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[maxagombar1]

Who says it's hardware? Run a full system sweep with Malwarebytes in order to be at least partly confident there's no malware on your system. If it's clean, then you can start looking at hardware.

Well since it started happening I've reinstalled windows and the problem has persisted. And it doesn't happen at any particular point in game, it just seems to happen after it has been strained for long enough. The problem used to be worse, with it affecting bf4, dirt 2 etc but since the upgrade of hardware it isn't as prevalent

 

[mkenyon]

Could be the AMD proc, TBH. It shouldn't be AS BAD as what you are describing, but the FX line is known for having pretty consistent stutters in CPU demanding games, which is why I asked for a full list of ones where this happens.

See those huge spikes? That's the frame time going well above 40ms (25 fps).

 

[maxagombar1]

Could be the AMD proc, TBH. It shouldn't be AS BAD as what you are describing, but the FX line is known for having pretty consistent stutters in CPU demanding games, which is why I asked for a full list of ones where this happens.

It definitely isn't stutter, it's as if every minute or so the gpu is only running at 20% and then switches back to 100%... And the same problem persisted with 2 different processors.

Could it be the hardrive struggling to load in assets or something similar? Or possibly faulty ram? Even a psu issue? It's a worrying problem for future titles that are going to be even more demanding than current games

 

[Black Soma]

Stupid question but here goes, you've cleaned it out, right?

Uh... not much, I just tried to remove a bit of dust from the CPU cooler. Still, not a single problem now.

 

[anchorman128]

Thanks a bunch. I think I might attempt to do this kind of build myself if that's the case since that might give me some extra money to splurge a bit on some better parts.

Definitely the right idea, anybody can build a computer, and that extra 100 bucks could probably move you up to a GTX 760 or R9 280X which is a big step up.

 

[mkenyon]

It definitely isn't stutter, it's as if every minute or so the gpu is only running at 20% and then switches back to 100%... And the same problem persisted with 2 different processors.

Could it be the hardrive struggling to load in assets or something similar? Or possibly faulty ram? Even a psu issue? It's a worrying problem for future titles that are going to be even more demanding than current games

Impossible to know for sure without getting a good picture of what's going on in the game, system usage, and a good bit of troubleshooting.

It sounds like a typical asset swap slowdown. Does the same thing happen in Watch Dogs with textures set to low?

 

[Lkr]

Have you tried ebay? Search completed listings for the parts you have to see if they have any resale value, that's what I'd do.

Hmm there is a Dell Dimension 3000 listing going for about $50 right now. I have two of these systems lying around, might as well try to get something for it I guess.

 

[maxagombar1]

Impossible to know for sure without getting a good picture of what's going on in the game, system usage, and a good bit of troubleshooting.

It sounds like a typical asset swap slowdown. Does the same thing happen in Watch Dogs with textures set to low?

No that's the odd thing, I can find the sweet spot in terms of settings and it won't happen. So for example all high and it won't happen, all ultra it will. V sync off it will happen quicker, v sync on it will happen slower. It's as if stressing the system too much causes the problem.

 

[mkenyon]

No that's the odd thing, I can find the sweet spot in terms of settings and it won't happen. So for example all high and it won't happen, all ultra it will. V sync off it will happen quicker, v sync on it will happen slower. It's as if stressing the system too much causes the problem.

You said this happens in other games too though?

I'm confused now.

 

[SHADES]

Uh... not much, I just tried to remove a bit of dust from the CPU cooler. Still, not a single problem now.

It's always best to give it a monthly clean out, these PC's nowadays aren't too far off hoovers lol.

 

[maxagombar1]

You said this happens in other games too though?

I'm confused now.

Yes this isn't caused by one game, I've had it in the majority of testing games I've played... Bf4, far cry 3, borderlands 2 online, watch dogs, dirt 3

 

[SHADES]

Hmm there is a Dell Dimension 3000 listing going for about $50 right now. I have two of these systems lying around, might as well try to get something for it I guess.

