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[teiresias]

Does anyone have any experience with those USB soundcards? My old Xonar soundcard went bad and I'm thinking of just getting a Creative X-Fi 5.1 Pro USB but didn't know if anyone had used it.

I'm leaning USB because the headphones I use I move between the PC and my TV setup with the big sound system (for late night console gaming) and reaching the connection all the time is a pain (and the case audio connector picks up all kinds of noise).

 

[Zaph]

I'm using an NH-U12S after delidding and it's good up to 4.7. Go with the NH-U14S.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/noctua_nh_u12s_u14s_review,10.html
D14 is slightly better butt its up to you

From what I've seen in reviews, I think the D14 still performs better than the U14S. If you have the room. I would get the D14. The U14S does seem to come with a better fan though.
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/noctua_nh-u14s_review/5

Thanks guys, gone with the U14S (dual fans). Slight difference either way, so prefer the smaller size and greater motherboard clearance.

 

[PairOfFilthySocks]

Yeah, it's a PCI slot thing. Stick it in a slot you won't use. Unless your mobo has ESATA already then it's kinda pointless. I just cut the power cable off the one in my case since as was mentioned, any drive with eSATA will be in an external case with a power supply of its own.

Alright.

Also, I'm looking at the cables for the fans in my case, and each one has three parts:

I know the small part near the bottom is what plugs into the mobo, but the other two are power cables, right? I'm sure this will all make sense when I get my PSU, but does it come with enough cables for all this shit?

 

[kennah]

Alright.

Also, I'm looking at the cables for the fans in my case, and each one has three parts:



I know the small part near the bottom is what plugs into the mobo, but the other two are power cables, right? I'm sure this will all make sense when I get my PSU, but does it come with enough cables for all this shit?

You only need to plug in one!

Either the Mobo OR the other one. Starting from the END of the cable you have a

Molex Power (to power the fans) ------Molex Passthru (to power another device) ----- 3Pin Fan connector (to power and monitor fans). ONLY PLUG IN ONE

 

[PairOfFilthySocks]

You only need to plug in one!

Either the Mobo OR the other one. Starting from the END of the cable you have a

Molex Power (to power the fans) ------Molex Passthru (to power another device) ----- 3Pin Fan connector (to power and monitor fans). ONLY PLUG IN ONE

Aaaahhh, so it's going to be a sort of piggyback situation for all the fans?

 

[kidko]

Aaaahhh, so it's going to be a sort of piggyback situation for all the fans?

Fill up your mobo connections first as those will be controllable via software. The ones you plug in directly to the PSU will be aways-on full blast unless you get fan controller hardware or the fan itself has speed settings.

 

[kennah]

Almost there!

 

[decaf]

Hey all.

Just arrived back in the UK and I'm missing a mouse, speakers and perhaps a mousepad. Don't mind wired or wireless as far as the mouse goes, but would prefer it works on pretty much any sensible surface. Only interested in wireless if the battery lasts more than a few months. No idea on speakers at all. Would prefer two speakers and a sub, not interested in 5.1 with my current setup. Don't know if I need a mousepad, but I recall a thread a couple of weeks ago where everyone was recommending the same mousepad that lasts ages.

Anything I can get with Amazon Prime would be nice. Budget is about 100GBP for the lot, but ideally less.

Cheers!

 

[Windam]

Since I've upgraded to a 1080P monitor, my video card (GTX 460 Superclocked 768MB) has been having slight issues holding up. Would a 550-watt PSU be good enough for something like a 660 or a 760? I'm looking at this card currently. I'm not in any real rush to upgrade. Maybe within a few months? This is my PSU.

 

[Addnan]

Since I've upgraded to a 1080P monitor, my video card (GTX 460 Superclocked 768MB) has been having slight issues holding up. Would a 550-watt PSU be good enough for something like a 660 or a 760? I'm looking at this card currently. I'm not in any real rush to upgrade. Maybe within a few months? This is my PSU.

Yeah, that will be fine for the 760.

Hey all.

Just arrived back in the UK and I'm missing a mouse, speakers and perhaps a mousepad. Don't mind wired or wireless as far as the mouse goes, but would prefer it works on pretty much any sensible surface. Only interested in wireless if the battery lasts more than a few months. No idea on speakers at all. Would prefer two speakers and a sub, not interested in 5.1 with my current setup. Don't know if I need a mousepad, but I recall a thread a couple of weeks ago where everyone was recommending the same mousepad that lasts ages.

Anything I can get with Amazon Prime would be nice. Budget is about 100GBP for the lot, but ideally less.

Cheers!

Check OP for good mouses. If you game don't buy wireless. The Steelseries Sensei RAW is £32 at Amazon. As for speakers just get a Logitech pair since at that price range there really isn't anything special. Mouse mat not sure, the stuff in the OP isn't really available in the UK. I just use a cheap £5 thing I picked up.

