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[Hazaro]

I'd just like to warn everyone in here that MSI are scam artists when it comes to rebates.

Here's a few links that echo what I'm currently dealing with:
http://msi.dinofly.com/
http://www.thebuzzmedia.com/msi-scams-buyers-on-rebates/
http://consumerist.com/2010/03/22/dont-count-on-that-rebate-from-msi/

Here's a log of my experience.

I always take a photo of my rebates filled out with UPC taped and paperclipped and include it. Never had a problem for my ~15 I've sent in.

Doubt this is exclusive to MSI, the rebate companies just will try and screw over anyone they can. FWIW most things I've sent in have been with 4MYREBATE.

Are they considered better or just as good for airflow? It would seem at first glance that being smaller like that might mean it gets hotter in there quicker, but what the heck do I know. Sorry for the dumb questions. All of this is just new to me haha.

It's just a lot smaller, which I find nice. Being able to fit all of that in there now is neat and thermals aren't a real big deal anymore, plus you can have a water cooler in there to boot.

 

[Gueras]

Guys i need help
I have a HD 7970 3gb

think for next-gen(next 3-4 years)
should I buy another hd 7970 and make a cross fire?
or wait next year for new generation video cards?

 

[kennah]

Are they considered better or just as good for airflow? It would seem at first glance that being smaller like that might mean it gets hotter in there quicker, but what the heck do I know. Sorry for the dumb questions. All of this is just new to me haha.

As Haz said. Heat is less an issue than it has been in the past as cases are more intelligently designed now and the last few generations of gear have focused on efficiency rather than raw power. Power consumption (and thus heat generation) has gone DOWN, not up. That's why only a 550W PSU is recommended instead of us needing 750, 1k and above.

 

[Addnan]

Guys i need help
I have a HD 7970 3gb

think for next-gen(next 3-4 years)
should I buy another hd 7970 and make a cross fire?
or wait next year for new generation video cards?

Wait until the 7970 is not enough. No point preemptively upgrading.

 

[garath]

Why can't you just log into Tigerdirect, check the order details, that should be the invoice, and then, send or fax that?

^^ this.

The packing slip isn't an invoice. It's not going to have all the same info (like proof of payment for example).

Just log into Tigerdirect and print out the invoice. They've said it to you twice.

I've purchased a ton of things from newegg and Amazon with rebates. They don't usually send the invoice with the package. You log into your account, look at order history and print the invoice from there. I have never been declined a rebate.

 

[Azulsky]

Guys i need help
I have a HD 7970 3gb

think for next-gen(next 3-4 years)
should I buy another hd 7970 and make a cross fire?
or wait next year for new generation video cards?

If you want to stay with AMD then the new gen is only 5 weeks away

 

[DiabolicalBagel]

680 for £216 excl. delivery, Jesus fucking Christ

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-156-MS

Still, 670 at £175 is better vfm.

OCUK also currently have the 670 Power Edition at £162. Which is just insane.
Isn't the performance difference between the 680 OC and 670 PE almost negligible?
At 33% less than the already great 680 deal, I think I might pick up a few to replace my not so trusty 460.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

Why can't you just log into Tigerdirect, check the order details, that should be the invoice, and then, send or fax that?

Ok I did that. We'll see what happens.

^^ this.

The packing slip isn't an invoice. It's not going to have all the same info (like proof of payment for example).

Just log into Tigerdirect and print out the invoice. They've said it to you twice.

I've purchased a ton of things from newegg and Amazon with rebates. They don't usually send the invoice with the package. You log into your account, look at order history and print the invoice from there. I have never been declined a rebate.

I must be out of the loop or something; I just thought a receipt was a receipt. I've never done a rebate before. Had no idea it mattered so much.

I always take a photo of my rebates filled out with UPC taped and paperclipped and include it. Never had a problem for my ~15 I've sent in.

Doubt this is exclusive to MSI, the rebate companies just will try and screw over anyone they can. FWIW most things I've sent in have been with 4MYREBATE.

Geez. I guess the lesson is don't really take rebates into consideration when buying products. Though thankfully I didn't just buy this card because it had a decent rebate.

