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[Hazaro]

It's not essential but you might want to buy either an anti-static mat with ground clip (less than £10/$10 on Ebay) or anti-static gloves (£2/$3) to guard against ESD when actually in the process of building your PC. I used both when putting mine together and while that may be OTT, it's a nice feeling handling your shiny new components in a pair of white mittens, and to look extra geeky in front of your girlfriend/wife

Depending on the case you may need some PC screwdrivers and basic hand tools, which you can also get cheap on Ebay. I bought a set but didn't need to use a single thing in there as it turns out my case (Air 540) features completely 'tool-free' assembly.

If it gives you piece of mind you can, but I'd rather have a better grip on screws. Just touch the power supply and you'll be fine.

No problems working on hundreds of computers without protection except killing my own CPU by flipping it around in hand (whoops)

 

[mkenyon]

Hoping I can go for that! I know what the deal with that is tomorrow morning. About to order the rest of the stuff as I type

If you can stretch the budget, I'd definitely opt for a different KB and mouse. But on a budget, that works just fine.

 

[Onimusha78]

If you can stretch the budget, I'd definitely opt for a different KB and mouse. But on a budget, that works just fine.

Stretched for the better graphics card in the end. Might upgrade next month

 

[lupinko]

[Basic Desktop Questions] http://i.imgur.com/Vnp7oxv.png
Your Current Specs: Alienware M11x R1 Core2Duo

Budget: ¥60,000 ($500 USD) Japan
Main Use: General computing, light photo/image editing, gaming (here is my steam backlog http://steamcommunity.com/id/lupinko ), classic emulation (Dolphin, etc), Netflix and other HD streaming, secondary BD/DVD player.
Monitor Resolution: 1080p, I already have the gaming monitor
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well:
Last gen UE3 games @ 1080p/60fps high
Skyrim @ 1080p/30-60fps high
Crysis 1 @ 1080p/60fps high
The Witcher 2 @ 1080p/60fps high
I guess those are examples? Not deal breakers tho.
Looking to reuse any parts?: External Samsung BD-ROM/DVD-RW drive, my gaming mouse
When will you build?: As early as this mid month.
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe

Yeah I'm in a market for a new PC, my gaming laptop is well starting to go the way of the dodo. One of the memory banks died already, so I gotta make the move asap. I want to go with that budget since it is what I can afford asap. I can upgrade this later throughout the year.

I do have preference for Intel and Nvidia. I would want a mini ITX case like this http://www.dospara.co.jp/5sp/shopping/detail_parts.php?bg=1&br=72&sbr=451&ic=379641&lf=0 for convenience and to minimize space it takes in my studio. I can skimp on ram for now since it's cheap and I can buy lots later, same goes for hdd, I am interested in ssd but hdd is way cheaper, performance notwithstanding.

Ok PCGAF help me out!

 

[DarthWoo]

You can try to determine your product key on the prebuilt PC using Speccy, or other similar programs. Once you have the key, try it out on Microsoft's website and tool, see if it'll accept it and let you download the Windows ISO.

I found this page which turned out to be really helpful in this process. As it turns out, you can download the Windows 8 and 8.1 install media from MS itself either as a USB drive install or as an ISO to burn to DVD. As the page promised, the install process automatically recognized the integrated key in the Dell's motherboard. Apart from Win 8.1 not having the driver for the system's wi-fi adapter, everything went smoothly and now I have a fresh and clean install without any of Dell's bloatware.

 

[Garou]

[Basic Desktop Questions] http://i.imgur.com/Vnp7oxv.png
Your Current Specs: Alienware M11x R1 Core2Duo

Budget: ¥60,000 ($500 USD) Japan
Main Use: General computing, light photo/image editing, gaming (here is my steam backlog http://steamcommunity.com/id/lupinko ), classic emulation (Dolphin, etc), Netflix and other HD streaming, secondary BD/DVD player.
Monitor Resolution: 1080p, I already have the gaming monitor
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well:
Last gen UE3 games @ 1080p/60fps high
Skyrim @ 1080p/30-60fps high
Crysis 1 @ 1080p/60fps high
The Witcher 2 @ 1080p/60fps high
I guess those are examples? Not deal breakers tho.
Looking to reuse any parts?: External Samsung BD-ROM/DVD-RW drive, my gaming mouse
When will you build?: As early as this mid month.
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe

Yeah I'm in a market for a new PC, my gaming laptop is well starting to go the way of the dodo. One of the memory banks died already, so I gotta make the move asap. I want to go with that budget since it is what I can afford asap. I can upgrade this later throughout the year.

