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[Dries]

1) It'll decrease it a bit but you'll need to upgrade before that ever becomes an issue. Nothing can go wrong unless you pump stupid volts through it, which you won't.

2) It's a good one, and it's long as it's very detailed. You're better with something like that as you'll actually learn what you're doing exactly.

Chances are with the 2500K you could just go change the multiplier to 42 and that'd be it, nothing more. Most can do that, some can't.

3) How far you can go depends on your chip, it varies. As long as you stay below 85c in Prime95 you're fine, and stay within the recommended voltages for a 2500K.

This guide is focused at SB rather than the IB one you've linked http://www.overclock.net/t/910467/the-ultimate-sandy-bridge-oc-guide-p67a-ud7-performance-review

Holy cow, that guide is really... overwhelming still.

Let's take this step by step. First I'll start by overclocking to 4.0 ghz just to see how that goes and for practice I guess (my stock is 3.3 ghz). The things I need to do are:

- download all the system monitoring software and measure everything on stock speeds to have some reference numbers

- don't do anyhing with RAM.

- enable Ratio Change in OS option (what does this even mean?)

- change the value of the "CPU Clock Ratio" to 40 X

- change my voltage settings. Now this is still completely unclear to me, though.

Are there any more important steps I'm missing?

Because your guide was kind of overwhelming me I googled for other guides and came upon this one: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/01/07/how-to-overclock-the-intel-core-i5-2500k/4 . This guide is telling me to do more adjustments in the BIOS than the www.overlock.net guide, which is really confusing me. I don't want to mess around with too many factors, I just want to modify the stuff that matters and get the hell out of the BIOS, lol.

This shit's just too confusing, so I really appreciate the help so far, guys.

 

[LilJoka]

Holy cow, that guide is really... overwhelming still.

Let's take this step by step. First I'll start by overclocking to 4.0 ghz just to see how that goes and for practice I guess (my stock is 3.3 ghz). The things I need to do are:

- download all the system monitoring software and measure everything on stock speeds to have some reference numbers

- don't do anyhing with RAM.

- enable Ratio Change in OS option (what does this even mean?)

- change the value of the "CPU Clock Ratio" to 40 X

- change my voltage settings. Now this is still completely unclear to me, though.

Are there any more important steps I'm missing?

Because your guide was kind of overwhelming me I googled for other guides and came upon this one: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/01/07/how-to-overclock-the-intel-core-i5-2500k/4 . This guide is telling me to do more adjustments in the BIOS than the www.overlock.net guide, which is really confusing me. I don't want to mess around with too many factors, I just want to modify the stuff that matters and get the hell out of the BIOS, lol.

This shit's just too confusing, so I really appreciate the help so far, guys.

AFAIK this allows motherboard software to raise the Multiplier from within Windows.

 

[Eye_Kahn]

Thinking about getting a new PC but the last one I assembled didn't run as well as it should. The memory and motherboard didn't work right together. I usually buy a prebuilt then get a power supply and video card from Best buy.

My current computer is a Dell i7 920 with a gtx 660 ti.

New computer will probably be this:

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($334.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($229.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.24 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($488.79 @ Amazon)
Case: ?
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($112.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($56.41 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-bit)

Can't believe the difficulty I am having deciding on a case. Big enough for the graphics card, usb 3 front ports, vents on the front\top and not $200+.

The air 540 seems good but it has vertical optical drive bays. Thinking about waiting for the Phanteks Enthoo Pro to be in stock.

 

[Gunmonkey36]

The air 540 seems good but it has vertical optical drive bays.

Is that really that big of a deal though? I think the last time I used physical media with my PC was 3 or 4 years ago.

 

[mkenyon]

The Air 540 is without a doubt my most favorite case I've ever used/built in outside of >$400 CaseLabs/Little Devil type stuff. My only complaint is the openings on the bottom that are typically used to house HDDs. I'll be breaking this down in a few weeks to mod it up quite a bit, but here's some shitty cell pics:

Cable management took all of 5 minutes.