 

[imotep]

Hey guys, I have a bit of a nagging problem that hopefully y'all can help me with. First my build:

I7 4770k
MSI Z87-G45
120 GB Samsung 840 pro
1TB Western Digital black
XFX 3GB 7970
16GB Corsair vengeance pro
Corsair AX860I

PC has worked fine for about a month, starting yesterday whenever I run a game for about 5-10 minutes the computer automatically shuts off and then tries to restart but fails. I have run both memtest and prime 95 and both came back perfectly fine. As far as temperatures go neither the CPU or GPU get about 60 degree's. I can surf the internet and watch videos indefinitely without an issue.

Anyone have any thoughts or pointers?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hazaro]

Ok I did that. We'll see what happens.

I must be out of the loop or something; I just thought a receipt was a receipt. I've never done a rebate before. Had no idea it mattered so much.

Geez. I guess the lesson is don't really take rebates into consideration when buying products. Though thankfully I didn't just buy this card because it had a decent rebate.

Well if you did send in the packing slip, then it was your fault though

Hey guys, I have a bit of a nagging problem that hopefully y'all can help me with. First my build:

I7 4770k
MSI Z87-G45
120 GB Samsung 840 pro
1TB Western Digital black
XFX 3GB 7970
16GB Corsair vengeance pro
Corsair AX860I

PC has worked fine for about a month, starting yesterday whenever I run a game for about 5-10 minutes the computer automatically shuts off and then tries to restart but fails. I have run both memtest and prime 95 and both came back perfectly fine. As far as temperatures go neither the CPU or GPU get about 60 degree's. I can surf the internet and watch videos indefinitely without an issue.

Anyone have any thoughts or pointers?

Thanks in advance.

Reseat your GPU and unplug/replug all your power connectors (PSU side and part side)
Update or rollback your drivers, see if it happens still

If you do a GPU loading program like MSI Kombustor / FURMARK does it also shutdown?
If you reduce your clockspeed on GPU by 20% (Core and Mem) does it shutdown?

Sounds like GPU / Mobo problem.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

Well if you did send in the packing slip, then it was your fault though

Yes and no. If you aren't used to mail-in rebates, that is extremely confusing. At the bare minimum, I would hope that it would be clear from the start that the receipt you get with your package isn't really an invoice. Why wouldn't they just put my invoice in there?

 

[Hazaro]

Yes and no. If you aren't used to mail-in rebates, that is extremely confusing. At the bare minimum, I would hope that it would be clear from the start that the receipt you get with your package isn't really an invoice. Why wouldn't they just put my invoice in there?

The real lesson is to never buy from TigerDirect

 

[PairOfFilthySocks]

The Antec BP550 is proving bothersome to track down for me. What's a similar quality PSU that could power an overclocked i5/GTX460?

 

[kennah]

The Antec BP550 is proving bothersome to track down for me. What's a similar quality PSU that could power an overclocked i5/GTX460?

What's your budget?

 

[kharma45]

The Antec BP550 is proving bothersome to track down for me. What's a similar quality PSU that could power an overclocked i5/GTX460?

You're UK based aren't you? What are you prepared to spend?

 

[Hazaro]

The Antec BP550 is proving bothersome to track down for me. What's a similar quality PSU that could power an overclocked i5/GTX460?

Where are you?
It's in stock on Amazon.

Other alternatives: Seasonic G Series / Seasonic M Series / XFX Modular

 

[Head of Vengarl]

The real lesson is to never buy from TigerDirect

This is true.

 

[CreepingFear]

Question for Twitch users that use OBS. If you have experience with downscaling(I'm going to downscale to 720p/60fps)what filter do you use? I'm thinking about using the Lanczos filter but I wanted to know if that is too resource intensive. My specs are core i7 2600k oced to 4.4ghz, gtx 670 2GB, and 16gb of ram.

 

[Addnan]

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w...onze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v23- this should be plenty

Am I going crazy or have PSU prices gone up. I bought a damn Seasonic X-750 for like £90 in January.

 

[kharma45]

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w...onze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v23- this should be plenty

Am I going crazy or have PSU prices gone up. I bought a damn Seasonic X-750 for like £90 in January.

We've always had shit PSU prices.

 

[maneil99]

Can you control the Noctua D14's fans?