I do have preference for Intel and Nvidia. I would want a mini ITX case like this http://www.dospara.co.jp/5sp/shopping/detail_parts.php?bg=1&br=72&sbr=451&ic=379641&lf=0 for convenience and to minimize space it takes in my studio. I can skimp on ram for now since it's cheap and I can buy lots later, same goes for hdd, I am interested in ssd but hdd is way cheaper, performance notwithstanding.

Ok PCGAF help me out!

That budget is quite tight for J-PC-gaming, you are looking at i3 & GTX960-territory, and even then it's tricky, especially since good ITX-stuff doesn't come cheap.

 

[SRG01]

So, some bad news: it turns out PCpartpicker was quoting the wrong prices for the i7 CPU I was looking at I mean, it means I'll have to pick the i7-4770S (instead of the i7-4790) which I was looking at in the first place, but now I'm extra cautious in pricing out parts now...

 

[Garou]

So, some bad news: it turns out PCpartpicker was quoting the wrong prices for the i7 CPU I was looking at I mean, it means I'll have to pick the i7-4770S (instead of the i7-4790) which I was looking at in the first place, but now I'm extra cautious in pricing out parts now...

Is this a small-form-factor PC? Otherwise the 4770S is not the right CPU for you since it has way less power than the other models.

 

[lupinko]

That budget is quite tight for J-PC-gaming, you are looking at i3 & GTX960-territory, and even then it's tricky, especially since good ITX-stuff doesn't come cheap.

Well I could build with an i3 now and upgrade to i7 later. I just need to build a computer in two weeks, I'm long overdue and my notebook is a ticking time bomb. It is 5 years old iirc.

 

[SRG01]

Is this a small-form-factor PC? Otherwise the 4770S is not the right CPU for you since it has way less power than the other models.

I specifically want low heat. I don't need really really high power It's only a hop-skip away from the i7-4790 in terms of performance anyway.

 

[RGM79]

[Basic Desktop Questions] http://i.imgur.com/Vnp7oxv.png
Your Current Specs: Alienware M11x R1 Core2Duo

Budget: ¥60,000 ($500 USD) Japan
Main Use: General computing, light photo/image editing, gaming (here is my steam backlog http://steamcommunity.com/id/lupinko ), classic emulation (Dolphin, etc), Netflix and other HD streaming, secondary BD/DVD player.
Monitor Resolution: 1080p, I already have the gaming monitor
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well:
Last gen UE3 games @ 1080p/60fps high
Skyrim @ 1080p/30-60fps high
Crysis 1 @ 1080p/60fps high
The Witcher 2 @ 1080p/60fps high
I guess those are examples? Not deal breakers tho.
Looking to reuse any parts?: External Samsung BD-ROM/DVD-RW drive, my gaming mouse
When will you build?: As early as this mid month.
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe

Yeah I'm in a market for a new PC, my gaming laptop is well starting to go the way of the dodo. One of the memory banks died already, so I gotta make the move asap. I want to go with that budget since it is what I can afford asap. I can upgrade this later throughout the year.

I do have preference for Intel and Nvidia. I would want a mini ITX case like this http://www.dospara.co.jp/5sp/shopping/detail_parts.php?bg=1&br=72&sbr=451&ic=379641&lf=0 for convenience and to minimize space it takes in my studio. I can skimp on ram for now since it's cheap and I can buy lots later, same goes for hdd, I am interested in ssd but hdd is way cheaper, performance notwithstanding.

