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[SpyGuy239]

Well, noone wanted to buy the 3570k (wanted an i7 for once) and 670 GTX. So Im gonna keep my Haswell i7 w/ 670 GTX, and build a second computer for my office with the 3570k and a 550 ti (the 670 will replace this when I buy a 780 soon). Trying to figure out a good case to use for my new build!

Ive got my eye on the Corsair 600t, but I cant help but get that "gamer case" itch! Im not sure if I want something that my wife will roll her eyes with, or just get something that looks "nice"! Im talking case window, flashing lights... I want this thing to look like a Daft Punk concert is going on inside.

Ever considered a full acrylic case? Those are awesome! Here's one of my old builds:

 

[Addnan]

Well, noone wanted to buy the 3570k (wanted an i7 for once) and 670 GTX. So Im gonna keep my Haswell i7 w/ 670 GTX, and build a second computer for my office with the 3570k and a 550 ti (the 670 will replace this when I buy a 780 soon). Trying to figure out a good case to use for my new build!

Ive got my eye on the Corsair 600t, but I cant help but get that "gamer case" itch! Im not sure if I want something that my wife will roll her eyes with, or just get something that looks "nice"! Im talking case window, flashing lights... I want this thing to look like a Daft Punk concert is going on inside.

Lol, they might look cool for a while, but could get annoying. The craziest I would go with a case is getting it in white. White cases are sexy.

 

[ElfArmy177]

Ever considered a full acrylic case? Those are awesome! Here's one of my old builds:

I like it, but worry my "wiring job" would make it look terrible. Its already difficult to hide everything to make it look nice. Some of the people on here wire a computer like Sony develops a console, and it makes me very jelous!

Lol, they might look cool for a while, but could get annoying. The craziest I would go with a case is getting it in white. White cases are sexy.

Yea my brother got a Thermaltake white case that looked really nice. Any electronic in white looks sexy anyways lol. I actually liked this for some reason, though it looks like a bitch to cool!

 

[kharma45]

I'm only going to to a little bit of overclocking, so that doesn't really bother me.
My main concern has to do with the GPU. I want a GPU that'll last me 3-4 years. I don't know if I can justify buying a card that's €100 more expensive, but is "just" 15% better.

As for the PSU, I previously had the XFX pro 550W in mind, but it's recommended to have a 600W PSU for the GTX 770. Would the XFX pro 550W be sufficient?

A 770 will last 3-4 years but not being a top of the line card. My advice would be get a 760 and upgrade after 2 years. 550w is plenty for a single GPU system.

First time using Flubit

Flubit ftw. I used them for The Last of Us and nabbed it for £30. Wish they'd been around when building my last PC, would've stuck everything through them.

Thanks Addnan. very helpful. Just needed some reassurance, since I don't buy PSUs every so often. My old one was plenty reliable.

I'll go with the Corsair TX850. Seems like real quality stuff. Has 4x PCI-E as well.

Cheers dude.

TX 850 is overpriced. It's a Bronze unit competing with stuff like this http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-75...4_1372407034_95b7933d1ea705ae11429e64335b6cb4

This for less dosh would also do the same job http://www.ebuyer.com/480180-xfx-pr...pply-unit-semi-modular-design-80-p1-750x-xxb9

 

[SpyGuy239]

TX 850 is overpriced. It's a Bronze unit competing with stuff like this http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-75...4_1372407034_95b7933d1ea705ae11429e64335b6cb4

This for less dosh would also do the same job http://www.ebuyer.com/480180-xfx-pr...pply-unit-semi-modular-design-80-p1-750x-xxb9

Ah I see. I don't know much about XFX & PSUs though, except they used to sell nVidia cards until the deal fell through. Same reliability as the Corsair TX?

Also how much difference does Bronze and Gold really make? I've always stuck with bronze. Gold seems to be over killing it for my needs/budget.

 

[Addnan]

XFX PSU are all seasonic units, so they are all top notch stuff.

 

[Ryoku]

Will be getting an ASRock Z77 Extreme4, i7-3770K, Gigabyte GTX 770 4GB, 8GB DDR3-1866 (2x4) RAM as soon as I sell of my BTC within the next couple of days.

The mobo and CPU will be part of a bundle for $345 at a local Microcenter store.

Gonna have a good time

I'll be keeping a GTX460 as a dedicated physx card just because I can.

