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

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kharma45

Member
Ok guys, I'm at a bit of a crossroads right now. I have an older model computer. I'm wondering should I go ahead and build a better comp, or would it be worth it to slap a 760ti in this old rig. Current specs:

AMD Phenom II X4
945 processor
3.00 GHz
8.00 GB Ram
560ti GPU
600 watt PSU
2 TB HDD

Would I get much better performance from this rig by adding a 760ti or is it not worth it with my specs being so low? How bad would my rig hold back that card?

760 Ti is OEM only. Is it the 760 you're looking at? It's a fine card, worth overclocking that CPU of yours too.
 
Hey guys!

Sooooo...In around a months time or a little less, I'm going to be making my girlfriends first PC.

I'm not worrying too much about any of the parts, since I'll just do a lot of research and such via the net to find out what is best for the price and also futureproof-ness. She's become quite a fan of games now that I've introduced her them properly, so it's going to be primarily an editing and gaming system.

Now the tricky part! I have a Evga GTX 680 Classified 4b, and I'm running at 1440p. My partner is going to be using a 1080p monitor and I'm seriously considering *selling* my card to her and letting her keep that for a couple years or so until she feels like upgrading...with the money from selling that card, I am considering buying a 690...or a Titan!

Am I crazy? Would this be a good setup?
 

kennah

Member
Hey guys!

Sooooo...In around a months time or a little less, I'm going to be making my girlfriends first PC.

I'm not worrying too much about any of the parts, since I'll just do a lot of research and such via the net to find out what is best for the price and also futureproof-ness. She's become quite a fan of games now that I've introduced her them properly, so it's going to be primarily an editing and gaming system.

Now the tricky part! I have a Evga GTX 680 Classified 4b, and I'm running at 1440p. My partner is going to be using a 1080p monitor and I'm seriously considering *selling* my card to her and letting her keep that for a couple years or so until she feels like upgrading...with the money from selling that card, I am considering buying a 690...or a Titan!

Am I crazy? Would this be a good setup?

Totally a good setup. And the crazy thing is buying a Titan or 690 instead of a 780 or 290X. (780 easily over clocks to Titan levels for $300 less) What else were you looking to get her? (Cpu, etc)
 

Diablos

Member
Hey guys, I'm running an AMD FX 6300 @ stock, 8GB DDR3, and a GTX 660 (Non-Ti).

I talked to avcables about maybe flashing a modded bios to OC my 660... is it even worth the trouble? Will I get a decent performance boost? I game at 1080p only, so not really caring about super high resolutions.
 

NoRéN

Member
What are some good monitor brands? My sister needs a new one and is hoping for something reliable in the $100-120 range. I told her to get the ASUS VS228H-P but if she can save some cash she would be happy.
 

longdi

Banned
Hey guys, I'm running an AMD FX 6300 @ stock, 8GB DDR3, and a GTX 660 (Non-Ti).

I talked to avcables about maybe flashing a modded bios to OC my 660... is it even worth the trouble? Will I get a decent performance boost? I game at 1080p only, so not really caring about super high resolutions.

just download zotac firestorm OC utilities and do you own overclocking. its a pretty bite sized apps.
bio flashing is has some risk, it may even lower your oc levels (yes some bios do make oc worse, i experienced it myself).
 

kharma45

Member
Hey guys, I'm running an AMD FX 6300 @ stock, 8GB DDR3, and a GTX 660 (Non-Ti).

I talked to avcables about maybe flashing a modded bios to OC my 660... is it even worth the trouble? Will I get a decent performance boost? I game at 1080p only, so not really caring about super high resolutions.

Just OC your CPU and GPU, I wouldn't bother with a modded BIOS.
 

Kerrinck

Member
Posted this before but I didn't put out enough info.
I built this PC around 4 years ago and since I will be in the US next month, I'd like to use it as an opportunity to upgrade it. I'm still a bit new to this so I'd just like to know which parts are worth keeping and which ones I should upgrade. Would just like to keep it future proof for another 4-5 years,

Your Current Specs: i5 750 8mb, 8 gigs of ram, Radeon 6950, Gigabyte ga-p55m-ud2, Corsair 450W CMPSU-450VX PSU
Budget: Around 400-550$ but can go over that if needed.
Main Use:. Around 3, mostly gaming and emulation
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080. I'd like to buy a higher resolution monitor in a year or two.
When will you build?: End of November
Will you be overclocking?: No plans.
 
