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[ElyrionX]

I need some help guys. I have an existing SSD + 1TB HDD. I just bought a 2TB HDD which I have installed. Windows and BIOs are both detecting the new HDD but it doesn't seem to have been installed. I googled it and went into Computer Management and assigend a drive letter to it but there's only 100MB and when I try to format it, it says "Windows is unable to format the system partition on this disk".

In my Disk Management page in Control Panel I have the following:

SSD - C:, Status: Healthy (Boot, Page FIle, Crash Dump, Primary Partition)
HDD 1TB - D:, Status: Healthy (Primary Partition)
HDD 2TB - G:, Status: Healthy (System, Active, Primary Partition)

What do I do?

 

[Danj]

I need some help guys. I have an existing SSD + 1TB HDD. I just bought a 2TB HDD which I have installed. Windows and BIOs are both detecting the new HDD but it doesn't seem to have been installed. I googled it and went into Computer Management and assigend a drive letter to it but there's only 100MB and when I try to format it, it says "Windows is unable to format the system partition on this disk".

In my Disk Management page in Control Panel I have the following:

SSD - C:, Status: Healthy (Boot, Page FIle, Crash Dump, Primary Partition)
HDD 1TB - D:, Status: Healthy (Primary Partition)
HDD 2TB - G:, Status: Healthy (System, Active, Primary Partition)

What do I do?

Sounds like you accidentally made it your system drive somehow? You might need to correct that with diskpart, which you can also use to create a partition and format the new drive if Disk Management isn't working for you for some reason.

EDIT: diskpart is a command line disk utility included with windows, just load a Command Prompt and type diskpart to run it. Do be careful though as you can easily accidentally format the wrong drive if you're not paying attention when using it.

 

[ElyrionX]

Sounds like you accidentally made it your system drive somehow? You might need to correct that with diskpart, which you can also use to create a partition and format the new drive if Disk Management isn't working for you for some reason.

EDIT: diskpart is a command line disk utility included with windows, just load a Command Prompt and type diskpart to run it. Do be careful though as you can easily accidentally format the wrong drive if you're not paying attention when using it.

That sounds like what happened but I have no idea how it happened considering I didn't touch any of the rest of my hardware and I can still boot into Win 7 fine from my SSD. Any idea if marking my SSD as "Active" in Disk Management will solve the issue?

EDIT: Fuck, did the above and it bricked my PC. Had to disconnect all secondary drives and boot from Win 7 to get it to repair the installation my SSD. That was a minor scare. But now I'm still stuck. I got into Win 7 and the new HDD showed up as only having 100MB of space even after reformatting. I deleted the 100MB allocated volume to that drive under Disk 0 in Disk Management and now the drive is completely gone from Disk Management but still shows up in Device Manager. What do I do now? Fuck. I don't remember adding new storage drives to be such a pain in the ass in the past.

EDIT 2: Ok, got it done finally. Had to look at the lower pane in Disk Management and choose to partition and format the unrecognized volume.

 

[schandmann]

Yea I got the build sorry for not being clearer. I have no budget and have changed from just indie gaming to an actual workhorse given all the advances on the mini front. My curiosity piqued as I read elsewhere that the 680 was a possible fit in this chassis(may be wrong). Wondered how far I can push the little guy. This seems to be the chassis max push:

Asus itx ROG board or ASUS Z87I-Deluxe
Intel 4770K or Intel 4570
Kingston Beast memory
Best card that will fit 200mm ___
Stable power supply for the GPU ___
Corsair H80

I know it's overkill for someone who isn't looking to overclock, but I don't mind being future proof. Especially since more mini GPUs may release down the road. So does this look right to you guys or am I off somewhere? Thanks for all the help and apologies for double dipping. It's just that there is not much helpful guidance on this case outside a foreign guide.

What work will you be doing on it? If it's media work, get the i7-4770K and 16GB RAM. If it's just Office etc., the i5-4670K and 8 GB RAM's just fine.

ASUS Z87I-Deluxe should be fine.

Kingston Beast memory is overkill. Get G.Skill Ares/Ripjaws or Corsair Vengeance LP.

