"I Need a New PC!" 2014 Part 1. 1080p and 60FPS is so last-gen and your 2500K is fine

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Okay, so after changing a few things in my build list I think I'm fairly sure I'll be buying the following:

CPU: Intel i5-4670K
CPU cooler: Noctua U9B SE2
GPU: EVGA 780 ACX (non SC version)
Board: ASRock Z87E-ITX
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB LP (may end up buying 4GB instead)
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 1TB
Case: EVGA Hadron Air
PSU: 500W 80+ gold-rated

I went with the Noctua tower cooler as I think it could work well with my intended positive intake fans at the top. However, EVGA make their own tower cooler in black and I'm tempted to replace the Noctua with it (yes, just for the looks :P). Can't find any reviews of it, though, except for their 'Superclock' cooler which compares well against the Noctua C14. Only comes with a single fan.

Any thoughts? Also a question for 1440p users: in general is your GPU louder/under noticeably more load than when using 1080p?
 
OK GAF.

Just got free Corsair Vengeance Ram from a friend.

But they won't fit with a D14 on top.

So....

Can I remove the heatspreaders on the ram without issue?

I mean really does ram need a heat spreader?

Corsair Vengeance: 9-9-9-24 1600mhz 8GB
 
My geforce GTX 660 TI just died so I'm looking for a replacement. I haven't really looking at GPUs for quite a while now. Are there any new GPUs that are as powerful or more powerful than the GTX 660TI?
 
Jignx said:
My geforce GTX 660 TI just died so I'm looking for a replacement. I haven't really looking at GPUs for quite a while now. Are there any new GPUs that are as powerful or more powerful than the GTX 660TI?
Click to expand...

Off the top of my head

AMD price low to high:
280X
290
290X

Nvidia price low to high:
760
770
780
780ti

Any of these should do you well.
 
Does anyone have recommendations on RAID controllers?

I would like to maintain the high random write speeds of an SSD while mirroring to a hard drive for data protection but so far the ones I've found are meant for enterprise class customers and are thus super expensive.
 
LeeRoyBrown said:
OK GAF.

Just got free Corsair Vengeance Ram from a friend.

But they won't fit with a D14 on top.

So....

Can I remove the heatspreaders on the ram without issue?

I mean really does ram need a heat spreader?

Corsair Vengeance: 9-9-9-24 1600mhz 8GB
Click to expand...

Easily removed and no RAM doesn't need the heat spreader.
 
wildfire said:
Does anyone have recommendations on RAID controllers?

I would like to maintain the high random write speeds of an SSD while mirroring to a hard drive for data protection but so far the ones I've found are meant for enterprise class customers and are thus super expensive.
Click to expand...

Your post isn't clear. Are you wanting to use SSDs in a RAID configuration, or are you saying "I'd like good random write speeds and mirroring using HDDs in a RAID"?
I ask because it sounds like you want to use a SSD and HDD in the same RAID group, which isn't possible.
 
LeeRoyBrown said:
Awesome, and fuck me I am shocked at how easy it comes off and also...really that's all thats holding it down...and the metal doesnt even touch the ram.

So its all just for show eh?
Click to expand...

Quite.

There was an article a while back that the heat spreaders on some RAM actually inhibit thermal dissipation.
 
riflen said:
Your post isn't clear. Are you wanting to use SSDs in a RAID configuration, or are you saying "I'd like good random write speeds and mirroring using HDDs in a RAID"?
I ask because it sounds like you want to use a SSD and HDD in the same RAID group, which isn't possible.
Click to expand...

You can use SSD and HDD in the same RAID group but the capacity will be dictated by the smallest drive and the speed the slowest drives at the most basic level. There exist controllers now where the speeds of the HDD don't hold the SSD back regardless of configuration but as I said they are meant for servers and critical apps and are priced as such.

But these controllers have a bunch of stuff in them that would be useless for a consumer such as expandability to support 100 drives on a single card or SAS connectors. If there exists a RAID card that offers the SSD caching without a lot of the extraneous stuff that is unimportant for a single user that would be awesome but I'm having a hard time find that.
 
wildfire said:
You can use SSD and HDD in the same RAID group but the capacity will be dictated by the smallest drive and the speed the slowest drives at the most basic level. Their exist controllers now where the speeds of the HDD don't hold the SSD back regardless of configuration but as I said they are meant for servers and critical apps and are priced as such.

But these controllers have a bunch of stuff in them that would be useless for a consumer such as expandability to support 100 drives on a single card or SAS connectors. If there exists a RAID card that offers the SSD caching without a lot of the extraneous stuff that is unimportant for a single user that would be awesome but I'm having a hard time find that.
Click to expand...

