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[Nuts.Pistachio_Nuts!]

Nothing will be obsolete. Lots of incremental bells and whistles that aren't necessary but might be nice.

If you want to build now, build now. Nothing too huge you'll be missing out on.

Thanks thats a relief so yeah im pretty much gonna start a build after this wedding and ever since ive played titanfall and went through that steam os preview i saw on friends pc def want to go pc main this gen and like to start with a decent build for a couple of years worth of max level gaming like with dark souls 2/titanfall/watchdogs/etc. Somewhere in the $700-$800 range.

 

[mkenyon]

For those who are interested, OC3D has previews up of a lot of the new Z97 mobos.

OC3D.tv

 

[VoxPop]

Looking for a light upgrade to speed things up.

Built my rig with this thread a few years back

i5 2500k
8GB 1600MHz RAM
ASUS P8Z68-V LX mobo
Zotac GTX 570
Crucial 128GB SSD (died on me)
Samsung 1TB 7200rpm HDD (dying on me)
Fractal Define R3
Xonar DG

Looking for small refinements that'll give me a nice performance boost without spending an arm and a leg. I spend less time on my PC as I do most my work on my MBP so i don't need anything crazy.

Is there any way I can move everything over to a smaller mid tower chassis? I'm guessing my biggest upgrades needed would be a new SSD and video card but its still running most games easily with no issues.

Also, could anyone recommend a nice monitor that doesn't look ugly as sin? Preferably a 1440P 27" one.

 

[mkenyon]

SSD and video card are really the only things to do right now on your system. Maybe grab another 8GB RAM before prices start to go up.

Check out the OP for monitors.

You can't go much smaller than your current case without spending quite a bit. Some Lian Li options have the PSU mounted in the front, which allows the overall height of the case to shrink by about 4".

 

[phxxBullet]

No like i said a page back getting married soon and was thinking of building a pc instead of next gen console purchase for now after seeing my friends pc build and was really interested. More deals with steam than retail and digital console sales so thought a pc was the better return on games for now. I just have this stigma of being too impatient with tech i always worry about rushing into so would rather build when some stuff is out that wont be so obsolete after finishing it lol.

You won't miss anything which would be importent in the next 2 years. Maybe even in the next 3 years.

Looking for a light upgrade to speed things up.

Built my rig with this thread a few years back

i5 2500k
8GB 1600MHz RAM
ASUS P8Z68-V LX mobo
Zotac GTX 570
Crucial 128GB SSD (died on me)
Samsung 1TB 7200rpm HDD (dying on me)
Fractal Define R3
Xonar DG

Looking for small refinements that'll give me a nice performance boost without spending an arm and a leg. I spend less time on my PC as I do most my work on my MBP so i don't need anything crazy.

Is there any way I can move everything over to a smaller mid tower chassis? I'm guessing my biggest upgrades needed would be a new SSD and video card but its still running most games easily with no issues.

Also, could anyone recommend a nice monitor that doesn't look ugly as sin? Preferably a 1440P 27" one.

Well, you could spend ~60bucks on a cheap mobo and go mATX. Or some more for a better one. But it't wont be any benefit except the smaller case. And quality mATX cases cost money too, so you'd be easily at about 200 bucks for a good case and mobo, which won't change anything but your components getting a tad hotter inside the rig.
But mATX would be alot smaller, and the case itself would prolly be 1/3 of what yours weights.

Performance wise, as you already said, only a faster GPU and a new SSD would really improve anything at all. What PSU do you have? I'd say upgrade to a GTX 770 to get a nice bump, maybe a 780 if it's in your budget.

SSD and video card are really the only things to do right now on your system. Maybe grab another 8GB RAM before prices start to go up.

Why should ram get more expensive in the future? Wouldn't the new DDR4 lower the price of DDR3 over time, but at least to hold it solid? I really don't know why prices should increase. I mean they were lowered a year or two ago and then increased again, but still, I don't see another increase coming. But please explain.

 

[TC McQueen]

Why should ram get more expensive in the future? Wouldn't the new DDR4 lower the price of DDR3 over time, but at least to hold it solid? I really don't know why prices should increase. I mean they were lowered a year or two ago and then increased again, but still, I don't see another increase coming. But please explain.

