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[mkenyon]

I think i'm gonna get the new 650-e from Asus. I'm super broke and i don't want to spend more money on a new power supply.

What is your current PSU?

Re: high res gaming, it's something I might do in the future. For the time being (and probably the rest of the year) I'm at 1080P/60hz. For the cooler installation: It's not much more difficult than a 212 evo install is it? Should be fine with that. I am still considering NVidia though, these decisions are harder than the original build! I'll probably go to Microcenter tomorrow and decide in the store, feels old-fashioned, hah.

I don't know why I keep on thinking 1440p. At 1080P, you can't make a bad choice.

The cooler installation is more complex in that you have more screws. Think of it this way to soothe your fears. The Videocard PCB is like a motherboard. The GPU is like a CPU. Though they have giant heatsinks and shrouds attached to them, it just makes them seem more intimidating when they really aren't.

 

[mkenyon]

Almost didn't post this because I was thinking about grabbing them myself, but:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1359452/msi-gtx-680-4gb-2x-asus-vg236h-23-monitors-120hz-3d-vision

VG236H Monitors for $175

With the guy's trader rating and how the OCN system works, I would have absolutely zero reservations about this.

 

[Zeth]

What is your current PSU?

I don't know why I keep on thinking 1440p. At 1080P, you can't make a bad choice.

The cooler installation is more complex in that you have more screws. Think of it this way to soothe your fears. The Videocard PCB is like a motherboard. The GPU is like a CPU. Though they have giant heatsinks and shrouds attached to them, it just makes them seem more intimidating when they really aren't.

Thanks again for the help! I guess you could call me short-sighted. I just want to get the most out of Crysis 3 next week, hah. I'll figure this whole thing out soon enough.

 

[kpjolee]

All the sudden, driver improvements and new game bundles are making 7970s look sweeter. I am going to wait for Nvidia Titan benches and prices, and if they seem underwhelming, then I will probably grab couple or three of 7970s, and get free games as well.

 

[kennah]

Yep. AMD is going to be awesome now because I've switched to nvidia

 

[mkenyon]

Don't worry, it's not a zero sum game. They're both awesome.

 

[dave_d]

Here's a quick question. Do the stock intel heatsinks still use those stupid push pin that pop off all the time like the old core 2 chips did? (I have a Q6600 an I ended up buying a custom heat sink for no other reason than the intel one was loose because those push pin kept popping off.)

 

[kennah]

Don't worry, it's not a zero sum game. They're both awesome.

Not worried. And am plenty impressed with PhysX. Have never had it before!

 

[Dave_6]

Will the Corsair H100 fit in the top of the Fractal R4?

 

[Irobot82]

Will the Corsair H100 fit in the top of the Fractal R4?

Yeah, just about any closed loop heatstinks will fit in that amazing case.

 

[Dave_6]

Yeah, just about any closed loop heatstinks will fit in that amazing case.

Thanks. I was watching this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKxZVokg-m8 and there is one mounted in the top. A few of the comments said yes there is one mounted but because there was no 8-pin power connected.

Such a cool and high quality looking case. Love the way their PSU looks mounted in it too.

 

[Irobot82]

Thanks. I was watching this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKxZVokg-m8 and there is one mounted in the top. A few of the comments said yes there is one mounted but because there was no 8-pin power connected.

Such a cool and high quality looking case. Love the way their PSU looks mounted in it too.

Yeah I don't remember an 8-pin on my case. Before you buy that H100, I think Mkenyon said that the H80 does a better job cooling?

I have the black case, I REALLY wish I had a white one though.

 

[Adam Blue]

Is it worth paying $560 for the GTX 680 FTW 4GB? I'm willing to pay high-end to have something that will last (not $999 high-end). I went from a 295 GTX to a 550ti for DX11, but I'm already seeing weakness.

 

[Koroviev]

Is it worth paying $560 for the GTX 680 FTW 4GB? I'm willing to pay high-end to have something that will last (not $999 high-end). I went from a 295 GTX to a 550ti for DX11, but I'm already seeing weakness.

I bet!

I'm not sure about that specific card. Unless you need CUDA or plan to have multiple cards, I would take a look at either the 7950 or the 7970. A lot of power for a decent price.

Yeah I don't remember an 8-pin on my case. Before you buy that H100, I think Mkenyon said that the H80 does a better job cooling?

