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[M.D]

In most cases, yes. You may need a 2.5" to 3.5" bracket to properly mount it in the hard drive cage, though. Nothing too big to worry about, there's no moving parts in an SSD, so if you have to, you can just plug it in and set it on the bottom of the case or somewhere out of the way.

Most cases have hard drive cages meant for 3.5" drives, so there should be no issue with your other drives, assuming they're 3.5".

I took a quick look at that case, and if you do indeed have to remove the hard drive cage to get your GPU to fit, you might want to send it back and get something else, because it looks like it's all one part.

I have this exact same case from Newegg

It says

Two front loaded HDD cages for up to 6 hard disk drives

Maximum Video Card Size: 16" (406mm) (Note: some video cards may require removal of the adjacent hard drive cage)

I'm assuming one can be removed, so it should fit in I guess?

Card size is

Card size L=312mm, W=129mm, H=43mm
15.9" x 9.3"

Also, my dad made a good point that I should probably just use the new HDD and SSD since the HDD actually takes power consumption and generates heat, and I will never fill in 2TB

 

[paolo11]

I am going to get the rest of my stuff probably Thursday.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YNczCJ

I only have one EVGA card at the moment because they were out of stock

As you can see, I am a super noob in gaming desktops and I do not know how to build desktops. I have shakey hands as well. How hard is it to build one?

 

[NoRéN]

I am going to get the rest of my stuff probably Thursday.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YNczCJ

I only have one EVGA card at the moment because they were out of stock

As you can see, I am a super noob in gaming desktops and I do not know how to build desktops. I have shakey hands as well. How hard is it to build one?

Not hard. Just set aside a clean workspace. Set everything out where it is visible and in reach(cheap tupperware or mugs are good for keeping small parts together). Read the instructions beforehand and watch the videos in the OP. Relax. If it helps, listen to some good tunes. Finally, read the instructions again. It's not that difficult.

 

[paolo11]

Not hard. Just set aside a clean workspace. Set everything out where it is visible and in reach(cheap tupperware or mugs are good for keeping small parts together). Read the instructions beforehand and watch the videos in the OP. Relax. If it helps, listen to some good tunes. Finally, read the instructions again. It's not that difficult.

Sup, brother? Haven't heard from you for a long time. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Jakoozie89]

I really like the gsync idea, but think it's way too expensive and actually prefer to play on my TV. Any chance this technology will be standard in pc screens sometime, or better, in TVs? What do you predict is the long term situation with this technology.

For the record I don't care about refresh rate above 60 hz, but i would love to get rid of tearing and the need for vsync.

 

[Smokey]

I really like the gsync idea, but think it's way too expensive and actually prefer to play on my TV. Any chance this technology will be standard in pc screens sometime, or better, in TVs? What do you predict is the long term situation with this technology.

For the record I don't care about refresh rate above 60 hz, but i would love to get rid of tearing and the need for vsync.

Gsync and to a lesser extent FreeSync (AMD) is here to stay. We are not going to go backwards .

 

[ricki42]

I am going to get the rest of my stuff probably Thursday.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YNczCJ

I only have one EVGA card at the moment because they were out of stock

As you can see, I am a super noob in gaming desktops and I do not know how to build desktops. I have shakey hands as well. How hard is it to build one?

I'm new to this too and was pretty nervous about putting it all together. In addition to the videos in the OP I found it helpful to watch some videos specifically about installing my CPU cooler. I just looked for your cooler and found this Cooler Master Seidon 120M - Installation which is quite detailed.

 

[Smokey]

I am going to get the rest of my stuff probably Thursday.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YNczCJ

I only have one EVGA card at the moment because they were out of stock

As you can see, I am a super noob in gaming desktops and I do not know how to build desktops. I have shakey hands as well. How hard is it to build one?

Have a YouTube walkthrough video handy on your phone.

Things only go one way

Keep your motherboard manual handy

Plug things in to things.

It will take a lot of pressure to close latch on the CPU. This is completely normal.

Have fun. Take all weekend if you have to. If you're getting frustrated put it down and come back.

Take pics and ask questions in here. It's cool.

 

[Techies]

No good. Read the OP and look at the builds there.

Replace the CPU and motherboard with a Pentium Anniversary (G3258) and Z97. AMD is not the way to go at any price point for the CPU. This will crush the 6300 performance wise and give a good upgrade path to Broadwell.

The rest looks good, just drop the optical drive...you don't need it.

G3258 won't crush FX6300

i3 Gen4 will. At least in games.Minor Crush.

 

[Salaadin]

Amazingly good customer service from Fractal.
Busted my headphone input last night so I emailed them to see if I can buy one. Instead, theyre Fed Exing me a new one free of charge. Just got the tracking number emailed to me and it hasnt even been 24 hours since I broke the thing.

 

[The Llama]

G3258 won't crush FX6300

i3 Gen4 will. At least in games.Minor Crush.

Overclocked it will.

 

[Azzurri]

How does this set of DDR4 look.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MTSWEL4/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[Faabulous]

I'm on a low budget (about 150 dollars) and I'd like to upgrade my video card. I run a HD7770, is it even worth upgrading it? I've looked into cards I can afford like the GTX 750ti or the R7 260x, and I'd just like to know if I should upgrade now, or just save the money and upgrade later when the gains in performace for upgrading are more substantial.

EDIT: I also need to find out if my poor H61M-S1 motherboard even supports the upgrade. It would be pointless if it didn't.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

I'm on a low budget (about 150 dollars) and I'd like to upgrade my video card. I run a HD7770, is it even worth upgrading it? I've looked into cards I can afford like the GTX 750ti or the R7 260x, and I'd just like to know if I should upgrade now, or just save the money and upgrade later when the gains in performace for upgrading are more substantial.

If you can wait a couple of months, wait to see how AMD prices react to gtx 960.

 

[sammelito]

Is the Crucial ballistix tactical 2x4gb 1866mhz compatible with asus z97-a? I looked into asus documentation and it wasnt listed there.

 

[The Llama]

Is the Crucial ballistix tactical 2x4gb 1866mhz compatible with asus z97-a? I looked into asus documentation and it wasnt listed there.

As long as it's DDR3, it'll be compatible.

 

[MizzouRah]

Amazingly good customer service from Fractal.
Busted my headphone input last night so I emailed them to see if I can buy one. Instead, theyre Fed Exing me a new one free of charge. Just got the tracking number emailed to me and it hasnt even been 24 hours since I broke the thing.

Fractal had pretty great customer service for me earlier this month, too. I bought a R4 Blackout w/o window from Newegg, but the motherboard standoff mounts weren't milled properly so I couldn't use the case. Fractal acknowledged this, but while they were unable to offer a replacement to me as it is a problem with the chasis and not a swappable part, they hooked me up with a windowless panel for free after I RMA'd the original case to newegg and reordered a R4 Blackout with a window.

Pretty nice of them, as now I can alternate between having a quieter case, a more attractive case, or a side fan whenever I'd like (seasonally).

Side note:
- I'm thinking of upgrading my motherboard, cpu, and memory with my Christmas bonus this year. I'm currently running:
- i7 920 with a slight overclock to 3.4 ghz
-12 GB of DDR3
- p6t deluxe v2
- GTX 770 (2GB)

I'm going to pick up a SSD on a black friday or cyber monday deal, but I'm kind of itching to get a new CPU and motherboard. Think it is necessary or should I hold out/ upgrade elsewhere?

 

[Chance Hale]

Is there a chance of anyone having discounted 780tis on cyber Monday? Need a second one to rode me over until the 980ti. If so would it be cheaper than eBay prices?

 

[LiquidSolid]

I'm not sure where you are buying yopur parts, so that may be what is happening. But this EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 is cheaper than seasoninc in newegg. If you are seeing the seasonic cheaper somewhere else then go with that.

Doesn't seem like a popular choice around here (NZ), I could only find it at a single NZ based online retailer but it's a good store and I'll save some money, so I'll go with it. Thanks.

 

[opticalmace]

Fractal had pretty great customer service for me earlier this month, too. I bought a R4 Blackout w/o window from Newegg, but the motherboard standoff mounts weren't milled properly so I couldn't use the case. Fractal acknowledged this, but while they were unable to offer a replacement to me as it is a problem with the chasis and not a swappable part, they hooked me up with a windowless panel for free after I RMA'd the original case to newegg and reordered a R4 Blackout with a window.

Pretty nice of them, as now I can alternate between having a quieter case, a more attractive case, or a side fan whenever I'd like (seasonally).