If they stop producing DDR3 RAM, the price will increase as supply diminishes.

 

[mkenyon]

If they stop producing DDR3 RAM, the price will increase as supply diminishes.

Yep. Same thing when DDR2 and DDR3 came out. The previous gen skyrocketed in price both times.

 

[VoxPop]

SSD and video card are really the only things to do right now on your system. Maybe grab another 8GB RAM before prices start to go up.

Check out the OP for monitors.

You can't go much smaller than your current case without spending quite a bit. Some Lian Li options have the PSU mounted in the front, which allows the overall height of the case to shrink by about 4".

Well, you could spend ~60bucks on a cheap mobo and go mATX. Or some more for a better one. But it't wont be any benefit except the smaller case. And quality mATX cases cost money too, so you'd be easily at about 200 bucks for a good case and mobo, which won't change anything but your components getting a tad hotter inside the rig.
But mATX would be alot smaller, and the case itself would prolly be 1/3 of what yours weights.

Performance wise, as you already said, only a faster GPU and a new SSD would really improve anything at all. What PSU do you have? I'd say upgrade to a GTX 770 to get a nice bump, maybe a 780 if it's in your budget.

Thanks guys, I'll be looking to get a new SSD when a nice deal pops up.

I'll definitely research a bit more on the mATX boards as well.

My PSU is currently CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 650W along with the Cooler Master Hyper 212+. Not sure how that holds up but it hasn't given me any issues.

I think I can hold off on the GPU until its not running games I want at 60fps as I don't play anything super graphic intensive due to my motion sickness in FPS games

 

[phxxBullet]

If they stop producing DDR3 RAM, the price will increase as supply diminishes.

Yep. Same thing when DDR2 and DDR3 came out. The previous gen skyrocketed in price both times.

Well okay, this makes sense. Thanks didn't think about this, wasn't even around at building when DDR3 was released.But then again I'm also curious why they still sell DDR2 when DDR4 is around the corner. And especially for that high price. I don't kow anyone who bought DDR2 in the past 3 years. Prolly only those who didn't want to buy a 8gig kit DDR3 and just upgraded their 4gig DDR2, huh?

Thanks guys, I'll be looking to get a new SSD when a nice deal pops up.

I'll definitely research a bit more on the mATX boards as well.

My PSU is currently CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 650W along with the Cooler Master Hyper 212+. Not sure how that holds up but it hasn't given me any issues.

I think I can hold off on the GPU until its not running games I want at 60fps as I don't play anything super graphic intensive due to my motion sickness in FPS games

Well, then you're really better of waiting for the 800, maybe even 900 series.
But with 53A on the +12V rail, you'd more than fine to handle even a GTX 780. So no matter which GPU you'd chose, it'll run fine. (Besides some crazy x2 GPUs haha)

 

[kharma45]

What power supply would someone recommend for powering 2x SLI GTX 780tis?

1000 watt?

1000w would be plenty. Aim for 850w.

 

[AwayFromInfinityx]

Helping my friend build his pc
And during the initial test boot up (before putting it in the case), the red led light near the d-ram lights up and I can't seem to figure out what's causing it.

I tried it without the ram on the motherboard and it boots up fine.

 

[TC McQueen]

Well okay, this makes sense. Thanks didn't think about this, wasn't even around at building when DDR3 was released.But then again I'm also curious why they still sell DDR2 when DDR4 is around the corner. And especially for that high price. I don't kow anyone who bought DDR2 in the past 3 years. Prolly only those who didn't want to buy a 8gig kit DDR3 and just upgraded their 4gig DDR2, huh?

Well that and to clear their existing stocks of the stuff.

 

[eBay Huckster]

I hate to ask this again but yesterday I bought an i5-4670K for $189.99 at Micro Center without knowing there was a combo deal for an ASRock Z87 Extreme4 mobo for $114.99, which would save me $30 I believe. Micro Center said they'd honor the deal and I am thinking about going to get it for my first build and as I'm trying to save as much money as possible I figured this is a great deal for a good mobo and I already saved quite a bit on the CPU. So, what do you think, should I go for it? Or try to get a cheaper mobo with the same qualities?

