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[LilJoka]

Well their current computer is incredibly old and barely plays Starcraft II, and won't run Diablo 3 which my brother just bought (which is spurring him into finally getting a new pc). So if that puts things into perspective for you, I'm not sure being able to upgrade down the road is a huge factor, but always a bonus. If it's the difference between a better GPU now though, I think I would lean for the better GPU.

I think this is a good compromise. In the future you could go up to the i7 4790k and GTX 980 no issues.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Scythe Shuriken Rev. B 3 11.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($33.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($103.91 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($78.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($142.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $625.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-24 20:22 EDT-0400

 

[kennah]

Is my i3 3220 useless? Gonna find out this weekend!

 

[forrest]

I think this is a good compromise. In the future you could go up to the i7 4790k and GTX 980 no issues.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Scythe Shuriken Rev. B 3 11.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($33.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($103.91 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($78.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($142.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $625.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-24 20:22 EDT-0400

Awesome, I also found a Cooler Master Gemini Cooler for roughly the same price that is in a newegg combo with the cpu and fits the case just fine.

What do you think about the Sapphire R9 280 3gb card?

 

[LilJoka]

Awesome, I also found a Cooler Master Gemini Cooler for roughly the same price that is in a newegg combo with the cpu and fits the case just fine.

What do you think about the Sapphire R9 280 3gb card?

Sounds good, yeah bump up the GPU to whatever the budget allows, that's a decent card, just check out warranties in USA to chose the GPU brand.

 

[sorijealut]

Logitech G502 impressions for those that care...

First, you take a mouse chasis with a semi decent shape and a pretty good height with possibility for claw/palm grips.
Then, plague it with useless buttons that are EXTREMELY distracting. You cannot get a good grip on this mouse at all. The DPI quick switch button near your thumb will make it impossible to get a good palm grip as on a G400s. It's too large and bulky for claw grips IMO.
Finally, inside the mouse you will find an amazing sensor that I wish I had on all other mice... nothing short of astonishing.

The braided cable on this mouse is the softest one I've seen, and it's actually very light and comfortable. However, as I've read on other reviews, it is quite heavy for FPS use.
The middle mouse wheel is tactile, but also very loud, and it will move on its on accord when in free scroll mode.

For me personally, it's unusable due to discomfort. Don't get me wrong, you really can play very well with this mouse, but probably with *HIGH* risk of carpal tunnel and elbow pain.

 

[xBladeM6x]

*HIGH* risk of carpal tunnel and elbow pain.

That's all I needed to hear. Lol

 

[The Llama]

Logitech G502 impressions for those that care...

First, you take a mouse chasis with a semi decent shape and a pretty good height with possibility for claw/palm grips.
Then, plague it with useless buttons that are EXTREMELY distracting. You cannot get a good grip on this mouse at all. The DPI quick switch button near your thumb will make it impossible to get a good palm grip as on a G400s. It's too large and bulky for claw grips IMO.
Finally, inside the mouse you will find an amazing sensor that I wish I had on all other mice... nothing short of astonishing.

The braided cable on this mouse is the softest one I've seen, and it's actually very light and comfortable. However, as I've read on other reviews, it is quite heavy for FPS use.
The middle mouse wheel is tactile, but also very loud, and it will move on its on accord when in free scroll mode.

For me personally, it's unusable due to discomfort. Don't get me wrong, you really can play very well with this mouse, but probably with *HIGH* risk of carpal tunnel and elbow pain.

Regardless of anything else, I went with the G700s (which I keep wired 95% of the time anyway) because I thought the G502 was ugly as hell.

 

[sorijealut]

That's all I needed to hear. Lol

You don't mean to say the risk of carpal tunnel isn't serious...?

I am not suggesting that a mouse has to be a palm grip to not have pain in your hands, of course. For contrast, I use my CM Xornet mouse just fine.
Even though it can look like it has no gripping room, you can actually maneuver it easily.

Carpal tunnel is a serious condition that can affect aspects of many activities...

 

[Pepiope]

Head parking is a power saving feature on some drives, literally instead of the head hovering over the disk platters, it moves away from the platters and is parked in standby for an operation to occur that needs read/write. Upon parking the head drops onto a seat and you hear the click. Some drives have a more aggressive algorithm, so google first for your drive and head park related queries.

