460 is still a pretty decent card and can still max out a lot of games now (minus AA)

If you were to go with the 660 ti I think your current CPU would be bottlenecking it.

That´s a pretty tought question.

It depends if you will upgrade the rest later.

I would go with the 660ti since haswell is right around the corner.

But that x3 will be a big bottleneck for the card thats for sure.

Get the new video card, start saving for a new motherboard/processor.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. My last upgrade was 2009 so I'm kind of leaning towards the CPU/MB, but I'll probably make a decision by the end of the month.

 

[Dave_6]

Wow, the Samsung RAM is up to $106 on Amazon right now. Glad I got it a couple weeks ago when it was $44.

 

[mkenyon]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. My last upgrade was 2009 so I'm kind of leaning towards the CPU/MB, but I'll probably make a decision by the end of the month.

You'll see more performance from a GPU upgrade. But, the CPU/Mobo does need to be replaced at some point.

 

[Calidor]

I think the link to the overclocking guide in the op is dead. Anyone got another good one?

I'm on the same boat. Would love some guides on how overclock my 3570K / Asus P8Z77

 

[Koroviev]

Spent the day trying to decide if I really need to upgrade my 660ti for 1080P gaming. It was driving me crazy, but outside of Crysis 3 (which I'm very much interested in, and actually became hooked on the mp beta) I don't know if it's worth it. As much as I wish I could max out AA and downsample as much as possible, it wouldn't be cheap.

The 660Ti SLI option has crossed my mind as well. Could I run two of them on the Antec BP550? But then I'm not sure I want to "deal with" SLI. Seems over-complicated for a 1080P setup. Maybe I'll prioritize a high res monitor.

My SSD will arrive this week, so that should keep me busy for a little while.

Try a 7970?

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Wow, the Samsung RAM is up to $106 on Amazon right now. Glad I got it a couple weeks ago when it was $44.

For 2 dimms? I got 4 for 91 about 4 weeks ago on Newegg. Had to get individual dimms but no issues now with a great OC and stable performance.

 

[clav]

Have two ITX cases and two power supplies.

Still waiting for a deal on ITX mobos.

Will wait for Haswell and what AMD has to offer.

 

[Dave_6]

For 2 dimms? I got 4 for 91 about 4 weeks ago on Newegg. Had to get individual dimms but no issues now with a great OC and stable performance.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XJDCJK/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[mkenyon]

I'm on the same boat. Would love some guides on how overclock my 3570K / Asus P8Z77

Step 1) Increase core multiplier to 43.

Step 2) Increase voltage to 1.25

Step 3) Run prime 95 small FFT with HWMonitor running for ~10 minutes.

Step 4) If not stable, increase voltage until it is.

Step 5) If stable, then depending on temps do the following

A) If average of 4 cores =>70C, reduce voltage to the bare minimum required to maintain stability.

B) If average of 4 cores <=70C, increase multiplier to see how far you can go.​

Step 6) Once you've found a good middle ground of decent OC and temps around 70, then run an extended session of Prime 95 for 30 minutes to an hour. Alternatively, you could attempt to fold via Folding@Home overnight and see how it goes.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XJDCJK/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Magic Ram™

 

[vazel]

10 minutes of Prime95 is nowhere near enough to test for stability. If you want a fast stability tool then use Intel Burn Test for 30-45 minutes.

 

[mkenyon]

10 minutes of Prime95 is nowhere near enough to test for stability. If you want a fast stability tool then use Intel Burn Test for 30-45 minutes.

Sorry, I should have stipulated that you should run Small FFT for an extended period once the above has been satisfied as a Step 6.

Also, the only thing IBT checks for stability-wise, is whether or not your system is stable enough for IBT. It's like the Furmark of CPUs, in that it is only relevant to itself.

 

[vazel]

Also, the only thing IBT checks for stability-wise, is whether or not your system is stable enough for IBT. It's like the Furmark of CPUs, in that it is only relevant to itself.

Why do you say that? Linpack has been a very good stability test for me. If my CPU is unstable it'll show errors for me much faster than Prime95 will.

Edit: Also, 1 hour of Prime95 still isn't long enough. Prime95 ideally needs to run for 6-12hrs or just leave it running overnight while you sleep.

 

[sixghost]

Step 1) Increase core multiplier to 43.

Step 2) Increase voltage to 1.25

Step 3) Run prime 95 small FFT with HWMonitor running for ~10 minutes.

Step 4) If not stable, increase voltage until it is.

Step 5) If stable, then depending on temps do the following

A) If average of 4 cores =>70C, reduce voltage to the bare minimum required to maintain stability.

