• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

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

Status
Not open for further replies.

Seagoon

Member
The upgrade from 2500k to 4670 is inegible, if you OC that CPU you could fly by 4670 with ease, because the 4670 is non overclockable.

You could put that money into a Higher End GPU like a 290x or a 780\780i and a better PSU.

Edit: Sorry, didnt read the overclock part. Even if you dont overclock i dont think is a good way to spend yout money since the performance is not that different.

Thanks for your post - it has got me thinking if I really need a Mini-ITX system. Which I probably don't.

So what I'm leaning towards now is adding an SSD, better air cooler and a Radeon R9 280X and maybe overclocking my 2500K to eek a bit more performance out of it.

Should I be upgrading my Corsair 550TX PSU or should it be OK?
 

Thorgal

Member
Leaked specs of the 780 T ?I.


500x1000px-ll-0030baiyu0q.jpeg



Thread
 
If I'm lucky it's only going to be €20 more expensive, but that's in the best case scenario. I bet they'll ramp the price up once they have it in stock. The next best is €40 more expensive.
From what I've read the voltage is actually unlocked. Both Sapphire and some review sites have stated so. I'll find the source.

Nice, how's the fan noise and the coil whining? I heard the coil whining disappears after some use (or they end up getting used to it).
Is that the max stable OC you're able to get?

Fan noise is good, but there is some coil whine, it's the same as my old 6950 so I'm not sure what you're used to. I can push the OC more and keep it stable in kombuster but haven't tried pushing it past 1150/1700 in games though.
 

zainetor

Banned
A friend of mine has this psu:
Power rating 582W
max. peak load 650W
+3,3V 28A
+5V 30A
max. combined 160W
+12V1 22A
+12V2 22A
max. combinded 422W
Efficiency up to 86,87%
Standby consumption <1W
Security circuitry OCP, OVP, UVP, SCP, OPP

his configuration is 4670k and 7950 all stock. Does it have enough power to overclock the cpu and myabe even gpu?
 

kennah

Member
A friend of mine has this psu:
Power rating 582W
max. peak load 650W
+3,3V 28A
+5V 30A
max. combined 160W
+12V1 22A
+12V2 22A
max. combinded 422W
Efficiency up to 86,87%
Standby consumption <1W
Security circuitry OCP, OVP, UVP, SCP, OPP

his configuration is 4670k and 7950 all stock. Does it have enough power to overclock the cpu and myabe even gpu?

.... be tight, but possible. what brand?
 

yatesl

Member
Anyone have this issue with nVidia drivers? When installing them from the Geforce Experience, the screen just goes black. Doesn't turn off, but it's just black, no matter how long I leave it. If I push the power button, the PC doesn't turn off. I have to hold it down.

Whenever I do this, my BIOS pops up saying that there was an error and resets my overclock so I have to do that again, but that's not part of it. When Windows 8 loads up again, it's all fine - even the new drivers have installed.

It happens every time, whether I'm upgrading, or rolling back. Admittedly it's not a clean install, but still. Very weird - especially as it installs fine. I just leave it about 5 minutes, hard shut down, then carry on as normal.
 

Quote

Member
Are hybrid drives pointless for gaming or a good bang for the buck? I'll probably end up getting a 250gb EVO, but I can walk into a store and get a hybrid today.
 

lazybum

Neo Member
this feels like a silly question, but it's my first time doing this and I don't want to screw it up.

I'm building a PC and will get all the parts in by the end of this week except for the GPU, which I'll decide on sometime after the nVidia sale begins next week and the 780/780 Ti stuff shakes out. I'm ok going ahead and assembling everything else, installing windows and all the other stuff I'll have on there (steam, games, etc.) and then just install the GPU later when I finally decide and order one?

Logic tells me I should be fine, people swap out their GPUs all the time in already built systems, but my paranoia is getting the best of me since this is a first time install and not a replacement.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
this feels like a silly question, but it's my first time doing this and I don't want to screw it up.

I'm building a PC and will get all the parts in by the end of this week except for the GPU, which I'll decide on sometime after the nVidia sale begins next week and the 780/780 Ti stuff shakes out. I'm ok going ahead and assembling everything else, installing windows and all the other stuff I'll have on there (steam, games, etc.) and then just install the GPU later when I finally decide and order one?

Logic tells me I should be fine, people swap out their GPUs all the time in already built systems, but my paranoia is getting the best of me since this is a first time install and not a replacement.
Yea, no problem with that.
 

