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"I need a New PC!" 2013 Part 2. Haswell = #IntelnoTIM, but free online. READ THE OP.

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kennah

Member
An odd question - if I sold the following what'd you think I might get for it in GBP?

Core i7 920 with stock cooler
Gigabyte EX58-UD4P
3x2GB 1333Mhz Corsair XMS

Would £150 be a reasonable asking price for the set?

Totally reasonable I think, but maybe I think that because people tend to overcharge for the 920 where I am.

So this might be a slightly controversial question, but I'm looking at getting a new monitor. One is 1080p, the other is 1600x900. The price difference and the screen difference is trivial, so let's not count it here.

Given that I want to play things in their native resolution, is the one with the lesser resolution likely to give my graphics card an easier time?

Computer specs?
 

mkenyon

Banned
So this might be a slightly controversial question, but I'm looking at getting a new monitor. One is 1080p, the other is 1600x900. The price difference and the screen difference is trivial, so let's not count it here.

Given that I want to play things in their native resolution, is the one with the lesser resolution likely to give my graphics card an easier time?
Not controversial at all.

Less pixels = lower frame times. Definitely easier to get better performance with a lower resolution.
 
I'm so sorry.

Get the 1600x900.

Under no circumstances get a 1366x768.

Nah, that's my laptop resolution, so I know I don't wanna go that low. :p I used to have a 1440 x 900 and I didn't mind that at all. :)

As for the machine, I got the i5 for nada but it had some pretty woeful kit inside. It had a 7300GT, 2GB RAM and a 250GB HDD. I didn't want to spend a fortune getting it up and running so I went with what I could afford. I didn't have a gaming PC before, so this will allow me to play Blizzard games and indie stuff. The most intensive thing I'll probably be running is the reboot of Rise of the Triad.
 

kennah

Member
Nah, that's my laptop resolution, so I know I don't wanna go that low. :p I used to have a 1440 x 900 and I didn't mind that at all. :)

As for the machine, I got the i5 for nada but it had some pretty woeful kit inside. It had a 7300GT, 2GB RAM and a 250GB HDD. I didn't want to spend a fortune getting it up and running so I went with what I could afford. I didn't have a gaming PC before, so this will allow me to play Blizzard games and indie stuff. The most intensive thing I'll probably be running is the reboot of Rise of the Triad.

Keep your eyes open for a good GPU and you're not doing too bad. I had a 4850 two cards ago, so know the pain :)

There's a 7850 in the BST thread for $110 shipped right now.
 
I just remembered I can get Windows 7/8 Professional free through my college. At least, I think I still can. Is there any downside to these over the Home versions? Keep in mind this machine will pretty much be a games/programming machine.
 

kharma45

Member
Anything AMD puts out won't perform at 670 levels at that price. Two 670 at £340 will probably demolish the 9970 which I guess will be in that price bracket ;)

Ew SLI

I just remembered I can get Windows 7/8 Professional free through my college. At least, I think I still can. Is there any downside to these over the Home versions? Keep in mind this machine will pretty much be a games/programming machine.

None
 

Fair enough. So, I'm looking at the available OSs here, there's:

Windows 8 Professional
Windows 8.1 Professional Preview(I'm guessing this isn't the full thing)
Windows 7 Professional

Honestly, I don't give a rat's ass about just about everything I've seen of W8. However, 8.1 made some improvements, right? Are those available to W8 users? I'm kinda tempted to get 8 anyways since I fear MS will act like gobshites when it comes to DX12.
 

kennah

Member
Yeah probably just over 100. Not looking to get fancy here. Browsing Newegg right now.

Stick to the regular brand names (Asus, LG, Samsung, BenQ) and just get something that looks nice enough for you to stare at every day. Everything on the low end is basically the same of 'good enough' it's when you start to get into the higher end (high res, 120hz, or perfect colour reproduction) that you need to worry.
 

kharma45

Member
Fair enough. So, I'm looking at the available OSs here, there's:

Windows 8 Professional
Windows 8.1 Professional Preview(I'm guessing this isn't the full thing)
Windows 7 Professional

Honestly, I don't give a rat's ass about just about everything I've seen of W8. However, 8.1 made some improvements, right? Are those available to W8 users? I'm kinda tempted to get 8 anyways since I fear MS will act like gobshites when it comes to DX12.

Yeah 8.1 will be available to all 8 users.

DX 11.2 is already a Windows 8.1 exclusive.
 

Lanbeast

Member

The voice of reason.

Alright, I made some modifications to my build because (sorry mkenyon) the Prodigy was causing me more of a headache than I wanted. Let me know what you guys think:

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (($334.98 @ Microcenter - Mobo/Proc combo)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 240M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($182.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 4GB Video Card ($298.99 @ Newegg + Splinter Cell Blacklist)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.42 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg) -- Already owned.
Total: $1036.36

Here are the Microcenter deals on the intel chips:
http://www.microcenter.com/site/brands/intel-processor-bundles.aspx

I didn't see any real benefit to going higher with the Gigabyte mobo but I may be missing something.
 
Yeah 8.1 will be available to all 8 users.

DX 11.2 is already a Windows 8.1 exclusive.

Okay, I've got an option of the "English" or "English-Great Britain" version. Either one seems to accomodate 32 or 64 bit. Does it really matter which I pick(in Ireland BTW).

Edit:
Go for the GB one, 64 bit.
Alright. The 32/64 seem to be the same download, using something called Dreamshark. I thinkthat's some Microsoft downloader program. Thanks!
 

Trasher

Member
Stick to the regular brand names (Asus, LG, Samsung, BenQ) and just get something that looks nice enough for you to stare at every day. Everything on the low end is basically the same of 'good enough' it's when you start to get into the higher end (high res, 120hz, or perfect colour reproduction) that you need to worry.

Thinking of going this route. I'm used to playing on 15.4 inch monitors for the past 8 years, so I feel like anything bigger than 22 inches is going to look huge haha.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vs228hp
 

cajunator

Banned
Question. I was thinking about getting a biggr PSU to take less load off my current 550W PSU but could I still use the same cables that come with the smaller unit or do I have to unhook everything again? Like if its modular can I just disconnect everything from the PSU box and just slide the new box into the case and reconnect everything?
 

kennah

Member
Question. I was thinking about getting a biggr PSU to take less load off my current 550W PSU but could I still use the same cables that come with the smaller unit or do I have to unhook everything again? Like if its modular can I just disconnect everything from the PSU box and just slide the new box into the case and reconnect everything?

Most modulars are not compatible with each other.
 

Blitzhex

Member
Will I see more FPS going from a Q9550 3.8ghz to a Ivy/Haswell 4.5ghz? In CPU heavy stuff like 64p BF3/BF4 and MMOs like GW2/Wildstar? Wondering if I should hol off till the next Haswell revision, as these things run hot. I've got a 660ti for reference.
 
What's all this OEM system builder stuff about? Apparently if you are assembling a PC yourself you are considered a system builder and eligible for an OEM license? Is this relevant at all or am I good to go by just putting the W8 Pro iso onto a usb with WUDT and booting from there?
 

Anton668

Member
Question. I was thinking about getting a biggr PSU to take less load off my current 550W PSU but could I still use the same cables that come with the smaller unit or do I have to unhook everything again? Like if its modular can I just disconnect everything from the PSU box and just slide the new box into the case and reconnect everything?

first, why? how much load are you at? if its a good quality PSU with good efficiency and your not pushing it to the limits, I dont see the point.

and no, cables do not work like that
 

kharma45

Member
What's all this OEM system builder stuff about? Apparently if you are assembling a PC yourself you are considered a system builder and eligible for an OEM license? Is this relevant at all or am I good to go by just putting the W8 Pro iso onto a usb with WUDT and booting from there?

Just stick with the 8 Pro ISO, get it onto a USB and go. You'll be grand.
 

Lanbeast

Member
How can you tell if RAM is low-profile or not? I can't find indication anywhere.
LLShC.gif
 

Anton668

Member
How can you tell if RAM is low-profile or not? I can't find indication anywhere.
LLShC.gif

if its got the large heat spreaders on it - def not low profile
if it has no heat spreader at all - low profile

theres more to it than that for sure. but mostly, if you look at it and it has a hella big heat spreader on it, you dont want it. ram runs a lower temps these days so you really dont need a heat spreader on them
 

Anton668

Member
GSkill also do properly low stuff (the Ares series) too but neither of those are worth the premium over the Ripjaws, they're fairly low as they are truth be told.

yeah, just giving an example. all in all it depends on what your putting it in. those first Gskills arent bad all things considered.

god i miss the samsung ram....
 

kharma45

Member
I'm glad I got it too. Cost me £45 but totally worth it. We had it for £30 at one stage, stock aplenty and I thought we'd always have it that good... :(
 

Anton668

Member
did we ever figure out why they pulled it?

it was great ram at a good price and as we've all seen, it always sold.

why the hell would a company pull a product that was so high in demand?!?!
 

knitoe

Member
did we ever figure out why they pulled it?

it was great ram at a good price and as we've all seen, it always sold.

why the hell would a company pull a product that was so high in demand?!?!

Back then, there were lots of RAM sellers and profit margins were crap. Many got out and so did Samsung.
 

Trasher

Member
Whelp. I ordered everything. Now the long wait...

Time to look for a mechanical keyboard!

Edit: Thanks again for everyone's input! Super excited for this stuff to arrive.
 
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