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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
My current 1000W PSU is 6 years old. It's probably degraded somewhat. I figure it's a good time to upgrade. And, I will probably be going Tri/Quad SLI once Intel's 8 core comes out next year.

I can't wait to go used SB-E shopping when this happens.
 

mkenyon

Banned
My current 1000W PSU is 6 years old. It's probably degraded somewhat. I figure it's a good time to upgrade. And, I will probably be going Tri/Quad SLI once Intel's 8 core comes out next year.
I'd be looking at the Corsair AX1200i. It was designed by JohnnyGuru himself (he left for Corsair a little while back, and he has been heavily involved in the new AX series), and has glowing reviews as well as tons of field time.

Plus then, you can get pretty cables.
I might just back out at the thought of 770 sli with the newer cards coming out. Perhaps at the thought of running 120 hz/120 fps set up. Thinking about it now, it will be very expensive to keep up.

What's a good responsive monitor?
Just because it's capable of 120Hz doesn't mean you have to get consistent 8.3ms frametimes. The ASUS VG248QE has been on sale quite a bit recently, I'd definitely suggest thinking about it.
 
I'd be looking at the Corsair AX1200i. It was designed by JohnnyGuru himself (he left for Corsair a little while back, and he has been heavily involved in the new AX series), and has glowing reviews as well as tons of field time.

Plus then, you can get pretty cables.

Just because it's capable of 120Hz doesn't mean you have to get consistent 8.3ms frametimes. The ASUS VG248QE has been on sale quite a bit recently, I'd definitely suggest thinking about it.

Yeah I was thinking about getting that monitor in a few months, still undecided. When I have the funds I might get it. I'm also thinking about getting some sort of temporary card to old me over until Maxwell next year.

Perhaps the 760 GTX would be good? I'll sell it after I get the Maxwell non reference card.

Or I can hold off and use my terrible 9600 gt until the AMD releases their card and wait for non reference cards.
 

Majukun

Member
tell me gaf,if i build now a 800 euros game pc (with care,selecting the best components and configuration ),how many years i'll be able to play "pretty much everything",at least at medium settings?

my 360 is leaving me,and i'm trying to decide between a 400 euros ps4 (but with online behind a paywall,and that's 60 euros a year for x years) or joining the master race,counting that i'm not really fond of any exclusive microsoft and sony showed till now and i'm gonna wait at least till bayo 2 for a wii U

also,is this a good time to build a new pc?or i'm gonna suffer when the next gen arrives and new components are going to come out on the market?
 

kennah

Member
tell me gaf,if i build now a 800 euros game pc (with care,selecting the best components and configuration ),how many years i'll be able to play "pretty much everything",at least at medium settings?

my 360 is leaving me,and i'm trying to decide between a 400 euros ps4 (but with online behind a paywall,and that's 60 euros a year for x years) or joining the master race,counting that i'm not really fond of any exclusive microsoft and sony showed till now and i'm gonna wait at least till bayo 2 for a wii U

also,is this a good time to build a new pc?or i'm gonna suffer when the next gen arrives and new components are going to come out in the market?

Fill out the survey in the OP.

There is never a 'good time' as it constantly changes. That said, current CPUs are lasting multiple generations and staying competitive with GPU upgrades. Your computer will last as long as you are happy with it. It will likely stay 'good enough' a long time.
 

Majukun

Member
Fill out the survey in the OP.



Your Current Specs: My computer is a 7 years old piece of junk,probably nothing of value is salvageable from it.
Budget: around 800 euros,Italy
Main Use: Light Gaming (5), Gaming (5), Emulation (PS2/Wii) (3), Video Editing (1), Streaming games in HD (4), 3D/Model work (and what program)(1), General Usage (5) (Word, Web, 1080p playback).
Monitor Resolution: At the moment 720p,but considering a new one later
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well:no specific game in mind,i just want a pc that can substitute a console and being able to play every game through the rest of this gen and the next one.
Is 30FPS acceptable? 60? 120? How important is PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to you?:60fps at least (but i haven't really tried 120 fps,is it worth it?),physx and supersampling seems really nice,i don't know what CUDA means
Looking to reuse any parts?: nothing of value
When will you build?: Do you have a deadline?:no real deadline,but if i'm ok with the money the objective is at max christmas 2013,but it is flexible
Will you be overclocking?: I'll go with maybe.I don't know how to do it but as long as there is no risk for the components and doesn't give me problems ,i'm all for more power.
 

