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[Love Hate Love]

What do you all recommend I upgrade next?

current specs:

Asus maximus IV Gene-Z MB
8GB RAM DDR 3 800MHz
AMD 7950 3GB Sapphire video card
I5-2500K oc'd to 4.5
240GB SSD samsung evo
24" BenQ monitor

I'll probably look to upgrade in January

 

[brentech]

I posted in the 120hz thread about this too but I'll just cross post here.

I just set up my VG248QE and overall I'm incredibly disappointed in the colors and actual display itself. I'm coming from an IPS display. I've set it up reasonably enough that I could live with it but I have a real issue.

This panel that I got has really inconsistent coloring/brightness. The center is definitely brighter than the rest of the panel and the upper left is so bad that colors appear different in that corner. I know I'd probably have to RMA to get one that isn't so shit but I just want to know how common this is with these panels. I've seen some stories of people going through 3-4 to get one that works. But honestly if I have to go through all that trouble I'm just going to return this display. Finally taking advantage of all those frames my rig puts out is great but not at this cost.

I have one and know a few people with at least one themselves. I can't say I've heard any complaints about the display.

If you're that down about it, just return it.

 

[j0hnny_385]

Hooked up my Gigabyte 970 last night. Works like charm.
The biggest surprise was the fact that my Corsair HX520W (still going strong after all these years!) has two 6+2 PCI-E, not just 6 pin as I thought. Nice! I don't have to bother with molex converters, etc.

 

[Wolfie5]

Can anyone help me? It's like my computer is infected with spyware or malware, because every time I click on something another page pops up, and certain words are blue and highlighted which if you bring the mouse over to it, a ad pops up, what's up with that

Sounds like you have a malware(or should I say adware) called "text enhance".

I had that on my previous computer and it was a pain the butt. I got rid of it thanks to some guide that I found on the net, don't remember which it was.

 

[appaws]

What do you all recommend I upgrade next?

current specs:

Asus maximus IV Gene-Z MB
8GB RAM DDR 3 800MHz
AMD 7950 3GB Sapphire video card
I5-2500K oc'd to 4.5
240GB SSD samsung evo
24" BenQ monitor

I'll probably look to upgrade in January

I would say GPU. Depends on how much money you want to spend....? You could do a nice 970 for $330-$350 USD. I would assume that monitor is 1920x1080....if so the 970 would be a great purchase for you.

But of course it would be good to ask again in January if you are not buying until then...things chance fast in the PC hardware world.

 

[roytheone]

Hello there pc GAF,

My current rig is getting old (a i7 870 overclocked @ 3,3 ghz, GTX 460 1 GB and only 4 GB RAM) so i am starting to plan a new build. This is what i got so far:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mc6yLk

My budget is € 900 (I live in the Netherlands, so the prices here are a little different than pcpartpicker shows) and after using the pricewatch of tweakers.net, it gives me a total price of € 990. So what parts should I replace to lower the price to my budget, without losing to much performance? thanks in advance.

 

[Addnan]

Hello there pc GAF,

My current rig is getting old (a i7 870 overclocked @ 3,3 ghz, GTX 460 1 GB and only 4 GB RAM) so i am starting to plan a new build. This is what i got so far:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mc6yLk

My budget is € 900 (I live in the Netherlands, so the prices here are a little different than pcpartpicker shows) and after using the pricewatch of tweakers.net, it gives me a total price of € 990. So what parts should I replace to lower the price to my budget, without losing to much performance? thanks in advance.

That's a B85 motherboard, you want a Z97 board. Something from the OP should do. As for price, you can get a cheaper case. If you don't mind getting OS from r/microsoftsoftwareswap (reddit) you can save another big chunk.

 

[roytheone]

That's a B85 motherboard, you want a Z97 board. Something from the OP should do. As for price, you can get a cheaper case. If you don't mind getting OS from r/microsoftsoftwareswap (reddit) you can save another big chunk.

Alright, thanks. I will change the motherboard to this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z97pro4

And my case to this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-nse300kkn1

The case doesn't show up as compatible on pcpartpicker, but that is probably because there is no price data available for it, right?

I also just realized that I can get windows for free through my university, so that would help a lot.

 

[RGM79]

Alright, thanks. I will change the motherboard to this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z97pro4

And my case to this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-nse300kkn1

The case doesn't show up as compatible on pcpartpicker, but that is probably because there is no price data available for it, right?

I also just realized that I can get windows for free through my university, so that would help a lot.