Side note:
- I'm thinking of upgrading my motherboard, cpu, and memory with my Christmas bonus this year. I'm currently running:
- i7 920 with a slight overclock to 3.4 ghz
-12 GB of DDR3
- p6t deluxe v2
- GTX 770 (2GB)

I'm going to pick up a SSD on a black friday or cyber monday deal, but I'm kind of itching to get a new CPU and motherboard. Think it is necessary or should I hold out/ upgrade elsewhere?

I think there would be nothing wrong with upgrading now. As for if it's necessary, can you play all the games you want to? I would probably OC your CPU more. If you still can't get the performance you want then I would upgrade.

 

[Rur0ni]

980 GTX chewing right through BF4 ( with MFAA ). Feels good.

 

[appaws]

G3258 won't crush FX6300

i3 Gen4 will. At least in games.Minor Crush.

Overclocked it will.

The FX-6300 costs $30 more, performs the same or worse, and is on a dead-end platform. (No upgrade path ahead.) To be fair, it is also a decent overclocker and if you pick and choose certain applications you can find a few where it performs well.

The Pentium Anniversary is only 70 bucks, overclocks like a champ with a low-priced cooler like the 212 EVO, and has an upgrade path to a Broadwell i5 or i7. For the vast majority of games, 2 overclocked Haswell cores will outperform what the 6300 can do.

I would argue that the "upgrade path" idea is of paramount importance, especially for people with a limited budget. The ability to add performance over time as you can get more money together is awesome. You can enjoy gaming now and a little down the road you can drop a couple hundy more and go from an entry level build to a solid mid-level build.

 

[AstuteClass]

Kinda off topic, but who of you games at a desk? I imagine a lot will as a desk and monitor seems to be the way for PC gamers.

I'm a new PC gamer as of this year and as a console gamer for years, I naturally connected it to my 46" TV.

However, lately I'm getting trouble with my neck when sitting and gaming on my sofa. Wondering if a good quality chair and desk would be more stable on my body and comfortable.

Some pics of desk setups to tip me over the edge might help too lol

 

[jambo]

Hey guys n girls, need some advice on a possible upgrade.

Currently I have the following:

Core i7 870 (2.9GHz with some turbo thing up to 3.4GHz)
2x GTX 670 2GB in SLI
8GB DDR3 RAM (no idea what)
Can't remember the Mobo right now, some sort of Gigabyte
Antec 850W PSU
HP lp3065 S-IPS 30" @ 2560x1600

Now my main issue is just powering 4 million pixels and I'm worried about Far Cry 4 and (more importantly) GTA V struggling.


The 2GB on the 670s means I often hit the VRAM limit and have to turn down texture quality and other settings. Also SLI scaling isn't always great so some games suffer quite badly.

I'm thinking about selling my 670s and getting either a 970 or a 980. A 970 would probably mean buying a second card in about 12 months, whereas the 980 *should* be good for a little while longer.


Another option would be to get a 120hz 1080p monitor, but I spent so much damn money on the 30" (paid it off over 3 years back when they first came out) plus I'd be losing a great deal of screen real estate.


Not sure if upgrading my CPU would really be worth it.

 

[Pancakes]

Hello PC GAF. I'm upgrading my crappy GTX660 to a 970 and my buddy said I should probably get some advice before making the jump.

I already know I need a much larger PSU so I got that covered. But I was about to order a EVGA 970 when I heard about heat sink and fan noise complaints.

I was thinking about ordering this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NH5T1UA/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Reviews seem good but I want to be sure before I drop the money for it.

 

[Hazaro]

Hello PC GAF. I'm upgrading my crappy GTX660 to a 970 and my buddy said I should probably get some advice before making the jump.

I already know I need a much larger PSU so I got that covered. But I was about to order a EVGA 970 when I heard about heat sink and fan noise complaints.

I was thinking about ordering this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NH5T1UA/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Reviews seem good but I want to be sure before I drop the money for it.

On average a 970 will only be drawing about 30W more. What's your PSU?
GPU is good, but note that the GB is the longest of all the 970s at around 12"

Hey guys n girls, need some advice on a possible upgrade.