Ok PCGAF help me out!

Unfortunately, your budget is limited, I do not think it is possible to fit a graphics card in there. For the kind of gaming performance you want, you will need a graphics card like the GTX 960 or R9 270X, both of which cost around 20000 yen and more. The build doesn't even include Windows yet.

The problem with skimping on RAM is that all mITX motherboards only have two RAM slots. Skimping on RAM means getting 4GB, you are either limited to getting a second stick of 4GB for 8GB total, or you have to replace the old RAM and not reuse. It is possible to have mismatched RAM module sizes, but not really recommended, so for that reason I have chosen a single stick of 8GB. In the future you can add another 8GB module for 16GB total.

Dospara does have prebuilt compact models like the Magnate JE available that fit your 60000 yen budget, but I do not know whether it can accommodate a graphics card upgrade.

I found this page which turned out to be really helpful in this process. As it turns out, you can download the Windows 8 and 8.1 install media from MS itself either as a USB drive install or as an ISO to burn to DVD. As the page promised, the install process automatically recognized the integrated key in the Dell's motherboard. Apart from Win 8.1 not having the driver for the system's wi-fi adapter, everything went smoothly and now I have a fresh and clean install without any of Dell's bloatware.

It's great that Microsoft has streamlined the activation process from now on. On the other hand, Microsoft Software Recovery won't accept my valid Windows 7 key..

I specifically want low heat. I don't need really really high power It's only a hop-skip away from the i7-4790 in terms of performance anyway.

If you want low heat and don't need high power, why not go with an i3 or i5 processor? What will you be doing with the PC? Mind posting your build list?

 

[Iztli]

Hi everyone

My 570 recently died on me and I've been using my ATI 4890 (It has been playing most game quite nice I have to say) BUT! i'm looking forward to The Witcher 3 and the latest Batman game. I was wondering if I should upgrade now or wait until those games release? I'm thinking of going high end. I was thinking about buying a 980 gtx. Is that ok or should I just wait? I haven't kept up the with latest news about new releases of gfx cards. Thanks for the help.

My specs:

AMD 8350

8 gigs of ram

Win 7 64

 

[RGM79]

Hi everyone

My 570 recently died on me and I've been using my ATI 4890 (It has been playing most game quite nice I have to say) BUT! i'm looking forward to The Witcher 3 and the latest Batman game. I was wondering if I should upgrade now or wait until those games release? I'm thinking of going high end. I was thinking about buying a 980 gtx. Is that ok or should I just wait? I haven't kept up the with latest news about new releases of gfx cards. Thanks for the help.

My specs:

AMD 8350

8 gigs of ram

Win 7 64

I'd wait, the AMD R9 3XX series is going to release in the next few months, you might as well wait for that and Arkham Knight's PC requirements to come out.

 

[kaskade]

I got my corsair h100i and I have a question about installing it. The instructions mount it on the top of the case but I want to mount it as an intake in the front. Should I have the fans kind of sandwiched between the case and the radiator. So the case sucks the outside air into the radiator?

 

[lupinko]

Unfortunately, your budget is limited, I do not think it is possible to fit a graphics card in there. For the kind of gaming performance you want, you will need a graphics card like the GTX 960 or R9 270X, both of which cost around 20000 yen and more. The build doesn't even include Windows yet.

The problem with skimping on RAM is that all mITX motherboards only have two RAM slots. Skimping on RAM means getting 4GB, you are either limited to getting a second stick of 4GB for 8GB total, or you have to replace the old RAM and not reuse. It is possible to have mismatched RAM module sizes, but not really recommended, so for that reason I have chosen a single stick of 8GB. In the future you can add another 8GB module for 16GB total.

Dospara does have prebuilt compact models like the Magnate JE available that fit your 60000 yen budget, but I do not know whether it can accommodate a graphics card upgrade.



It's great that Microsoft has streamlined the activation process from now on. On the other hand, Microsoft Software Recovery won't accept my valid Windows 7 key..