The motherboard and case are both ATX form factor, it will fit. The case is a bit small though, might be cramped.

 

[dude]

Yeah, so I finally decided to get a new PC. But I've been out of the loop for some time now, and though I tried doing some research, I'll still be happy if you guys could tell me what you think. Beside gaming, I'm also a 3d modeller and animator and I do some post After Effects-stuff and video editing occasionally.

CPU: i7 5820k
MB: Asus X99-A (I honestly only went with it because it seems like "newest and bestest", and I want the mobo to be future-proof. Would be happy for advise on this.)
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB
GPU: EVGA GTX970 (should I go with the EVGA?)
RAM: 16GB corsair, 2133mhz CL11 (would the high mhz make up for the high latency here? I tried calculating it and it came out OK, but I'm still not sure)
Case: Corsair Air 540 because I just loved the shape. I want something elegant and no too big, loud or LED-y. Any other recommendations?

Thanks in advance, guys!

 

[Soodanim]

I'd get the Be Quiet! For a 970 build the 530w is plenty.

I just read the KitGuru review and I'm sold. That's one of two last pieces I was unsure about. Thank you!

Just on brand quality I would probably choose the Asus.

That being said, Techreport had a review of a different Asrock mobo today, the Extreme6. The review was pretty positive in general and indicated that the board had high-end features for a mid-range price....may be worth you checking out:

http://techreport.com/review/27181/asrock-z97-extreme6-motherboard-reviewed

I'm already at £915 and I'd rather not spend even more on a motherboard, but TR have a review of the Z97-A and I'm sold, so thank you for reminding me TR exists, because that's the second of the two last pieces I was unsure about.

I'm about to order a PC. Oh flip, it's finally happening.

 

[kharma45]

I just read the KitGuru review and I'm sold. That's one of two last pieces I was unsure about. Thank you!.

They were reviewing it too when it was £63, knocking another £13 off it to what it is now would've probably bumped it up from an 8.5/10 to a 9 I'd say.

I've had my 430w unit for the guts of 18 months, maybe more, and I've been very pleased with it. How quiet it is for a unit in this price bracket is great.

 

[thequickandthedead]

Does my PC have wireless capabilities? All I see under the Network Adaptors tab is an Ethernet controller and a bunch of WAN mini ports.

 

[RGM79]

Does my PC have wireless capabilities? All I see under the Network Adaptors tab is an Ethernet controller and a bunch of WAN mini ports.

Probably not, then. Depending on what you want to do, a USB wifi adaptor is probably the easiest solution.

 

[thequickandthedead]

Probably not, then. Depending on what you want to do, a USB wifi adaptor is probably the easiest solution.

Fair enough. Any recommendations for a good USB wifi adaptor?

 

[mdsfx]

I got my hands on both a g1 gigabyte 970 and an Asus Strix 970. Which one should I keep? I have done research on both but both are getting pretty great reviews...

 

[kharma45]

If neither has any coil whine I'd lean to the Gigabyte.

 

[mdsfx]

If neither has any coil whine I'd lean to the Gigabyte.

well I don't want to open both if I don't have to so I don't really know if there is coil whine

 

[Soodanim]

Managed to get my 10 piece order through just Amazon and Scan with only an increase of probbaly a couple quid at most. Pretty chuffed about that. Just got off the phone with my bank, and after 5-10 minutes of listening to what can best be described as JRPG music, I can put my 2nd order through. While I was on the phone to Scan they said I'm number 40-something in the queue for a G1 Gaming 970, and they're getting 150 in. So they'll have plenty of stock tomorrow if anyone's interested.

They were reviewing it too when it was £63, knocking another £13 off it to what it is now would've probably bumped it up from an 8.5/10 to a 9 I'd say.

I've had my 430w unit for the guts of 18 months, maybe more, and I've been very pleased with it. How quiet it is for a unit in this price bracket is great.

Nice! And the quietness of it should go nicely with the R4 case.

 

[jfoul]

I got my hands on both a g1 gigabyte 970 and an Asus Strix 970. Which one should I keep? I have done research on both but both are getting pretty great reviews...

Gigabyte has active cooling on the memory, the Asus doesn't. The Asus has 6-Phase power, and the the back-plate is re-enforced by the slot bracket. I've heard Asus customer support can be pretty bad compared to Gigabyte.

Non-ref cards being plagued by coil whine is a real bummer.