 

[PairOfFilthySocks]

Where are you?
It's in stock on Amazon.

Other alternatives: Seasonic G Series / Seasonic M Series / XFX Modular

It's sold through a third party, which doesn't get me free delivery.

re:budget, basically roughly the same as the BP550(~£50-£60), preferably less. I'm not looking for anything fancy(don't need any modular stuff), I just want something reliable to power an OC i5 and GTX460

 

[kharma45]

It's sold through a third party, which doesn't get me free delivery.

re:budget, basically roughly the same as the BP550(~£50-£60), preferably less. I'm not looking for anything fancy(don't need any modular stuff), I just want something reliable to power an OC i5 and GTX460

If you don't need modular http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-55...4_1377118836_a1e9143852f57cf906574d15994c42da

 

[Hazaro]

Question for Twitch users that use OBS. If you have experience with downscaling(I'm going to downscale to 720p/60fps)what filter do you use? I'm thinking about using the Lanczos filter but I wanted to know if that is too resource intensive. My specs are core i7 2600k oced to 4.4ghz, gtx 670 2GB, and 16gb of ram.

That was my exact setup a month ago.
I just ran Bilinear. Never bothered to compare since it works (I didn't notice any performance hit) and looks great. Obviously you have to balance your CPU load and quality based on your game and how much bitrate you want to use, so it's not set in stone. If you are on very fast for example and have some cycles to spare (Try to keep under 80% CPU load) then go for a different Downscale filter.

I should test these myself as well.

 

[Addnan]

We've always had shit PSU prices.

750W SilverStone SST-ST75ZF Black S 1 £69.84

No idea if that is a good PSU or not, but that was in 2008! Seems like a pretty good deal. found it in my email lol. We had decent prices once. I didn't know much then . 750W PSU with that lol.

and just for the heck of it. This is what I ordered

750W SilverStone SST-ST75ZF Black S 1 £69.84
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2, DDR 1 £44.64
Intel Core 2 Duo, E8400, Wolfdale C 1 £97.89
500 GB Maxtor STM3500320AS DiamondM 1 £36.49
Antec Three Hundred Case w/o PSU 1 £34.90
MSI P45 Neo3-FR, iP45, S 775, PCI-E 1 £69.99
512MB XFX 9600GT, Alpha Dog XXX, PC 1 £79.36

still have, minus the gpu

 

[PairOfFilthySocks]

If you don't need modular http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-55...4_1377118836_a1e9143852f57cf906574d15994c42da

That's the same as this, right?

So this will absolutely positively power the i5/gtx460?

 

[kharma45]

That's the same as this, right?

So this will absolutely positively power the i5/gtx460?

It is but Amazon appear to be short on stock going by their dispatch time.

And yes it'll easily power that.

 

[Zaph]

All you're missing is a piece of wood . Still you should probably go with a steel hammer for this as a rubber one will make it a lot harder for you.

About the IHS: Don't glue it back on, the retention from the socket bracket is more than enough to hold the cpu + IHS in place. Lapping is often a waste of time unless you're not getting proper contact between IHS and the cooler.

Cheers, I already have a steel hammer, so that saves some money. All jokes aside though, does it matter what type of wood block I use? I've got some MDF in the garden, but should I find something softer?

 

[PairOfFilthySocks]

It is but Amazon appear to be short on stock going by their dispatch time.

And yes it'll easily power that.

Sound.

So finally, a monitor. Should I just go by the OP? The 24" Asus VS229H is pretty much the ceiling for my budget. Is there any options at the same/less price that offer decent quality without any of those "features" TVs and monitors tend to come with.

Edit: Has anyone ever had bad experiences getting a used monitor off Amazon.co.uk? I'm looking at a used Asus 24" for £20 less, the description is:
Condition: Used - Good

The item may come repackaged. Front of the housing has minor cosmetic imperfection. TV stand has minor cosmetic imperfections. All purchases eligible for Amazon customer service and a 30-day return policy.

I honestly couldn't be arsed about scratches on the monitor as long as the screen is fine. What say you, GAF?

Edit 2: Actually, fuck it, you really think I could get away with, say, this PSU? I might as well if I can.