Are there bids on it or just the seller asking for $50? This is why I use completed listings, check all the green(sold) listings as it gives a better representation of market value.

But yeah, definitely stick on the bay as one mans junk is another mans treasure.

 

[mkenyon]

Yes this isn't caused by one game, I've had it in the majority of testing games I've played... Bf4, far cry 3, borderlands 2 online, watch dogs, dirt 3

So what you described with Watch_Dogs exactly details maxing out VRAM and asset swapping (it's an extra issue with that game in particular, poor memory management).

But the other games should not be an issue with your 3GB of VRAM.

So, I'm really at a loss. Could be faulty GPU or memory most likely.

 

[Lkr]

Are there bids on it or just the seller asking for $50? This is why I use completed listings, check all the green(sold) listings as it gives a better representation of market value.

But yeah, definitely stick on the bay as one mans junk is another mans treasure.

There are completed listings ranging from $25-50. Only thing I am worried about is how expensive it would be to ship. One listing has shipping at $36, but is it really that cheap to ship something like this?

 

[maxagombar1]

So what you described with Watch_Dogs exactly details maxing out VRAM and asset swapping (it's an extra issue with that game in particular, poor memory management).

But the other games should not be an issue with your 3GB of VRAM.

So, I'm really at a loss. Could be faulty GPU or memory most likely.

OK cheers for your input. Has anyone else in here suffered or heard from a similar problem? Even Google seems stumped lol

 

[SDJGreen]

+ 200Mhz faster CPU (4460) / 100Mhz faster CPU (4440)
+ 280 is LOTS better than 260X
+ 256Gb SSD
+ Higher quality PSU and case
+ £50 cheaper

- No 1TB hard drive (WD Blue 1TB = £38.70)
- No optical drive (can be added for ~£12)
- No included keyboard and mouse

= Individual part warranty instead of 2 years across the whole unit

If you can spend £600 then you could improve things further with a self-build of course!

Edit: Made a £600 build, I've put the 4440 in because of the uncertainty about the motherboard supporting the Haswell refresh without a BIOS update:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£120.00 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£29.99 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£55.95 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£74.40 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.70 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card (£200.59 @ Aria PC)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£31.18 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.99 @ Amazon UK)
Other: windows (£15.00)
Total: £602.80

Thanks again for your help, really appreciate it.

What are the benefits of an SSD? is it simply recommended or will it do much to enhance performance beyond load times? Could I get away with dropping the SSD and keeping that 1TB HDD and then add an SSD at a later date?

Do you know what sort of perfomance I'd get out of this build? What sort of settings can I expect to run things such as Skyrim, Battlefield, the Fallout games etc.

How is that case also, will it go towards making the system run more quietly? I'm not sure what sort of measures are required to make a system run cool and quietly. Can fans be added later or do I need to find a case that has these built in?

 

[shawnmelo]

So here is my final build.:

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.96 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Cooler Master GXII 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($91.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($60.97 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1474.82

I am pretty happy with everything, and I have it all in hand ready to assemble... except a case. So I'm here to solicit suggestions on good cases. I've seen a few like the R4 that I like, but I'm willing to look around a bit since I won't be building another PC for many years. Does anyone have a favorite they'd like to recommend? I don't have any restrictions as far as space or anything else, except I'd like it to look neat and fit all the stuff I bought. This is going to be my first new gaming PC since 2008 and I am really looking forward to putting it all together over the 4th of July weekend and then messing around with it.

http://slickdeals.net/f/7024152-msi...-coupon-426-after-30-rebate-free-shipping?v=1

 

[The Llama]

Thanks again for your help, really appreciate it.

What are the benefits of an SSD? is it simply recommended or will it do much to enhance performance beyond load times? Could I get away with dropping the SSD and keeping that 1TB HDD and then add an SSD at a later date?

Do you know what sort of perfomance I'd get out of this build? What sort of settings can I expect to run things such as Skyrim, Battlefield, the Fallout games etc.

How is that case also, will it go towards making the system run more quietly? I'm not sure what sort of measures are required to make a system run cool and quietly. Can fans be added later or do I need to find a case that has these built in?