I have the black case, I REALLY wish I had a white one though.

I actually thought about getting the white version, if only because I always go for the black one.

 

[Dave_6]

Yeah I don't remember an 8-pin on my case. Before you buy that H100, I think Mkenyon said that the H80 does a better job cooling?

I have the black case, I REALLY wish I had a white one though.

Not sure on the H80/H100 situation. I do like the look of those compared to the air cooled ones.

It's a toss up for me on getting the black or white one. I was going with a Bitfenix Prodigy but I think I'd rather go with the R4 because it's so nice and it gives me the option of going SLI in the future. I love the way Mkenyon's white R4 build looks though, soooooo nice.

 

[Irobot82]

Not sure on the H80/H100 situation. I do like the look of those compared to the air cooled ones.

It's a toss up for me on getting the black or white one. I was going with a Bitfenix Prodigy but I think I'd rather go with the R4 because it's so nice and it gives me the option of going SLI in the future. I love the way Mkenyon's white R4 build looks though, soooooo nice.

I love my R4, mine isn't as clean as MKenyon's is. I need to reroute my wires and whatnot. But it looks sexy. I have a Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer I got for Like $35 on sale. I love it. It removes having a GIANT heat sink and makes your case look clean.

 

[Adam Blue]

Thanks for the reply. I just see '4GB' and assume it's better.

Any particular 7970?

Again, thanks.

 

[Koroviev]

Thanks for the reply. I just see '4GB' and assume it's better.

Any particular 7970?

Again, thanks.

I would go with the Gigabyte version. Under $400, comes with some factory OC and 3GB of VRAM, and runs cool and quiet. Hard to beat that. (I have the Gigabyte 7950.)

 

[Dave_6]

I was going to buy the Gigabyte 7970 before I decided to buy a 4GB 670.

 

[iavi]

This 7950 struggles with nothing. I thought Sleeping Dogs would tax it, but it maxes everything out/hi-res tex pack/24x SSAA/FXAA on Ultra at a locked 60fps. It has a really weird dip to 40~fps at the wardrobe screen, of all places, but that's the only place.

I feel like I'm ready to take the next-gen on, but watch that baseline rise and swallow all of our cards.

I was going to buy the Gigabyte 7970 before I decided to buy a 4GB 670.

That...Why? The 7970 is stronger than the 680, let alone the 670, unless you HAD to have cuda/physx. And Physx can be handled by the gpu, so that advantage isn't all that there.

 

[Dave_6]

That...Why? The 7970 is stronger than the 680, let alone the 670, unless you HAD to have cuda/physx. And Physx can be handled by the gpu, so that advantage isn't all that there.

It's the one mkenyon put up for sale. Couldn't pass it up for $300 and I'm not gaming over 1080p anyways. I could always sell it later and step up or just add another 670 (though I am new to this so SLI might not be a good idea).

 

[Koroviev]

This 7950 struggles with nothing. I thought Sleeping Dogs would tax it, but it maxes everything out/hi-res tex pack/24x SSAA/FXAA on Ultra at a locked 60fps. It has a really weird dip to 40~fps at the wardrobe screen, of all places, but that's the only place.

I feel like I'm ready to take the next-gen on, but watch that baseline rise and swallow all of our cards.


That...Why? The 7970 is stronger than the 680, let alone the 670, unless you HAD to have cuda/physx. And Physx can be handled by the gpu, so that advantage isn't all that there.

This is why I don't try to future-proof anything. I'd rather pursue high-end options (but not the absolute best) and upgrade those as the new lines come out.

 

[kennah]

It's the one mkenyon put up for sale. Couldn't pass it up for $300 and I'm not gaming over 1080p anyways. I could always sell it later and step up or just add another 670.

Let me know when you're looking, maybe they could be reunited

 

[Infinite Justice]

hmm

can the corsair SP 120 work with the 212+ and if so how well do they work together.

plus i assume i would need a splitter of sorts for using two of them on it.

 

[theytookourjobz]

Moved recently and put my PC in my room. Big mistake. Forgot how fucking loud and hot this thing is. Only downside to PC gaming.

 

[Koroviev]

Moved recently and put my PC in my room. Big mistake. Forgot how fucking loud and hot this thing is. Only downside to PC gaming.

...Hot and loud? What are doing to it?

