Support NeoGAF

[vocab]

Just started wondering into the world of overclocking GPUs.

I have one question...

I finally found the most stable OC for my 7970, so far so good, I was kind of forced by Far Cry 4 because I couldnt achieve 30fps @ 6400 * 1200, I digress, anyway...

Everything is fine but the noise of the fan, holy shit, its taking away so much from the experience, I set the fan to keep the GPU below 75C no matter what, so the thing naturally sounds like a vacuum.

How do you guys deal with that, noise cancelling headphones?

I've only ran into vacuum sounding fans with amd cards. 100 percent on my 670 is nothing compared to the leaf blower sounds I was getting on my 5850.

Also the newest nvidia drivers are awful. Really buggy.

 

[michaelius]

Anyone heard anything good/bad about this monitor?

 

[RGM79]

Can I use this to install Windows 8 on my custom PC? If not what is the cheapest way to get Windows 8?

Also they did say that Windows 10 comes free with people who have 8 right?



Okay. I'll lower that then.

That's an OEM disc and hard drive for HP hardware, as stated in item description. Do you already have a Windows 8/8.1 license or product key? If yes, then don't bother buying that bundle, you can download WIndows 8 officially and put it on a USB drive to install from. It's faster and free, as long as you already have a USB drive.

 

[Aztechnology]

Yea... I think I'm just going to wait for a decently priced Gsync 4k or 2560x1440 since at 28" 4k is probably ridiculously overkill. I just have this 5 year old 1080p tv that's really starting to show its age as a monitor. I want to buy a monitor, but I can't justify a 200-300 1080p monitor when I can spend a little more for a little future proofing.

 

[Hironobu Sakaguchi]

sorry for annoying all of you, i wont ask again after this to not bothering you

i saw monitors on the first post , so i'd like to ask

right now i'm considering new monitor, started with asus and i compared all the models in their site and finally reduced the list to these options:

VX248H for $200.63 after importing costs

VG248QE for $294.64 after importing costs

VN247H-P for $217.38 after importing costs

VS278Q-P for $293.66 after importing costs

i know it's not a break dealer, but all of them including speakers as i'm not ready to buy sound system anytime soon

as for acer, i found this model,
GN246HL Bbid for $270.19 after importing costs
it's without speaker but i like that it's 100M contrast ration compared to asus's 80M contrast ratio

and for benQ, in respect of this thread:
XL2411Z for $330.99 after importing costs
but isn't it more expensive for a 12M contrast ration compared to other's 80M-100M ratio ?

there're other options in acer , benQ and viewsonic but i didnt bother to search unless someone recommend me something

i dont want to pay premium , but i'm fine with these range of prices.

to be honest, 'FOR NOW', i dont think i'll get the full benefit of 1ms respond nor +60hz refreshing, but i already have an old LG 23' monitor with TN panel and 5ms respond if not slower
so to buy a new one it should beat the old one and keeps serving me for years, or else i'd rather save my bucks for much later time, maybe new models would come later on with newer features.

btw, my VGA is AMD R280x, so i'm out of luck with any 3D feature included cause it's for Nvidia , in general i don like this feature even if my VGA is supported

so what are your thoughts?

i've a good PC and many home consoles some of older generations, so 2 monitors might get me more freedom especially if i divert the use of them based on the compatible ports.

actually there's no good enough reason to buy a new one, cause i'm very happy with the current monitor but i thought maybe get another one with good price and configs so i can get some freedom to not depend on one monitor for everything tho it's now always like this

this is my current one:
LG M237W ,a TN with FULL HD and 5ms respond, was $230 at time
http://www.lg.com/hk_en/monitors/lg-M237WA-PT - similar but without the big ports

it's not like that i'm rich and wanna throw money to get the luxury of having 2 monitors, i'm getting it cause i believe i'd need it somehow, at east cause i'm at another city right now, and if it wasn't for the current monitor, i may get settled with VN247H-P for its small bezels or VX248H if its better in anyway, but because of it, i put more options to get the best possible one out here cause i' not planning to buy another one for many years ahead

sorry for the long post that it may not having the details you requested

 

[lordy88]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about upgrading my 2 x 4 GB ram with a 1 x 8 GB ram stick.