If you want low heat and don't need high power, why not go with an i3 or i5 processor? What will you be doing with the PC? Mind posting your build list?

Hmm, well I can raise the budget to get a better GPU. I would just hold off buying it until April. I'm just a little paranoid now given that I realized that my notebook is on its way out.

Edit: So updated budget is ¥80000-90000 ($660-750 USD).

Edit: Screw it, I'll build this in May, new budget is $900 USD. I just hope my m11x r1 is still alive by then.

 

[SRG01]

If you want low heat and don't need high power, why not go with an i3 or i5 processor? What will you be doing with the PC? Mind posting your build list?

Oh, like I mentioned a few weeks ago, I'm going to be doing rendering on the machine so more threads actually helps me, especially Luxrender. Also a small difference in speed won't really matter

Also, low heat because I'm in an enclosed room.

Ultimately, I'm moving towards a relatively high-end CPU plus a good OpenCL video card.

 

[longdi]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MTSWMVQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20

2400mhz DDR4 is at the cheapest....nice!
X99 + 5820K looking good for those who wants something more.

 

[RGM79]

I got my corsair h100i and I have a question about installing it. The instructions mount it on the top of the case but I want to mount it as an intake in the front. Should I have the fans kind of sandwiched between the case and the radiator. So the case sucks the outside air into the radiator?

Yeah, that's doable. If you have room, push/pull fan configuration would be nice.

Hmm, well I can raise the budget to get a better GPU. I would just hold off buying it until April. I'm just a little paranoid now given that I realized that my notebook is on its way out.

Edit: So updated budget is ¥80000-90000 ($660-750 USD).

Edit: Screw it, I'll build this in May, new budget is $900 USD. I just hope my m11x r1 is still alive by then.

Recheck the prices in May, by then prices may or may have changed.

Oh, like I mentioned a few weeks ago, I'm going to be doing rendering on the machine so more threads actually helps me, especially Luxrender. Also a small difference in speed won't really matter

Also, low heat because I'm in an enclosed room.

Ultimately, I'm moving towards a relatively high-end CPU plus a good OpenCL video card.

Oh, sorry, completely forgot. I suppose the low power i7 will work well for you.

 

[kiyomi]

Oh, like I mentioned a few weeks ago, I'm going to be doing rendering on the machine so more threads actually helps me, especially Luxrender. Also a small difference in speed won't really matter

Also, low heat because I'm in an enclosed room.

Ultimately, I'm moving towards a relatively high-end CPU plus a good OpenCL video card.

Heat shouldn't really be an issue either way. Get the better CPU and worry about heat later. You can always get a cheap CPU cooler later on if you're really nitpicky.

 

[LilJoka]

I specifically want low heat. I don't need really really high power It's only a hop-skip away from the i7-4790 in terms of performance anyway.

Try check the price of the E3 1230v3 CPU. Sometimes it's less than the i7 4790.

 

[Rootbeer]

I'm in the process of gearing up for a new build when Skylake hits the market, chugging along on a very aging build I did in 2009 for now (i7 920, 6GB DDR3, GTX 570 SC, feels ancient!), I've considered adding some more ram but not sure it's worth the investment since I won't be able to use it in my 2015 PC (moving to DDR4). I've read we can expect Skylake in Q3... does anyone have a more specific timeline on the availability they could share? I am trying to plot out my budget and saving needs leading up to it. I have about 2000 tucked away but I may need to splurge a little more on a better monitor as well.

 

[kharma45]

I'm in the process of gearing up for a new build when Skylake hits the market, chugging along on a very aging build I did in 2009 for now (i7 920, 6GB DDR3, GTX 570 SC, feels ancient!), I've considered adding some more ram but not sure it's worth the investment since I won't be able to use it in my 2015 PC (moving to DDR4). I've read we can expect Skylake in Q3... does anyone have a more specific timeline on the availability they could share? I am trying to plot out my budget and saving needs leading up to it. I have about 2000 tucked away but I may need to splurge a little more on a better monitor as well.

There is no hard date for it yet.