I'd say do it (since you're getting these parts now), if only because there's not much that's cheaper than it with a Z87 chipset

 

[phxxBullet]

Well that and to clear their existing stocks of the stuff.

Well, they better go and do a big sale on DDR2 then, or there won't be much room left if they are going to keep DDR2, DDR3 and even add DDR4 haha

-----------------

Any Lian Li owners around, or someone who has knowledge about Lian Li cases?

I'm about to plan a new mATX build for gaming/semi HTPC, won't buy it before summer, maybe even fall, my rig still suits my needs at the moment. Can't decide on which case to get. I just want something which will run cool and quiet. Will need a new CPU cooler too, as mine wouldn't fit in any of these cases (only air coolers, as I red lots of reviews about compact WC, and they seem to not last as long as air coolers, and the pumps are kinda loud).
Cheap case + expensive cooler // or expensive case and cheaper cooler -> no matter what, tell me best solution for a quiet and cool rig. Maybe even the most expensive case and expensive cooler, not sure on my total budget though.

Cases I've been looking at:

http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-c50/ - seems to limit me to GPUs, so prolly not.

http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-v355/ - up to 100mm CPU cooler - might be too hot/noisy?

So those 3 would be left, those are the cases which are in the short list:
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-v351/ - 90€/125$
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-v354/ - 140€/194$
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-v358/ - 130€/180$

I'd go with 2 HDDs and 1 SSD, maybe 1 ODD, so all 3 of them would suit me fine. Don't plan on any wireless cards or TV cards, MAYBE a sound card, but not sure about this.

 

[LilJoka]

Well, they better go and do a big sale on DDR2 then, or there won't be much room left if they are going to keep DDR2, DDR3 and even add DDR4 haha

-----------------

Any Lian Li owners around, or someone who has knowledge about Lian Li cases?

I'm about to plan a new mATX build for gaming/semi HTPC, won't buy it before summer, maybe even fall, my rig still suits my needs at the moment. Can't decide on which case to get. I just want something which will run cool and quiet. Will need a new CPU cooler too, as mine wouldn't fit in any of these cases (only air coolers, as I red lots of reviews about compact WC, and they seem to not last as long as air coolers, and the pumps are kinda loud).
Cheap case + expensive cooler // or expensive case and cheaper cooler -> no matter what, tell me best solution for a quiet and cool rig. Maybe even the most expensive case and expensive cooler, not sure on my total budget though.

Cases I've been looking at:

http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-c50/ - seems to limit me to GPUs, so prolly not.

http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-v355/ - up to 100mm CPU cooler - might be too hot/noisy?

So those 3 would be left, those are the cases which are in the short list:
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-v351/ - 90€/125$
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-v354/ - 140€/180$
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-v358/ - 130€/194$

I'd go with 2 HDDs and 1 SSD, maybe 1 ODD, so all 3 of them would suit me fine. Don't plan on any wireless cards or TV cards, MAYBE a sound card, but not sure about this.

See my rig =D
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=105318035&postcount=9272

And with updated cable management

 

[LabouredSubterfuge]

Do GTX780s usually come with a SLI bridge or do I need to buy one separate?

 

[Stubo]

Do GTX780s usually come with a SLI bridge or do I need to buy one separate?

Your motherboard should come with an SLI bridge if it is capable as far as I'm aware.

 

[Sectorseven]

Well okay, this makes sense. Thanks didn't think about this, wasn't even around at building when DDR3 was released.But then again I'm also curious why they still sell DDR2 when DDR4 is around the corner. And especially for that high price. I don't kow anyone who bought DDR2 in the past 3 years. Prolly only those who didn't want to buy a 8gig kit DDR3 and just upgraded their 4gig DDR2, huh?

Well, upgrading to DDR3 would likely mean having to get a new mobo, which would then lead to a new CPU and cooler. Suddenly it's a big investment just for the new ram.

 

[LabouredSubterfuge]

Your motherboard should come with an SLI bridge if it is capable as far as I'm aware.

Cheers, my Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD4-B3 mobo says its supports SLI so I must have one hiding somewhere.

