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[t-ramp]

Did you guys see the Dream Machine 2k13 article from MaximumPC?

http://www.maximumpc.com/dream_machine_2013?page=0,0

Pretty swagging.

Wonder why they went EVGA WB instead of EK or XSPC. I dont even know that the EVGA blocks cool the VRM.

Looks nice. Just looking at pictures, I think the Hydro Copper blocks cover the key components of the card like any full-cover block.

 

[Unknown One]

In hindsight I should have went with Haswell for emulating Wii and PS2 but oh well!! I'm still loving this machine, and emulation won't be too bad!

Yeah I was eyeing that i5,but I just went on ahead. It should run much cooler than mines.

 

[theshizzle]

I just upgraded from a Phenom II X4 960 to an i5 4670k. I'm thinking about upgrading my video card next. Would it be worth it to upgrade from a GTX 570 to a GTX 770 or should I wait for next years model?

What are you planning on doing with the phenom? I'm in the market for an AM3 chip. Let me know if you are looking to sell it.

 

[memecomplex]

SLI only even had microstutter in 2010(400 series) and they patched it out extremely quickly.

What you'll never patch out is animation roughness and latency without a tech overhaul.

 

[Zornack]

Since some technical details have been coming out of the AMD cards coming out next month how are they looking compared to the 780? From the threads I've glanced at people seem to think they'll all be midrange cards which can't match a 780, is that the consensus?

 

[zam]

noob question, but my brother got a new monitor and gave me his old one and I was going to it up and run dual monitors. One thing I noticed is my graphics card is quite a bit hotter while using two monitors, which I fully expected. The question is, should I be worried? It usually idles at 29-34c and with two monitors it can get upwards of 50-55c with just browsing and streaming netflix.

Running a EVGA 670

I have a 670 and had the same problem, the card won't throttle down when just browsing or watching videos with dual monitors. Not a big deal, my card is silent even when running at 50-60C. You can use the multi monitor power saver in Nvidia Inspector to force it to throttle down when not in game ( http://pcgamesbeat.blogspot.se/2012/08/enable-power-saving-mode-on-nvidia-gpus.html )

 

[kharma45]

Since some technical details have been coming out of the AMD cards coming out next month how are they looking compared to the 780? From the threads I've glanced at people seem to think they'll all be midrange cards which can't match a 780, is that the consensus?

I'd be surprised if AMD didn't match the 780.

 

[schandmann]

Currently, I'm sharing a system with three other people. This is it:
CPU: AMD A8-3800 @2.4GHz quad core
GPU: integrated 6550D
RAM: 8GB 1333MHz

My budget is $350 - $400. I live in MN, U.S., very close to a Micro Center.

Uses: Gaming, general usage, Game Maker/ Unity, Photoshop

Monitor: 1920x1080

I need to run TF2, L4D2, Gone Home, XCOM: EU, Sanits Row 3/4, and lots of 2D indie games. I'd like to run these at 1080p / 30FPS, regardless of settings.

I plan on building sometime in early October.

I won't need to OC.

This is what I have in mind so far, but I'm sure one of you can do better:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Fej9

Sorry I cluttered it with the wireless card and peripherals, but they factor into my budget. I don't need very much CPU now, but I plan on upgrading to an i5 later. this and the fact that I'll be running Linux made me shy away from an APU. I really appreciate any advice

How far can you stretch your budget? A 2GB HD 7850 or 650 Ti Boost would give you a sizable performance boost and will last you a lot longer. There's an MSI 650 Ti Boost on newegg right now for 135 AR.

 

[PandaL]

Currently, I'm sharing a system with three other people. This is it:
CPU: AMD A8-3800 @2.4GHz quad core
GPU: integrated 6550D
RAM: 8GB 1333MHz

My budget is $350 - $400. I live in MN, U.S., very close to a Micro Center.

Uses: Gaming, general usage, Game Maker/ Unity, Photoshop

Monitor: 1920x1080

I need to run TF2, L4D2, Gone Home, XCOM: EU, Sanits Row 3/4, and lots of 2D indie games. I'd like to run these at 1080p / 30FPS, regardless of settings.

I plan on building sometime in early October.

I won't need to OC.