Asus Strix GTX 980 Card Breakdown @ 16:55
Asus Strix GTX 970 Card Breakdown @ 13:03

Gigabyte GTX 980 G1 Gaming

Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming

 

[mdsfx]

wow thanks for the information jfoul. my biggest concern with the Gigabyte is that some were saying they use cheap components. that and the fact that the card is absolutely enormous.

 

[jfoul]

wow thanks for the information jfoul. my biggest concern with the Gigabyte is that some were saying they use cheap components. that and the fact that the card is absolutely enormous.

Gigabyte has quality components, but the Asus just goes a bit higher grade in that area. Length on the Gigabyte is definitely a concern though. The card length is 312mm/12.28inch.

Full measurements: L=312mm, W=129mm, H=43mm

 

[knitoe]

Needing a miracle folks.

Just finished a new build yesterday around 4pm. Installed Windows 8.1, all drivers and updates and such. Got an hour of gaming in and shut it down before bed around Midnight. I got home from work today and, on suggestion of a friend, ran Prime95 to make sure everything was stable in case I needed to RMA anything with Newegg. I ran it for just over an hour and decided that was good enough for the moment. CPU temp lows around 15C. Peaked at a high of 85C. No errors. Checked Facebook and GAF and then I switched over to my couch to watch a movie on my PS4. I got twenty minutes into the movie and hear the optical drive spinning in the computer (it's an older drive I threw in for OS installation purposes). I turn around to see it rebooting. I watched it for a moment thinking "Golly, I wonder why it's rebooting." Suddenly everything went dark and it restarted again. I jumped up and flipped off the power supply as soon as I could. I opened it up, took a look around, felt various components to see if anything was alarmingly hot. Everything seemed ok, so I tried to start it up again. A few flashes of light and then nothing. I took the RAM and GPU out, disconnected all cables from the motherboard and started one piece at a time. I even checked the seating of the CPU and then cleaned it and reapplied TIM. Plugged fans and case connections back in. Tried to POST with no RAM and got the three long beeps and debug message on motherboard came on indicating everything was working up to the whole no RAM point. Turned it off, put the RAM back in, cleared CMOS, and tried starting with just the GPU and SSD still out. At that point it came on and I was able to get into BIOS. I was in the BIOS for maybe 3 or 4 minutes when it just shut off. Since then, I can't get so much as a single LED to blink. Any tricks or suggestions would be welcome at this point.

Computer Specs?

Clear CMOS again, get into the bios, quickly manually change ram timing then save and reboot.

 

[The Llama]

I posted in the 120hz thread about this too but I'll just cross post here.

I just set up my VG248QE and overall I'm incredibly disappointed in the colors and actual display itself. I'm coming from an IPS display. I've set it up reasonably enough that I could live with it but I have a real issue.

This panel that I got has really inconsistent coloring/brightness. The center is definitely brighter than the rest of the panel and the upper left is so bad that colors appear different in that corner. I know I'd probably have to RMA to get one that isn't so shit but I just want to know how common this is with these panels. I've seen some stories of people going through 3-4 to get one that works. But honestly if I have to go through all that trouble I'm just going to return this display. Finally taking advantage of all those frames my rig puts out is great but not at this cost.

To an extent, thats kind of how TN panels are, but sounds like you got a REALLY bad one. I'd definitely RMA it and hope you get one thats a little more normal.

 

[mdsfx]

Gigabyte has quality components, but the Asus just goes a bit higher grade in that area. Length on the Gigabyte is definitely a concern though. The card length is 312mm/12.28inch.

Full measurements: L=312mm, W=129mm, H=43mm

Based on your edited comments, you seem to lean towards gigabyte. It does seem to be one of the most popular 970s with pretty great reviews. The only negative a few people have posted relates to compatibility issues with their motherboards causing hang-ups when booting.

 

[paskowitz]

Gigabyte has active cooling on the memory, the Asus doesn't. The Asus has 6-Phase power, and the the back-plate is re-enforced by the slot bracket. I've heard Asus customer support can be pretty bad compared to Gigabyte.


Gigabyte GTX 980 G1 Gaming

That is a lot of copper.

 

[SleazyC]

Fairly certain the answer to this question is, must return defective parts to the US, but does anyone know if I purchase computer parts in the US and take them with me to Europe if I can return fauty/defective parts to the companies European branch (if it has one)?