AFAIK the best card under 200mm is the Asus 670 mini.

You need an SFX PSU, so the best you're gonna get is the Silverstone ST45SF. If you want more efficiency, move up to the 80 Plus Gold-certified ST45SF-G.

There's no place to mount the H80's radiator, so without some creative modding, you won't be able to use it. The CM GeminII S524 would be my heatsink of choice, but as someone pointed out, you don't absolutely need it. Stock is fine, but noisier/hotter.
You'll probably set the PC-Q30 on your desk where it's near your ears, so I'd spend something extra on a decent heatsink.

One last thing: If you plan on moving the parts to a bigger case when the CPU at stock won't cut it anymore, get the a K-CPU and a Z87 board. Otherwise, go i7-4770/i5-4670 & Asus H87I-PLUS. The PC-Q30 is just not an overclock-friendly case.

 

[Cannon Goose]

Has anyone else seen anything like this in Splinter Cell Blacklist?

Here's a video as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN_P3NhJd1o

I posted it here just because I'm not sure if it's just a bug in the game or if my GPU might be dying :/

I've only seen that sort of blockiness in that one place and haven't experienced any other glitches so far but I'd just like to get a second opinion if possible.

 

[The_Hitcher89]

Just need to connct the HDD to the mothrboard (its already encased and powered) and install the network card, and I'm good to go once I get this bootable Windows 8 sorted

 

[Garou]

Has anyone else seen anything like this in Splinter Cell Blacklist?

Here's a video as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN_P3NhJd1o

I posted it here just because I'm not sure if it's just a bug in the game or if my GPU might be dying :/

I've only seen that sort of blockiness in that one place and haven't experienced any other glitches so far but I'd just like to get a second opinion if possible.

Are you using the latest beta drivers for Nvidia/AMD-GPUs?

 

[solarus]

Ok back from holiday, I've spent hours looking at components, initially was going to switch to an atx build but have decided to go ahead with mini itx. How does this build look to you guys?

 

[Cannon Goose]

Are you using the latest beta drivers for Nvidia/AMD-GPUs?

I'm on a 670 and I'm using the latest WHQL drivers 320.49.

 

[whatsinaname]

I am currently on an i2500K + P8Z68 V-Pro. My CPU is giving me BSODs so I was thinking about a BIOS update and buying an i3570K. I am mainly doing it because I don't want to go a couple of weeks with no desktop. I can sell the 2500K after it comes back from RMA. Do I need to be wary of anything? Anyone have any problems with ivy bridge on this motherboard?

 

[Effect]

Question. What kind of life expectancy can I expect if I buy a 1 TB hard drive and dedicate it to just storing video and music? Pretty much make it 100% for my iTunes Library, Amazon Video folder, etc.

I'm a a point where some of the older shows I want to watch simply don't have dvd collections but they do exist on iTunes. However rather not mix this content with my normal files, games, etc. Would a standard hard drive be okay for doing this or would perhaps a solid state drive be better and last far longer? Go for an external drive or internal?

 

[Azulsky]

I'm on a 670 and I'm using the latest WHQL drivers 320.49.

See if it occurs after you update to 326.80 Beta Drivers. They have all the custom tailored stuff for Blacklist.

 

[Zaph]

Ok back from holiday, I've spent hours looking at components, initially was going to switch to an atx build but have decided to go ahead with mini itx. How does this build look to you guys?
[IMG ]http://i.imgur.com/VJGp6Iq.png?1[/IMG]

Off to a good start there, ITX builds are amazing.

Just a couple things - have you considered going Ivy Bridge? Judging by your motherboard, K CPU and cooler, you plan on overclocking. Unless you delid you will be disappointed by the temperature wall with an air cooler and that chip.

You could go with the P8Z7-i and i5 3570k. With the money saved (~£50) you really, really want to put it towards an SSD. A Samsung 840 EVO 250GB costs around £140. And it's a fantastic drive.

 

[Azulsky]

Question. What kind of life expectancy can I expect if I buy a 1 TB hard drive and dedicate it to just storing video and music? Pretty much make it 100% for my iTunes Library, Amazon Video folder, etc.