Here is the ram I currently have: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1428&cm_re=g_skill_ram-_-20-231-428-_-Product

Here is the ram that's on sale that I'm tempted to get: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

My big question is that I noticed that the timings for the two types of RAM are different. G Skill has 9-9-9-24 while the Team Elite has 11-11-11-28.

Is this going to be a problem for me? Thanks for the help!

 

[opticalmace]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about upgrading my 2 x 4 GB ram with a 1 x 8 GB ram stick.

Here is the ram I currently have: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1428&cm_re=g_skill_ram-_-20-231-428-_-Product

Here is the ram that's on sale that I'm tempted to get: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

My big question is that I noticed that the timings for the two types of RAM are different. G Skill has 9-9-9-24 while the Team Elite has 11-11-11-28.

Is this going to be a problem for me? Thanks for the help!

First of all you want them to go in as pairs, for that DDR goodness. Secondly why don't you just get another set of the sticks you already have? That is what I would do.

 

[lordy88]

First of all you want them to go in as pairs, for that DDR goodness. Secondly why don't you just get another set of the sticks you already have? That is what I would do.

Thing is, my CPU Cooler blocks one of the ram slots, so I want to go for a 1 x 8 GB to upgrade to 16 GB.

So would it be a bad idea to go for the Team Elite RAM? 8 GB @ $52 looks pretty nice...

 

[RGM79]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about upgrading my 2 x 4 GB ram with a 1 x 8 GB ram stick.

Here is the ram I currently have: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1428&cm_re=g_skill_ram-_-20-231-428-_-Product

Here is the ram that's on sale that I'm tempted to get: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

My big question is that I noticed that the timings for the two types of RAM are different. G Skill has 9-9-9-24 while the Team Elite has 11-11-11-28.

Is this going to be a problem for me? Thanks for the help!

No, the timing is fine. They will automatically match to run at the same lower speed. Just make sure that you install it in the right slots, see below.

First of all you want them to go in as pairs, for that DDR goodness. Secondly why don't you just get another set of the sticks you already have? That is what I would do.

If he installs them as pictured below, it'll run in dual channel mode.

http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs-011965.htm#dual

 

[Felix Lighter]

Is it safe to assume the Samsung 840 Evos come with the new firmware preloaded now? I'm buying a gift that I won't be installing myself and I'd rather they didn't have to flash the firmware out of the box.

 

[LilJoka]

Is it safe to assume the Samsung 840 Evos come with the new firmware preloaded now? I'm buying a gift that I won't be installing myself and I'd rather they didn't have to flash the firmware out of the box.

Theres always a possibility it wont.
Just get an MX100?

 

[ricki42]

Thing is, my CPU Cooler blocks one of the ram slots, so I want to go for a 1 x 8 GB to upgrade to 16 GB.

So would it be a bad idea to go for the Team Elite RAM? 8 GB @ $52 looks pretty nice...

Does the cooler block the slot completely, or would low-profile RAM fit? Maybe you could also mount the cooler fan slightly higher to fit the RAM underneath.

 

[Felix Lighter]

Theres always a possibility it wont.
Just get an MX100?

I'll probably go that way. I did the same with my own personal build but that was before the fix was even released.

 

[Smokey]

Oh this is tempting, but I always have a hard time finding the more detailed specs on these monitors/tv's. I'm trying to see if it has DP 1.3 and HDMI 2.0 or not, and what the Chroma Subsampling is on the Display Port.

Samsung 4k UHD Monitor with Metallic Easel Stand 1ms 4K HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight TN Panel 370 cd/m2 1000:1

$450 on sale on Newegg for Black Friday.

Anyone heard anything good/bad about this monitor?

I'm using it now. It's a decent/good monitor, however it has zero adjustability.