kharma45

Member
Your Current Specs: My computer is a 7 years old piece of junk,probably nothing of value is salvageable from it.
Budget: around 800 euros,Italy
Main Use: Light Gaming (5), Gaming (5), Emulation (PS2/Wii) (3), Video Editing (1), Streaming games in HD (4), 3D/Model work (and what program)(1), General Usage (5) (Word, Web, 1080p playback).
Monitor Resolution: At the moment 720p,but considering a new one later
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well:no specific game in mind,i just want a pc that can substitute a console and being able to play every game through the rest of this gen and the next one.
Is 30FPS acceptable? 60? 120? How important is PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to you?:60fps at least (but i haven't really tried 120 fps,is it worth it?),physx and supersampling seems really nice,i don't know what CUDA means
Looking to reuse any parts?: nothing of value
When will you build?: Do you have a deadline?:no real deadline,but if i'm ok with the money the objective is at max christmas 2013,but it is flexible
Will you be overclocking?: I'll go with maybe.I don't know how to do it but as long as there is no risk for the components and doesn't give me problems ,i'm all for more power.

Apart from Amazon.it where else does components in Italy?
 

kharma45

Member
e-key.it for sure,but there are many others but now i‘m not on pc and i don‘t remember the others

PCPartpicker is only picking up Amazon.it for me so I've sort of stuck to it, but this is roughly what I'd look at and then shop around to get it within budget

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€57.00 @ Amazon Italia)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (€227.69 @ Amazon Italia)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (€66.66 @ Amazon Italia)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (€54.17 @ Amazon Italia)
Other: Intel Core i5-4670K (€217.79)
Other: MSI G45 Gaming (€154.78)
Other: RAM DDR3 Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz PC3.12800 XMP CL11 (€57.00)
Other: Cooler Master Hyper 212EVO Ventola per processori PC (€28.74)
Total: €863.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-04 00:31 CEST+0200)
 

Cryst

Member
Just chiming in to say that I ended up picking up the ASUS VG248QE last week. $1 two-day shipping lucked out to be overnight shipping, so I had plenty of time to mess around with it over the long weekend.

The colors weren't as bad as I was expecting, a little washed out but after staring at it for a few hours, I got used to them. Downloaded a color profile for some adjustments since I can't calibrate it myself.

Spent most of my time playing FFXIV, and while it's not the most representative game to take advantage of 144Hz, watching 10+ people on screen do what they do in super smooth animation looks amazing. Super sprint on Saints Row IV looks solid too. Eager to try it out on more games when I have time.

Thanks again for the recommendation. Pretty great buy at a reasonable buy-in price.
 

Haku

Neo Member
I've got someone interested in my old kit of G.SKILL 2 x 1GB DDR2 800. Would $10-15 be a fair asking price? Also, how does one determine the value of used components? I've used eBay and Amazon as sources, but is there another source where I can look up the rough value of used computer parts?
 

kidko

Member
Just chiming in to say that I ended up picking up the ASUS VG248QE last week. $1 two-day shipping lucked out to be overnight shipping, so I had plenty of time to mess around with it over the long weekend.

The colors weren't as bad as I was expecting, a little washed out but after staring at it for a few hours, I got used to them. Downloaded a color profile for some adjustments since I can't calibrate it myself.

Spent most of my time playing FFXIV, and while it's not the most representative game to take advantage of 144Hz, watching 10+ people on screen do what they do in super smooth animation looks amazing. Super sprint on Saints Row IV looks solid too. Eager to try it out on more games when I have time.

Thanks again for the recommendation. Pretty great buy at a reasonable buy-in price.

Great to hear, I ordered mine yesterday.

What CPU / GPU are you running, if you don't mind?
 

kennah

Member
I've got someone interested in my old kit of G.SKILL 2 x 1GB DDR2 800. Would $10-15 be a fair asking price? Also, how does one determine the value of used components? I've used eBay and Amazon as sources, but is there another source where I can look up the rough value of used computer parts?
$10-15 is fair yeah.