 

[Hazaro]

Why does the R9 290 have like no overclock room?

Guys I need some help identifying a performance problem. I am on my 6th video card 290x , out of first five only one was able to go to 1300 core on LN2 also it did 1290 on cold water weird it clocks almost the same in LN2 and water.

Fuckin AMD what are you doing.

>:[

 

[mkenyon]

Why does the R9 290 have like no overclock room?
Fuckin AMD what are you doing.

>:[

Whatchu talking about. 15% increase is nothing to scoff at.

Dont forget, lots of them flash to 290Xs too.

 

[smoothj]

Hey GAF,

I'm building a small gaming/media center pc. I don't really care about playing every game in ultra settings but I'd like to be able to play games relatively smoothly for the next 2 years or so.

I bought a BitFenix Prodigy M case mATX. I just won $700 at the casino last night so I'm stoked I can move forward with this build.

What CPU and GPU do you recommend? Would 8gigs of ram be enough? I am also looking at getting a MoBo with wifi if there are any decent ones for micro atx out there.

Haven't built a pc since the AMD Athlon days hehe.

Thanks!

Anyone have a suggestion. This money is burning a whole in my pocket.

 

[Hazaro]

Whatchu talking about. 15% increase is nothing to scoff at.

Dont forget, lots of them flash to 290Xs too.

Lots is first gen reference only and it's only a 5% boost, so no.

 

[mkenyon]

Anyone have a suggestion. This money is burning a whole in my pocket.

Third post in thread. But since you got the mATX Prodigy, you could really just follow the guide for stuff in the OP, and get an mATX motherboard.

 

[knitoe]

The Air 540 is without a doubt my most favorite case I've ever used/built in outside of >$400 CaseLabs/Little Devil type stuff. My only complaint is the openings on the bottom that are typically used to house HDDs. I'll be breaking this down in a few weeks to mod it up quite a bit, but here's some shitty cell pics:



Cable management took all of 5 minutes.

I am surprise it took you this long to work on one. Seems ages ago that you asked me about this case. Yeah, it's probably one of my favorites too. Still using mine.

 

[Orin GA]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/orin654/saved/96rmP6

Okay, I upgraded the ram and got a better power supply. I do not want to go mATX, just in case i decide to add something in the future.

 

[Hazaro]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.98 @ Best Buy)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($135.91 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $1153.82
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-30 07:14 EDT-0400)

Hi guys! I built this pc a year ago based on your suggestions and it has been excellent! Although I'm getting into some troubles with Watch Dogs and even tough I could probably blame the game, I'd like to hear your suggestions on low budget improvements in the short term or long term improvements around 500€.

I'd really like to play titles like The Witcher 3 and Batman maxed out at 1080p so I've been thinking about swapping my 770 for the 4GB version because right now that wouldn't cost me a lot of money.

Regarding the 8GBs of memory, is it still good? I usually multitask a lot, like playing a game, streaming, listenning to music and chatting on skype.

Thanks in advance!

WD is poop and 770 is bad value.
8GB is fine, check your RAM usage in Task Manager. As long as you close your browser every few days, you should be fine.

So I'm building the first PC I've done for myself in about 10 years. I already bought my case, power supply, and RAM. It's main use will be as a HTPC, but I'm overbuilding the hell out of it so that I'll also be able to throw the best video card in it I can afford and have a couch gaming PC. I'm basically just buying a couple parts each month, focusing on the stuff that won't change first, and buying the mobo/CPU and finally the graphics card last; to give them the most time for newer spec parts to come out and prices to drop. I'll wait until I have the mobo, CPU, RAM, PSU, SSD, and Blu-ray drive to do the initial build and setup, then I'll get the two HDD's the next month and put them in as a RAID mirroring setup, and finally save a month or two for the best video card I can afford (shooting for a sub-$400-500 card)

Here's the part list I've specced out thus far and what I have already.