 

[DPhentom]

After all the searching and switching(thanks for the tips everybody) here is everything I bought today, everything should be arriving by Saturday. So excited to start building it hopefully everything goes smoothly, I also bought an anti-static brace. I'm not missing anything am I?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ TigerDirect)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($75.46 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($8.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($237.27 @ TigerDirect)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($153.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($357.27 @ TigerDirect)
Case: Corsair 780T ATX Full Tower Case ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Sound Card: Creative Labs Z PCIe 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($65.63 @ Amazon)
Total: $1948.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-27 19:59 EST-0500

 

[Helmholtz]

Hey guys, looking for some advice on a PC upgrade.
I'm planning on replacing my mobo/cpu (i5 750, 2.67 ghz) and my ram and gpu (4gb ddr3, 560ti).
I want this upgrade to last for a while. As in, I'd like to be able to play new games on high settings for the next 5ish years if possible.
I was wondering if I should bother with a 4690, or if a 4790 is worth the extra $100 if it will future proof my PC more. I'm also thinking about getting a gtx970.

 

[paolo11]

Ok GPU 1 go to max 85 degrees and constant 80s on my SLI. At MSI afterburner, I adjusted the fan speed to 90 whenever it hits 80. Fans are noisy but temps are below 80. Am I doing it right?

My CPU however gets to 62 though.

Thoughts?

 

[BPoole]

Considering buying another R9 290 since they are sub $300. Problem is, I only have a 750W PSU (Corsair TX750), and the 290s are power hogs. My CPU is an i5 2500k, and I have an SSD as well as a HDD.

Is my PSU wattage going to limit me from running another 290? I came across this chart in the AMD treasure island thread:

According that, I would have 320W remaining, and another 100-120W would be neeeded for me CPU.

Anyone have any additional input on this?

 

[bigf00t]

I need some advice on a new Black Friday build.

I'm looking to replace my old reliable I7-920 machine from several years ago. I mostly use my PC for gaming (120 FPS @ 1080 preferred), and I don't do a lot of video/image editing. I am interested in overclocking, but nothing too crazy.

Here's what I have so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.00 @ Canada Computers)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.89 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.89 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($159.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($224.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($398.75 @ Vuugo)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.95 @ Vuugo)
Total: $1437.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-27 20:46 EST-0500

CPU is going to be $329.99 instead of $299.99 since that price is in-store only.
GPU is going to $349.99 at NCIX.

Anything I should be considering changing here?

I'm mostly wondering about the motherboard. Should I be looking at something with a little more oomph? How does the Gigabayte SLI compare to the Gigabayte UD5H?

Also, is the main difference between the EVGA G1 and G2 PSUs the Semi vs Full Modular?

Thanks for your help!

 

[kamakazi5]

Ok hopefully this posts. Anyway, I'm looking for some help, the parts I have listed should be everything I need with everything else taken care of. I will mostly be using a dual monitor setup while running things like Unity, Blender, etc. Gaming will be pretty minimal but I'd like to run most games from the past few years at a decent frame rate at maybe med-high settings. Is this enough to handle that?


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Edit: Also, if there is anything that I can find at a store for a better price on Black Friday I may brave the crowds.

 

[Naked Snake]

No, the timing is fine. They will automatically match to run at the same lower speed. Just make sure that you install it in the right slots, see below.


If he installs them as pictured below, it'll run in dual channel mode.

http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs-011965.htm#dual

I have the following configuration but swapped (4GB in 1 and 2, and 2GB in 3 and 4):

Would that still run in Dual Channel?

 

[Rufus]

I have the following configuration but swapped (4GB in 1 and 2, and 2GB in 3 and 4):

Would that still run in Dual Channel?

Are DIMM 1+3 channel 1 and DIMM 2+4 channel 2? Then yes.

 

[x3sphere]

Considering buying another R9 290 since they are sub $300. Problem is, I only have a 750W PSU (Corsair TX750), and the 290s are power hogs. My CPU is an i5 2500k, and I have an SSD as well as a HDD.

Is my PSU wattage going to limit me from running another 290? I came across this chart in the AMD treasure island thread:



According that, I would have 320W remaining, and another 100-120W would be neeeded for me CPU.

Anyone have any additional input on this?

It should be enough at stock but overclocking is out of the question. You can easily start to pull another 100-150W when overclocking the 290s.

 

[zero shift]

That's an OEM disc and hard drive for HP hardware, as stated in item description. Do you already have a Windows 8/8.1 license or product key? If yes, then don't bother buying that bundle, you can download WIndows 8 officially and put it on a USB drive to install from. It's faster and free, as long as you already have a USB drive.

