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[DTKT]

Guys, I'd like to change some of my case fans.

Should I get PWM or voltage regulated fans?

I'm not quite sure about voltage regulated fans, but PWM fans have a nasty habit of producing a high pitched whine when they are not all full RPM. My 120mm Cougar had that issue and I was forced to switch it to a Noctua F12 which doesn't suffer from that issue.

Also, don't you need MB connectors in order to have PMW capability? You might be better off with some Molex fans.

 

[Witchfinder General]

What was your max temp with Prime and Burn test?

105 on a couple of cores. 101 and 102 on the other two from memory.

 

[kharma45]

105 on a couple of cores. 101 and 102 on the other two from memory.

Wow much too high if that's Celsius, that's it at the limit of what it can take.

 

[Akai__]

105 on a couple of cores. 101 and 102 on the other two from memory.

Celius or Fahrenheit?

 

[Witchfinder General]

Wow much too high if that's Celsius, that's it at the limit of what it can take.

But that's on a stress test. Normal gaming should never get near that presumably.

 

[Addnan]

But that's on a stress test. Normal gaming should never get near that presumably.

What is your voltage. 105 is way too high, even under unrealistic load.

edit: What temps were you getting pre overclock?

 

[kharma45]

But that's on a stress test. Normal gaming should never get near that presumably.

Stress test or not it's still far, far too high.

My 2500K at 4.4GHz with those stress tests never broke 70 degrees, IB does run a bit warmer but not that much more.

Ideally you don't want to break 80.

 

[Zeth]

Ok, here are some photos of my build. Thanks to everyone in the thread for helping me out! When I finally put it together a few weeks ago, and got everything up and running, I was ecstatic. First decent gaming PC in about 8 years; it's good to be back! The build:

Fractal Define R4 - Windowless
Antec BP550 Plus PSU
Asus P8z77 V-LK
i5 3570K
CM Hyper 212 Evo
MSI 680 Twin Frozr OC 2GB
2x 4GB Corsair Vengeance RAM
1TB WD Blue HDD
250GB Samsung 840 SSD
Also have the 3570K @ 4.2Ghz, 680 @ 1280mhz, both stable with load temps barely breaking 60C (this room is a bit cold, I think) edit: 3570k does actually exceed 60C

Here's what it originally looked like with the 660Ti and cables gone crazy:
[sorry in advance for the terrible lighting and photo quality]

Here it is after I traded up to the 680, added the SSD, and attempted to reroute some things. Better than before but obviously not ideal. I'll need to seperate some cables from the large clump that won't fit behind the wall.

 

[bro1]

105 on a couple of cores. 101 and 102 on the other two from memory.

I actually gasped when I saw that. Are you on a stock cooler??

 

[Witchfinder General]

I actually gasped when I saw that. Are you on a stock cooler??

Noctua D14.

 

[kharma45]

Then there is something badly wrong as you shouldn't be hitting those temps with that cooler.

 

[mkenyon]

Then there is something badly wrong as you shouldn't be hitting those temps with that cooler.

Nah, it's just the Ivy heatwall. He does need to back off the frequency and/or volts for sure. Proc will burn out there.

 

[TerryLee81]

I'm not quite sure about voltage regulated fans, but PWM fans have a nasty habit of producing a high pitched whine when they are not all full RPM. My 120mm Cougar had that issue and I was forced to switch it to a Noctua F12 which doesn't suffer from that issue.

Also, don't you need MB connectors in order to have PMW capability? You might be better off with some Molex fans.

Thanks for your answer. I think I have some of these connectors on my board.

So the benefit of using PWM fans is that they adapt their speed to the temperature?

 

[mkenyon]

Both voltage and PWM do. The difference is that PWM does it by constantly turning the signal on and off to reach the desired RPM. Voltage does it through limiting how much power is coming through, which can cause some issues. PWM will have a greater range of RPM than the latter, as many fans won't even turn on at 5V.

Most motherboards do not have voltage control via the headers, but most modern gaming/high end boards do.

 

[TerryLee81]

Both voltage and PWM do. The difference is that PWM does it by constantly turning the signal on and off to reach the desired RPM. Voltage does it through limiting how much power is coming through, which can cause some issues. PWM will have a greater range of RPM than the latter, as many fans won't even turn on at 5V.

