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[RGM79]

Their other reqs are super easy, LoL, Crusader Kings 2 etc. Stuff you can run on integrated. Other games will come up at some point but AK was one they were anticipating. They can get it on PS4, but it would be pretty crappy if they were buying their first PC and it was a comparable/inferior experience to PS4, assuming it ran on low/med @ 750ti. I understand that the 750ti straddles the line between sometimes offering comparable/better, but sometimes not.

If it's stuff that Intel integrated graphics will handle.. then maybe save the $150 and see if they could get something better when AMD's R9 3xx line comes out in the next few months?

It'd suck playing games on integrated graphics for a few months on a brand new PC, but that would avoid spending money on a midrange graphics that may or may not handle Arkham Knight. There's still 4 months to go before release, anyway.

Or maybe look into buying a used graphics card.

Yeah I already have a custom desktop from 2010, and I have about 5 hard drives in it so I just planned on bringing about 3 of them over. So the ram would probably be a better choice for me.

I should be fine, as this is pretty cool. I could make some minor adjustments here and there if need be.

Hmm, sounds good then. Enjoy your new PC.

 

[lostsupper]

Yes, but definitely spring for the i5. Anything less than a quadcore cpu in 2015 is bad times.

G3258 disagrees.

 

[roytheone]

So I plan to buy an after market cooler as a little stop gap solution until I replace my motherboard + CPU. However, I can not reach the backside of my motherboard without taking it out, so I need a cooler that does not use a backplate. After some searching the Cooler Master Hyper TX3 Evo seems to be a pretty decent cooler with no backplate. Do you guys have any other recommendations?

 

[RGM79]

So I plan to buy an after market cooler as a little stop gap solution until I replace my motherboard + CPU. However, I can not reach the backside of my motherboard without taking it out, so I need a cooler that does not use a backplate. After some searching the Cooler Master Hyper TX3 Evo seems to be a pretty decent cooler with no backplate. Do you guys have any other recommendations?

When do you plan to upgrade? When you upgrade, will you also be getting another cooler?

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Or maybe look into buying a used graphics card.

What would a safe place for that be?

Friend located in RI, USA.

 

[Frankfurter]

Seeking to push this thing at least at 4.5 since I've had it for 3 years and never even tried to







Middle is 4.5 during blend on P95, bottom is at 4.4, respectively while Dolphining and idle. What is a solid voltage to keep for a theoretical 24/7?

Puuh, I'd definitely try to stay lower than 1.35v, but than again it really depends on what you are okay'ish with. ~80 degrees C max. temperature is also too high, for my personal taste atleast.
Does your CPU really need that much Vcore to get to 4.5 Ghz or did you just start playing around with it? Many 2500k get to 4.5 Ghz with slightly less 1.3v.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

What would a safe place for that be?

Friend located in RI, USA.

Here really. I was selling a four GB 770 for a while and the card was basically brand new so I couldn't figure out why people wouldn't jump on it because I was selling it for around 200 but that's how the internet works. There's some really good deals on here and I was actually trying to sell parts from a rig which I might end up putting on sale for a friend that just build another PC. I would have to ask but would you be interested in a 270 X?

*Google voice typing™®

I know for a fact that he's selling a Corsair Air 540, an AMD 8320 and a motherboard. Also a Hyper212 cooker for the CPU.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Here really. I was selling a four GB 770 for a while and the card was basically brand new so I couldn't figure out why people wouldn't jump on it because I was selling it for around 200 but that's how the internet works. There's some really good deals on here and I was actually trying to sell parts from a rig which I might end up putting on sale for a friend that just build another PC. I would have to ask but would you be interested in a 270 X?

*Google voice typing™®

I know for a fact that he's selling a Corsair Air 540, an AMD 8320 and a motherboard. Also a Hyper212 cooker for the CPU.

What price?

270x is still an upgrade over 750ti I understand.

 

[RGM79]

What would a safe place for that be?

