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

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Hi guys, apologies in advance if this is in the wrong format.

Basically I'm looking to move from console to PC for the next generation and I was wondering if it was a better idea to wait until later in the year to try and get a build together - do you think there will be a significant price drop / new tech available come xbone/ps4 release?

I've started trying to put a build together on Overclockers but i'm woefully ill-equipped in knowledge, even when following the excellent guid you've put together.

I instead have found a prebuilt package on the site for around the price i'm looking to spend (£500-600)

Can you let me know if this is any good / futureproof?

System Specification
- Case: BitFenix Outlaw Tower Case - Black
- Power Supply: Corsair CX 430w PSU
- CPU: AMD A10-6800K Richland 4.1GHz Quad Core APU
- Motherboard: Asrock FM2A55M-DGS AMD A55 (Socket FM2) DDR3 Motherboard
- Cooler: AMD CPU Cooler
- RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz C9 DDR3 Dual Channel Kit
- Hard Drive: Toshiba 60GB Solid State Drive + Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 !TB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache HDD
- Graphics Card: Integrated AMD HD 8670D Graphics + HD 6670 2048MB Graphics Card In Dual Graphics (Crossfire) Configuration
- Sound: 5.1 HD Audio
- Optical Drive: OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter - Black
- Network: Asus USB-N10 WiFi 150Mbps Pen

Cheers

This is very bad, you should look into building one yourself. There are tons of Youtube guides on how to build one. My advice anyways is to wait for this Christmas or preferably wait for the cards coming next year. I could list you some builds you could use or just find the parts yourself by using the OP.
 

Acosta

Member
CPU: OCCT test with no problems... can I discard a PSU problem? The voltages readings are all ok.

Going now for the GPU: Test. If it´s a heat problem, this will uncover it, I hope.
 
Consider building yourself, for that sort of dosh you're talking a PC like this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£166.79 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.49 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD55 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£93.62 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£52.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£50.14 @ Ebuyer)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card (£128.21 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£47.98 @ Dabs)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£52.98 @ Aria PC)
Total: £617.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-26 15:06 BST+0100)

Top end of your budget but hugely better. If you want I can do a few other options to take it within budget.



It's hybrid Crossfire with the APU, it works.
He probably wont need a CPU cooler since he is just getting into PC gaming. So that money could be used to get a better GPU and also, 1866Mhz memory isn't worth it.
 
Thanks so much for your feedback guys. I'm going to hold off for a few months (money issues permitting!) but looking to start getting it together around october.

As you can tell i'm completely ignorant when it comes to PC building so I'm going to take out some time after work and fully read through everything.

Consider building yourself, for that sort of dosh you're talking a PC like this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£166.79 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.49 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD55 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£93.62 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£52.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£50.14 @ Ebuyer)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card (£128.21 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£47.98 @ Dabs)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£52.98 @ Aria PC)
Total: £617.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-26 15:06 BST+0100)

Top end of your budget but hugely better. If you want I can do a few other options to take it within budget.



It's hybrid Crossfire with the APU, it works.

Looks brilliant to me, thank you. I know it's impossible to judge as yet but I think I just want a build that will be slightly better / future proofed against this coming generation. I presume what I'm looking at is as good as?

EDIT: just read some more responses - looks like holding out for jan sales would be a good idea. I'm definitely happy building it myself as a side project so the prospect of manually putting pieces together is one i'm fine with.
 

Addnan

Member
Thanks so much for your feedback guys. I'm going to hold off for a few months (money issues permitting!) but looking to start getting it together around october.

As you can tell i'm completely ignorant when it comes to PC building so I'm going to take out some time after work and fully read through everything.



Looks brilliant to me, thank you. I know it's impossible to judge as yet but I think I just want a build that will be slightly better / future proofed against this coming generation. I presume what I'm looking at is as good as?

EDIT: just read some more responses - looks like holding out for jan sales would be a good idea. I'm definitely happy building it myself as a side project so the prospect of manually putting pieces together is one i'm fine with.
There really is no such thing as a sale on PC parts. You might get lucky one day and Amazon or someone drops the price for a day to get rid of stock but that's about it.

Overall that PC is great, the graphics card will hold you back a little, but it's a whole lot better than the other one,
 

kharma45

Member
He probably wont need a CPU cooler since he is just getting into PC gaming. So that money could be used to get a better GPU and also, 1866Mhz memory isn't worth it.

Being new to it is the perfect time to get a good cooler, do it right and OC from the start. As for the RAM it is the same price as 1600 stuff.
 
There really is no such thing as a sale on PC parts. You might get lucky one day and Amazon or someone drops the price for a day to get rid of stock but that's about it.

Overall that PC is great, the graphics card will hold you back a little, but it's a whole lot better than the other one,

So if I wanted to bump up the graphics card to something a tad beefier what would recommend for this build?

something like the EVGA
GTX 670 FTW


I might be able to stretch to £650/700 if it means i'll be less likely to need an upgrade in the forseeable.
 

kharma45

Member
So if I wanted to bump up the graphics card to something a tad beefier what would recommend for this build?

something like the EVGA
GTX 670 FTW


I might be able to stretch to £650/700 if it means i'll be less likely to need an upgrade in the forseeable.

the new 760 for £200 is a quality buy right now. 7950 is around the same money on Amazon.

SSD is a must imo if you're going to spend big. You can get one for around £75.
 
So if I wanted to bump up the graphics card to something a tad beefier what would recommend for this build?

something like the EVGA
GTX 670 FTW


I might be able to stretch to £650/700 if it means i'll be less likely to need an upgrade in the forseeable.

Get that 7950 from amazon. OC and you will be good.
There really is no such thing as a sale on PC parts. You might get lucky one day and Amazon or someone drops the price for a day to get rid of stock but that's about it.

Overall that PC is great, the graphics card will hold you back a little, but it's a whole lot better than the other one,

There are PC part sales at Christmas time or Cyber Monday.
 
Alright brilliant thanks. About the SSD, would anyone be so kind as to edit the initial build with the 7950 and a good SSD?

I've only heard good things about having an SSD so certainly keen to get one involved.

Final question of the day (I promise!): What are the fundamental differences between AMD and Nvidia? Is it a matter of personal preference or do some games run better / differently on the set ups?
 

kennah

Member
Alright brilliant thanks. About the SSD, would anyone be so kind as to edit the initial build with the 7950 and a good SSD?

I've only heard good things about having an SSD so certainly keen to get one involved.

Final question of the day (I promise!): What are the fundamental differences between AMD and Nvidia? Is it a matter of personal preference or do some games run better / differently on the set ups?

NVIDIA has PhysX (special effects in some games), better 3D glasses support and better multicard support.

AMD is cheaper, overclocks better, includes a shitload of games and is better for bitcoin mining and some video production programs.
 

Simousse

Neo Member
Thank you Kennah and Infinite Justice for your help. I think I'm gonna keep my old desktop case and hard drive for now so I can buy a SSD.
 

mkenyon

Banned
Hilarious typo that showed up in my inbox:

TDOtxJn.png

Check out the subject line. Pretty funny considering the 670 is more powerful with lower power draw. :p
 

Acosta

Member
Graphical test without problems... if the GPU roaring at maximum for an hour doesn't bring it down I doubt it´s a PSU or GPU problem...

Dunno, I'll do nothing, I had planned to start The Witcher 2, so I will play on it and check if there are no more reboots. At this moment I don't feel I have enough proof of something malfunctioning.
 
Considering how crazy expensive SSDs are once you start going up in the gigs, would it be a better idea to have a regular big hard drive(1TB) along with a 64GB SSD that you would install whatever you were playing at the time?
 

Osiris

I permanently banned my 6 year old daughter from using the PS4 for mistakenly sending grief reports as it's too hard to watch or talk to her
http://www.razerzone.com/surround?s...n=RzrSurround&utm_medium=edm_EN#product_specs

Razer software surround is free or you can donate a token sum to charity

Ok I nearly skipped on this because the demo on the webpage is a bit "Meh" - a bit of bass boost and EQ but nothing special.

Figured what the hell why not 5 mins ago and installed anyway to try it out.

Holy Shit!

Once calibrated even with my pretty average ear pieces (AKG K311's) this is phenomenal! - a million miles apart from the webpage simulation.

Very impressed, virtual surround in stereo that actually works.
 

RSTEIN

Comics, serious business!
Ok I nearly skipped on this because the demo on the webpage is a bit "Meh" - a bit of bass boost and EQ but nothing special.

Figured what the hell why not 5 mins ago and installed anyway to try it out.

Holy Shit!

Once calibrated even with my pretty average ear pieces (AKG K311's) this is phenomenal! - a million miles apart from the webpage simulation.

Very impressed, virtual surround in stereo that actually works.

Very very differen

Yeah, I gave it a whirl briefly this morning on BF3. Pretty good.
 

Simousse

Neo Member
Oh, quick questions. Should I buy:

RAM
- Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) 1600 MHz for $60
- G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1866 MHz for $63 (Does it makes a real difference?)

GPU
- GIGABYTE GTX 760 2GB for $260
- SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB for $250 (Looks too good to be true actually, so I was wondering...)
 

Addnan

Member
Oh, quick questions. Should I buy:

RAM
- Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) 1600 MHz for $60
- G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1866 MHz for $63 (Does it makes a real difference?)

GPU
- GIGABYTE GTX 760 2GB for $260
- SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB for $250 (Looks too good to be true actually, so I was wondering...)
Are they both low profile RAM? Shouldn't matter which you go, just go for low profile to make sure their are no issues with heatsinks.

Where is the 7950 for $250, that seems like a great deal. Edit: Ah, at Newegg after rebate. I think I would go for that.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
So if I'm thinking of building a computer with an HD 7870, should I take a look at the GTX760? How's the price/performance difference there? Do we even have prices yet?

Edit: And is Haswell really worth it?
 

brentech

Member

kharma45

Member
Oh, quick questions. Should I buy:

RAM
- Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) 1600 MHz for $60
- G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1866 MHz for $63 (Does it makes a real difference?)

GPU
- GIGABYTE GTX 760 2GB for $260
- SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB for $250 (Looks too good to be true actually, so I was wondering...)

I'd go for the Ares for the sake of $3, plus I know it's low profile. Is that Corasir stuff the stuff with stupid heatsinks?

GPU wise... if you want the 4 free games I'd go 7950. 760 is a very good card though too.

So if I'm thinking of building a computer with an HD 7870, should I take a look at the GTX760? How's the price/performance difference there? Do we even have prices yet?

Edit: And is Haswell really worth it?

Haswell isn't no unless you're doing PS2/Wii emulation. GPU wise I'd take the 760 over the 7870 every day of the week unless the Never Settle Reloaded bundle swings it for you.
 

Addnan

Member
So whats better the 760 or the 7950. Just looking at Anandtech review and the benchmarks are pretty close for both. Lots of games like Crysis 3, Bioshock, Far Cry 3 all seem to perform better on 760 over 7950. All 3 are supposed to be never settle games...
 

tarheel91

Member
Considering how crazy expensive SSDs are once you start going up in the gigs, would it be a better idea to have a regular big hard drive(1TB) along with a 64GB SSD that you would install whatever you were playing at the time?

I did that, but I basically only have the OS on there. Godly start up + shut down times and the 7200RPM hard drive loads games pretty fast. I figured I'd wait until 256GB SSDs become more affordable and throw it in.
 

kharma45

Member
So whats better the 760 or the 7950. Just looking at Anandtech review and the benchmarks are pretty close for both. Lots of games like Crysis 3, Bioshock, Far Cry 3 all seem to perform better on 760 over 7950. All 3 are supposed to be never settle games...

TechPowerUp rank them like so at 1080p


Whilst the 7950 overclocks like a beast the 760 does too

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7103/nvidia-geforce-gtx-760-review/17

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GeForce_GTX_760_TF_Gaming/30.html

You'll not go wrong with either, I would side with the 7950 still just about (price depending) for the Never Settle Bundle and the extra VRAM.
 

Coldsnap

Member
Neogaf I am in a pickle. I bough an SSD and was going to attempt to do a fresh install of windows 8. The problem is I have purchased an upgrade product key for Windows 7 and an upgrade product key for windows 8. BUT I have no product key for Windows XP or installer. This was something thats like back from 2007 and I have no clue where my Windows XP originally came from. So my question is if I find a Windows 7 installer from some shady parts of the internet, will my windows 7 upgrade product key work to install the OS? Then I can run the Windows 8 upgrade from there. Or will I have to re-purchase windows XP or 7.
 

yatesl

Member
Hey guys.

My system is fully set up, and had no BSoDs after last night. Everyone talks about overclocking, and how easy it is. Any advice, or what tools to use? As a recap, here are my specs:

Windows 8 Pro 64-bit
Intel Core i5 4670K @ 3.40GHz
8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 798MHz (9-9-9-24)
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. Z87X-D3H-CF (SOCKET 0)
2048MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 (Gigabyte)
750w Bronze PSU
 

Addnan

Member
Hey guys.

My system is fully set up, and had no BSoDs after last night. Everyone talks about overclocking, and how easy it is. Any advice, or what tools to use? As a recap, here are my specs:

Windows 8 Pro 64-bit
Intel Core i5 4670K @ 3.40GHz
8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 798MHz (9-9-9-24)
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. Z87X-D3H-CF (SOCKET 0)
2048MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 (Gigabyte)
750w Bronze PSU

Check the OP, there should be a link to overclocking CTRL+F. Think it might be one for Ivy/Sandy, but overclocking is still the same.
 

kennah

Member
Check the OP, there should be a link to overclocking CTRL+F. Think it might be one for Ivy/Sandy, but overclocking is still the same.

Haswell is different and trickier! There is a ridiculous heat wall that makes it take more finesse to over clock. You can't just pump more volts into it because the chips run super hot. I don't know if there is a catch all Haswell guide yet. Anyone else know of one?
 