 

[Irobot82]

This is why I don't try to future-proof anything. I'd rather pursue high-end options (but not the absolute best) and upgrade those as the new lines come out.

7950 is pretty future proof. They overclock like mad and end up pushing just as hard as the 7970.

 

[Koroviev]

7950 is pretty future proof. They overclock like mad and end up pushing just as hard as the 7970.

Well, I didn't buy it for that reason...it was just relatively inexpensive ($300 v. $500+) and supposedly on par with the 670 or better

 

[Irobot82]

Well, I didn't buy it for that reason...it was just relatively inexpensive ($300 v. $500+) and supposedly on par with the 670 or better

That's why I got mine as well. When you start to crank up the AA it begins to crush the 670. I also do that german downsampling to 1440p, you get better performance out of that than using AA.

 

[iavi]

That's why I got mine as well. When you start to crank up the AA it begins to crush the 670. I also do that german downsampling to 1440p, you get better performance out of that than using AA.

That App doesn't work with the latest beta drivers, unfortunately. Only thing I'd use over my SSAA+FXAA combo I use for just about everything.

 

[Irobot82]

That App doesn't work with the latest beta drivers, unfortunately. Only thing I'd use over my SSAA+FXAA combo I use for just about everything.

Uhm, I am running 13.2 Beta 5 and I can still set my resolution to 1440p.

Why don't you move back to 12.10, run the app, then update to 13.2

If you seek proof, see link below

http://sdrv.ms/WgbNrU

 

[Skyfireblaze]

Can someone tell me which of these builds is better for general-purpose gaming at 1080p?
I want to build a PC for a friend of mine and the last Intel PC I had was 2002 so I'm not sure what I did there with the Intel build:

AMD:

Intel:

The budget is 680€ and I'm aware the PSU in the AMD build is overkill so that will still get exchanged, thanks in advance for help!

 

[Koroviev]

Can someone tell me which of these builds are better for general-purpose gaming at 1080p?
I want to build a PC for a friend of mine and the last Intel PC I had was 2002 so I'm not sure what I did there with the Intel build:



The budget is 680€ and I'm aware the PSU in the AMD build is overkill so that will still get exchanged, thanks in advance for help!

Where are you located?

 

[Skyfireblaze]

Where are you located?

In Germany, why? I prefer to use Atelco.de for buying the parts as they have shops spread throughout the country which makes support a breeze as I can always just physically talk with technicians instead of having to send things back.

EDIT: Uwaaa I uploaded the Intel pic twice, let me fix that! >.< And fixed!

 

[Koroviev]

In Germany, why? I prefer to use Atelco.de for buying the parts as they have shops spread out the country which makes support a breeze as I can always just physically talk with technicians instead of having to send things back.

Cost of parts varies by country

 

[Hazaro]

(AMD build is not showing up)
TX3 is bad (Can you get a 212 EVO), PSU should be a VP 450 / Antec 450W if available, instead of the V3 check OP cases, bet you can save a little bit on cheaper RAM. I added it up and you are pretty close to budget to fit that 660 in.

If you hunt, should be able to find a good deal on a 3570, maybe with a Z77 motherboard to squeeze it in budget.

 

[Skyfireblaze]

Cost of parts varies by country

Oh yeah I'm aware of that I tried to get the best bang for buck but if anyone has better part suggestions suggest away Windows is luckily a non-issue as he gets it through his University.

(AMD build is not showing up)
TX3 is bad (Can you get a 212 EVO), PSU should be a VP 450 / Antec 450W if available, instead of the V3 check OP cases, bet you can save a little bit on cheaper RAM. I added it up and you are pretty close to budget to fit that 660 in.

If you hunt, should be able to find a good deal on a 3570, maybe with a Z77 motherboard to squeeze it in budget.

