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[zyxwvu4321]

I'm wondering just how much of a gain it will be to try overclocking my CPU (4790k). Most reviews I've seen have gotten something like 4.6-4.8, which is just a little over the stock boost. I'll still give it a go, but eh, not super excited about it.

 

[fluffydelusions]

Hey guys random question: wondering if my PC can run the evil within well before I splurge 60$

CPU: 2500k and GPU: HD 6950

It runs shadow of morrow really well on very high (which surprised me, since I built this rig for like $700 it feels like 3+ yrs ago) but the game doesn't look that great tbh

Probably know more when the game releases

 

[appaws]

See, this always kind of confused me. When you're buying a new CPU, most people admit that you won't really see big differences between a lot of CPUs right now in terms of performance (past a certain threshold, obviously) as most will get you over 60FPS in a current game.

But when they're older, people say it's not worth just upgrading the CPU as it's better to buy a new MOBO and CPU instead. So is there just a sweetspot of a year or so when it's good to upgrade a CPU? Or when it pays off to have bought a better one?

It depends on the game. The tendency is for modern games to be much more GPU intensive, but that is not always the case. People usually cite things like Battlefield or Guild Wars as things that are somewhat CPU limited. Strategy games like a Paradox type of game or a Civ 5 are also very CPU dependent.

There is also the thing with # of threads being used. That matters. Take something like my all-time fave Europa Universalis, or Crusader Kings. The Clausewitz Engine they run on is completely single-threaded....so there would be less difference between different CPUs based on the number of cores. Then the graphics are not all that intensive, but the 10 bazillion different units in the game cause the CPU to really work more than the Graphics card.

As for upgrading. I guess do it if you can.... It seems like these days every new gen of processors comes along with a new socket and chipset. They may as well go BGA at this point...the internet will explode, but how many people really upgrade their CPU without getting a new MOBO?

 

[DyslexicAlucard]

It depends on the game. The tendency is for modern games to be much more GPU intensive, but that is not always the case. People usually cite things like Battlefield or Guild Wars as things that are somewhat CPU limited. Strategy games like a Paradox type of game or a Civ 5 are also very CPU dependent.

There is also the thing with # of threads being used. That matters. Take something like my all-time fave Europa Universalis, or Crusader Kings. The Clausewitz Engine they run on is completely single-threaded....so there would be less difference between different CPUs based on the number of cores. Then the graphics are not all that intensive, but the 10 bazillion different units in the game cause the CPU to really work more than the Graphics card.

As for upgrading. I guess do it if you can.... It seems like these days every new gen of processors comes along with a new socket and chipset. They may as well go BGA at this point...the internet will explode, but how many people really upgrade their CPU without getting a new MOBO?

Is BGA just right on the MOBO and not interchangeable? You pretty much may as well!

I just hate that I never get to upgrade my CPU on the cheap, because once a chipset is out of print, prices go up on old CPUs, not lower like with (most) RAM.

 

[Dr.Acula]

Is BGA just right on the MOBO and not interchangeable? You pretty much may as well!

I just hate that I never get to upgrade my CPU on the cheap, because once a chipset is out of print, prices go up on old CPUs, not lower like with (most) RAM.

I got the same mobo and CPU, and yeah, the i7s for that socket are prohibitively expensive. Best advice is to wait for the new ram to come out and upgrade the whole shebang. I put a 770 in my rig and everything runs great, so we can survive with this mobo for another couple of years, easy.

 

[Hazaro]

In which way, will this build not suffice to play games at great settings for the next decade or a half? If it's just minuscule as in I could eek a little better performance I don't mind, as long as what I'm spending will let me play the latest games at over 30FPS with highest graphics settings without over heating. This will mean I won't get a console for a while to be honest if I can use my xbox 360 control on my Sony Bravia 42 inch TV, it has 3D too.

It'll do far more than that.

I know what the title says but is an i7 still overkill for gaming? Is it best to just stick with an i5?

In general if 1k or less i5 is best gaming value right now.

My HDD still buzzes/hums like a motherfucker. It's really loud. This has actually been going on for months but I didn't realize it was the HDD until I switched it to another system. The buzzing sounds similar to a fan, which is what I originally thought it was.