I'm a a point where some of the older shows I want to watch simply don't have dvd collections but they do exist on iTunes. However rather not mix this content with my normal files, games, etc. Would a standard hard drive be okay for doing this or would perhaps a solid state drive be better and last far longer? Go for an external drive or internal?

As far as the data physically existing HDD's will hold it for a much longer time than SSD's.

There is little point to getting an SSD for media storage as you arent using the primary benefit of SSD technology which is fast response time.

My policy personally is to get decent hdd's with 5 year warranties and replace them after it is up.

If you are really looking into this then the new NAS drives from WD and Seagate have extra error correction features.

Internal mounting for sure.

 

[solarus]

Off to a good start there, ITX builds are amazing.

Just a couple things - have you considered going Ivy Bridge? Judging by your motherboard, K CPU and cooler, you plan on overclocking. Unless you delid you will be disappointed by the temperature wall with an air cooler and that chip.

You could do with the P8Z7-i and i5 3570k. With the money saved (~£50) you really, really want to put it towards and SSD. A Samsung 840 EVO 250GB costs around £140. And it's a fantastic drive.

Thank you for replying. i definitely want to overclock and I was really considering z77 that but the fear of having an older socket swayed me from it. Will the current socket work for the next round of CPUs and are we anticipating them to be a big leap, 8 cores? For a build this expensive I'd like it to last a while. I will definitely be selling the GPU for the maxwell ones next year though.

 

[Addnan]

Thank you for replying. i definitely want to overclock and I was really considering z77 that but the fear of having an older socket swayed me from it. Will the current socket work for the next round of CPUs and are we anticipating them to be a big leap, 8 cores? For a build this expensive I'd like it to last a while. I will definitely be selling the GPU for the maxwell ones next year though.

Looking less likely, but you wouldn't want to upgrade anyway. The gains are going to be so small. The hyper 212 will be a tight fit inside the Node, I think it does fit, but a H60 will be much easier.

You can also get a Silverstone SFX 450W if you want more space to place with. The normal ATX will be fine though.

 

[Zaph]

Thank you for replying. i definitely want to overclock and I was really considering z77 that but the fear of having an older socket swayed me from it. Will the current socket work for the next round of CPUs and are we anticipating them to be a big leap, 8 cores? For a build this expensive I'd like it to last a while. I will definitely be selling the GPU for the maxwell ones next year though.

IIRC, the next Intel chips will require new motherboards anyway, so it's best to always think of CPU/Motherboards as a bundled purchase.

Besides, even if it were compatible, it's such a minor upgrade that you'll be dropping £££ for a 10% CPU bump. Much better off saving that cash and doing more regular GPU upgrades.

 

[Jibbajabbawockky]

What should I upgrade next on my PC?

Basically, I built my current desktop back at the end of 2009 and have been piecemeal adding certain things (Corsair H60 water cooler, doubled the 4GB of memory, added sound card) over the years and in July replaced my 5770 with a 760 GTX.

So right now my PC is this:
- Phenom II X3 720, fourth core unlocked and overclocked to 3.5GHz
- EVGA 760 GTX
- 8GB RAM
- 750 GB WD Black hdd and 250 GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD
- Storm Scout case
-Corsair 550VX psu

Upgrading my processor to some more modern Intel one was what I was thinking. But that also means getting a new Motherboard, which at that point kind of means gutting everything in my PC, at least in terms of work. Which means if I'm going to be taking everything out, I kind of would like a modular PSU. And if I'm going to do all that, then I kind of would like a new case that's a little roomier to work in but still has a handle, like the CM Storm Styker.

Is there anything new coming from Intel in the next 6 months or so? And is a new CPU over what I have that much of a performance boost for gaming? I'm happy with what I have but I don't know if a newer Intel processor would be worth the extra money or end up feeling like a marginal upgrade, as far as gaming goes.