Your Current Specs: N/A It's a new build for a friend and he is a laptop user so far.
Budget: 680&#8364; Germany
Main Use: Light Gaming: 4 Gaming: 4 Emulation (PS2/Wii): 1 Video Editing: 2 HD Streaming: 1 (He wants to record videos for Youtube Let's Play!'s 3D/Model work: 1 General Usage: 3
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 no further upgrades
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Assassins Creed III, Crysis 3, future PC games, doesn't have to be at highest settings
Looking to reuse any parts?: N/A
When will you build?: Have to order and get it this week, next week latest!
Will you be overclocking?: No unless I can set him a stable OC for the future

And thanks for the suggestions so far, could you explain why some of the choices I made are bad? I'm by no means a expert and would like to learn a thing or two

I want to avoid ordering from multiple shops as he is a PC newbie and lives two hours away from me by car so it would be a support nightmare should something break

Oh and I'm aware the 212 EVO is better though it looked like it's terrible hard to install and is the TX3 Evo really this bad? o.o I use it myself on my Phenom II 955 and I barely hear it :/

Also I think I should repost my current build ideas here again so my posts aren't that split if that's okay:

AMD:

Intel:

 

[mkenyon]

Thanks. I was watching this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKxZVokg-m8 and there is one mounted in the top. A few of the comments said yes there is one mounted but because there was no 8-pin power connected.

Such a cool and high quality looking case. Love the way their PSU looks mounted in it too.

You have to mount it using the 140mm fan mesh as opposed to the actual 120mm mounting holes. No big deal though.

 

[M3z_]

Got my bitfenix prodigy and just bought a corsair cx 600 watt psu.

Next I am thinking the 7870 xt from Sapphire
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7670961

Hoping they add the AMD never settle bundle to it, they just put the card up on their site today so maybe within a week they will have the deal attached.

Then probably gonna go with a 3570k and the asrock itx board from microcenter. Kind of wondering about going with the i3 3225 since this will be a living room PC and I already have a full powered system, but I don't want to hit a processing power wall as the next generation of console games get ported to PC.

I already have 8 gigs of spare avexir ram and a spare 120GB SSD in my main rig so good to go on those.

 

[Irobot82]

Got my bitfenix prodigy and just bought a corsair cx 600 watt psu.

Next I am thinking the 7870 xt from Sapphire
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7670961

Hoping they add the AMD never settle bundle to it, they just put the card up on their site today so maybe within a week they will have the deal attached.

Then probably gonna go with a 3570k and the asrock itx board from microcenter. Kind of wondering about going with the i3 3225 since this will be a living room PC and I already have a full powered system, but I don't want to hit a processing power wall as the next generation of console games get ported to PC.

I already have 8 gigs of spare avexir ram and a spare 120GB SSD in my main rig so good to go on those.

Sweet I've been looking for a non-reference 7870XT. NewEgg lists that Sapphire as sold out.

 

[gogojira]

Just out of curiosity, what's with the sudden sway in opinion on AMD versus Nvidia? I was set on buying a 680 but everyone seems to be pushing the AMD side now when I thought it was almost a known quantity that their drivers were rough.

This clearly took a sudden turn.

 

[Hazaro]

Oh yeah I'm aware of that I tried to get the best bang for buck but if anyone has better part suggestions suggest away Windows is luckily a non-issue as he gets it through his University.

And thanks for the suggestions so far, could you explain why some of the choices I made are bad? I'm by no means a expert and would like to learn a thing or two

I want to avoid ordering from multiple shops as he is a PC newbie and lives two hours away from me by car so it would be a support nightmare should something break

Oh and I'm aware the 212 EVO is better though it looked like it's terrible hard to install and is the TX3 Evo really this bad? o.o I use it myself on my Phenom II 955 and I barely hear it :/

Also I think I should repost my current build ideas here again so my posts aren't that split if that's okay:

TX3 is bad (Can you get a 212 EVO), PSU should be a VP 450 / Antec 450W if available, instead of the V3 check OP cases

TX3 has very subpar performance cooling for the price. Any other rifle style cooler (Xigmatek, Zalman, EVO 212) will be better.

CX430W replaces the Seasonic built CX400W. The new 430 is a poor ~380W real substitute for that supply built on a different design from higher quality Corsair PSUs. The Antec 450 is cheap as dirt and works great (Also not really effective 450W, but it's better).

Case wise... I think you can do better, but maybe not given availability and pricing.

Just out of curiosity, what's with the sudden sway in opinion on AMD versus Nvidia? I was set on buying a 680 but everyone seems to be pushing the AMD side now when I thought it was almost a known quantity that their drivers were rough.

This clearly took a sudden turn.

I think mkenyon stated it before, but in summary:

@ $300

• nVidia > AMD
• AMD releases Driver update
• AMD > nVidia
• People learn about frame latency
• nVidia > AMD
• Price drops for AMD
• nVidia = AMD
• AMD releases DEM DRIVERS along with steep price cuts
• AMD >> nVidia

 

[Irobot82]

Just out of curiosity, what's with the sudden sway in opinion on AMD versus Nvidia? I was set on buying a 680 but everyone seems to be pushing the AMD side now when I thought it was almost a known quantity that their drivers were rough.

