Support NeoGAF

[xBladeM6x]

I can't tell if there's something wrong somewhere in my system, my 980 is shit, or if the games I'm playing are shit. One thing that seems to be commonplace in DX11 games I've been playing, is that there's all kinds of shadow pop-in when turning the camera, ambient occlusion "mistakes", fuck tons of shadow shimmering (most common) and generally seemingly poor shadow stability. Some of the games I've noticed this in, is BF4, DR3, FC3, and all that.

Also, stutters that occur after every so often. (Once every 5-10 minutes)

 

[Musician]

Out of curiosity, what kind of monitor would be good for this build? 0_0

Depends on what kind of games you want to play and what's most important to you: Resolution or FPS. I have an older build, but I mostly play games like LoL and Cs:Go which is why I got the Eizo FG2421 a month or so back. In those kinds of games 120 fps is a revelation. So god damned smooth.

Regarding this screen, it has some known issues. Cross-hatching being the main fault. Against certain backgrounds and if you're close to the screen you'll see faint diagonal lines. The other issue is the price. It's on the more expensive side of the spectrum.It's on the smaller side as well and the resolution is "only" 1920*1080 and you won't be able to downsample at 120fps as far as I know.

Other than that, it's a perfect screen IMO. Great, great blacks, great colours and 120fps.

 

[riflen]

I can't tell if there's something wrong somewhere in my system, my 980 is shit, or if the games I'm playing are shit. One thing that seems to be commonplace in DX11 games I've been playing, is that there's all kinds of shadow pop-in when turning the camera, ambient occlusion "mistakes", fuck tons of shadow shimmering (most common) and generally seemingly poor shadow stability. Some of the games I've noticed this in, is BF4, DR3, FC3, and all that.

Also, stutters that occur after every so often. (Once every 5-10 minutes)

Can't tell if you're wanting help on this, or just venting, but check that your default 3D settings in NVCP are sensible and whether the games in question have some funny settings in their 3D profile. I've played a lot of BF4 and FC3 and can't say I've seen anything like you describe, but then I'm using kepler GPUs.

As for the periodic stuttering, this sounds more likely to be caused by OS or some software that's running whilst you play these games, rather than the game itself. I would begin by looking at anti-virus software or something that you know will trying to perform frequent, periodic actions like updating or scanning of some sort.
Perhaps play the game in a window and use taskmanager to catch any application that might be grabbing CPU resources periodically.

 

[tamaster92]

Hey guys,

I'm looking at buying a 970 around black friday sort of time (thats when I get paid)

Is there any particular model which is best? Looking to spend around £250-350

 

[Serandur]

What made you change?

Almost broke even on the price I got for the 780, wanted more VRAM, DSR/MFAA, didn't mind the potential to SLI with 970 lower thermal/energy profiles. I also like new hardware.

But I don't care about any of that now. SLI = double the coil whine, and both 970s buzz very audibly individually; they tick like a time bomb when I alt-tab out of some games, it's horrendous, even audible through the speakers under certain conditions; though 2560x1440 performance is excellent when it works. What is wrong with these things?

 

[StormyTheRabbit]

Hey all, I looked over the OP and decided to try to piece together my own build, going off of one of the templates as a base.

Would anyone care to look over my build and give some suggestions?

Also, I'm a little new to OC'ing anything, so I wasn't sure how needed a CPU cooler was. If it seems like I'll need one, any suggestions?

I really appreciate any insight someone can offer, I haven't built a PC in over 6+ years and I'm a little rusty, however this PC needs to hold me over for gaming for the next few years, so I just want to make sure I'm putting the money into the right parts.

Here's a link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vXzXhM

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: Asus Z97M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage:Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive & Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80+ Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Total: $984.85

 

[mdsfx]

But I don't care about any of that now. SLI = double the coil whine, and both 970s buzz very audibly individually; they tick like a time bomb when I alt-tab out of some games, it's horrendous, even audible through the speakers under certain conditions; though 2560x1440 performance is excellent when it works. What is wrong with these things?

Which 970 do you own?

 

[Serandur]

Which 970 do you own?

