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[Stubo]

I'm a fan of the HyperX Fury 1866MHz CL10, it's holding a very nice price while offering good specs and a low heat spreader.

£49.95 @ Amazon for an 8Gb (2x 4Gb) kit.

Also available in black for £51.99 if you're worried about it matching the rest of your build.

 

[xplicitone]

Just so I'm prepared, how is switching out graphics cards these days? I'm going from GTX 580 to 980. Is it still just deleting the current driver and downloading the new 980 driver, then turning off the computer for 15+ minutes to let the static go away then replace and be good? Or does Nvidia experience handle it all better..

 

[Danj]

I use a folding padded cooler for mine. Got it at Canadian Tire

If I'm doing more extended travel I use the original box. It isn't too much bigger than the case

Mmmm, using the original box wouldn't really work for me - I need to travel by train and bus and a box with no wheels and no top handle isn't really very easy to manage. A padded cooler bag might be OK but I was hoping there might be something more secure that I could get.

 

[LilJoka]

What are c states? Thanks for the detailed response. I can't imagine that my 2500k can't get to 4.4 on 1.35v..

Disregard what i said about C States if you are using a fixed Vcore.

C States allow the CPU to downclock when idle. When combined with AUTO or Offset Vcore the CPU Vcore also scales with the clock speed. That makes it hard to test what the load line calibration is doing, since your Vcore will drop at idle to around 0.8v at ~1.6Ghz.

But if you are using fixed vcore with C States enabled, the clock speeds will drop but the vcore will not, it may even rise, and thats normal behavior with those settings. Most will figure all this out before touching the load line calibration setting and moving to offset vcore, as each board is different.

Just so I'm prepared, how is switching out graphics cards these days? I'm going from GTX 580 to 980. Is it still just deleting the current driver and downloading the new 980 driver, then turning off the computer for 15+ minutes to let the static go away then replace and be good? Or does Nvidia experience handle it all better..

No idea where you heard about the 15 minutes wait.

Ideally install display river unisntaller. select to remove drivers for a new GPU. The PC will shutdown once its finished. Swap the GPUs, get into Windows and install the latest Nvidia driver. Open display driver uninstaller up and re-enable driver from windows updates. Finished.

 

[Affeinvasion]

No idea where you heard about the 15 minutes wait.

Ideally install display river unisntaller. select to remove drivers for a new GPU. The PC will shutdown once its finished. Swap the GPUs, get into Windows and install the latest Nvidia driver. Open display driver uninstaller up and re-enable driver from windows updates. Finished.

I assume the process is the same going from amd to nvidia as I'm thinking of upgrading my 7850 with a 970.

 

[ACE 1991]

Disregard what i said about C States if you are using a fixed Vcore.

Alright, I'm just going to post two images from my BIOS with the settings I am trying to use, maybe you or someone else in this thread can tell me why I am unable to get a stable OC of 4.4 at 1.35v, which should be TOTALLY attainable from what I understand. Note about CPU Vcore Loadline: apparently disabling "CPU vcore Loadline" actually enables calibration on this board, which from what I understand is the opposite of most boards. I was told that because of this I should leave this setting enabled.

I got the values for Power Limit 1/2 and Cpu Core Current from this post http://www.overclock.net/t/968053/official-the-sandy-stable-club-guides-voltages-temps-bios-templates-inc-spreadsheet/2240#post_14466483 , but for some reason my mobo won't let me go above 120 for CPU Core Current Max.

 

[Pbae]

Will a Nvidia 970 4gb with an i5-4690k suffice for the next 2-3 years?

It's going to be connected to a 1080p tv but I was also interested in VR applications.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

Alright, I'm just going to post two images from my BIOS with the settings I am trying to use, maybe you or someone else in this thread can tell me why I am unable to get a stable OC of 4.4 at 1.35v, which should be TOTALLY attainable from what I understand. Note about CPU Vcore Loadline: apparently disabling "CPU vcore Loadline" actually enables calibration on this board, which from what I understand is the opposite of most boards. I was told that because of this I should leave this setting enabled.