Most motherboards do not have voltage control via the headers, but most modern gaming/high end boards do.

Ah thanks, this clears some things up.

 

[Kipp]

So I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go 120hz. It's reasonable to think that I could hit 120fps on most games (besides games like Metro 2033 and Crysis) with a 7970/7950/670, right? Having tons of AA isn't really necessary. I've been playing with no AA for years on my current PC, so a few jaggies won't bother met at all.

 

[GHG]

I didn't really know where else to post this but honestly... this place has gone crazy since the announcement of the PS4...

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=515109

Honestly its like people have been living with their heads deep beneath sand for the last 6-7 years as technology around them has been advancing. Astonishing.

I'm just sticking to the PC centric threads methinks.... Its for the best!

So I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go 120hz. It's reasonable to think that I could hit 120fps on most games (besides games like Metro 2033 and Crysis) with a 7970/7950/670, right? Having tons of AA isn't really necessary. I've been playing with no AA for years on my current PC, so a few jaggies won't bother met at all.

With games maxed out even at 1080p you may struggle to hit 120 constantly. You may have to dial back some settings or consider going SLI/Crossfire (Id strongly recommend the former over the latter if you go this route).

 

[Kipp]

With games maxed out even at 1080p you may struggle to hit 120 constantly. You may have to dial back some settings or consider going SLI/Crossfire (Id strongly recommend the former over the latter if you go this route).

Maxed out including AA or no? And ~100 would probably be just fine too.

Basically, for all but the games which are graphics beasts, can I expect to get 100-120fps if I go with little or no AA?

It's kinda tough to figure it out through benchmarks since they tend to test GPUs with games that have crazy graphics and put them on 4xMSAA and such.

 

[Broadbandito]

ASRock Z77 Extreme 4
MSI Z77 MPower
Maximus V Gene mATX

Out of the 3, which one is the best?

 

[kharma45]

I didn't really know where else to post this but honestly... this place has gone crazy since the announcement of the PS4...

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=515109

Honestly its like people have been living with their heads deep beneath sand for the last 6-7 years as technology around them has been advancing. Astonishing.

I'm just sticking to the PC centric threads methinks.... Its for the best!

PS4 coming out has brought so many fucking idiots out of the woodwork, everyone on GAF is now a RAM expert.

 

[Kipp]

PS4 coming out has brought so many fucking idiots out of the woodwork, everyone on GAF is now a RAM expert.

Speaking of which, why does the OP still suggest stupid DDR3 RAM when DDR3 is totally obsolete with GDDR5 coming out in the PS4?



I kid, I kid.

 

[GHG]

Maxed out including AA or no? And ~100 would probably be just fine too.

Basically, for all but the games which are graphics beasts, can I expect to get 100-120fps if I go with little or no AA?

It's kinda tough to figure it out through benchmarks since they tend to test GPUs with games that have crazy graphics and put them on 4xMSAA and such.

I meant maxed out without AA. I'd say see how you go with a single GTX 670/680 and if be prepared for the possibility of having to SLI if you're not satisfied.

PS4 coming out has brought so many fucking idiots out of the woodwork, everyone on GAF is now a RAM expert.

Tell me about it... This thread and the Titan ones are like safe havens right now. But having said that, you do know that the PS4 is more powerful than the Titan right? It has 2GB more Ram. It should be about 33% better in benchmarks.

 

[Branduil]

When is going to be a good time to buy a mid-range video card this year?

 

[CrashPrime]

ASRock Z77 Extreme 4
MSI Z77 MPower
Maximus V Gene mATX

Out of the 3, which one is the best?

For price, Extreme4.
For overclocking, Maximus V Gene.
For overall feature set (wifi, bluetooth, power phase, overclocking), MSI MPower.

I choose the MPower myself, and I have not been disappointed.

 

[Kipp]

I meant maxed out without AA. I'd say see how you go with a single GTX 670/680 and if be prepared for the possibility of having to SLI if you're not satisfied.

All right. Thanks for the info.
I'm not planning to build for another month or two so I'll ponder my options.