Gigabyte G1

 

[mdsfx]

Gigabyte G1

Wow, no kidding. I wonder if they all suffer from the same issue...

 

[Serandur]

Wow, no kidding. I wonder if they all suffer from the same issue...

Do you mean all the Gigabytes or all the 970s?

 

[mdsfx]

Do you mean all the Gigabytes or all the 970s?

970s

 

[Felix Lighter]

Wow, no kidding. I wonder if they all suffer from the same issue...

I can verify that they don't all suffer from coil whine.

 

[mdsfx]

I can verify that they don't all suffer from coil whine.

Which manufacturer 970 are you using?

 

[ricki42]

Hey all, I looked over the OP and decided to try to piece together my own build, going off of one of the templates as a base.

Would anyone care to look over my build and give some suggestions?

Also, I'm a little new to OC'ing anything, so I wasn't sure how needed a CPU cooler was. If it seems like I'll need one, any suggestions?

I really appreciate any insight someone can offer, I haven't built a PC in over 6+ years and I'm a little rusty, however this PC needs to hold me over for gaming for the next few years, so I just want to make sure I'm putting the money into the right parts.

Here's a link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vXzXhM

You should get a cooler for overclocking, the Hyper 212 Evo isn't that expensive.

Are you going for micro ATX or ATX? You have a micro ATX motherboard in an ATX tower.

 

[xBladeM6x]

Can't tell if you're wanting help on this, or just venting, but check that your default 3D settings in NVCP are sensible and whether the games in question have some funny settings in their 3D profile. I've played a lot of BF4 and FC3 and can't say I've seen anything like you describe, but then I'm using kepler GPUs.

Here's two examples of what I'm talking about, and it seems to always have something to do with the camera.

 

[LilJoka]

guys is it worth upgrading my GTX 780 to a GTX 970 for 60€?

Im thinking of doing the same for £60 if i can. 4GB VRAM and itll be quieter with a non reference cooler than my reference 780.

 

[intheinbetween]

Im thinking of doing the same for £60 if i can. 4GB VRAM and itll be quieter with a non reference cooler than my reference 780.

I think I will bite the dust and upgrade it, but now I'm wondering which model should I go after. I was tempted by the Gygabyte G1 but I've read about that whine noise and I've change my mind, so.. which one would you recommend guys?

 

[mdsfx]

I think I will bite the dust and upgrade it, but now I'm wondering which model should I go after. I was tempted by the Gygabyte G1 but I've read about that whine noise and I've change my mind, so.. which one would you recommend guys?

I have been trying to make the same decision. I'm tempted to go with the Asus strix.

 

[LilJoka]

I have been trying to make the same decision. I'm tempted to go with the Asus strix.

I think I will bite the dust and upgrade it, but now I'm wondering which model should I go after. I was tempted by the Gygabyte G1 but I've read about that whine noise and I've change my mind, so.. which one would you recommend guys?

I was thinking to get the MSI, poor RMA in the UK, but i think its the quietest also the fans turn off below 50c. Not sure if others do that?

 

[intheinbetween]

I was thinking to get the MSI, poor RMA in the UK, but i think its the quietest also the fans turn off below 50c. Not sure if others do that?

that's one of the 970s under my radar. I don't care that much about the RMA I will buy it on Amazon, so I feel relieved in case of RMA

 

[garath]

I have been trying to make the same decision. I'm tempted to go with the Asus strix.

I was thinking to get the MSI, poor RMA in the UK, but i think its the quietest also the fans turn off below 50c. Not sure if others do that?

I have the Strix 970. It also turns fans off below 60C. The card is dead silent most of the time (even with the fans on it's still super quiet). Luckily I haven't had any major coil whine. I do get a slight coil buzzing (which is the low fps version of the whine I guess) but only during certain scenes in FFXIII. I haven't found another game or benchmark that does this. And I usually can't even hear it from outside of my case even though I sit about 1-2 feet from it.

All 970s probably have the potential for coil whine but some will be worse than others. I'm perfectly happy with mine. I don't have any of the high pitched squealing others do.