Currently I have the following:

Core i7 870 (2.9GHz with some turbo thing up to 3.4GHz)
2x GTX 670 2GB in SLI
8GB DDR3 RAM (no idea what)
Can't remember the Mobo right now, some sort of Gigabyte
Antec 850W PSU
HP lp3065 S-IPS 30" @ 2560x1600

Now my main issue is just powering 4 million pixels and I'm worried about Far Cry 4 and (more importantly) GTA V struggling.


The 2GB on the 670s means I often hit the VRAM limit and have to turn down texture quality and other settings. Also SLI scaling isn't always great so some games suffer quite badly.

I'm thinking about selling my 670s and getting either a 970 or a 980. A 970 would probably mean buying a second card in about 12 months, whereas the 980 *should* be good for a little while longer.


Another option would be to get a 120hz 1080p monitor, but I spent so much damn money on the 30" (paid it off over 3 years back when they first came out) plus I'd be losing a great deal of screen real estate.


Not sure if upgrading my CPU would really be worth it.

Your Res is pushing it. Get a 970 and OC your CPU.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Hello PC GAF. I'm upgrading my crappy GTX660 to a 970 and my buddy said I should probably get some advice before making the jump.

I already know I need a much larger PSU so I got that covered. But I was about to order a EVGA 970 when I heard about heat sink and fan noise complaints.

I was thinking about ordering this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NH5T1UA/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Reviews seem good but I want to be sure before I drop the money for it.

First thing before you buy that model is that you have to make sure it fits your case, as it is the longest model of 970s. It is an excellent card too, but if it's to big get the MSI.

 

[Torhthelm Tídwald]

I wouldn't recommend that motherboard. Although a B85 motherboard will work for your needs, you can move up to a H97 or even Z97 for a bit of an extra cost and be better prepared for future CPU upgrades. Also, because the motherboard is that old, it may need a BIOS update before it will work with the i5 4460 and any future processors, that's added frustration and work to get it working out of the box. I recommend the ASrock H97 Pro4 for $88. If you can't spare any more for budget, then consider the ASrock H97 Anniversary for $72. The corresponding mATX versions of those two motherboards are also slightly cheaper, at the cost of less expandability but nearly the same feature set.

The rest seems alright for a budget build. You could save on the cost of Windows by buying a key elsewhere, but it's your choice to get it from a trusted retailer.

For gaming performance, the 4460 should handle pretty much anything for the next 3 years handily. Specific performance figures will depend on what video card you pair it with, but it's a solid CPU if one isn't interested in overclocking (which comes with an added price premium over the i5 4460).

Thanks again. I think I will go with the mATX, since I'm not really a power user so I don't think I need that much expandability. And I don't plan on overclocking.

So here we go:

CPU Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor

Motherboard ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

Memory GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Storage Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Case Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

Operating System Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/J8jrt6

Any other suggestions?

 

[Pancakes]

On average a 970 will only be drawing about 30W more. What's your PSU?
GPU is good, but note that the GB is the longest of all the 970s at around 12"
.

Sitting at a really low 450W. New unit is probably gonna be 750W.

First thing before you buy that model is that you have to make sure it fits your case, as it is the longest model of 970s. It is an excellent card too, but if it's to big get the MSI.

My case could fit it but it would be a really close fit as it would be touch the drive bays. I'll probably just go with MSI then.

 

[Hazaro]

Thanks again. I think I will go with the mATX, since I'm not really a power user so I don't think I need that much expandability. And I don't plan on overclocking.

So here we go:

CPU Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor

Motherboard ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

Memory GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Storage Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Case Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

Operating System Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/J8jrt6

Any other suggestions?

Low Profile RAM (unless you really like their looks) like the Corsair Vengeance / G.SKILL ARES
FWIW I don't use Seagate and would suggest WD Blue 10EZEX unless you dont care for WD

 

[Pancakes]

Ended up going with

MSI GTX 970 4GD5T OC Graphics Cards GTX 970 4GD5T OC

Instead of the gaming edition since that one wasn't eligible for prime and I probably wouldn't notice the difference anyway since I'm upgrading from a GTX 660.

 

[Smushroomed]

If I had more room on my desk I'd so get this case and get rid of my R4.

Get a side table from ikea for 10 bucks and keep your tower on thag

 

[hooijdonk17]

Planning an upgrade for New Years; anyone advise me as to what I would benefit most from upgrading, and what would be a good price/performance upgrade choice?

High Power Eco 500W PSU
ASUS M5A97 R2.0 Mainboard
AMD FX 6100 CPU (Running at 3.8GHz with 8350 stock cooler, stock Voltage)
2x4GB G-Skill DD+3 PC10600 CL9 RAM
Sapphire AMD Radeon HD7700 1GB GHz Edition
1TB WD Caviar Blue HDD

I'm currently considering upgrading the GPU or jumping on the SSD bandwagon; trouble is I'm not sure if it's time to go SSD yet, I feel like it still has much way to go before I would feel comfortable about getting something I know I could use for years and years (I still use a pair of nearly-decade old 300GB Samsung drives in my HTPC and Linux boxes..) yet I feel a GPU upgrade of significance would set me back quite a bit of bucks (and possibly require a 700+W PSU?)..

So, guide me GAF?

 

[M.D]

Its here ;p
I purchased my PC in July 2008, so this is quite the upgrade

i7-4790K
GIGABYTE Z97X-GAMING 7
GIGABYTE GTX 970 G1
Kingston HyperX FURY 4x4GB DDR 3 1600MHz
Patriot BLAZER SSD 240GB
Western Digital 2TB

 

[Akai__]

Just intsalled Nvidia drivers version 344.75 and now I have horizontal lines everywhere.

It's mostly noticeable in videos, but it also appears when scrolling in Firefox.

How can I get rid of that? It's very annoying.

 

[RGM79]

Planning an upgrade for New Years; anyone advise me as to what I would benefit most from upgrading, and what would be a good price/performance upgrade choice?

High Power Eco 500W PSU
ASUS M5A97 R2.0 Mainboard
AMD FX 6100 CPU (Running at 3.8GHz with 8350 stock cooler, stock Voltage)
2x4GB G-Skill DD+3 PC10600 CL9 RAM
Sapphire AMD Radeon HD7700 1GB GHz Edition
1TB WD Caviar Blue HDD

I'm currently considering upgrading the GPU or jumping on the SSD bandwagon; trouble is I'm not sure if it's time to go SSD yet, I feel like it still has much way to go before I would feel comfortable about getting something I know I could use for years and years (I still use a pair of nearly-decade old 300GB Samsung drives in my HTPC and Linux boxes..) yet I feel a GPU upgrade of significance would set me back quite a bit of bucks (and possibly require a 700+W PSU?)..

So, guide me GAF?

SSDs are safe to buy. Typical SSDs nowadays have write weardown lifetimes comparable to hard disks. Other than that, the fact that they don't have moving parts means they won't break down mechanically, and the only real danger of defects or failures come from SSD controller firmware. There hasn't been any major recent cases of SSD defects aside from a temporary issue with some Samsung models that has now been fixed.

Your 500 watt PSU may yet be fine for a while. Nvidia's flagship GTX 970 and 980 video cards are surprisingly efficient. It's possible to run an entire PC with twin GTX 980s on 500 watts, although that's running close to full load and requires a good quality power supply.

Without knowing what you use your computer for most often, it's hard to say what to recommend. A SSD for the OS will perk up loading times and is generally beneficial all round. It's perfectly viable to consider running a GTX 970 or 980 with your current system's PSU, but if you've been fine with the HD 7700, maybe you don't do a lot of gaming. A new heatsink for your CPU and maybe some overclocking will do you some good for a relatively low price.

 

[knitoe]

Just intsalled Nvidia drivers version 344.75 and now I have horizontal lines everywhere.

It's mostly noticeable in videos, but it also appears when scrolling in Firefox.

How can I get rid of that? It's very annoying.

Try installing the drivers selecting the fresh option. If problem still persist, download and run the video card drive uninstaller, and then, use a older driver. Afterward, if the problem still persist, the video card is probably bad.

http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/display-driver-uninstaller-download.html

 

[taoofjord]

If it was me I'd change to a cheaper PSU, but aside from that it's fine.

What PSU would you recommend? I'd like a reliable one seeing as how the one in my old build could have been the reason my computer died.

Last post:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=139102453&postcount=18296

 

[RGM79]

What PSU would you recommend? I'd like a reliable one seeing as how the one in my old build could have been the reason my computer died.

Last post:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=139102453&postcount=18296

I'm pretty sure he means that 850 watts is quite a bit more than the system will need. You could save a bit of money by dropping down to a 600 or 650 watt model. PSU quality is less about overall wattage and more about trusted brands and quality components. Seasonic, Silverstone, XFX, and some models of Corsair are usually solid choices.

You can use this wattage calculator to determine how much wattage your system will actually end up using, and then pick a PSU model by adding 20-50% more wattage on top of the calculated figure as needed for future expansion. Some extra overhead is fine, because a PSU running under 100% of rated output will last longer and run more efficiently and cooler than one running at maximum capacity, but 850 watts is a bit overboard unless you're planning for overclocking and dual/triple graphics cards.

 

[ricki42]

Kinda off topic, but who of you games at a desk? I imagine a lot will as a desk and monitor seems to be the way for PC gamers.

I'm a new PC gamer as of this year and as a console gamer for years, I naturally connected it to my 46" TV.

However, lately I'm getting trouble with my neck when sitting and gaming on my sofa. Wondering if a good quality chair and desk would be more stable on my body and comfortable.

Some pics of desk setups to tip me over the edge might help too lol

I'm looking to get a new desk and chair as well, think I'll get an Ikea Bekant (which replaced the Galant). There are a number of threads about chairs and desk, e.g.:
about comfy chairs
desks with lots of pictures

 

[hooijdonk17]

SSDs are safe to buy. Typical SSDs nowadays have write weardown lifetimes comparable to hard disks. Other than that, the fact that they don't have moving parts means they won't break down mechanically, and the only real danger of defects or failures come from SSD controller firmware. There hasn't been any major recent cases of SSD defects aside from a temporary issue with some Samsung models that has now been fixed.

Your 500 watt PSU may yet be fine for a while. Nvidia's flagship GTX 970 and 980 video cards are surprisingly efficient. It's possible to run an entire PC with twin GTX 980s on 500 watts, although that's running close to full load and requires a good quality power supply.

Without knowing what you use your computer for most often, it's hard to say what to recommend. A SSD for the OS will perk up loading times and is generally beneficial all round. It's perfectly viable to consider running a GTX 970 or 980 with your current system's PSU, but if you've been fine with the HD 7700, maybe you don't do a lot of gaming. A new heatsink for your CPU and maybe some overclocking will do you some good for a relatively low price.

It's the Home Desktop.. Meaning, it gets gaming done on it, but I RARELY buy new games unless they are somehow irresistable to me; The games I'm playing these days, for example, are Dawn of War 2 MP, Battlefield 3 MP, Torchlight 2, Rage, From Dust, etc.

Nice to hear about the SSD thing, Might actually go for a 120GB SSD for my system partition and install Win8.1/Linux dual boot on it, then use my 1TB for Steam and multimedia storage..

Could you offer an AMD alternative for the GTX970, in case I want to stick to Team Red?

 

[OmegaSkittle]

No worries. Let me know how you get on! Worth a try at least before spending cash on a new one.

So a bit of an update with my graphics card situation. Sent the card to PowerColor for an RMA. The card is a PowerColor 7870 Myst Edition.

They emailed me back ~ a week after the card arrived and said they don't have the card in stock anymore.

So being that they are awesome, they offered me a AX7950 3GBD5-2DHPP(amazon page) as a replacement.

Pretty happy with the whole process. Makes up for the $25 i spent for the RMA shipping.

Just don't tell me that card is garbage....

Spoiler

/crossfingers

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

It's the Home Desktop.. Meaning, it gets gaming done on it, but I RARELY buy new games unless they are somehow irresistable to me; The games I'm playing these days, for example, are Dawn of War 2 MP, Battlefield 3 MP, Torchlight 2, Rage, From Dust, etc.

Nice to hear about the SSD thing, Might actually go for a 120GB SSD for my system partition and install Win8.1/Linux dual boot on it, then use my 1TB for Steam and multimedia storage..

Could you offer an AMD alternative for the GTX970, in case I want to stick to Team Red?

You can get a R9 290 or 290x, should be about the same price range and performance.

So a bit of an update with my graphics card situation. Sent the card to PowerColor for an RMA. The card is a PowerColor 7870 Myst Edition.

They emailed me back ~ a week after the card arrived and said they don't have the card in stock anymore.

So being that they are awesome, they offered me a AX7950 3GBD5-2DHPP(amazon page) as a replacement.