 

[Windam]

Yeah, that will be fine for the 760.

Excellent, thanks! And since we're on the topic of video cards, I've a question on memory. Is 2GB enough, or should I go 3GB just in case? (After my next card purchase, I hope to not upgrade for a while, so the 3GB would be better, right?).

 

[Addnan]

Excellent, thanks! And since we're on the topic of video cards, I've a question on memory. Is 2GB enough, or should I go 3GB just in case? (After my next card purchase, I hope to not upgrade for a while, so the 3GB would be better, right?).

No way of knowing. Right now 2GB vs 3/4GB has very little difference. Maybe in the future, but no way of knowing until it happens. Go with the 760 over the 660. It is quite a bit better. 760 comes in 2/4GB, if the price difference isn't great then 4 wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

[Windam]

No way of knowing. Right now 2GB vs 3/4GB has very little difference. Maybe in the future, but no way of knowing until it happens. Go with the 760 over the 660. It is quite a bit better. 760 comes in 2/4GB, if the price difference isn't great then 4 wouldn't be a bad idea.

Ah, okay thanks. I'm planning on upgrading around Oct-Dec, so prices should hopefully go down by then. 760 it is! Thanks again.

Edit: Seems the 760 wants a minimum 500w PSU? Seems like that's cutting it a bit close, no?

 

[Addnan]

Ah, okay thanks. I'm planning on upgrading around Oct-Dec, so prices should hopefully go down by then. 760 it is! Thanks again.

Check back here before you buy, AMD will release new card, one might be at a pretty good price. Better than 760.

 

[Honey Bunny]

We can all help with that. What's your budget?

For CPU get the Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO. PSU, BP550 or Seasonic G series are all good.

I'm planning to run it by you guys anyway!

But my question now, as a first time builder, I don't know when I'll want to overclock my cpu, maybe in a years time once I'm comfortable with my system and want some more power - I'll just be happy if it runs - so would it be worth going for a Haswell i5 4670 over an Ivy Bridge i5 3570K like you told Haly to for his friend? They'll cost exactly the same for me with their respective motherboards (I think, this one I'm looking at for the Haswell part?)

Cooling is Coolermaster 212 EVO Hyper blah blah blah whatever.
PSU is Antec Earthwatts 650W, a part I already had lying around unopened so I saw no reason to buy a new one.

Thanks! Quite similar then. There's a 50w difference in PSU, I'm getting a different case but from the same manufacturer....and there's a 1" difference in monitor sizes lol, but that's all.

 

[PairOfFilthySocks]

Since I've upgraded to a 1080P monitor, my video card (GTX 460 Superclocked 768MB) has been having slight issues holding up. Would a 550-watt PSU be good enough for something like a 660 or a 760? I'm looking at this card currently. I'm not in any real rush to upgrade. Maybe within a few months? This is my PSU.

Hmmm, I'll soon be in the same boat as you for the time being. When you say "slight issues", are you talking lower-than-acceptable framerates or straight up hitches from the 768MB not holding up?

 

[Windam]

Hmmm, I'll soon be in the same boat as you for the time being. When you say "slight issues", are you talking lower-than-acceptable framerates or straight up hitches from the 768MB not holding up?

Yeah, lower framerates. I used to run WoW smoothly at 60fps with everything on Ultra at 1440x900, but now I'll get random fps drops and the game will run from between 20-30fps. Could be that I'm using old drivers, but the newest ones, both beta and WHQL have been bugged out the ass for me (they keep crashing).

 

[Addnan]

I'm planning to run it by you guys anyway!

But my question now, as a first time builder, I don't know when I'll want to overclock my cpu, maybe in a years time once I'm comfortable with my system and want some more power - I'll just be happy if it runs - so would it be worth going for a Haswell i5 4670 over an Ivy Bridge i5 3570K like you told Haly to for his friend? They'll cost exactly the same for me with their respective motherboards (I think, this one I'm looking at for the Haswell part?)

4670K or 4670? If 4670K sure go for it. The 3570K and the 4670K are very similar in performance, can't go wrong with either. The Asus motherboards seem good too. Are you going for an mATX build or just want a smaller motherboard? If not then just go for a normal ATX motherboard like the MSI G45 gaming.

 

[kharma45]

Since I've upgraded to a 1080P monitor, my video card (GTX 460 Superclocked 768MB) has been having slight issues holding up. Would a 550-watt PSU be good enough for something like a 660 or a 760? I'm looking at this card currently. I'm not in any real rush to upgrade. Maybe within a few months? This is my PSU.

You can get a 3GB 660 Ti for $200 http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=43_1200_557_559&item_id=059894

760 is $260 http://www.ncix.ca/products/?affili...-2GD REV2.0&manufacture=Gigabyte&promoid=1336

Ah, okay thanks. I'm planning on upgrading around Oct-Dec, so prices should hopefully go down by then. 760 it is! Thanks again.

