But I already am using contemporary programs. It's not like I stopped updating iTunes, my web browsers, or any of my games. I'm using old versions of PhotoShop and Microsoft Office but that's it. A lot of that software already feels sluggish. I'm wondering if upgrading RAM would make any difference. Not to mention the CPU -- I'm upgrading from a Q6600.
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"I need a New PC!" 2013 Part 2. Haswell = #IntelnoTIM, but free online. READ THE OP.
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But I already am using contemporary programs. It's not like I stopped updating iTunes, my web browsers, or any of my games. I'm using old versions of PhotoShop and Microsoft Office but that's it. A lot of that software already feels sluggish. I'm wondering if upgrading RAM would make any difference. Not to mention the CPU -- I'm upgrading from a Q6600.
OH!
NCIXUS has the PC-350s on sale for $120. Grab those and something like the Xonar or Soundblaster Z for good audio with surround. Would put you at $150-200.
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=29043&vpn=PC350&manufacture=Sennheiser Electronics&promoid=1029
NCIXUS has the PC-350s on sale for $120. Grab those and something like the Xonar or Soundblaster Z for good audio with surround. Would put you at $150-200.
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=29043&vpn=PC350&manufacture=Sennheiser Electronics&promoid=1029
Well generally you are going to get higher quality drivers with a headphone. Senns are pretty nice though and if you want to drop the money I would look at something like the pc360se and a soundcard like the Asus xonar dxg.
They have that new G4ME series out but I haven't seen it in stock yet. I had a PC350 for 5 years, Senn definitely makes good gear.
Closed are better than Open if you need isolation but Open have slightly better sound all things equal.
Something like DT880 + Modmic + Amp/DAC would be the most ideal for me.
CharpyImpact
Member
Ya, I am rocking onboard sound since I went with small form factor case. Given this bit of info, is that headset the only good choice?
indigo-cyclops
Member
The Xonar DGX is absolutely beyond worth it. As my earlier post said. It's godly. Transformed my stere AKG k240s
Yeah I haven't seen an onboard solution that seems to work well though it looks like Asus is trying in some RoG boards this gen. Onboard is still fine when it comes to the actual fidelity of the signal just not for powering Cans.
You can get an external amp if you have a full case. Theoretically better than card even as you remove it from electrical noise sources. A FiiO amp can take care of you there for the same price as the Xonar
CharpyImpact
Member
I wish I could but I went with the Asus P8Z77-I so it has no pci slots.
One thing I've heard a lot in PC circles and thread is to not cheap out on a PSU so I went with what someone else recommended. I'm getting two of these builds and my friend did a list which was gone over by someone else and then posted here.
If that PSU doesn't come under cheaping out then I'm fine with it. As a noobie, I was also wondering if you could explain the changes you made? It would be very helpful!
batman2million
Member
Does anyone know why all the R9 290s are out of stock at Newegg? I was debating on picking one up but then I saw this.
indigo-cyclops
Member
Changing BCLK seems to freeze my BIOS no matter what...
First time ever messing around with it, but I think I'll just go with what I was stable at.
First time ever messing around with it, but I think I'll just go with what I was stable at.
1) The Gigabyte Sniper series is pretty legit when it comes to onboard sound. Proper amp, swappable OP-Amps, good processor, and it's totally isolated on the PCB. The new ones even have a USB plug on a separate power rail specifically for DACs. This is why I recommend them as the board to pick for Z87. My AKG Q701s sound really great on it, but I'm going back to the Sounblaster ZxR since I already have it.
2) External DACs like that don't play nice with virtualized surround. It's kind of a tough situation.
Low yields, high demand. They're even unlocking to 290x's.
Not to be a whore, but I have a NuForce Icon uDAC 2 that I'm looking to offload for cheap. $40 and it's yours.
I am not a fan of virtualized surround. Sounds fake to me. To each their own. I realize we all don't have the environment to set up a real multi speaker system(Myself included) but I will take higher fidelity over the virt surround until they get it better.
As an EE swappable OPAMPs makes zero sense as the entire discrete component feedback network is tuned for the characteristics of a particular amplifier. No 2 models are alike so they either have that setup with a 1 size fits all solution which is ugh or you take a massive tradeoff by swapping.
