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[molnizzle]

Ok. After playing nothing but PS4 since November 15th I decided to fire up the 360 again to hit up my backlog. Holy shit. I cannot do this anymore. I have no idea how I ever did it in the first place.

Since there's still a bunch of last gen games that I want to play and I doubt that many of them will get timely "Definitive" editions, I'm thinking of building a SFF living room PC. I'm an ex-PC gamer and I absolutely hate dealing with the all the little intricacies of the platform, but sub-HD at 25fps is not going to cut it anymore.

However, I'm a bit disappointed that I'm not able to put spec out a cheaper machine. My goal is to play at 1080p/max settings with maybe 2x AA at most. I would use nVidia Inspector to cap frame rates at 30fps for games that can't maintain a solid 60. Even with what I assume to be cheap parts, I'm still looking at nearly $700:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570S 2.9GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.01 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.56 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $690.50

Any tips? I was really hoping to be able to get the job done for $500-$600. =/

 

[Ghizz]

Is it possible for you to spare the keyboard for now so you can save a little cash?

Yes, the video card will have an HDMI port.

nope absolutely need a keyboard haha, moved to college and don't have anything ): is this alright though? anything I should change?

and will there be a difference when plugging my hdmi cable into a mobo vs a gpu? Would like to have one on the mobo just in case...

 

[LiquidMetal14]

nope absolutely need a keyboard haha, moved to college and don't have anything ): is this alright though? anything I should change?

and will there be a difference when plugging my hdmi cable into a mobo vs a gpu? Would like to have one on the mobo just in case...

For the price, you chose some good parts. Not sure about the Bronze 430W PSU but the rest looks kosher.

 

[Water]

Can someone critique this for me? about to order tonight!

If you can spare the budget for it, I'd recommend getting something better than a run-of-the-mill TN display. Displays last for 5+ years. I have always spent a lot on them - often as much as on the rest of the computer put together - and never regretted it. These days there are outstanding displays as low as $300.

 

[Ghizz]

If you can spare the budget for it, I'd recommend getting something better than a run-of-the-mill TN display. Displays last for 5+ years. I have always spent a lot on them - often as much as on the rest of the computer put together - and never regretted it. These days there are outstanding displays as low as $300.

what would you recommended? im holding off on the monitor for now as I can just use the empty tv in my suite...

 

[DarkFlow]

nope absolutely need a keyboard haha, moved to college and don't have anything ): is this alright though? anything I should change?

and will there be a difference when plugging my hdmi cable into a mobo vs a gpu? Would like to have one on the mobo just in case...

It makes no difference.

 

[Ghizz]

It makes no difference.

sweet thanks! order is in, hope i don't fuck up the building part...

 

[Loto]

You need to format it, it's easy: right click my computer and select manage, on the left under storage is disc management, open that and you will see the new empty drive there -> right click it and format it.

Thank you very much!

 

[Hazaro]

Recommending the K is also healthier profits for Intel and PC components industry as well

I think you're underestimating the power efficiency over time of a Xeon processor over an overclocked K series CPU though. My i7-920 OC'd was eating up a lot of electricity until I upgraded to haswell non OC i7-4770t. Literally $20 a month. I keep my rig on 24/7 though.

Personally for me, going from 120fps to 90fps isn't much of a difference for me. I can't tell much of a difference at that high of an fps. Most games are GPU-dependent anyhow, except for some of the games you guys mentioned.

Yeah it's a shame Intel can fuck over everyone with 'K' SKUs, but AMD simply can't compete IPC wise right now so it sucks.

If you are worried about power consumption you can overclock and undervolt at the same time.

The frame latency is less about 120FPS vs 90FPS (I also think that ~90 is where it doesn't matter as much for me), but more the stability of each frame delivered in a 1 second period. A smooth delivery instead of a jumble (see: runt frames, and what people called microstutter / old CrossFire problems of high FPS, but feeling of low FPS).
That's all much more high end enthusiast stuff though.