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.98 @ SuperBiiz) Placeholder, will probably buy Devil's Canyon CPU
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($218.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory Already Bought
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($81.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($81.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB Dual Classified ACX Video Card ($419.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Commander G42 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case Already Bought
Power Supply: Corsair CS750M 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply Already Bought
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)

Total: $1441.89

I'm thinking to get a Devil's Canyon i7 4970K; despite an i5 being adequate for gaming, my thinking is the i7 will help for all the video conversion it will do as an HTPC. Because of that I'm sourcing the Asus Z97-Pro. The main questions I have about this build are: For this setup, do you think additional cooling will be required? And obviously, is there anything on here glaring that I should change? I haven't followed video cards much lately, but my understanding is that the ATI cards are a bit more powerful than Nvidias's, but tend to have more driver issues; which makes me lean towards sticking with Nvidia. What do you think the best gaming card I can get for under say $450 dollars, or rather, will be able to get for under that price this fall/winter?

Thanks.

290 with a good cooler. 770 is bad value.
Come back when DC is released, we'll know more if it scales with better cooling or not. If you only need stock/mild OC then whatever is fine.

Is there an easy way to make sure you buy a big enough case, or do you just have to add up all the components you're buying to make sure they'll fit? I've seen a few people post recently about having problems fitting parts inside the case and I want to make sure I don't run into that. I'm buying a GTX 780 Superclocked and a Z97 motherboard from Gigabyte, plus the Evo 212 CPU cooler and a Cooler Master 750W PSU. SSD and HD, etc. Is there a certain type of case I should look for?

Only the supersized coolers and 290/290x are length concerns today really. Pretty much everything fits in an mATX case. ITX is where you have to be concerned.
Main things:
GPU length (Usually up to 11" or more is supposed)
PSU length (Some small cases only support 160mm)
Google Case + 'will 212 fit'

So I ran my new computer through 3DMARK's free graphics benchmark tool.

These were the results.
over 1000 frames per second.........how is that even possible........
But i'm quite happy with those results. I remember seeing other folk gaming PC's results, that ran the Fire Strike test, were in the single digits for the combined test's frames per second.

Mobile game test isn't it?

Hey GAF,

I'm building a small gaming/media center pc. I don't really care about playing every game in ultra settings but I'd like to be able to play games relatively smoothly for the next 2 years or so.

I bought a BitFenix Prodigy M case mATX. I just won $700 at the casino last night so I'm stoked I can move forward with this build.

What CPU and GPU do you recommend? Would 8gigs of ram be enough? I am also looking at getting a MoBo with wifi if there are any decent ones for micro atx out there.

Haven't built a pc since the AMD Athlon days hehe.

Thanks!

Fill out bullet points in the OP

What is the best wifi router for the money right now? My current one keeps dropping connection and resetting my cable modem.

I use and rec RT-N16 with Tomato.

 

[mkenyon]

I am surprise it took you this long to work on one. Seems ages ago that you asked me about this case. Yeah, it's probably one of my favorites too. Still using mine.

Yeah, home ownership happened. On five acres. With horses.

gg discretionary spending.

I got pretty lucky and traded a shotgun I haven't used in years for the entire watercooling setup you see above, including R9 290. Figured it was a good excuse to splurge on the case.

 

[NoRéN]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/orin654/saved/96rmP6

Okay, I upgraded the ram and got a better power supply. I do not want to go mATX, just in case i decide to add something in the future.

the hyper 212 evo will include thermal paste so you can drop the arctic silver.

 

[Smokey]

The Air 540 is without a doubt my most favorite case I've ever used/built in outside of >$400 CaseLabs/Little Devil type stuff. My only complaint is the openings on the bottom that are typically used to house HDDs. I'll be breaking this down in a few weeks to mod it up quite a bit, but here's some shitty cell pics:



Cable management took all of 5 minutes.

Just gone mine today from the Egg along with a h100i for push/pull and a ton of fans . Been wanting one for awhile. Glad to hear the favorable impressions. Getting my new PSU showed me how much I'm running out of space in the FT02.

 

[phxxBullet]

I am waiting on finishing my mITX HTPC build in a Fractal Node 605

Would you mind sending me some pics when finished? I've been having my eyes for quite some time now on horizontal htpc cases, and I love the fact that the node 605 isn't as deep as most gaming-capable htpcs.
Also, some temps if it isn't too much to ask for

The Air 540 is

so big. But.. but why? You could easily fit 2 HTPCs in that monster.

Awesome. Huge size disparity. Look forward to moving on to the Node. Currently on a Fractal Define R3. Should be great.

How does it handle heat and noise?

As for the heat part, you can even toss a 780 and an i7 in there and nothing will overheat. No idea about the sound level though. Might think that it's a bit loud in there?

 

[garath]

So I hear my 2500k is just fine.

My 660ti needs an upgrade though. After seeing some benchmarks for more current PC games, I'm starting to think about it. Are the 800s coming within the year or should I start to keep my eye open for deals on a 770 or something?

I could probably even wait until March or something. The games I have now are still running fine. I'm not getting Watchdogs until the first sale and I can't think of anything else really system pushing coming out soon that I really want. Star Citizen is ages away.

edit: I see a 770 is a bad value lol. Probably best to just wait for 800s

 

[phxxBullet]

I could probably even wait until March or something

If no typo, come back next year. Might consider a new CPU by then too.

 

[Smokey]

So I hear my 2500k is just fine.

My 660ti needs an upgrade though. After seeing some benchmarks for more current PC games, I'm starting to think about it. Are the 800s coming within the year or should I start to keep my eye open for deals on a 770 or something?

I could probably even wait until March or something. The games I have now are still running fine. I'm not getting Watchdogs until the first sale and I can't think of anything else really system pushing coming out soon that I really want. Star Citizen is ages away.

edit: I see a 770 is a bad value lol. Probably best to just wait for 800s

Is there a particular PC game you're looking towards? Like Witcher 3? Or Star Citizen as you mentioned. I'd wait until closer to whatever title you're anticipating and get what is best within your budget. You said so yourself games are running fine for you now.

 

[thespot84]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/orin654/saved/96rmP6

Okay, I upgraded the ram and got a better power supply. I do not want to go mATX, just in case i decide to add something in the future.

there's faster ram for cheaper that doesn't have such a high profile (might touch your heatsink...), like the g.skill sniper

for $5 you can grab a gigabyte z97 UD3H board, which runs a lot cooler on the VRAM.

 

[Eye_Kahn]

Is that really that big of a deal though? I think the last time I used physical media with my PC was 3 or 4 years ago.

I still buy physical media (music, movies, games and books). I don't like the idea of buying digital distributed products.

The Air 540 is without a doubt my most favorite case..

I have watched many videos about the case and I like almost everything about it.

 

[kennah]

Would you mind sending me some pics when finished? I've been having my eyes for quite some time now on horizontal htpc cases, and I love the fact that the node 605 isn't as deep as most gaming-capable htpcs.
Also, some temps if it isn't too much to ask for

so big. But.. but why? You could easily fit 2 HTPCs in that monster.


As for the heat part, you can even toss a 780 and an i7 in there and nothing will overheat. No idea about the sound level though. Might think that it's a bit loud in there?

Here's some comparison shots that I did the other day. The node is the quietest of the bunch (fans running on low, stock cooler, no video card).

All together.

Size comparison

3/4 view.

So I hear my 2500k is just fine.

My 660ti needs an upgrade though. After seeing some benchmarks for more current PC games, I'm starting to think about it. Are the 800s coming within the year or should I start to keep my eye open for deals on a 770 or something?

I could probably even wait until March or something. The games I have now are still running fine. I'm not getting Watchdogs until the first sale and I can't think of anything else really system pushing coming out soon that I really want. Star Citizen is ages away.

edit: I see a 770 is a bad value lol. Probably best to just wait for 800s

Yeah, just wait, nothing would be a huge upgrade unless you manage to get a hell of a deal on a 780 or something.

 

[garath]

If no typo, come back next year. Might consider a new CPU by then too.

Is there a particular PC game you're looking towards? Like Witcher 3? Or Star Citizen as you mentioned. I'd wait until closer to whatever title you're anticipating and get what is best within your budget. You said so yourself games are running fine for you now.

Yeah, just wait, nothing would be a huge upgrade unless you manage to get a hell of a deal on a 780 or something.

Yeah. Good deal. The initial Watchdogs performance numbers scared me. I don't mind being more in the med-high range of games to save some money over time but I can't suffer the low. However, it's pretty obvious that game is a hot mess on PC more than anything else.

Just trying to get a lay of the land. Been awhile since I was current on PC parts. I have a feeling if I wait too long I'll be upgrading more than just the GPU and my wife will not be happy with that The OC'd 2500k has been a trooper though. I think it's sitting on a super stable 4.3ghz OC. The 660ti is the weak link for now.

I'll wait for the huge upgrade. Every other generation is usually where I put my money anyways.

 

[phxxBullet]

Here's some comparison shots that I did the other day. The node is the quietest of the bunch (fans running on low, stock cooler, no video card).

Well, almost every case is is quiet if no video card is in there. The interesting thing is the sound level with a GPU like a 770 or even 780

//

Just trying to get a lay of the land. Been awhile since I was current on PC parts. I have a feeling if I wait too long I'll be upgrading more than just the GPU and my wife will not be happy with that The OC'd 2500k has been a trooper though. I think it's sitting on a super stable 4.3ghz OC. The 660ti is the weak link for now.

Doesn't matter if Intel or AMD, both didn't hit the market with anything worth spending hundreds of bucks for a new mobo/CPU combo since '09/'10. A 2500k is still as capable as of todays games as a Phenom 965 is. Haven't met a game yet where I was bottlenecked by my CPU. It's always the GPU, and even then my almost 5 year old HD5870 does great in alot of games. Most games from '13 still can be maxed out at 1080p (ofc no 120fps, but I'm more than fine with 40-50s).

But I feel like next year will be upgrading time. Maybe jump into the Intel boat, and most likely switch to nVidia too.

 

[Reuenthal]

Is XFX Double D R9 290X a good deal at $480?

 

[kennah]

Well, almost every case is is quiet if no video card is in there. The interesting thing is the sound level with a GPU

I find power supplies louder than gpus lately.

Edit the prodigy and Lian Li were louder with the same parts.

 

[phxxBullet]

I find power supplies louder than gpus lately.

Edit the prodigy and Lian Li were louder with the same parts.

Well, the loudest part in my rig is the CPU cooler anyways, but yeah, I get your point. But then again, I'm curious as the GPU fan is almost kissing the side panel in the node 304.

 

[kennah]

Well, the loudest part in my rig is the CPU cooler anyways, but yeah, I get your point. But then again, I'm curious as the GPU fan is almost kissing the side panel in the node 304.

There is a GPU sized mesh on the side of the case. Barely changes the air that the GPU would be expecting to get. Works for reference coolers or multi fan setups.

 

[mkenyon]

so big. But.. but why? You could easily fit 2 HTPCs in that monster.

It's not as large as it looks. It's not much taller than a Prodigy, even. But, I get to fit two 280mm rads in there, run the fans at 600 RPM, and call it a day. Plus that second chamber makes it a dream to build in.

 

[Sword Of Doom]

The Air 540 is without a doubt my most favorite case I've ever used/built in outside of >$400 CaseLabs/Little Devil type stuff. My only complaint is the openings on the bottom that are typically used to house HDDs. I'll be breaking this down in a few weeks to mod it up quite a bit, but here's some shitty cell pics:



Cable management took all of 5 minutes.

It's a great case but my only complaint about it is that there really isn't as much room as I would like for radiators + fans. Especially for push pull or using shrouds. Plus the overall build quality. For a $130 case it's very flimsy. Maybe cause I'm used to the thicker and better build Fractal R4


Edit** I think they should better utilize the space at the bottom. They take the PSU and put it behind the case and instead of moving the motherboard lower to allow more space up top for thick radiators or whether you want to put there they put the MB in the middle as if the PSU was still in the bottom.

 

[Ally1987]

finished my upgrade today, fractal design case, corsair h100i cooler and two more fans for the radiator so it can four fans on it.

 

[phxxBullet]

There is a GPU sized mesh on the side of the case. Barely changes the air that the GPU would be expecting to get. Works for reference coolers or multi fan setups.

The mesh is the reason I'm afraid it'll be loud, as the fans are more or less in the "open", with nothing in front of it to block the noise, and not somewhere hidden in the case.

It's not as large as it looks. It's not much taller than a Prodigy, even. But, I get to fit two 280mm rads in there, run the fans at 600 RPM, and call it a day. Plus that second chamber makes it a dream to build in.

Oh okay, cause it looks massive in your photos.
But wow, at 600RPM? Sounds like a dream hehe

 

[Dunbar]

finished my upgrade today, fractal design case, corsair h100i cooler and two more fans for the radiator so it can four fans on it.

Thanks for posting those pics. I'm still looking for a case and I think I'm just going to get the same one you did because it looks like we went for similar builds.

 

[Smokey]

Dat feel of getting a package on a Friday

 

[Skyzard]

Ha enjoy

finished my upgrade today, fractal design case, corsair h100i cooler and two more fans for the radiator so it can four fans on it.

Very nice and much tidier than mine!

 

[mkenyon]

It's a great case but my only complaint about it is that there really isn't as much room as I would like for radiators + fans. Especially for push pull or using shrouds. Plus the overall build quality. For a $130 case it's very flimsy. Maybe cause I'm used to the thicker and better build Fractal R4


Edit** I think they should better utilize the space at the bottom. They take the PSU and put it behind the case and instead of moving the motherboard lower to allow more space up top for thick radiators or whether you want to put there they put the MB in the middle as if the PSU was still in the bottom.

The motherboard is where it's at to allow space for two HDDs to be mounted in the bottom. There's two SATA hot swap plugs that they slide right into. Other than that, it's about as low as it can get. It's really easy to just cut out the bottom to mount a radiator there too. Offset it as much as you want.

 

[Hazaro]

Look at all those overpriced fans and worthless Corsair Link thing. At least you got the PWM ones.

 

[Smokey]

Ha enjoy

Going to try!

Look at all those overpriced fans and worthless Corsair Link thing. At least you got the PWM ones.

I knew you would come through PC-bro

 

[Ashhong]

Hmmm I am noticing that when I skip around in songs in iTunes, it makes like a scratching sound briefly, almost like the computer is lagging. I have never noticed that before, anybody have thoughts? Plenty of available cpu and memory..happens on both my SSD and HDD files

 

[mkenyon]

Hmmm I am noticing that when I skip around in songs in iTunes, it makes like a scratching sound briefly, almost like the computer is lagging. I have never noticed that before, anybody have thoughts? Plenty of available cpu and memory..happens on both my SSD and HDD files

I've always noticed that with iTunes.

Same thing happen on Spotify?

 

[Hazaro]

Going to try!



I knew you would come through PC-bro

They aren't going to help watchdogs you know right?

Just buy 4 of these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASUS-R9-290-4GB-Graphics-Card-Bitcoin-Litecoin/161264535933

 

[mkenyon]

They aren't going to help watchdogs you know right?

Just buy 4 of these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASUS-R9-290-4GB-Graphics-Card-Bitcoin-Litecoin/161264535933

I heard Smokey's machine spontaneously combusts when non-EVGA cards are inserted into PCI-E slots.

Kind of like the Texans whenever talent is inserted.

 

[Smokey]

Just buy 4 of these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASUS-R9-290-4GB-Graphics-Card-Bitcoin-Litecoin/161264535933

I am at peace with my WD settings.

I'd love to buy those GPUs...except I'd need a new mobo/CPU and ya boys at Intel are being pricks!

 

[Ashhong]

I've always noticed that with iTunes.

Same thing happen on Spotify?

I dont use spotify..ill try like WMP or something. I guess it makes the most sense that it's a software issue.

Also, I increased my paging file to 4gb from 1gb, that should help with my low memory issues right?

edit: dont notice it in VLC...I guess just an iTunes issue. What do you guys use for music? I wish I could find a program that would import my iTunes playlists

 

[Sword Of Doom]

The motherboard is where it's at to allow space for two HDDs to be mounted in the bottom. There's two SATA hot swap plugs that they slide right into. Other than that, it's about as low as it can get. It's really easy to just cut out the bottom to mount a radiator there too. Offset it as much as you want.

I know the bottom is for hard drives but they're side by side so there's space. IMO if the mother board sat lower it would leave more room for option up top for mounting radiators. They probably went with the more symmetrical design withe the MB in the center for looks

Edit** the reason I have an issue with this is because I wanted to build in one but you can't put a thick radiator in there without modding which kind of defeats the purpose of the case for me

 

[Smokey]

I know the bottom is for hard drives but they're side by side so there's space. IMO if the mother board sat lower it would leave more room for option up top for mounting radiators. They probably went with the more symmetrical design withe the MB in the center for looks

Edit** the reason I have an issue with this is because I wanted one but you can't put a thick radiator in there without modding which kind of defeats the purpose of the case for me

Well...the name of the case is the Corsair Air 540

 

[mkenyon]

45mm is plenty thick

 

[Sword Of Doom]

45mm is plenty thick

Actually 45mm is fine lol I guess I'm asking too much from a mid tower case.


I might still get one cause build look so clean.

Well...the name of the case is the Corsair Air 540

You missed an "air"

Edit** btw smokey no matter what you decide to do in regards to graphics cards I think giving it another week for computex would be the way to go.

I heard Smokey's machine spontaneously combusts when non-EVGA cards are inserted into PCI-E slots.

Kind of like the Texans whenever talent is inserted.

They do make nice cards

 

[DoctorZ]

Depends. Is the space saving of the right one worth a new mobo to you?
mATX left (Prodigy) --- mITX right (node 304)

//

Here's a comparison to a normal tower: (again node 304)

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/IaTFC4TAlmo/maxresdefault.jpg


Aaand the cute little boy on a table:

http://cdn.overclock.net/d/d3/d36695ab_IMG_1018.jpeg

Id get the ITX, Node 304 can fit 4HDD and 2 SSD if you are creative and a full length GPU with the right PSU. Also will fit Hyper 212 to get a nice OC for such a rig. Its quiet too.

Awesome. Huge size disparity. Look forward to moving on to the Node. Currently on a Fractal Define R3. Should be great.

How does it handle heat and noise?

I find the Node to be quieter than the Prodigy. Heat isn't an issue in either.

Hmm, maybe I should look at some mITX cases more and the Node in particular.

Specific to the Node 304, a few questions.

1) How does it fair portability wise? Can it be moved at least once a week in the back seat of a car easily or can components move around inside the case at all?

2) Will it really fit a GTX 480 and Corsair HX620 without a ton of trouble? I like my current set up and definitely don't want to have to buy a new PSU and/or GPU just for a case downsize. The GTX 480 gets HOT and its fan can run pretty hard when playing games, that is maybe my biggest concern with a small case, my GTX 480. I like it, it gets the job done, but it can get hot.

All of those cases will fit your parts, except the Node 304 may have trouble with that PSU and its modular cables as the GPU covers the face of the PSU. The PSU bracket can be removed to give about 20mm more room to play with.

3) And what, at the moment, is the best bang for the buck mITX mobo in GAf's opinion? Just to get me started in the right direction if I go the mITX route.