 

[Mad Max]

Cheers, I already have a steel hammer, so that saves some money. All jokes aside though, does it matter what type of wood block I use? I've got some MDF in the garden, but should I find something softer?

Not sure about MDF as I used a piece of pine myself. Also you need to use the 'side' of a piece, not the top or bottom where it was cut off, because if you do the IHS will dig into the wood.

 

[kharma45]

Sound.

So finally, a monitor. Should I just go by the OP? The 24" Asus VS229H is pretty much the ceiling for my budget. Is there any options at the same/less price that offer decent quality without any of those "features" TVs and monitors tend to come with.

Edit: Has anyone ever had bad experiences getting a used monitor off Amazon.co.uk? I'm looking at a used Asus 24" for £20 less, the description is:
Condition: Used - Good

The item may come repackaged. Front of the housing has minor cosmetic imperfection. TV stand has minor cosmetic imperfections. All purchases eligible for Amazon customer service and a 30-day return policy.

I honestly couldn't be arsed about scratches on the monitor as long as the screen is fine. What say you, GAF?

LG do good budget ones, any of these first four would be good.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...s=aps&field-keywords=lg+ips&rh=i:aps,k:lg+ips

 

[CreepingFear]

That was my exact setup a month ago.
I just ran Bilinear. Never bothered to compare since it works (I didn't notice any performance hit) and looks great. Obviously you have to balance your CPU load and quality based on your game and how much bitrate you want to use, so it's not set in stone. If you are on very fast for example and have some cycles to spare (Try to keep under 80% CPU load) then go for a different Downscale filter.

I should test these myself as well.

I'm generally using the official twitch guide to streaming with obs, the obs help file, and the obs website estimator to determine my settings. I'm using 3500 bit rate since that's the highest Twitch recommends and I've read that it's discouraged to go higher than that, especially with non-partners like myself. I've streamed once, but that was when my channel was set to private. I'm fairly happy with the results. I do need to get some other equipment like a mic, a new headset and son on. What's your Twitch channel if I can ask? I'll follow you. I'm @ http://www.twitch.tv/costanzathemage

 

[Jeb]

Damn, wiring is hard.
Any good tutorials?

 

[Addnan]

Damn, wiring is hard.
Any good tutorials?

Which part? Just hiding the cables? Just route it all through the back and it will be good enough.

 

[Jeb]

Which part? Just hiding the cables? Just route it all through the back and it will be good enough.

Nope, finding where all the wires should go.
The videos I found were terrible, they showed little example of the wires and just said I'll put this doohikey in this thingamabob, but most of em were hard to see both the wires and their placement.

 

[Addnan]

Nope, finding where all the wires should go.
The videos I found were terrible, they showed little example of the wires and just said I'll put this doohikey in this thingamabob, but most of em were hard to see both the wires and their placement.

Just under 12mins into this video they show where to plug the power cables into. http://vimeo.com/5685229

The front panel stuff is also explained in that video.

This seems pretty good too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxB-vH5aGdQ Just skip until you get to PSU installation.

 

[Jeb]

I'm pretty exhausted, Ill finish this tomorrow.

 

[Crimsonclaw111]

Anywhere in particular I should be looking around for Labor Day deals on components? The only pieces I have are RAM, a hard drive, and case.

Here is what I plan to build for reference:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1qDep

 

[Azulsky]

Preamble: I have 2 Video Cards and 2 Monitors


Okay so now that I have 700 series video cards and possibly due to the new 326.80 drivers I am confused with setting up options.

You now must have both monitors fed from the same card if you wish to have both running during SLI? 470 SLI didnt care about this.

You can use "Activate All Displays" which disables SLI? (The nomenclature is 2D Surround)

Or you can Disable SLI?

What is the difference between the last 2?

 

[Troblin]

Looking at two cases:

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Upgraded USB 3.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

or

Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Titanium Grey Silent ATX Mid Tower Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352023

Both available for ~$70 after rebates/coupons and such. Which is better, or an alternative to both?

 

[kharma45]

Anywhere in particular I should be looking around for Labor Day deals on components? The only pieces I have are RAM, a hard drive, and case.