 

[kennah]

Thank you for replying. i definitely want to overclock and I was really considering z77 that but the fear of having an older socket swayed me from it. Will the current socket work for the next round of CPUs and are we anticipating them to be a big leap, 8 cores? For a build this expensive I'd like it to last a while. I will definitely be selling the GPU for the maxwell ones next year though.

It doesn't matter which one you pick because they are both dead sockets. There wouldn't be any 8 core upgrades to 1150 regardless. Get Haswell if you are going to be emulating.

 

[O.DOGG]

I too had a GTX460(AMP!) and upgraded to a GTX760(Zotac 4GB). Upgrade as a night and day difference.
My 460 had a fan setup kind of like the 760 you linked to. It served me well, except my temps for the CPU and case itself seemed to run warm and I never could figure out why. When I finally switched to the 760, I got the reference design Zotac where the air is sucked in and blown out the back of the case, my entire system started running much cooler with about a 6-8*c drop for the CPU. I can now overclock my 965BE CPU a bit without worrying about it hitting 60c+ and I can probably OC the card a little bit too.

So, what I'm getting at is that if you have a good case with good airflow and would like to OC the 760 more that is already then I think the cooling design like the one you listed is a fine choice. Especially, if you are running an i series chip like an i5 or i7.
That particular card is supposed to be a very quiet card as well, although I must admit I don't even hear my reference model 760. So, yeah, $10 more for better cooling, factory OC, higher spec components, sounds like a good deal to me.

Thanks I'll most likely get the card now

 

[Coldsnap]

Anyone here use this on their PC?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J4ZOAW/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Never really had a dust problem but my PC is sorta a dust monster. It think it's probably because I went from a PC build that had 3 fans running at 700rpm to having 5 fans running at 1,700 rpm for intake. I keep a damn clean apartment too.

 

[rudieboy77]

Is there a site that lists individual components based on reliability, ease of use and longevity? I'm going to build a new PC but I am waiting to see what the HD 9XXX offers. I want performance, but more important to me is quality/reliability. I want to keep this core PC sans the GPU for about six years.

 

[Addnan]

Is there a site that lists individual components based on reliability, ease of use and longevity? I'm going to build a new PC but I am waiting to see what the HD 9XXX offers. I want performance, but more important to me is quality/reliability. I want to keep this core PC sans the GPU for about six years.

OP has the best parts that we know to have good performance and reliability. There is no way of saying this part will last 6 years, because at the end of the day it is technology. Sometimes shit breaks. Most parts are pretty reliable these days.

 

[kharma45]

What should I upgrade next on my PC?

Basically, I built my current desktop back at the end of 2009 and have been piecemeal adding certain things (Corsair H60 water cooler, doubled the 4GB of memory, added sound card) over the years and in July replaced my 5770 with a 760 GTX.

So right now my PC is this:
- Phenom II X3 720, fourth core unlocked and overclocked to 3.5GHz
- EVGA 760 GTX
- 8GB RAM
- 750 GB WD Black hdd and 250 GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD
- Storm Scout case
-Corsair 550VX psu

Upgrading my processor to some more modern Intel one was what I was thinking. But that also means getting a new Motherboard, which at that point kind of means gutting everything in my PC, at least in terms of work. Which means if I'm going to be taking everything out, I kind of would like a modular PSU. And if I'm going to do all that, then I kind of would like a new case that's a little roomier to work in but still has a handle, like the CM Storm Styker.

Is there anything new coming from Intel in the next 6 months or so? And is a new CPU over what I have that much of a performance boost for gaming? I'm happy with what I have but I don't know if a newer Intel processor would be worth the extra money or end up feeling like a marginal upgrade, as far as gaming goes.

Only thing coming from Intel is Ivy Bridge-E which is rolling out at the minute. You'll get a boost in most games with a newer CPU.

 

[Grumbul]

Anyone here use this on their PC?

I very nearly bought one of these until I saw the absurd price they try to sell them at.

I did some shopping around and picked up a Black & Decker handheld vacuum that actually has blower capability.

It was a fifth of the price and is about 3 times as powerful (based on wattage).

It also came with all manner of tubes and attachments that are perfect for getting to all the nooks and crannys in my PC.