This is what I have in mind so far, but I'm sure one of you can do better:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Fej9

Sorry I cluttered it with the wireless card and peripherals, but they factor into my budget. I don't need very much CPU now, but I plan on upgrading to an i5 later. this and the fact that I'll be running Linux made me shy away from an APU. I really appreciate any advice

The CPU will be the bottleneck in games until you upgrade to i5 later.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

So a while ago I got advice from this thread about my new PC build, which ended up being a BitFenix prodigy case, a haswell CPU yada yada yada. I was recycling my old Gigabyte 560 Ti for the vid card, which has served me well so far. I got the parts a while back and threw them together, installed windows etc, but I was still using my old PC since I didn't really have time to go through and sort out files I wanted to keep. I finally got around to that today, transferred it all over, and then pulled the Vid card out of my old machine and into the new one.

Unfortunately, it turns out that it doesn't fit. I mean technically the case can accept it, but not while also having a full sized hard drive in it. Unless there is some tardis shit inside one of the little goodie bags that came in the case, it's not physically possible. The part of the 3 1/2" bay that you grip to remove the HDD from the bay protrudes out a couple of inches and thus, the problem.

(Ignore the cabling I was frantically moving things around any old place to try and think of a way to fit it)

So before I have a full on meltdown and start banning people at random, I'd like to ask if there is something obvious I have overlooked, some alternate way I can set up the case or some such thing that will resolve this problem without having to just use a different case, buying a smaller video card or not having a HDD.

 

[rafbanaan]

Can't you take out that HDD bay in the middle?

 

[paperspace]

Is going from Creative X-Fi Titanium to Asus Xonar DGX considered an upgrade?

I'm pretty happy with X-Fi but the popular "microphone bug" is pretty annoying. Everyone on Skype/Mumble hear everything that I'm hearing.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Can't you take out that HDD bay in the middle?

Yes but where would it go? I have a HDD in there, 3TB.

 

[rafbanaan]

I see 2/3 HDD bays under it? So you can place your HDD in there and store that other HDD bay somewhere safe ^^

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

They're laptop drive bays. I have an SSD down there, but full size HDD won't fit.

 

[Jzero]

I see 2/3 HDD bays under it? So you can place your HDD in there and store that other HDD bay somewhere safe ^^

Even if that mini bay wasn't there i would have removed the bigger bay, it such a waste of space since you only have one drive.

 

[rafbanaan]

They're laptop drive bays. I have an SSD down there, but full size HDD won't fit.

Ow, I see


Edit:
You sure that those are laptop bays? An 3,5" should fit in it when I see this picture.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Well you're right it seems to be universal to both kinds of drive, I assumed it wasn't. This might be the fix.

Now the problem is trying to get the cabling right to fit those two things so close together. this is not going to be pretty.

 

[kennah]

Well you're right it seems to be universal to both kinds of drive, I assumed it wasn't. This might be the fix.

Now the problem is trying to get the cabling right to fit those two things so close together. this is not going to be pretty.

Yeah SFF is always tricky with cable routing. Good luck!

(The laptop drive only slots are vertical on the door panel and motherboard tray)

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Its all set up now. Thank god. I had to do unspeakable things to get the cables to fit.

 

[rafbanaan]

Thanks GAF for the help with my case/PSU!

Got my stuff in my new Fractal and damn, I love it.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Fractal is the case I just moved out of. Mine is a bit dented though. It was cool and quiet and stuff, but also huge and heavy.

 

[lostsupper]

Thanks GAF for the help with my case/PSU!



Got my stuff in my new Fractal and damn, I love it.

You can remove that upper HDD cage for better airlflow.

 

[Thorgal]

http://www.nvidia.com/object/win8-win7-winvista-64bit-327.23-whql-driver.html

New in GeForce R326 Drivers

Performance Boost – Increases performance by up to 19% for GeForce 400/500/600/700 series GPUs in several PC games vs. GeForce 320.49 WHQL-certified drivers. Results will vary depending on your GPU and system configuration. Here is one example of measured gains:
GeForce GTX 770:
Up to 15% in Dirt: Showdown
Up to 6% in Tomb Raider
GeForce GTX 770 SLI:
Up to 19% in Dirt: Showdown
Up to 11% in F1 2012
SLI Technology
Added SLI profile for Spinter Cell: Blacklist
Added SLI profile for Batman: Arkham Origins
SHIELD
Enables GeForce to SHIELD streaming. Learn more here.
4K Displays
Adds support for additional tiled 4K displays
Adds support for 4K FCAT testing
Extended support for tiled 4K feature

 

[factorybelt]

Don't want to clutter up this thread, but I have a 7850 2GB and a Seasonic PSU for sale over here, if there's any interest.

 

[kn1ves24]

So maybe this has been discussed before but I have a question about SSDs.