Its called Intel Smart Response which is part of Intel's RST drivers.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/248828/how_to_setup_intel_smart_response_ssd_caching_technology.html
 
wildfire said:
You can use SSD and HDD in the same RAID group but the capacity will be dictated by the smallest drive and the speed the slowest drives at the most basic level. Their exist controllers now where the speeds of the HDD don't hold the SSD back regardless of configuration but as I said they are meant for servers and critical apps and are priced as such.

But these controllers have a bunch of stuff in them that would be useless for a consumer such as expandability to support 100 drives on a single card or SAS connectors. If there exists a RAID card that offers the SSD caching without a lot of the extraneous stuff that is unimportant for a single user that would be awesome but I'm having a hard time find that.
Click to expand...

The market for such a controller would be tiny. In my opinion you are better off finding another solution as RAID isn't really what you want, being that it's designed to maintain uptime in the event of hardware failure and has the limitations you mention concerning disk performance and capacity.

Some kind of snapshot software would probably be more suitable from what you've described. Is the requirement just for data or is your OS state also to be protected?
 
riflen said:
The market for such a controller would be tiny. In my opinion you are better off finding another solution as RAID isn't really what you want, being that it's designed to maintain uptime in the event of hardware failure and has the limitations you mention concerning disk performance and capacity.

Some kind of snapshot software would probably be more suitable from what you've described. Is the requirement just for data or is your OS state also to be protected?
Click to expand...

I would prefer if the OS was protected as well but I could live without going that far.
 
bleh I kind of regret not researching more.

I should have gotten the ASUS TUF Vanguard B85 over the Asrock B85M Pro4
I suppose the ASUS would have been better made and well worth the extra $
 
Hey all. I'm pulling together a HTPC based on one of Intel's NUC kits. Two quick questions:

  • What's the best mSATA drive that I can get for under $100 or so? Currently looking at this one on NewEgg, but I'm willing to spend a bit more for better performance or larger storage capacity.
  • What's the cheapest (legitimate, obviously) way to get and install Windows 8 for such a machine? No DVD drive, so I'll need to do an install from USB or similar.

This isn't going to be my primary gaming machine, but I'm planning to do some light gaming on it (Spelunky, etc.).
 
I can't hold out any longer for Maxwell, just purchased a superclocked GTX 780. Should last me 2+ years on 1080p until Volta arrives.
 
kharma45 said:
Quite.

There was an article a while back that the heat spreaders on some RAM actually inhibit thermal dissipation.
Click to expand...
But it looks so bling! If I get naked RAM, it has to have black PCBs -- the OCD part of me can't bear having something in my case that isn't black.

I've also wondered if the "TUF" armor on those black and tan boards is doing more harm than good in the name of looks.
 
wildfire said:
I would prefer if the OS was protected as well but I could live without going that far.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming you're using Windows. I would suggest a software solution, such as RollBack RX or SyncBack to write regular snapshots of your SSD volume to your HDD. You should be able to restore your entire system in the event of failure or individual files from a point in time.
 
Are the R9 280X's going to see a price drop anytime soon? Looking for an upgrade for my HD 6870 in about 5-7 months and want to keep it under $300.
 
flyinpiranha said:
Are the R9 280X's going to see a price drop anytime soon? Looking for an upgrade for my HD 6870 in about 5-7 months and want to keep it under $300.
Click to expand...
Seriously doubt it for a while. They are inflated right now. You'd see good value in a gtx 760. Huge performance increase over what you have now.

As well you could probably get $100 for your 6870. Amd prices are super high right now.
 
flyinpiranha said:
Are the R9 280X's going to see a price drop anytime soon? Looking for an upgrade for my HD 6870 in about 5-7 months and want to keep it under $300.
Click to expand...

Once the coin mining bubble bursts they will, or if AMD can somehow ramp up supply. I wouldn't worry now, you're not going to be buying for a long time. By that stage we should know more about Nvidia's 20nm plans and hopefully AMDs.
 
kennah said:
Seriously doubt it for a while. They are inflated right now. You'd see good value in a gtx 760. Huge performance increase over what you have now.

As well you could probably get $100 for your 6870. Amd prices are super high right now.
Click to expand...

kharma45 said:
Once the coin mining bubble bursts they will, or if AMD can somehow ramp up supply. I wouldn't worry now, you're not going to be buying for a long time. By that stage we should know more about Nvidia's 20nm plans and hopefully AMDs.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for the info. It is a ways out that I plan to buy, hopefully aligned with the retail release of Arsetto Corsa.
 
I was hoping to update when the next AMD batch came,but my 6870 died on me. I should have enough money for a replacement next week, with my budget i was thinking of getting a 270x. If i stretch a bit, i could go for a 760, the thing is i don't know if the increse in price is worth the increase in performance over the 270x. Oh, it would go paired with a 2500k.
 