Edit: Seems the 760 wants a minimum 500w PSU? Seems like that's cutting it a bit close, no?

You could power it on much less than that, it's just a very very cautious guideline.

 

[Lucius86]

Do we know an exact release date for AMD's next line of graphics cards in October?

 

[kharma45]

Do we know an exact release date for AMD's next line of graphics cards in October?

Nope. We'll find out September 25th all about them at their event.

 

[Baleoce]

I've been having a lot of trouble with nvidia drivers lately. I seem to be having consistent crashes of the driver during normal desktop usage. Any clues? I've tried going from normal to beta drivers. Doing complete wipe first of the driver. Can't shake it.

 

[Windam]

You can get a 3GB 660 Ti for $200 http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=43_1200_557_559&item_id=059894

760 is $260 http://www.ncix.ca/products/?affili...-2GD REV2.0&manufacture=Gigabyte&promoid=1336



You could power it on much less than that, it's just a very very cautious guideline.

Oh god why would you do this to me. I feel like grabbing the 660Ti and running with it at that price.

 

[Windam]

I've been having a lot of trouble with nvidia drivers lately. I seem to be having consistent crashes of the driver during normal desktop usage. Any clues? I've tried going from normal to beta drivers. Doing complete wipe first of the driver. Can't shake it.

Try rolling back to 314.22. I was on them for weeks and it was stable. Just upgraded to the latest beta drivers. Hope it's not as bad as the others were.

Edit: Double post, shit.

 

[Honey Bunny]

4670K or 4670? If 4670K sure go for it. The 3570K and the 4670K are very similar in performance, can't go wrong with either. The Asus motherboards seem good too. Are you going for an mATX build or just want a smaller motherboard? If not then just go for a normal ATX motherboard like the MSI G45 gaming.

No I was talking about the 4670..but the 4670k is only ~10 euros more than the 4670 and ~4 euros more than the 3570k. So which do you think I should go for, seeing as I probably won't overclock for a while?

Oops, just a normal motherboard not mATX, linked the wrong one. It's the ASUS Z87-C LGA 1150 Intel Z87 And if I went Ivy Bridge I was looking at the same one as Haly, the ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77

 

[Azulsky]

It is and it isn't, all depends on what you demand as acceptable performance. You're generally always better off with one good single card than going for a multi GPU set up imo.

Or, or you get 2 of the best single cards


See what I did there.


But yeah the stingier you are for framerates and visual goodies the more SLI makes sense.

I was playing even Crysis 3 using relatively high settings on the 470SLI before I upgraded, so you do get longevity out of them.

Except for Crytek companies are really churning out crippling engines every year.

Just be aware of the doubled power usage and make sure you have airflow to help the cards stay cool.

 

[TJ Bennett]

If you're happy to drive the 45 mins this will come in at almost bang on $800 (PCP is listing the wrong GPU price)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($57.80 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($153.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 3000 USB 3.0 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: LG IPS224V-PN 21.5" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Other: i5-3570K + ASUS P8Z77-V LK Socket LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Bundle ($302.38)
Total: $804.10
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-20 19:35 EDT-0400)

I'm heading to Micro Center tomorrow morning. I'm thinking of going a little bigger with the CPU and getting one of their i5-4670K bundles. Will there be any problems using the parts I've already ordered with any of the motherboards in the bundles?

http://www.microcenter.com/site/brands/intel-processor-bundles.aspx

 

[kennah]

I'm heading to Micro Center tomorrow morning. I'm thinking of going a little bigger with the CPU and getting one of their i5-4670K bundles. Will there be any problems using the parts I've already ordered with any of the motherboards in the bundles?

http://www.microcenter.com/site/brands/intel-processor-bundles.aspx

Get the Asus bundle. We're not happy with AsRock right now and that MSI board is pretty ehn. If you can, get the MSI G45 if they'll bundle it.

There shouldnt' be any problems with anything else swapping this in.

 

[Addnan]

No I was talking about the 4670..but the 4670k is only ~10 euros more than the 4670 and ~4 euros more than the 3570k. So which do you think I should go for, seeing as I probably won't overclock for a while?

Oops, just a normal motherboard not mATX, linked the wrong one. It's the ASUS Z87-C LGA 1150 Intel Z87 And if I went Ivy Bridge I was looking at the same one as Haly, the ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77

If you eventually will overclock then get a K processor. It doesn't matter if you go for 3570K or 4670K, pretty much the same. Apart from in emulation in which Haswell is better and overclocking where Ivy is better.

If you don't want to overclock then get a H87 motherboard and the 4670. No point wasting money on a Z87.

 

[Jeb]

So I finally tried to test out my rig but all it did was restart three times with nothing on the screen.
How bad is it?



