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[Groof]

So I decided to open up my PC to check if everything was connected correctly a la you guys's suggestion, and lo and behold, I had actually plugged the CPU fan into the sys fan slot instead of the CPU fan slot. Man, that made a world of difference!

Still need to get some quieter parts, so I'm gonna focus first on getting an SSD before anything.

 

[Ryne]

How does a Gigabyte stock overclocked HD7870 2GB compare to a stock GTX 580? I'm looking for a short stopgap before I plunge into a great new card.

 

[LordAlu]

How does a Gigabyte stock overclocked HD7870 2GB compare to a stock GTX 580? I'm looking for a short stopgap before I plunge into a great new card.

Around about the same. It wouldn't be worth it to be honest.

 

[Barzul]

Yeah the price jump on the 7950 caught me offguard as I was planning on getting one.

 

[Barzul]

wrong thread.

 

[kittoo]

I am still very confused about which headsets/speakers to buy. The Sennheiser 363D is very expensive while almost all the other surround sound headsets have been trashed in reviews, mostly all reviewers agreeing that the surround sound isnt really all that 'surround'. I personally want really good surround sound.
Which ones are you guys using? Any suggestions?

 

[Felix Lighter]

Yeah, I feel like with the sudden jump in price of the 7950 and 7970, we lost the big bang for your buck cards. The increase in the 7950 may kind of make a little sense because it outperforms the 270X which is priced at $200 but the 7970 costs significantly more than the 280X now. I guess there is no rush to clear them out.

 

[jbpaz]

Got my parts but I found one of my Gskill Ares sticks out of the plastic and inside the shipping box when I opened up the packages. Should I be worried?

 

[kennah]

Got my parts but I found one of my Gskill Ares sticks out of the plastic and inside the shipping box when I opened up the packages. Should I be worried?

Run memtest. It's possible it just shook loose. Complain to where you bought it from if you like.

 

[bro1]

My 27" Asus 1080P 144hz monitor showed up today and I am about to put it through its paces. I am pairing it with a Samsung 1080P monitor at 76hz as my secondary screen. SO MUCH SCREEN REAL ESTATE!!!!

Does anybody have a program they recommend for calibrating 2 different monitors?

 

[jbpaz]

Run memtest. It's possible it just shook loose. Complain to where you bought it from if you like.

still haven't built it. I'm waiting for my gpu and case. and yes I believe it shook loose. No signs of damage on the outside or connectors

 

[bro1]

still haven't built it. I'm waiting for my gpu and case. and yes I believe it shook loose. No signs of damage on the outside or connectors

Where did you order from? If amazon, they will send you a new set free of cost as long as you send the old set back in 30 days.

 

[jbpaz]

Where did you order from? If amazon, they will send you a new set free of cost as long as you send the old set back in 30 days.

Newegg

 

[chickdigger802]

Yep. Used gpus hold their value pretty well. Even a 280 can still fetch 40-60$.

What all do you have?

in my current house... a 7870xt, 460, and a 7800gt somewhere.

 

[kennah]

in my current house... a 7870xt, 460, and a 7800gt somewhere.

7800 isn't worth much these days, but your 460 could easily get $50 or maybe even more.

 

[RedSwirl]

I'm about to go through my PCPartPicker list again, but it's been almost a year since I put it together so I might have to replace most of what's on it. http://pcpartpicker.com/user/RedSwirl/saved/TIY Of course I'm missing the RAM on that build because what I'd chosen disappeared and I haven't found a replacement.

Since I put this list together Haswell CPUs have come out and I'm trying to figure out what to switch to. I imagine it would be the i5-4670K but I'm not 100% sure.

The other thing I'm worried about is if 2GB of VRAM is really enough. The most GPU-intensive game I currently own is probably Crysis 2, and I'm actually not that interested in any "next-gen" games that are coming out until The Witcher 3. What are my options if I need to go to 3GB?

Lastly, I will also need both an optical drive and a way to get Wi-Fi. I've messed around with so many desktop wireless cards that I've basically given up on them and would rather get a wireless repeater. And how necessary are heat sinks and fans?

 

[VanCityGamer]

Would someone be so kind to explain how this new rMBP would do for gaming? How far off is it from PS4 or Xbox One, for example?