A little info first, I currently have a WD VelociRaptor 300GB 10k drive as my OS drive and a WD Black 1TB 7200 rpm drive that I use for bulk storage. Essentially I either symlink or install games/large apps/etc. to the 1TB drive.

I would like to go to SSDs but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that its worth it. My 1TB drive is almost full and the 300GB is about half full. I know that if I would replace both drives with (multiple) SSDs I would see a performance increase but I don't have the cash to buy that much space in SSD storage.

So my question is, if I would replace just the 300GB OS drive with SSDs am I really going to see much of a performance boost if I am loading games off the standard 1TB drive? My obvious thinking is no, but maybe I'm wrong.

 

[kennah]

So maybe this has been discussed before but I have a question about SSDs.

A little info first, I currently have a WD VelociRaptor 300GB 10k drive as my OS drive and a WD Black 1TB 7200 rpm drive that I use for bulk storage. Essentially I either symlink or install games/large apps/etc. to the 1TB drive.

I would like to go to SSDs but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that its worth it. My 1TB drive is almost full and the 300GB is about half full. I know that if I would replace both drives with (multiple) SSDs I would see a performance increase but I don't have the cash to buy that much space in SSD storage.

So my question is, if I would replace just the 300GB OS drive with SSDs am I really going to see much of a performance boost if I am loading games off the standard 1TB drive? My obvious thinking is no, but maybe I'm wrong.

Yes. Everything will be faster. Games don't get much of an improvement from being on an SSD anyway. But your overall Windows use will be much snappier.

Also it will be LOTS quieter.

 

[mkenyon]

Its all set up now. Thank god. I had to do unspeakable things to get the cables to fit.

After going through that this morning, I started to fear for the life of my account, considering I wrote the SFF guide!

Glad it worked out as intended.

 

[kennah]

In honour of its 10th birthday, I'm going to be putting together my Pentium 4 2.4GHz and doing stuff with it - if I can find a powersupply.

 

[mkenyon]

Thanks GAF for the help with my case/PSU!

Got my stuff in my new Fractal and damn, I love it.

Looks super solid. If you want to make that next level, remove the top HDD cage, mount the SSD's on the floor, back panel, wherever. That'll help out case air flow by not restricting the front intake.

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

Not sure if this is the place to post it but this is the machine I'm going to build when I get paid in a couple of days. I basically went off the Great - Best Value machine in the spreadsheet because that price range is about all I can afford right now. If anyone has any suggestions please post them. This is the first machine I'll be building in quite some time.


Corsair Carbide Series 200R
Seagate NAS HDD ST2000VN000 2TB 64MB
GIGABYTE GV-N660OC-2GD GeForce GTX 660 2GB
ASUS Xonar DGX 5.1
Antec BP550 Plus 550W
Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB)
BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z87X 3D LGA
Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA

Debating if its even worth getting the Xonar.

edit: Already have an okay monitor. Thats something I plan on updating later this year after I update my late 2011 mbp.

 

[factorybelt]

Not sure if this is the place to post it but this is the machine I'm going to build when I get paid in a couple of days. I basically went off the Great - Best Value machine in the spreadsheet because that price range is about all I can afford right now. If anyone has any suggestions please post them. This is the first machine I'll be building in quite some time.


Corsair Carbide Series 200R
Seagate NAS HDD ST2000VN000 2TB 64MB
GIGABYTE GV-N660OC-2GD GeForce GTX 660 2GB
ASUS Xonar DGX 5.1
Antec BP550 Plus 550W
Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB)
BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z87X 3D LGA
Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA

Debating if its even worth getting the Xonar.

edit: Already have an okay monitor. Thats something I plan on updating later this year after I update my late 2011 mbp.

What's the thought process on that particular hard drive?

You might want to consider trying to squeeze in an SSD somewhere in your build if you can swing it.

Maybe go for a 1TB WD Black or the like and drop the Xonar, and you'd be almost there.

 

[mkenyon]

The Seagate drive you have is intended for NAS use (Network Attached Storage), so has some firmware that won't play nice as a stand alone drive.

Do you *need* a Blu-Ray drive?

The Xonar gives you virtualized 5.1 sound. If you don't want that, or don't have great headphones, just use the onboard.

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

What's the thought process on that particular hard drive?

You might want to consider trying to squeeze in an SSD somewhere in your build if you can swing it.

Maybe go for a 1TB WD Black or the like and drop the Xonar, and you'd be almost there.

The Seagate drive you have is intended for NAS use (Network Attached Storage), so has some firmware that won't play nice as a stand alone drive.