As for how to price. Go with your gut/craigslist/check the appraisals threads on overclock.net
 

richiek

steals Justin Bieber DVDs
I finally assembled all the parts for my build.

IXAON43.jpg


Can't wait to put this bad boy together tomorrow!
 

Mubbed

Member
I have completed my build and everything works flawlessly (many thanks to Addnan). I have a couple questions. The CPU power cable isn't able to reach around the back of the case so it is currently hovering over the motherboard. Is it worth purchasing an extension cable so it can wrap around the back of the case? Also for overclocking there is an MSI GamingApp that came with the installation disc. The App has an overclock feature; am I meant to use that for my overclocking needs or should I go into the bios and further configure it?

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
 

shoes

Neo Member
A single 770 is rough equal to 470SLI(2GB vs 1.2GB ram upgrade).
A 780 is going to be about 150%fps of 470 SLI. You also nearly triple the VRAM

The VRAM is by far a more serious issue and makes the upgrade worthwhile in my opinion.

You also cut down your power consumption by 1/2 and the card stays much cooler. I played through ME3 again and the card was 55C at load. My old setup was making both of the 470s get into high 60's.

You would also expect all games to support SLI at this point but in reality we still have a mixed bag so I having the single monster card is nice.

If you want to jump to another SLI setup then 770 SLI is going to be about $150 more than a 780. I clenched and went for SLI of the latter. I was jumping from 470SLI as well.

Your CPU is fine. OC'ed it is probably pretty close in performance to a Haswell. We are not getting good returns on investment for silicon wafer processes at the level Intel is at so dont expect anything super serious until 2015.

Not quite. My OC'ed 770 Lightning trounces a stock 780 and approaches stock Titans in some benchmarks. (1350mhz boost, 8000mhz ram, 70C max)

Picking up my second 770 Lightning tomorrow or Thursday. ^_^
 

Lum1n3s

Member
Ok so I ended up ultimately deciding between these two mobos instead of the one I originally wanted. When it comes down to it though, I can't decide between the two lol I've been hearing one thing over the other when it comes to the two but I'll let GAF help me choose between em.
ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO
Orrrr the
MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming
 
The memory is oversized for the GPU and the bus.

It doesnt hurt the performance but I am waiting for the benchmarks to prove any value on memory glutted gk104's. Just a waste of money from what I have seen.

I've heard you need 3gb+ to run comfortably at 2560x1440p and not choke the card, so depending on the resolution it might not be a waste?
 

Addnan

Member
Ok so I ended up ultimately deciding between these two mobos instead of the one I originally wanted. When it comes down to it though, I can't decide between the two lol I've been hearing one thing over the other when it comes to the two but I'll let GAF help me choose between em.
ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO
Orrrr the
MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming

They are both solid board. I personally love MSI boards and so would go with that, plus the GD65 seems to be a favourite over at oc3d.

You can't go wrong with an Asus board though.
 
scan don't know when that GPU will arrive,so I cancelled it :(

Ordering the 7950 from overclockers, costing me like £20 more including £9 for next day delivery which I don't need :(
 

Addnan

Member
scan don't know when that GPU will arrive,so I cancelled it :(

Ordering the 7950 from overclockers, costing me like £20 more including £9 for next day delivery which I don't need :(

Does that cost more than the 670? Would be worth going for the 670 even if there is a small chance that battlefield 4 gets added. You could sell Batman and get BF4 :p
 
Does that cost more than the 670? Would be worth going for the 670 even if there is a small chance that battlefield 4 gets added. You could sell Batman and get BF4 :p

Wait, are they sellable steam codes?

Either way, don;t suppose anyone has a spare voucher code for overclockers.co.uk?



Is this th right 670?

If so, will the code for Splinter Cell turn into a Batman code when the deal changes?
 

Addnan

Member
Wait, are they sellable steam codes?

Either way, don;t suppose anyone has a spare voucher code for overclockers.co.uk?



Is this th right 670?

If so, will the code for Splinter Cell turn into a Batman code when the deal changes?


You have to be part of their forum for certain amount of time and posts to get free delivery. Nothing outside of that, that I know if.