 

[Pepiope]

The coil whine doesn't actually ruin the card though, does it? It's just an annoying sound?

 

[LilJoka]

The coil whine doesn't actually ruin the card though, does it? It's just an annoying sound?

Yep, I play in my lounge so i want it silent though.

 

[prodystopian]

Just bought:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.95 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($149.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12G 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($71.30 @ Newegg)
Total: $674.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-13 08:58 EDT-0400

I'm waiting for 970s to be back in stock. If I want to put this together and play around with my current AMD card, I just need to wipe the drivers when I get the 970 in, is that right? Or would it be a better idea to use my old 8800GTS if it won't be too long so I don't have to worry about that?

 

[intheinbetween]

Yep, I play in my lounge so i want it silent though.

same here, so the whine issue is important to me.

btw, I'm wondering if the new Gigabyte GTX 970 WindForce 3X OC suffers from coil whine as well

 

[LilJoka]

same here, so the whine issue is important to me.

btw, I'm wondering if the new Gigabyte GTX 970 WindForce 3X OC suffers from whine coil as well

Yeah i just saw it on scan for £275, thats good value. No idea on the coil whine though.

 

[intheinbetween]

Yeah i just saw it on scan for £275, thats good value. No idea on the coil whine though.

from my experience (GTX 780) Windforce OC Gigabyte GPUs are awesome, cool and quiet, so I just hope the GTX 970 model is as good as the 780 is

 

[StormyTheRabbit]

You should get a cooler for overclocking, the Hyper 212 Evo isn't that expensive.

Are you going for micro ATX or ATX? You have a micro ATX motherboard in an ATX tower.

I had a micro ATX case originally, but there didn't seem to be any room for an optical drive. While I don't necessarily need one, I feel like it wouldn't hurt to have one. Any you could reccomend that would allow me to fit an optical drive in it? I was originally planning on going with the Corsair Air

 

[kharma45]

Can't find any reviews of it but owners of the GALAX ones seem happy

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=27033337

They've a good warranty in the UK too

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-002-GX

Their 600 and 700 series coolers were good (plus you could clean them easily) so I'd expect the same of this.

 

[Felix Lighter]

Which manufacturer 970 are you using?

I have 2 Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming G1s. The same as the poster having the issues.

 

[StormyTheRabbit]

Okay I made a small change, replacing the old ase I had with a new one and adding an optical drive.

Could someone take a glance at this and lemme know if everything seems gravy? I just wanna second opinion before I go ahead and order everything haha.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3s3NBm

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: Asus Z97M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage:Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive & Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80+ Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Total: $958.84

 

[Sanjay]

Cheapest around for a MSI GTX 980 £373.19

guys is it worth upgrading my GTX 780 to a GTX 970 for 60€?

For only that much, that is easily worth it.

 

[StuffRuff]

Hi all,

Are there any FOTM for cases at the moment?

I'm wanting to replace my Antec 900 with something a bit more cable management friendly and have been looking at the 650D, Air 540 and Fractal R4.

Space is not an issue in regards to the 540 as it will be based on the floor and I would prefer the subtle look over the bright blue LED look of some cases.

Airflow is however important to me, as well as keeping dust/pet hair out of the thing.

Ease of use is also a big plus. Hence you can see why I've arrived at things like the above 3!

EDIT: I meant the 650D, as its comparitve in price to the 540!

 

[Momentary]

Are you talking about the K70? The logo bothers you that much? Its pretty small...

Yes it does. It just ruins the look of what I'm going for. I was in 8th grade back 1998 the last time I thought tribal tattoos were cool.

 

[Smokey]

I ordered a Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate. Should be here tomorrow from Amazon. Will be replacing my Logitech G710+. Never used any of the extra gaming functions that were on it so I'm very excited to move to the Das. That price was ;_; , but I am anxious to see what true power feels like.

 

[kennah]

I ordered a Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate. Should be here tomorrow from Amazon. Will be replacing my Logitech G710+. Never used any of the extra gaming functions that were on it so I'm very excited to move to the Das. That price was ;_; , but I am anxious to see what true power feels like.