I don't have Windows 8. So that disk won't work for my computer? What is the cheapest way to get Windows 8 then? Also is it true that Windows 8 users get Windows 10 for free? I've heard mixed things about it.

 

[zero shift]

I don't have Windows 8. So that disk won't work for my computer? What is the cheapest way to get Windows 8 then? Also is it true that Windows 8 users get Windows 10 for free? I've heard mixed things about it.

EDIT - Will this work even though it is from Germany?

 

[Lunar15]

So GAF, what's the consensus on this Monitor:

ASUS VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz 1ms (GTG) HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD 3D Monitor

Good deal at $219?

 

[bigf00t]

So GAF, what's the consensus on this Monitor:

ASUS VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz 1ms (GTG) HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD 3D Monitor

Good deal at $219?

I bought mine for around $300 about 6 months ago, and I've been really happy with it. $219 is a great price!

 

[ricki42]

So GAF, what's the consensus on this Monitor:

ASUS VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz 1ms (GTG) HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD 3D Monitor

Good deal at $219?

Bought it for $265 in August. Have been happy with it so far, for $219 it's a great deal. Make sure you download the ICC color profile, makes it look a lot better.

 

[Xpike]

Alright so I have this set up, waiting to be bought on Cyber Monday most likely, all in order to prepare for Metal Gear Solid V. Is it good or not? (I already have a great hard drive and power supply)

 

[Deadly]

Is it worth going through the hassle of a 120$ MIR and additional ~40$ for this GTX 770
http://www.ncix.com/detail/msi-geforce-gtx-770-oc-c4-84358-1029.htm

Over this GTX 760
http://www.ncix.com/detail/evga-geforce-gtx760-dual-superclocked-04-88989-1029.htm

 

[duganator]

Is it worth going through the hassle of a 120$ MIR and additional ~40$ for this GTX 770
http://www.ncix.com/detail/msi-geforce-gtx-770-oc-c4-84358-1029.htm

Over this GTX 760
http://www.ncix.com/detail/evga-geforce-gtx760-dual-superclocked-04-88989-1029.htm

C. none of the above. Wait for another r9 290 to go on sale for about 200

 

[Deadly]

C. none of the above. Wait for another r9 290 to go on sale for about 200

Would prefer to go nvidia. The 290 does perform alot better than the 760 though... Has it ever hit 200$ CDN?

 

[Fjordson]

What do you guys think of this deal? I know pre-made machines are not thought highly of these days, but these seem like solid specs for the price. Looking to get a decent gaming PC and wouldn't mind skipping the building process:

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Black_Friday_Z97-I7/

Comes with windows 8.1. And I'll be using a 1920 x 1080 monitor.

 

[The Llama]

What do you guys think of this deal? I know pre-made machines are not thought highly of these days, but these seem like solid specs for the price. Looking to get a decent gaming PC and wouldn't mind skipping the building process:

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Black_Friday_Z97-I7/

Comes with windows 8.1. And I'll be using a 1920 x 1080 monitor.

Seems like a very good deal, to be fair. $1350 for a 4790k,16GB ram and a gtx 970. I'd just be worried that the power supply and hard drive are low quality.

 

[BPoole]

It should be enough at stock but overclocking is out of the question. You can easily start to pull another 100-150W when overclocking the 290s.

Eh, I'll probably hold off on it then and put that money towards a new motherboard and CPU.

 

[rtcn63]

What do you guys think of this deal? I know pre-made machines are not thought highly of these days, but these seem like solid specs for the price. Looking to get a decent gaming PC and wouldn't mind skipping the building process:

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Black_Friday_Z97-I7/

Comes with windows 8.1. And I'll be using a 1920 x 1080 monitor.

i7 and 16GB of ram? You could probably get away with an i5 (k model) and 8GB. Unless it's not just for 1080p gaming, and you need it for video/image processing etc.

 

[acksman]

Well GAF, I look at this thread almost daily and finally took the plunge and went down to my local MicroCenter. They bundled me up some good deals and matched a few other things so I am happy.

I will post a picture once I'm done should make a nice looking rig.

CASE: 1 NZXT H440 White ATX Case
CPU: 1 Intel Core I7 5820K
RAM: 1 Corsair 16GB 4X4 D4 2666 VGN LPX
CPU Cooler: 1 Corsair Hydro H100I Liquid Cooler
MB: 1 ASUS X99-Deluxe ATX 2011E
GPU: 1 ASUS STRIX GTX980 OC Edition 4GB PCIE
DVD: 1 LG 8X DVD
FANS: 6 FrozenCPU B12-2 SILENT 120MM FAN (Replace the stock fans in the Case)
UPS: 1 CyberPower 1500VA
HD: 1 WD 2TB 3.5 Perform HD 7200
HD: 1 Intel 730 Series SSD 480GB SATA 6Gb/s (On its way from NewEgg)
PS: 1 SeaSonic X-1250 1250W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD

Finally built it after an overdose of Turkey today. Really like how it came together with the color scheme.

 

[Thatoneguy64]

Hey guys, I was thinking on getting a GTX 970 to upgrade my build, but was wondering about how my PSU would handle it.

I have a CX500 on my rig right now. Would that be acceptable? I'm currently running with an i5-3570K, an ASRock Z77 Extreme4 mobo, 2x4GB of DDR-1600RAM, a 7200RPM 2TB HDD, a 120GB SSD, a Blu-Ray drive, and a GTX 560. The PSU has been fine for me thus far, but it's about 3 years old at this point.

 

[RGM79]

Hey guys, looking for some advice on a PC upgrade.
I'm planning on replacing my mobo/cpu (i5 750, 2.67 ghz) and my ram and gpu (4gb ddr3, 560ti).
I want this upgrade to last for a while. As in, I'd like to be able to play new games on high settings for the next 5ish years if possible.
I was wondering if I should bother with a 4690, or if a 4790 is worth the extra $100 if it will future proof my PC more. I'm also thinking about getting a gtx970.

Depends on the prices. Do you have a budget in mind? A GTX 970 is going to be about $350, while i5 4690k and motherboard another $300. You can reuse the existing 4GB RAM, a total of 8GB should do you fine.

I need some advice on a new Black Friday build.

I'm looking to replace my old reliable I7-920 machine from several years ago. I mostly use my PC for gaming (120 FPS @ 1080 preferred), and I don't do a lot of video/image editing. I am interested in overclocking, but nothing too crazy.

Here's what I have so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.00 @ Canada Computers)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.89 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.89 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($159.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($224.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($398.75 @ Vuugo)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.95 @ Vuugo)
Total: $1437.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-27 20:46 EST-0500

CPU is going to be $329.99 instead of $299.99 since that price is in-store only.
GPU is going to $349.99 at NCIX.

Anything I should be considering changing here?

I'm mostly wondering about the motherboard. Should I be looking at something with a little more oomph? How does the Gigabayte SLI compare to the Gigabayte UD5H?

Also, is the main difference between the EVGA G1 and G2 PSUs the Semi vs Full Modular?

Thanks for your help!

Looks like a solid set of parts. You've done your research. Plan on reusing anything from the old 920 system? The RAM from that should be compatible. You could drop the DVD drive, you may use it less than you think. The new Fractal R5 will be available at NCIX around Christmas time and is a substantial development, lots of new features.

Ok hopefully this posts. Anyway, I'm looking for some help, the parts I have listed should be everything I need with everything else taken care of. I will mostly be using a dual monitor setup while running things like Unity, Blender, etc. Gaming will be pretty minimal but I'd like to run most games from the past few years at a decent frame rate at maybe med-high settings. Is this enough to handle that?


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Edit: Also, if there is anything that I can find at a store for a better price on Black Friday I may brave the crowds.

Sorry, I don't know of any in-store US deals. There's a better version of the EVGA card you chose for $110 after mail in rebate. Better cooler, slightly faster, cheaper by a bit. Other than that, the parts look fine.

I have the following configuration but swapped (4GB in 1 and 2, and 2GB in 3 and 4):

Would that still run in Dual Channel?

Yeah, that should still work.

 

[bigf00t]

Looks like a solid set of parts. You've done your research. Plan on reusing anything from the old 920 system? The RAM from that should be compatible. You could drop the DVD drive, you may use it less than you think. The new Fractal R5 will be available at NCIX around Christmas time and is a substantial development, lots of new features.

I'm keeping my old system intact for my wife. It only has 6GB of crappy no-name DDR3 anyway. I'm going to take a look at the fractal R5 case, I could postpone my purchase until Boxing Day.

Also, any thoughts on the motherboard? It's the only thing I'm not 100% sure on.

Thanks for the help!

 

[lordy88]

No, the timing is fine. They will automatically match to run at the same lower speed. Just make sure that you install it in the right slots, see below.


If he installs them as pictured below, it'll run in dual channel mode.

http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs-011965.htm#dual

Thanks for the heads up.

My CPU Cooler blocks DIMM slot #3. Would I be able to install the G Skill 4 GB sticks in slots 1 and 2, then the single Team Elite 8 GB stick in slot 4?

Does the cooler block the slot completely, or would low-profile RAM fit? Maybe you could also mount the cooler fan slightly higher to fit the RAM underneath.

Sadly I don't think there's anything I can do to make slot #3 available outside of removing the cooler.

 

[Labrys]

quick question is this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131860

compatible with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-112814-Index-_-InternalSSDs-_-20721107-S1A0C

?

it says Sata III and Sata 3gb/s and I'm honestly not sure.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

quick question is this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131860

compatible with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-112814-Index-_-InternalSSDs-_-20721107-S1A0C

?

it says Sata III and Sata 3gb/s and I'm honestly not sure.

You can use them together but you won't have the full speed. Sata 3 is 6gb/s and 3gb/s is sata 2. Also dont buy that SSD, Kingston uses cheap part for it, it's shit.

Buy a crucial mx100 or samsung 840 instead, and get a board that supports sata 3.

 

[RGM79]

I don't have Windows 8. So that disk won't work for my computer? What is the cheapest way to get Windows 8 then? Also is it true that Windows 8 users get Windows 10 for free? I've heard mixed things about it.

I wouldn't buy that. It doesn't come with a key. It's just a kit for a Windows repair reinstallation disc.

The product key, the string of numbers and letters that allow you to activate a copy of Windows is what matters.

I'd be wary of any ebay deals. I took a look and there doesn't seem to be anything that'd work. I wouldn't want to risk it, anyway. In terms of ways to get Windows 8 for cheap, I know of only two:

If you know a student who takes classes at university/college, they may qualify for a student discount on Windows through programs like Microsoft Dreamspark or Technet. I've been taking IT programs at my school for a few years now, and I've gotten multiple keys of Windows 7 and 8 through Dreamspark.

Slightly less trustworthy is the microsoftsoftwareswap section of reddit. They do offer keys of various Microsoft software at heavy discount from MSRP (only $10-30), but it does come with the risk that should Microsoft come down on these resellers, the keys could be deactivated and you'd be left hanging, although I hear that it's fairly rare.

Alright so I have this set up, waiting to be bought on Cyber Monday most likely, all in order to prepare for Metal Gear Solid V. Is it good or not? (I already have a great hard drive and power supply)

You'll be fine, the video card is exactly what the official recommended specs for Ground Zeroes called for. That said.. are those prices what you expect to pay, or what they cost now? The GTX 760's price is a bit high. For example, on sale for a bit over $200 will get you an R9 290 which beats the GTX 760 easy in all areas.

What do you guys think of this deal? I know pre-made machines are not thought highly of these days, but these seem like solid specs for the price. Looking to get a decent gaming PC and wouldn't mind skipping the building process:

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Black_Friday_Z97-I7/

Comes with windows 8.1. And I'll be using a 1920 x 1080 monitor.

This is how much a custom build with equivalent parts costs, compared to the default model from your link. You're paying about $100 more for them to assemble the parts together and a 3 year limited warranty. That doesn't count shipping, though. CyberPowerPC charges a minimum of $75 shipping. You can easily get free or low cost $5-10 shipping if you purchase the parts online to assemble yourself.

Some of the parts in that prebuilt PC don't even have brands or models listed, which is worrying. I don't even know what brand power supply the base model has, it doesn't say. They probably expect you to choose something else for higher cost. The SSD is a cheap obscure brand.