Do you *need* a Blu-Ray drive?

The Xonar gives you virtualized 5.1 sound. If you don't want that, or don't have great headphones, just use the onboard.

Your right I just read about the NAS drive. I'll find another one I like. I just wanted huge storage. Onboard is really that good now eh? Not that I'm complaining it saves me money I just remember it used to be so terrible. Ya I would like a Blu Ray drive, its not too more expensive. I'll look into that WD Black drive now (even though I'm at work. Working at work? hah).

 

[kennah]

If you can, find the extra needed to go to a 760

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

If you can, find the extra needed to go to a 760

That much of a bump up from a 660?

 

[kennah]

That much of a bump up from a 660?

Huge. 30%

 

[mkenyon]

That would be my recommendation as well.

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

30% bump for only $50 more. Oh I can swing that for sure. I just won't be able to spend money elsewhere for a week or two .

 

[mkenyon]

Any chance you're in the Pac NW? I have some cases sitting around if so.

 

[kharma45]

7950 is also good at $200, very good in fact. I'd probably save my cash and grab it over the 760.

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

No I'm in Nor Cal. Right now I'm sitting at 1100 after tax and shipping. Not too bad.

 

[kennah]

No I'm in Nor Cal. Right now I'm sitting at 1100 after tax and shipping. Not too bad.

Koroviev has a great videocard in Cal for sale right now too. Check the bst thread

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

Koroviev has a great videocard in Cal for sale right now too. Check the bst thread

Awesome will do. Now I'm debating between a 760 and a 7950. God damnit lol.

 

[Addnan]

Awesome will do. Now I'm debating between a 760 and a 7950. God damnit lol.

Get the one that is cheaper. Performance wise they are extremely similar.

 

[rafbanaan]

Looks super solid. If you want to make that next level, remove the top HDD cage, mount the SSD's on the floor, back panel, wherever. That'll help out case air flow by not restricting the front intake.

Good idea, thanks!

Gunna be a pain to get power to the SSD's >_>

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

Get the one that is cheaper. Performance wise they are extremely similar.

Well the 7950 is cheaper. I've never really had problems with AMD drivers but I know a lot of people won't go to them. I'm guessing its not as bad as people make it out to be?


edit: I haven't really measured it but is that case big enough for the 7950? That card seems massive.

 

[Crisco]

So maybe this has been discussed before but I have a question about SSDs.

A little info first, I currently have a WD VelociRaptor 300GB 10k drive as my OS drive and a WD Black 1TB 7200 rpm drive that I use for bulk storage. Essentially I either symlink or install games/large apps/etc. to the 1TB drive.

I would like to go to SSDs but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that its worth it. My 1TB drive is almost full and the 300GB is about half full. I know that if I would replace both drives with (multiple) SSDs I would see a performance increase but I don't have the cash to buy that much space in SSD storage.

So my question is, if I would replace just the 300GB OS drive with SSDs am I really going to see much of a performance boost if I am loading games off the standard 1TB drive? My obvious thinking is no, but maybe I'm wrong.

I was literally in your exact same position, upgraded a 300GB VelociRaptor to 500GB Samsung 840 EVO. The answer is hell yes. Even with only SATA2 ports, the difference is staggering. Windows loads in less than 5 seconds, games that used to take forever to load are up and running almost instantly. It's amazing.

Is going from Creative X-Fi Titanium to Asus Xonar DGX considered an upgrade?

I'm pretty happy with X-Fi but the popular "microphone bug" is pretty annoying. Everyone on Skype/Mumble hear everything that I'm hearing.

I don't really know much about the microphone bug, but if your motherboard has onboard sound, tell Skype/Mumble to use that for your microphone instead of the X-Fi. Or just get a cheap USB mic/headset. If you're into binaural headphone surround sound, CMSS-3D as implemented on the X-Fi's is still the best.

 

[kharma45]

Well the 7950 is cheaper. I've never really had problems with AMD drivers but I know a lot of people won't go to them. I'm guessing its not as bad as people make it out to be?

Nope they're not.

Ever since they stopped pumping them out monthly they've become extremely stable. If you're looking at 7950s this Gigabyte at $200 is great, for a 760 this EVGA ACX at $250.

You'll not go wrong with either card.

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

Nope they're not.

Ever since they stopped pumping them out monthly they've become extremely stable. If you're looking at 7950s this Gigabyte at $200 is great, for a 760 this EVGA ACX at $250.

You'll not go wrong with either card.

Awesome thank you and everyone else for your help. I want to get the best bang for my buck.