The thing is, the HDD itself is working perfectly fine. Sometimes if I don't access it for a while it seems to shut down completely, and takes a few seconds to rev back up whenever I access it again. That sometimes causes the humming. I've searched all over the place and haven't found any articles or posts similar to the problem I'm having.

It's a consistent humming that lasts for several minutes at a time, and doesn't seem to affect the actual performance of the HDD at all.

So I WON'T need a new power supply or anything? And I'm guessing the voltage is what determines the speed it reaches or what? I'm still not clear on the relationship here or what I need to do to manage that voltage. Do I need to watch what I have the computer plugged into or anything like that? To be clear, I'm aiming for something like 4.5 GHz, or whatever mots people OC to on 4th gen i5s.

Backup your data immediately.
Same PSU is fine, a light OC will add 20-50W full load in most cases on Intel. Read OC thread in OP or other guides. Aim for 4.2Ghz and take whatever you get over that 4.5Ghz is not realistic for most imo unless you have good cooling and a good chip (die and heat transfer).

Need some advice. My PC is in need of a refresh. It's 4.5 years old. I typically replace my machine every 2 to 3 years, but lately I haven't been playing games at all. Basically just encoding video/audio, surfing the web, watching video etc. Nothing work related, as I have a company provided laptop for that. Just leisure activities. Now, I think my current machine is on its last legs (assorted errors and occasionally it takes a long time to post), so I figure it's time to start building a new machine.

I'm thinking of going with the usual suspects, i5 4690K/mobo, 8gb memory, MX100 256gb SSD, 1 TB WD HD etc. I am not planning on getting a new video card in the near future. I think I can just re-appropriate my current GTX 660Ti since I don't really see myself playing games for at least a bit and it really wouldn't make sense to buy a GTX 970 or something similar if I'm not going to put it through its paces very often.

So my question is, since I'm going to save $350+ in video card costs, should I bump up any other component to help future proof my new system for a little while longer? Or is the configuration I listed above just fine? Eventually I will get a nice video card when I really need it.

If it's just casual transcoding I'd just go i5 yeah.

Sup, PCGAF? So I'm interested in upgrading my aging CPU, but I'd really rather not upgrade my MOBO too. If I do, I know I'll think, "Well, might as well do my RAM while I'm at it. Maybe get a new GPU..." then BAM, just spent $1000, lol.

My mobo is this:

"Gigabyte P55A-UD3 ATX LGA1156 P55 DDR3 2PCI-E 2PCI RAID GBLAN CrossFireX USB3.0 SATA3 Motherboard"

And my current CPU is an i5-750. So what are my best options here, in terms of price to upgraded performance? Where is the best place to find an upgrade for a good price? Ebay?

 

[DyslexicAlucard]

I got the same mobo and CPU, and yeah, the i7s for that socket are prohibitively expensive. Best advice is to wait for the new ram to come out and upgrade the whole shebang. I put a 770 in my rig and everything runs great, so we can survive with this mobo for another couple of years, easy.

I have a GTX 670 and most games run really well. Even Shadow of Mordor runs pretty well on high. But it is hitting its limits lately, which is why I was looking for a small boost on my weakest component, my CPU.

Unfortunately, it seems most think it's not worth it.

 

[kennah]

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

 

[DyslexicAlucard]

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

I'm not a poster in this thread usually, but congrats! =D

 

[Nostremitus]

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

congrats, man.

 

[Ronabo]

Hey guys. I have no idea what I am doing. I want to purchase or build a gaming desktop.

Been gaming on this laptop for about 3 years now.

Processor AMD A6-3400M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics
Memory (RAM) 8.00 GB
Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6520G
Gaming graphics 5108 MB Total available graphics memory
Primary hard disk 15GB Free (200GB Total)

My budget would be $1000 or less. I've never built a PC before but I have installed upgrades like RAM, HDs and GPUs. So I think I would be comfortable doing so. Or I can go the prebuilt route if it's a good buy.

I'd like to get the "best bang" for my buck and have something that will be good for a couple years.

So I'd love some help please. Thanks.

 

[kennah]

Read the op friend

 

[Smokey]

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

congrats friend

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

Are you getting loud noises from it yet?

Spoiler

Congrats!

 

[Windom Earle]

Would you say it's "pointless" to get a gsync monitor when you aren't able to achieve 80+ fps. I'm close to getting a Asus ROG swift, the only thing holding me back is that I've got a single gtx970 and am concerned about performance at 1400p 80+fps

For me a single 970 would not be enough at 1440p for newer games with G-Sync. But why don't you try and add a second one if you feel it doesn't do the trick? It really comes down to how sensitive you are to framerate in general. Before I bought the screen people told me I will have a perfectly smooth experience in ranges from 30-50 fps now which I just don't think is true. It is a clear improvement, but if you are dealing with variable framerates (Let's say your fps jump between 50 and 100) the difference between the lower and upper end is still very noticeable to me. This is not a knock against the tech, I think it's brilliant.

 

[appaws]

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

Wow, that's fantastic man!!! Congrats!

 

[McBryBry]

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

thatta boy! congrats.

 

[BeEatNU]

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

congratsssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!

 

[RedSwirl]

Backup your data immediately.
Same PSU is fine, a light OC will add 20-50W full load in most cases on Intel. Read OC thread in OP or other guides. Aim for 4.2Ghz and take whatever you get over that 4.5Ghz is not realistic for most imo unless you have good cooling and a good chip (die and heat transfer)..

These guys make it seem pretty complicated. What's the difference between various heat sinks? And is adding voltage what actually causes the overclocking?

What is a "good" chip and "good" cooling? Liquid cooling basically?

 

[Infinite Justice]

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

Congrats

 

[Tablo]

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

Congrats!

 

[Hazaro]

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

RIP, can i have your stuff

These guys make it seem pretty complicated. What's the difference between various heat sinks? And is adding voltage what actually causes the overclocking?

What is a "good" chip and "good" cooling? Liquid cooling basically?

It's not difficult there are just intricacies
Buy 212 EVO or H60
Good chip depends on how it overclocks and also how cool it will run (extreme variance due to TIM gap)

 

[kennah]

RIP, can i have your stuff

I already sold it all. I3 am cry.

 

[RGM79]

See, this always kind of confused me. When you're buying a new CPU, most people admit that you won't really see big differences between a lot of CPUs right now in terms of performance (past a certain threshold, obviously) as most will get you over 60FPS in a current game.

But when they're older, people say it's not worth just upgrading the CPU as it's better to buy a new MOBO and CPU instead. So is there just a sweetspot of a year or so when it's good to upgrade a CPU? Or when it pays off to have bought a better one?



That's kind of what I'm looking for here -- among other things, like where to find one for a good price. Do all LGA1156 MOBOs work with all 1156 CPUs, or should I be looking for something else as well?

Unfortunately, 1156 was discontinued relatively quickly for the last generation 1155 and current generation 1150 motherboard sockets. Your only choice for a CPU upgrade will have to be used socket 1156 processors. Here, take a look at this link (scroll down to "supported processors"):

http://www.cpu-world.com/Sockets/Socket 1156 (LGA1156).html


Depending on what you want and what's available on places like ebay and craigslist, you will probably be wanting an i5 760 or a i7 880. Prices vary, of course.

My desktop is a 1156 system and I'm currently running an i7 875k, overclocked to 4.2GHz. I'm planning to upgrade to Intel's Skylake platform which is due out next year.

If you really want an decent upgrade, you will need to replace the motherboard. I used to have the i5 750 like you did, I got the i7 875k from a friend. It wasn't a major difference in day to day use, although I did have the old i5 750 overclocked to around 4GHz as well.

These guys make it seem pretty complicated. What's the difference between various heat sinks? And is adding voltage what actually causes the overclocking?

What is a "good" chip and "good" cooling? Liquid cooling basically?

Different heatsinks will perform better or worse. The oft-mentioned Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is one of the best budget heatsink and will handle light to moderate overclocking no problem.

Adding voltage isn't overclocking. In the BIOS menu there will be options to specifically change certain operating aspects of the processor, changing those numbers will over or under clock a processor. Generally, processors need a bit more juice to keep stable when overclocking, so CPU voltage increases (also manually set from BIOS menu) usually go hand in hand with overclocking.

As for "good" chips, the meaning behind that is that while all processors are manufactured to the same operating specs, variances in factory production and sometimes luck means some processors are just capable of overclocking better, even for the exact same model.

The higher the overclocking, the more voltage is needed. Higher voltages make the CPU run hotter, so better cooling is needed to keep the system stable.

