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[Coldsnap]

Can I ask why you would want to do this? What if you render a game at 100fps, you want to throw away 40% of your performance?

Yea, good point. Just hate the 120 to 70 dips.

 

[MercuryLS]

Building your own is pretty simple nowadays. 360 support is right out of the box, most PC games auto detect it and give you actual 360 prompts.

I'm looking at the small form factor PC builds and it's a bit pricey, seems like you need to spend around 1k to get a great PC for gaming.

 

[Azulsky]

Coldsnap

The way you do what you wanted is by enabling Vsync. But i see a problem with this.

You basically are going to get the framerate swapping from 120 to 60. That is a big difference and if you are sensitive its going to mess with you.

You may have it enabled right now and it is what is giving you issues.

You can try it but like i said you will throw away any graphical power that puts you inbetween.

You can also force adaptive vsync in Nvidia control panel which turns off vsync when you drop below the framecap. Should be the best of both worlds. As long as you have 300 series drivers you can use it.

 

[Coldsnap]

Coldsnap

The way you do what you wanted is by enabling Vsync. But i see a problem with this.

You basically are going to get the framerate swapping from 120 to 60. That is a big difference and if you are sensitive its going to mess with you.

You may have it enabled right now and it is what is giving you issues.

You can try it but like i said you will throw away any graphical power that puts you inbetween.

You can also force adaptive vsync in Nvidia control panel which turns off vsync when you drop below the framecap. Should be the best of both worlds. As long as you have 300 series drivers you can use it.

I though Nvidia control panel stuff only works on Open GL games? It would be cool if I could even force v sync through there since Witcher 1 doesn't have that option.

 

[TheD]

Coldsnap

The way you do what you wanted is by enabling Vsync. But i see a problem with this.

You basically are going to get the framerate swapping from 120 to 60. That is a big difference and if you are sensitive its going to mess with you.

You may have it enabled right now and it is what is giving you issues.

You can try it but like i said you will throw away any graphical power that puts you inbetween.

You can also force adaptive vsync in Nvidia control panel which turns off vsync when you drop below the framecap. Should be the best of both worlds.

That only happens with double buffered vsync, most games do not use it.

 

[Azulsky]

Witcher 1 was a mess of graphical issues for some people. This game came out in like what 2k8? I dont remember the graphical settings and it would take me some hours to redownload it.

Triple buffering can mess with you too because it has edge cases that cause tearing. Depending on your performance you can get this edge cases.

I would try to force Triple buffered adaptive Vsync and see what you get.

 

[Anustart]

If I'm grabbing a 3570k, what's a great motherboard that also has bluetooth?

 

[TheD]

Triple buffering can mess with you too because it has edge cases that cause tearing. Depending on your performance you can get this edge cases.

I would try to force Triple buffered adaptive Vsync and see what you get.

No, Triple buffering does not cause tearing.

Only adaptive vsync does (because it drops vsync when you drop under your framerate cap) and it would be using double buffering at cap AFAIK (no reason to use anything else).

 

[RSTEIN]

I'm looking at the small form factor PC builds and it's a bit pricey, seems like you need to spend around 1k to get a great PC for gaming.

Yup. If you're building one from scratch you're looking at CPU ($200) + case ($100) + GPU (760/770 - $300/$450) + RAM ($100) + HD/SSD ($100 - $200) + monitor ($200) + mouse/keyboard ($150) = $1,200.

Of course you can save here and there but it's around $1,000 if you want 60 fps/high settings.

 

[Azulsky]

Sorry I need to correct above.

Triple buffering can cause stuttering issues. In theory it shouldnt have effect on this but i feel some games get smoother by disabling it.

It also will cause input lag if you are sensitive to that.

I had that microstuttering problem most recently in Metro. But honestly that game was pretty poorly optimized.

Crysis 3 I noticed the Input Lag.

The force in Nvidia control panel is only for OpenGL. Direct 3d Overrider can work for direct X games.

You really have to just mess with the settings. The issues are unique to each engine.

 

[littleworm]

Any advice on a Wireless adapter for a desktop? What is better to go with PCI or USB? For some reason the internet hear at school is faster via wireless than through an Ethernet cable.

 

[HelloMeow]

Any advice on a Wireless adapter for a desktop? What is better to go with PCI or USB? For some reason the internet hear at school is faster via wireless than through an Ethernet cable.

The TP-Link TL-WN822N seems to be very good. I got it after it was recommended to me, and it doesnt disappoint. It's cheap, too.