Tecl0n said:
I was hoping to update when the next AMD batch came,but my 6870 died on me. I should have enough money for a replacement next week, with my budget i was thinking of getting a 270x. If i stretch a bit, i could go for a 760, the thing is i don't know if the increse in price is worth the increase in performance over the 270x. Oh, it would go paired with a 2500k.
Click to expand...

I don't rate the 270X that much since the 270 is the same GPU just clocked lower. Although in some parts of the world price difference can be pretty minimal between the two. Where do you live and what sort of budget were you thinking?
 
I’m wondering if these stock temps are normal for my recent build with a 4770K. CPU idles at 38-44*C and the Intel Diagnostic Test gets up to 76*. Individual Core temps idle at 45-53* and get up to 90*during the Intel Test.

Running Prime95 had 2 cores hit 100* within minutes and I had to stop running it. I swapped out that CPU for another one, and the temps are still around the same. I purchased Antec Diamond 7 and made sure to mount everything properly and am only seeing a few degrees difference.

Please see my setup below and let me know your thoughts/suggestions. First post on GAF – thanks in advance everyone.

Components:
CPU: I7 - 4770K (stock hsf – not overclocking)
Case: Corsair AIR 540
PSU: Seasonic 850-X
MOBO: Asus Hero VI
GPU: Asus GTX 770 DCUII
RAM: 16 GB Ram - 1600
 
I've found a good price (~65€) on a (non modular) be quiet! System Power 7 600W 80+ Silver but can't find any single frigging review anywhere, except two 5 stars on Amazon.de.

It should power an i5-4440 and an MSI Twin Frozr GTX 760 (along with the whatever random everything else).
Anyone here know something about it? be quiet! as a brand (and the 80+ Silver) should be fine, shouldn't it?
 
Copons said:
I've found a good price (~65€) on a (non modular) be quiet! System Power 7 600W 80+ Silver but can't find any single frigging review anywhere, except two 5 stars on Amazon.de.

It should power an i5-4440 and an MSI Twin Frozr GTX 760 (along with the whatever random everything else).
Anyone here know something about it? be quiet! as a brand (and the 80+ Silver) should be fine, shouldn't it?
Click to expand...

I can't find much on that unit so I'd avoid it. Be Quiet! are a good brand but I like to see some reviews first.

The Be Quiet! L8 500w is a solid unit http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00DBIOFYA/

I'll have a look for other options.

Edit - EVGA 500B is another decent unit http://www.alternate.de/EVGA/500_Bronze,_Netzteil/html/product/1090913/?

XFX Core 550w http://www.alternate.de/XFX/PRO550W,_Netzteil/html/product/838244/?

Modular option - Antec HCG-520M http://www.alternate.de/Antec/HCG-520M,_Netzteil/html/product/978387/?
 
makeitawkward said:
I’m wondering if these stock temps are normal for my recent build with a 4770K. CPU idles at 38-44*C and the Intel Diagnostic Test gets up to 76*. Individual Core temps idle at 45-53* and get up to 90*during the Intel Test.

Running Prime95 had 2 cores hit 100* within minutes and I had to stop running it. I swapped out that CPU for another one, and the temps are still around the same. I purchased Antec Diamond 7 and made sure to mount everything properly and am only seeing a few degrees difference.

Please see my setup below and let me know your thoughts/suggestions. First post on GAF – thanks in advance everyone.

Components:
CPU: I7 - 4770K (stock hsf – not overclocking)
Case: Corsair AIR 540
PSU: Seasonic 850-X
MOBO: Asus Hero VI
GPU: Asus GTX 770 DCUII
RAM: 16 GB Ram - 1600
Click to expand...

Stock cooler wasn't made to handle that kind of load.
 
makeitawkward said:
I’m wondering if these stock temps are normal for my recent build with a 4770K. CPU idles at 38-44*C and the Intel Diagnostic Test gets up to 76*. Individual Core temps idle at 45-53* and get up to 90*during the Intel Test.

Running Prime95 had 2 cores hit 100* within minutes and I had to stop running it. I swapped out that CPU for another one, and the temps are still around the same. I purchased Antec Diamond 7 and made sure to mount everything properly and am only seeing a few degrees difference.

Please see my setup below and let me know your thoughts/suggestions. First post on GAF – thanks in advance everyone.

Components:
CPU: I7 - 4770K (stock hsf – not overclocking)
Case: Corsair AIR 540
PSU: Seasonic 850-X
MOBO: Asus Hero VI
GPU: Asus GTX 770 DCUII
RAM: 16 GB Ram - 1600
Click to expand...