If you're looking for a boost you could always overclock your 920, a Hyper 212 for $20-30 would allow you to hit ~4GHz and you could reuse it in your next build.

 

[Xando]

I'm thinking of buying a 980 but if i remember correct there was some news of DX12 not fully supporting current cards. Was that wrong or should wait for a new set of cards?

 

[no maam]

Alright, so I installed my 980 last night and ran a benchmark in tomb raider. I'm gettin an avg of 100fps on ultra,not sure if tress fx was on(don't care won't use it anyways). When I play the game without vsync I'll get some screen tears. I assumed that anything above 60fps wouldn't give me tears. When I used double buffer it obviously runs flawless, but it ran flawless on my 680 as well. I don't have buyers remorse, card looks adorable and runs cool/silent. I just think I don't know anything about pc gaming. Are some games just poorly optimized that regardless of your card it will run sketchy and that you have to tinker a lot with them? I can build a PC, put it together, Install all drivers, etc and have no problems, but when it comes to games I'm legit clueless. I got bordelands 2 to work flawless , but that was after changing the fps,and going into windowed mode(learned that from a gaffer). Far cry 4 runs ok, but not 600$ Gpu ok, or at least what I was expecting. Is all this normal? I basically figured if I get a top of the line Gpu my shit would work without tinkering. I'm not upgrading my cpu,ram,board till sky lake ,so will overclocking my 2500k help,or is this all on the games optimization. To those who read my novel, thank you.

 

[knitoe]

I'm thinking of buying a 980 but if i remember correct there was some news of DX12 not fully supporting current cards. Was that wrong or should wait for a new set of cards?

Yes. To take full advantage of DX12, you will need to wait for the next cards that support all it's features.

Alright, so I installed my 980 last night and ran a benchmark in tomb raider. I'm gettin an avg of 100fps on ultra,not sure if tress fx was on(don't care won't use it anyways). When I play the game without vsync I'll get some screen tears. I assumed that anything above 60fps wouldn't give me tears. When I used double buffer it obviously runs flawless, but it ran flawless on my 680 as well. I don't have buyers remorse, card looks adorable and runs cool/silent. I just think I don't know anything about pc gaming. Are some games just poorly optimized that regardless of your card it will run sketchy and that you have to tinker a lot with them? I can build a PC, put it together, Install all drivers, etc and have no problems, but when it comes to games I'm legit clueless. I got bordelands 2 to work flawless , but that was after changing the fps,and going into windowed mode(learned that from a gaffer). Far cry 4 runs ok, but not 600$ Gpu ok, or at least what I was expecting. Is all this normal? I basically figured if I get a top of the line Gpu my shit would work without tinkering. I'm not upgrading my cpu,ram,board till sky lake ,so will overclocking my 2500k help,or is this all on the games optimization. To those who read my novel, thank you.

You get screen tearing when your monitor can't handle the variable framerate. That's what makes Gsync and Freesync monitors so great. To remove it, you need to enable vsync, but it causes other issues.

And, yes, OC your 2500K to 4.4-4.5GHZ will help greatly in gaming.

 

[no maam]

Yes. To take full advantage of DX12, you will need to wait for the next cards that support all it's features.


You get screen tearing when your monitor can't handle the variable framerate. That's what makes Gsync and Freesync monitors so great. To remove it, you need to enable vsync, but it causes other issues.

And, yes, OC your 2500K to 4.4-4.5GHZ will help greatly in gaming.

Thanks buddy, I figured it wasn't the Gpu. I'll have to learn how to tinker with settings from now on,since I won't be getting a gsync for a long time, If at all.
I ordered a hyper 212 which should be coming in on Friday so I have a lot of research to do on how to overclock. Can't be that hard, right?!

 

[digitalrelic]

Kinda bummed that there was no new card announcements from nVidia last night... I bought my EVGA 980 FTW on February 1st, so I've got until May 1st to take advantage of their step-up program. Anyone have any thoughts on the likelihood of nVidia releasing a new high-end card before then?