Friend located in RI, USA.

I was thinking of local Craigslist postings, ebay, or something along those lines. If that's not an option, maybe see if anyone else you know is wanting to replace their graphics card and might sell their old one. Of course, the usual risk of buying used products applies. Possible lack of warranty, faulty items, etc. Still, buyer protection on ebay is quite good, I hear.

From looking around, there's items like this Sapphire 7970 going for $130 + shipping. I'm not recommending you buy anything without taking a close look, but at a glance it seems alright.

The R9 280X is a slightly updated and rebadged HD7970 with the same performance, so this used 7970 is basically one level up from the R9 280 you were looking at. Obvious concerns are that it's probably out of warranty, but it's hard to beat the price. It costs about the same as a new GTX 750 Ti but you're getting a lot more performance. Sapphire is also one of the better choices when it comes to graphics card coolers, Tweaktown had high praise for how quiet and cool it ran in their review. Considering that whatever stopgap graphics card your friends will be getting now is going to be replaced within a year or so, going with a used graphics card isn't that big a risk.

Edit: Oh right, completely forgot that Neogaf has a B/S/T thread.

 

[LilJoka]

Seeking to push this thing at least at 4.5 since I've had it for 3 years and never even tried to

Middle is 4.5 during blend on P95, bottom is at 4.4, respectively while Dolphining and idle. What is a solid voltage to keep for a theoretical 24/7?

What is the load vcore using prime95 small fft? Use CPUz to check.
Do you understand the potential dangers of using ultra high load line calibration?

 

[roytheone]

When do you plan to upgrade? When you upgrade, will you also be getting another cooler?

I plan to upgrade in about half a year, kinda depends how new games perform. If GTA V and witcher 3 run like crap, I will probably upgrade sooner, while if I could get a decent overclock going and directx 12 turns out to be a big performance increase, I will upgrade later. And yes, I will get another cooler when I upgrade.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

I was thinking of local Craigslist postings, ebay, or something along those lines. If that's not an option, maybe see if anyone else you know is wanting to replace their graphics card and might sell their old one. Of course, the usual risk of buying used products applies. Possible lack of warranty, faulty items, etc. Still, buyer protection on ebay is quite good, I hear.

From looking around, there's items like this Sapphire 7970 going for $130 + shipping. I'm not recommending you buy anything without taking a close look, but at a glance it seems alright.

The R9 280X is a slightly updated and rebadged HD7970 with the same performance, so this used 7970 is basically one level up from the R9 280 you were looking at. Obvious concerns are that it's probably out of warranty, but it's hard to beat the price. It costs about the same as a new GTX 750 Ti but you're getting a lot more performance. Sapphire is also one of the better choices when it comes to graphics card coolers, Tweaktown had high praise for how quiet and cool it ran in their review. Considering that whatever stopgap graphics card your friends will be getting now is going to be replaced within a year or so, going with a used graphics card isn't that big a risk.

Edit: Oh right, completely forgot that Neogaf has a B/S/T thread.

Great price, I'll ask them if theyre open to the idea. Either that or something from GAF.

 

[RGM79]

I plan to upgrade in about half a year, kinda depends how new games perform. If GTA V and witcher 3 run like crap, I will probably upgrade sooner, while if I could get a decent overclock going and directx 12 turns out to be a big performance increase, I will upgrade later. And yes, I will get another cooler when I upgrade.

What are your current specs? Honestly, I don't expect the TX3 to be able to overclock too well, you could get a minor overclock at best. There just aren't any coolers without backplates that are designed for higher performance. Larger coolers and higher mounting pressures (tight fit) allow for better cooling, so just about every mid-to-high end cooler has a backplate of some kind.

 

[roytheone]

What are your current specs? Honestly, I don't expect the TX3 to be able to overclock too well, you could get a minor overclock at best. There just aren't any coolers without backplates that are designed for higher performance. Larger coolers and higher mounting pressures (tight fit) allow for better cooling, so just about every mid-to-high end cooler has a backplate of some kind.