Nvidia give a key that you redeem on their website and then they give you a steam key for batman and uplay key for blacklist. They are good games though, worth playing through. Well blacklist is, assuming batman will be good.

edit: It should come with both games.

http://www.scan.co.uk/shops/nvidia/freebatman

It's listed there and Scan on facebook said it will come with both games.

edit2: you can get the 3x windofroce for £20 more, which is a monster card. That I had and now have the 770 version of.
 

rafbanaan

Member
I'm in need of a new router (with WiFI for my PS Vita and Wii U console). I currently use a switch on my room and the WiFi of our ISP's modem, but the signal is crap on my room.

I need atleast 3 other lan ports on it and a good WiFI signal. Anyone that can help me out (I'm from Europe)?
 
You have to be part of their forum for certain amount of time and posts to get free delivery. Nothing outside of that, that I know if.

Nvidia give a key that you redeem on their website and then they give you a steam key for batman and uplay key for blacklist. They are good games though, worth playing through. Well blacklist is, assuming batman will be good.

edit: It should come with both games.

http://www.scan.co.uk/shops/nvidia/freebatman

It's listed there and Scan on facebook said it will come with both games.

Cool, will probably go with the 670 then and hope for the best for Batman. Definitely comes with SC:B.

The 7950 has 3gb memory, while the 670 has 2gb. Is that something to be concerned about?
 

Addnan

Member
Cool, will probably go with the 670 then and hope for the best for Batman. Definitely comes with SC:B.

The 7950 has 3gb memory, while the 670 has 2gb. Is that something to be concerned about?

Not really, 670 is slightly more powerful card overall in the end. If something goes wrong with the code, just contact their support and tell them it was under the batman promotion and they are usually good. Last time I got Metro Last Light even when my card wasn't technically under the promotion.
 
Not really, 670 is slightly more powerful card overall in the end. If something goes wrong with the code, just contact their support and tell them it was under the batman promotion and they are usually good. Last time I got Metro Last Light even when my card wasn't technically under the promotion.

Cheeky bastard :p

Will order now :)

fake edit: Awesome! Free next day delivery for some reason this time. £30 cheaper than the 7950 overall

Thanks!

real edit:

atNyko0.jpg


Not bad, expected to pay around £1100 overall. May still want a 360 controller if the DS3 drivers don't work properly. Will an Xbox One controller bring anything new to the table for PC gaming?
 

Azulsky

Member
Not quite. My OC'ed 770 Lightning trounces a stock 780 and approaches stock Titans in some benchmarks. (1350mhz boost, 8000mhz ram, 70C max)

Picking up my second 770 Lightning tomorrow or Thursday. ^_^

When you overclock the GPU(specifically the core) you increase the fill rate which should allow it actually use the expanded memory space. So perhaps.

I found a review site(that I have never heard of before) that did a head to head on the 770 2GB vs 4GB editions.

http://alienbabeltech.com/main/gtx-770-4gb-vs-2gb-tested/1/

Results: Even at 3x 1080p you are looking at just a frame or so of difference.

Would be interesting to see a review of Rome 2 with a 4GB card. Extreme Preset at 1200p shows 2.6GB of VRAM usage for me.
 

JerC

Member
I was gonna Tri sli my build but then I realised I can only have two graphics cards on my mobo. That's annoying. Could have had two 670s for €260. Suppose I'll just have to do with normal sli for now.


How much money is generally saved when you build your own pc compared to the highest end alienware desktop?

A lot if you match the specs. Even the cheapest pre-built computer wont match it.
 

kharma45

Member
I was gonna Tri sli my build but then I realised I can only have two graphics cards on my mobo. That's annoying. Could have had two 670s for €260. Suppose I'll just have to do with normal sli for now.

Why would you need 3? diminishing returns beyond 2.
 

Addnan

Member
How much money is generally saved when you build your own pc compared to the highest end alienware desktop?


The base Alienware Aurora which comes with 660, Intel 3820 + 8GB RAM = $1399


This is just a rough build with better parts. this has 760, 16GB ram for some reason. Plus with building yourself, you will generally get better warranty for individual parts with each company rather than the whole thing with Dell.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($293.97 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus P9X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($137.13 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($250.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1132.03
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-04 08:39 EDT-0400)
 
When you overclock the GPU(specifically the core) you increase the fill rate which should allow it actually use the expanded memory space. So perhaps.