 

[phxxBullet]

See my rig =D
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=105318035&postcount=9272

And with updated cable management

An Intel Core i7-3960X stuffed inside that tiny box is something I'd consider being oooooooooover the top hahaha. No seriously, awesome build, but why did you go for that CPU but still keep an HD5870? Stuff some badboy in there! haha (Still use mine too, didn't see any reason to upgrade as I can still play everything at least at mid-high, if not high )

Well, upgrading to DDR3 would likely mean having to get a new mobo, which would then lead to a new CPU and cooler. Suddenly it's a big investment just for the new ram.

Yeah true to. Seems like I fail at thinking today..

Cheers, my Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD4-B3 mobo says its supports SLI so I must have one hiding somewhere.

Google says this is how your SLI bridge should look like hehe: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/P67A-UD4/images/box_candy.jpg

Wow, that reminds me that I threw mine away 3 1/2 years ago as I never planned to go SLI. Still not missing that thing.

 

[LilJoka]

An Intel Core i7-3960X stuffed inside that tiny box is something I'd consider being oooooooooover the top hahaha. No seriously, awesome build, but why did you go for that CPU but still keep an HD5870? Stuff some badboy in there! haha (Still use mine too, didn't see any reason to upgrade as I can still play everything at least at mid-high, if not high )

Lol your definitely right, the specs are silly. I cant say why on the CPU, the decision didnt need to be made here, lets say a gift . The board i got 2nd hand off eBay for £170. You can pick up AsRock X79 mATX board for £145 new, and then a 4930k if you so desire =P.

The GPU however, i had a 780, but put it in another rig dedicated to gaming. This one is more of the workstation that i have at uni. 5870 was spare so that does the job for some casual gaming every so often.

The main point is that you no longer need a humungous rig. If you dont want SLI/Fire/X79/X99 you can go miniITX.

 

[mkenyon]

Yup yup. I always push people towards mATX at the very least. ATX seems so silly these days.

Only issue I have with ITX, which is hugely specific to me, is the lack of great audio options. A lot of the DAC/Amp stuff is great, but for someone who likes virtualized surround, they don't really cut it.

Also, that V354 is the very case that pushed me towards enthusiast builds and SFF in the first place. I wanted to get one with a Rampage III Gene and a 920 so bad.

 

[phxxBullet]

Lol your definitely right, the specs are silly. I cant say why on the CPU, the decision didnt need to be made here, lets say a gift . The board i got 2nd hand off eBay for £170. You can pick up AsRock X79 mATX board for £145 new, and then a 4930k if you so desire =P.

The GPU however, i had a 780, but put it in another rig dedicated to gaming. This one is more of the workstation that i have at uni. 5870 was spare so that does the job for some casual gaming every so often.

The main point is that you no longer need a humungous rig. If you dont want SLI/Fire/X79/X99 you can go miniITX.

Not sure if I should join the Intel boat or stick with AMD. They kinda disappointed me, needed to RMA 3 of my hd5870s the day I got them and the 4th is still not working right, but I stopped bothering and just downclocked it by 150/100. I'll for sure go nVidia for the GPU side, but can't decide on the CPU yet, as my Phenom II 965 is suiting me fine and it never goes over 40°C even though my rig sometimes runs 10hrs non stop while gaming.

Yup yup. I always push people towards mATX at the very least. ATX seems so silly these days.

Only issue I have with ITX, which is hugely specific to me, is the lack of great audio options. A lot of the DAC/Amp stuff is great, but for someone who likes virtualized surround, they don't really cut it.

Also, that V354 is the very case that pushed me towards enthusiast builds and SFF in the first place. I wanted to get one with a Rampage III Gene and a 920 so bad.

Yup, my first build was a HAF 912plus with an mATX board. Just got the case cause it looked so cool back then in '10.

I don't want to go ITX as it is usually hotter and noisier, well, ofc, it's way smaller so I don't except it to be as fine as mATX. On the other side though, damn, some ITX cases look so neat. Like the SilverStone Raven Z or Lian Li PC-Q08B (well, looks kinda like the PC-V354B, just smaller and 1 less fan in the front)

I got my eyes on the V354B, guess in the end it'll be that case anyways hehe
But it's note like I don't have another few months time to decide.

 

[mkenyon]

There's a lot of ITX cases that do just as well when it comes to heat. Parts are pretty intelligently designed these days, and CPUs have drastically reduced in power consumption, which has been a major source of heat in the past.