Stop trying to push your shit so hard. I swear your tag should be "Xeon Prophet"

You're literally telling two of the most knowledgeable people in this thread that they are dumb as rocks. Take your pseudo-knowledge elsewhere.

This isn't a good attitude to have. It's hard enough to get others to chime in and get difference perspectives.

If someone has a point then we have a back and forth on talking points and figure out where they are coming from, post data, etc. After a few posts we talk about 24/7 power use and how that's probably non-standard, etc.
Drive-by posting is never appreciated and it's worse here so I'd expect anyone making posts that go against the grain to provide good evidence or experiences.

I am trying to build myself a decent computer that will last me for a couple years hopefully, It's going to be use for some gaming but also would be my coding computer. I checked your Threat and seeing I am outdated on hardware could take a look at the next built and give me your opinion and advices?.

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.02 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Dell Small Business)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($405.91 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($25.00 @ Amazon)

I already adquired the processor price matching microcenter at Best Buy, about the graphics card thats the card I Would like to get but I might wait for a better price. In regards of the power supply do you think 650Watts is too little, too much or about fine?. Also from all the cases I have look they seem to have a height of 6" 1 ' for the cpu cooler and the cpu cooler is 6" 3' whats your experience with that?

Thanks in advance for taking your time with this help request, any comment is appreciated.

A 650W Gold unit should last you until your computer isn't worth anything anymore.
You already bought the i7, but you really should get a Z87 motherboard so you can overclock it.
Computers are in metric, so measure your case and CPU heatsink in mm (Almost/All the cases in the OP should be able to fit a CM212), but google the model and CM212 to make sure it will fit.
The 280X is price inflated in the US, also consider a GTX760 / 770.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($294.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G246HLAbd 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($18.83 @ Mwave)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $926.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-10 22:58 EDT-0400)


Can someone critique this for me? about to order tonight! One thing I'm not sure about is that the motherboard listed does not have an hdmi port...first time builder so no clue, does the GPU have a hdmi slot with it?

That's kind of an odd build.
Fill out the sheet in the OP so people can help you part out what you power / price / upgradability you need.

nope absolutely need a keyboard haha, moved to college and don't have anything ): is this alright though? anything I should change?

and will there be a difference when plugging my hdmi cable into a mobo vs a gpu? Would like to have one on the mobo just in case...

Plug it into the GPU if you want your GPU to power it.

Ok. After playing nothing but PS4 since November 15th I decided to fire up the 360 again to hit up my backlog. Holy shit. I cannot do this anymore. I have no idea how I ever did it in the first place.

Since there's still a bunch of last gen games that I want to play and I doubt that many of them will get timely "Definitive" editions, I'm thinking of building a SFF living room PC. I'm an ex-PC gamer and I absolutely hate dealing with the all the little intricacies of the platform, but sub-HD at 25fps is not going to cut it anymore.

However, I'm a bit disappointed that I'm not able to put spec out a cheaper machine. My goal is to play at 1080p/max settings with maybe 2x AA at most. I would use nVidia Inspector to cap frame rates at 30fps for games that can't maintain a solid 60. Even with what I assume to be cheap parts, I'm still looking at nearly $700:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570S 2.9GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.01 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.56 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $690.50

Any tips? I was really hoping to be able to get the job done for $500-$600. =/

You can cut the CPU cooler.
If you cannot get the CPU at MC it'll be $200, but you can also get the regular (non S) of the CPU which is 10% faster for the same price. They don't run hot at all, even under load.
Parts are as good as you can get for the price.

 

[DarkFlow]

Ok. After playing nothing but PS4 since November 15th I decided to fire up the 360 again to hit up my backlog. Holy shit. I cannot do this anymore. I have no idea how I ever did it in the first place.

Since there's still a bunch of last gen games that I want to play and I doubt that many of them will get timely "Definitive" editions, I'm thinking of building a SFF living room PC. I'm an ex-PC gamer and I absolutely hate dealing with the all the little intricacies of the platform, but sub-HD at 25fps is not going to cut it anymore.