Getting an SSD instead of a HDD is, IMO, the single best way to increase computer performance. You'll be amazed at how much quickier and snappier the whole thing feels. I'd definitely advise getting one. You'll want it get it first, though, because you'll want to install Windows on it.

FWIW I've used a MBP with a 256GB SSD as my main computer for the last ~2 years, and even though I don't game a ton on it, I'm constantly surprised how little I've had to worry about deleting stuff. Sure, if you install one of those ridiculous new games like TF (40GB+) then you'll have to delete stuff. But you can definitely make a 256GB SSD work, at least for a few months while you save up a bit for a 1TB+ HD (and they're so cheap these days...).

 

[SDJGreen]

Getting an SSD instead of a HDD is, IMO, the single best way to increase computer performance. You'll be amazed at how much quickier and snappier the whole thing feels. I'd definitely advise getting one. You'll want it get it first, though, because you'll want to install Windows on it.

FWIW I've used a MBP with a 256GB SSD as my main computer for the last ~2 years, and even though I don't game a ton on it, I'm constantly surprised how little I've had to worry about deleting stuff. Sure, if you install one of those ridiculous new games like TF (40GB+) then you'll have to delete stuff. But you can definitely make a 256GB SSD work, at least for a few months while you save up a bit for a 1TB+ HD (and they're so cheap these days...).

Hmm okay, that's a good point then. So I'll need the SSD first to install Windows on it, and afterwards I can get a bigger HDD and use it as primary storage? Would that be a waste of the SSD a bit though? Or would I install things like games to the SSD and files such as music, photos, work to the HDD? Also how difficult is it to add another HDD? Does the build below allow space to add one on?

+ 200Mhz faster CPU (4460) / 100Mhz faster CPU (4440)
+ 280 is LOTS better than 260X
+ 256Gb SSD
+ Higher quality PSU and case
+ £50 cheaper

- No 1TB hard drive (WD Blue 1TB = £38.70)
- No optical drive (can be added for ~£12)
- No included keyboard and mouse

= Individual part warranty instead of 2 years across the whole unit

If you can spend £600 then you could improve things further with a self-build of course!

Edit: Made a £600 build, I've put the 4440 in because of the uncertainty about the motherboard supporting the Haswell refresh without a BIOS update:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£120.00 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£29.99 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£55.95 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£74.40 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.70 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card (£200.59 @ Aria PC)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£31.18 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.99 @ Amazon UK)
Other: windows (£15.00)
Total: £602.80

Okay, following my previous post. How does this amended build look? I'm using a heft amount of guesswork here but this seems to cover the bases I need, as far as I know. It's the absolute ceiling of what I can pay though really. I mean, Ideally I wouldn't want to spend even this much but I can maybe stretch it a little.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£120.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120V 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£31.80 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£29.99 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£55.95 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£74.40 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card (£200.59 @ Aria PC)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£59.99 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.99 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer (£15.59 @ Amazon UK)
Other: windows (£15.00)
Total: £640.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

[Stubo]

Thanks again for your help, really appreciate it.

What are the benefits of an SSD? is it simply recommended or will it do much to enhance performance beyond load times? Could I get away with dropping the SSD and keeping that 1TB HDD and then add an SSD at a later date?

Do you know what sort of perfomance I'd get out of this build? What sort of settings can I expect to run things such as Skyrim, Battlefield, the Fallout games etc.

How is that case also, will it go towards making the system run more quietly? I'm not sure what sort of measures are required to make a system run cool and quietly. Can fans be added later or do I need to find a case that has these built in?

Getting an SSD instead of a HDD is, IMO, the single best way to increase computer performance. You'll be amazed at how much quickier and snappier the whole thing feels. I'd definitely advise getting one. You'll want it get it first, though, because you'll want to install Windows on it.