2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
512GB PCIe-based flash storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M
with 2GB GDDR5 memory

 

[Groof]

So I was thinking of going for this SSD+HDD combo:

Crucial V4 32GB 2.5" + Western Digital WD Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM

Are these any good? Should I go bigger on the SSD? I was thinking of using it strictly for the OS + a few heavier apps.

 

[Tallshortman]

I'm about to go through my PCPartPicker list again, but it's been almost a year since I put it together so I might have to replace most of what's on it. http://pcpartpicker.com/user/RedSwirl/saved/TIY Of course I'm missing the RAM on that build because what I'd chosen disappeared and I haven't found a replacement.

Since I put this list together Haswell CPUs have come out and I'm trying to figure out what to switch to. I imagine it would be the i5-4670K but I'm not 100% sure.

The other thing I'm worried about is if 2GB of VRAM is really enough. The most GPU-intensive game I currently own is probably Crysis 2, and I'm actually not that interested in any "next-gen" games that are coming out until The Witcher 3. What are my options if I need to go to 3GB?

Lastly, I will also need both an optical drive and a way to get Wi-Fi. I've messed around with so many desktop wireless cards that I've basically given up on them and would rather get a wireless repeater. And how necessary are heat sinks and fans?

7950, 7970/280x, 780 all have 3GB. There's also 4GB versions of the 770.

 

[Soodanim]

Lastly, I will also need both an optical drive and a way to get Wi-Fi. I've messed around with so many desktop wireless cards that I've basically given up on them and would rather get a wireless repeater. And how necessary are heat sinks and fans?

From what I've seen, a common thing to do for Wi-Fi is to get a USB adapter. Perhaps someone else can help more there. That's what I'll be doing with my build, unless of course someone tells me otherwise. Actually, I plan to go Powerline at some point but maybe not straight away.

So I was thinking of going for this SSD+HDD combo:

Crucial V4 32GB 2.5" + Western Digital WD Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM

Are these any good? Should I go bigger on the SSD? I was thinking of using it strictly for the OS + a few heavier apps.

GAF will likely tell you to go for as big as you can afford on the SSD, and to ditch the Green for a Blue unless it's a backup drive that you never touch, because that's pretty much what they're made for.
I didn't know you could get 32GB SSDs, I've never seen one.

 

[RedSwirl]

7950, 7970/280x, 780 all have 3GB. There's also 4GB versions of the 770.

Any of those around the same price? ($200 - $250)

Edit: Seems not.

 

[Tallshortman]

Any of those around the same price? ($200 - $250)

Edit: Seems not.

7950, though apparantly prices have jumped on them. Used to find them regularly for ~$200.

 

[Groof]

GAF will likely tell you to go for as big as you can afford on the SSD, and to ditch the Green for a Blue unless it's a backup drive that you never touch, because that's pretty much what they're made for.
I didn't know you could get 32GB SSDs, I've never seen one.

Mm, I was thinking Green to reduce as much noise as possible. I want to try and have as little sound as possible coming from my rig. Might get a different SSD though since that seems to be out of stock.

 

[bro1]

Newegg

not sure on their policy. I stopped ordering on Newegg years ago due to their weird return policies.

Anybody can help with two monitors?

 

[Ty4on]

Would someone be so kind to explain how this new rMBP would do for gaming? How far off is it from PS4 or Xbox One, for example?

2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
512GB PCIe-based flash storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M
with 2GB GDDR5 memory

The CPU will do well in most games, but the GPU is slightly slower than the 650. On full load the machine might overheat (it won't do any harm, just throttle GPU and/or CPU) if the game stresses the GPU and CPU hard enough. It looks slower than both consoles GPU wise, but not that much slower than the Xbox One.

 

[Tablo]

The CPU will do well in most games, but the GPU is slightly slower than the 650. On full load the machine might overheat (it won't do any harm, just throttle GPU and/or CPU) if the game stresses the GPU and CPU hard enough. It looks slower than both consoles GPU wise, but not that much slower than the Xbox One.

Yeah don't expect it to be a great gaming device going forward, but for many current gen and older title's it should do well.

 

[LCGeek]

My 27" Asus 1080P 144hz monitor showed up today and I am about to put it through its paces. I am pairing it with a Samsung 1080P monitor at 76hz as my secondary screen. SO MUCH SCREEN REAL ESTATE!!!!

Does anybody have a program they recommend for calibrating 2 different monitors?

usually I use what comes with my xrite or colorvision software. Also calman is pricey so not sure what I can suggest.