Addnan

Member
Haswell is different and trickier! There is a ridiculous heat wall that makes it take more finesse to over clock. You can't just pump more volts into it because the chips run super hot. I don't know if there is a catch all Haswell guide yet. Anyone else know of one?
Good point, the general way of overclocking is still the same though. Just might need to keep an eye on temps a little more.
 

scoobs

Member
Is there anywhere i can compare gtx470 SLI vs 1 new card? I have no clue if upgrading to a certain card is even an upgrade...
 

kharma45

Member
Neogaf I am in a pickle. I bough an SSD and was going to attempt to do a fresh install of windows 8. The problem is I have purchased an upgrade product key for Windows 7 and an upgrade product key for windows 8. BUT I have no product key for Windows XP or installer. This was something thats like back from 2007 and I have no clue where my Windows XP originally came from. So my question is if I find a Windows 7 installer from some shady parts of the internet, will my windows 7 upgrade product key work to install the OS? Then I can run the Windows 8 upgrade from there. Or will I have to re-purchase windows XP or 7.

Download a copy of 7 from here http://www.w7forums.com/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-image-downloads-t12325.html and then use the 8 upgrade key on it.
 

lmpaler

Member
So I'm debating on a new mouse. My works fine, but I want a heavy one. I always feel like I'm going to throw mine off my desk lol. I'm using a basic optical $20 mouse and I'm not sold on this "gaming" trend, but I remember having a G500 Logitech back in 04 and weighing it down was a godsend.

II was thinking of buying another one, but I figured I'd inquire as to if there is a better or heavier one that isn't ungodly expensive
 

Seanspeed

Banned
That UK-special 7950 is a really great price. Would it work with this setup?

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.89 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.98 @ Outlet PC)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DG 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($38.18 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Speakers: Cyber Acoustics CA3001RB 14W 2.1ch Speakers ($14.32 @ Amazon)
Total: $603.29

Its basically the 'Very Capable' build, but with a 7950.

I can have it ordered now and sent to my UK address before I move there(I've got somebody there who can get it). From what I'm reading, to really future proof my machine for a few years, I'm going to need something better than a 7850. I just want to make sure it'll fit in the case, PSU will be enough, etc. before I go ahead and order.
 

Addnan

Member
It should work with that, but you should know that Amazon UK does not have the never settle game bundle with it and so you might want to consider the 760, same price, similar performance, sometimes better.
 

tarheel91

Member
TechPowerUp rank them like so at 1080p



Whilst the 7950 overclocks like a beast the 760 does too

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7103/nvidia-geforce-gtx-760-review/17

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GeForce_GTX_760_TF_Gaming/30.html

You'll not go wrong with either, I would side with the 7950 still just about (price depending) for the Never Settle Bundle and the extra VRAM.

760 doesn't overclock like the 7950. I went from 850MHz to 1050MHz on stock voltage. Temps never go past 66 and fan never ramps up past 50%, so there's obviously a lot of room left if I wanted to go further.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
It should work with that, but you should know that Amazon UK does not have the never settle game bundle with it and so you might want to consider the 760, same price, similar performance, sometimes better.
Where is the 760 the same price? Could you provide a link? Its hard for me to shop UK stuff here in the States.
 

kharma45

Member
760 doesn't overclock like the 7950. I went from 850MHz to 1050MHz on stock voltage. Temps never go past 66 and fan never ramps up past 50%, so there's obviously a lot of room left if I wanted to go further.

There is plenty of room with the 7950 but to get it to go much higher you'll need to start adjusting voltage unless it has been set fairly high already. Stock 760 is 980MHz and Anandtech took theirs to a stable maximum of 1306MHz boost by adding 0.012v, it's a great overclocker. TechPowerUp also got great results and the graph for the 7950 is it clocked at 1210MHz

Driver updates will have boosted that original score a bit but I'd be surprised if it was beating the 760 by much if at all.

Where is the 760 the same price? Could you provide a link? Its hard for me to shop UK stuff here in the States.

Almost the same price :p

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-...u-980mhz-boost-1033mhz-cores-1152-dp-dvi-hdmi

Can you order in USA? Prices should be better there. Newegg has 7950 for $250 after rebate and 760 is also priced $250.

I'd go for the KFA2 model instead

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/...ds/nvidiagtx760keplerseries/76xph6dv6kkz.html
 

Osiris

I permanently banned my 6 year old daughter from using the PS4 for mistakenly sending grief reports as it's too hard to watch or talk to her
760 doesn't overclock like the 7950. I went from 850MHz to 1050MHz on stock voltage. Temps never go past 66 and fan never ramps up past 50%, so there's obviously a lot of room left if I wanted to go further.

There are already videos on Youtube of the 760 hitting 1250Mhz at stock voltage, temps at 70degrees. I doubt we've seen what kind of overclocks we're going to see from the 760 after just one day :p
 
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