If it's an old drive and it just started, then that's bad signs. Use a SMART statistic program to check the disk stats. If it's had too many unrecoverable sectors it will make these noises too since it's unable to access a certian file.

It's a brand new drive. I only really started using it once I put my GPU in. That is when I started saving large files

I looked up some info on the specific model and supposedly the Western Digital Caviar Black 2 TB is noisy. Not sure if that noise is a click though...Would you recommend a program to test out the health of HDD?

Edit: Using HD Tune...Hopefully it passes.

 

[FLAguy954]

Holy shit, sweet fucking deal right here: HIS R9 290 for 229.99 after $20 mail-in rebate. It also comes with Star Citizen and Alien Isolation (plus another game with the 3 Games Gold Space Addition bundle)

The card is pretty ugly but it is one of the top cards out right now for an affordable price.

 

[The Llama]

Holy shit, sweet fucking deal right here: HIS R9 290 for 229.99 after $20 mail-in rebate. It also comes with Star Citizen and Alien Isolation (plus another game with the 3 Games Gold Space Addition bundle)

The card is pretty ugly but it is one of the top cards out right now for an affordable price.

I kinda like the vanilla look.

But holy crap what a great deal. If anyones looking for a new GPU, I highly recommend it. Hell, save $100 and get it instead of a GTX 970.

 

[Felix Lighter]

I'm back to considering the Asus ROG Swift.

 

[Shadowhaxor]

Holy shit, sweet fucking deal right here: HIS R9 290 for 229.99 after $20 mail-in rebate. It also comes with Star Citizen and Alien Isolation (plus another game with the 3 Games Gold Space Addition bundle)

The card is pretty ugly but it is one of the top cards out right now for an affordable price.

I'd wait. AMD is dropping the price of the 290x to $299.99.

Edit - Looks like it's a promo but with no end time.

 

[appaws]

PcPartPicker is telling me the Hyper 212 Cooler may not be compatible with the CM Elite 130, I'll have to look at the measurements. I was omitting the HDD just as an extra way to save money. Aside from the OS and a few games, I can't see them putting much on this system other than maybe some pictures and a little bit of music. They are very mild pc users. She will browse the web and he will browse the web and casually game on it. That's about it.

I think this is a good compromise. In the future you could go up to the i7 4790k and GTX 980 no issues.]

I agree with Lil Joka, he knows his stuff.

I always put the G. Skill Ares RAM in builds just for that reason. Corsair also makes some good LP RAM, but it is more expensive. (Well, I don't think they make it....but they buy it and put their name on it.)

GPUs are not the area to get cheap on. They are the most important factor in gaming performance. That R7 260X you picked out was only 5 dollars less than the $129 R7 270 that I suggested. Joka's suggestion was only $12 more than that. Worth it for sure.

Also, another thought on cases. The very recently released Corsair 380T might be an option for you as well. I think it is really kick-ass looking. It's gotten good reviews. Like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II5RvlDGh9s

Don't let the shock of the yellow one in the review scare you....it also comes in classy black or white.

 

[opticalmace]

As someone brought up mice... anyone still using one of these? Logitech G5.

(not my pic)

I still love mine, though the DPI switch is starting to fail and the stiff cord can be an annoyance. So good pwning noobs in quake live though.

 

[forrest]

I agree with Lil Joka, he knows his stuff.

I always put the G. Skill Ares RAM in builds just for that reason. Corsair also makes some good LP RAM, but it is more expensive. (Well, I don't think they make it....but they buy it and put their name on it.)

GPUs are not the area to get cheap on. They are the most important factor in gaming performance. That R7 260X you picked out was only 5 dollars less than the $129 R7 270 that I suggested. Joka's suggestion was only $12 more than that. Worth it for sure.

Also, another thought on cases. The very recently released Corsair 380T might be an option for you as well. I think it is really kick-ass looking. It's gotten good reviews. Like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II5RvlDGh9s

Don't let the shock of the yellow one in the review scare you....it also comes in classy black or white.

Yeah I've seen that Corsair review from hardwareCanucks, definitely an interesting case for sure, but ultimately too much for this particular build.

The final build order is as follows:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/p4QJNG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/p4QJNG/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master GeminII M4 58.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($103.91 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($78.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB DUAL-X Video Card ($193.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $721.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-24 23:28 EDT-0400

Splurged on the GPU in the end, but I think he will appreciate that. I went with air cooling in the form of the Cooler Master Gemini II which was affordable, reviewed well, and I saw some Elite 130 builds with it in there.

Thanks for all of your help and I'll probably post up some shots of the finished build and I'm sure I'll be picking your brains as I start to formulate my own personal build soon.

 

[appaws]

Yeah I've seen that Corsair review from hardwareCanucks, definitely an interesting case for sure, but ultimately too much for this particular build.

The final build order is as follows:

Thanks for all of your help and I'll probably post up some shots of the finished build and I'm sure I'll be picking your brains as I start to formulate my own personal build soon.

Cool man. Build looks like fun...it's fun building even for other people.

 

[Zolf]

Cooler Master Elite 130s are great, I have one as well as a 120 (over which the 130 is a good improvement). Maybe I'm just cheap, but for the money the 130 can't be beat.

 

[Sectorseven]

What do you think of the chances that Skylake-S mobos will use DDR3 while the Z series motherboards for the K processors require DDR4?

It sounds like most mobo manufacturers won't be able to afford making both and will have to settle for one or the other.

 

[spk]

So I picked up the Zotac 970 but it's got some coil whine which is being picked up by my mic with voip.. Anyone have this problem? I don't want to RMA if I can help it.

 

[Kornflayx]

Build my own PC for the first time on Thursday. I have to say, it feels so liberating. And because I'm such a control freak, I read everything I could on building it from scratch and learned so much I didn't know in the process.

I just wanted to thank everyone involved in this thread for helping me do this.

BTW the EVO 212 is a monster to install for a beginner lol

 

[Acheteedo]

Use pcpartpicker.com. It finds the lowest price from many websites. It automatically checks for compatibility issues. It also checks how much power you need to run the system. Thermal paste is almost always preapplied to the cpu cooler.

If you ever have any specific questions or troubleshooting, you could ask here. Lots of tech savvy people here. I still recommend watching the video in post #2, then you can make up your mind if you'd rather pay to have it built or build it yourself.

Thanks! I'll do that!

 

[riflen]

Thought my last post was on the same page, but it wasn't. But yes, RoG Swift, vsync off and gsync disabled before starting the game. I mean with gsync on the game runs at 120 with no drops but switching to ulmb makes it so that it's 55-60. Turned vsync off in the menus and gsync is active when using that.

Vsync could still be enabled somewhere. I can't think of another explanation as to why this would happen, as I have the same display and cannot reproduce your issue. Just try methodically disabling all vertical sync modes.

-In the NVCP 3D profile for the game in question, set Vertical Sync to Off. Also make sure if you use NVIDIA Inspector, that the same is set in its profile for the game.
-In the game itself, turn Vsync off.
-Switch the display to 120Hz and enable ULMB via the display's OSD. Alternatively, you could set the desktop display mode to 120Hz before launching the game.

You can also use ULMB mode at 85 or 100 Hz (not 60Hz as I said in my last post), but I find support for this depends on the game. I've had success setting the desktop refresh to the Hz you require before launching the game. Good luck, ULMB at 120Hz is fantastic.

 

[Durante]

As someone brought up mice... anyone still using one of these? Logitech G5.

(not my pic)

I still love mine, though the DPI switch is starting to fail and the stiff cord can be an annoyance. So good pwning noobs in quake live though.

I am still using it. I love it.


By the way, somewhat OT, but I recently took a very neat picture of a CPU die and want to share:

(That's a NUC board, went into this: http://abload.de/img/i5uby.jpg - the first 100% passive & no mechanically moving parts PC I ever built)

 

[x-drake]

Used overclockers and scan before. Thinking of buying a GPU from Ebuyer.com.

Any Reviews UK peoplez? Hows their service and delivery like?

 

[Skyzard]

Not the biggest fan tbh. Sometimes okay. My last 780 had an opened box and major coil whine, but I was able to return it.

 

[x-drake]

Not the biggest fan tbh. Sometimes okay. My last 780 had an opened box and major coil whine, but I was able to return it.