Give this site a whirl it's not a program but its meant to help test your monitor in certain areas.

 

[TheD]

Mm, I was thinking Green to reduce as much noise as possible. I want to try and have as little sound as possible coming from my rig. Might get a different SSD though since that seems to be out of stock.

Don't count on a green drive being less noisy than other drives.
Not only is the sound of a spun up modern HDD barely noticeable, but fucking HDD manufacturers love putting AAM and APM in HDD's.
What they do is spin the drive down when it is not in use (at least that is what they claim, when in fact they will often spin down at stupid times) and have to spin up again when you want to use them, often making a very loud sound and sometimes taking so long as to have Windows time out the drive when coming back from sleep mode!

 

[Effect]

Thinking of using the setups suggested in the opening page for a new PC to make things easier on myself this time around. At least as starter reference point for the motherboard and processor and see how funds look. Going to be giving my current one to my mom to replace the one she has which is extremely out of date by several years. Even then it was a store bought system for my sister when she went away to college at the time.

How does my current specs listed below compare to the Budget - Solid Starter and the Standard builds listed? Would those be better or at least comparable?

I think the builds listed are better as they're more current and I built the one below over time from 2010 to 2012. Even then I was working on a budget at the time. I was upgrading from another build and doing it piece by piece. If I was doing that this time this would be easier but I need to get a lot of parts all at once. The OS and most of the hard drives are certainly being kept so I don't need to worry about those just yet. Just want to be extra sure before I start tossing things in the shopping cart over at NewEgg.

Windows 7 64 Hom Pre
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Phenom II X4 925 Deneb 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor HDX925WFGIBOX
EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1461-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16
Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) x2 for a total of 8GB
OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W

Thanks.

 

[Baleoce]

Could PCGAF point me in the right direction here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00E391OX6/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009LI7CTY/

On the surface in difference I see 6GB storage, and 2,000 IOPS read speed. Why is there a £40 difference? I get the feeling I'm being really slow and missing something significant.

Also, recommendations for an SSD of this capacity would be really appreciated if these are not what I should be looking at.

 

[kharma45]

Could PCGAF point me in the right direction here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00E391OX6/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009LI7CTY/

On the surface in difference I see 6GB storage, and 2,000 IOPS read speed. Why is there a £40 difference? I get the feeling I'm being really slow and missing something significant.

Also, recommendations for an SSD of this capacity would be really appreciated if these are not what I should be looking at.

Get the Evo, unless you're doing a load of writes you don't really need it.

 

[Baleoce]

Get the Evo, unless you're doing a load of writes you don't really need it.

Out of interest, what's the difference in write speed between the two? (unless you mean lifespan, in which case I'd be using this for a fresh install of my OS and programs that I use heavily for projects)

 

[jbpaz]

Do you need a sound card or can you still get sound from your motherboard?

 

[Jzero]

Sweet, $54 for a 1TB WD drive on Amazon. I can't wait until i have enough for a new graphics card though.

 

[theshizzle]

Do you need a sound card or can you still get sound from your motherboard?

Generally speaking, modern motherboards have onboard sound without the need for a discrete sound card.

 

[Celcius]

Let say I have 8gb of G.Skill RipjawsX running at 1.5v 1600mhz 9-9-9-24-2T in dual channel, then buy a 16gb kit of G.Skill RipjawsX (rated for same voltage, speed, timings, etc). The only difference is 1 kit is 16gb and 1 is 8gb.
Can I run both at the same time and keep dual-channel mode? I'm on a 2600k/z68 combo btw.

 

[kennah]

Let say I have 8gb of G.Skill RipjawsX running at 1.5v 1600mhz 9-9-9-24-2T in dual channel, then buy a 16gb kit of G.Skill RipjawsX (rated for same voltage, speed, timings, etc). The only difference is 1 kit is 16gb and 1 is 8gb.
Can I run both at the same time and keep dual-channel mode? I'm on a 2600k/z68 combo btw.

Yep (assuming that you are talking about 2x8 and 2x4)

 

[maneil99]

Let say I have 8gb of G.Skill RipjawsX running at 1.5v 1600mhz 9-9-9-24-2T in dual channel, then buy a 16gb kit of G.Skill RipjawsX (rated for same voltage, speed, timings, etc). The only difference is 1 kit is 16gb and 1 is 8gb.
Can I run both at the same time and keep dual-channel mode? I'm on a 2600k/z68 combo btw.

1x8gb and 1x16gb? Also are you running XMP mode, if not those timings/voltage/speeds are not accurate

 

[Celcius]

2x8gb and 2x4gb, any downsides to this?

 

[kennah]

2x8gb and 2x4gb, any downsides to this?

None.

 

[Hazaro]

The price on 7970s just jumped up like $50 today, virtually across the board.

The good models anyway, along with the 7950s.

AMD you want to clear out inventory, remember?

 

[Celcius]

None.

Thanks a ton, can't believe I didn't know this. Now I'm running with 24gb of ram and still in dual channel mode

 

[Reckoner]

I noticed today that my PC is louder. Went to check the temperatures and I think that they are higher than what is supposed. Is there any reports of Windows 8.1 making this happen? They are 44-50ºc

 

[Parapraxis]

Good case?
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352031
It's %40 off.

 

[Milamber]

Good case?
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352031
It's %40 off.

Highly recommended. I wanted it but I went for the Core 3000 instead.

 

[DTKT]

I'm watching my hard drive slowly kill itself why live email updates from Windows event viewer. It's like some weird form of morbid curiosity. I know that at some point, it's just going to fail and shut down.

(I did back up everything I needed. :| )

 

[VanCityGamer]

The CPU will do well in most games, but the GPU is slightly slower than the 650. On full load the machine might overheat (it won't do any harm, just throttle GPU and/or CPU) if the game stresses the GPU and CPU hard enough. It looks slower than both consoles GPU wise, but not that much slower than the Xbox One.

Yeah don't expect it to be a great gaming device going forward, but for many current gen and older title's it should do well.

Interesting. Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure I'm ready to buy quite yet actually - might not be until next summer now. It sounds like the specs aren't too far off from the Xbox One. So maybe the next round of upgrades next year will put the computer on par with the new Xbox, which would be good enough for me.

 

[Vitacat]

Hey PC experts. Bit of a noob when it comes to current PC stuff. Haven't built a PC in maybe 10 years...

I want to build a SFF PC. Primary uses will be gaming, emulation and media. Planning the following basic specs:

-- 4770 (don't plan to OC, but I read the K actually runs cooler???)
-- midrange GPU (maybe GTX 660 - 670)
-- 8GB RAM (16 of there's a sensible deal)
-- SSD for OS and primary apps
-- HDD for files/media etc.
-- Bluray drive

I have size restrictions though -- it must fit into a space that is 13 inches high and 19 inches deep. Width is not a problem.

I noticed a lot of the SFF cases in the OT are tower shaped, and may not fit my height restriction. What case(s) might be a good fit for me? I was reading about the Shuttle SH87R6 to make things simple for me. Seems decent, but somewhat restrictive. Would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.

ALSO -- Windows 7 or 8.1? I'm very used to 7, but will reluctantly jump to 8 if it will make a positive difference in performance somehow.

 

[Knch]

Hey PC experts. Bit of a noob when it comes to current PC stuff. Haven't built a PC in maybe 10 years...

I want to build a SFF PC. Primary uses will be gaming, emulation and media. Planning the following basic specs:

-- 4770 (don't plan to OC, but I read the K actually runs cooler???)
-- midrange GPU (maybe GTX 660 - 670)
-- 8GB RAM (16 of there's a sensible deal)
-- SSD for OS and primary apps
-- HDD for files/media etc.
-- Bluray drive

I have size restrictions though -- it must fit into a space that is 13 inches high and 19 inches deep. Width is not a problem.

I noticed a lot of the SFF cases in the OT are tower shaped, and may not fit my height restriction. What case(s) might be a good fit for me? I was reading about the Shuttle SH87R6 to make things simple for me. Seems decent, but somewhat restrictive. Would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.

ALSO -- Windows 7 or 8.1? I'm very used to 7, but will reluctantly jump to 8 if it will make a positive difference in performance somehow.

Case: Fractal design Node 304 (http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/node-series/node-304-black)
Windows 8.1 is better in just about every way, so no (sane) reason to stick to 7.

 

[jbpaz]

Good case?
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352031
It's %40 off.

I was about to get pissed cause I just bought that case for ~99 on newegg a few days ago. Then I noticed its canada only.