 

[no maam]

Kinda bummed that there was no new card announcements from nVidia last night... I bought my EVGA 980 FTW on February 1st, so I've got until May 1st to take advantage of their step-up program. Anyone have any thoughts on the likelihood of nVidia releasing a new high-end card before then?

What's this step up program?

 

[Gunmonkey36]

Kinda bummed that there was no new card announcements from nVidia last night... I bought my EVGA 980 FTW on February 1st, so I've got until May 1st to take advantage of their step-up program. Anyone have any thoughts on the likelihood of nVidia releasing a new high-end card before then?

Based on their track record as of the past few few years super unlikely.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

What's this step up program?

Basically you replace your card with a better card for a fee.

 

[king grimlock]

should I get a wireless network card or are there better solutions? My router/ap couldn't go where I wanted it to go and now the only two options are using wifi or running an ugly cord across the house.

 

[kharma45]

should I get a wireless network card or are there better solutions? My router/ap couldn't go where I wanted it to go and now the only two options are using wifi or running an ugly cord across the house.

Providing your wiring isn't total balls then powerline network adapters.

 

[no maam]

should I get a wireless network card or are there better solutions? My router/ap couldn't go where I wanted it to go and now the only two options are using wifi or running an ugly cord across the house.

I recently purchased a really cheap usb wireless dongle (things tiny) and it works great, but my router is just a few rooms over.

 

[knitoe]

should I get a wireless network card or are there better solutions? My router/ap couldn't go where I wanted it to go and now the only two options are using wifi or running an ugly cord across the house.

Try Powerline. If house wiring has lots of interference, next option is wifi.

 

[LilJoka]

Alright, so I installed my 980 last night and ran a benchmark in tomb raider. I'm gettin an avg of 100fps on ultra,not sure if tress fx was on(don't care won't use it anyways). When I play the game without vsync I'll get some screen tears. I assumed that anything above 60fps wouldn't give me tears. When I used double buffer it obviously runs flawless, but it ran flawless on my 680 as well. I don't have buyers remorse, card looks adorable and runs cool/silent. I just think I don't know anything about pc gaming. Are some games just poorly optimized that regardless of your card it will run sketchy and that you have to tinker a lot with them? I can build a PC, put it together, Install all drivers, etc and have no problems, but when it comes to games I'm legit clueless. I got bordelands 2 to work flawless , but that was after changing the fps,and going into windowed mode(learned that from a gaffer). Far cry 4 runs ok, but not 600$ Gpu ok, or at least what I was expecting. Is all this normal? I basically figured if I get a top of the line Gpu my shit would work without tinkering. I'm not upgrading my cpu,ram,board till sky lake ,so will overclocking my 2500k help,or is this all on the games optimization. To those who read my novel, thank you.

You can reduce the screen tearing without vsync, instead install MSI Afterburner, and enable a 59-62fps cap in RTSS. Try a few values, some fps cap numbers work better on different monitors/TVs. This removes the disadvantages involved in vsyns, but still is somewhat game (engine) dependent.

 

[Chinbo37]

Why are NVIDIA GPUs so much more expensive in Europe than in the US?


The SC EVGA 980 is like 550 dollars in the US, but AT LEAST 600 Euros? Yes the Euro has been falling but is still worth more than the dollar.

Am I just not seeing the right websites selling for the correct price? As an American living in Europe this bothers me. I might just have my friend in the US buy one for me and mail it to me.

 

[LilJoka]

Why are NVIDIA GPUs so much more expensive in Europe than in the US?


The SC EVGA 980 is like 550 dollars in the US, but AT LEAST 600 Euros? Yes the Euro has been falling but is still worth more than the dollar.

Am I just not seeing the right websites selling for the correct price? As an American living in Europe this bothers me. I might just have my friend in the US buy one for me and mail it to me.

Careful, can easily get stung with import tax.

 

[Muffin Awesome]

To everyone who was trying to help me before...

This should make you chuckle. The reason I was having such a tough time with the video card was due to it originally being an SLI setup. With me being such a novice I was completely overlooking the cable was a bridge... So yes after this realization I was able to get everything booted up and running good so far. Thank you again to everyone who stopped and pointed me in the right direction.

Now loading my old steam collection and Valkyria Chronicles!

 

[Chinbo37]

Careful, can easily get stung with import tax.

Not if it is shipped as a gift.

 

[LilJoka]

Not if it is shipped as a gift.

And you will be insured for very little value if im not mistaken.
In the UK atleast it was £40, but now gift insures only £15.

 

[Chinbo37]

Well anyways I have to figure something out, I just cannot accept to pay so much more. And 600 EUR seems like a good deal there are regular 980s going for much more.

 

[H4r4kiri]

Why are NVIDIA GPUs so much more expensive in Europe than in the US?


The SC EVGA 980 is like 550 dollars in the US, but AT LEAST 600 Euros? Yes the Euro has been falling but is still worth more than the dollar.

Am I just not seeing the right websites selling for the correct price? As an American living in Europe this bothers me. I might just have my friend in the US buy one for me and mail it to me.

http://www.mindfactory.de/product_i...X-2-0-Aktiv-PCIe-3-0-x16--Retail-_985473.html

Here 546€

 

[Rich!]

I just bought this.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NSXYEQW/

Good choice? And yes, I know about the 3.5GB scandal - I don't care, I'm upgrading from a five year old 1GB Radeon 6870! And £280 was my absolute maximum price limit.

With prime shipping (yay, free trial), I will get this tomorrow morning! Yess!

 

[mm04]

So I decided to roll the dice on a refurb Shimian 27" Korean IPS for $209 on eBay. The stand is pretty beat up and the back of the monitor shows sign of wear, but the screen is pristine and the picture is pretty damn nice. No dead pixels that I can spot, either. Now that I actually have a machine which can run a game at 2560x1440 at an acceptable frame rate, I figured I'd get a monitor and see what it looks like. And it is glorious. Now, I could regret this purchase if this thing just fails down the line, but the image quality is very good.

 

[Xdrive05]

I just bought this.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NSXYEQW/



Good choice? And yes, I know about the 3.5GB scandal - I don't care, I'm upgrading from a five year old 1GB Radeon 6870! And £280 was my absolute maximum price limit.

With prime shipping (yay, free trial), I will get this tomorrow morning! Yess!

I would say it's a great choice.

I'm partial to MSI, but you'll love that EVGA. Their service and support is really great. The 970 will outlast its warranty as far as effectiveness at gaming goes.

 

[Smokey]

 

[Rich!]

I would say it's a great choice.

I'm partial to MSI, but you'll love that EVGA. Their service and support is really great. The 970 will outlast its warranty as far as effectiveness at gaming goes.

excellent! I was looking at the MSI too...but the EVGA was reduced from a higher price, and the reviews favoured the EVGA. I also (maybe incorrectly) assumed that the extra cooling on the EVGA would result in a quieter sound level.

can't wait! My 6870 is noisy and outdated...the rest of the PC isn't. Will be nice to finally have an nvidia card too!

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

To everyone who was trying to help me before...

This should make you chuckle. The reason I was having such a tough time with the video card was due to it originally being an SLI setup. With me being such a novice I was completely overlooking the cable was a bridge... So yes after this realization I was able to get everything booted up and running good so far. Thank you again to everyone who stopped and pointed me in the right direction.

Now loading my old steam collection and Valkyria Chronicles!

Good to hear

 

[LilJoka]

excellent! I was looking at the MSI too...but the EVGA was reduced from a higher price, and the reviews favoured the EVGA. I also (maybe incorrectly) assumed that the extra cooling on the EVGA would result in a quieter sound level.

can't wait! My 6870 is noisy and outdated...the rest of the PC isn't. Will be nice to finally have an nvidia card too!

Personally i dont like MSI, but the MSI 970 is the best behind the Gigabyte G1 in terms of overclocking. And is the best on the noise front. Not sure if the EVGA has its fans turned off below 60c, but the MSI does.

 

[Smokey]

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu