The K is for overclocking. A 1GHz free boost is a huge performance gain now and in the future. In gaming, a 2500K overclock is still going strong after 3 years while a regular 2500 should be replace.
"I Need a New PC!" 2014 Part 2. Read OP, your 2500K will run Witcher 3. MX100s! 970!
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The K is for overclocking. A 1GHz free boost is a huge performance gain now and in the future. In gaming, a 2500K overclock is still going strong after 3 years while a regular 2500 should be replace.
zeroeffect
Member
I would be curious to know too. That's the 2 cases I'm personally looking at to buy. Both seem like fantastic value for their prices. The best thing I like about them is the so much space to do whatever you want. The R4 has me concerned with the CPU cutout on the back for heatsink though.
They should be the same thing unless the AVR is adding some kind of correction when it's in bitstream.
Haz its after 9/25. Obligatory "you should update the build spreadsheet" post.
^__^
Best to PM him.
opticalmace
Member
Testing a monitor (BenQ XL2411Z v2) for a little bit, LightBoost is pretty legit.
I bought one and returned it. Really nice monitor but sometimes the monitor wouldn't detect a signal through dual-link DVI when I would start my computer, and it was kind of annoying how you have to cycle through every picture setting to go from 'FPS1' to 'Standard' (e.g.). I noticed a very slight purple tinge in the upper left corner as well.
zyxwvu4321
Member
Well, everything appears to be set up and running correctly. Got the pagefile.sys moved over to the mechanical drive, reinstalled Corsair Link so that I could control the H100i fan speeds, and closed up the case. CPU maxes out at 49 doing the Prime95 test through RealTemp with Performance setting. Firestrike score of ~14500, GPU temps topped out at 71 & 68. Everything still totally stock.
I'm returning my Rosewill Hive 550w PSU because it was causing my PC to completely reboot while playing games, and now I'm looking for a replacement. What would people recommend? I'm deciding between the Corsair CX600M and the EVGA SuperNOVA 650w. I like the fact that the SuperNOVA is fully modular, 80 plus Gold, and a little higher wattage, but it has some questionable reviews on Newegg, and the extra length might be a bit of an issue given my 970 is already kind of close to the PSU in my Bitfenix Prodigy M. Anyone have experience with either of these?
Stream it
Prophet Steve
Member
Plug another one in it.
AHA-Lambda
Member
K guys, I come to you a total noob, I have no idea what I'm doing. I have some frame of reference for what I want in my PC but I need some advice and guidance. I looked at pcpartpicker and was overwhelmed by the choices so I really am a little lost beyond some basic understanding.
1) I'm looking at the new Nvidia GPUs, and I have my eye on the GTX 970. Is there any reason why I should be considering the 980 over it? It seems a lot more money (~£300 vs ~£500) and I don't appreciate the difference between the 2, all I know is that 4GB VRAM seems a good buy right now =/
2) I want either an i5 or i7, which should I get? Also what type? I had no idea there were so many! I saw today an i7, I think it was 4990k, devil's canyon? I don't know what that means but it seemed reasonably priced (~£250) and had 4 cores at 4GHz.
3) I know nothing about motherboards beyond that it must support the CPU socket and that I should leave myself enough expansion slots for everything. With the above 2 CPU/GPU choices in mind what am I looking for in a motherboard?
4) Do I need to worry about cooling? Or is that only necessary if I'm overclocking?
4) Same again for RAM, I want at least 8GB (if not 16GB) but I don't know what I'm looking for beyond that! (clock speeds, DDR4 etc) I thought RAM was cheap not the stuff I was looking at so I figure I'm looking at this wrong.
5) Last, I have a burned image disc (it's legit don't worry) for Windows 7 Upgrade. Is it possible to install this and reuse the CD key to a new build PC. I used it just fine for creating a windows partition on my iMac so the term upgrade does seem a little loose.
They're both Seasonic guts. So they realize after their initial words that they are long lost brothers, so share a beer, high five, and go home as BFFs.
1) 970 is absolutely killer value.
2) Based on your budget, the 4690K would probably be the best option. Right now, there's really no significant difference in terms of GAMING performance between the 4690K and 4790K. That may change in the future, but it also may not, and if it changes, it might not be significant.
3) Gigabyte UD3H or ASUS Z97-A.
4) DDR4 is for the X99 chipset and 2011-3 processors. That's for extreme high end builds. Otherwise, DDR3 1600MHz is what you want.
5) It should.
Cross posting from the 970/980 thread.
Just ordered the ASUS STRIX 970 from newegg. It's back in stock at the moment. You can also get an additional $20 off if you use VISA checkout and use promo code visacheckout.
http://promotions.newegg.com/nepro/14-5141/index.html
Shipped for just a bit over $335. I was originally holding out to use my credit card 5% cash back on Amazon with the Gigabyte but it's horribly backordered and it was going to be a solid $40 more.
Now to wait for it to arrive
Just ordered the ASUS STRIX 970 from newegg. It's back in stock at the moment. You can also get an additional $20 off if you use VISA checkout and use promo code visacheckout.
http://promotions.newegg.com/nepro/14-5141/index.html
Shipped for just a bit over $335. I was originally holding out to use my credit card 5% cash back on Amazon with the Gigabyte but it's horribly backordered and it was going to be a solid $40 more.
Now to wait for it to arrive
Thanks for the reply.
I knew about D3D's form of TB (render ahead queue). Does this mean it's impossible to have triple-buffering (of any kind) while using SLI? Meaning your options are double-buffered Vsync, no Vsync, or ideally G-sync then?
I'm mostly concerned about motion fluidity. Judging from your reply it seems there are a few games which will always have noticeable stutter while others aren't noticeable. Does anyone else have personal impressions from using SLI with regards to motion fluidity?
Amazing answer, thank you.
Chances are the chips are basically the same and you could run the former at the latter's speeds and vice-versa.
And in terms of gaming performance, the difference is negligible.
I think I can predict what the answers to this will be, but does anyone think it's worth taking a chance on this?
Eizo Foris FG2421 120Hz Monitor ebay auction
I've seen these up for auction before and they haven't sold each time, so I'm pretty confident I could snap one up for £250 which would be a steal, but obviously it's a huge gamble whether I'll get burned or not. Seller has 100% positive feedback and their account name is Eizo, but that doesn't really mean much, it's only based on 25 buyers and their using a crappy stock photo which never really inspires much confidence.
Choosing a monitor is the last piece of the puzzle for my build and it's what I'm having the most trouble with choosing, and based on impressions I've heard for this monitor this would be an absolute bargain.
Eizo Foris FG2421 120Hz Monitor ebay auction
I've seen these up for auction before and they haven't sold each time, so I'm pretty confident I could snap one up for £250 which would be a steal, but obviously it's a huge gamble whether I'll get burned or not. Seller has 100% positive feedback and their account name is Eizo, but that doesn't really mean much, it's only based on 25 buyers and their using a crappy stock photo which never really inspires much confidence.
Choosing a monitor is the last piece of the puzzle for my build and it's what I'm having the most trouble with choosing, and based on impressions I've heard for this monitor this would be an absolute bargain.
I didn't have any problems installing my Noctua NH-D15 in the R4. And that's a pretty big heatsink XD.
Should pm. Been doing IRL stuff that's time sensitive. And Dota.Haz its after 9/25. Obligatory "you should update the build spreadsheet" post.
^__^
no tinge here I can see yet. Maybe a funny GPU or bad cable? I had success moving to a higher AWG on my DP cable from disconnects.
Gj. Remember to factor in wall draw and DC efficiency.
Go cheaper. The 1866 can probably run 1600 8 anyway. Either way its super minor.
That's an amazing price on one of the best gaming monitors available. I'd have a hard time not bidding and taking a chance.
No this isn't true. As I understand it, if you enable SLI, you're implicitly using a longer render queue (or D3D's form of triple buffering, as you put it). It's required for NVIDIA AFR support.
Yeah, it's good. It's hard to recommend very specific parts when I don't have the ability to reference local prices. But those are good parts for the money.
Yes, because it can be overclocked. That's how you'll get extra life out of your platform. An overclocked 2500K/2600K/3570K/3770K still goes toe to toe with the newest processors.
Damn! I kinda hoped nobody would encourage me.
I'm going to shoot them a message and see how they come across in their reply, then I may go for it. They say no returns accepted on the page but if I do buy it and it's obviously some sort of scam then surely I can sort something out with ebay for that?
Snakethesniper
Member
GB and MSI 970s back in stock on Newegg gogogogogo
Yes. Should use less even.
When I was first trying to get my computer to boot I went through several cycles of pressing the power button, having everything start to power on for a second, and then stop. The debug light would come on but no code would ever show. Then all of a sudden it just booted. Now after two weeks of running smoothly it's doing it again. Any idea what's going on?
Maybe a shorting issue? I haven't heard that often with modern quality cases but double check the motherboard is properly mounted on the posts.
Check the RAM, try a Memtest86+
Yes, because each card requires a buffer frame in addition to the "front frame" on the display, but does this mean Vsync with SLI is always triple-buffered or do you need to add an additional frame to the render queue (if possible) to achieve results similar to triple-buffering on a single card (As in the GPUs don't have to wait to render at exact refresh rate intervals 8.3ms, 16.7ms, 33.3ms, etc. for 120hz displays).
Okay, replies from on here and friends have managed to sway me in getting Mac, and I knew from the beginning the sole reason, and this is a huge pit of mine, is that I love the aesthetics - i know 100% for the same price I pay for a Mac I can get a great gaming PC.
So... Not getting a Mac, going to get a tower and a monitor with as best an aesthetic I can.
So with that, I'm looking to spend around £1000 tops on a gaming tower that can render, let me partition and use adobe suits on a mavericks operating system and that can let me play games on highest setting, live in the uk and checked pcspecialist site and overclockers, but honestly, a lot of it goes over my head, I get the jist of it but have nothing in mind to compare things to.
I would like a blu-ray drive that can run 3d as well on it, thanks gaf!
EDIT: I don't want something overclocked though, or too beastly, as so it will overheat and fry itself or lessen its longetivity
So... Not getting a Mac, going to get a tower and a monitor with as best an aesthetic I can.
So with that, I'm looking to spend around £1000 tops on a gaming tower that can render, let me partition and use adobe suits on a mavericks operating system and that can let me play games on highest setting, live in the uk and checked pcspecialist site and overclockers, but honestly, a lot of it goes over my head, I get the jist of it but have nothing in mind to compare things to.
I would like a blu-ray drive that can run 3d as well on it, thanks gaf!
EDIT: I don't want something overclocked though, or too beastly, as so it will overheat and fry itself or lessen its longetivity
Don't you normally get a code if RAM is bad?
Edit: Don't think it's the RAM. Tried booting with 1 stick (swapping it out each time) and it did nothing.
Edit2: Unplugging the CPU gets me a 00 error code (standard no CPU power code) with the graphics card fan spinning
Switching from BIOS 1 to BIOS 2 does nothing.
Is there any easy way to test for a short on a water cooled system?
Chance Hale
Member
Is there any sort of indication of when Asus might send out more Swifts, particularly to wonderful tax free sites like Newegg? Wouldn't mind driving to Frys but even they don't seem to have any, although I'm going to call in the morning and hope it's sometime soon. Shadows of Morder runs in the high 40s/50s at 2560x1440 for me half the time with a 780Ti so it'd be the perfect game for it.
Guys, I currently have:
-Intel i5 750 quad core 2.67
-GA P55A UD3P Gigabyte mobo
-2x500GB Seagate HDD 7200rpm
-8GB 1333mhz Corsair RAM
-Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD5770 (The best I could get back in 2010, prices are super high on my country)
What do I need to experience some blissful next-gen experiences AT 1080p? Well, currently, since I only have a 22'' monitor.
I'm not very tech savy but my guts are telling me it's only the graphics card. A GTX670, or a XFX R9-280X. Would appreciate some feedback.
Thanks!
-Intel i5 750 quad core 2.67
-GA P55A UD3P Gigabyte mobo
-2x500GB Seagate HDD 7200rpm
-8GB 1333mhz Corsair RAM
-Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD5770 (The best I could get back in 2010, prices are super high on my country)
What do I need to experience some blissful next-gen experiences AT 1080p? Well, currently, since I only have a 22'' monitor.
I'm not very tech savy but my guts are telling me it's only the graphics card. A GTX670, or a XFX R9-280X. Would appreciate some feedback.
Thanks!
Felix Lighter
Member
Since I switched to Offset voltage, my PC has been blue-screening while watching videos after waking up from sleep. Adding voltage causes heat issues. I feel like just going back to a fixed voltage and being done with it. I'm sick of blue screens and messing in the BIOS and rebooting and stress testing. I've never built such a stubborn machine.
How harmful is using a fixed voltage over an offset? My i7 930 was using a 1.25v fixed voltage for 5 years and still going. When the PC goes to sleep does it continue to use the fixed voltage?
How harmful is using a fixed voltage over an offset? My i7 930 was using a 1.25v fixed voltage for 5 years and still going. When the PC goes to sleep does it continue to use the fixed voltage?
appaws
Banned
I would say if you only wanted to do one thing it should be the graphics card. The 280X would be a huge upgrade from what you have.
I have a budget of $500 (technically, what a PS4 + Plus + some games would cost me).
I need to make a decision between those 2 options, but since I suck at this I was only sure about the graphics card, do you have any other recommendation? Would greatly appreciate it!
I have that EVGA PSU. Although I believe its the 600w model, fully modular. No issues at all. Only problem I had was that the finish on the metal smelled bad when I opened it. Went away after a few hours, and I have an overclocked i5 4690k @4.3 ghz and an EVGA 970 which is also overclocked. Does great, and is surprisingly quiet
EDIT: Forgot to mention that it's been in my machine for about 5 months
What is the stable fixed voltage under Prime95? When using offset, did manage to achieve the same voltage under Prime95? If no, add more until you achieve the same voltage. If same voltage, temps should be same with fixed or offset. If yes, what was the idle voltage? Because, depending on your settings, the voltage may drop too low when idling which could cause crashing and BSOD.
And, a fixed voltage should be fine long term. It just better to use offset.
Felix Lighter
Member
Voltage under load is fine. Voltage at idle seems fine as well but voltage somewhere in between idle and full load (watching a video) seems to cause BSOD after the PC wakes up from sleep. Increasing the offset to make up for it isn't worth the extra heat at load. As long as the voltage decreases when the PC goes to sleep (I believe but I'm not sure, enabling C states should accomplish this) then I feel better with a fixed voltage.
GAF, so I want to be able to run a title like pCARS on the Oculus Rift, 75Hz, full OR res, max settings, low AA.
Would a single GTX 980 suffice?
Will a 4670K bottleneck the OR?
If I plan to OC what wattage should I target for my PSU?
Will Pascal be overkill for the Rift or will Maxwell likely suffice?
Would a single GTX 980 suffice?
Will a 4670K bottleneck the OR?
If I plan to OC what wattage should I target for my PSU?
Will Pascal be overkill for the Rift or will Maxwell likely suffice?
Sikamikanico
#1 Dad
Hey PC-GAF, would like some advice if possible.
Thinking of upgrading my gaming rig, mostly to enjoy Elite at it's highest possible settings.
Whilst I'm not looking to go 4k straight away, I'm planning a build that can be somewhat futureproof (such as the ability to add a second 970 in SLI)
For the moment, I want to be able to play Elite split across 3 monitors.
I have decided on monitors yet, but obviously I'm going to want something with minimal bezel!
This is the current build sheet I put together last night - would appreciate any and all input/advice from the professionals here.
Case: CORSAIR 230T COMPACT GAMING CASE - BLUE LED
Processor (CPU): Intel® Corei7 Six Core Processor i7-4930K (3.4GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard: ASUS® SABERTOOTH X79: SOCKET 2011, R.O.G
Memory (RAM): 16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2133MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card:4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk: 250GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk:2TB 3.5" SEAGATE SSHD, SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM (64MB + 8GB SSD CACHE)
Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling:Corsair H60 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Fan Controller: NZXT Sentry 2 Fan Controller with upto 5 Fitted Case Fans
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thinking of upgrading my gaming rig, mostly to enjoy Elite at it's highest possible settings.
Whilst I'm not looking to go 4k straight away, I'm planning a build that can be somewhat futureproof (such as the ability to add a second 970 in SLI)
For the moment, I want to be able to play Elite split across 3 monitors.
I have decided on monitors yet, but obviously I'm going to want something with minimal bezel!
This is the current build sheet I put together last night - would appreciate any and all input/advice from the professionals here.
Case: CORSAIR 230T COMPACT GAMING CASE - BLUE LED
Processor (CPU): Intel® Corei7 Six Core Processor i7-4930K (3.4GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard: ASUS® SABERTOOTH X79: SOCKET 2011, R.O.G
Memory (RAM): 16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2133MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card:4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk: 250GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk:2TB 3.5" SEAGATE SSHD, SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM (64MB + 8GB SSD CACHE)
Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling:Corsair H60 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Fan Controller: NZXT Sentry 2 Fan Controller with upto 5 Fitted Case Fans
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
As consumers, it's very difficult for us to know the answers to questions like this. In my personal experience, Vsync + SLI delivers a triple-buffered-like experience. However, all Vsync implementations in games are not equal. With watch_dogs and assassin's creed iv, you can get double-buffered behaviour, even with SLI enabled. Thankfully, you can always disable the game's Vsync option and use an alternative.
I wish I understood more on the topic, but thankfully adaptive refresh rate displays have arrived and it's now moot for me.
Betta Lines
Member
If you're talking about the CV1, you'll be looking to maintain 90Hz or more - the specs are unconfirmed at this stage but Crescent Bay was 90 and CV1 will be at least that.
Resolution also unconfirmed.
If you're talking about DK2, yes, a 980 will be fine (as would a 970).
It's likely that a 980 will be fine for CV1 too - they were running the Crescent Bay demos on 980s.
A 4670K will not bottleneck the Rift.
The CV1 could still be a year away. I'd not buy a GPU in preparation for CV1 at this stage if you are currently happy with performance.
Snakethesniper
Member
But if I overclock the CPU?
How can I check in general if my PSU is enough for the components on my computer?
You got a real bad chip there, reduce the LLC to help this problem as this will force a higher offset which in turn causes the idle states have more vcore.
With fixed vcore it never reduces, that's why it's called fixed. The only way to save power with fixed vcore is using the c states to reduce CPU frequency at idle.
Felix Lighter
Member
Yeah, I do believe my chip is poor. The 5820Ks seem to not clock quite as well on average compared to the 5930Ks from what I've been gathering as I was investigating Haswell-E overclocking, but most reach 4.2Ghz at least pretty effortlessly and they don't run nearly as hot as mine does at below 1.30v.
That being said, fixed voltage of 1.25v @ 4.1Ghz has been very stable. I know the best bet to keep wear and tear down is to use an offset voltage but I just can't reach a balance of stability and acceptable temps at load with an offset voltage. I still have the C states enabled, so, correct me if I'm wrong, I believe when I my PC goes to sleep, the voltage should still decrease even with the fixed voltage set. Most of the time my PC will be off or asleep.
One big thing that bothers me is how quiet my H220X is. I can feel significant heat blowing off the radiator, I can feel the pump vibrating, the led in the reservoir is lit and there is a slight noise but I've heard so much about water cooling pumps being so noisy and this is much quieter than my case fans.
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