Don

Member
Hey guys, I asked for some help with choosing a build a few weeks ago and I'm just getting around to ordering the parts now. This was the build that I was going for:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£74.00 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£109.99 @ Novatech)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£79.35 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£264.34 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (£77.70 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£71.94 @ Scan.co.uk)
Other: Asus DirectCU II TOP Radeon HD 7970 AMD Graphics Card - 3GB (£221.75)
Total: £1067.06
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-21 22:21 BST+0100)

The power supply is currently out of stock at Scan until November and the next best price seems to be an additional £20 at Amazon. Would anyone recommend any alternative power supplies for this build?

Thanks again in advance.
 

Saterium

Member
Weird question.. I'm in the market for a new GPU. The 280x is really tempting but I pretty much need downsampling in order for my setup to work (different resolution monitor and TV).. Too bad it looks like AMD broke downsampling sometime ago.

I came across this link http://www.forum-3dcenter.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=9957265&postcount=6448 on Guru3D that shows a registry hack to get down sampling working again. Has anyone had any luck with this? If it works, I'll probably make the switch from Nvidia to AMD... if not, I'll just wait a couple weeks to see if the 770 drops in price. Thanks!
 

Sanctuary

Member
Yep . just look at this beast.

phanteksphtc14pecoolep8oee.jpg

Jesus Christ. That's definitely not something you would want on a board that is vertical. The ridiculous weight on many of the modern heat sinks is one of the reasons I decided to go with a liquid cooler this time around. Back plates only do so much.
 

Hawk269

Member
Can anyone recommend a good sound card for my Asus Rampage IV Extreme Motherboard? I am looking for 5.1 or 7.1.

Thanks!
 
What is the best graphics card I can buy for $400. Also, will the GTX 760 be able to run Titanfall?

Well there's currently only one card that's priced at $400, the 770 which is the same performance level as a 280x. You can wait for the 290x/290 to release to see if the 290 is at that price range or if the 770 gets a price drop. Also yes the 760 should be able to run titanfall quite easily though no one knows what maxing that game out will look like.
 
A four year old card will be able to run Titanfall.

LOL! Should have been more specific like Medium to high settings at 1280 X 1080-ish resolution and 40+ FPS. But we don't have the specs for PC-Fall yet so pointless to discuss

Well there's currently only one card that's priced at $400, the 770 which is the same performance level as a 280x. You can wait for the 290x/290 to release to see if the 290 is at that price range or if the 770 gets a price drop. Also yes the 760 should be able to run titanfall quite easily though no one knows what maxing that game out will look like.

Ok thanks but Titanfall was probably a bad example. How about Watch dogs? What kind of performance I can expect since we know the requirements for it?
 

LCGeek

formerly sane
Weird question.. I'm in the market for a new GPU. The 280x is really tempting but I pretty much need downsampling in order for my setup to work (different resolution monitor and TV).. Too bad it looks like AMD broke downsampling sometime ago.

I came across this link http://www.forum-3dcenter.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=9957265&postcount=6448 on Guru3D that shows a registry hack to get down sampling working again. Has anyone had any luck with this? If it works, I'll probably make the switch from Nvidia to AMD... if not, I'll just wait a couple weeks to see if the 770 drops in price. Thanks!

Someone just had a thread on amd downsampling be made easy for the 13.11 drivers. The trick works but unless you like dealing with that kind of bs nvidia is still easier in downsampling or lightboost and making it work.
 
My motherboard is a GIGABYTE B75M-D3H which is kinda mid tier I guess. It has Crossfire support and I suppose that DOES NOT mean it does SLI too, so what would be the AMD equivalent of the GTX 760 and 770?
 
Jesus Christ. That's definitely not something you would want on a board that is vertical. The ridiculous weight on many of the modern heat sinks is one of the reasons I decided to go with a liquid cooler this time around. Back plates only do so much.

Depending on the configuration, liquid coolers can put more force on a motherboard than a large air cooler. It depends greatly on the case and mounting position.
 

BY2K

Membero Americo
Am I gonna be alright with a i7 4770k and a 7970 with nothing but the stock heatsink and fans if I don't overclock? (Fractal Design R4 that comes with 2 140mm fans.)
 

Saterium

Member
Someone just had a thread on amd downsampling be made easy for the 13.11 drivers. The trick works but unless you like dealing with that kind of bs nvidia is still easier in downsampling or lightboost and making it work.

Yeah, the more I think about it.. the more it makes sense to just keep going green. I'd hate to worry about this stuff every time a new driver comes out. I guess PhysX is a nice plus too. Hope they announce some price drops on the 770 line when the 290x comes out.
 

Mulgrok

Member
After 4 years of nearly constant use my Samsung 1600p monitor is bugging out on me. I don't have the same supply of disposable income as back then. So, I used this thread to help get me oriented on replacement options, and finally settled on the Asus VG23AH after comparing prices of comparable alternatives.