 

[Conceptor]

Hey PC-GAF, how hard/challenging is it to update the BIOS on modern motherboards these days? I'm running into problems with my new GPU and I'm about to send it out for RMA but as a last resort, do you think my motherboard's BIOS might be causing the problem? I installed my new gpu the other day and I'm having issues with the fans running at max RPM (3500) 24/7. I have tried a combination of reinstalling drivers (both latest and beta), EVGA Precision, MSI Afterburner and using DisplayDriverUninstaller (this used to be drivesweeper right?) to clean up when possible.

Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V running on BIOS version 0501 from 05/09/2011
Haven't had any issues with my mobo since I purchased it a few years ago so I'm inclined to think it's not the problem.
GPU: EVGA GTX 760 SC 2GB - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130932

Precision and Afterburner aren't able to lower or raise the fan speed. I have posted on the EVGA forums and tried a suggestion from their volunteer team but in the end was told to give support a call. The retailer I picked it up from has said they don't have any issues with replacing the card for me either.

Hm...

 

[phxxBullet]

There's a lot of ITX cases that do just as well when it comes to heat. Parts are pretty intelligently designed these days, and CPUs have drastically reduced in power consumption, which has been a major source of heat in the past.

Seems like I'm everything but uptodate. Should invest more time into reading reviews and all that stuff again.

Hey PC-GAF, how hard/challenging is it to update the BIOS on modern motherboards these days? I'm running into problems with my new GPU and I'm about to send it out for RMA but as a last resort, do you think my motherboard's BIOS might be causing the problem? I installed my new gpu the other day and I'm having issues with the fans running at max RPM (3500) 24/7. I have tried a combination of reinstalling drivers (both latest and beta), EVGA Precision, MSI Afterburner and using DisplayDriverUninstaller (this used to be drivesweeper right?) to clean up when possible.

Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V running on BIOS version 0501 from 05/09/2011
Haven't had any issues with my mobo since I purchased it a few years ago so I'm inclined to think it's not the problem.
GPU: EVGA GTX 760 SC 2GB - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130932

Precision and Afterburner aren't able to lower or raise the fan speed. I have posted on the EVGA forums and tried a suggestion from their volunteer team but in the end was told to give support a call. The retailer I picked it up from has said they don't have any issues with replacing the card for me either.

Hm...

http://forums.evga.com/tm.aspx?m=2058812
Give this a shot guys...

Here is how to force your cards fan speeds to 30% & 100% as needed.

#1 Download NVIDIA Inspector & WinRAR to desktop. Install WinRAR First.
- http://download.orbmu2k.de/download.php?id=51
- http://www.rarlab.com/rar/winrar-x64-420.exe

#2 Install NVIDIA Inspector.
- Right click on NvidiaInspector.zip on the desktop and select "Extract files...", Extract to Destination Path "C:\Program Files (x86)\nvidiaInspector" without quotes.
- Press OK to start the extraction.

#3 Create 30% Fan Speed & 100% Fan Speed .bat files for Nvidia Inspector. (These two .bat files will allow you to force your fans to 30% & 100% as needed.)
- Open 2x Notepad (Click Start and type in Notepad and hit Enter.) <<Do this twice.
- Copy and Paste this... "C:\Program Files (x86)\nvidiainspector\nvidiaInspector.exe" -setFanSpeed:0,30 into your first Notepad, Save AS... 30% Fan Speed.bat and save to Desktop.
- Copy and Paste this... "C:\Program Files (x86)\nvidiainspector\nvidiaInspector.exe" -setFanSpeed:0,100 into your second Notepad, Save AS... 100% Fan Speed.bat and save to Desktop.

Once you have created the above .bat files just double click on them and watch your cards change fan speeds. Hopefully it works out for ya.

I don't know anything about BIOS itself or flashing it, so I won't reply to that. Don't want to make false sugegestions. But you could try this.

 

[thespot84]

I've also heard mixed things about thermal grease.

With the i7 4770k processors, pretty much everyone I've talked to has said that it needs an aftermarket fan. One dude said I need to buy this thermal grease stuff.

Then someone else was like no, the i7 comes with thermal grease already on it, you're good.