What does CPU-Z report the core voltage as? Have you tried resetting the BIOS to defaults? I can't think of much else and it's unlikely that mounting is the problem from your post.
 
Jignx said:
My geforce GTX 660 TI just died so I'm looking for a replacement. I haven't really looking at GPUs for quite a while now. Are there any new GPUs that are as powerful or more powerful than the GTX 660TI?
Click to expand...
You can get it fixed under warranty.
scogoth said:
Yep, I'm pretty sure the gold heatsinks I put on my ram has made it hotter.
Click to expand...
No no, they made your memory HAWT.
Smokey said:
Kennah pls

House keeping.

Wouldn't be hurting for monitors. Just seeing if anybody would be interested here in that one...
Click to expand...
Does buying new parts count if you sell a 2560x1600 monitor to buy a 1440p G-Sync display? Cause, I know what you're up to.
makeitawkward said:
I’m wondering if these stock temps are normal for my recent build with a 4770K. CPU idles at 38-44*C and the Intel Diagnostic Test gets up to 76*. Individual Core temps idle at 45-53* and get up to 90*during the Intel Test.

Running Prime95 had 2 cores hit 100* within minutes and I had to stop running it. I swapped out that CPU for another one, and the temps are still around the same. I purchased Antec Diamond 7 and made sure to mount everything properly and am only seeing a few degrees difference.

Please see my setup below and let me know your thoughts/suggestions. First post on GAF – thanks in advance everyone.

Components:
CPU: I7 - 4770K (stock hsf – not overclocking)
Case: Corsair AIR 540
PSU: Seasonic 850-X
MOBO: Asus Hero VI
GPU: Asus GTX 770 DCUII
RAM: 16 GB Ram - 1600
Click to expand...
Time for an aftermarket cooler.
 
Azzurri said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...a&cm_sp=&AID=10440897&PID=3891137&SID=rewrite

For anyone waiting for the Asus DCII OC 780 Ti, it's in stock on newegg for 729.
Click to expand...
I'm so happy that both ASUS and Corsair are catering to the neurotic and OCD among us. Why no blue option though.
ziw4.png
 
kharma45 said:
I can't find much on that unit so I'd avoid it. Be Quiet! are a good brand but I like to see some reviews first.

The Be Quiet! L8 500w is a solid unit http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00DBIOFYA/

I'll have a look for other options.

Edit - EVGA 500B is another decent unit http://www.alternate.de/EVGA/500_Bronze,_Netzteil/html/product/1090913/?

XFX Core 550w http://www.alternate.de/XFX/PRO550W,_Netzteil/html/product/838244/?

Modular option - Antec HCG-520M http://www.alternate.de/Antec/HCG-520M,_Netzteil/html/product/978387/?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I had the L8 500W in my build until I found that other one, that catched my eye being 600W, silver and just 1€ more than the L8.

My store of reference (Italian, sadly) doesn't have the EVGA you suggested and the XFX and the Antec are slightly pricier (above 70€).

So at this point I should go with the L8 and just fuck it, because I'm spending too much time thinking about this build and way too few playing maxed out games. :D
 
Perhaps an obvious/silly question, but I just wanted some thoughts on this:

If you pair a "Ghz edition" 780 with a standard 780 in SLI, they should both be capable of running at Ghz clocks given equal cooling solutions since it's just a factory OC, right?
 
Stubo said:
Perhaps an obvious/silly question, but I just wanted some thoughts on this:

If you pair a "Ghz edition" 780 with a standard 780 in SLI, they should both be capable of running at Ghz clocks given equal cooling solutions since it's just a factory OC, right?
Click to expand...
Only if you overclock. They'll scale down to the lower card by default.
 
Quick one - looking at having Windows 8.1 installed onto a 1TB WD Cavair Black WD1003FZEX as my sole drive.

Anyone able to share a boot time and general responsiveness / impressions?
 
liquidtmd said:
Quick one - looking at having Windows 8.1 installed onto a 1TB WD Cavair Black WD1003FZEX as my sole drive.

Anyone able to share a boot time and general responsiveness / impressions?
Click to expand...
Pretty similar to any 7200 RPM drive you've used in the past. Sluggish with long pauses at times.
 
mkenyon said:
Pretty similar to any 7200 RPM drive you've used in the past. Sluggish with long pauses at times.
Click to expand...

Cool, SSD it is then. Have an SSD in my laptop and said I wouldn't go back but on a budget for my new desktop build and trying to squeeze an R9-280x in
 
So without going into the whole story (lightning strike!) I'm in a bit of a unique situation. If you had $300 or so to spend on a motherboard and it had to be from Microcenter, which would you go with? The recommended board on the OP spreadsheet isn't carried by them. I'm planning on going with a 4770k so it'd be a z87 mobo I guess.
 
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