Thanks for the advice to anyone that's given me any.
For the fans, I'm probably just going to stop at one front intake and either a top exhaust or bottom intake, can anyone give me some advice for this? Final config is going to end up as rear exhaust, front intake and either bottom intake or top exhaust. I can get another front intake to replace bottom or top fans, but I don't know if that will help much.
I figured as much for the 560ti, just wanna get the 1440p just in case I choose to upgrade the gpu in a couple of years. I don't mind playing at 1080 on a 1440 screen if it doesn't look too bad.
I like front intake / side intake / rear exhaust. What case do you have? Does it have a side fan mount? A bottom intake will take in a lot of dust if it's not filtered, but it's generally better to have more intakes than exhausts (positive pressure).
1080p will look bad on a 1440p screen. Better play at natives res and lower the settings.
 

Dizzy

Banned
Current specs

I53570k (3.4ghz? I think? its not been oc'd yet)
16GB corsair vengeance ram at 1600mhz
2GB Gtx 670 (its the windforce one with 3 fans)

power supply is 700-750w I think.


Looking at the price of multiplats on PS4, and the fact that a game like BF4 ain't even 1080P I'm thinking of sticking with PC for a while.

Ram should see me through for a while right? I'm seeing these games start to recommend 3GB VRAM and think that should be the first thing to upgrade. Not sure whether I should do it this year, or wait for the next (as in GTX 800) series batch of cards. I'm playing at 1080P. Won't accept anything less. 60 fps is nice but I can deal with a locked 30 for a great looking game like crysis 3.

Don't want to do dual gpu as my pc is crammed enough and I'm poor at cable management.
 

kharma45

Member
Posted this before but I didn't put out enough info.
I built this PC around 4 years ago and since I will be in the US next month, I'd like to use it as an opportunity to upgrade it. I'm still a bit new to this so I'd just like to know which parts are worth keeping and which ones I should upgrade. Would just like to keep it future proof for another 4-5 years,

Your Current Specs: i5 750 8mb, 8 gigs of ram, Radeon 6950, Gigabyte ga-p55m-ud2, Corsair 450W CMPSU-450VX PSU
Budget: Around 400-550$ but can go over that if needed.
Main Use:. Around 3, mostly gaming and emulation
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080. I'd like to buy a higher resolution monitor in a year or two.
When will you build?: End of November
Will you be overclocking?: No plans.

If emulation is important then upgrading to Haswell would probably be worth it, although your CPU is still great. Which 6950 do you have, 1GB or 2GB? Unlockable to a 6970?

You could carry over your RAM, case, GPU maybe and even your PSU as well as whatever HDD etc you have

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $394.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-27 07:23 EDT-0400)

What case, HDD etc do you have?

Current specs

I53570k (3.4ghz? I think? its not been oc'd yet)
16GB corsair vengeance ram at 1600mhz
2GB Gtx 670 (its the windforce one with 3 fans)

power supply is 700-750w I think.

Looking at the price of multiplats on PS4, and the fact that a game like BF4 ain't even 1080P I'm thinking of sticking with PC for a while.

Ram should see me through for a while right? I'm seeing these games start to recommend 3GB VRAM and think that should be the first thing to upgrade. Not sure whether I should do it this year, or wait for the next (as in GTX 800) series batch of cards. I'm playing at 1080P. Won't accept anything less. 60 fps is nice but I can deal with a locked 30 for a great looking game like crysis 3.

Don't want to do dual gpu as my pc is crammed enough and I'm poor at cable management.