However, I'm a bit disappointed that I'm not able to put spec out a cheaper machine. My goal is to play at 1080p/max settings with maybe 2x AA at most. I would use nVidia Inspector to cap frame rates at 30fps for games that can't maintain a solid 60. Even with what I assume to be cheap parts, I'm still looking at nearly $700:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570S 2.9GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.01 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.56 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $690.50

Any tips? I was really hoping to be able to get the job done for $500-$600. =/

Chopped over $100 off for ya, feel free to change the HDD and case if you really want ssd and small case.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37Mvm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37Mvm/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37Mvm/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston XMP Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $550.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-10 23:31 EDT-0400)

 

[Hazaro]

You can price it down, but if you can afford it I'd say stick with the i5.
Save the $10 on the RAM above.

 

[Ghizz]

That's kind of an odd build.
Fill out the sheet in the OP so people can help you part out what you power / price / upgradability you need.

Plug it into the GPU if you want your GPU to power it.
.

Why is it an odd build?

 

[molnizzle]

You can cut the CPU cooler.
If you cannot get the CPU at MC it'll be $200, but you can also get the regular (non S) of the CPU which is 10% faster for the same price. They don't run hot at all, even under load.
Parts are as good as you can get for the price.

Thanks. I chose that CPU cooler as it will be positioned perfectly to keep the flow of air going from the front case fans out the back exhaust. I'm obviously worried about heat in such a small enclosure.

I was also planning on doing a marginal CPU overclock using whatever "automatic" software is included in the BIOS. I know that the non-K chips have locked multipliers, but I was under the impression that you could at least get some improvement over stock speeds. Am I off base with that?

I selected the S for the 65w TDP. The non-S was 77w I believe. Non-issue?

Chopped over $100 off for ya, feel free to change the HDD and case if you really want ssd and small case.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37Mvm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37Mvm/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37Mvm/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston XMP Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $550.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-10 23:31 EDT-0400)

Yeah, the case is probably the only part of my proposed build that is non-negotiable. It's the only SFF case I know of that I wouldn't be embarrassed to have in my house. =P

Interesting CPU choice though. I was thinking that I would be better served by 4 physical cores going forward, considering some games these days are listing that as a minimum requirement. Is that just BS? I can never tell.

I do plan in upgrading the GPU down the line. I want to make sure my CPU will last me for a good 4-5 years.

It's also worth noting that this machine will be strictly for playing games on my HDTV. I use Macs as my primary computers and have no interest in switching. I'm just trying to find the best bang for the buck for a living room gaming rig.

 

[Hazaro]

Why is it an odd build?

Don't see too many barebones and then nice GPU anymore. The $50 keyboard throws it off.

Fill out the bullet points in the OP if you want more help with the build. Parts are fine, but get 2 sticks of 4GB for dual channel.
Can also get a 760 for $250/$260 instead of $290 unless you want that model specifically.

 

[Bii]

Not sure if anyone can answer my question or not, but here goes.

I just bought a CMStorm Quickfire XT mechanical keyboard and, for some reason, I cannot access BIOS once I started spamming my F12 key (motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H). The F12 key functions correctly right now, as I'm typing this post switching to Firebug in Firefox at the press of the key. I've googled my problem and it seems a few others are having this issue too. So, is there a way to fix it? Or would I have to switch to my old keyboard whenever I want to access BIOS?

Edit: I found a workaround. I just plugged it into a USB 2.0 port instead of the 3.0 that I had it plugged into. Works fine now.

 

[Foxeyes Only]

A 650W Gold unit should last you until your computer isn't worth anything anymore.
You already bought the i7, but you really should get a Z87 motherboard so you can overclock it.
Computers are in metric, so measure your case and CPU heatsink in mm (Almost/All the cases in the OP should be able to fit a CM212), but google the model and CM212 to make sure it will fit.
The 280X is price inflated in the US, also consider a GTX760 / 770.

Thanks for the advices, I'll take a look into the GTXs.