The solderless contact in the DIP socket will add some noise as well.
Complete marketing gimmick IMHO.
I have to echo this sentiment on ATH-AD700s. At its current price the DGX is a terrific upgrade if you are on onboard sound and have decent quality headphones.
I didn't think I'd like it, and I haven't tried the Dolby one, but the surround from my Soundblaster ZxR is unreal. It sounds as good as my home theater, no joke. It is mated with Q701s, which do excel at positional audio.
Good info otherwise though, I appreciate that kind of knowledge!
Yeah totally should've of mention I'm doing this cause the wifi performance on this twc given modem is getting worse and worse.
Would like something dualband, but in general something with decent signal range and that can actually handle various streams and gaming at once.
CharpyImpact
Member
so given that I can't add a xonar and don't want to deal with getting multiple pieces of equipment to do the job, the sennheiser 363Ds are the best bet?
indigo-cyclops
Member
Dolby Headphone is really REALLY amazing. I mean on the DGX you can even shift the position of each "speaker" resulting in a nice subtle change. It's also 7.1 on here. For someone that could care less about actually having a surround system, it is nice to now have something that gives me the sensation. Virtualized or not, the tech has come a LONG way.
Yeah, they're a good bet. Quite pricey though. If you're not hunting for surround sound, something like the PC-350s I linked along with an external DAC would be a more efficient buy with possibly better audio quality.
Consumer networking equipment should have a life expectancy of about two years. Everything starts degrading at that point. Basically what you want to be looking for is more than one antenna, with decent firmware. Just google a model you find in your particular price point to see the reviews.
Otherwise, if you want to get something that is built to last with excellent support, think about saving up for an enterprise grade wireless firewall/router. Something like a Sonicwall.
Powercolor has an unlock rate of about 90% for cards to just bios them into 290X. XFX is at about 50% now. All the other brands are down in the 10-20% chance of an unlockable card. XFX in particular with newer shipments has sent out fewer and fewer cards that can be unlocked so people jumped in before the unlock situation totally vanishes.
Its basically the early 6950s all over again that could unlock to 6970s.
I am noticing a trend with their shipping. It seems the free 2 day shipping from shoprunner gets you put on a low priority shipping line.
Really is kind of bullshit that it does because they are the ones who signed up with shoprunner for the service. When you select 2 day you expect some sort of expediated service its not UPS ground
does your friend have any way to make the installation usb key? any working computer? if not i believe he'll have to order backup media which is $14.99
2 years is more than what this modem is going on and the performance is just deteroiating the longer it goes. Though with your other suggestion I might just have to skip buying some more pc stuff just so I can get good long term router as online gaming is garbage on this one comapred to my slow att dsl line.
Be Quiet! PSUs are a good quality unit so I'd have no worries over their reliability. The unit you picked is even better again but it is an extra £20 and I thought that money could go elsewhere without ending up with a bad PSU. If you prefer a Gold rated one with a bit better quality then it's a fantastic unit no question.
As for the rest of the changes
- I swapped to a 4670K as it's a better CPU when they're the same price
- The motherboard I had to change due to the socket, it's a better board too
- RAM I changed simply because it's cheaper. RAM speed doesn't really matter all that much
- The 760 I changed to a non-reference one which will run cooler, be much quieter, have the potential to overclock and GIgabyte has a fantastic RMA service in the UK. It's typically a 3 working day turnaround time if you need to use your warranty.
- HDD I just know more about it but that Seagate is alright if you want to save a few quid
Could always go for powerline or just straight up wired for the gaming PCs. Those certainly don't degrade, and you'll get a consistent low ping.
Gaming is much more ping/PL oriented than bandwidth, which wireless typically doesn't do well unless you're talking about a bridged AC type setup. Those are pricey as hell.
I second this wholly.
Onboard sound was decent, I'll admit. But it lacked bark. If you are even slightly enthusiastic about sound or music, I would recommend it.
For $25, its amazing value.
Ah hell.
Can you approximate your physical distance from the AP/Router?