I can't find a link to the exact model I have (I bought it last year on sale at Amazon) but I'm sure you could find similar with a little research.

I am somewhat OCD about my PC and strip it down every month and the B&D makes it a 20 minute job. It is even powerful enough to get rid of that primary layer of dust on the fan blades which are sometimes problematic.

A tip though - if you do use something very powerful remember to lock down your fans (I use bent plastic earbud cleaners) or you can destroy the bearings when they start spinning at a million revs per second.

 

[Coldsnap]

I very nearly bought one of these until I saw the absurd price they try to sell them at.

I did some shopping around and picked up a Black & Decker handheld vacuum that actually has blower capability.

It was a fifth of the price and is about 3 times as powerful (based on wattage).

It also came with all manner of tubes and attachments that are perfect for getting to all the nooks and crannys in my PC.

I can't find a link to the exact model I have (I bought it last year on sale at Amazon) but I'm sure you could find similar with a little research.

I am somewhat OCD about my PC and strip it down every month and the B&D makes it a 20 minute job. It is even powerful enough to get rid of that primary layer of dust on the fan blades which are sometimes problematic.

A tip though - if you do use something very powerful remember to lock down your fans (I use bent plastic earbud cleaners) or you can destroy the bearings when they start spinning at a million revs per second.

Sweet, I could actually use a mini vacuum too. I'd rather suck it up the dust too than blow it around my apartment. Nice dedication to a clean PC, i salute you!

 

[rudieboy77]

OP has the best parts that we know to have good performance and reliability. There is no way of saying this part will last 6 years, because at the end of the day it is technology. Sometimes shit breaks. Most parts are pretty reliable these days.

Thanks, I was just wondering if there was a review site that would point out as an example Asus MB #1 is good, but stay away from their #2 model etc...

 

[Madridy]

Anyone here use this on their PC?



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J4ZOAW/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Never really had a dust problem but my PC is sorta a dust monster. It think it's probably because I went from a PC build that had 3 fans running at 700rpm to having 5 fans running at 1,700 rpm for intake. I keep a damn clean apartment too.

I have one, and been using it for a couple years now on my PC, Consoles and various electronics.

It is well worth the investment, especially if you use compressed air cans. This will be better for the long run.

 

[Deitus]

So the other day my PC decided not to power on. I've done my best to troubleshoot the issue, but I'm no expert. The power supply is delivering the correct voltage to the motherboard and the LED on the Mobo is lighting up. But when I press the power button, all the fans kick on for less than 0.1 seconds, and then stop. There is no other indication anything is turning on. It appears to be an issue with either the Mobo or the CPU, but I would have no idea how to determine the cause of the issue, much less fix it. My only option I think would be to take it in for repairs, and it's old enough that I doubt that would be more cost effective than just replacing it. And if I decide to go that route, I'll probably be building a new PC from scratch basically.

The thing is, if I'm going to build a new PC I'm going to want one to last. New consoles are coming out in a couple months, and soon the requirements to run PC games targeted at console specs is going to be much higher. I don't want another expensive upgrade to come too soon. Unfortunately, my laptop is ancient, and at this point it's no longer even sufficient for web browsing. And my phone is inadequate for a lot of tasks that I need a PC for. In short, I can't wait for prices to drop, I need a workable computer, and soon.

So I guess the main question is: would it be more practical to replace my laptop first to have something to use right now, or just build a new PC, and deal with my laptop later? I'm not looking to run BF4 at 4k and 120 fps, so I could probably make do with only a laptop for a few months, but only if there's actually a reason to wait.

If I do decide to build a PC, I'll definitely be back here for help (and lots of it, as it will be my first time). But for now I need to decide on a path forward.

 

[Addnan]

Thanks, I was just wondering if there was a review site that would point out as an example Asus MB #1 is good, but stay away from their #2 model etc...

Don't think so, best thing to do would be to google around and see what kinda experience people have had with that board. Most of the MSI, Asus and Gigabyte higher end boards are top quality these days.

 

[SabinFigaro]

Time for a new PC. Haven't built one since 2005, and have been rocking a laptop since 2007 (XPS M1710).

Goals: Mid-upper tier gaming rig. Will NOT overclock, don't need anything blazingly fast. Just enough to play past/current gen at reasonable settings, maybe a few future releases with moderate settings. Honestly, will be used more for general usage.

Goal Price: $2000

Case: BitFenix Prodigy Midnight Black Edition Mini-ITX (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_631&item_id=049443)
Power supply: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W 80PLUS Bronze Certified Power (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_441&item_id=054102)
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI (rev. 1.0) Socket 1150 Intel Z87 Chipset (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_1207_1206_1201&item_id=061942)
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 Quad-Core Processor - Socket LGA1150, 3.4Ghz, 8MB L3 Cache, 22nm (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=4_1210_65&item_id=060638)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 PWM CPU Cooler for Intel Socket 1150/1155/1156/1366/775 & AMD Socket FM1/FM2/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2 upto 150W
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=8_129&item_id=025338)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866MHz CL9 DIMMs (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_311_312_613&item_id=035071)
GPU: ASUS (GTX760-DC2OC-2GD5) GeForce GTX 760 2GB GDDR5
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=43_1200_557_559&item_id=061635)
Boot SSD: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=179_1229_1088&item_id=053762)
Storage HDD: WD Black 2TB 3.5" SATA3 7200RPM 64MB Cache OEM Hard Drive
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=15_1086_210_212&item_id=035360)
Optical Disk Drive: Pioneer (BDC-207DBK) Internal Blu-Ray Combo Drive, OEM - Black, SATA
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=3_54&item_id=051179)
Display: ASUS MX239H 23" Widescreen Full HD AH-IPS LED-backlit and Frameless Monitor (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_1195_700_705&item_id=057087)
Speakers: M-Audio Studiophile AV30 Version II
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=35_663_655&item_id=046354)

TOTAL: $1633.90 with sale prices, pre-tax

Does not include: Windows 7, Office 2013 Student, Mouse, Keyboard

Questions:
- Anything else to add?
- Anything to change?
- For my goals, do I need the i7 4770K, or would I be fine with the i7 3770K?

Thanks for all your advice.

 

[O.DOGG]

Anyone here use this on their PC?



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J4ZOAW/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Never really had a dust problem but my PC is sorta a dust monster. It think it's probably because I went from a PC build that had 3 fans running at 700rpm to having 5 fans running at 1,700 rpm for intake. I keep a damn clean apartment too.

Yeah, I have one I'm using on my various PCs. I'm very pleased with it, I think it's well worth the price. I clean my main PC every couple of months when the dust starts becoming unbearable (and I'm too lazy to disconnect all those cables more frequently than that), it looks like new afterwards. Very, very handy.

 

[Coldsnap]

Anyone using frame limiter feature on EVGA precision?

What benefit would I have of a framerate past 60fps is my screen (3008wfp) is limited to 60hz?

for me, it seems to create screen tearing (vsync is off).

Anything past what your screen can show will cause screen tearing. So you can either lock it at 60 with rivatuner, or turn on v sync through the game or Nvidia control panel, or lock it at 59FPS with rivatuner and turn on v sync to reduce input lag.

 

[Azulsky]

Time for a new PC. Haven't built one since 2005, and have been rocking a laptop since 2007 (XPS M1710).

Goals: Mid-upper tier gaming rig. Will NOT overclock, don't need anything blazingly fast. Just enough to play past/current gen at reasonable settings, maybe a few future releases with moderate settings. Honestly, will be used more for general usage.