 

[Granadier]

pics

She's a beaut. I really like your color choice with that case!

This isn't a good attitude to have. It's hard enough to get others to chime in and get difference perspectives.

If someone has a point then we have a back and forth on talking points and figure out where they are coming from, post data, etc. After a few posts we talk about 24/7 power use and how that's probably non-standard, etc.
Drive-by posting is never appreciated and it's worse here so I'd expect anyone making posts that go against the grain to provide good evidence or experiences.

Yep, I agree.
I immediately regretted posting that, that's why it's in spoilers now, and it should have been a post that I wrote out and then deleted and didn't submit. It didn't contribute to the conversation in any way.

 

[neurosisxeno]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($294.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G246HLAbd 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($18.83 @ Mwave)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $926.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-10 22:58 EDT-0400)


Can someone critique this for me? about to order tonight! One thing I'm not sure about is that the motherboard listed does not have an hdmi port...first time builder so no clue, does the GPU have a hdmi slot with it?

That Power Supply is garbage, I advise against it heavily. On top of that I'm not sure why that GTX 760 is so expensive because Newegg has a similar model for almost $40 cheaper. No need to over pay for the GPU. If you're not planning on Overclocking it you could even probably get a reference model for cheaper and only miss out on about 5% performance. Reference designs can be had for as little as $240 from some places. I would take the money you are now saving by avoiding that awful GPU deal and invest in a better PSU.

I'm trying to figure out where is the best place to talk about the heat issue in my PC.

i5-2500k and when I run Titanfall I'm getting a temperature average of 83c. I am not over-clocking and I'm running the game with very high textures. I'm using the stocking cooling system (looks like just a fan with a heat sink over the CPU). System idles at around 50c.

I'm wondering if it's due to have the FOV set to the widest possible option. It ran well like that though. The game performed very well save for a few frame rate drops.

Not sure what to do about the heating though. Tried a bios update and that went fubar.

Should I look into more advanced cooling with the cpu?

It is idling way too high. Grab some compressed air and clean out all the fans and any entry into your case--as well as the heatsink. Also try reseating your heatsink because it may have come loose or just needs better thermal paste. The one time my computer was running like that was when I had the stock heatsink for my Q6600 and didn't clean off the heatsink for like 18 monthes, there was a centimeter thick coating of dust on it that was basically insulating the heatsink. Definitely clean the cobwebs out and if that doesn't help get some new thermal paste and reseat your heatsink.

Yep, I agree.
I immediately regretted posting that, that's why it's in spoilers now, and it should have been a post that I wrote out and then deleted and didn't submit. It didn't contribute to the conversation in any way.

It should be noted that there is some merit to what he had to say. If you're not planning on overclocking and want to cut down on heat generation and power usage--as well as could use the extra threads from HTing--the consumer grade Xeon's are solid. Not to bash anyone but it seems the idea in this thread heavily leans towards "anything not i5-4670k is shit".

 

[Cyriades]

Is my ram okay?

The GeIL ram I got today(dimm2&4) has no serial number or name on AIDA64 and CPUz software.

The SPD looks the same however... should I be concern? picture above is from AIDA64

 

[hockeypuck]

I have a general question about traditional tower cases and the front intake fan:

Does the front intake fan (usually located at the bottom, with optical bays up above) actually provide any meaningful cooling to the CPU or GPU? Usually there is a hard drive cage in the way so it makes me think the fan is mainly there to cool platter-type drives. Even if you're able to remove the HDD cage, there is still a distance between the fan and the mobo. If anything, that fan is cooling the cables coming out of the PSU. This is why cases like the 540, CM HAF XB, and many mATX cases appeal to me since they have intake fans blowing directly at the mobo.

I have the workhorse HAF 922 case and I would imagine that the vented side panel provides better passive cooling than that front intake fan's active cooling for mobo components. Don't have the PC with me at the moment but this question has nagged me from time to time.