Then someone else said no, since you're getting an additional fan, you'll need to remove the thermal grease that comes on the i7 and then reapply new thermal grease with the new fan you get.

Anyone have some concrete info on that?

This is the type of stuff that's a little intimidating, since I know the CPU is the trickiest, or at least most delicate, part of building a PC. Or so I've been told, what do I really know.

The new CPUs aren't that tricky, they're keyed so you can't install them wrong and there's no longer pins to bend.

If you're not overclocking (in which case, why get the K series?) then the stock fan is fine, and it comes with grease pre-applied. If you're overclocked (which you should, you got a K series) then you need an aftermarket cooler. In this case, those aftermarket coolers will generally come with grease pre-applied. If you already used the stock cooler and there's grease on the chip however, you need to remove that first. Only if the aftermarket cooler as no pre-applied thermal paste will you need to go buy a tube. In any case, I use mineral spirits and a coffee filter to scrape off the old stuff.

 

[phxxBullet]

The new CPUs aren't that tricky, they're keyed so you can't install them wrong and there's no longer pins to bend.

If you're not overclocking (in which case, why get the K series?) then the stock fan is fine, and it comes with grease pre-applied. If you're overclocked (which you should, you got a K series) then you need an aftermarket cooler. In this case, those aftermarket coolers will generally come with grease pre-applied. If you already used the stock cooler and there's grease on the chip however, you need to remove that first. Only if the aftermarket cooler as no pre-applied thermal paste will you need to go buy a tube. In any case, I use mineral spirits and a coffee filter to scrape off the old stuff.

Some aftermarket coolers (very few afaik) don't come with it being already applied, but instead they put a tube of termal paste inside the box, which you have to apply by yourself

 

[thespot84]

Some aftermarket coolers (very few afaik) don't come with it being already applied, but instead they put a tube of termal paste inside the box, which you have to apply by yourself

good point. sometimes it's in a little bag and you have to mix it up yourself too (it separates). I'd try to buy something with the paste pre-applied.

 

[Conceptor]

But you could try this.

Thanks for the suggestion, but it didn't work either. Not sure how I missed that post when I was scouring the evga forums lol

 

[scogoth]

For all the rog swift comments,

Mkenyon linked the ocn thread where I heard about the June release. No preorders as of yet that I know. All this based on last month info, been away travelling of a couple weeks and just got back (sitting in stupid toronto traffic).

 

[M3z_]

Cross post

3 Reference Asus R9 290 $300 ea.

Paypal, no trades, US48 only

Powerhouse of a card for $300, suitable for 1440p gaming.

Comes with original box

 

[Ashhong]

Best would be to just upgrade the GPU. Do you have a K model of the i5? Then you could OC it a bit. But overall, there isn't much increase of performance between i5 vs i7, at least for gaming.
The CPU is still fine, as is the ram. What PSU do you have? You can install whatever GPU you want, up to the Titan, but you'll need to check if your PSU can handle it.




This coming from someone who was asking and asking cause he had so many problems with Windows8, and even went back to 7?




This ain't a good recommendation then.

He already had windows 8 on his list. I was merely recommending reddit. My recommendation is fine.

 

[Wurstsemmel]

Hey PcGaf, I need your advice which is linked to the thread title
When I built my PC I wasn't interested in overclocking, but because the i5-2500 wasn't in stock I just took the 2500k. Last year I upgraded my gpu and chose an gtx 770 and I'm satisfied.
The only thing that gives me headaches is that I can't achieve 60fps (hello Ubisoft) in some cpu-heavy games like AC4 and probably in the upcoming watch dogs.
Do you think it's worth to swap my mobo, buy a better cooler and hope I can reach 4,xghz? I don't want to upgrade my cpu yet because the value I'd get seems too small considering the costs.
It's really hard to find benchmarks of newer games for older cpus :-/

Is it worth a try or burned money?