 

[Mad Max]

Will be getting an ASRock Z77 Extreme4, i7-3770K, Gigabyte GTX 770 4GB, 8GB DDR3-1866 (2x4) RAM as soon as I sell of my BTC within the next couple of days.

The mobo and CPU will be part of a bundle for $345 at a local Microcenter store.

Gonna have a good time

I'll be keeping a GTX460 as a dedicated physx card just because I can.

If you want to OC beware that the extreme4 has a pretty bad VRM section, that's not really equipped to handle higher than stock voltages. For OCing go with the Extreme 6 (for example) as it is much better in that regard.

 

[Addnan]

Will be getting an ASRock Z77 Extreme4, i7-3770K, Gigabyte GTX 770 4GB, 8GB DDR3-1866 (2x4) RAM as soon as I sell of my BTC within the next couple of days.

The mobo and CPU will be part of a bundle for $345 at a local Microcenter store.

Gonna have a good time

I'll be keeping a GTX460 as a dedicated physx card just because I can.

Any other boards in that bundle? MSI, ASUS Gigabyte?

 

[Ryoku]

Any other boards in that bundle? MSI, ASUS Gigabyte?

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

Scroll a bit down for the 3770k bundles.

If you want to OC beware that the extreme4 has a pretty bad VRM section, that's not really equipped to handle higher than stock voltages. For OCing go with the Extreme 6 (for example) as it is much better in that regard.

If I go with the Extreme6, it'd end up costing me $75 more than the bundle with the Extreme4. Is the Extreme4 really that bad for overclocking? For what it's worth, my friend has the same CPU/mobo setup, and he has his CPU OC to 4.1 (Cooler Master V6 GT CPU cooler).

 

[Addnan]

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

Scroll a bit down for the 3770k bundles.



If I go with the Extreme6, it'd end up costing me $75 more than the bundle with the Extreme4. Is the Extreme4 really that bad for overclocking? For what it's worth, my friend has the same CPU/mobo setup, and he has his CPU OC to 4.1 (Cooler Master V6 GT CPU cooler).

Get the Asus P8Z77-V LK, its a good board and one of the recommended ones here.

 

[LunaticHigh]

I've got a machine at home with an i5, 8gb of ram, a decent motherboard and an antec 300 case.

I want to get into moderate gaming, but my old video card died. That being said, it died when water was spilled into the case while running by one of the kids.

I put an 8800GT (god bless that old card) in after the disaster, and everything seems to work fine, it seems like only the video card was damaged. I was able to play games fine with no crashes and such.

I want to upgrade to a better video card, should I just get a new machine?

While I'm at it, what would be the best card to get for under 200$? I'm guessing a GTX 660 or something?

I'm thinking about just replacing the ram, video card and hdd in the old machine.

 

[Roland1979]

If you want to OC beware that the extreme4 has a pretty bad VRM section, that's not really equipped to handle higher than stock voltages. For OCing go with the Extreme 6 (for example) as it is much better in that regard.

Thank you for sharing. Why is everybody recommending Extreme4 for overclocking? DO they just assume you will only do a light oc? Are there better 1155 socket alternatives in that price class, with overclocking in mind?

 

[Mad Max]

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

Scroll a bit down for the 3770k bundles.


If I go with the Extreme6, it'd end up costing me $75 more than the bundle with the Extreme4. Is the Extreme4 really that bad for overclocking? For what it's worth, my friend has the same CPU/mobo setup, and he has his CPU OC to 4.1 (Cooler Master V6 GT CPU cooler).

Like Addnan said: The P8Z77-V LK is a solid alternative in that case, and it's cheaper too (somehow).

Thank you for sharing. Why is everybody recommending Extreme4 for overclocking? DO they just assume you will only do a light oc? Are there better 1155 socket alternatives in that price class, with overclocking in mind?

I'm not sure why people recommend it, but it's probably because the past versions of the Extreme 4 were better in that regard than the s1155 version. But like I said the Extreme6 is a good OC mobo as is the GA-Z77X-UD3H, both are around the same price. However I'm not sure about the US prices, since (judging from that microcenter site) the price difference between those boards is much bigger than here in the EU.