 

[kharma45]

When is going to be a good time to buy a mid-range video card this year?

Any time tbh, the new ones are expected Q4 2013 at earliest, maybe Q1 2014 for mid-range stuff (as they might just bring out the high end initially) but the prices will all reset so you'll be paying top dollar for a while.

 

[Broadbandito]

For price, Extreme4.
For overclocking, Maximus V Gene.
For overall feature set (wifi, bluetooth, power phase, overclocking), MSI MPower.

I choose the MPower myself, and I have not been disappointed.

does the mpower still overclock an i7 pretty well?

 

[CrashPrime]

does the mpower still overclock an i7 pretty well?

HardOCP was able to do 4.8ghz on an i7 3770k on water.

Using the exact CPU, they were able to hit 4.9 on the Maximus V Gene.

Which is pretty consistent with what others experience with those boards, which is the reason I said Maximus V Gene if overclocking is your #1 priority, and you don't need the other features the MSI offers.

You also might consider the ASRock OC Formula. It's also known around these parts to be an excellent overclocking motherboard.

 

[Branduil]

Any time tbh, the new ones are expected Q4 2013 at earliest, maybe Q1 2014 for mid-range stuff (as they might just bring out the high end initially) but the prices will all reset so you'll be paying top dollar for a while.

Is around $200 a good price for a GTX 660?

 

[Voice of Reason]

http://www.overclock.net/t/1198504/...-guide-sandy-bridge-ivy-bridge-asrock-edition


For some reason I can't understand this guide as a newbie. Do I not touch the Vcore and just keep increasing the CPU multiplier? I feel like a dumbass.

 

[kharma45]

Is around $200 a good price for a GTX 660?

Depends which one.

7870 is in that price bracket with two free games and would be my choice http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202025

 

[Branduil]

Depends which one.

7870 is in that price bracket with two free games and would be my choice http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202025

Yeah but I'd rather stick with Nvidia for drivers and so I can use my old card for my second monitor.

 

[kharma45]

Yeah but I'd rather stick with Nvidia for drivers and so I can use my old card for my second monitor.

Fair enough, I'd probably get the Gigabyte 660 in that case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125443, close to $200 and a really good cooler.

AMD drivers are fine now just fyi, but if you want to go Nvidia then by all means the 660 is still a good card, do bear in mind that the card is effectively a 1.5GB one.

 

[NoRéN]

Samsung 840 Pro 256GB is $210 at NCIX.

 

[mastershake]

What do you guys think about the 7850 vs the 7870? Is it worth the price bump for the 7870?

 

[SquiddyCracker]

I guess this is Nvidia's response to that AMD free game deal?

http://www.geforce.com/landing-page/free-2-play-bundle

Just a bunch of F2P MMO in-game items/cash if you buy GT650/GT660 and higher.

 

[kharma45]

What do you guys think about the 7850 vs the 7870? Is it worth the price bump for the 7870?

Depends on the price difference and what models you're looking at.

I guess this is Nvidia's response to that AMD free game deal?

http://www.geforce.com/landing-page/free-2-play-bundle

Just a bunch of F2P MMO in-game items/cash if you buy GT650/GT660 and higher.

Pretty much, pales in comparison.

 

[mastershake]

Depends on the price difference and what models you're looking at.



Pretty much, pales in comparison.

Both are Gigabyte and the price difference is less than $50

 

[kharma45]

Both are Gigabyte and the price difference is less than $50

Sorry to ask another thing of you but could you throw me the links? just to have a proper look at them.

 

[Rodney McKay]

I just received my new Motherboard, CPU, RAM, and heatsink today!


I am upgrading from an AMD to an Intel motherboard, so is there anything I should know before I go in and swap everything out?

Do I need to uninstall any drivers or other software?

And is there anything special I have to do to avoid a full Windows 7 reinstall? Since it's a new motherboard I'm hoping all I have to do is re-enter the activation code on my OEM disk. Am I being overly optimistic, or should I be OK?

 

[NoRéN]

I just received my new Motherboard, CPU, RAM, and heatsink today!


I am upgrading from an AMD to an Intel motherboard, so is there anything I should know before I go in and swap everything out?

Do I need to uninstall any drivers or other software?

And is there anything special I have to do to avoid a full Windows 7 reinstall? Since it's a new motherboard I'm hoping all I have to do is re-enter the activation code on my OEM disk. Am I being overly optimistic, or should I be OK?

If it's anything like when I swapped my motherboard for a same model one, you'll get a "this copy of windows is invalid" message.

You'll have to call microsoft and they'll walk you through a process to reactivate your copy.

 

[mastershake]

Sorry to ask another thing of you but could you throw me the links? just to have a proper look at them.

Here are the amazon links...

I can get the 7870 from microcenter for cheaper though

7870

7850

 

[kennah]

Yeah but I'd rather stick with Nvidia for drivers and so I can use my old card for my second monitor.

AMD currently has the better drivers (or will soon) and you don't need another video card to drive a second monitor.

 

[bro1]

I just received my new Motherboard, CPU, RAM, and heatsink today!


I am upgrading from an AMD to an Intel motherboard, so is there anything I should know before I go in and swap everything out?

Do I need to uninstall any drivers or other software?

And is there anything special I have to do to avoid a full Windows 7 reinstall? Since it's a new motherboard I'm hoping all I have to do is re-enter the activation code on my OEM disk. Am I being overly optimistic, or should I be OK?

Yeah, a full reinstall. You will have problems if you don't.

 

[rohlfinator]

How do the AMD game bundles work? If I bought a 7950/7970 now would I be able to get the Sleeping Dogs/Far Cry 3/Hitman and the Bioshock/Crysis 3 bundles, or is it down to which one the retailer decides to include?

 

[kharma45]

Here are the amazon links...

I can get the 7870 from microcenter for cheaper though

7870

7850

In that case neither, get the 7870 XT

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWKYB1M/?tag=neogaf0e-20

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202024

It's Tahiti based instead of Pitcairn, think of it as a cut down 7950 for 7870 money.

How do the AMD game bundles work? If I bought a 7950/7970 now would I be able to get the Sleeping Dogs/Far Cry 3/Hitman and the Bioshock/Crysis 3 bundles, or is it down to which one the retailer decides to include?

7900 series cards entitle you to BioShock/Crysis 3 from participating retailers, although some might throw in the old bundle if they've got any left over.

 

[mastershake]

In that case neither, get the 7870 XT

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWKYB1M/?tag=neogaf0e-20

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202024

It's Tahiti based instead of Pitcairn, think of it as a cut down 7950 for 7870 money.



7900 series cards entitle you to BioShock/Crysis 3 from participating retailers, although some might throw in the old bundle if they've got any left over.

See... this is why i ask because i had no idea! Thanks for the help. I appreciate it!

 

[rohlfinator]

7900 series cards entitle you to BioShock/Crysis 3 from participating retailers, although some might throw in the old bundle if they've got any left over.

Ah, cool. Do they come with a unique key, or can you just register your serial number with AMD to get the codes?

Tiger Direct is advertising a 7970 with the old bundle in one pic, and the new bundle in another pic, so I'm wondering if it's a mistake or if it actually comes with both bundles.

 

[kennah]

Ah, cool. Do they come with a unique key, or can you just register your serial number with AMD to get the codes?

Tiger Direct is advertising a 7970 with the old bundle in one pic, and the new bundle in another pic, so I'm wondering if it's a mistake or if it actually comes with both bundles.

Some retailers are doing both bundles. But it seems to be pretty random at this point.

 

[BeekleMatter]

I can't decide on a manufacturer for a 2GB 7850. I've heard good/bad things about this card from these manufacturers but most people only go to the internet to complain so I don't really know. Gigabyte only sells a "pre-overclocked" version and MSI offers a OC or non OC version.

Gigabyte
MSI OC
MSI non-oc

I've heard these are the best 2 manufacturers for this card but I don't get it. What do you guys think?

EDIT: I also can't decide on a case. I really like the HAF 912's roominess but its just so ugly. The Bitfenix Outlaw is more my style but I've heard it has some cable management issues and isn't super roomy. Looking for $40-60 range. Will go maybe to $80 if its just that worth it.