So they have a good return policy? And how was it opened, as in the GPU box or the box it comes delivered in? Or did it have wrapping?
Maybe it was the driver, last warehouse job I worked, drivers often open things and steal anything that is not meant to be with them.

 

[kharma45]

Used overclockers and scan before. Thinking of buying a GPU from Ebuyer.com.

Any Reviews UK peoplez? Hows their service and delivery like?

They're OK.

I'd go to Novatech before them.

 

[KidJr]

I'm not sure if this is the correct thread, but I'm not really clues to the details of the pc gaming market at the moment? I'm considering of getting back into the pc gaming market but wanted to know roughly how much I need to spend to achieve what I want? I'd like to run games on ultra settings at 4k across 3 monitors? At a solid 60fps? I'm not even sure if that's achievable and what kind of financial outlay would that b? I estimated around 3.5k but again I don't know if what I want is achievable? If it is what would I need (gpu fans cpu and monitors etc.)

 

[LilJoka]

I'm not sure if this is the correct thread, but I'm not really clues to the details of the pc gaming market at the moment? I'm considering of getting back into the pc gaming market but wanted to know roughly how much I need to spend to achieve what I want? I'd like to run games on ultra settings at 4k across 3 monitors? At a solid 60fps? I'm not even sure if that's achievable and what kind of financial outlay would that b? I estimated around 3.5k but again I don't know if what I want is achievable? If it is what would I need (gpu fans cpu and monitors etc.)

4k60 across 3 screens, you would need something like
5930k
Tri SLI GTX 980's

And I'm still not sure it would do it!

A more reasonable build would do 1600p across three monitors with probably GTX 980 SLI. It's still stretching it and I would want 6gb VRAM per card or more.

Best way would be GSync monitors and dual 980's so even if it drops below 60 it's still a great experience.

 

[Durante]

I'd like to run games on ultra settings at 4k across 3 monitors? At a solid 60fps? I'm not even sure if that's achievable

It's not.

Realize that
- ultra settings are generally higher than consoles (say ~ factor 2 per pixel more rendering effort)
- 4k on 3 monitors is 12x as many pixels as 1080p
- solid 60 FPS is at least twice of what most high-end console games do.

As such, just in terms of raw numbers, you'd need to build a system roughly 48 times as powerful as PS4 to achieve what you're asking for.
Assuming perfect multi-GPU scaling (which ain't happening), and using programmable shader FLOPS as a simplistic performance estimate, 3x 290x puts you at 17.4 TFlops compared to 1.8 for PS4. That's roughly a factor of 10 faster, which is impressive, but still a far cry from 48.

If you want 3 monitors, go for 3x1080p with G-sync and SLI 980 GTX, that should generally give you a good experience.

 

[x-drake]

They're OK.

I'd go to Novatech before them.

I see but they dont have the G1 970. And Ebuyer is getting back some in stock today. They say.

 

[LilJoka]

I see but they dont have the G1 970. And Ebuyer is getting back some in stock today. They say.

Delivery can be a bit slow but I've ordered from there and it's fine.

 

[Smooth Criminal]

Hey guys, building my first ever PC with the help of a friend who knows far more than I do about this sort of stuff. I've been running a few parts lists by him but I wanted to get the opinion of you fine folks here as well.

- I'm in the UK and I'm looking to spend up to £900 on the entire setup.
- Main Use: Gaming, music editing, video editing (first two are pretty important, third is less so).
- Looking for 1080p gaming at high settings, more would be nice but not essential.
- Fine with 30fps when necessary, would be looking to play the new Assassin's Creed and CoD when I get it. Apart from that, my first few PC games are going to be older games that are going for cheap on Steam. I've never played Mirror's Edge, for example.
- I have an old 320GB HDD that I fitted in my PS3 a few years ago, I was planning to reuse that if possible because the console has since died.
- Probably building in December.
- Not overclocking.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core @ £162.18
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 ATX LGA1150 @ £79.80
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 @ £59.79
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" SSD @ £59.99
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB TWIN FROZR @ £199.99
Case: NZXT Phantom 530 (White) ATX Full Tower @ £89.30
Power Supply: Corsair 600W ATX12V @ £49.93
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" @ £113.09
Keyboard: Corsair Raptor K30 @ £34.99
Mouse: Cooler Master CM Storm Xornet Wired Optical @ £15.03

Total: £864.09

Any pointers gladly received. Also been a bit confused by the "IPS" feature of certain monitors and just how much of a difference that would make.

Thanks in advance.

 

[xBladeM6x]

You don't mean to say the risk of carpal tunnel isn't serious...?

I am not suggesting that a mouse has to be a palm grip to not have pain in your hands, of course. For contrast, I use my CM Xornet mouse just fine.
Even though it can look like it has no gripping room, you can actually maneuver it easily.

Carpal tunnel is a serious condition that can affect aspects of many activities...

I'm saying I won't get it because of that. xD

 

[KidJr]

It's not.

Realize that
- ultra settings are generally higher than consoles (say ~ factor 2 per pixel more rendering effort)
- 4k on 3 monitors is 12x as many pixels as 1080p
- solid 60 FPS is at least twice of what most high-end console games do.

As such, just in terms of raw numbers, you'd need to build a system roughly 48 times as powerful as PS4 to achieve what you're asking for.
Assuming perfect multi-GPU scaling (which ain't happening), and using programmable shader FLOPS as a simplistic performance estimate, 3x 290x puts you at 17.4 TFlops compared to 1.8 for PS4. That's roughly a factor of 10 faster, which is impressive, but still a far cry from 48.

If you want 3 monitors, go for 3x1080p with G-sync and SLI 980 GTX, that should generally give you a good experience.

Thanks, Ok I'll manage my expectations

 

[FreddieQuell]

I'm about to put the final parts into my PC today and I have two questions. First, what's the best way to transfer data to my new hard drives? Second, should I install my heatsink before or after I mount my motherboard?

 

[LilJoka]

I'm about to put the final parts into my PC today and I have two questions. First, what's the best way to transfer data to my new hard drives? Second, should I install my heatsink before or after I mount my motherboard?

I usually do it in this order in ATX cases
Install CPU, ram, heatsink in that order onto board
Install motherboard standoff into case if required (very likely)
Install IO shield into case
Then install board into case
Install PSU into case unplugged
Install HDD/SSD in to bays
Wire it up

 

[garath]

I'm about to put the final parts into my PC today and I have two questions. First, what's the best way to transfer data to my new hard drives? Second, should I install my heatsink before or after I mount my motherboard?

In some cases it is easier to put the mobo in the case prior to installing the heatsink. Some have backplates that would be difficult to put together if the mobo was laying flat on the table.

 

[ekgrey]

i suppose it depends on the cooler, but i did it outside the case with my Hyper 212 EVO. it was a huge pain in the ass but would have been even worse inside the case.

BTW, if you have this cooler, have a second person around for this part! i'm not sure i could have done it solo.

 

[FreddieQuell]

In some cases it is easier to put the mobo in the case prior to installing the heatsink. Some have backplates that would be difficult to put together if the mobo was laying flat on the table.

i suppose it depends on the cooler, but i did it outside the case with my Hyper 212 EVO. it was a huge pain in the ass but would have been even worse inside the case.

BTW, if you have this cooler, have a second person around for this part! i'm not sure i could have done it solo.

The cooler is an nh-d14 and my case is a 350d, with a pretty big motherboard cut out. I'm thinking I'll put the heatsink on after mounting the mobo. They are both getting delivered later today so I'll give it a look when they get here.

 

[Chance Hale]

Vsync could still be enabled somewhere. I can't think of another explanation as to why this would happen, as I have the same display and cannot reproduce your issue. Just try methodically disabling all vertical sync modes.

-In the NVCP 3D profile for the game in question, set Vertical Sync to Off. Also make sure if you use NVIDIA Inspector, that the same is set in its profile for the game.
-In the game itself, turn Vsync off.
-Switch the display to 120Hz and enable ULMB via the display's OSD. Alternatively, you could set the desktop display mode to 120Hz before launching the game.

You can also use ULMB mode at 85 or 100 Hz (not 60Hz as I said in my last post), but I find support for this depends on the game. I've had success setting the desktop refresh to the Hz you require before launching the game. Good luck, ULMB at 120Hz is fantastic.

Yeah, I'll have to mess around with it later. Yellow light was on so it was active but why that was happening I can't say. Monitor does seem to be switching to 144hz mode at times but that's not the issue given the 60 FPS cap that seemed to be in place. Will try turning off vsync in NI as you suggested.

Having a different issue now where the monitor's navigation menus aren't working. Analogue stick isn't working and it won't let me switch hz modes. Hoping I didn't get a bad unit.

Edit: So why can't my videocard run 144hz and remain idling? At 120 I stay around 30-32C but at 144 I shoot up to at 41-44

Edit 2: Yeah, every single game seems to be capping to 60 with ULMB checked :/ Don't understand why it's happening when they run at 144 FPS plus when using gsync. Will mess around when I get back from work I guess.

 

[LilJoka]

The cooler is an nh-d14 and my case is a 350d, with a pretty big motherboard cut out. I'm thinking I'll put the heatsink on after mounting the mobo. They are both getting delivered later today so I'll give it a look when they get here.

You want the cooler to sit on the CPU with gravity, if you use the motherboard cut out to install it, the cooler will want to fall away. As soon as it loses contact the thermal paste it's time to reapply since your going to create air bubbles. Always best to do it outside the case. Use the cooler to pick up the board and slot it in place in the case. Only tricky part is plugging in the CPU power plug. But that's not worse than having to balance a cooler while attaching the backplate and screwing it in!

 

[FreddieQuell]

You want the cooler to sit on the CPU with gravity, if you use the motherboard cut out to install it, the cooler will want to fall away. As soon as it loses contact the thermal paste it's time to reapply since your going to create air bubbles. Always best to do it outside the case. Use the cooler to pick up the board and slot it in place in the case. Only tricky part is plugging in the CPU power plug. But that's not worse than having to balance a cooler while attaching the backplate and screwing it in!

Thanks, this is my first time doing this so that's the experience I was looking for.

 

[ekgrey]

can anyone point me to like a beginner's guide to graphics settings? this is something i really want to learn more about. rather than just flicking switches in the settings until i can get a game to run smoothly, i'd like to actually know what is doing what.

i also just don't know where to start with some of this stuff. V-Sync and color options and everything...when i can adjust something in-game, through NVCP and through Windows, where do i start?

also, what's the best program for monitoring framerate in a game that doesn't provide its own counter? FRAPS?

lastly, anyone play The Vanishing of Ethan Carter? looking for some idea of whether the performance i'm getting is good. seems strange to me that i'm getting some stuttering in an indie game with a GTX 970, but it is a VERY pretty indie game.

 

[Lemonte]

Thinking of finally buying SSD. Thread title suggests that Crucial 256GB MX100 is good. Seems quite cheap too. Should I buy it or something else?

 

[kharma45]

Thinking of finally buying SSD. Thread title suggests that Crucial 256GB MX100 is good. Seems quite cheap too. Should I buy it or something else?

You won't go wrong with it.

 

[Lemonte]

You won't go wrong with it.

Ok. Thanks.

 

[Soodanim]

Cross-post from the Steam thread because I'm confused and dismayed.

Help!

Some games won't run at all for me.

New build, finished yesterday. I ran HL2 to test it, and it was fine. DSR from 4K. All was good. Played some Bioshock this morning, same thing. All good. But I tried New Vegas and that won't run past the pre-game setup window, nor will Oblivion, and now HL2 won't run either. NV and O crash and bring up the window where Windows pretends to try and help, and HL2 brings up the "Preparing to launch X", stays on that for ages, the screen flashes black for a second like it's trying to change resolution or something then nothing. Bioshock still runs.

I've thought about what I've installed since yesterday, and aside from onboard audio drivers (RealTek), RivaTuner to limit fps (tried resetting to defaults settings, has no effect) and PS3 controller drivers (the SCP ones, which I've uninstalled and will restart when I've finished this post) plus some C++/DirectX runtime stuff, I've touched nothing as far as I can remember.

Windows 8.1 N, 4690k at stock, 970 at stock

 

[ColdDeckEd]

Cross-post from the Steam thread because I'm confused and dismayed.

Have you tried a system restore? Since your computer is fairly new you might also want to consider reformatting and not reinstalling new vegas for now. Good luck.