 

[Roland1979]

I'm not sure why people recommend it, but it's probably because the past versions of the Extreme 4 were better in that regard than the s1155 version. But like I said the Extreme6 is a good OC mobo as is the GA-Z77X-UD3H, both are around the same price. However I'm not sure about the US prices, since (judging from that microcenter site) the price difference between those boards is much bigger than here in the EU.

GB Is slightly cheaper then E6 here, not a big difference. My gut feeling says Gb for build quality. Will not use more then one SSD and one HDD and already have sound card. Will not use MoBo software much but separate tools mostly focused on separate hardware (like CPU-Z, GPU-Z and Speedfan).

 

[Regret Truth]

FML

Got brave and decided to upgrade to windows 8.1....

First problem:

-BSOD MEMORY_MANGEMENT error. This was caused by the previously installed ASUS GPU tweak program. Fixed by loading into safe mode-running MSCONFIG and disabling and removing the program.

Next problem....

NONE of my USB 3.0 ports work on my ASUS P8Z77-V LK motherboard. I've tried to update my drivers but nothing seems to work. Here is what Device manager looks like:

Word of advice.... DONT INSTALL WINDOW 8.1 PREVIEW

 

[Jibbajabbawockky]

So I have been browsing for a GPU upgrade for the past month or so to replace my 5770.

Now that the 760 is out, I'm leaning heavily towards that. Is the only 4GB version of the 760 this EVGA model?

I can't find many reviews or benchmarks with the 4GB version. Is the consensus that the 760 is about on par with the 7950 in terms of performance?

 

[Dave_6]

I've had a corneal ulcer in my eye for about a week so I've had my PC off since I couldn't see well enough to play anything. Turned it on last night since my vision has gotten better and it hung on the MSI 'Bios' screen for about 20 secs then automatically restarted. On the restart it booted up quickly and properly like it is supposed to. Any idea what may have caused the freeze and restart? Little shit like this is the kind of stuff that frustrates me.

 

[SpyGuy239]

Went for the XFX 850W Black Edition PSU in the end, same price as the Corsair TX850W but better in all aspects after trolling through reviews.

Thanks again Addnan and kharma45 for the advice/suggestions.

Eagerly looking forward to switching out the old PSU to power my 2x 560Tis at Max Power (with some overclock =D) Goodbye random reboots.

 

[tarheel91]

Friend's got some RAM he doesn't need, and it's very similar to mine, but I had some questions:

-I've got 2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaw Series (CL9-9-9-24)

-He's got 2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaw X Series (exact same specs)

-He's got 1x8GB G.Skill Ripjaw X series (CL10-10-10-30)

Are there any real differences between the 2 "series?" As far as I can tell the only difference is the cooler.

Any chance I could run 2x8GB + 2x4GB or would the different latencies be less than ideal and I'd be better off going 4x4GB?

 

[KorrZ]

Looking into a PC upgrade soon for Total War: Rome 2. I'm not really trying to compete with next-gen but I'm looking for a solid base that will be able to support a few years of upgrades. So far I'm thinking of a mix of the Enthusiast/Extreme parts from the spreadsheet on the front page:

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced
ASUS Sabertooth X79
Intel Core i7 3770K
GTX 760 2GB
16GB DDR3
128GB SSD
650W PSU

Thoughts fellow GAFers?

 

[Smokey]

Looking into a PC upgrade soon for Total War: Rome 2. I'm not really trying to compete with next-gen but I'm looking for a solid base that will be able to support a few years of upgrades. So far I'm thinking of a mix of the Enthusiast/Extreme parts from the spreadsheet on the front page:

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced
ASUS Sabertooth X79
Intel Core i7 3770K
GTX 760 2GB
16GB DDR3
128GB SSD
650W PSU

Thoughts fellow GAFers?

The x79 is an enthusiast platform and is not compatible with the 3770k. With the x79 your options are the 3820 , 3930K (6 cores), and the 3970x (6 cores). The cost of going this route is significantly higher, but again your dealing with an enthusiast platform. If you want the 3770k, you want to get a z77 motherboard. I would go the z77 route and up that graphics card to at least a 770.

 

[kennah]

The x79 is an enthusiast platform and is not compatible with the 3770k. With the x79 your options are the 3820 , 3930K (6 cores), and the 3970x (6 cores). The cost of going this route is significantly higher, but again your dealing with an enthusiast platform. If you want the 3770k, you want to get a z77 motherboard. I would go the z77 route and up that graphics card to at least a 770.

This, plus bear in mind that the 3770K is the fastest of all the Ivy Bridge CPUs, so that is as far as that motherboard will go.

That said, it's a stellar CPU and could easily last a few years with the right overclocking and comparable video card.

What is your budget? Fill out the survey in the OP so we can answer your questions better.

 

[Pro]

So I have been browsing for a GPU upgrade for the past month or so to replace my 5770.

Now that the 760 is out, I'm leaning heavily towards that. Is the only 4GB version of the 760 this EVGA model?

I can't find many reviews or benchmarks with the 4GB version. Is the consensus that the 760 is about on par with the 7950 in terms of performance?

According to this chart the 760 outperforms the 7970 and 7990.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

And here I just bought a 3GB 7970 yesterday for $30 more than the 4GB GTX 760. WTH? Should I go with the 760 instead?

 

[HoosTrax]

According to this chart the 760 outperforms the 7970 and 7990.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

And here I just bought a 3GB 7970 yesterday for $30 more than the 4GB GTX 760. WTH? Should I go with the 760 instead?

That is one synthetic benchmark. Not an actual gaming benchmark.

 

[Pro]

That is one synthetic benchmark. Not an actual gaming benchmark.

Granted, but the 760 does have slightly better clock speeds. Can probably OC the 7970 to the same speeds at any rate, but the extra 1GB of memory is what I'm upset with now.

 

[kennah]

Yeah, it's a weird chart. The 570 is not faster than the 660... I think it just reads memory bandwidth or something? Nothing actually applicable.

 

[HoosTrax]

Granted, but the 760 does have slightly better clock speeds. Can probably OC the 7970 to the same speeds at any rate, but the extra 1GB of memory is what I'm upset with now.

Omg, you are not comparing clock speeds across different GPU architectures are you? This isn't even applicable across chips by the same manufacturer, much less ones from different manufacturers.

 

[KorrZ]

The x79 is an enthusiast platform and is not compatible with the 3770k. With the x79 your options are the 3820 , 3930K (6 cores), and the 3970x (6 cores). The cost of going this route is significantly higher, but again your dealing with an enthusiast platform. If you want the 3770k, you want to get a z77 motherboard. I would go the z77 route and up that graphics card to at least a 770.

Thanks for the advice! See that's always something I would forget to check, that's why I come to you GAF <3.

This, plus bear in mind that the 3770K is the fastest of all the Ivy Bridge CPUs, so that is as far as that motherboard will go.

That said, it's a stellar CPU and could easily last a few years with the right overclocking and comparable video card.

What is your budget? Fill out the survey in the OP so we can answer your questions better.

Sorry, I totally skipped over that survey!

Current specs -

GIGABYTE AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX
ADATA Premier Srs 4GB 240Pin DDR3 1333 x 2
AMD ATHLON II X4 640 3.0GHZ AM3 CPU
Radeon HD 7750
1TB SATA HDD

Budget - $1500 - $2000

Main use - Gaming, Emulation (PS2/Wii) and General Usage are all I'm interested in I don't need 3D/Model work, video editing or anything like that.

Monitor - 1920x1080, no plans to upgrade until something beyond 1080p becomes the "Standard"

Specific games - I want to be able to run Total War: Rome 2 at max settings while maintaining 60 FPS. Metro: Last Light is also a good visual benchmark for something I'd like to achieve at high settings with 60 FPS. I'd like to have the option to enable things like PHYSX without bringing my system to an absolute crawl.

Reuse parts - Only my optical drive and 1TB SATA HDD

When - I want to have it ready for Rome 2's release in September.

Overclocking - I've never really done it...so maybe?

So based on these answers... should I take Smokey's advice on the z77 + 3770k and a 770, or is there a better configuration?

Thanks again GAF.

 

[djshauny]

Thanks to gaf user kharma45 for he helpful advice yesterday.

Haswell build tommorow

 

[Kydd BlaZe]

Total PC noob here, but I was wondering how this build would work:

i7 3770K
GTX Titan
Seasonic X650 Gold (650W)
16 GB RAM
MSI Z77 MPower
Samsung 840 Pro 128 SSD
1TB HDD
Fractal Design Define XL R2

What sort of cooler should I use with this build? Would this power supply be sufficient?

 

[kennah]

Thanks for the advice! See that's always something I would forget to check, that's why I come to you GAF <3.



Sorry, I totally skipped over that survey!

Current specs -

GIGABYTE AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX
ADATA Premier Srs 4GB 240Pin DDR3 1333 x 2
AMD ATHLON II X4 640 3.0GHZ AM3 CPU
Radeon HD 7750
1TB SATA HDD

Budget - $1500 - $2000

Main use - Gaming, Emulation (PS2/Wii) and General Usage are all I'm interested in I don't need 3D/Model work, video editing or anything like that.

Monitor - 1920x1080, no plans to upgrade until something beyond 1080p becomes the "Standard"

Specific games - I want to be able to run Total War: Rome 2 at max settings while maintaining 60 FPS. Metro: Last Light is also a good visual benchmark for something I'd like to achieve at high settings with 60 FPS. I'd like to have the option to enable things like PHYSX without bringing my system to an absolute crawl.

Reuse parts - Only my optical drive and 1TB SATA HDD

When - I want to have it ready for Rome 2's release in September.

Overclocking - I've never really done it...so maybe?

So based on these answers... should I take Smokey's advice on the z77 + 3770k and a 770, or is there a better configuration?

Thanks again GAF.

Do you have a monitor already? $1500-2000 without a Monitor is a hell of a machine. You could go with the Socket 2011 for that budget and get something pretty heavily upgradeable in a couple years.

 

[KorrZ]

Do you have a monitor already? $1500-2000 without a Monitor is a hell of a machine. You could go with the Socket 2011 for that budget and get something pretty heavily upgradeable in a couple years.

Yes, I do have a good monitor already. It's been awhile since I've upgraded so, I'm ready to drop some decent cash into it. I just need some help since I'm terrible at picking individual parts that will work well together (as you can see from my first post containing 2 incompatible parts!)

 

[Diablos]

Question: I'm using a 95W FX 6300 CPU and running Prime95.

Using HWiNFO64 I'm noticing a 10C variance between two sensors.

The CPU 0 sensor states a max of 57-58C while running Prime95.
However, there is also a Fintek sensor that has it at 67-68C. Which one is accurate? I believe max TDP for FX series CPU's is 61-62C if you don't want to significantly shorten its lifespan (for the 125W ones anyway - not sure about mine)

There is also an 'Auxiliary' reading of 58C and a "T1/D1+" reading of 67-68C while benching. Anyway know what these are?

 

[mkenyon]

Well, noone wanted to buy the 3570k (wanted an i7 for once) and 670 GTX. So Im gonna keep my Haswell i7 w/ 670 GTX, and build a second computer for my office with the 3570k and a 550 ti (the 670 will replace this when I buy a 780 soon). Trying to figure out a good case to use for my new build!

Ive got my eye on the Corsair 600t, but I cant help but get that "gamer case" itch! Im not sure if I want something that my wife will roll her eyes with, or just get something that looks "nice"! Im talking case window, flashing lights... I want this thing to look like a Daft Punk concert is going on inside.

There you go

So based on these answers... should I take Smokey's advice on the z77 + 3770k and a 770, or is there a better configuration?

Thanks again GAF.

Yes.

Total PC noob here, but I was wondering how this build would work:

i7 3770K
GTX Titan
Seasonic X650 Gold (650W)
16 GB RAM
MSI Z77 MPower
Samsung 840 Pro 128 SSD
1TB HDD
Fractal Design Define XL R2

What sort of cooler should I use with this build? Would this power supply be sufficient?

Drop down to a Define R4, no need for a case that big unless you want full water.

The H60 is a good fit with that setup, IMO. Build I did for a fellow GAF'er

 

[kennah]

Yes, I do have a good monitor already. It's been awhile since I've upgraded so, I'm ready to drop some decent cash into it. I just need some help since I'm terrible at picking individual parts that will work well together (as you can see from my first post containing 2 incompatible parts!)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($83.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($319.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($123.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($449.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($139.48 @ Newegg)
Total: $1587.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-28 12:18 EDT-0400)

I think this is a good start. Some people might have opinions about how to make it better.

EDIT: Changed to 1.5V ram instead of 1.6V

 

[RSTEIN]

I think this is a good start. Some people might have opinions about how to make it better.

Switch to Define R4 Arctic

 

[Kydd BlaZe]

Drop down to a Define R4, no need for a case that big unless you want full water.