 

[appaws]

Hey PcGaf, I need your advice which is linked to the thread title
When I built my PC I wasn't interested in overclocking, but because the i5-2500 wasn't in stock I just took the 2500k. Last year I upgraded my gpu and chose an gtx 770 and I'm satisfied.
The only thing that gives me headaches is that I can't achieve 60fps (hello Ubisoft) in some cpu-heavy games like AC4 and probably in the upcoming watch dogs.
Do you think it's worth to swap my mobo, buy a better cooler and hope I can reach 4,xghz? I don't want to upgrade my cpu yet because the value I'd get seems too small considering the costs.
It's really hard to find benchmarks of newer games for older cpus :-/

Is it worth a try or burned money?

That 2500k is a champ overclocker. What Mobo do you have?

 

[Wurstsemmel]

It's a Gigabyte PH67A-D3-B3.

 

[TheD]

question to those of you who have some experience calibrating monitors:

How the hell do I get Windows to apply the color profile to the mouse cursor? It sounds insane, but the mouse cursor is somehow escaping color correction.

Unfortunately my monitor doesn't have hardware color controls, it's a barebones model that lacks even a scaler, so the only control I have on it is brightness. It must be calibrated through software.

It's driving me crazy.

The mouse cursor is done via a hardware overlay, the only way to change it's colour is by changing the colour of the bitmap it uses.

 

[Hazaro]

Plan do get the update done within a week now that stuff is calming down, kinda.

Post thoughts n suggestions if you got em.

 

[DarkFlow]

Plan do get the update done within a week now that stuff is calming down, kinda.

Post thoughts n suggestions if you got em.

Make every build AMD only, Drive people insane.

 

[kennah]

Make every build AMD only, Drive people insane.

Fuck that would've been a great april fools joke.

 

[Marceles]

Cheers, my Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD4-B3 mobo says its supports SLI so I must have one hiding somewhere.

My Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H came with one

 

[Infinite Justice]

Fuck that would've been a great april fools joke.

I would laugh so hard

 

[Widdla]

Really solid for the most part. Swap out the PSU and motherboard for some in the OP and you're good to go. Seasonic G-Series 650 modular and the Gigabyte UD3H is what I'd look at.

The new motherboards, if you want to wait, will include M.2 connectors for nice small form factor SSDs with faster transfer rates than standard ones. That's about the only major benefit.

*edit*

Regarding your TIM question, none of what was told to you makes any sense. The Hyper 212 comes with a little packet of it, which is all that you need. Unless they were talking about delidding, which would be removing the heat spreader from the processor, cleaning that TIM off, and putting new stuff on there. That voids the warranty and runs the risk of killing your proc, so it's kind of an advanced expertise thing.

Thanks for the feedback, and for those who weighed in on the thermal paste issue. Think I'm just going to use the stuff that comes with the processor or fan. I can remove that other stuff if I need to.

 

[liunli]

This might be offtopic but has anyone ordered open box gpu from newegg and how was your experience? Are these cards used? Which is better refurbished or open box?

I bought a open box gtx 760 on Sat for $194. I thought it was a good deal. Should be getting it this Sat

 

[TTUVAPOR]

So my current PC is basically shot. It keeps getting a BSOD and I've brought it to a PC repair shop who basically re-formatted my HD and re-installed Win7. For a few days it worked after they fixed it and then it started BSOD again. I brought it back in, since it was under warranty for their initial work, they got right to it and said that it was dirty RAM and they cleaned the RAM (there's 3x2GB ram sticks) and reinstalled win7 again and said it worked.

I bring the machine home and for about the past three weeks it's been fine up until yesterday. All I have installed on it was itunes and Guild Wars 2. Now it's doing BSOD again. I've been able to play GW2 prior to yesterday as well as play music on itunes.

I tried taking out the graphics card and putting it back in. I tried taking out each RAM stick and putting them back in. Those seemed to work because after I would power on the PC, it would boot to the desktop, however, moments later it would BSOD again. The error codes were varied, one of them was IRQ something.

I even tried to do a system restore point back to the day I got the machine back from the repair shop and even after restoring it to the previous point, it still started BSODing.

I'm thinking the RAM is either bad or the mobo is bad. Anyway, had a talk with my wife and we're gonna go ahead and start shopping for computer parts and I'm gonna build my own.

I'm guessing the basics are:
Mobo
Power supply (I'm gonna use my existing 500w one)
Processor (looking at an AMD, but I've seen there are combos you can get with mobos/processors bundled together)
sound card (is this necessary or do they come already on a mobo?)
Hard drive
DVD drive
Case
Graphics card, probably the ATI 7770
OS...I'd like to stick with Win7 but I don't have a Win7 disc since my previous computer didn't come with one, it was already pre-installed.