 

[Caladrius]

Steelseries Rival. It's one of the very few mice that have zero interpolation due to it's optical sensor. That's something that a lot of trackball mice folks still herald over most of the laser mice available today, and is probably why you are seeing them recommended.

Gotcha. Thanks!

 

[Granadier]

I have a general question about traditional tower cases and the front intake fan:

Does the front intake fan (usually located at the bottom, with optical bays up above) actually provide any meaningful cooling to the CPU or GPU? Usually there is a hard drive cage in the way so it makes me think the fan is mainly there to cool platter-type drives. Even if you're able to remove the HDD cage, there is still a distance between the fan and the mobo. If anything, that fan is cooling the cables coming out of the PSU. This is why cases like the 540, CM HAF XB, and many mATX cases appeal to me since they have intake fans blowing directly at the mobo.

I have the workhorse HAF 922 case and I would imagine that the vented side panel provides better passive cooling than that front intake fan's active cooling for mobo components. Don't have the PC with me at the moment but this question has nagged me from time to time.

On a similar subject, I think it would be cool if Linus or Anandtech or some other review site would do smoke tests to check airflow quality through cases.
It might highlight if a case has swirl points or dead areas that would cause excessive heat buildup.

 

[Panzon]

How does the regular 780 SC fare against the 780 ti SC? I can't find any comparison charts or benchmarks for some reason. I'm asking because the regular 780 is $200 cheaper and it's really tempting

Is the 780 Ti worth the extra $200?

 

[KTT]

So I just jumped on the SSD train and am planning on using it mainly just for the OS to preserve space as well as prolong it's life. Do I need to set my user folder to my second internal? Is that even possible? I guess I can just manually set my downloads and such to a folder in my regular HDD.

Do people put games on SSD? That won't cause a lot of data to be written on it daily or something right?

Sounds like you're too worried about too many writes on your SSD. Don't worry about it. Put your OS on there and your most used programs/games. Don't waste time worrying about preserving its life by changing the amount of stuff you put on it. I'm not saying it doesn't matter at all, but it matters little enough that there's absolutely no need to constantly have it on your mind.

 

[Ashhong]

Sounds like you're too worried about too many writes on your SSD. Don't worry about it. Put your OS on there and your most used programs/games. Don't waste time worrying about preserving its life by changing the amount of stuff you put on it. I'm not saying it doesn't matter at all, but it matters little enough that there's absolutely no need to constantly have it on your mind.

Yea I am trying not to. I got the Samsung EVO instead of the Pro though so I am worrying just a little because this SSD is being used to prolong the life of my old PC as well as be the main drive in my new one I build in the future.

Anybody with monitor recommendations? I'm noticing that most monitors these days are only 1080p, at least the cheap ones. Though that should be fine since it's for my gf who just wants to extend her laptop.

 

[tehbible]

Sounds like you're too worried about too many writes on your SSD. Don't worry about it. Put your OS on there and your most used programs/games. Don't waste time worrying about preserving its life by changing the amount of stuff you put on it. I'm not saying it doesn't matter at all, but it matters little enough that there's absolutely no need to constantly have it on your mind.

+1 touche

Yea I am trying not to. I got the Samsung EVO instead of the Pro though so I am worrying just a little because this SSD is being used to prolong the life of my old PC as well as be the main drive in my new one I build in the future.

Anybody with monitor recommendations? I'm noticing that most monitors these days are only 1080p, at least the cheap ones. Though that should be fine since it's for my gf who just wants to extend her laptop.

I'm looking for a low powered monitor myself. I've been looking into those USB powered monitors. Anyone have cheap solutions with relatively low power ?

 

[Bboy AJ]

So it was my PSU that was broken. Got my replacement yesterday, swapped in the new one, and good as new! Phew. That could have been a huge pain. Thankfully I diagnosed the issue properly.

 

[KTT]

So it was my PSU that was broken. Got my replacement yesterday, swapped in the new one, and good as new! Phew. That could have been a huge pain. Thankfully I diagnosed the issue properly.