 

[MoonGred]

For me a single 970 would not be enough at 1440p for newer games with G-Sync. But why don't you try and add a second one if you feel it doesn't do the trick? It really comes down to how sensitive you are to framerate in general. Before I bought the screen people told me I will have a perfectly smooth experience in ranges from 30-50 fps now which I just don't think is true. It is a clear improvement, but if you are dealing with variable framerates (Let's say your fps jump between 50 and 100) the difference between the lower and upper end is still very noticeable to me. This is not a knock against the tech, I think it's brilliant.

My perception of frame rate is that I can spot the difference between 30 and 60, and will notice drops from 60 to 40. I've never really played a game at 60+ fps as I've never had the hardware to carry it, that said I presume I'd be able to spot the difference between 60 and 100, but in all honesty I'd have to them right next to each other, unless the difference is so dramatic (or a lot of people make it seem that way)
Screentearing is probably high up there when it comes to pet peeves in games which is why I've taken a liking to a Gsync monitor
I'd prefer to stay away from SLI for the time being, mainly because of the price of the cards here in Australia, that and I think my RM650 would just barely be able to handle it.

 

[Superimposer]

I have a strange one that maybe GAF can help me solve.

About a week ago I posted about a problem I had but now that I've learned more about it my question has changed.

I was suddenly booting with a black screen and my monitor lost signal despite making no changes to my computer. I thought my GPU drivers were at fault. Safe mode would work fine and the onboard graphics would work fine. Later, it turned out that the GPU does work, but the screen stays blank for about a minute after the Windows logo and then the PC runs normally. It sounds like a driver issue but I tried every driver-related solution and none worked.

Worth noting that when I uninstalled the NVIDIA drivers, the PC would boot instantly through my GPU, no hanging for a minute.

It might still be the case that it's a driver issue but I have tried everything driver-related and still not solved it.

Today I noticed that if I unplug my wireless USB receiver for my mouse and keyboard, then the PC goes straight to the lock screen successfully! However, I can move my cursor but the screen itself does not respond for the same amount of time as before, about a minute.

Any ideas? I know there's stuff out there about USBs and BIOS boot settings but that doesn't explain why the lock screen still hangs?

Any ideas anyone?

 

[Kamakazie!]

The GB SLI board seems to have everything someone is looking for in a ~$100 board (Intel NIC, M.2, 2x PCI-E, 8 pin power) if you want to save a tiny bit.
64GB SSD isn't much more, I'd get that.

Thanks for the feedback, I'll take a look.

Any 64gb ssd in particular?
Baring in mind the high write count meaning reliability is key.

 

[Garruson]

In general its pretty hopeful to expect a system to run games at "great" setting for 5-10 years. Thinking back about a top end system a decade ago would struggle to even run indie games at this point. In 2004 a high end system was an athalon 64, a gig of ram, a 6800 ultra. Not much to look at these days.

5 years is probably the end of life for a complete high end gaming system. And that would be following some sort of critical jump in technology.

Even then, we're talking medium to low setting without some sort of upgrade. Instead of spending an extra 200-300 on something that would provide a negligible improvement today, I'd save that money for the next upgrade. Personal opinion though.

Actually, that's a completely sensible way to look at it and I agree wholeheartedly, going to retinker the build and write what I intend to use the PC for in a bit.

 

[Windom Earle]

My perception of frame rate is that I can spot the difference between 30 and 60, and will notice drops from 60 to 40. I've never really played a game at 60+ fps as I've never had the hardware to carry it, that said I presume I'd be able to spot the difference between 60 and 100, but in all honesty I'd have to them right next to each other, unless the difference is so dramatic (or a lot of people make it seem that way)
Screentearing is probably high up there when it comes to pet peeves in games which is why I've taken a liking to a Gsync monitor
I'd prefer to stay away from SLI for the time being, mainly because of the price of the cards here in Australia, that and I think my RM650 would just barely be able to handle it.

It was the same for me before I got my new screen. All I was able to do was 60+ with tearing.
Didn't really get what people were on about 120/144hz but I understand now. It's an amazing smoothness and so responsive that even 60 can feel sluggish in comparison. Add G-Sync to that and it just feels perfect. Maybe it would be best for you to settle with a 1080p G-Sync screen for now. IMO that's the better option with a single card.

 

[ZombieFred]

What is the best G SYNC Monitor to go for? I tend to split my gaming between my old Samsung monitor and my TV and I have noticed that my tv can't do any hz above 50 if I tried to down sample any resolution higher than 1080p (I can get 60hz no issue) but my monitor can do higher fine but it is quite old now. I am happy with the odd cinematic game on my big tv at 1080p and other related multiplayer games I play with my friends by my desk. I have GTX970 SLI so I am sure g synch is not an issue.

 

[Chance Hale]

Anyone ever bought anything from Xotic? On their page for the RoG Swift it says "limited availability" but not out of stock like some of their other pages. Have 35,000 likes on facebook apparently.

 

[LordAlu]

I'm not sure if a set-up with an Intel Bay Trail J1800 (2.41Ghz dual core) would be a good idea. Should run smooth for browsing and music, right? The other option would be AMD 5350 2.05Ghz quad core. What do I really gain from quad vs dual for simple home use?

Having seen the performance of both of these, go for the AMD. The Bay Trail setup just feels incredibly slow - we had to build forty systems with them for a school and they take forever just to install Windows. The AMD one is much more snappy and to be honest isn't any more expensive either.

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

Congrats man! Best start saving for some stuff for her... and by stuff I mean a new X99 build.

 

[Hazaro]

Thanks for the feedback, I'll take a look.

Any 64gb ssd in particular?
Baring in mind the high write count meaning reliability is key.

Even the new nm stuff will last 10 years at 30GB a day I wouldn't worry. Prob just MX100.

Actually, that's a completely sensible way to look at it and I agree wholeheartedly, going to retinker the build and write what I intend to use the PC for in a bit.

10 years is an extreme example that doesn't take into account mobile and power savings and move to FINFET and 3D transistors. Intel doesn't even design desktop chips anymore if you consider them moving their target TDP down to make scaling on mobile better.

The 2500K will be 4 years old in 3 months and still is a fantastic chip that won't run into problems on a vast majority of games. Don't sweat the Hexacore purchase that'll be the solid part of the system you'll keep the same for the next 3-5 years at least.

 

[MoonGred]

It was the same for me before I got my new screen. All I was able to do was 60+ with tearing.
Didn't really get what people were on about 120/144hz but I understand now. It's an amazing smoothness and so responsive that even 60 can feel sluggish in comparison. Add G-Sync to that and it just feels perfect. Maybe it would be best for you to settle with a 1080p G-Sync screen for now. IMO that's the better option with a single card.

It would make the most sense to do so, but I probably won't upgrade my monitor just for gsync, the fact that the swift is 1440p, 27" makes it all the more appealing. That said I'm just being difficult now and can't set expectations if I know I'll lack raw power.

 

[Kamakazie!]

Even the new nm stuff will last 10 years at 30GB a day I wouldn't worry. Prob just MX100.

Ah excellent, thanks!

 

[Bananajama]

UK GAF

Be Quiet Straight Power 580W Semi Modular 80+ Gold Power Supply - £54.99 @ Ebuyer

Might interest some

 

[Garruson]

Case: FRACTAL DESIGN ARC MIDI R2 MID-TOWER CASE
CPU: Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4790k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 3: ATX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, XFIRE/SLI
RAM: 16GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics card: 4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
Hard disc: 1TB 3.5" SEAGATE SSHD, SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM (64MB + 8GB SSD CACHE)
M.2 SSD Drive: Plextor PX-G128M6e 128GB M.2 SSD (upto 770MB/sR | 625MB/sW)
Blu Ray Drive: 16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£69)
Processor Cooling: Corsair H55 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler (£39)
Sound Card: ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless: DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD (£28)

For £1363

Is the SSD Drive and Hard disc okay? I changed from six core to quad core to make it a bit cheaper. The motherboard changed because in this new build I didn't have the same option as the previous one, will it be okay?

Also I want to partition the hard drive to have a Maverick and windows, is it better to do this and install all programmes on the SSD drive and then save all games and files on the mechanical hard drive?