All I would do is overclock your CPU and you could do it to your GPU too.
 

kharma45

Member
https://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=225841&action=wish_lists

Can someone take a look at my build here?
any suggestions?
I mostly want something 'pretty good' that can comfortably play games like assassins creed and battlefield 4 around 60fps, but i this is my first time building a computer so i don't know a lot

You will want a Z87 motherboard to allow you to overclock that 4670K, and a decent cooler

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($265.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212X 82.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.00 @ PLE Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($188.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($369.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Orange) Mini ITX Tower Case ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($92.00 @ CPL Online)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1493.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-27 22:33 EST+1100)

Are SSD prices expected to drop soon or should I take the plunge and order now? I've gone with the Samsung EVO.

They've been static for months (that Kingston V300 is the same price I paid for it in January), I expect nothing to change in the near future.
 
You will want a Z87 motherboard to allow you to overclock that 4670K, and a decent cooler

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($265.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212X 82.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.00 @ PLE Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($188.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($369.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Orange) Mini ITX Tower Case ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($92.00 @ CPL Online)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1493.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-27 22:33 EST+1100)

Thanks, do you think it would be cheaper to buy a regular sized case and motherboard?
i only went with the mini one because I liked the colour.
 

rafbanaan

Member
Someone else getting with the new NVIDIA driver low FPS? Arma 3 and BF3 that previously ran smooth now run like cr*p.

I reverted to the previous driver, but the problem seems to be here too :/ Only a bit better.

GTX 680 OC SIGN 2.
 

kharma45

Member
Thanks, do you think it would be cheaper to buy a regular sized case and motherboard?
i only went with the mini one because I liked the colour.

Surprisingly no, although it could be that PCP isn't as good with Australian merchants and I'm missing some better deals out there

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($265.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212X 82.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.00 @ PLE Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($229.00 @ Scorptec)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($188.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($369.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($92.00 @ CPL Online)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1543.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-27 22:51 EST+1100)
 

kennah

Member
Thanks, do you think it would be cheaper to buy a regular sized case and motherboard?
i only went with the mini one because I liked the colour.

Be about the same to get the same quality of gear. Motherboard you'd be looking to save about $10-15. Okay cases can be found for $30 cheaper, but good cases cost about that much. If you like the colour - go for it :)
 

Kerrinck

Member
If emulation is important then upgrading to Haswell would probably be worth it, although your CPU is still great. Which 6950 do you have, 1GB or 2GB? Unlockable to a 6970?

You could carry over your RAM, case, GPU maybe and even your PSU as well as whatever HDD etc you have

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Thanks for the help. My 6950 is the 2gb version though I am still new to this whole unlocking/overclock business.
My case is a coolermaster one, it's pretty spacious inside so I think I won't run into problems. As for Hdd, I have a 64gb SSD and 3 separate normal ones( 2 of 1TB and 1 of 2TB)
 

Dex815

Member
Well at the end I decided to go with the GV-N770OC-4GD, add an SSD 840 evo, WD 1TB (3,5) and add another 8 GB RAM. I really hope that my X4 965 will resist the upcoming months until I buy a new MB and CPU :)
 

kharma45

Member
Well at the end I decided to go with the GV-N770OC-4GD, add an SSD 840 evo, WD 1TB (3,5) and add another 8 GB RAM. I really hope that my X4 965 will resist the upcoming months until I buy a new MB and CPU :)

It will if overclocked.

Thanks for the help. My 6950 is the 2gb version though I am still new to this whole unlocking/overclock business.
My case is a coolermaster one, it's pretty spacious inside so I think I won't run into problems. As for Hdd, I have a 64gb SSD and 3 separate normal ones( 2 of 1TB and 1 of 2TB)

Some 6950s can be unlocked into 6970s, worth looking in to it.

You'll be fine with regards to the rest of your system. Haswell will give a great bump for emulation. You could sell the old i5 and mobo and probably get a few quid for it too.

If you were looking for a GPU upgrade as well I'd look to update your PSU since it only has the one 6 pin PCI-E cable.
 
Totally a good setup. And the crazy thing is buying a Titan or 690 instead of a 780 or 290X. (780 easily over clocks to Titan levels for $300 less) What else were you looking to get her? (Cpu, etc)

Thanks for the reply dude.

Hm interesting. I had read people saying those are quite silly choices at such high prices. I've never overclocked a GPU, so that kinda thing always puts me off. It's easy to do though right?

I haven't really started the list yet, though I had a brief look a couple weeks ago and saw that the cpu I think that would be great is the Intel Core i5 4670K. :)
 
I need help. I decided to get Intel i7 3930k. I already have a gtx 680. I need a psu and motherboard. I do a lot of gaming and 3d rendering. Please suggest me best suitable mobo and psu. thanks in advance. Also, what kind of cabinet is needed...one with lots of fans ?
 

kharma45

Member
I need help. I decided to get Intel i7 3930k. I already have a gtx 680. I need a psu and motherboard. I do a lot of gaming and 3d rendering. Please suggest me best suitable mobo and psu. thanks in advance. Also, what kind of cabinet is needed...one with lots of fans ?

just fyi ivy bridge e is out now, unless you're getting a good deal on the 3930K i would go IB-E.
 

Momentary

Banned
JESUS! I'm on Digital Storm's website and they are pretty misleading on their prices.

Take the 960GB SS by Crucial. It's listed at $617 on their website which is already a $70 mark up. It's actually $767. They are misleading on their prices. You have to add $150 for all their drive options to get what you're really paying for it.

You have to be out of your damn mind or just rich to buy prebuilt PCs from these sites.

By the way, I just come on these sites from time to time to see how much they are marking up their services compared to just doing it yourself.
 

Sanjay

Member
JESUS! I'm on Digital Storm's website and they are pretty misleading on their prices.

Take the 960GB SS by Crucial. It's listed at $617 on their website which is already a $70 mark up. It's actually $767. They are misleading on their prices. You have to add $150 for all their drive options to get what you're really paying for it.

Not for us :)
 

Lemonte

Member
I'm thinking of ordering these parts. What does gaf think? Are they balanced? I still thinking of if I should change graphics card to 7950. "Everyone" says it's better than 760, but Shadowplay on nvidia cards seem too good to miss out. I'm going to reuse rest of the parts from my old setup.

8GB G.Skill NT Series DDR3-1333 DIMM CL9 Dual Kit € 58,82€
EKL Alpenföhn Brocken CPU heatsink 31,58€
600 Watt Corsair GS Series Non-Modular 80+ Bronze 64,41€
Intel Core i5 4670K 4x 3.40GHz So.1150 BOX 192,42€
2048MB Palit GeForce GTX 760 JetStream Aktiv PCIe 3.0 x16 209,48€
ASRock H87 Pro4 Intel H87 So.1150 Dual Channel DDR3 ATX Retail 70,20€

total of 626,91 €
 

Addnan

Member
I'm thinking of ordering these parts. What does gaf think? Are they balanced? I still thinking of if I should change graphics card to 7950. "Everyone" says it's better than 760, but Shadowplay on nvidia cards seem too good to miss out. I'm going to reuse rest of the parts from my old setup.

8GB G.Skill NT Series DDR3-1333 DIMM CL9 Dual Kit € 58,82€
EKL Alpenföhn Brocken CPU heatsink 31,58€
600 Watt Corsair GS Series Non-Modular 80+ Bronze 64,41€
Intel Core i5 4670K 4x 3.40GHz So.1150 BOX 192,42€
2048MB Palit GeForce GTX 760 JetStream Aktiv PCIe 3.0 x16 209,48€
ASRock H87 Pro4 Intel H87 So.1150 Dual Channel DDR3 ATX Retail 70,20€

total of 626,91 €
Change motherboard to a Z87, check OP for recommendations. What other PSU options are there from where you are ordering? The Corsair GS is not great.
 

Lemonte

Member

Addnan

Member
I'm ordering from http://www.mindfactory.de/ since in Germany PC parts are a lot cheaper than in Finland. If you are able to suggest any other PSU from that site please do.

Are these any better
650 Watt Corsair TX Series
ASRock Z87 Pro4 Intel Z87

Oh ye and I'm on a 700€ budget. Delivery costs 30€ from Germany.

That motherboard seems to be the best/only Z87 in your budget.


PSU, get a modular one. This BeQuiet is cheap, modular and very good. http://www.mindfactory.de/product_i...re-Power-L8-CM-Modular-80--Bronze_757838.html

Also 650W XFX which is a great PSU http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/650-Watt-XFX-XXX-Edition-Modular-80--Bronze_820949.html
 

kharma45

Member
I'm ordering from http://www.mindfactory.de/ since in Germany PC parts are a lot cheaper than in Finland. If you are able to suggest any other PSU from that site please do.

Are these any better
650 Watt Corsair TX Series
ASRock Z87 Pro4 Intel Z87

Oh ye and I'm on a 700€ budget. Delivery costs 30€ from Germany.

Swapping your cooler to this will help cut costs http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/CoolerMaster-Hyper-212-Evo-Tower-Kuehler_777730.html

Then swap that motherboard to this Biostar http://www.mindfactory.de/product_i...1150-Dual-Channel-DDR3-ATX-Retail_936256.html plus €30 postage gives you €700 if my maths is right using that Be Quiet! PSU.
 

Lemonte

Member
Thanks guys! I'm going with that biostar mobo and keep that cpu cooler that I picked myself. Couple € over budget isn't going to kill me. Never heard be quiet! psu's before, I trust you that's good, so I'm going with that.
 

suffah

Does maths and stuff
Got my 4670K and 212 EVO but my wife is complaining that the CPU fan is loud (PC is in living room).

Any recommendations on a silent CPU fan? I'm thinking about getting the Scythe Slip Stream as the Noctuas seem double in price.
 

t-ramp

Member
Got my 4670K and 212 EVO but my wife is complaining that the CPU fan is loud (PC is in living room).

Any recommendations on a silent CPU fan? I'm thinking about getting the Scythe Slip Stream as the Noctuas seem double in price.
Is the fan set to full speed? You should be able to cut the noise by quite a bit by enabling automatic fan control in the BIOS unless it's connected straight to your PSU.
 

suffah

Does maths and stuff
Is the fan set to full speed? You should be able to cut the noise by quite a bit by enabling automatic fan control in the BIOS unless it's connected straight to your PSU.

Was not aware of that - will check the BIOS settings on my z87x. Thanks!
 
Got my 4670K and 212 EVO but my wife is complaining that the CPU fan is loud (PC is in living room).

Any recommendations on a silent CPU fan? I'm thinking about getting the Scythe Slip Stream as the Noctuas seem double in price.

Are you sure it's the CPU fan and not the case fans? And what ^ said, auto fan control? edit: beaten sorta.
 

suffah

Does maths and stuff
Are you sure it's the CPU fan and not the case fans? And what ^ said, auto fan control? edit: beaten sorta.

Thanks.

Definitely cpu fan - i tested with case fans disabled and while I can't really notice it (i'm pretty hard of hearing) my wife complained immediately. I didn't even tell her I upgraded mobo/cpu.

Edit: Set CPU Fan to Quiet mode and it is much better. Thanks all for the help!
 

Lucid07

Member
What would be the best option for me to have my PC on my TV as well as my monitor, Just a bigger HDMI which is around the outside of my room? Or is there another option?
 

BY2K

Membero Americo
It arrives!

j7zCOJv.jpg
 

Husker86

Member
Monitored my GPU memory usage while playing Bioshock Infinite. Peaked at around 2.6GB. I feel better about the extra $30 I spent for the 760 4GB version now.

This was while using Nvidia Surround by the way, 5760x1080.
 

kennah

Member
There is an i7 860 2.8 ghz in the buy sell trade thread for $80 with motherboard.

This is a hell of a deal for the budget minded gamer.

Four cores 8 threads and should overclock to 3.4.
 

Addnan

Member
Cable management could be better.

Dat 7970 is HUGE!



Fractal Design R4

You should take the cable through the bottom rubber grommets and bring them out of another. The ones close to where the cables will go. eg the 8pin CPU, take it through the bottom grommet and bring it out through the top on.
 

BY2K

Membero Americo
Thing is I had someone build the PC for me and I don't really want to go mess around in there, too scared to break something.

Plus, the guy gave me a one year warranty. Something happens, hardware-wise, it's on him.
 
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