"I Need a New PC!" 2014 Part 2. Read OP, your 2500K will run Witcher 3. MX100s! 970!

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That was a huge change.

Haha, well lesson learned I suppose! Why would they allow the meter to go all the way to 2.0ghz!!!?

Anyway, I used that DDU program to uninstall then reinstall the drivers, it worked great. Thanks so much for the help, everyone.

I have a question though, isn't that was overclocking is? Is that not what I did just now? When I hear people talk about overclocking, It doesn't sound like they are talking in 10mhz increments.
 
Haha, well lesson learned I suppose! Why would they allow the meter to go all the way to 2.0ghz!!!?

Anyway, I used that DDU program to uninstall then reinstall the drivers, it worked great. Thanks so much for the help, everyone.

I have a question though, isn't that was overclocking is? Is that not what I did just now? When I hear people talk about overclocking, It doesn't sound like they are talking in 10mhz increments.

You just go slowly. Like, go up 10-20 MHz, run Furmark for a minute to make sure its somewhat stable, then keep going up until you get artifacting pretty quickly. Then lower it like 10MHz and try running Furmark (or whatever you wanna use to stress the GPU) and see if its stable for a long time. If it is, you're good.
 
Anyone know if a Maximus VII Hero will fit inside a Corsair 200R?

Like, no problem, comfortably fit?
Do you mean the motherboard itself or like, have a specific cooling setup you're worried about putting on top of it? It should fit any ATX board fine
 
Help me based PC GAF. I installed a second hdd via Sata to augment my ssd. After installing the hdd I can only boot in safe mode. I made sure the ssd with win 7 was the first boot in the bios. I'm at a total loss. When I boot Windows outside of safe mode the wallpaper shows and nothing else.


Nevermind I figured it out. Needed to make change the physical order of the Sata plugs
 
Yeah, that's fine.

It'd be fine.

Thanks guys. Sadly it seems BP550 Plus is on back order around these parts, and for the price I'd pay at the place they have stock, I might as well get a better/larger PSU. The XFX PSUs are Seasonic, right? XFX TS 550W seems good, 80+ gold. The XFX 650W Core is only $10 more but rated bronze. Not sure if the extra 100W is worth it or even necessary, though.
 
Quick question. Currently, I am running an i5-2500k and a Radeon HD 6970 2GB.

I was thinking about upgrading the graphics.

Would it be worth it to purchase an additional Radeon HD 6970 2GB to operate in crossfire mode for $140US versus buying a new card for the same money? (An R7 260x would be the equivalent in terms of price.)
 
Haha, well lesson learned I suppose! Why would they allow the meter to go all the way to 2.0ghz!!!?

Anyway, I used that DDU program to uninstall then reinstall the drivers, it worked great. Thanks so much for the help, everyone.

I have a question though, isn't that was overclocking is? Is that not what I did just now? When I hear people talk about overclocking, It doesn't sound like they are talking in 10mhz increments.
Because Trixx allows you to bypass voltage and clock speed 'safe' settings over MSI Afterburner or RivaTuner. It's meant to allow people who know what they are doing the freedom to achieve WR speeds so it shows up in all the screenshots.

1.3Ghz is already top end clock, 1.5Ghz is upper tier cooled water / SubZero
Thanks guys. Sadly it seems BP550 Plus is on back order around these parts, and for the price I'd pay at the place they have stock, I might as well get a better/larger PSU. The XFX PSUs are Seasonic, right? XFX TS 550W seems good, 80+ gold. The XFX 650W Core is only $10 more but rated bronze. Not sure if the extra 100W is worth it or even necessary, though.
I'd go for the 550W Gold
Quick question. Currently, I am running an i5-2500k and a Radeon HD 6970 2GB.

I was thinking about upgrading the graphics.

Would it be worth it to purchase an additional Radeon HD 6970 2GB to operate in crossfire mode for $140US versus buying a new card for the same money? (An R7 260x would be the equivalent in terms of price.)
Personally I'd get a 280/280X as replacement. I had xFire 6950's for a bit and wasn't a fan.
 