Keyboard, mouse, display, speakers, all that jazz, I've already got. I should be able to come out of this fairly cheap and not spend too much money.

I'm definitely going to look over the original post of this thread, the spread sheets of the different builds are interesting. If anyone has some thoughts/advice, I'd appreciate it.

 

[kiyomi]

What are you planning to do with it? Are you just looking to play GW2 on it or do you want to be able to play continuously modern games on it? Filling out the form from the OP is a great way to help us help you.

 

[phxxBullet]

Thanks for the suggestion, but it didn't work either. Not sure how I missed that post when I was scouring the evga forums lol

You're welcome, happens to all of us once in a while haha

Hey PcGaf, I need your advice which is linked to the thread title
When I built my PC I wasn't interested in overclocking, but because the i5-2500 wasn't in stock I just took the 2500k. Last year I upgraded my gpu and chose an gtx 770 and I'm satisfied.
The only thing that gives me headaches is that I can't achieve 60fps (hello Ubisoft) in some cpu-heavy games like AC4 and probably in the upcoming watch dogs.
Do you think it's worth to swap my mobo, buy a better cooler and hope I can reach 4,xghz? I don't want to upgrade my cpu yet because the value I'd get seems too small considering the costs.
It's really hard to find benchmarks of newer games for older cpus :-/

Is it worth a try or burned money?

Get a better board and heatsink, and OC that baby. It'll give you a nice bump in games which requier a fast CPU.

I'm thinking the RAM is either bad or the mobo is bad. Anyway, had a talk with my wife and we're gonna go ahead and start shopping for computer parts and I'm gonna build my own.

I'm guessing the basics are:
Mobo
Power supply (I'm gonna use my existing 500w one)
Processor (looking at an AMD, but I've seen there are combos you can get with mobos/processors bundled together)
sound card (is this necessary or do they come already on a mobo?)
Hard drive
DVD drive
Case
Graphics card, probably the ATI 7770
OS...I'd like to stick with Win7 but I don't have a Win7 disc since my previous computer didn't come with one, it was already pre-installed.

Keyboard, mouse, display, speakers, all that jazz, I've already got. I should be able to come out of this fairly cheap and not spend too much money.

I'm definitely going to look over the original post of this thread, the spread sheets of the different builds are interesting. If anyone has some thoughts/advice, I'd appreciate it.

Sound card isn't needed, as long as you don't plan to use a high quality 5.1/7.1 system. Almost all Boards (couldn't think of any which don't) come with a soundcard integrated. It's fine enough for >200$ speaker systems, so you won't need a dedicated sound card.

What PSU do you exactly have? Also, which CPU? Might think about buying a board which supports your old CPU, but allows to do a upgrade. This way you could use your old one, and if you still get BSODs, you know that your CPU was faulty, and get a new one. Also, depending on what your current CPU is. If it's some cheap from the '10-'12 range, toss it and get a new one.

 

[molnizzle]

Have we heard any rumblings about GSync televisions? My PC lives under the TV in my living room. Having GSync on my TV would change my life.

 

[Rawket Lawnchair]

Guys, guys!

Gaming at 144Hz and 144fps.

sofuckingood.gif

 

[Tinzo]

guys i need help.
i am going to build a pc for next gen games next to my ps4.
i can't decide between an 8 core amd or a 4 core intel.
with watch dogs on the corner. it seems it is better to pick up an 8 core amd over the 4core intel? as the watch dogs ultra spec prefers the AMD FX-9370 over the Intel Core i7-3770.
i this the new thing in pc gaming because of the consoles 8 core?

here are my options:
amd: http://www.alternate.nl/ALTERNATE/Upgrade-Kit-ASRock-970-Extreme3-FX-8350-8-GB/html/product/1075231?tk=7&lk=9432

intel: http://www.alternate.nl/ALTERNATE/Upgrade-Kit-MSI-B85M-P33-i5-4440-8GB/html/product/1102073?tk=7&lk=9450

remember you can OC the FX-8350 to FX-9370
what should i pik?