You're an inspiration

 

[garath]

I ordered a Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate. Should be here tomorrow from Amazon. Will be replacing my Logitech G710+. Never used any of the extra gaming functions that were on it so I'm very excited to move to the Das. That price was ;_; , but I am anxious to see what true power feels like.

I want that keyboard. You are going to be real happy with it.

 

[riflen]

I ordered a Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate. Should be here tomorrow from Amazon. Will be replacing my Logitech G710+. Never used any of the extra gaming functions that were on it so I'm very excited to move to the Das. That price was ;_; , but I am anxious to see what true power feels like.

Keep fighting the fight.
I cry having to use a terrible DELL keyboard each day at work and I love my Steelseries 7G at home.

 

[Smokey]

I want that keyboard. You are going to be real happy with it.

I hope so. I love the feel of typing (nerd) so I figured I should step my game up from the g710+. The blank keyboard makes me both nervous and hyped .

Keep fighting the fight.
I cry having to use a terrible DELL keyboard each day at work and I love my Steelseries 7G at home.

I took my Razer black widow to work about a year ago, and the g710+ has been my home unit. Never going back to non mechanicals.

The Das I ordered is cherry blue like the widow at work. Much prefer the click sound than the softer Browns on the Logitech. It's addicting when you get on a roll.

 

[The Llama]

Yes it does. It just ruins the look of what I'm going for. I was in 8th grade back 1998 the last time I thought tribal tattoos were cool.

Fair enough. I guess the look of stuff doesn't bother me that much since I'm just so used to everything being so absurd and over the top. Hell, I'm using a Battlefield 3 edition keyboard because it was $10 cheaper than the normal one haha.

 

[Soodanim]

I had written a post listing the pros of both the R4 and the Node 304 cases so that I could get opinions, but I realised I had convinced myself that the R4 is the better choice for me (thanks anyway LilJoka for your suggestion a couple weeks ago).

With that in mind and me being in the UK, I'm going to pay the extra and get the Gigabyte G1 Gaming 970 over the MSI. I feel that the UK RMA centre will be beneficial if it comes down to that.

After more than a year I have everything in place to buy and build, so this could be my last PCPP list to clog the threads up with.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£169.99 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.19 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£107.96 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£70.56 @ Scan.co.uk) (there's actually a 1600 version I'll get from Amazon for £5 cheaper)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£74.39 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.50 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (£298.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (£69.59 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£49.93 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer (£12.65 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £915.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-13 15:57 BST+0100

Can someone help me please? What I still need help with is the motherboard, because there are far too many choices and I can't even find reviews for ones I thought would be well documented, like the Gigabyte UD3H (which is essentially in as a placeholder, because I don't have a clue). I can't find a single one for that - only the black version which costs £20 more. I have been told that Intel is best for the ethernet because Killer has problems, but that's it.

Side notes, may or may not be relevant:
I'll be sticking a 2.5" 5400rpm drive in as a music drive.
I need a new m/kb, but I'll just go cheap on those. No desire for expensive kit when a lot of my gaming will probably be comfy couch bed gaming.
I have a wireless b/g card that I might as well stick in the new machine, but I'll probably buy pass-through powerline adapters.
I like (don't like) how the total price has crept up from high 700s to over £900 over the year(s).

Edit:
hadn't refreshed the thread in hours and only just saw kharma45's post about the Galax 970. I might for that instead of the Gigabyte.

 

[rabhw]

GPU + PSU cable question.

The EVGA Supernova 850W G2 I bought comes with PCI-E cables that terminate in 6pin + 6+2 pin.

When I receive my 980, it will require 2x8pin connectors. Can I use the 6+2, and then convert the remaining 6 pin to an 8 pin using the adapter that comes with the video card? Or is that too much to run off of one cable and I should run a second cable to it?

Sorry for repost, just hoping for an answer!

 

[RadioactiveLobster]

Sorry for repost, just hoping for an answer!

Generally you want to convert down, not up.

 

[Kintaro]

Hey Smokey, check your DMs. Looking for a bit of insight/advice. =D

 

[Tschis]

Hi!