In a week I will know if it was worth it. :p
 

DTKT

Member
Are there any meaningful differences between the Blue and Black WD drives? It seems that the Black is slightly more reliable and a tad faster, but do those really translate in real world applications? I do play games and run several virtual machines, but is it really worth the extra 25$? I'd rather save what I can and buy a SSD later.
 

Demigod Mac

Member
If someone with a Sound Blaster Z could shed some light . . .

I have Logitech z906 speakers, optical audio (toslink) connection.

I heard various discussions about the 5.1 encoded output (Dolby Digital / DTS) being somewhat limited? Like you have to switch between it and regular audio modes... Or you have to buy a license for it (or is that only for Creative's older cards?)?

What I'd really like is to be able to just plug and forget, have 5.1 work seamlessly between games/movies/music/systemaudio and just convert stereo when encounters stereo.
 

Sanctuary

Member
Depending on the configuration, liquid coolers can put more force on a motherboard than a large air cooler. It depends greatly on the case and mounting position.

I'm just going with an all-in-one for now, so nothing extravagant. I don't understand how something like that could put as much, if not more force on the mounting bracket compared to a 1.5lb+ piece of metal hanging perpendicularly. I could see it I guess if you're using a custom loop, with a more powerful pump, but I don't see how one of these simpler solutions would exert much force at all. They should also be a lot easier to transport, since you aren't going to have to worry about movement causing the heat sink to bounce up and down.

After 4 years of nearly constant use my Samsung 1600p monitor is bugging out on me. I don't have the same supply of disposable income as back then. So, I used this thread to help get me oriented on replacement options, and finally settled on the Asus VG23AH after comparing prices of comparable alternatives.

In a week I will know if it was worth it. :p

That is the same monitor that I have. I mostly bought it to have a screen with less than one frame of input lag for fighting games. I also made sure it was an IPS though so that the picture wouldn't look like total ass. So far, I don't really have any complaints, although I did have to return two of them due to the backlight bleed being awful (compared to my previous Dell). The one I have now still has a little bit of bleed, but it's really only noticeable in the darkest of dark screens when I'm reflexively glancing at the area I know it's the most pronounced. You probably also paid at least $50 less than I did at the beginning of the year.

The 3D sucks with it, as do the speakers, but the colors out of the box are great, and it has a nice picture. Plus it's very responsive. Do yourself a favor though and drop the brightness to at least 35 (max) and up the contrast to 80 (minimum). Set it to Standard and Warm if it's not already on those by default.

Are there any meaningful differences between the Blue and Black WD drives? It seems that the Black is slightly more reliable and a tad faster, but do those really translate in real world applications? I do play games and run several virtual machines, but is it really worth the extra 25$? I'd rather save what I can and buy a SSD later.

Don't really know how accurate the color coding is or if it really translates into that much of a real world difference, but blue is supposed to be their "bargain bin" generic drive, green is their slower, but more efficient drive, black are supposed to be "enthusiast/gaming" and red are for NAS.

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/Flyer/ENG/2178-701024.pdf

The only difference that I can see on the specs is the cache size and StableTrac, whatever that is. Oh, and you get a 5 year vs 3 year warranty.
 
I'm just going with an all-in-one for now, so nothing extravagant. I don't understand how something like that could put as much, if not more force on the mounting bracket compared to a 1.5lb+ piece of metal hanging perpendicularly. I could see it I guess if you're using a custom loop, with a more powerful pump, but I don't see how one of these simpler solutions would exert much force at all. They should also be a lot easier to transport, since you aren't going to have to worry about movement causing the heat sink to bounce up and down.

The hoses on an all-in-one like the H80i are very thick. Having to bend them to mount the radiator and fans can put a lot of pressure on the motherboard. For instance, I had an H80i mounted on a Maximus V Gene in a Define Mini. The tension of the hoses was such that I could never get a proper seal between the IHS and pump body.
 

Sanctuary

Member
The hoses on an all-in-one like the H80i are very thick. Having to bend them to mount the radiator and fans can put a lot of pressure on the motherboard. For instance, I had an H80i mounted on a Maximus V Gene in a Define Mini. The tension of the hoses was such that I could never get a proper seal between the IHS and pump body.

I'm going with a Corsair 350d and an x60 (which are supposed to have very good/flexible hoses), so I don't really forsee any issues. I get what you're saying, but I plan on moving my case every so often out of the house, and I just can't do that with a huge heatsink. Although who knows, maybe liquid cooling kits are just as bad in a car, but in a different way when dealing with vibrations/bumps.

Also not sure if the earlier Corsair all-in-one kits have swivel fittings on the CPU block, but the NZXT does.
 

adg1034

Member
I've been rocking a perfectly decent i5 2500k/Radeon 6970 system for a while now, but I've realized that my thermal performance has left a lot to be desired. Granted, I've had it OCed to 4.7GHz at 1.25/1.3V for 1440p gaming, but still- load temps in the 90s aren't anything to sneeze at. It's gotten to the point that I'm wondering if I applied my thermal paste correctly.

But instead of taking the safe route and reapplying the paste, I think it's time for a non-silicon upgrade: new case, new PSU, new CPU cooler.

For the case, I think I've narrowed it down to either the NZXT H630 or the Corsair Obsidian 750D (both links to Anandtech reviews). Do I need a full-tower case? Of course not, but they seem like the only way I can get decent performance in both acoustics and cooling. Comparing these to, say, the Fractal Design R4's cooling performance just shows you the limitations of a midtower. Both are a little more than I was hoping to spend, but they're only $10 apart online, and the NZXT gets to that price without a mail-in rebate, so I'm leaning that direction. (And besides- the H630 looks legitimately classy, which is something I never thought I'd say about an NZXT case.)

For the PSU, I'm open. I wish I hadn't missed the Seasonic X 650 Gold deal from a couple of days ago, but I'm watching the price on a few Seasonic units and I'll grab a 650-750W unit when it hits decently below $100.

For the cooler, I'm thinking the Noctua NH-U12S. I know, the Hyper 212 Evo's the sweet spot, but I've been using a 212 Plus for a while, and I've never really liked the mounting process. (Plus, I think I might have bent the backplate the last time I tried, so...) The Noctua's hovering around $65 on Amazon, but I think I can make do.

So, all told, ~$300ish to completely revamp my computer's look/sound/cooling prowess. I know I'll need to be in the market for a new video card pretty soon, but my machine's holding its own at the moment.

Thoughts from the GAF gurus?
 

Sanctuary

Member
For the case, I think I've narrowed it down to either the NZXT H630 or the Corsair Obsidian 750D (both links to Anandtech reviews). Do I need a full-tower case? Of course not, but they seem like the only way I can get decent performance in both acoustics and cooling. Comparing these to, say, the Fractal Design R4's cooling performance just shows you the limitations of a midtower.

That doesn't show the limitations of a mid-tower. It shows the limitations of that particular case. And they also probably use stock fans, which almost nobody is going to do if they are serious about cooling/noise. Look up the Bitfenix Prodigy on that same site. A case that is even smaller. My current case is an 800d, and it had really shitty thermal performance (for air) out of the box until I added a much needed intake fan, as well as three quiet 120mm fans at the top. Case cooling has so many more factors than just size; even though it is typically harder to have higher performance hardware cooled as effectively in the really small cases simply because there's not much room for better cooling additions.

You might actually be more interested in this:http://www.anandtech.com/show/6917/corsair-obsidian-350d-case-review/5

Get a ps4, or get a gtx 780 when there is a price drop.


decision decisions.

Depends on whether or not you perfer ease of use +whateverthefuckexclusives over not as easy to use + a whole lot more options, on top of vastly superior performance/IQ. I'm personally just going to wait a year or two on the new systems so that they can iron out whatever kinks first gen always have, as well as there being enough exclusives to make it worthwhile. This is literally the first gen where I've not been enthusiastic about getting a system within the first year. But that's probably because I ended up playing most of the 360 games on my PC anyway until more exclusives came out much later. Only reason I even have a PS3 is because I was upgrading to my first HDTV and wanted a Blu-ray player, and Demon's Souls had just been released in the US. Hell, I use my PS3 more to watch movies/tv shows on than I use it for gaming.
 

adg1034

Member
That doesn't show the limitations of a mid-tower. It shows the limitations of that particular case. And they also probably use stock fans, which almost nobody is going to do if they are serious about cooling/noise. Look up the Bitfenix Prodigy on that same site. A case that is even smaller. My current case is an 800d, and it had really shitty thermal performance (for air) out of the box until I added a much needed intake fan, as well as three quiet 120mm fans at the top. Case cooling has so much more factors than just size; even though it is typically harder to have higher performance hardware cooled as effectively in the really small cases simply because there's not much room for better cooling additions.

No, that's an excellent point. It's just that all I feel like I have to go on are these reviews. Very few other sites a) have the editorial reputation that Anandtech does, or b) put as much effort into accurately measuring the important stats as they do. SilentPCReview is great and all, but their web design's stuck in the dark ages and their benchmark layouts practically give me a headache whenever I try to decipher them... :(

What would you recommend?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom