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"I Need a New PC!" 2014 Part 1. 1080p and 60FPS is so last-gen and your 2500K is fine
- Thread starter Hazaro
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Thanks.
Mr. Wonderful
Member
High performance. Set high performance within the BIOS, too, if there are energy profiles.
As described in the OP, you all should get your chipset drivers for optimal performance and stability. Especially if you're not using 8.1 or the latest Debian/Fedora. I suspect, but could be totally wrong, that having the latest chipset allows the OS to properly communicate things like turbo, C states, and other CPU behavior. Then again I could be wrong and it's entirely controlled by the CPU.
I feel like mentioning that because even I forget to do that at work sometimes. Part of the problem is that I have internal tools that deploy sysprepped Windows from files shares using bootable Linux tools. I should probably script fetching of chipset repositories...anyone know of massive chipset repositories that would include chipsets for basically anything remotely popular (ASUStek, Gigabyte, MSI, etc) and is updated frequently?
And also, where's my Maxwell/R9 290X for Witcher3?
I feel like mentioning that because even I forget to do that at work sometimes. Part of the problem is that I have internal tools that deploy sysprepped Windows from files shares using bootable Linux tools. I should probably script fetching of chipset repositories...anyone know of massive chipset repositories that would include chipsets for basically anything remotely popular (ASUStek, Gigabyte, MSI, etc) and is updated frequently?
And also, where's my Maxwell/R9 290X for Witcher3?
I'm having trouble trying to install Windows 8.1 from a USB.
This is a newly built SFF PC that has no disc drive. I put Windows 8.1 on a USB and when I go to install it I get an error saying "No device drivers were found. Make sure that the installation media contains the correct drivers, and then click OK."
My hard drive is connected as it shows up in the BIOS. Any ideas?
My board is the Asrock Z87E-ITX if that's helpful at all.
This is a newly built SFF PC that has no disc drive. I put Windows 8.1 on a USB and when I go to install it I get an error saying "No device drivers were found. Make sure that the installation media contains the correct drivers, and then click OK."
My hard drive is connected as it shows up in the BIOS. Any ideas?
My board is the Asrock Z87E-ITX if that's helpful at all.
USB ports are weird with compatibility. I would try a different port. Typically the USB ports adjacent to the NIC are Intel, and are more compatible. But sometimes I have better luck with some of the top 2, or the second row from the top.
I have also had issues with UEFI. I typically set SATA boot behavior to Legacy first thing when I get a system. Usually under Advanced>Boot or Advanced>SATA or some other onboard devices. Sometimes under a thing called CSM.
Also make sure that your HDD/SSD is connected to your Intel SATA controller. Typically motherboards have offbrand SATA ports at the top of the cluster. Don't use those.
And sanity check that you connected power, because that would also cause this problem.
When all else fails use DVD.
I have also had issues with UEFI. I typically set SATA boot behavior to Legacy first thing when I get a system. Usually under Advanced>Boot or Advanced>SATA or some other onboard devices. Sometimes under a thing called CSM.
Also make sure that your HDD/SSD is connected to your Intel SATA controller. Typically motherboards have offbrand SATA ports at the top of the cluster. Don't use those.
And sanity check that you connected power, because that would also cause this problem.
When all else fails use DVD.
I tried numerous USB slots already. Still no luck. I haven't tried every single one, so I guess I'll keep trying the rest.
Legacy Boot Mode is set to on already in BIOS.
How do you know which SATA port is the intel one? I see 5(?) SATA ports. I originally had it plugged into SATA_5 and then tried SATA_0 slot and still no luck.
I'll check the power. The hard drive is being read in BIOS. Would it do that with no power?
This build has no DVD drive so that's not possible.
Your motherboard manual is here:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z87E-ITX/?cat=Manual
Seems SATA3_0, SATA3_1, or SATA3_0 is what you want to use. All appear to be Intel, but the motherboard maker has done something to share with eSATA and mSATA ports with SATA3_4/SATA4_5, so don't use those.
If the HDD shows up in BIOS, then it has power.
Do you have another HDD you could try? Or do you have another USB that you could put Ubuntu 13.10 on? Linux is a lot better about USB installers. I'm not trying to get you to switch to Linux, but very early in the "Install Ubuntu" option it will ask you where to install. If Ubuntu doesn't see drive volumes, it rules out the Windows 8 USB installer goofing up.
Where did you get the USB installer? I have only used open source tools that toss DVD ISOs into bootable USB. When I did that I think I had to remove the USB just before it restarts after copying/unpacking all files, otherwise WindowsPE (installer) would get confused about HDD volumes.
I would also try changing the SATA mode to RAID or ACHI.
Can you verify that the USB was set as a bootable device? What did you use to create and put the image on?
I downloaded Windows 8.1 from the Microsoft website. When it finished downloading it asked me if I wanted to Install it now, or put the ISO on a DVD or USB. I chose USB obviously.
I can get to the Windows 8 installer from the USB when I reboot. It proceeds to run the installer asking me what language etc I want to install in. Once I get past that part and it gets to the screen where I presume my hard drive would be listed to select for install, it's empty. It then gives me a window pop up saying, "No device drivers were found. Make sure that the installation media contains the correct drivers, and then click ok". I can then choose to browse for drivers so maybe there's a SATA driver I need to download for my board?
I have my boot order set for USB first. I've tried changing it from AHCI(or whatever the acronym is) to IDE and I still get the error. I haven't tried setting it to RAID yet.
I won't be home for a few hours but I'll do that as soon as I get back.
Random thought:
I downloaded the Windows 8.1 ISO from the MS website. Is it possible that the 8.1 ISO is just an updater to go from Windows 8 --> 8.1? Maybe I need to download the Windows 8 ISO for a clean install?
I bought a CDKEY off reddit for Windows 8.1 standard. An 8.1 key will still work for Windows 8 right?
I downloaded the Windows 8.1 ISO from the MS website. Is it possible that the 8.1 ISO is just an updater to go from Windows 8 --> 8.1? Maybe I need to download the Windows 8 ISO for a clean install?
I bought a CDKEY off reddit for Windows 8.1 standard. An 8.1 key will still work for Windows 8 right?
Samsung are the best but you'll not go wrong with Crucial, Intel, Kingston, Sandisk and others I can't think of either.
The best one is usually the cheapest out of the good brands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eIbrYugNvxA
Damn, the inwin 904 is a nice looking case, but the problems he mentions in the review
Would love to see a revised version of it.
Damn, the inwin 904 is a nice looking case, but the problems he mentions in the review
Would love to see a revised version of it.
I've kept an eye on SSDs for my upcoming build as well. Two things to consider are that up to a point, SSD speed scales as the drives get bigger, and it pays off to keep a portion of the disk empty (20-30% keeps being quoted as a guideline) to keep the drive fast and reduce wear that comes from the disk rearranging the data. Based on Samsung 840 Evo measurements, I wouldn't get anything less than 250GB because there's a huge jump in performance at that level. Going to 500GB is decently faster still, but 1TB isn't any faster than 500GB.
I'm personally going with 500GB because I want to have enough space for OS, couple of large applications, some active data and a good amount of game installs. Sticking to the 20+% space margin with the 250GB drive means I'd only have maybe 100GB for game installs, and with today's games that's like five large games. Price per gigabyte actually goes down slightly as you get to larger drives, so the prices are not bad in that sense.
Celcius
°Temp. member
Nice build, do you have any internal pictures?
What were you using before the H60 and how do you like the H60 so far?
Toooo messy internally right now. I still need to recable the psu and find a better hard drive mounting system. I had an H100 for a bit and the stock cooler for a while. H60 is good. I haven't tried pushing it yet but is decently quiet in my living room.
A lot of mobos will have around 10-15% 1 star ratings for general problems/user error/DOA and the 4 sticks of RAM causing issues is a problem on multiple vendors on the lower end.
That said it does seem like it has gathered a bit more middling 2-3 star reviews with actual issues.
It was put in because of the price/value fluctuations of the MSI GD-65 Z87 board (As well as Killer NIC having Windows 8 problems), but now that's also cheaper as well as the UD4H.
What you get from going above the Z87X Biostar is actually not a whole lot, but I didn't want to jump to $200 boards either so it was one of the few stops in between.
Thanks for the mention, I'll relook at some of the other options. In the future just PM stuff like this too.
Angel Abaddon
Member
Looking to get a new CPU cooler so I can squeeze a bit more out of my 2500k (Currently on stock). What are peoples opinions on the H60 watercooler vs the 212 Evo? I've looked around and both seem to give roughly the same temperatures, just wondering if anyone's tried both and knows the difference in noise levels for the two and which would be more worth my money.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
212 is a better value, once you start getting into the decent tower coolers returns diminish. H60 will probably provide slightly better temps, especially under heavier loads, and it will look nicer and take up a lot less space in your case.
Can't speak for noise levels though. IIRC Corsair's fans were a little noisy, but I don't know if they're using different ones now or not.
Piercedveil
Member
Question for you guys with sound cards, as I'm not familiar with them.
Currently I'm using cheap speakers I got on Amazon, which are actually pretty good in my opinion. They are running through an aux cable in the back of my PC. For some reason, I won't get sound through my front ports and it won't allow me to plug my mic in through the front port. Not a huge deal as my mic is usb, but this requires me to plug my headphones in to my speakers, which makes the sound far too quiet in my opinion, and I'd rather plug my headphones into my PC's front ports. Turned up all the way, they are acceptable for most games but I don't understand why my volume has to be up so high to get an average volume.
Basically what I'm getting at: will a sound card (looking at the Asus Xonar DGX from the OP) give me higher volumes/better sound from both my speakers and headphones? It looks like it automatically recognizes when front ports are being used which solves one of my problems.
Also, it seems this card will allow me to do virtual 5.1? I'd really enjoy virtual surround sound I think.
Should I shell out the $40 for this card or are there other answers to my issues? Thanks for any help!
EDIT: Motherboard is an ASUS P8Z77-V LK by the way
Currently I'm using cheap speakers I got on Amazon, which are actually pretty good in my opinion. They are running through an aux cable in the back of my PC. For some reason, I won't get sound through my front ports and it won't allow me to plug my mic in through the front port. Not a huge deal as my mic is usb, but this requires me to plug my headphones in to my speakers, which makes the sound far too quiet in my opinion, and I'd rather plug my headphones into my PC's front ports. Turned up all the way, they are acceptable for most games but I don't understand why my volume has to be up so high to get an average volume.
Basically what I'm getting at: will a sound card (looking at the Asus Xonar DGX from the OP) give me higher volumes/better sound from both my speakers and headphones? It looks like it automatically recognizes when front ports are being used which solves one of my problems.
Also, it seems this card will allow me to do virtual 5.1? I'd really enjoy virtual surround sound I think.
Should I shell out the $40 for this card or are there other answers to my issues? Thanks for any help!
EDIT: Motherboard is an ASUS P8Z77-V LK by the way
They perform about the same. With good fans the 212 is quieter.
Wouldn't it still help to keep a frequently used set of those virtual machines on SSD?I really want an SSD but I have 500GB of virtual machines.
Large SSDs have come way down in price too. A 750GB unit from Samsung is $450. If your work involves messing with large files a lot, that should pay itself back in no time in productivity.
Question for you guys with sound cards, as I'm not familiar with them.
Currently I'm using cheap speakers I got on Amazon, which are actually pretty good in my opinion. They are running through an aux cable in the back of my PC. For some reason, I won't get sound through my front ports and it won't allow me to plug my mic in through the front port. Not a huge deal as my mic is usb, but this requires me to plug my headphones in to my speakers, which makes the sound far too quiet in my opinion, and I'd rather plug my headphones into my PC's front ports. Turned up all the way, they are acceptable for most games but I don't understand why my volume has to be up so high to get an average volume.
Basically what I'm getting at: will a sound card (looking at the Asus Xonar DGX from the OP) give me higher volumes/better sound from both my speakers and headphones? It looks like it automatically recognizes when front ports are being used which solves one of my problems.
Also, it seems this card will allow me to do virtual 5.1? I'd really enjoy virtual surround sound I think.
Should I shell out the $40 for this card or are there other answers to my issues? Thanks for any help!
EDIT: Motherboard is an ASUS P8Z77-V LK by the way
The DGX is a decent card. Just note that the front port is basically broken though with that card as it does not amplify the sound through that port. You need to hook your headphones to the rear port.
CheesecakeRecipe
Stormy Grey
Wow, that kinda makes the card useless for headphone use for me then, I swap back and forth between headphones and speakers depending on what time of day it is and I'm not going to crawl back behind my tower to keep plugging the headphones in haha.
Is it really that much of an inconvenience?
Piercedveil
Member
Thanks for this. That is kind of annoying.
I actually managed to get my front ports working and messed with some things. My headphones are MUCH louder through that rather than going through the speakers. I think it should work fine now
No.
CheesecakeRecipe
Stormy Grey
NoRéN;98460749 said:
Enough to make me reconsider purchasing the card and going for one that would operate the front port better, yeah. I hate crawling under my desk for any reason and doing so on a daily basis just so I could listen into the hours of the morning is not something I would enjoy.
Well that makes it simple lol.
Do your speakers have a headphone jack?
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
After a google search it looks like it won't wipe the drive (I'm pretty sure no SSD firmware update process will). Unless, of course, the update fails, but that's extremely unlikely.
You should have a backup regardless, though. SSDs are more reliable than HDDs but you still want data in multiple places if it's important to you.
Well can't really since its netbook with no CD drive.
Yeah it is annoying for me so I just hook up my headphone to the sound card and my speakers 2.1 to motherboard sound output.
Just so you know the reason I bought sound card is because of the headphone. I can switch the default sound on the sound setting in control panel to switch between sound card and built-in sound from motherboard.
I don't care about my speakers not connected to sound card because it sound like listening to music underwater anyway.
So I fixed my problem.
I had to go into command prompt and locate the hard drive from there. Once located, I created a new partition and then formatted it. That seems to have fixed the issue as my drive now shows up and I'm installing Windows as I type this.
Hello,
My friend found his old Alienware in his garage, and the PSU is dead. What cheap PSU could he buy so he can replace his dead one? His model is an Aurora 7500 (I assume that number since his PC looks practically like the one below.)
http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2006/01/alienware_aurora7500/1.jpg
If it means anything, his PC has a P4 inside, and an NVIDIA 7900 GT. I think the PSU is ATX.
My friend found his old Alienware in his garage, and the PSU is dead. What cheap PSU could he buy so he can replace his dead one? His model is an Aurora 7500 (I assume that number since his PC looks practically like the one below.)
http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2006/01/alienware_aurora7500/1.jpg
If it means anything, his PC has a P4 inside, and an NVIDIA 7900 GT. I think the PSU is ATX.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Oh, he has another PC already, but he just wants that one working. Nostalgia reasons.
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