 

[ArynCrinn]

Usually people post pics after they finish building. Just post a quick smartphone pic of your SLI set up. Also love to see a pic of your 4 Titans together.

I haven't bought my 4th Titan yet...

 

[maneil99]

Figured out why the temps are high. Took off the cooler. Middle is bare of paste. Taking it to be reinstalled. The fact that i havent bsod at 1.16v at 4.5ghz is making me excited. Of course it was only a 5 minute test.

Well they reapplied it but temps are the same, I was told to bring it intomorrow to replace the backpalte, any thoughts? If the temps are like this with the paste missing it must be screwed?

 

[ArynCrinn]

.....believe what you want then man. It ain't exactly a competition or polygraph test. I use H100i and H110 CPU coolers in push/pull method at the top of the cases (mostly) with 75%-80% fan speed, plus using the vertical line application with Shin Etsu paste. Plus, my ambient temp in the room never goes above 74 degrees, usually 72 degree in that room. My GPU's on the other hand can get very hot unless I crank up the fans to 60-80 on them.

 

[mkenyon]

Was more that your temp was consistent across a soldered chip (2600/2700K) and then Ivy.

I run an EK Supreme with a 360 radiator on a 3570K, and my temps aren't that good at 4.6/1.25V. Not delidded though (for now).

 

[KDash31987]

I'd say to buy this 7770:
$70 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127687

Comes with a game code of your choice (Sleeping Dogs, FC3, Deus Ex) to help offset your cost. I'd recommend it since it's basically twice as powerful, only a tiny bit more power hungry, and in your price point if you can swing the rebate. You can buy used 7770's straight for $80 off eBay as well.

I don't think my 300 watt computer can handle a 7770 (look at my original post). Plus I can't afford the extra $40 dollars before the mail-in rebate right now.

I did find an XFX 7750 with 1GB GDDR5 that I can get for about the same as the Diamond 6670 card that I ordered already (but might cancel, depending on stuff) with some Amazon credit I just got, and it seems to actually use less power while being more powerful. Unfortunately, neither the 7770 nor the 7750 has a VGA port, which is all the monitor's I have here can handle. I guess I can just get an adapter, though. Still have no clue if my computer can even handle these cards, though, but I've read that a bunch of people got 6670's and 7750's running just fine on old 300 watt PSUs.

 

[maneil99]

.....believe what you want then man. It ain't exactly a competition or polygraph test. I use H100i and H110 CPU coolers in push/pull method at the top of the cases (mostly) with 75%-80% fan speed, plus using the vertical line application with Shin Etsu paste. Plus, my ambient temp in the room never goes above 74 degrees, usually 72 degree in that room. My GPU's on the other hand can get very hot unless I crank up the fans to 60-80 on them.

Does a H80i hitting 68c at stock sound normal to you? My 212 + had better temps. AMB is 17c

 

[TheD]

Does anyone have any ideas what so ever to help cool my CPU (2500K) just a little bit more without getting a new heatsink (have 212 +)?

I kind of want to run it at 4.5Ghz due to games like Planetside 2 and it's insane CPU bottleneck but that means pushing the voltage over 1.3 and thus a bunch more heat (up to something like 80c).

Would something like pointing some more fans at the heatsink (from above) have any effect?

 

[maneil99]

Does anyone have any ideas what so ever to help cool my CPU (2500K) just a little bit more without getting a new heatsink (have 212 +)?

I kind of want to run it at 4.5Ghz due to games like Planetside 2 and it's insane CPU bottleneck but that means pushing the voltage over 1.3 and thus a bunch more heat (up to something like 80c).

Would something like pointing some more fans at the heatsink (from above) have any effect?

lower the PLL or turn the fans up, together might bring down your temps 4-5c

 

[Hazaro]

I don't think my 300 watt computer can handle a 7770 (look at my original post). Plus I can't afford the extra $40 dollars before the mail-in rebate right now.

I did find an XFX 7750 with 1GB GDDR5 that I can get for about the same as the Diamond 6670 card that I ordered already (but might cancel, depending on stuff) with some Amazon credit I just got, and it seems to actually use less power while being more powerful. Unfortunately, neither the 7770 nor the 7750 has a VGA port, which is all the monitor's I have here can handle. I guess I can just get an adapter, though. Still have no clue if my computer can even handle these cards, though, but I've read that a bunch of people got 6670's and 7750's running just fine on old 300 watt PSUs.

Hmm that's too bad. The 7770 barely uses much more power which is why I brought it up for the vast jump in performance. If you budget is that tight, I'd say getting a 7750 is acceptable. I know you only want a good bump in performance.