Yay! What exactly was the problem again? I vaguely remember your post(s) from a while back

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

Added a Cooler Master 212 Evo heatsink. Using a i7-4770K (no overclocking) I had a stress test running for about half an hour before my temps got up to 95C. Using Prime95 Torture Test - Blend for the stress test and CPUID HWmonitor to monitor the temps.

Kind of concerned. My understanding is that greater than 70C for extended periods of time is harmful. I'd like to OC but if I can't even keep my temps below 90C at full non OC load for any length of time that makes me a bit worried.

Here are the temps for cores 0, 1, 2, and 3. And the package temps.

95C 93C 94C8 5C

I presently have two fans mounted on the 212 push/pull. Corsair 200R case with 2x intakes in front, 1x intake on side, 1x intake on bottom, 1x exhaust in back. I have these fans. in addition to the 2 stock which came with the case.

What should I do?

Here's pics of what's going on. Is it possible someone could help me with this?

First image is at idle. Second is after roughly 20 minutes of a blend test.

 

[mkenyon]

Need a pic of your case setup, but my best guess is that it's a bad mount on the heatsink.

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

Need a pic of your case setup, but my best guess is that it's a bad mount on the heatsink.

Tried remounting it three times. I'll take a pic for you. Thanks, and if I'm doing the test wrong let me know. I pretty much just started the torture test in blend mode according to a article on pcmag.com

I'm using the supplied thermal paste too, for the record. It's all I have at the moment.

 

[mkenyon]

Also, if possible need a screenshot of HWMonitor scrolled up a bit. I'd like to see what the fans are doing connected to the heatsink as well as your vcore.

So it was my PSU that was broken. Got my replacement yesterday, swapped in the new one, and good as new! Phew. That could have been a huge pain. Thankfully I diagnosed the issue properly.

Glad that wasn't too painful. Shitty that you had one die in the first place though.

*edit*

Also, the talk about HWMonitor made me go back and test everything again. Had Furmark and Prime95 small FFT running for 30 mins:

4770K @ 4.5GHz, 7970 @ 1200 MHz. NOT SO HOT IS IT TEHBIBLE?

Spoiler

I'm cheating with waterblocks

 

[KTT]

I've got a 4670K, ASUS Z87-A and a Zalman Optima cooler. I'll be building in about a week.

Will the thermal paste included with the Optima be fine? Would it be worth a few bucks to get some better thermal paste?

 

[mkenyon]

I've got a 4670K, ASUS Z87-A and a Zalman Optima cooler. I'll be building in about a week.

Will the thermal paste included with the Optima be fine? Would it be worth a few bucks to get some better thermal paste?

The stuff included will be fine.

 

[MooMoo]

How much extra cash? If it's less than $200, don't bother. If it's $250 get a 760, if it's $500 get a 780.

(Or buy one of the 770s for $280 in the BST thread)

Thanks for the suggestions! That 770 is so tempting.

 

[TheD]

Hmm, I'm still getting this error message when I try to create a bootable Windows 7 USB:

Even after placing the bootsect.exe file in the software's folder.

I think I did it wrong. It says the original file is placed here:

""C:\Users\007\AppData\Local\Apps\Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool\Windows7-USB-DVD-Download-Tool.exe""

But I can't find that AppData folder in Users>007. =/

I have tried to right click and replaced ownership but that didn't seem to work.

Is there a software thread on GAF?

I have always had problems with that program, I ended up just doing this http://www.johnpapa.net/bootfromusb/

 

[Pachimari]

I have always had problems with that program, I ended up just doing this http://www.johnpapa.net/bootfromusb/

I got it to work, I just had to find the AppData folder.

Gonna see if I can install it on the SSD when I get home.

Thanks for all the congratulations guys, but even more so, thanks for all of the help!

 

[Hazaro]

Yea I am trying not to. I got the Samsung EVO instead of the Pro though so I am worrying just a little because this SSD is being used to prolong the life of my old PC as well as be the main drive in my new one I build in the future.

Anandtech did some testing and TechReport are still doing write tests and it extrapolates to something like 15-30 years on heavy use (10GB writes per day?). Don't sweat it.