Your Current Specs: Laptop, i5, beyond that I don't know, the battery has gone though and I want a gaming PC
Budget: I was going to buy a £1700 mac, but advised against it, so under £1400 is ideal
Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest: Light Gaming 1, Gaming 5, Emulation (PS2/Wii)1, Video Editing 1, Streaming games in HD 5, 3D/Model work (and what program) 1, General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback)5 .Photoshop, illustrator, after effects, umtiple programmes at the same time
Monitor Resolution: What resolution will you be playing your games at? Are you going to upgrade later? Are you buying a new monitor? 1080P full HD, don't really want to upgrade if possible for the next 5 years, I just bought a new 42 inch 3D Sony bravia so not any time soon
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Is 30FPS acceptable? 60? 120? How important is PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to you? Don't know what those last things are, 60FPS is what I'm looking for under that would be okay, the latest games coming out on Xbox one and PS4, generally this is going to be my new gen console but PC
Looking to reuse any parts?: List make and model (e.g. Corsair 520HX, 640GB SATA HDD, Antec 900) No
When will you build?: Do you have a deadline? Now
Will you be overclocking?: Yes, No, Maybe (This means yes!) No

 

[Bollocks]

How's Windows 8.1?

Should I install it for my new PC or stick with 7?

 

[Lamptramp]

What ho chaps, quickie that I thought someone may be able to help with.

Suspect my ageing HD 7850 2GB is on the way out and just wondered if there was a current favourite in the similar price range I originally forked out (about £130).

Given, like Kennah I too have a daughter at 5 months, price is a factor.

However, it would be nice to get something a touch more future proof just in case though and was wondering if its worth bumping the ceiling up to £200 ish to get 4GB of VRAM.

Theres a GTX760 4GB GTX760 4GB for £197 which I could just about hit unless theres a better option.

Also apologies for just card nature of question couldn't find a card thread for the life of me

Bros

Just had a girl.

#communitythread

Huge congrats that man!

 

[Zaph]

So I decided to finally get around to enabling GSYNC on my Asus VG248, but apparently those kits were a limited time thing? Nvidia's site doesn't even have them listed anymore.

Am I completely boned here, or does anyone know a way to get hold of one?

And congrats kennah!

 

[Bananajama]

What ho chaps, quickie that I thought someone may be able to help with.

Suspect my ageing HD 7850 2GB is on the way out and just wondered if there was a current favourite in the similar price range I originally forked out (about £130).
!

Nvidia 960 is supposed to be revealed/released sometime this month.

Might be worth waiting for that and if it's out of your price range - might see a glut of sales for all the old discontinued 760 stock?

 

[SmashN'Grab]

So, I'm putting together a new build in the next few months. A question - should I be at all concerned about the sound processor on the motherboard that I'm looking at?

I'll be getting a GTX 760, and using HDMI to connect it to my monitor, which will then use the analog audio out on the back of the monitor to go to my speaker set up.

In that case, is it the GPU that does the sound processing? Or how does it work?

Specifically, these are the two mobos I'm comparing

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z97E-ITXac/ and http://www.asus.com/ie/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VI_IMPACT/

The Asus is about €75 more than the Asrock - I'm not if there's a good reason beyond the SupremeFX sound.

 

[opticalmace]

So, I'm putting together a new build in the next few months. A question - should I be at all concerned about the sound processor on the motherboard that I'm looking at?

I'll be getting a GTX 760, and using HDMI to connect it to my monitor, which will then use the analog audio out on the back of the monitor to go to my speaker set up.

In that case, is it the GPU that does the sound processing? Or how does it work?

Specifically, these are the two mobos I'm comparing

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z97E-ITXac/ and http://www.asus.com/ie/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VI_IMPACT/

The Asus is about €75 more than the Asrock - I'm not if there's a good reason beyond the SupremeFX sound.

I would just get the ASRock and connect the speakers to the mobo directly, myself.

 

[Lamptramp]

Nvidia 960 is supposed to be revealed/released sometime this month.

Might be worth waiting for that and if it's out of your price range - might see a glut of sales for all the old discontinued 760 stock?

Aha! Good plan, I'll see if I can keep it together til then. I could probably go nuts without too much worry but given my baby led schedule would be hard pressed to justify it. A cheaper 760 would be ideal though.

Cheers matey

 

[Kamakazie!]

I'm putting a second ssd in my system to take photos / videos for editing.
Now I was going to go for a second MX100 but the write speeds on the 128gb are really low.

Would I be OK going with the Samsung 840 EVO despite the bug?

If not, what are my options around the £55 mark, baring in mind the primary usage?

 

[Bollocks]

Ordered new parts, estimated delivery September 8th - December 31
stupid corsair h110, availability 1-3 months at least I save a few bucks.
Lets hope it's just a placeholder and I have my new PC setup by November.

 

[Garruson]

Okay so my gf is saying why don't I just get the new mac for £1000 which has this: 2.9GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X4GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 1GB GDDR5

She thinks anything over that is too much and I want an Xbox anyway so it would be pointless spending so much, I said well if I spend just £100 more than that would it be better, she may give way so this really is my last attempt:

Case: FRACTAL DESIGN ARC MIDI R2 MID-TOWER CASE
CPU: Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4590 (3.3GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard: ASUS® MAXIMUS VII RANGER: PCI-e 3.0, SATA 3.0, USB3.0
RAM: 8GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics card: 4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
Hard disc: 1TB 3.5" SEAGATE SSHD, SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM (64MB + 8GB SSD CACHE)
M.2 SSD Drive: Plextor PX-G128M6e 128GB M.2 SSD (upto 770MB/sR | 625MB/sW)
Blu Ray Drive: 16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£69)
Processor Cooling: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler (£29)
Sound Card: ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless: DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD (£28)

£1197

Pros and cons between the two, how much better is one to the other with being a similar price?

 

[opticalmace]

Okay so my gf is saying why don't I just get the new mac for £1000 which has this: 2.9GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X4GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 1GB GDDR5

She thinks anything over that is too much and I want an Xbox anyway so it would be pointless spending so much, I said well if I spend just £100 more than that would it be better, she may give way so this really is my last attempt:

Case: FRACTAL DESIGN ARC MIDI R2 MID-TOWER CASE
CPU: Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4590 (3.3GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard: ASUS® MAXIMUS VII RANGER: PCI-e 3.0, SATA 3.0, USB3.0
RAM: 8GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics card: 4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
Hard disc: 1TB 3.5" SEAGATE SSHD, SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM (64MB + 8GB SSD CACHE)
M.2 SSD Drive: Plextor PX-G128M6e 128GB M.2 SSD (upto 770MB/sR | 625MB/sW)
Blu Ray Drive: 16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£69)
Processor Cooling: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler (£29)
Sound Card: ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless: DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD (£28)

£1197

Pros and cons between the two, how much better is one to the other with being a similar price?

The Nvidia 970 absolutely demolishes the 750M. Not even close to being close.

 

[fluffydelusions]

Okay so my gf is saying why don't I just get the new mac for £1000 which has this: 2.9GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X4GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 1GB GDDR5

She thinks anything over that is too much and I want an Xbox anyway so it would be pointless spending so much, I said well if I spend just £100 more than that would it be better, she may give way so this really is my last attempt:

Case: FRACTAL DESIGN ARC MIDI R2 MID-TOWER CASE
CPU: Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4590 (3.3GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard: ASUS® MAXIMUS VII RANGER: PCI-e 3.0, SATA 3.0, USB3.0
RAM: 8GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics card: 4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
Hard disc: 1TB 3.5" SEAGATE SSHD, SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM (64MB + 8GB SSD CACHE)
M.2 SSD Drive: Plextor PX-G128M6e 128GB M.2 SSD (upto 770MB/sR | 625MB/sW)
Blu Ray Drive: 16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£69)
Processor Cooling: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler (£29)
Sound Card: ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless: DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD (£28)

£1197

Pros and cons between the two, how much better is one to the other with being a similar price?

To give you an idea of the difference. I have a laptop with an 860m 2gb card which is much better than the 750m. My desktop has a 970. I don't even find BF4 @ ultra playable on the laptop. less than 30fps just walking around not even a firefight. My 970 however maxes the game out with like 130 fps.

 

[SmashN'Grab]

I would just get the ASRock and connect the speakers to the mobo directly, myself.

Don't think I can connect the speakers to the mobo directly, as I'm going to connect a PS4 to the same monitor. The monitor has two HDMI inputs and one analog audio output. My plan is to use that output for my speakers (which aren't too fancy, they're Logitech Z2300's).

On my current PC, the onboard sound is connected to the speakers, via an analog connection. Hopefully, routing it through the monitor won't have any sound degradation.

Do you still recommend the ASRock in that situation?