Any advice on a Wireless adapter for a desktop? What is better to go with PCI or USB? For some reason the internet hear at school is faster via wireless than through an Ethernet cable.

I use an AirLink USB for Wireless when I need it. Works fantastic and they are only $10-16

If I'm grabbing a 3570k, what's a great motherboard that also has bluetooth?

Buy something else for onboard wireless / bluetooth imo. You severly limit your option and integrated wifi/BT are usually all not great.

 

[KDash31987]

Hmm that's too bad. The 7770 barely uses much more power which is why I brought it up for the vast jump in performance. If you budget is that tight, I'd say getting a 7750 is acceptable. I know you only want a good bump in performance.

Yeah, just a bump...but anything is a huge bump over the 4350. Hah.

I might just cancel the 6670 and get the 7750 and a VGA adapter. Thanks for all of the help, man.

 

[maneil99]

I'm 99% my H80i temps are fucked, i am getting the same temps now as I was when my TIM wasn't 100% connecting ( a 3rd of the CPU in the middle had no TIM ) so I think its still not fully connecting :S

 

[lethial]

Having a strange "error". When I'm playing a game the screen will go black (not shut off) and the game is still running then come back on. I've re-installed Win7 64 (same with 32bit) and all drivers. i5 3570k (not OC'd), GTX 660 OC DC2, 8gb Ram, MSI Z77 Mpower (with latest bios). Any ideas? Nothing reported in event viewer and Asus's GPU monitor shows no irregular spikes.

 

[TheD]

Having a strange "error". When I'm playing a game the screen will go black (not shut off) and the game is still running then come back on. I've re-installed Win7 64 (same with 32bit) and all drivers. i5 3570k (not OC'd), GTX 660 OC DC2, 8gb Ram, MSI Z77 Mpower (with latest bios). Any ideas? Nothing reported in event viewer and Asus's GPU monitor shows no irregular spikes.

Monitor cable?

 

[lethial]

Monitor cable?

It seems to only happen during games. Im using DVI.

 

[maneil99]

Having a strange "error". When I'm playing a game the screen will go black (not shut off) and the game is still running then come back on. I've re-installed Win7 64 (same with 32bit) and all drivers. i5 3570k (not OC'd), GTX 660 OC DC2, 8gb Ram, MSI Z77 Mpower (with latest bios). Any ideas? Nothing reported in event viewer and Asus's GPU monitor shows no irregular spikes.

Check control panel, could be drivers crashing, thats what mine does

 

[knitoe]

Having a strange "error". When I'm playing a game the screen will go black (not shut off) and the game is still running then come back on. I've re-installed Win7 64 (same with 32bit) and all drivers. i5 3570k (not OC'd), GTX 660 OC DC2, 8gb Ram, MSI Z77 Mpower (with latest bios). Any ideas? Nothing reported in event viewer and Asus's GPU monitor shows no irregular spikes.

Check control panel, could be drivers crashing, thats what mine does

Yeah. That also happens to me when I OC the video cards too high. Try a lower OC on the GPU.

 

[TheD]

lower the PLL or turn the fans up, together might bring down your temps 4-5c

Fans are already controlled by speedfan (won't start at startup for some odd reason, even in the startup folder), but the PLL voltage did help a little.

 

[OldAsUrSock]

I want to get into PC gaming, I need some GAF advice. Should I build my own or go with a pre-made system? I've never built a PC so I'm a bit nervous. Also how prevalent is the out of the box support for the Xbox 360 controller on PC titles? Is it a pain to deal with driver issues on specific titles on PC or does Steam take care of a lot of that with automatic updates? I don't want a shit PC that will run games poorly but I don't want to spend much more than $500 on it either.

If you have a microcenter near you then definitely wait for Christmas since they have good cpu + motherboard combos.

 

[Juice]

Hey folks, are there any PC motherboards that support the Apple Thunderbolt Display yet?

I have the ACD that uses Mini DisplayPort but if/when I upgrade to whatever sexy new thin thing they have in the pike, I'd like to know I can use it on a PC if I only upgrade the motherboard.

 

[CreepingFear]

Yeah, just a bump...but anything is a huge bump over the 4350. Hah.

I might just cancel the 6670 and get the 7750 and a VGA adapter. Thanks for all of the help, man.

I look forward to your update. Please post back and tell us if your PSU could handle the new card.

 

[Ieu]

Hey folks, are there any PC motherboards that support the Apple Thunderbolt Display yet?