 

[Bollocks]

Sweeet, my cpu cooler is scheduled to arrive tomorrow(orig estimated to be delivered around end of nov/dec lol) with the mainboard/psu etc being delivered today, that leaves the last missing piece to be the graphics card and I just saw that they have some asus 980's in stock for retail pickup at a slightly higher price, not much, so I went for it and got the confirmation.
So if all goes well aka amazon doesn't fuck up my cooler order I can build my new pc tomorrow after work.
Sooner than I expected, excited

Here are the specs:
CPU: 5930k
Mainboard: MSI x99 SLI
RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance 2666 DDR4
HDD: 250GB SSD
CPU Cooler:Corsair Hydro H110
PSU: Corsair RM 850
Case: Corsair 750D

 

[IAmRandom31]

Do they plan on releasing a 4GB variant of the 280x?

My budget will be tight so will def. go with the 970 if I can but if not will do the 280X but would love 4GB of RAM for a bit more future proofing on the build.

 

[jfoul]

Based on your edited comments, you seem to lean towards gigabyte. It does seem to be one of the most popular 970s with pretty great reviews. The only negative a few people have posted relates to compatibility issues with their motherboards causing hang-ups when booting.

I like them both really, but I've had more Gigabyte products over the years. I think if you don't want to crazy overclock, go with the the Asus. Memory being actively cooled on the G1 Gaming goes a long way with me though.

I might pick up the Strix 980 because the G1 Gaming is just too much at $629.

 

[kabel]

Do they plan on releasing a 4GB variant of the 280x?

My budget will be tight so will def. go with the 970 if I can but if not will do the 280X but would love 4GB of RAM for a bit more future proofing on the build.

R9 280X is the same as HD7970.

They both have a 384bit interface so there are 2 possibilities with the VRAM. 3GB or 6GB. (Or 1,5GB and 12GB and so on but they don't exist haha)
There will be no 4GB.

So GTX970 it is if you want more VRAM. Because the 6GB 280X is too slow for so much VRAM.

 

[xBladeM6x]

Random question, but is there any description for the kind of Vsync that exists in games like AC:L HD, ACIV and the like that have it where if the game drops below 59 FPS, it instantly tanks to 30, and at some point immediately back up to 60?

 

[riflen]

Random question, but is there any description for the kind of Vsync that exists in games like AC:L HD, ACIV and the like that have it where if the game drops below 59 FPS, it instantly tanks to 30, and at some point immediately back up to 60?

Yes, but it's not Vsync itself that causes this, it's the fact that the game uses double buffering, combined with enabling Vsync. Vsync is just a flag that says "wait for the display to be ready".

If you enable Vsync for a game that uses only two buffers, you will get the behaviour you describe*. It's commonly called double-buffered Vsync.

* Except if you're using NVIDIA SLI.

 

[xBladeM6x]

Yes, but it's not Vsync itself that causes this, it's the fact that the game uses double buffering, combined with enabling Vsync. Vsync is just a flag that says "wait for the display to be ready".

If you enable Vsync for a game that uses only two buffers, you will get the behaviour you describe*. It's commonly called double-buffered Vsync.

* Except if you're using NVIDIA SLI.

Whoever implements singularly double buffered, with no option to triple, should be shot. For me, it's the cardinal sin of PC ports.

 

[riflen]

Whoever implements singularly double buffered, with no option to triple, should be shot. For me, it's the cardinal sin of PC ports.

No argument there. Vsync in general has been the bane of PC gaming for me since forever. Thankfully, G-Sync is here and other adaptive refresh tech will come soon and it solves the problem wonderfully. The GPU should be deciding when a frame is ready, not the display. In fact fixed vertical refresh rates are not necessary in LCD displays.

 

[zma1013]

Is there any need for a mid-tier gaming rig to have more than 8GB's of ram?

 

[kharma45]

Is there any need for a mid-tier gaming rig to have more than 8GB's of ram?

No.

 

[zeroeffect]

Anyone know if EVGA still honors their warranty on ACX 2.0 if you overclock the stock one? I know the SC ACX 2.0 is already at factory overclocks and they will honor it if it dies but what about the stock one? Can you still OC and the warranty is honored?

 

[hoserx]

Anyone know if EVGA still honors their warranty on ACX 2.0 if you overclock the stock one? I know the SC ACX 2.0 is already at factory overclocks and they will honor it if it dies but what about the stock one? Can you still OC and the warranty is honored?

Absolutely. You can overclock the heck out of it and it is still within warranty.


http://www.evga.com/support/faq/afmviewfaq.aspx?faqid=55

 

[asdad123]

So its my brother birthday and I want to upgrade his graphics card for him. He currently has a GTX670 2gb and is running a 2560x1440 resolution monitor.

I'd love to pick him up a card locally at microcenter, but they dont have any 900 series in stock. I can purchase him a EVGA 780 Superclocked 3gb from Best Buy for $410 (I have $260 in credit for there so itd be best) or a EVGA 780Ti Superclocked 3gb from Microcenter for $440 open box. Would picking either of these up be a bad idea?

 

[The Llama]

Is there any need for a mid-tier gaming rig to have more than 8GB's of ram?

Nah. I have 16GB and don't think I've used >8GB more than 6 or 7 times.

 

[kennah]

So its my brother birthday and I want to upgrade his graphics card for him. He currently has a GTX670 2gb and is running a 2560x1440 resolution monitor.

I'd love to pick him up a card locally at microcenter, but they dont have any 900 series in stock. I can purchase him a EVGA 780 Superclocked 3gb from Best Buy for $410 (I have $260 in credit for there so itd be best) or a EVGA 780Ti Superclocked 3gb from Microcenter for $440 open box. Would picking either of these up be a bad idea?

780 ti is still a hell of a card. Don't bother with the overpriced 780

 

[H1PSTER]

Has anyone had experience with the Gainward 970 Phantom? I may have to get that as a replacement for my Zotac 970 as the Zotac is out of stock.

 

[jfoul]

In stock at Newegg - GIGABYTE GV-N970G1 GAMING-4GD

 

[zeroeffect]

Absolutely. You can overclock the heck out of it and it is still within warranty.


http://www.evga.com/support/faq/afmviewfaq.aspx?faqid=55

Nice. He says physical damage though. Wouldn't OCing technically do that or does he mean like mishandling like slamming it with a hammer?

 

[Rufus]

OC'ing doesn't cause any damage unless you fry your system by turning the voltage too high, although I'm not sure you can even do that any more.

 

[Felix Lighter]

OC'ing doesn't cause any damage unless you fry your system by turning the voltage too high, although I'm not sure you can even do that any more.

I think CPUs at this point are pretty resilient and have very effective fail-safes, that seem to keep OCing relatively harmless. However, while GPUs also have similar fail-safes, they have seemed, at least in the past, to lag behind a little in that area. Maybe that has been addressed in the most recent generations but stress tests like furmark were known to have the ability to kill cards without safe guards preventing it in the past.

 

[Pepiope]

One of the cables for the power supply should have a connector with 6 or 8 pins on it. You'll need to plug that into the video card, and there might be a second one so you may have a total of 2 cables plugged into the card. The cables will go into the power supply, normally labeled video or VGA.

There should be a set of PSU cables marked "PCI-E", those are the ones you want.

Yep. I looked up a review of your power supply, Portman is correct, the cables you need are labeled "VGA" in your case (my Seasonic power supply has them labeled "PCI-E").

I think I have it figured out. I plug the two 8 pins into the PSU through VGA1 and VGA2, and then plug the two 6+2 pins into the GPU and let the +2 dangle off the side. This is all using the PCI-E cables that come with the PSU, not any of the cables that come with the GPU? I think I have it... maybe Lol.

 

[KePoW]

Hi All,

I am a total complete noob to overclocking, have never done it before. So please excuse my basic questions. Few things:

-- I have a 3570k with DDR3 1600
-- ASUS Maximus V Gene
-- I'm very conservative and since I'm totally new, for now I'm just trying it at 4.2 ghz

-- Do yall think there's anything wrong with running at Manual voltage longterm? I have it at 1.225v right now, and I always turn my PC off overnight. So it's not a 24/7 system.
-- I looked into Offset voltage, but it seemed more complicated with possibly changing other advanced settings. I don't feel comfortable going into all those deeper BIOS menus, like LLC or Phase Control or those other settings. I have no idea what that stuff is, lol

-- Idle Win7 desktop temps (at 4.2 ghz with 1.225v) range from 30 to 40. Sounds like some people say it shouldn't be that high... what do yall think?

Thanks for any info! All the BIOS OC settings look super complicated, so I just want to do something easy and safe.

 

[Bollocks]

Noob questions.
What is the preferred way to assemble a new pc?
psu - motherboard - cpu cooler? o
motherboard - psu - ... ?

Or start with the cpu cooler since in my case I have to mount the radiator on top?

Also are there any preferred apps to run to make sure everything is working?