If it means anything I connected it to my TV through the video card's HDMI on my first try.

 

[kennah]

In other news - I get a handmedown firstgen Xeon/i7 for my work computer next week! Gonna be a nice upgrade from the C2D E5500 I'm sporting right now (for cad and video work...)

 

[Jeb]

Answer me please, I need to know...

 

[kennah]

Answer me please, I need to know...

Reseat everything. Try a monitor. Try removing your video card and using onboard video. try resetting the bios.

 

[Addnan]

Did you use the motherboard stand-offs?

 

[Windam]

I've no idea if I should jump on that 3GB 660Ti for $199 right now, or wait for a few months. :/

 

[kennah]

I've no idea if I should jump on that 3GB 660Ti for $199 right now, or wait for a few months. :/

Wait. The 660TI is ehn. You'll find something much better for $200 in a couple months.

Or - go for mkenyon's 7970 that he's posting soon

 

[Jeb]

Reseat everything. Try a monitor. Try removing your video card and using onboard video. try resetting the bios.

Don't have a monitor, thought I would test it on my TV first then getting one after seeing how things work out.

Never gets to the BIOS, it just opens up, fans go on for a while, stops, restarts, stops, repeat.

 

[Jeb]

Did you use the motherboard stand-offs?

Can't remember what those are, remind me please.

 

[Addnan]

Can't remember what those are, remind me please.

These little things that go on your case to separate the motherboard and the case. Make sure you put them there and make sure all of them are aligned. No extra stand-offs making contact with the motherboard.

 

[Windam]

Wait. The 660TI is ehn. You'll find something much better for $200 in a couple months.

Or - go for mkenyon's 7970 that he's posting soon

Alrighty, as temped as I am, I'll wait. The 460 lives on.

 

[Baleoce]

Alrighty, as temped as I am, I'll wait. The 460 lives on.

I have a 460 as well xD Also thanks for the driver advice.

 

[Jeb]

These little things that go on your case to separate the motherboard and the case. Make sure you put them there and make sure all of them are aligned. No extra stand-offs making contact with the motherboard.

Yep,used them up.


Back when we were talking about my messy work with the thermal paste on the cpu, I wanted to know if those tiny smudges on the green part would do anything, my overuse of thermal paste took all the attention and I never got an answer, so now I took out the heat sink and I'm asking again, will the smudges on the green side do anything, because I don't know if they are the problem.

 

[mkenyon]

If the thermal paste is conductive, that could be causing a short, yes. That would also explain the boot loop.

 

[kennah]

Back when we were talking about my messy work with the thermal paste on the cpu, I wanted to know if those tiny smudges on the green part would do anything, my overuse of thermal paste took all the attention and I never got an answer, so now I took out the heat sink and I'm asking again, will the smudges on the green side do anything, because I don't know if they are the problem.

Not to be a jerk, but you were told by multiple people to clean all of it up and reapply with less.

holy shit.

cheapest one in Croatia is ~£350 at the moment...

whoa...did you manually spread the paste or did you made a drop, placed the cooler then removed the cooler? Either way, the amount of paste seems excessive.

Read the OP:

"Thermal Paste: Apply as a ~4mm ball to the CPU. Press the heatsink down and tighten. Line method is ok. Application matters way less than you think. If you take the heatsink off, clean it with alcohol and reapply or you will trap air."

http://www.innovationcooling.com/applicationinstructions.htm

Wow, were you trying to install a heatsink or ice a cake?

I'd clean that off (either a dedicated solution or 99% alcohol) and start again.

Clean that up best you can. Pea method is the easiest method. Pea sized in the middle and let the heatsink take care of the spreading.

I'd second the pea way.

 

[Anton668]

*saves picture so I can show ppl how NEVER to apply thermal paste*

 

[terrdactycalsrock]

are there any good 27 inch monitors in the 250 to 300 dollar price range?

 

[kennah]

are there any good 27 inch monitors in the 250 to 300 dollar price range?

Nothing amazing. 1080P looks weird at that size, and you're looking $400 for 1440P.

 

[terrdactycalsrock]

Nothing amazing. 1080P looks weird at that size, and you're looking $400 for 1440P.

Does it? I know screen resolution is more important than screen size. But I just kinda figured if its 1080 and 27 inches then its the best of both worlds. What would be the perfect screen size for a 1080p monitor?

 

[kharma45]

Does it? I know screen resolution is more important than screen size. But I just kinda figured if its 1080 and 27 inches then its the best of both worlds. What would be the perfect screen size for a 1080p monitor?

22-24"

 

[kennah]

Does it? I know screen resolution is more important than screen size. But I just kinda figured if its 1080 and 27 inches then its the best of both worlds. What would be the perfect screen size for a 1080p monitor?

22-24"

You can get a really solid 120Hz monitor in that size for that price. Probably a better bet I'd say.