Pretty happy with the whole process. Makes up for the $25 i spent for the RMA shipping.

Just don't tell me that card is garbage....

Spoiler

/crossfingers

Sorry to tell you dude, it's garbage.

Spoiler

JK, great card, pretty awesome company.

 

[RGM79]

It's the Home Desktop.. Meaning, it gets gaming done on it, but I RARELY buy new games unless they are somehow irresistable to me; The games I'm playing these days, for example, are Dawn of War 2 MP, Battlefield 3 MP, Torchlight 2, Rage, From Dust, etc.

Nice to hear about the SSD thing, Might actually go for a 120GB SSD for my system partition and install Win8.1/Linux dual boot on it, then use my 1TB for Steam and multimedia storage..

Could you offer an AMD alternative for the GTX970, in case I want to stick to Team Red?

AMD dropped prices of their R9 290 and 290X to compete with Nvidia's latest. A 290 on sale for around $250 wouldn't be a bad price, and is just about the best Radeon model that your 500 watt power supply could handle, cutting it close. The 290X isn't worth considering as it's beaten by the GTX 970 in most regards at the same prices, and people recommend 600 watts to go along with the 290X anyway.

 

[zero shift]

Just ran this with my new PC specs:

GTX 970
i5 2500k OC at 4.5GHZ
8GBRAM

I can't believe the graphical fidelity. It literally looks like a movie.

 

[Akai__]

Try installing the drivers selecting the fresh option. If problem still persist, download and run the video card drive uninstaller, and then, use a older driver. Afterward, if the problem still persist, the video card is probably bad.

http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/display-driver-uninstaller-download.html

I think you misunderstood and/or I didn't express myself good enough. It's more like screen tearing and not pixel anomalies, if that makes any sense?!

 

[CaLe]

Hey guys,

I went through a shit year (health and job issues) and I'm thinking of purchasing some PC parts to make me feel better.

Here's my current rig:

CPU: i5 2500k
RAM: 8 GB DDR3
Video Card: GTX 670
Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V Pro Z68
Power Supply: Corsair AX850 (850W)

I'd like to stay with Nvidia, as I'm using my Nvidia Shield a lot for streaming.

I don't want to upgrade just for the sake of upgrading though, ideally I'd do it only if there's a significant improvement. My budget would be around 400$ ? Give or take...

Thanks !

 

[garath]

Hey guys,

I went through a shit year (health and job issues) and I'm thinking of purchasing some PC parts to make me feel better.

Here's my current rig:

CPU: i5 2500k
RAM: 8 GB DDR3
Video Card: GTX 670
Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V Pro Z68
Power Supply: Corsair AX850 (850W)

I'd like to stay with Nvidia, as I'm using my Nvidia Shield a lot for streaming.

I don't want to upgrade just for the sake of upgrading though, ideally I'd do it only if there's a significant improvement. My budget would be around 400$ ? Give or take...

Thanks !

Overclock your 2500k to 4.2-4.5ghz and buy a GTX 970. You'll be running well for the next few years. That's the best, most immediate impact you can make for $400.

 

[CaLe]

Overclock your 2500k to 4.2-4.5ghz and buy a GTX 970. You'll be running well for the next few years. That's the best, most immediate impact you can make for $400.

Thanks.

How much should I be spending for a more significant upgrade ?

Edit: If I were to be able to get another GTX 670 for SLI for about 150$, would it be better than the 970 ?

 

[garath]

Thanks.

How much should I be spending for a more significant upgrade ?

Edit: If I were to be able to get another GTX 670 for SLI for about 150$, would it be better than the 970 ?

Well if you wanted to go all out, the new Haswell-E line is very expensive and you'd need to replace mobo, CPU and RAM as well as any GPU upgrade. But honestly the CPU advancements just haven't been there. It's a relatively small gaming performance improvement for a pretty sizable investment. I'm personally still using an overclocked i5 2500k myself with a 970. I've been very happy with the performance. You can see the different build options in the OP of this thread and some general prices.

As for SLI, a single more powerful card is always better than an SLI solution. SLI has come a long way but there's almost always issues with new games and SLI - not having the profile or having bugs with it (currently the latest drivers for Dragon Age cause crushed blacks with SLI). It's finicky and not really worth it when a single card can out perform it.