I have the ACD that uses Mini DisplayPort but if/when I upgrade to whatever sexy new thin thing they have in the pike, I'd like to know I can use it on a PC if I only upgrade the motherboard.

There's this Gigabyte board Z87X-UD7

 

[Azulsky]

Hey folks, are there any PC motherboards that support the Apple Thunderbolt Display yet?

I have the ACD that uses Mini DisplayPort but if/when I upgrade to whatever sexy new thin thing they have in the pike, I'd like to know I can use it on a PC if I only upgrade the motherboard.

I think the highest end Asus board does, Z87 Deluxe/Dual its called.

 

[Wolf Akela]

Anyone tried using a speaker bar? I'm thinking of buying an Asus Cine5 to take to work. It's the only decent speaker bar I can find here. Others are way too cheap ($10 cheap) or too expensive ($250+).

I already have a good headset but sometimes I prefer using speakers (don't worry people co-workers do it too). I'll also eventually use it for my laptop after I eventually sell my PC. I have a 10 year old Logitech Z540 at home. I really hate dealing with the wires, and I'd rather have small/simple/clean looks.

 

[Cizeta-Moroder]

I'm building an office pc for my mother. I don't have any experience in pc building, just some gpu/ram/3g module upgrading. Priorities: fast boot, reliability, lifespan, low power usage and price.

Filling out the form doesn't feel very relevant, but here you go:
Your Current Specs: CPU Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2GHz / RAM 2GB / Motherboard unknown / GPU (Graphics) NV 8500gt / PSU (Power Supply) unknown / Case unknown atx tower / HDD (Hard Drive) unknown 200GB
Budget: <500€ in Finland
Main Use: 1
Monitor Resolution: 1440x900
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: web, office, os
Looking to reuse any parts?: ATX case and DVD drive, models unknown (+monitor, mouse, keyboard)
When will you build?: this august
Will you be overclocking?: no

Here's a draft of what I have in mind:
MSI FM2-A55M-E33
XFX P1-450S-X2B9 450W
2x2GB Kingston DDR3 1333MHz, CL9
A6-5400K Black Edition, Radeon HD 7540D
Samsung 840 Series 120GB
Gigabyte GC-WB150 Bluetooth and WLAN
Links are to my local store where I'm planning to buy them. With Windows 8, the total price is 474,70€, which is fine.
...does that look any good? The SSD could be smaller and cheaper, which ones are reliable? Is the mATX motherboard compatible with ATX case and PSU? Can you brute force modern javascript-bloated web pages with that processor? Is old DVD drive compatibility a given? Is 4GB RAM enough for disabling page file to protect SSD from wear? Missing anything?

 

[Coldsnap]

I'm 99% my H80i temps are fucked, i am getting the same temps now as I was when my TIM wasn't 100% connecting ( a 3rd of the CPU in the middle had no TIM ) so I think its still not fully connecting :S

Have you taken it off before? It might not have full coverage on the IHS, yank it off and see if the paste is spread out evenly on the chip.

 

[Azulsky]

The more i research about 120/144 Hz monitors the more I am saddened by lack of a genuine IPS option.

I feel super uneasy about ordering a monitor from SK that l have to win the silicon lottery to actually get what i want.

The other option being a 1080 24'' TN screen where you lose the color reproduction of the IPS.

Just need a 1200 or 1440p 120Hz IPS + Lightboost Monitor.

I have a feeling that the benefits will really only show in shooters, and that I would appreciate the IPS for strategy games more (CoH 2, Rome 2)

 

[lostsupper]

I'm 99% my H80i temps are fucked, i am getting the same temps now as I was when my TIM wasn't 100% connecting ( a 3rd of the CPU in the middle had no TIM ) so I think its still not fully connecting :S

The tension of those hoses make getting a good seal difficult if you're mounting the radiator first.

 

[br0ken_shad0w]

The more i research about 120/144 Hz monitors the more I am saddened by lack of a genuine IPS option.

I feel super uneasy about ordering a monitor from SK that l have to win the silicon lottery to actually get what i want.

The other option being a 1080 24'' TN screen where you lose the color reproduction of the IPS.

Just need a 1200 or 1440p 120Hz IPS + Lightboost Monitor.

I have a feeling that the benefits will really only show in shooters, and that I would appreciate the IPS for strategy games more (CoH 2, Rome 2)

It's why I use two monitors. Well technically one is a 42' LG TV. That way I won't have to sacrifice colors for my movies and certain games but still get the benefit of 120 Hz + Lightboost. I will say lightboost really does fuck with the gamma and colors and I'm still adjusting around for the right combination.