GTX 970
i7 870 @ 2,97 ghz
8 GB ram
Stock cooler

My CPU gets very hot during some games (in dragon age for example it often gets above 90 C) so even if I could not overclock, but get my load temperature a little lower I will be happy.

 

[RGM79]

GTX 970
i7 870 @ 2,97 ghz
8 GB ram
Stock cooler

My CPU gets very hot during some games (in dragon age for example it often gets above 90 C) so even if I could not overclock, but get my load temperature a little lower I will be happy.

Wow, the stock cooler isn't doing well at all. Yeah, in that case the TX3 will do just fine for you. Another similar cooler that may be cheaper is the Raijintek Rhea, it also has the pushpin style locking system without a backplate and is essentially the same size and type of cooler.

That said, what case do you have, and how many case fans? I wonder if there is adequate airflow inside.

 

[roytheone]

Wow, the stock cooler isn't doing well at all. Yeah, in that case the TX3 will do just fine for you. Another similar cooler that may be cheaper is the Raijintek Rhea, it also has the pushpin style locking system without a backplate and is essentially the same size and type of cooler.

That said, what case do you have, and how many case fans? I wonder if there is adequate airflow inside.

The cooler master is only € 3 more expensive than that one, plus it is available on online shops I use a lot, so I will probably just go with the cooler master one.
My Case is a Silverstone Precision PS03B with only one case fan.

 

[RGM79]

The cooler master is only € 3 more expensive than that one, plus it is available on online shops I use a lot, so I will probably just go with the cooler master one.
My Case is a Silverstone Precision PS03B with only one case fan.

Fair enough about the Raijintek model. Looking at the PS03B, you could probably benefit from installing another case fan or two for intake, so you may also want to consider that.

 

[roytheone]

Fair enough about the Raijintek model. Looking at the PS03B, you could probably benefit from installing another case fan or two for intake, so you may also want to consider that.

Thanks for the advice. I will just install the new cooler, and if that doesn't lower my temperatures enough, I will look into improving my airflow.

 

[TheVoidDragon]

I'm after a new monitor as the one i have is a few years old now and i think pretty much anything will be better than what i have, it's a 19" TFT.

Can anyone suggest anything other than the two standard ones that are around £100 - £150? I can't find the ASUS VS238H-P mentioned in the OP anywhere (i'm in the UK) but i read the ASUS VN247H is supposed to be good for gaming, but the BenQ RL2455HM seems pretty much the same in terms of specs. Can anyone help or suggest others? They're both 24" 1ms 1920 x 1080 TN monitors but i don't really know what matters for gaming monitors other than that.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

What price?

270x is still an upgrade over 750ti I understand.

Let me get with him. I'm working now so will message him.

 

[Grinchy]

Should I reseat my 212 Evo? When I play games, my max CPU temp has dropped about 20C compared to the stock heatsink. Yet, if I try to do even a slight OC and run Prime95, my temps shoot up to almost 100C immediately after starting the test. There must be something wrong, right?

 

[RGM79]

Should I reseat my 212 Evo? When I play games, my max CPU temp has dropped about 20C compared to the stock heatsink. Yet, if I try to do even a slight OC and run Prime95, my temps shoot up to almost 100C immediately after starting the test. There must be something wrong, right?

Prime95 isn't a real indicator of realistic peak temperatures, it'll push the processor harder than just about any game because of the way AVX instruction sets are handled by the CPU, you can read about the "issue" here. As long as you don't have high temperature issues in game you'll be fine.

 

[opticalmace]

Should I reseat my 212 Evo? When I play games, my max CPU temp has dropped about 20C compared to the stock heatsink. Yet, if I try to do even a slight OC and run Prime95, my temps shoot up to almost 100C immediately after starting the test. There must be something wrong, right?

What temp do you get in Prime95 when not overclocking? If still high, you probably need to reseat the cooler/redo the paste. Also how are you overclocking it?

 

[Kayant]

Should I reseat my 212 Evo? When I play games, my max CPU temp has dropped about 20C compared to the stock heatsink. Yet, if I try to do even a slight OC and run Prime95, my temps shoot up to almost 100C immediately after starting the test. There must be something wrong, right?

How well it sits can be a factor as well depending on how things are atm. For me I was noticing rapid spikes and sightly higher temps than usual so I took a look and saw the thermal paste was not evenly applied with lots of spacing so I cleaned it out applied it again and my fan noise is noticeably lower and temps are back to what they were when I first applied it.

 

[Grinchy]

Prime95 isn't a real indicator of realistic peak temperatures, it'll push the processor harder than just about any game because of the way AVX instruction sets are handled by the CPU, you can read about the "issue" here. As long as you don't have high temperature issues in game you'll be fine.

Thanks, I'm reading that now!

What temp do you get in Prime95 when not overclocking? If still high, you probably need to reseat the cooler/redo the paste. Also how are you overclocking it?

How well it sits can be a factor as well depending on how things are atm. For me I was noticing rapid spikes and sightly higher temps than usual so I took a look and saw the thermal paste was not evenly applied with lots of spacing so I cleaned it out applied it again and my fan noise is noticeably lower and temps are back to what they were when I first applied it.

I actually haven't tried running Prime95 without any OC yet. I will do that, though. When i was installing it, I used the paste that came with it instead of the AS5 that I had lying around. The stuff that came with it was much more runny, and as a result, more of it came out than I was expecting. I scooped the tiny bit off that I thought would be overkill, so it's definitely possible that the paste isn't applied evenly.

As for the OC, I first tried letting my motherboard do it automatically because I just wanted to get an idea of where I'd be at its suggested voltage. When that didn't go well, I just manually set my Vcore to 1.250 and upped the multiplier to 40 to get a 4GHz OC (using a 4690K). I just wanted to see if that would be enough voltage, yet once again, Prime95 immediately took my temp up to ~100C before I shut it off right away. It didn't crash Windows that time, though. I think the post RGM linked to might answer that for me.

I will try running P95 at stock and if it goes ok I'll try a very miniscule OC. Maybe I just got unlucky with my CPU, who knows.

 

[appaws]

G3258 disagrees.

I was always a big backer of the Pentium Anniversary for budget builds. I have to admit I am a little more hesitant now that some games are starting to require quad-cores. But I think the upgrade path issue still probably points in that direction for most budget gaming builds.

Should I reseat my 212 Evo? When I play games, my max CPU temp has dropped about 20C compared to the stock heatsink. Yet, if I try to do even a slight OC and run Prime95, my temps shoot up to almost 100C immediately after starting the test. There must be something wrong, right?

That seems like atypical behavior. I would try reseating it and redoing the paste and see what happens. Even if P95 is way more of a torture test than any real application would be, I still have never seen a CPU jump up that fast to 100C, even with an OC. The 212 Evo is a decent cooler and should have your temps much lower than that even with a 4.0 OC.

 

[opticalmace]

Thanks, I'm reading that now!




I actually haven't tried running Prime95 without any OC yet. I will do that, though. When i was installing it, I used the paste that came with it instead of the AS5 that I had lying around. The stuff that came with it was much more runny, and as a result, more of it came out than I was expecting. I scooped the tiny bit off that I thought would be overkill, so it's definitely possible that the paste isn't applied evenly.

As for the OC, I first tried letting my motherboard do it automatically because I just wanted to get an idea of where I'd be at its suggested voltage. When that didn't go well, I just manually set my Vcore to 1.250 and upped the multiplier to 40 to get a 4GHz OC (using a 4690K). I just wanted to see if that would be enough voltage, yet once again, Prime95 immediately took my temp up to ~100C before I shut it off right away. It didn't crash Windows that time, though. I think the post RGM linked to might answer that for me.

I will try running P95 at stock and if it goes ok I'll try a very miniscule OC. Maybe I just got unlucky with my CPU, who knows.

Probably messed up the heatsink. Shouldn't go to 100C on that voltage, even with the stock cooler.

 

[kennah]

I was always a big backer of the Pentium Anniversary for budget builds. I have to admit I am a little more hesitant now that some games are starting to require quad-cores. But I think the upgrade path issue still probably points in that direction for most budget gaming builds.

Me too, then I started looking into its video rendering performance and even overclocked the benches had it neck and neck with my i3 3220

 

[Sini]

Actually nevermind, wrong thread

 

[Lockjaw333]

Update on my 2500k overclocking.

I've settled on a really comfortable modest overclock at 4.0ghz. I'm using an offset of -0.03, so my voltage under load is about 1.24-1.25. Idle voltage is 0.950 ish.

I've been messing with offset for the last few days, and for the life of me I couldn't get anything stable once I moved past 4.0 ghz. I looked at what voltage was being applied on auto voltage with higher multipliers, then ran manual vcores lower until I got stable, but when I'd try to hit the same max voltage using offsets it wouldnt stabilize.

I tried for a while at 4.4 but couldnt get it stable without using a miniscule offset of like 0.005v, so it didn't even seem worth it.

At 4.0ghz and an offset of -0.03 my voltages are really low, load voltage is around stock voltage for my chip (1.21), so for a 20% performance increase I'm okay with that.

My temps are also really low, maxing at like 52C.

I think I'll stick with a modest 4.0 ghz. I know I can push it more, but my chip seems to require much more voltage than most people from what I've seen. I think I got a little less than average chip. Still, 20% at stock is still sweet.

 

[Grinchy]

I re-seated my heatsink. I noticed a couple things. First was that I was too careful when I first put my backplate on. One of the nuts wasn't tight enough so the standoff was loose. When I took off my retention plate, one of the screws was stuck in this standoff because it wasn't secured enough. Then I noticed that the paste wasn't evenly distributed. I used AS5 this time since I'm so used to its consistency.

After re-seating, my idle temps have gone down quite a bit. I'll start testing with Prime95 later. I need to get some work out of the way. But I'm optimistic that I just screwed up my initial install of my cooler due to wanting to be too careful/gentle.

 

[Broadbandito]

Anyone know where I could find replacement sata power cables for a psu?

A friend received a toppower powerbird 1100w from a friend without the sata power calbes

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Let me get with him. I'm working now so will message him.

Cheers.

If anyone else has cards for sale please let me know!

 

[MetalDeer]

Anyone know where I could find replacement sata power cables for a psu?

A friend received a toppower powerbird 1100w from a friend without the sata power calbes

Best bet is to contact the manufacturer, or see if they sell them on their website, if you're talking about modular PSU cables, that is.

 

[Eddie_Khaled]

what is the difference between the R9 290X 8gb and 4gb ?? Is the extra 4gb worth the money ??

 

[Kayant]

I re-seated my heatsink. I noticed a couple things. First was that I was too careful when I first put my backplate on. One of the nuts wasn't tight enough so the standoff was loose. When I took off my retention plate, one of the screws was stuck in this standoff because it wasn't secured enough. Then I noticed that the paste wasn't evenly distributed. I used AS5 this time since I'm so used to its consistency.

After re-seating, my idle temps have gone down quite a bit. I'll start testing with Prime95 later. I need to get some work out of the way. But I'm optimistic that I just screwed up my initial install of my cooler due to wanting to be too careful/gentle.

Haha exactly the same happened with me

 

[Vic]

It's only now I'm learning the difference between 3-pin and 4-pin fans :|

 

[LilJoka]

It's only now I'm learning the difference between 3-pin and 4-pin fans :|

Really the only difference is that you can run them slower. And are more reliable for slow speed spin up.
Most boards use 4pin headers but really are wired as 3 pin headers excluding the CPU Headers. Check you motherboard manual fan header pin out for the exact answer.

I have my 3 pin fans running at 4-500 RPM no problems though. Some fans will struggle using low voltage for spin up, but most boards run the fans at full speed to spin them up at POST.

 

[H4r4kiri]

is 160€ for a used AMD R290 Saphire (TRI-X) a good price and value ?

I currently own a 760 OC.

 

[Tesseract]

Yep, nothing new has come out to really change it. When are you planning to buy parts? I'd be happy to spec out a parts list of current prices for you.

within the next few weeks. please do!

 

[Vic]

Really the only difference is that you can run them slower. And are more reliable for slow speed spin up.
Most boards use 4pin headers but really are wired as 3 pin headers excluding the CPU Headers. Check you motherboard manual fan header pin out for the exact answer.

I have my 3 pin fans running at 4-500 RPM no problems though. Some fans will struggle using low voltage for spin up, but most boards run the fans at full speed to spin them up at POST.

My motherboard doesn't seem to control any of my 3-pin fans (only the stock Intel fan has 4-pin) by controlling voltage. When monitored with SpeedFan, all of them are pushing around their rated RPM. Adjusting the fans speed through the UEFI doesn't seems to have changed anything other than with the CPU fan. It's great that I have a fan controller on the way, just wished I knew what PWM meant back then

 

[LilJoka]

My motherboard doesn't seems to control any of my 3-pin fans (only the stock Intel fan has 4-pin) by controlling voltage. When monitored with SpeedFan, all of them are pushing around their rated RPM. Adjusting the fans speed through the UEFI doesn't seems to have changed anything other than with the CPU fan. It's great that I have a fan controller on the way, just wished I knew what PWM meant back then

I always rely on the motherboard software for fan control. That hasnt failed me for all gen boards from Gigabyte/AsRock/Asus since Core i released.

I went through the fan controller stage, but then just got tired of fiddling. Now i just set the fans to run minimum speeds until CPU temps hit silly temps.

 

[Celcius]

what is the difference between the R9 290X 8gb and 4gb ?? Is the extra 4gb worth the money ??

The only difference is the amount of on-board memory (vram). What resolution do you plan on playing at?
I would say the 8gb version is only needed if you plan on gaming at a higher resolution such as 4k and plan on getting two of them. For 1080p, you would be fine with 4gb.

 

[hitgirl]

Another blade popped off on my Corsair fan.

 

[NoRéN]

Did it just fly off or something?

 

[Grinchy]

Another blade popped off on my Corsair fan.

I almost bought a set of those. I was going to put the white rings on them.

I ended up going with some really cheap 120mm ones instead.

 

[hitgirl]

They are actually pretty decent fans. Move a lot of air and are really quiet, silentpc review is fond of them too and their testing regiment is legitimate. I have no idea how /why they were falling off. It's a possibility it's damage from hitting it with a vacuum, but I don't remember doing such a thing. I do vacuum the area a lot though. Both times strange noise was coming from computer, I take off the front door and I see the fan isn't spinning because it's jammed from the fallen off blade.

 

[Anton668]

They are actually pretty decent fans. Move a lot of air and are really quiet

yup. I have like 6 of them and have never had a problem.

Bad batch? weird...

 

[Valravn]

I suddenly have shitty performance with my 980 Strix card. Seemed to have happened after install newest drivers. Anyone else with this problem?

Far Cry 4 has a lot of stutter and it was buttery smooth before. Old Republic even has low fps, like 54 in the beginning zone, it was like 90 fps before. I know, because i checked.

Well tonight i will revert to previous drivers, lets see if this helps.If not, maybe my GPU is fault or my psu or something else. Sigh.

 

[Objectively Bad Opinion]

is 160€ for a used AMD R290 Saphire (TRI-X) a good price and value ?

I currently own a 760 OC.

An R9 290 is nearly twice as fast nowadays, definitely good times if you decide to get it. Nice price too