Long time ago on the older threads I posted a new gig but never went along with it. This time I kinda have because my current PC is not working anymore.

I don't really care for ultra or 4k resolutions, but I would like to play recent games on high/very high (Far Cry 3), while also being able to play future games confortably (Far Cry 4, Star Citizen).

I was thinking about this build, what do you think?
Is the PSU enough?
The list of supported memory for that mother board doesn´t include those memory sticks, do you think I will have compatibility problems?


Intel Core I5-4690K Devil's Canyon, 3.5GHz, 6MB, Quad-Core - BOX
Hyper TX3 Evo Cooler Master, RR-TX3E-28PK-R1 - BOX
ASRock Z87 PRO3, chipset Z87, LGA 1150 - BOX
2x Kingston HyperX FURY 4GB (1x4), DDR3 1866Mhz CL9 Red, HX318C10FR/4 - BOX
HD Western Digital 500GB Caviar Blue Sata III 3.5", WD5000AAKX - OEM
Thermaltake Commander MS-I Black, VN40001W2N-B - BOX
Aerocool 120mm Shark Black Edition, EN55413 - BOX
Corsair 600W Gaming Series GS600, 80 Plus Bronze, PFC Ativo, CMPSU-600GWW - BOX


Also, there's two GTX970, don't know how different they could be
VGA EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB DDR5 256 Bits PCI-Express 3.0 04G-P4-0972-KR
or
VGA Zotac Geforce GTX970 4GB GDDR5 256-bit 3D Ready 4K Ready PCI-Express 3.0 ZT-90101-10P

 

[Deepo]

Oh christ, I'm such an idiot. I put in an order for 2 MSI GTX 970 Twin Frozr V cards to lock them in at a discounted prize. They had a notice on the store page saying they were uncofirmed to be in stock from 30 October. I've since ordered a X99 rig and decided, after discussions with some of you fine people, to wait for GPUs with more memory.

The cards have now been shipped, and about $800 (Norwegian prices) is now removed from my bank account for at least two weeks. I'll return the cards, but I really didn't need those funds to be gone for 2 weeks.

Oh well, I'll be building my new flashy X99 rig while staring at two unopened 970 cards and eating uncooked noodles for 2 weeks. Hooray for short term memory and unconfirmed shipping dates!

 

[NeoFaff]

Does anyone know where I can buy a new front USB set for the Fractal Define Mini? I checked their website but there's none in stock right now and googling the part number "FD-SP-DEF-MINI-USB-KIT" hasn't helped.

Also, can anyone recommend a decent 1080/1200p monitor for around £150? (available from a UK supplier of course)

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I'm thinking of grabbing either a GTX 970 or 980, but I just wanted to check if there has been any news about AMD's next offering or if anyone has any idea when we should expect it?

 

[ricki42]

ASRock Z87 PRO3, chipset Z87, LGA 1150 - BOX

It's probably better to go with the newer Z97 chipset.

2x Kingston HyperX FURY 4GB (1x4), DDR3 1866Mhz CL9 Red, HX318C10FR/4 - BOX

From what I've read it's better to buy RAM in sets (2 sticks in this case) than buying 2 single sticks.

Also, there's two GTX970, don't know how different they could be
VGA EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB DDR5 256 Bits PCI-Express 3.0 04G-P4-0972-KR
or
VGA Zotac Geforce GTX970 4GB GDDR5 256-bit 3D Ready 4K Ready PCI-Express 3.0 ZT-90101-10P

If you go back a few pages in this thread, matrixman92 was sharing his experience with Zotac; I would avoid them.

 

[Pollux]

Can the Good PC build run things like Skyrim with mods on high, Europa Universalis 4, crusader kings 2, the total war games, the civilization games including beyond earth?

I'm not concerned about getting 60 FPS since to be honest I can't really tell the difference between 30 and 60 anyway...

But can that Good build in the OP run those games and things like WOW and FF14 without struggling or dropping below 30 FPS?

I mean if it can get above 30 FPS I would be thrilled but that's not really a requirement for me.

Sorry if this post was all over the place, writing from my phone.