 

[theSlacker]

Got the Dell P2414H and love just about everything about it. Great colors and is able to overclock to 80hz using some custom settings. One problem I have is there is a ton of backlight bleed in the lower left corner combined with a healthy amount of ips glow in the same spot. Any game that gets dark that entire area gets blurred out unless i lower my head to its level. Been debating since getting it if I should send it back, but really everything else about it is great.

I guess I shouldn't be too mad over a $210 monitor, but I would pay a lot more for one that I knew for sure wouldn't have any problems like that.

 

[Pachimari]

This is my setup:

Hardware
Case Fractal R4

Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-UD3H

Video Card EVGA GeForce GTX 780

CPU i5 4670K 4C/4T

RAM Crucial Ballistix Tactical (16GB)

Power Supply Sea Sonic G Series 550

Storage WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB

SSD Samsung 840 EVO 250GB

Optical Drive SATA DVD Burner

Network card TP-LINK TL-WDN4800

Card Reader ICY BOX IB-863-B 5,25"

I'm getting a new Corsair H60 on Friday but if I decide to go with fans instead of water cooling, which one would you recommend?

 

[nickcv]

so guys what's the deal with RAM voltage?
what's better?
high voltage or lower voltage?

 

[KTT]

so guys what's the deal with RAM voltage?

 

[kbozz71]

so guys what's the deal with RAM voltage?
what's better?
high voltage or lower voltage?

Lower is better. Example, DDR3 1600 @ 1.5v is better than DDR3 1600@ 1.65v. Gives you more headroom to oc just a bit.

 

[nickcv]

Lower is better. Example, DDR3 1600 @ 1.5v is better than DDR3 1600@ 1.65v. Gives you more headroom to oc just a bit.

thanks a lot!

one more question:
noise wise how is this configuration:

CPU - i5 4670K 4C/4T
MB - MSI Z87-G55
RAM - Kingstone 1.35V 2x4GB
GPU - AMD R9 270X 4GB
HDD - Sandisk 128GB SSD
Power Supply - Antec VP450

 

[OldAsUrSock]

thanks a lot!

one more question:
noise wise how is this configuration:

CPU - i5 4670K 4C/4T
MB - MSI Z87-G55
RAM - Kingstone 1.35V 2x4GB
GPU - AMD R9 270X 4GB
HDD - Sandisk 128GB SSD
Power Supply - Antec VP450

Depends a lot on the casing and fans. Some cases are really good at blocking noise while others are not so good.

 

[Pachimari]

I installed Windows 7 on my SSD and wow is it fast at starting up but I can't seem to connect to my network.

I have tried directly with a ethernet cable and wirelessly but neither that or the network card I installed picks up any connection.

 

[OldAsUrSock]

I installed Windows 7 on my SSD and wow is it fast at starting up but I can't seem to connect to my network.

I have tried directly with a ethernet cable and wirelessly but neither that or the network card I installed picks up any connection.

Go to change adapter settings in Network Connections to see if the adapter was disabled.

 

[nickcv]

Depends a lot on the casing and fans. Some cases are really good at blocking noise while others are not so good.

I was considering getting this:
Corsair 200R

because I didn't thought that the case would have an impact on the noise cancellation.
I was also not considering getting extra fans, I don't plan to over clock it for the time being.

other question:
It has been a while since I owned a windows pc, should I get W7 or 8?
Gaming performance wise what's better?

 

[Lexxism]

I installed Windows 7 on my SSD and wow is it fast at starting up but I can't seem to connect to my network.

I have tried directly with a ethernet cable and wirelessly but neither that or the network card I installed picks up any connection.

Try installing your motherboard drivers. You forgot to install your LAN network driver.

 

[Panzon]

Is it worth buying the parts weeks apart? First one I bought was all at once since I had the cash. This time around, Im trying to buy them weeks apart. Is it worth it this way?

Im really scared some parts come DOA and then its too late for me to return/exchange