The H60 is a good fit with that setup, IMO. Build I did for a fellow GAF'er

Ok. Thanks man. Much appreciated.

Do you think the power supply is good enough, though?

 

[kennah]

Ok. Thanks man. Much appreciated.

Do you think the power supply is good enough, though?

That PSU is more than good enough. Power consumption has gone down not up.

 

[mkenyon]

Ok. Thanks man. Much appreciated.

Do you think the power supply is good enough, though?

Yeah, that'll handle any single GPU setup.

 

[KorrZ]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($83.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($319.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($123.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($449.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($139.48 @ Newegg)
Total: $1587.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-28 12:18 EDT-0400)

I think this is a good start. Some people might have opinions about how to make it better.

EDIT: Changed to 1.5V ram instead of 1.6V

Thanks a lot for this. It seems very capable and the price is right. I don't think I'll make really any modifications. The case looks a bit boring, maybe that

 

[gabbo]

So GAF, am still putting together my new build, and have a question.
Is it worth adding in a discrete soundcard these days (I'm using 5.1 speaker setup, if that matters), or would the onboard be good enough?

I've never built a machine without one, but I'd like some opinions on the matter one way or another.

 

[Kydd BlaZe]

Yeah, that'll handle any single GPU setup.

That PSU is more than good enough. Power consumption has gone down not up.

Thanks guys!

 

[Addnan]

So GAF, am still putting together my new build, and have a question.
Is it worth adding in a discrete soundcard these days (I'm using 5.1 speaker setup, if that matters), or would the onboard be good enough?

I've never built a machine without one, but I'd like some opinions on the matter one way or another.

I think you should see how you feel after running it from onboard. If you don't like it then get a sound card, but onboard stuff has improved a lot.

 

[mkenyon]

So GAF, am still putting together my new build, and have a question.
Is it worth adding in a discrete soundcard these days (I'm using 5.1 speaker setup, if that matters), or would the onboard be good enough?

I've never built a machine without one, but I'd like some opinions on the matter one way or another.

If you are running it to a 5.1 setup, I assume it's both powered and probably has it's own DAC. In that case, you'll just want undecoded out, which you can do through optical or HDMI depending on your specific setup.

 

[kennah]

Thanks a lot for this. It seems very capable and the price is right. I don't think I'll make really any modifications. The case looks a bit boring, maybe that

Case is always a matter of personal preference

While boring the Define R4 is one of the best constructed and designed cases that exists right now. Everything is where it is supposed to be and the whole thing is designed to be quiet. I wasn't very keen on it until I saw one in person and get my hands on it. If you get a chance, go take a look at one, you might be sold on it.

Make sure to post what you're going to get so we can help make sure that the parts will fit.

 

[Mad Max]

GB Is slightly cheaper then E6 here, not a big difference. My gut feeling says Gb for build quality. Will not use more then one SSD and one HDD and already have sound card. Will not use MoBo software much but separate tools mostly focused on separate hardware (like CPU-Z, GPU-Z and Speedfan).

Then the GB seems like the best choice really, and tbh I'd take them over an Asrock myself, but that's mostly just personal preference. Btw here is a review on the UD3H that's somewhat more indepth than usual:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1252290/...rcuit-analysis-ln2-runs-efficiency-comparison

 

[kharma45]

GB Is slightly cheaper then E6 here, not a big difference. My gut feeling says Gb for build quality. Will not use more then one SSD and one HDD and already have sound card. Will not use MoBo software much but separate tools mostly focused on separate hardware (like CPU-Z, GPU-Z and Speedfan).

MSI GD55 is also a good board to look at.

 

[bro1]

Just OC'd my Samsung S27B350 monitor to 80hz and what a difference it makes! I went as high as 86 and backed it down to 80 just to be safe. Games are much smoother now and adative vsynch works like a charm.

 

[yatesl]

Unrelated to my melting overclocks, one of my HDDs is showing up as bad in Windows and S.M.A.R.T. I've had it for a while now, so it's not like a DoA new drive or anything.

Luckily, it's my "TV & Movies" drive. Unluckly, it's 2TB so will a) cost a bit to replace, and b) take forever to transfer the data.

It's the "Spin-Up Time" criteria, so there's no bad sectors or anything. Is this a lost cause/replace ASAP, or are we OK for now?