B) If average of 4 cores <=70C, increase multiplier to see how far you can go.​

Step 6) Once you've found a good middle ground of decent OC and temps around 70, then run an extended session of Prime 95 for 30 minutes to an hour. Alternatively, you could attempt to fold via Folding@Home overnight and see how it goes.

I eventually gave up after 2-3 days of trying to stabilize at 4.5 with a 2500k. I eventually just set it back to default, but everything seemed to be ok at 4.2, is that a big enough jump in performance to be worth the hassle?

 

[Koroviev]

would a 560ti be a worthwhile upgrade from a gtx 460? Any other cards I should look at in the 200 dollar range?

2GB 7850

 

[CrashPrime]

Thanks for the tip. Micro center really got me with some deals today

Ended up with an
I5 3570k
Z77 board
Samsung 120gb ssd
16gb ram

For about 500$. Not bad?

Yea micro center have some great deals. That Samsung ssd, the mobo deal, 3570k prices. Smart purchases you made there. Glad you saved some cash!

 

[Rand0m TAG]

so i placed a order on a mechanical keyboard, went with the cooler master quick trigger brown keys (80)
cooler master storm spawn (30)
and put the gigabyte 7950 (270) on back order

anything i should change before its too late?

also what do you think of sennheiser mm 55i for 50$ (earbud headphones). 142$ off at futureshop. worth it?

 

[LiquidMetal14]

First and foremost, MY RESULTS HERE

2 notes

1st - My memory is actually at 2133mhz as 3d Mark doesn't recognize I have an OC on it.

2nd - Unfortunately I can't really tap these reference design MSI 670's but I'm pretty impressed with my results despite these being really not meant for OC'ing.

And to the one who mentioned the DXGI Hardware removed error earlier in this page, I had this issue every single run but managed to finally complete it for the first time and with an OC. I tried it with and without OC and all sorts of tweaks but managed to find success at last. I did a driver sweep on the drivers in safe mode then rebooted and installed the latest beta driver. I also downloaded the stand alone 3d Mark 2013 and put it in my data drive instead of my SSD this time.

This is a cross post but anyone want to compare, please go ahead and post a link as the 3d Mark thread isn't as active.

 

[Dave_6]

I didn't realize Fractal made PSUs. Anyone know if they are as quality as their cases seem to be?

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Can anyone recommend me a good solution for a Wi-Fi card to put in my desktop PC?

I'm moving into a new apartment soon and the setup will make it very difficult to keep a wired connection.

If anyone knows any really good cards that can get a strong wireless signal and keep it, please let me know!

 

[Whooter]

Step 1) Increase core multiplier to 43.

Step 2) Increase voltage to 1.25

Step 3) Run prime 95 small FFT with HWMonitor running for ~10 minutes.

Step 4) If not stable, increase voltage until it is.

Step 5) If stable, then depending on temps do the following

A) If average of 4 cores =>70C, reduce voltage to the bare minimum required to maintain stability.

B) If average of 4 cores <=70C, increase multiplier to see how far you can go.​

Step 6) Once you've found a good middle ground of decent OC and temps around 70, then run an extended session of Prime 95 for 30 minutes to an hour. Alternatively, you could attempt to fold via Folding@Home overnight and see how it goes.

What changes to this mini-guide would I make if I wanted to OC my 3770K?

 

[killertofu]

Does anyone have any knowledge with building Hackintoshes?

 

[mkenyon]

www.tonymacx86.com

What changes to this mini-guide would I make if I wanted to OC my 3770K?

Zero.

 

[Irobot82]

What changes to this mini-guide would I make if I wanted to OC my 3770K?

Nothing, it's pretty much on the same basis.

If anyone is looking for a reference. I'm running my 3570k @ 4.4Ghz 1.224V Idles 28-30 max under 70.

 

[teh_pwn]

Step 1) Increase core multiplier to 43.

Step 2) Increase voltage to 1.25

Step 3) Run prime 95 small FFT with HWMonitor running for ~10 minutes.

Step 4) If not stable, increase voltage until it is.

Step 5) If stable, then depending on temps do the following

A) If average of 4 cores =>70C, reduce voltage to the bare minimum required to maintain stability.

B) If average of 4 cores <=70C, increase multiplier to see how far you can go.​

Step 6) Once you've found a good middle ground of decent OC and temps around 70, then run an extended session of Prime 95 for 30 minutes to an hour. Alternatively, you could attempt to fold via Folding@Home overnight and see how it goes.

LLC doesn't matter with the latest boards?

But yeah, otherwise it really is this simple.

Also I'd add a step to reinstall Windows if you did have instability. Don't want to waste time with weird errors down the line because some obscure OS file was being written to while you crashed.

And personally I always run memtest for a few hours. I've been burned before with not only a typical bad stick, but a setup that would have memory errors every hour or so even with no OC.