Here is what I plan to build for reference:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1qDep

You don't need thermal paste, your cooler comes with some. I've changed your build about a bit for you to save $30, take a looksies

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($123.97 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Core 3000 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $929.13
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-21 19:02 EDT-0400)

Upgraded the case for you in it, the Core 3000 is a much nicer unit. Better quality mobo, cheaper RAM, cheaper cooler, cheaper SSD but all still top notch stuff.

Edit - Oh damn, forgot you said you already bought the RAM and the case. Still, rest of the advice applies.

Looking at two cases:

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Upgraded USB 3.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

or

Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Titanium Grey Silent ATX Mid Tower Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352023

Both available for ~$70 after rebates/coupons and such. Which is better, or an alternative to both?

Go for the R4.

 

[Lanbeast]

Decided to make a trip down to Microcenter because Newegg got me my shit really quickly. herewego.gif

 

[Crimsonclaw111]

You don't need thermal paste, your cooler comes with some. I've changed your build about a bit for you to save $30, take a looksies

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($123.97 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Core 3000 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $929.13
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-21 19:02 EDT-0400)

Upgraded the case for you in it, the Core 3000 is a much nicer unit. Better quality mobo, cheaper RAM, cheaper cooler, cheaper SSD but all still top notch stuff.

Edit - Oh damn, forgot you said you already bought the RAM and the case. Still, rest of the advice applies.



Go for the R4.

Thank you much. Unfortunately my aid money doesn't come through until Monday-ish, so if the deals are gone or w/e I'll wait for Labor Day sales.

 

[WonkyPanda]

So, how much should current purchasers worry about hUMA? Some say the small memory pool, on a card like the 760, is already a hamper on next gen. However, a 760 has more raw horsepower than either the X1 or PS4. I guess I'm just curious about the longevity.

 

[kharma45]

So, how much should current purchasers worry about hUMA? Some say the small memory pool, on a card like the 760, is already a hamper on next gen. However, a 760 has more raw horsepower than either the X1 or PS4. I guess I'm just curious about the longevity.

We won't know until it happens to be frank, we can only do the best with what we have at present. I'd not have any worries though about the longevity of the machines people are putting together here.

 

[nick nacc]

Decided to make a trip down to Microcenter because Newegg got me my shit really quickly. herewego.gif

why are you going to microcenter? do they help you put stuff together for free?

 

[kharma45]

why are you going to microcenter? do they help you put stuff together for free?

They do cheap CPU + motherboard bundles.

 

[News Bot]

Are there any fast HDD's that can handle recording uncompressed 720p video? Not essential, but would be nice. Apart from that, any just generally good HDD's?

 

[Azulsky]

So, how much should current purchasers worry about hUMA? Some say the small memory pool, on a card like the 760, is already a hamper on next gen. However, a 760 has more raw horsepower than either the X1 or PS4. I guess I'm just curious about the longevity.

Thats not going to be relevent for a few more years at least.

Game engines take longer to develop.

Process Shrinks are basically hitting the silicon barrier, also lithography is stalling out in general unless the quad exposure stuff magically appears.

Generally speaking many game performance improvements will be coming from multicore optimization which is kicking in now due to the development lag on game engines.

3D never got big and there is no big feature like tessellation happening right now. I would say the biggest deal for the enthusiast end is 120hz but that hasn't even trickled down past TN panels yet for mainstream use.


I don't really think 2GB is a small memory pool.


By the time hUMA is relevant we will probably be socketless and DIMM-less.


To be a snide ass most of that stuff has been foretold by AMD and they have fallen short on a few things in the last 5 years.

 

[tosu]

I currently have an i5 3330, 8gb ram and r6770 2gb ddr3. I'm looking into upgrading my gpu to a r7850 or gtx 650 ti boost sc 2 gb ddr5. I'm trying to stay around $175 for the gpu because I'll have to upgrade my psu as well. The antec vp450 from the op looks like it may work for my system. However, the antec bp550 plus and xfx 550 core are tempting in case I want to upgrade the gpu again later.

I would like to play games (such as batman arkham origins, battlefield 3, bioshock infinite) at medium to high settings. I have two concerns before I upgrade. First, do I need to worry about the i5 bottlenecking the gpu? Second, will the antec vp450 be sufficient for the system or should I get one of the larger power supplies?

Thanks.