FWIW I've used a MBP with a 256GB SSD as my main computer for the last ~2 years, and even though I don't game a ton on it, I'm constantly surprised how little I've had to worry about deleting stuff. Sure, if you install one of those ridiculous new games like TF (40GB+) then you'll have to delete stuff. But you can definitely make a 256GB SSD work, at least for a few months while you save up a bit for a 1TB+ HD (and they're so cheap these days...).

As above I'd prioritise getting an SSD in your build over the 1TB HDD, since this allows you to install windows and all of your programs on it from the start and get that amazing performance boost immediately. If you're storing loads of media you can always use an external HDD or an old internal if you have any. 256Gb is plenty for a windows install and enough games for you to rotate around.

The card is similar in benchmarks to a GTX 770, I'm struggling to find any good reviews for the exact model of 280X though. You should be good for high settings at 1080p!

The case's cooling is excellent for the price. You can definitely spend more on cases with more features, silencing foam, nice cable routing etc, but it's great for that price point. See review results here.

The things for a silent build are basically the quality and quantity of fans in the system and the dampening nature of the case. If you really want silence you'll need to be sure not to install as few fans as you can while achieving the temperatures that you want, and also pick out good quality quiet ones. A graphics card with a well reviewed cooler, possibly changing the fan curve is vital too. Obviously sound dampening on the case itself helps this.

Edit: If you really are looking at going for silence I'd go the Hyper 212/Fractal R4 route and throw in the Twin Frozr GPU:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£120.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.25 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£29.99 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£55.95 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£74.40 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card (£210.34 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (£64.98 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.99 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer (£15.59 @ Amazon UK)
Other: windows (£15.00)
Total: £647.49

 

[Dries]

Give it some volts? If you have an aftermarket cooler, you should be fine up through 1.3ish.

List of games outside of Watchdogs where this is happening? Is there anything happening in game that relates to this?

Well, I had it on AUTO when the error(s) came, so I'd presume my CPU would give itself enough volts. Anyway, now I manually set Vcore to the measure that AUTO automatically set itself to at 3.7Ghz.

 

[mkenyon]

Well, I had it on AUTO when the error(s) came, so I'd presume my CPU would give itself enough volts. Anyway, now I manually set Vcore to the measure that AUTO automatically set itself to at 3.7Ghz.

Nope.

Definitely set a voltage amount. Even at 4.0 GHz, 1.25 should be enough for 100% stability.

 

[The Flash]

What's the difference between a $100 wifi adapter and a $20 wifi adapter?

 

[Stubo]

What's the difference between a $100 wifi adapter and a $20 wifi adapter?

Buy some powerline adapters instead, also known as homeplugs.

This does not apply if you're buying said adapter for a portable device, own a desk which wheels around your house or have some bizarre electrical cabling which would prevent these from functioning.

Wired > powerline adapters > wireless.

Edit: Narrowly avoided being pipped by you once again mkenyon

 

[mkenyon]

What's the difference between a $100 wifi adapter and a $20 wifi adapter?

Number of antennas, speed, features.

There's also Powerline adapters too though, check those out.

*edit*

Getting slow in my 30s I guess.

 

[AB12]

Which Bundle is the best bang for the buck in 2 years the i7 or i5, and which bundle should I go with? Thanks

My friend let me borrowed his 280X and 120 GB EVO until Sep/Oct.

 

[The Flash]

Buy some powerline adapters instead, also known as homeplugs.

This does not apply if you're buying said adapter for a portable device, own a desk which wheels around your house or have some bizarre electrical cabling which would prevent these from functioning.

Wired > powerline adapters > wireless.

Edit: Narrowly avoided being pipped by you once again mkenyon

Number of antennas, speed, features.

There's also Powerline adapters too though, check those out.

Will do. Thanks guys.

 

[Dezeer]

Hey Gaf. What is the "best" choice for R9 290x, a reference card and combine it with aftermarket cooler, reference design based card with custom manufacturer cooler or fully custom design card?

I am asking because I have heard that reference cards have problems with vrm coil whine and was wondering if some custom design also have that problem and therefore what could be the best choice.