Well no PC gaming until I get this shit figured out. Nothing displays with drivers installed or the computer reboots instantly depending on which driver version I have installed.

Totally baffled :( More digging around, it just sucks that I KNOW what the issue has to be related to but can't solve it.
 
In need of some tech support. I asked my son why his computer is always on, and he said it just blue screens if he enables sleep mode (blue screens upon waking).

AMD FX-6300
Gigabyte 78LMT-USB3 mainboard with latest bios.
8 GB of Kingston RAM
Gigabyte Radeon HD 7790 2GB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB drive
Windows 7 64bit
No overclocking, latest drivers have been installed.
All defaults loaded in bios.

He said it's done this right from day one (Jan of this year).

Sure enough, I enabled sleep mode, waited 30 seconds, woke it up from sleep. The desktop came up, then about 5 seconds later a windows background devoid of icons. It stays there until I hit ctrl-alt-del and it blue screens and restarts itself. A couple of times upon restart, the hard drive is not detected (sometimes is okay). When it's not detected, I have to manually power the system down completely, not just reset, and then the hard drive is detected again.

I've googled the issue but can't come to any cure so far.

What might be some things to try? Safe mode doesn't allow me to test sleep mode.

(Other than this issue, his system works perfectly)
 
Looking for some advice on new PCs. Been on a laptop for the past 6 years, but overtime its accumulated problems, so I'm looking to replace with a PC. Never built one before, so would appreciate any help.

Your Current Specs: No desktop atm.
Budget: UK. Ideally less than £600, but not sure I'll get what I want with that. Could push higher if necessary.
Main Use: Gaming [5], 3D/Model work [4], Video Editing, [3] General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback) [4]
Monitor Resolution: No monitor atm, so would need one.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: No specific games, but would like to be able to run current gen of games decently. Ultra setting isn't a must, but would be nice. Other applications; 3DS Max, Photoshop
Looking to reuse any parts?: Have no parts to reuse.
When will you build?: No deadline, but looking to do it as soon as possible
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe.

Took a stab at making my own build, not sure how good it is though - http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2djGhM. Open to suggestions!
 
Looking for some advice on new PCs. Been on a laptop for the past 6 years, but overtime its accumulated problems, so I'm looking to replace with a PC. Never built one before, so would appreciate any help.

Your Current Specs: No desktop atm.
Budget: UK. Ideally less than £600, but not sure I'll get what I want with that. Could push higher if necessary.
Main Use: Gaming [5], 3D/Model work [4], Video Editing, [3] General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback) [4]
Monitor Resolution: No monitor atm, so would need one.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: No specific games, but would like to be able to run current gen of games decently. Ultra setting isn't a must, but would be nice. Other applications; 3DS Max, Photoshop
Looking to reuse any parts?: Have no parts to reuse.
When will you build?: No deadline, but looking to do it as soon as possible
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe.

Took a stab at making my own build, not sure how good it is though - http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2djGhM. Open to suggestions!

Know anyone at uni who could get you Windows for free? Otherwise I'd be meh towards that build. The FX6300 isn't great and I wouldn't want to touch OCing on that board. 750 Ti isn't great value next to the 265 or 270 outside of OEM PSUs.

£20 more but worth a look http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/qWGjRB

Overclocking with that B81 board is possible http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pentium-g3258-b81-cheap-overclocking,3888.html

It all depends on what software you're using. If it can use more than 2 threads you could ditch the Pentium and CPU cooler and grab an i3.
 
Haha, well lesson learned I suppose! Why would they allow the meter to go all the way to 2.0ghz!!!?

Anyway, I used that DDU program to uninstall then reinstall the drivers, it worked great. Thanks so much for the help, everyone.

I have a question though, isn't that was overclocking is? Is that not what I did just now? When I hear people talk about overclocking, It doesn't sound like they are talking in 10mhz increments.

You're never guaranteed anything when it comes to overclocking. You may get +200MHz extra or you may get nothing, you have to incrementally increase clock to find your highest clock where you're stable and play with voltage if you want to increase stability at higher clocks.
 
No, it would not reduce load, unless you're talking about some ancient system (LGA 775/AM2+ maybe) that doesn't have a dedicated sound portion.

Undecoded audio takes no power to pass through. If the X-Fi sounds like shit, that's an issue with your Denon, not the card.

Are you using headphones directly off of the X-Fi?

When I say sounds like shit, I mean DTS won't work anymore, I've just got fed up of trying to sort it out, so just want a new card really.

There's nothing wrong with my receiver.

No, I'm not using my headphones off the X-fi as they don't fit in it and I dont have a 1/4" to 3.5mm converter.
 
Have a RAM question. I'm getting ready to add some more memory to a computer I built a while back.

I bought these:

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL which cost $48.

I have two more slots available, should I stick with the same or purchase these for $45?

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM

The blue ones are at 1.6V (instead of 1.5V), and the timings are better. But I don't know if I should go with the better ones or stick with the same RAM across all four slots?

Thanks for the help!
 
When I say sounds like shit, I mean DTS won't work anymore, I've just got fed up of trying to sort it out, so just want a new card really.

There's nothing wrong with my receiver.

No, I'm not using my headphones off the X-fi as they don't fit in it and I dont have a 1/4" to 3.5mm converter.
Get a Xonar DGX. Anything with optical out is pretty much fine. You won't be using a single feature of a sound card other than literally requesting undecoded audio out, so every other feature is a waste.
 
The blue ones are at 1.6V (instead of 1.5V), and the timings are better. But I don't know if I should go with the better ones or stick with the same RAM across all four slots?

Thanks for the help!
Times may have changed, but so far as I know you don't want to mix DIMM timings/volts. I'm almost positive the voltages will either be brought up for the 2 that are lower or down for the 2 that are higher, which could affect stability. Again, the tech may have improved to make this less of an issue, I don't know.

Speaking of RAM, odd little question, both times Tigerdirect assembled my PC (originally, then after needing a new mobo) they put the RAM in non-dual channel setup (slots 3 and 4 rather than 2 and 4). I switched it both times. Is there any reason they would've done this or was it just negligence?
 
Have a RAM question. I'm getting ready to add some more memory to a computer I built a while back.

I bought these:

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL which cost $48.

I have two more slots available, should I stick with the same or purchase these for $45?

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM

The blue ones are at 1.6V (instead of 1.5V), and the timings are better. But I don't know if I should go with the better ones or stick with the same RAM across all four slots?

Thanks for the help!

You only pick 1 speed and CAS timings for your RAM, so you run everything at whatever your worst RAM can handle.

My guess is both those RAM sticks use the same chips and everything, just that the one is CAS7 since it runs at a higher voltage. The point being I'd feel fine buying it, just run them all at CAS9 and 1.5V.
 
Times may have changed, but so far as I know you don't want to mix DIMM timings/volts. I'm almost positive the voltages will either be brought up for the 2 that are lower or down for the 2 that are higher, which could affect stability. Again, the tech may have improved to make this less of an issue, I don't know.

Speaking of RAM, odd little question, both times Tigerdirect assembled my PC (originally, then after needing a new mobo) they put the RAM in non-dual channel setup (slots 3 and 4 rather than 2 and 4). I switched it both times. Is there any reason they would've done this or was it just negligence?

Sounds like negligence :(
 
So, anyone know why the 212X is $80?
*shrug*

"The 212X is the upgraded version that hasn't reached proliferation yet. Fan aside, the difference lies with the aluminum fins. They have X-shaped perforations around the heatpipes. These perforations have a two-fold purpose: the first is to help direct some of the airflow around behind the heatpipes to stop "heat pockets" from forming, the second is to allow for better a better type of airflow."

= "it's better" :P I have no idea if it's worth the more than doubling in cost. It does seem like the 212x fan is one of their newer POM bearings which are quite nice.

edit: pretty picture:
hyper-212x-b-3.jpg
I haven't seen any benchmarks comparing the two. I'll be honest, my instinct is that right now it isn't worth the cost difference, but that the 212x will, as it slowly comes down in cost, eventually replace the EVO. I frankly hadn't heard of it before your question.
Sounds like negligence :(
Yeah, it's sort of a shame/baffling because the rest of their work was quite nice. Very tidy cabling with ties, rubber grommets put into holes they didn't use, everything unused given back to me separated but in one box, etc. Oh well.

Check the slots your RAM is in if you have people build your PC :P
 
the corsair 200R computer case is compatible with a Asus P8Z77-V LK mobo right?
Yep. It really should fit any ATX board. It's a very straightforward and cleverly designed case. I just got one (two actually, hah) for my new PC so if you have any other questions about the 200R let me know.

edit: so beaten wow
 
*shrug*

"The 212X is the upgraded version that hasn't reached proliferation yet. Fan aside, the difference lies with the aluminum fins. They have X-shaped perforations around the heatpipes. These perforations have a two-fold purpose: the first is to help direct some of the airflow around behind the heatpipes to stop "heat pockets" from forming, the second is to allow for better a better type of airflow."

= "it's better" :P I have no idea if it's worth the more than doubling in cost. It does seem like the 212x fan is one of their newer POM bearings which are quite nice.

edit: pretty picture:

I haven't seen any benchmarks comparing the two. I'll be honest, my instinct is that right now it isn't worth the cost difference, but that the 212x will, as it slowly comes down in cost, eventually replace the EVO. I frankly hadn't heard of it before your question.

Yeah, it's sort of a shame/baffling because the rest of their work was quite nice. Very tidy cabling with ties, rubber grommets put into holes they didn't use, everything unused given back to me separated but in one box, etc. Oh well.

Check the slots your RAM is in if you have people build your PC :P

Yeah, I just thought it was a very strange price point. You can get a Noctua D15 for $80.
 
Yeahhhh, that is strange, and no chance that the Noctua wouldn't be the better purchase for that price it seems. I'm thinking the 212x is $80 because that's MSRP and no one has the inventory for there to be competition yet. Looks like newegg isn't even selling it at all.
 
Previously had this build planned at Micro Center, but with the 880 being rumored to be as good as the 780 ti. I think I'm going to hold off on the GPU for now and wait for the 800 series since I don't need to PC game immediately. So what on this list should I upgrade with an extra $300-400?

MOBO: Asus Maximus VII Hero
CPU: i7 4790k
RAM: Crucial 16 GB 2 x 8 D3 CL9
HDD/SSD: WD Black 3.5 2TB/ Samsung Evo 850 pro 256GB
PSU: EVGA 750W ATX PSU
CASE: Nzxt h440
 
You could swap parts in and out here and there that are overkill (motherboard, PSU, Pro SSD) to get more suitable parts which will allow you to do things like upgrade to a 1 TB SSD, or more/better video cards.

Assuming that the PSU is the EVGA G2, then that's a solid list of parts.

The 850 Pro is totally overkill unless you're doing heavy database type stuff on it. Swap it out with a bigger MX100 or 840 Evo.
 
Previously had this build planned at Micro Center, but with the 880 being rumored to be as good as the 780 ti. I think I'm going to hold off on the GPU for now and wait for the 800 series since I don't need to PC game immediately. So what on this list should I upgrade with an extra $300-400?

MOBO: Asus Maximus VII Hero
CPU: i7 4790k
RAM: Crucial 16 GB 2 x 8 D3 CL9
HDD/SSD: WD Black 3.5 2TB/ Samsung Evo 850 pro 256GB
PSU: EVGA 750W ATX PSU
CASE: Nzxt h440

Is that the G2 EVGA PSU?
 
Is that the G2 EVGA PSU?
I believe it's this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...17&cm_re=evga_750w_psu-_-17-438-017-_-Product
You could swap parts in and out here and there that are overkill (motherboard, PSU, Pro SSD) to get more suitable parts which will allow you to do things like upgrade to a 1 TB SSD, or more/better video cards.

Assuming that the PSU is the EVGA G2, then that's a solid list of parts.

The 850 Pro is totally overkill unless you're doing heavy database type stuff on it. Swap it out with a bigger MX100 or 840 Evo.
I wish I had made my mind up sooner. I already purchased an ASUS monitor and I could have used the extra money to upgrade that, but I think I'll just upgrade the SSD a bit if there is nothing else on that build that looks like it needs to be upgraded. I actually thought the chassis would give me some trouble because I've heard that most people don't stick with stock fans, so should I consider upgrading the chassis or swapping out the fans?

While I understand that some parts may be a bit overkill, I have been saving for a few months to buy a CPU, so I don't mind. I want nice things. Haha
 
To put it another way, it's not about getting "less nice" things, it's about maximizing usefulness for any given part.

For example, the 750W PSU is simply way too much for any single GPU. It is also not enough for two high end GPUs. You might be able to do something like run two 870s on it if rumored power specs are true, but that's all up in the air at this point.

The Maximus VII Hero offers one or two very minor features over a less expensive (but not less nice) board like the Gigabyte UD3H or ASUS Z97 Plus.

With savings there, you could grab a really nice soundcard that would have a much more meaningful effect on your game playing experience. Maybe some really nice cans. Maybe a nice mech keyboard, a nice mouse. That sort of thing.
 
So my PC is doing something weird since I took it apart and reconstructed it with all the same parts.

Every time I switch on, it will spin all the fans at max for about 35 seconds, then it all quiets down and proceeds to boot Windows as normal.... except I can't see anything on the various monitors that I've tried.

I assume it's taking a long time to post, but even after removing the battery to clear CMOS, it still doesn't boot. The fans stay on maximum in this scenario, but hitting F1 doesn't proceed with default settings - I assume that's the part it's stuck on.

I have managed to get it to behave a few times since this started, but now it's just not playing at all. There's no onboard graphics, so the BIOS will default to PCI-e.I tried using an old GPU as well, and the same thing happens.

It's an LGA 775 system, so quite old. I'm close to replacing the core components anyway, so if we can't solve it then I'll just give up and buy new stuff
:D :D :D
 
To put it another way, it's not about getting "less nice" things, it's about maximizing usefulness for any given part.

For example, the 750W PSU is simply way too much for any single GPU. It is also not enough for two high end GPUs. You might be able to do something like run two 870s on it if rumored power specs are true, but that's all up in the air at this point.

The Maximus VII Hero offers one or two very minor features over a less expensive (but not less nice) board like the Gigabyte UD3H or ASUS Z97 Plus.

With savings there, you could grab a really nice soundcard that would have a much more meaningful effect on your game playing experience. Maybe some really nice cans. Maybe a nice mech keyboard, a nice mouse. That sort of thing.
I already purchased the Corsair Vengeance K70 and M65. Would a sound card be a big factor if I'm mainly using headphones?
 
Know anyone at uni who could get you Windows for free? Otherwise I'd be meh towards that build. The FX6300 isn't great and I wouldn't want to touch OCing on that board. 750 Ti isn't great value next to the 265 or 270 outside of OEM PSUs.

£20 more but worth a look http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/qWGjRB

Overclocking with that B81 board is possible http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pentium-g3258-b81-cheap-overclocking,3888.html

It all depends on what software you're using. If it can use more than 2 threads you could ditch the Pentium and CPU cooler and grab an i3.

for 3D work, GeForce is prefered
(mostly for rendering using CUDA, dunno if only for modelling though)
 
I'd rather get a DAC over a soundcard. You can use a DAC with any device that plays music, not just your PC. Virtual surround is overrated.
 
Does anyone know how you're to suppose to remove the "base" from Asus monitors? I don't want to remove the "neck" part that is attached to the monitor.
Is the base not affixed to the neck? I have a model with a very similar base and it seemed to come out of the monitor as a single assembled piece. Maybe there are screws on it?

If I may, why would you want to keep the neck but not the base part?
 
Is the base not affixed to the neck? I have a model with a very similar base and it seemed to come out of the monitor as a single assembled piece. Maybe there are screws on it?

If I may, why would you want to keep the neck but not the base part?

I have to send the monitor back to Asus so I'm trying to get it to fit into the box.

When I first got the monitor, the base had to be attached manually. There where no screws, it just "snapped" into place.
 
I already purchased the Corsair Vengeance K70 and M65. Would a sound card be a big factor if I'm mainly using headphones?
Dang. Oh well :P

And yeah, a sound card would be a huge factor.
I'd rather get a DAC over a soundcard. You can use a DAC with any device that plays music, not just your PC. Virtual surround is overrated.
I don't think virtual surround is overrated, especially if used with a quality pair of open ear headphones that have big sound stage. I had Haz try out my AKG Q701s w/ SoundBlaster ZxR, and he was pretty blown away by the quality. It's really dependent upon the tech and the headphones currently being used to get the most out of it.

But yeah, DACs are awesome too. Schiit Magni/Modi stack is absolutely killer.
 
Dang. Oh well :P

And yeah, a sound card would be a huge factor.

I don't think virtual surround is overrated, especially if used with a quality pair of open ear headphones that have big sound stage. I had Haz try out my AKG Q701s w/ SoundBlaster ZxR, and he was pretty blown away by the quality. It's really dependent upon the tech and the headphones currently being used to get the most out of it.

But yeah, DACs are awesome too. Schiit Magni/Modi stack is absolutely killer.

Wait, why is the M65 bolded? Lol

I'm not much of an audiophile, but I'll be using some Monster DNA's. I wouldn't be against adding a soundcard, but I don't know if that's more beneficial than adding better fans or something in the case.
 
I have to send the monitor back to Asus so I'm trying to get it to fit into the box.

When I first got the monitor, the base had to be attached manually. There where no screws, it just "snapped" into place.
Oh. Now that you mention it I do remember doing that. This isn't good news I think it's going to be a huge pain, it was likely designed to snap into place in one direction and never be removed.
Remove the stem and base from the back of the monitor using the 4 black screws under the snap-off cover at the top of the stem. This makes the base easier to manipulate and saves the LCD monitor from damage during later exertions.

Remove the metal plate from the bottom using the 2 silver screws.

Use a tool that allows COMPLETE contact across the surface of each tab. Make one from a block of wood if you have to. I was lucky and had a nylon technicians tool with a square handle.

1. Push gently on all 8 tabs [3 on each side, 1 on each end]. See which ones move. If any move far enough to click, leave them until later.
2. Repeat step 1 with remaining tabs, pushing harder each time. Eventually you will have moved all 8 tabs enough to 'unlatch' them. Don't worry if they move back.
3. Now work in a circle until you have all 8 unlatched at the same time.
4. Slide stem up and off of base.
5. re-attach stem to back of monitor or just replace the black screws in the back of the monitor for safekeeping and snap the cover back on.
6. replace the metal plate on the bottom of the base.
 
Wait, why is the M65 bolded? Lol

I'm not much of an audiophile, but I'll be using some Monster DNA's. I wouldn't be against adding a soundcard, but I don't know if that's more beneficial than adding better fans or something in the case.

Definitely more beneficial than more fans.

I got a Soundblaster Z and really like it. Plus it has a built-in headphone amp which is something I was planning on buying anyway (I'm not a big enough audiophile to want/need a portable one though haha).
 
Okay, so! Yesterday after my little overclocking escapade that messed everything up, I still seem to be having a couple problems. Here's the gist.

Yesterday I was an idiot and decided to mess around with overclocking despite not really knowing what I'm doing. I upped the GPU from 1.3ghz to 1.5ghz. Screen immediately goes black. Each time I restart, I can see my desktop for about 5 seconds, then screen goes black. I install DDU so I can boot into safe mode and uninstall my GPU drivers. I then restart, reinstall my drivers, and everything seems alright.

So now I am back to the settings I was at when I HOWEVER, now every once in a while, the screen just goes black. No rhyme or reason, I can't seem to replicate the problem. It doesn't happen suuuuper often, but often enough. COuld be playing a game, could be on the internet. I check temps every once in awhile, and nothing is overheating, at least definitely not to the point where things would shut down.

Does anyone have any ideas?
 
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