Goal Price: $2000

Case: BitFenix Prodigy Midnight Black Edition Mini-ITX (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_631&item_id=049443)
Power supply: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W 80PLUS Bronze Certified Power (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_441&item_id=054102)
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI (rev. 1.0) Socket 1150 Intel Z87 Chipset (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_1207_1206_1201&item_id=061942)
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 Quad-Core Processor - Socket LGA1150, 3.4Ghz, 8MB L3 Cache, 22nm (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=4_1210_65&item_id=060638)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 PWM CPU Cooler for Intel Socket 1150/1155/1156/1366/775 & AMD Socket FM1/FM2/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2 upto 150W
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=8_129&item_id=025338)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866MHz CL9 DIMMs (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_311_312_613&item_id=035071)
GPU: ASUS (GTX760-DC2OC-2GD5) GeForce GTX 760 2GB GDDR5
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=43_1200_557_559&item_id=061635)
Boot SSD: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=179_1229_1088&item_id=053762)
Storage HDD: WD Black 2TB 3.5" SATA3 7200RPM 64MB Cache OEM Hard Drive
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=15_1086_210_212&item_id=035360)
Optical Disk Drive: Pioneer (BDC-207DBK) Internal Blu-Ray Combo Drive, OEM - Black, SATA
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=3_54&item_id=051179)
Display: ASUS MX239H 23" Widescreen Full HD AH-IPS LED-backlit and Frameless Monitor (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_1195_700_705&item_id=057087)
Speakers: M-Audio Studiophile AV30 Version II
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=35_663_655&item_id=046354)

TOTAL: $1633.90 with sale prices, pre-tax

Does not include: Windows 7, Office 2013 Student, Mouse, Keyboard

Questions:
- Anything else to add?
- Anything to change?
- For my goals, do I need the i7 4770K, or would I be fine with the i7 3770K?

Thanks for all your advice.

To meet your 2k goal
128GB --> 256GB

760 --> 770

Definitely get Haswell

 

[LordAlu]

Time for a new PC. Haven't built one since 2005, and have been rocking a laptop since 2007 (XPS M1710).

Goals: Mid-upper tier gaming rig. Will NOT overclock, don't need anything blazingly fast. Just enough to play past/current gen at reasonable settings, maybe a few future releases with moderate settings. Honestly, will be used more for general usage.

Goal Price: $2000

Case: BitFenix Prodigy Midnight Black Edition Mini-ITX (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_631&item_id=049443)
Power supply: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W 80PLUS Bronze Certified Power (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_441&item_id=054102)
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI (rev. 1.0) Socket 1150 Intel Z87 Chipset (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_1207_1206_1201&item_id=061942)
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 Quad-Core Processor - Socket LGA1150, 3.4Ghz, 8MB L3 Cache, 22nm (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=4_1210_65&item_id=060638)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 PWM CPU Cooler for Intel Socket 1150/1155/1156/1366/775 & AMD Socket FM1/FM2/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2 upto 150W
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=8_129&item_id=025338)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866MHz CL9 DIMMs (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_311_312_613&item_id=035071)
GPU: ASUS (GTX760-DC2OC-2GD5) GeForce GTX 760 2GB GDDR5
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=43_1200_557_559&item_id=061635)
Boot SSD: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=179_1229_1088&item_id=053762)
Storage HDD: WD Black 2TB 3.5" SATA3 7200RPM 64MB Cache OEM Hard Drive
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=15_1086_210_212&item_id=035360)
Optical Disk Drive: Pioneer (BDC-207DBK) Internal Blu-Ray Combo Drive, OEM - Black, SATA
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=3_54&item_id=051179)
Display: ASUS MX239H 23" Widescreen Full HD AH-IPS LED-backlit and Frameless Monitor (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_1195_700_705&item_id=057087)
Speakers: M-Audio Studiophile AV30 Version II
(http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=35_663_655&item_id=046354)

TOTAL: $1633.90 with sale prices, pre-tax

Does not include: Windows 7, Office 2013 Student, Mouse, Keyboard

Questions:
- Anything else to add?
- Anything to change?
- For my goals, do I need the i7 4770K, or would I be fine with the i7 3770K?

Thanks for all your advice.

You don't really need the i7 for it to be honest - you could just go for the i5-4670K - and you can always overclock later for free extra performance. Personally I would drop the power supply down a bit - the BP550 plus will more than do for your hardware, don't need that big 750W in there (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_444&item_id=13514H). I'd also go for Windows 8 over 7 for DirectX 11.2 support
With the money saved on the i7 you could always bump up the graphics card to a 770 too.