To give you an idea of how much cheaper it is to build your own, here's an example $1000 build. Good processor and RAM, but better CPU cooler, SSD, motherboard, video card, and power supply than the CyberPowerPC for much less.

All in all, I'd avoid that CyberPowerPC prebuilt. The cheap/unknown parts make me concerned, and the added costs of shipping and brand name parts make it cost more than it seems.

Hey guys, I was thinking on getting a GTX 970 to upgrade my build, but was wondering about how my PSU would handle it.

I have a CX500 on my rig right now. Would that be acceptable? I'm currently running with an i5-3570K, an ASRock Z77 Extreme4 mobo, 2x4GB of DDR-1600RAM, a 7200RPM 2TB HDD, a 120GB SSD, a Blu-Ray drive, and a GTX 560. The PSU has been fine for me thus far, but it's about 3 years old at this point.

According to this wattage calculator, you should be fine. The system with a GTX 970 in there should only use up 400 watts or so. You could upgrade the PSU if you like, but I don't see a need for it. I couldn't find many reviews, but Tom's Hardware seemed to like it, stating that it had good craftsmanship and efficiency.

I'm keeping my old system intact for my wife. It only has 6GB of crappy no-name DDR3 anyway. I'm going to take a look at the fractal R5 case, I could postpone my purchase until Boxing Day.

Also, any thoughts on the motherboard? It's the only thing I'm not 100% sure on.

Thanks for the help!

That Gigabyte is a fine model, has everything to cover all the bases and then some. If you are interested in higher end models, then for $110 after $25 mail in rebate there are the slightly better equipped Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H, and the GA-Z97X-Gaming 3.

Both of those Gigabyte boards are nearly identical spec-wise, except the Gaming 3 has Qualcomm Atheros LAN, which some people regard as being better than Intel LAN. Otherwise, it's a choice of which color you like better, the yellow UD3H or the red Gaming 3.

 

[Femmeworth]

More Newegg deals http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemai...-PromoWord&et_cid=13421&et_rid=1261137&et_p1=

 

[Labrys]

You can use them together but you won't have the full speed. Sata 3 is 6gb/s and 3gb/s is sata 2. Also dont buy that SSD, Kingston uses cheap part for it, it's shit.

Buy a crucial mx100 or samsung 840 instead, and get a board that supports sata 3.

I guess that explains why it's so cheap, thank you for the info.

so something like these? also would i be able to keep everything in the motherboard i linked earlier in the new one or would i have to upgrade those too?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...48819&cm_re=crucial_mx-_-20-148-819-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130679

 

[RGM79]

Thanks for the heads up.

My CPU Cooler blocks DIMM slot #3. Would I be able to install the G Skill 4 GB sticks in slots 1 and 2, then the single Team Elite 8 GB stick in slot 4?



Sadly I don't think there's anything I can do to make slot #3 available outside of removing the cooler.

I think it'll be fine. You can test it - set up the RAM that way, and use a program like Speccy or CPU-Z to see if it says single or dual channel.

What cooler do you have, by the way?

 

[Helmholtz]

I guess that explains why it's so cheap, thank you for the info.

so something like these? also would i be able to keep everything in the motherboard i linked earlier in the new one or would i have to upgrade those too?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...48819&cm_re=crucial_mx-_-20-148-819-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130679

Just a heads up, but if you're willing to spend an extra 30-40 dollars there's a samsung evo 250gb w/ free farcry 4 for $109: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7248&cm_re=samsung_evo-_-20-147-248-_-Product

 

[Labrys]

Just a heads up, but if you're willing to spend an extra 30-40 dollars there's a samsung evo 250gb w/ free farcry 4 for $109: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7248&cm_re=samsung_evo-_-20-147-248-_-Product

Ooh, nice. I'll look into that then. I need to wait for my paycheck to clear anyway but I just wanna get a good look at posibilities.

 

[Coma Ecliptic]

Finally built it after an overdose of Turkey today. Really like how it came together with the color scheme.

Really nice build! Is it me or is that tower extremely tall? 1250w, you going for Tri with your GTX eventually?