This clearly took a sudden turn.

Their drivers have gotten MUCH better. Plus it's a Price/Performance issue. Lastly, AndrewD @catalystcreator said they've got some memory profiles changes coming to the GCN cores that is supposed to boost performance.

 

[iavi]

Just out of curiosity, what's with the sudden sway in opinion on AMD versus Nvidia? I was set on buying a 680 but everyone seems to be pushing the AMD side now when I thought it was almost a known quantity that their drivers were rough.

This clearly took a sudden turn.

A lot of us bought in with the last never settle bundle and have had really positive experiences.

Since quelling a lot of the latency issues, their drivers are up to par with Nvidia's now.

 

[kennah]

Just out of curiosity, what's with the sudden sway in opinion on AMD versus Nvidia? I was set on buying a 680 but everyone seems to be pushing the AMD side now when I thought it was almost a known quantity that their drivers were rough.

This clearly took a sudden turn.

Drivers haven't been a problem for years. And people go to where performance for price exists. Also AMD's beta drivers are pushing them into near parity with nvidia for their frame latency issues.

 

[gogojira]

@ $300

• nVidia > AMD
• AMD releases Driver update
• AMD > nVidia
• People learn about frame latency
• nVidia > AMD
• Price drops for AMD
• nVidia = AMD
• AMD releases DEM DRIVERS along with steep price cuts
• AMD >> nVidia

OK, that's a pretty awesome summary job.

 

[ColonelColon]

Just out of curiosity, what's with the sudden sway in opinion on AMD versus Nvidia? I was set on buying a 680 but everyone seems to be pushing the AMD side now when I thought it was almost a known quantity that their drivers were rough.

This clearly took a sudden turn.

AMD video cards currently seem to offer better price/performance and the new bundles makes it a no-brainer. For $400~, a 7970 also includes Crysis 3 and Bioshock Infinite.

 

[mkenyon]

Just out of curiosity, what's with the sudden sway in opinion on AMD versus Nvidia? I was set on buying a 680 but everyone seems to be pushing the AMD side now when I thought it was almost a known quantity that their drivers were rough.

This clearly took a sudden turn.

AMD's drivers, in the common discourse of what makes them 'lol' worthy, are great. The haters are generally holding on to arguments that existed years ago with the 4xxx series. It just became kind of a thing 'lol ATI drivers', and as a result, internet communities suffered from confirmation bias.

They both still have their ups and downs. NVIDIA will generally provide a more smooth experience. AMD will get you numbers and destroys NVIDIA when it comes to multi-card/multi-monitor setups. NVIDIA gives you a frame of input for every additional card in SLI, but AMD is still fairly rife with microstutter.

But, when you are just comparing cards in similar price brackets, NVIDIA just gets stomped all over right now. 7850 is the clear budget pick. 7870 LE is the best bang for the buck on the market. The 7950 suits multiple resolutions and can be clocked to the nines. 7970s can walk all over 680s with a +400MHz core clock OC while NVIDIA shuts off their users from even adjusting voltage. The 7990 is a good bit more powerful than the 690.

 

[csquared587]

How is this deal for a power supply?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-020813-Index-_-PowerSupplies-_-17171067-L07A


I don't particularly need the upgrade, but my brother needs a PSU so I am going to give him my current 550w one. I might want to sli my gtx 670 in the future, so I am looking in the 650-750w range. I prefer modular, but I would not be against semi or non modular.

 

[BeekleMatter]

Alright well i guess it is time to start talking about getting a new PC.

This is the build I made. My budget is $600-700. I'd be using for gaming mainly, hopefully running games such as Gw2, Sc2, Dayz SA, etc. on Very High-Ultra at 60fps or preferably higher. I used a lot of the suggestions from the builds in the OP, but I'm not really sure on graphics cards. How does a GTX650 fair? Is a $150ish AMD card more worth it? Also does it matter that the motherboard has an onboard USB 3.0 header but the case doesn't have front panel USB 3.0 ports? Also I would be buying in the next few months, not right now, so consider that too.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated since... I think I kind of know what I'm doing (probably not). Thanks!