Seems like Powerline Adapters(High End, $100ish) are good for about 70m
DGX is a $40-$50 part. Just to clarify. Unless I missed a big sale.
Well I made all the purchases today. I don't know if it was wise to do so with BF and CM right around the corner, but I got just about every item discounted. The actual damage is $1255. I just need an $82 dollar item to make it 1337
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/aktham/saved/2TAr
Opinions?
All the parts came in and I put it together yesterday. This thing is silent even after overclocking the 4670K to 4.2 GHz. I didn't plug in the case's power light and messed with my roommate. I told him to check out my new PC. I had the monitor off and we just stared at it it (The PC was already on). He asked me if I was going to turn it on. I then pretended to reach for the case's power button and turned the monitor on instead
. He was like shocked at how silent it was Felix Lighter
Member
No worries there. I shouldn't have an issue creating a DVD from my PC.
Ah yea, I meant £25.
NoRéN;92295904 said:
If you want the latest BIOS then grab it from their website instead. Most of the time there isn't any need to update unless you're having issues.
8.1
Cool. So, how would that work? Download to a USB?
Dammit. Bought Windows 7 over the weekend and now 8.1 is on sale for the same price.
There should be a USB port dedicated to updating it too. Look in the back of your PC and there should be something marked.
It's not here yet but I just want to be prepared. Actually, it will be here tomorrow.
It's the Gygabyte GA-Z87X-D3H.
cuevas. PhD.
Member
Shit, so it looks like custom 290s/290x's wont be coming out till the end of the month at the earliest. Damnit.
TheFLYINGManga_Ka
Member
Cool thread!
Question about Evga 780 vs 780ti.
Is there really a huge difference? Seeing the reviews the performance between these two wasn't a giant leap, maybe like 4-8 frames.
Also it was for ultra settings. I don't think I'll ever go above 1080p so is it worth the extra $$$$ for the Ti?
Question about Evga 780 vs 780ti.
Is there really a huge difference? Seeing the reviews the performance between these two wasn't a giant leap, maybe like 4-8 frames.
Also it was for ultra settings. I don't think I'll ever go above 1080p so is it worth the extra $$$$ for the Ti?
TheFLYINGManga_Ka
Member
Yeah. I notice the Ti is designed to have sli support. I don't know much but that would probably make a difference.
Can't afford that of course!
Both are.
But, IMO, best buy right now (for extreme high end) is a MSI 780 Lightning or EVGA Classy 780. They both have super high stock clocks and can go further if you're the tweaking type. Plus they both have excellent coolers on them. The performance gains actually make them a better buy in terms of $
erformance.Can't use powerline in this place, found out the hardway when I relocated. The power in 2 rooms are on separate circuts from the house. I'd love to go back to ethernet but it's not feasible here. 100 bucks for a high end powerline adapter the speed and features better be ungodly.
I'd say no more than 25-40feet when you factor in the different levels. This motorola modem is something else even with a laptop or iphone a room or two over on the same level the signal really degrades in some spots.
TheFLYINGManga_Ka
Member
Thanks.Both are.
But, IMO, best buy right now (for extreme high end) is a MSI 780 Lightning or EVGA Classy 780. They both have super high stock clocks and can go further if you're the tweaking type. Plus they both have excellent coolers on them. The performance gains actually make them a better buy in terms of $
Any difference between 780classy vs 780 super clocked?
Non-reference vs Reference board.
Not much difference in core clock speed but the because the classy is a non-reference board, it might have a leg up on the super clocked.
Take all of this with a boulder of salt. I've been looking up info on the cards this past week so memory is still fresh. (kind of)
rudieboy77
Member
Anyone have experience with gaming keypads? Logitech g13, Razer Tartrus, Orbweaver...
I want to use it for FPS and MMO's. I want to use the joy stick for wasd, the g13's stick position looks unnatural, the one's on the Razer product look good.
I want to use it for FPS and MMO's. I want to use the joy stick for wasd, the g13's stick position looks unnatural, the one's on the Razer product look good.
indigo-cyclops
Member
Can you clarify this? I've spent all day updating Windows 7 and all that, but I have a Windows 8 key I could use...I really would rather not upgrade but if there's some huge benefit then maybe I should?
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