There's also the option of the korean IPS Qx2710 monitor which can be overclocked to 120hz. I didn't pull the trigger because it already cost me a pretty penny to max out 1080p and I would have been approaching GTX 780/Titan territory if I wanted eye candy at 1440p.

 

[LJ11]

Is the Asus Z87I-deluxe a good alternative to the Maximus VI Impact?

 

[Azulsky]

It's why I use two monitors. Well technically one is a 42' LG TV. That way I won't have to sacrifice colors for my movies and certain games but still get the benefit of 120 Hz + Lightboost. I will say lightboost really does fuck with the gamma and colors and I'm still adjusting around for the right combination.

There's also the option of the korean IPS Qx2710 monitor which can be overclocked to 120hz. I didn't pull the trigger because it already cost me a pretty penny to max out 1080p and I would have been approaching GTX 780/Titan territory if I wanted eye candy at 1440p.

Yeah I saw the QNIX on Amazon. I bought the expensive ticket to 780gtx sli land so I should have the power to get the framerate up there but I am just concerned with getting dead pixels, backlight bleed, flimsy case, etc etc and most of all its not guaranteed to be overclockable to 120hz.

I am just too stuck in Dell Ultrasharp land.

 

[Fried Food]

I've been using light boost on the asus VG248qe and I love it.

The color problems are overstated.

I'm playing BF3 at 120 fps locked (all settings on low) and I'm enjoying myself more than when playing on ultra at 60 fps. The smoothness is great.

I think this monitor is pretty good in general. Maybe I'm just not picky, but the colors aren't horrible, or even bad, like people are saying.

 

[Haly]

New build for a friend. Primary use is gaming. Any opinions?

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z87-D3HP LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W
GPU:ZOTAC ZT-70401-10P GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
HDD: Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2
Enclosure: Corsair Carbide Series 400R Graphite grey and black ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case
Monitor: Dell UltraSharp U2312HM Black 23" 8ms Widescreen LCD IPS Panel Monitor with LED
Mouse: SteelSeries Kinzu v2 Optical Gaming Mouse - Pro Edition - Glossy Black

I'm yet undecided on the keyboard and I'm going to let my friend try some of my switch samples to see what she likes, or just get her a cheap Logitech.

 

[ArynCrinn]

Does a H80i hitting 68c at stock sound normal to you? My 212 + had better temps. AMB is 17c

Ambient temps can be misleading anyway, but mine range from 22-26c across all cores when OCed. Except my new closed case water cooled system that gets down to 12c-18c ambient.

At stock, a H80i (which I have no experience with) hitting 68c under full load sounds about right. Ambient 17c is really good and probably normal for stock speeds. And also remember that you can often achieve better cooling results with air cooling sometimes depending on the chip and if the cold plate on the Hydro is seated properly. There are some crazy air coolers out there (Noctua, Phanteks, Dark Rock Pro) that all compete quite nicely with top water coolers for at least in-game loads.

 

[Escape Goat]

Here are my specs right now. I'm looking for a purchase that will give me the bigger boost in performance for gaming.

i5 - 2500k processor @ 3.3ghz
4096mb ram
Radeon 6900

I would assume the memory is my best route. What say you?

 

[ArynCrinn]

Here are my specs right now. I'm looking for a purchase that will give me the bigger boost in performance for gaming.

i5 - 2500k processor @ 3.3ghz
4096mb ram
Radeon 6900

I would assume the memory is my best route. What say you?

Up the RAM to 8GB, get a better GPU if you want max settings on the latest games.

 

[kennah]

Here are my specs right now. I'm looking for a purchase that will give me the bigger boost in performance for gaming.

i5 - 2500k processor @ 3.3ghz
4096mb ram
Radeon 6900

I would assume the memory is my best route. What say you?

Overclocking your CPU would give the best boost. You could get another 4 gig of ram, or go to a 7900/7xx series video card, but for now your biggest jump would definitely be CPU overclock.

 

[Addnan]

Here are my specs right now. I'm looking for a purchase that will give me the bigger boost in performance for gaming.

i5 - 2500k processor @ 3.3ghz
4096mb ram
Radeon 6900

I would assume the memory is my best route. What say you?

Overclocking you CPU will give you a good performance boost. Buy a Hyper 212 cooler if you don't already have a third party cooler. Get that above 4ghz. The GPU can be upgraded too.

 

[Escape Goat]

Thanks for the input, guys. Is this the type of fan you guys were suggesting?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065