Edit: Actually with the saving that power supply is only $15 more so I'd probably stick with it.

 

[kharma45]

Returning my Z75 PRO 3 to Amazon. Tired of it defaulting to on-board video when it feels like it and the CPU core speed and bus speed have started getting weird too. Stumping up the extra £30 for the ASUS Z77 LK like I should've done first time around. Or maybe the MSI G45, it's about £20 less and would probably still do for my 2500K :\

 

[Addnan]

Returning my Z75 PRO 3 to Amazon. Tired of it defaulting to on-board video when it feels like it and the CPU core speed and bus speed have started getting weird too. Stumping up the extra £30 for the ASUS Z77 LK like I should've done first time around.

Get a GD65

Look at this beauty. Doesn't have that nasty dragon stuff either.

 

[kharma45]

Get a GD65

Look at this beauty. Doesn't have that nasty dragon stuff either.

G45 looks almost the same

I know I don't want to go much over £100, LK was gonna be top of my budget but the little G45 seems to get a lot of good reviews and would save me £20.

Halp.

 

[Addnan]

You know that you can't go wrong with either.

I like MSI, have always had MSI, probably will always buy MSI boards. Not sure how the G45 is in overclocking though, the GD65 provides power to my 3570K like a champ and could probably go stable at 4.8 if not for heat. If the G45 is anywhere near as good I would get it.

 

[kharma45]

Just looking at reviews, seems to be competent for OCing. Got a i7 3770k to 4.8ghz with 1.3 volts. Think I'll get it and save my cash over the LK.

 

[Eaten By A Grue]

Case: BitFenix Prodigy Midnight Black Edition Mini-ITX (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_631&item_id=049443)

I had that case and I have to warn you be careful with the power supply. Things are really tight in the case and I am not sure if 700W would fit in it. I had to buy a ~500W supply I believe. Modular power supplies are really difficult to put in there. I ended up returning the case and getting a Define R4 Black Pearl instead.

 

[Haly]

Getting a 'bootmgr is missing' error when I tried to boot from an external hard drive with a Windows7.iso on it. I've run bootsect.exe on it successfully so I don't know what's up.

 

[The_Hitcher89]

Get a GD65

Look at this beauty. Doesn't have that nasty dragon stuff either.

Pfft...




Think I'm gonna keep the DVD drive and just leave it in there, that way I won't have to spend £20 on Stalker or FEAR. That means I'll need another SATA cable though, and I'm not sure I can stretch to 99p

 

[Addnan]

Pfft...




Think I'm gonna keep the DVD drive and just leave it in there, that way I won't have to spend £20 on Stalker or FEAR. That means I'll need another SATA cable though, and I'm not sure I can stretch to 99p

£20 for Fear or Stalker? Madness. Wait for the Autumn sale, those games go <£5 on steam.

 

[The_Hitcher89]

£20 for Fear or Stalker? Madness. Wait for the Autumn sale, those games go <£5 on steam.

Not sure how much FEAR is, Stalker was 20 last time I checked.

fake edit: £17 between them. Can you run old game-discs through Steam and save those saves to the cloud?

 

[kennah]

Not sure how much FEAR is, Stalker was 20 last time I checked.

fake edit: £17 between them. Can you run old game-discs through Steam and save those saves to the cloud?

1. Only buy games during the Christmas and Summer sales. Never buy a game that is not a daily deal. NEVER BUY A GAME THAT IS NOT A DAILY DEAL.

2. As a rule unless it is a steamworks game you cannot add it to steam and save to the clould. Stalker and Fear are not steamworks games.

 

[Battersea Power Station]

Any amazing deals on SSDs?

 

[kharma45]

Any amazing deals on SSDs?

UK?

 

[Battersea Power Station]

No, I'm in the US (New York).

 

[RukusProvider]

Is this the thread to ask about headphones in?

Looking for a gaming only headset. My Senn 280Pro's are beaten and need to be replaced.

Want something that sounds great for gaming, has a mic and comfortable to wear.

No real budget but not looking for the 10x the price for the last 5% of performance either.