I found a review site(that I have never heard of before) that did a head to head on the 770 2GB vs 4GB editions.

http://alienbabeltech.com/main/gtx-770-4gb-vs-2gb-tested/1/

Results: Even at 3x 1080p you are looking at just a frame or so of difference.

Would be interesting to see a review of Rome 2 with a 4GB card. Extreme Preset at 1200p shows 2.6GB of VRAM usage for me.

I think it's going to be telling how much VRAM the AMD 9000 series has. (I thought I saw one rumor where it only was going to have 2-4GB of VRAM). Of course, the true test will be when there are multiplatform next generation games this winter.
 

tigerin

Member
The base Alienware Aurora which comes with 660, Intel 3820 + 8GB RAM = $1399


This is just a rough build with better parts. this has 760, 16GB ram for some reason. Plus with building yourself, you will generally get better warranty for individual parts with each company rather than the whole thing with Dell.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($293.97 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus P9X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($137.13 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($250.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1132.03
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-04 08:39 EDT-0400)

The spec right there is cheaper than the alienware aurora but performance is better? Sounds good!

That something I've always wonder about custom pc. How simple is it to return/exchange parts if you change your mind /break it ? I would assume it's more complicated than buying a pre-built computer at a computer store?

Since I've never built my own pc before, I'm not sure if I will use it to its full potential and I would want to able to return it if gaming on pc is not my thing.
 

TheD

The Detective
Does anyone know why radeon pro does not work?

When I try to apply per a program settings it does nothing and it is really starting to piss me off.
 

Dave_6

Member
I'm always browsing PC Partpicker since I like looking at builds and this one is awesome IMO: http://pcpartpicker.com/b/Fj4

I'm curious as to how well the single 7970 runs with three monitors though since I have the same card.

This one is this guys FIRST build: http://pcpartpicker.com/b/Ftg

Obviously he has prior experience if he did water cooling and a delid on his first build...? Makes me want to pull mine apart and do it over...
 

Addnan

Member
The spec right there is cheaper than the alienware aurora but performance is better? Sounds good!

That something I've always wonder about custom pc. How simple is it to return/exchange parts if you change your mind /break it ? I would assume it's more complicated than buying a pre-built computer at a computer store?

Since I've never built my own pc before, I'm not sure if I will use it to its full potential and I would want to able to return it if gaming on pc is not my thing.
Exchanging parts are usually very simple. You can RMA the part and most will get it back to your pretty quick. As for complete returns for a refund I guess it would depend on where you buy from and their policy.

If you really want to build something for that much money just let us know and someone can help come up with something. The build I put together was a very rough estimate, might be able to get something a little better.

Just fill out the little survey in the OP
 

JerC

Member
The spec right there is cheaper than the alienware aurora but performance is better? Sounds good!

That something I've always wonder about custom pc. How simple is it to return/exchange parts if you change your mind /break it ? I would assume it's more complicated than buying a pre-built computer at a computer store?

Since I've never built my own pc before, I'm not sure if I will use it to its full potential and I would want to able to return it if gaming on pc is not my thing.

You just have to diagnose the faulty part yourself. I found it to be a bit slower than say dell who have people to the door next day to fix the problem.
 

Salaadin

Member
Any good ways to troubleshoot router/modem issues?

Ive been having some intermittent disconnects lately. They last for about 10 seconds and are inconsistent with their frequency. I could go days without seeing it and then it suddenly happens again.

The problem occurs on every connected device so that rules out wiring or PC issues so Im stuck on the router or modem being the problem.

Im using an old DLink DGL-4300. Its maybe 7 years old, possibly older. I dont even remember when I got it. Time to replace?

My other option is to call the ISP first and have them check the modem and the lines and all that jazz but Im sure theyre busy enough as is and Id hate to bother them if the problem is on my end.
 

Anustart

Member
What's the final verdict on Haswell vs Ivy Bridge? Trying to find out if I should spend $10 more to get a 4670k instead of a 3570k.
 
Are you looking to emulate PS2 and Wii games? If so go for it, if not don't.

I went for the normal OS by CCL btw :)

Everything is ordered, just waiting for the SSD, SPU and Windows. Will build over the weekend and plug it in when I have the ISO done. Can you do anything with a PC before getting the OS sorted?


If I download Keepass on the new PC, can I just transfer my save file onto it, or will I have to make a new one?
 
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