 

[Stubo]

Hey Gaf. What is the "best" choice for R9 290x, a reference card and combine it with aftermarket cooler, reference design based card with custom manufacturer cooler or fully custom design card?

I am asking because I have heard that reference cards have problems with vrm coil whine and was wondering if some custom design also have that problem and therefore what could be the best choice.

Sapphire, Gigabyte, MSI, Asus

Whichever is cheapest/has the clock speed to sound balance you're looking for.

 

[Black Soma]

I received the replacement for the R9 270 and... it works! Oh god thank you.

It's always best to give it a monthly clean out, these PC's nowadays aren't too far off hoovers lol.

So beside that I shouldn't worry too much, right?

 

[SuperÑ]

Yesterday i bought the Sapphire one, i will inform once it's delivered.

 

[Mascot]

Since pCARS is sponsored by Nvidia, does that mean it might run better on Nvidia cards?

 

[Addnan]

Since pCARS is sponsored by Nvidia, does that mean it might run better on Nvidia cards?

Probably, will probably have effects that run better on Nvidia cards but there is no real way of knowing until it is out.

 

[eBay Huckster]

That's my personal recommendation, but I'm sure others can come in and change it.

Gonna do this (and bring this build closer to £1100 in the process):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£256.99 @ Ebuyer)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.25 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Asus Z97M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£99.50 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£58.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£74.40 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£52.79 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card (£359.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£62.66 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£74.99 @ Ebuyer)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer (£16.95 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1081.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Since notoccupanther doesn't seem to be building with SLI in mind (on account of not having two GPUs in his build right this second), I:

- downgraded the optical drive from Blu-Ray (will readd if it turns out he actually wants that!)
- doubled the SSD's size
- upgraded the CPU/mobo to 4790K/Z97 (he doesn't have to listen to me on this)
- swapped out case/PSU for slightly higher-quality parts

 

[Nostremitus]

Not sure if this has been posted.

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/blog/2014/march/haswellrealworld

I'm not sure how accurate the testing is as this is from Corsair and they like selling things. The 90.4 to 100.9 FPS in starcraft going from 1600 to 2400 Ram on an i7-4770K with a 4.5 OC was interesting. Also, the stock i7 with 2400MHz RAM performed better than the 4.5 OC with 1600MHz RAM.

 

[Mr.Green]

Considering this build for VR gaming:

• Intel Core i7 4790K
• ASUS Z97-WS LGA1150 ATX Dual Channel 4XPCIE SLI CF DP HDMI Minidp 6XSATA 6GB/S Motherboard
• Corsair Vengeance Pro CMY16GX3M2A2133C11R 16GB 2X8GB DDR3-2133 CL11-11-11-27 1.5V Red Memory Kit
• EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Superclocked 980MHZ 7000MHZ 3G 384BIT DVI-ID HDMI DP SLI Ready Graphics Card
• Fractal Design Define R4 ATX Mid Tower Window Case Black
• Antec High Current Gamer 750W
• Crucial MX100 512GB SATA 6Gbps 150/550MB/S 2.5” 7MM (With 9.5MM Adapter) SSD
• Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB
• Samsung SH-224DB 24X SATA DVD Writer Black

Anything to say before I click on the order button?

 

[mkenyon]

Not sure if this has been posted.

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/blog/2014/march/haswellrealworld

I'm not sure how accurate the testing is as this is from Corsair and they like selling things. The 90.4 to 100.9 FPS in starcraft going from 1600 to 2400 Ram on an i7-4770K with a 4.5 OC was interesting. Also, the stock i7 with 2400MHz RAM performed better than the 4.5 OC with 1600MHz RAM.

Yeah, this is on the "list" of things Haz and I want to benchmark as well. Interesting stuff. It's not really corroborated elsewhere, with even UE3 games (two threads) not showing the same kind of gains. Might be just a single threaded benefit.

 

[Nostremitus]

Yeah, this is on the "list" of things Haz and I want to benchmark as well. Interesting stuff. It's not really corroborated elsewhere, with even UE3 games (two threads) not showing the same kind of gains. Might be just a single threaded benefit.

Yeah, I was thinking it had to do with how CPU dependent StarCraft II is. Maybe it throws so much at the CPU that it does need/can use the extra bandwidth?

Edit: rephrased

 

[mkenyon]

That's my initial thought too.

 

[Subtervotion]

So is the AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 8-Core 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W comparable to i5/i7 at all?Ive seen a lot of graphs in the last few pages but is it really worth it to spend the extra ~$100 and go with Intel?

 

[mkenyon]

The $40? Yes. You can grab a 4670K For $220 right now.

It's comparable to the i5/i7 in multimedia creation, but not games.

 

[Nostremitus]

So is the AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 8-Core 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W comparable to i5/i7 at all?Ive seen a lot of graphs in the last few pages but is it really worth it to spend the extra ~$100 and go with Intel?

For gaming? Not really, the Instructions Per Clock (IPC) are too low. It causes framerate to stutter as the CPU is constantly playing catch-up. Will DX12 or Mantle make a difference? That's an unkown as DX12 is a big unknown and Mantle's drivers are still a bit wonky from what I've heard.

 

[Subtervotion]

The $40? Yes. You can grab a 4670K For $220 right now.

It's comparable to the i5/i7 in multimedia creation, but not games.

For gaming? Not really, the Instructions Per Clock (IPC) are too low. It causes framerate to stutter as the CPU is constantly playing catch-up. Will DX12 or Mantle make a difference? That's an unkown as DX12 is a big unknown and Mantle's drivers are still a bit wonky from what I've heard.

Thanks. I'm pretty sure I'm going with Intel then.

 

[Sir Garbageman]

I'm sure it comes up all the time but can someone give me a rough ballpark figure as to how much money I would save by building my own PC as opposed to buying a prebuilt gaming PC? Obviously there are a million and one variables but a ballpark figure will suffice. For reference I am in the US and thinking of spending around $1,000 this holiday season.

Spoiler

I may or may not show the responses to this question to my wife to convince her that it is definitely worth it to build a new PC based on the cost savings alone.

 

[Nostremitus]

Thanks. I'm pretty sure I'm going with Intel then.

That's the best cost/performance choice right now.

I'm still planning on building an AMD Kaveri Dual graphics build, but that's only because I plan on using it as an HTPC with light gaming... And I just want to play around with it...

 

[Syphon Filter]

If i buy a sound card that supports directsound3d, will older games that used directsound3d in the past and have issues today with the sound work with it for sure?

 

[kennah]

I'm sure it comes up all the time but can someone give me a rough ballpark figure as to how much money I would save by building my own PC as opposed to buying a prebuilt gaming PC? Obviously there are a million and one variables but a ballpark figure will suffice. For reference I am in the US and thinking of spending around $1,000 this holiday season.

Spoiler

I may or may not show the responses to this question to my wife to convince her that it is definitely worth it to build a new PC based on the cost savings alone.

Depends where you go. Could be $100, could be $400.

That's the best cost/performance choice right now.

I'm still planning on building an AMD Kaveri Dual graphics build, but that's only because I plan on using it as an HTPC with light gaming... And I just want to play around with it...

I did that exact same thing.

For my grandmas computer.

 

[Nostremitus]

I did that exact same thing.

For my grandmas computer.

Yeah, I remember you posted photos. It was in the tiny case that kinda resembled a Wii U, right? Will that case hold an R7 250?

 

[kennah]

Yeah, I remember you posted photos. It was in the tiny case that kinda resembled a Wii U, right? Will that case hold an R7 250?

Nah that case doesn't hold anything. Power supply sits right above the slots.

I do want to play with the dual gpu thing to see what kind of fun it does. Mkenyon talked me out of trying it

 

[mkenyon]

I'm sure it comes up all the time but can someone give me a rough ballpark figure as to how much money I would save by building my own PC as opposed to buying a prebuilt gaming PC?

In that price range, $300-400. But the more important bit is that even with the comparable savings, you'll get better quality parts with a machine that is almost guaranteed to run cooler and quieter.