I got the values for Power Limit 1/2 and Cpu Core Current from this post http://www.overclock.net/t/968053/official-the-sandy-stable-club-guides-voltages-temps-bios-templates-inc-spreadsheet/2240#post_14466483 , but for some reason my mobo won't let me go above 120 for CPU Core Current Max.

Well, it is attainable for most doesn't mean it will be for all. You may have a bad chip.
Raise it to 1.4 and work it down if it is stable.

 

[ACE 1991]

Well, it is attainable for most doesn't mean it will be for all. You may have a bad chip.
Raise it to 1.4 and work it down if it is stable.

OK. Will be cutting the lifespan of the chip if im running it above 1.35? I have a cooler master 212 plus. Also, do any of my other settings loom weird/off?

 

[CMDBob]

I'm thinking about getting a new graphics card, as my GTX660 is getting fairly old, and I kinda want an upgrade. I'm debating getting a GTX 970 or a R9-290x... (I suppose I could wait, but I'm finding more and more often I'm not quite getting the performance anymore.) Wondering what's GAF's opinion on the subject.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

OK. Will be cutting the lifespan of the chip if im running it above 1.35? I have a cooler master 212 plus. Also, do any of my other settings loom weird/off?

I think it's fine, as long as your 212 can keep it decently cool.

 

[LilJoka]

Alright, I'm just going to post two images from my BIOS with the settings I am trying to use, maybe you or someone else in this thread can tell me why I am unable to get a stable OC of 4.4 at 1.35v, which should be TOTALLY attainable from what I understand. Note about CPU Vcore Loadline: apparently disabling "CPU vcore Loadline" actually enables calibration on this board, which from what I understand is the opposite of most boards. I was told that because of this I should leave this setting enabled.

I got the values for Power Limit 1/2 and Cpu Core Current from this post http://www.overclock.net/t/968053/official-the-sandy-stable-club-guides-voltages-temps-bios-templates-inc-spreadsheet/2240#post_14466483 , but for some reason my mobo won't let me go above 120 for CPU Core Current Max.

As I said, without LLC, 1.35v in bios maybe around 1.30v in windows due to Vdrop and Vdroop.

 

[M3z_]

Cross post

WTS *Brand New*

Crucial M500 960GB SSD $270 shipped US48 only

Purchased about a week or so ago. No longer need it. Brand new, has not been opened.

 

[Adam Blue]

Need some advice please:

Since a power surge a year ago, my PC has stopped working every few months or so. By stop working, I mean solid red light on CPU and DRAM. No video. I did replace the PSU after the first surge.

All I do is take it apart, clean it, and it will work.

It's happening again, and I'm just tired of it. I don't know if it's the Sabertooth X58 mobo, RAM, CPU (i7-950 pre-sandybridge), or what. I'm thinking I might just buy new stuff, as I have no way to test. I'd get a mobo and CPU from "best overall", but I think my setup is fine.

1. Any suggestions on testing? I've really done everything, but the fact that it will work again throws me off. I have no one around me to test with outside parts.

2. With the new mobo, will 240pin corsair xm3 ram still work? I like What I have and don't really want to have to spend anymore.

 

[opticalmace]

Need some advice please:

Since a power surge a year ago, my PC has stopped working every few months or so. By stop working, I mean solid red light on CPU and DRAM. No video. I did replace the PSU after the first surge.

All I do is take it apart, clean it, and it will work.

It's happening again, and I'm just tired of it. I don't know if it's the Sabertooth X58 mobo, RAM, CPU (i7-950 pre-sandybridge), or what. I'm thinking I might just buy new stuff, as I have no way to test. I'd get a mobo and CPU from "best overall", but I think my setup is fine.

1. Any suggestions on testing? I've really done everything, but the fact that it will work again throws me off. I have no one around me to test with outside parts.

2. With the new mobo, will 240pin corsair xm3 ram still work? I like What I have and don't really want to have to spend anymore.

Does the mobo manual say what the lights mean?

 

[RGM79]

Need some advice please:

Since a power surge a year ago, my PC has stopped working every few months or so. By stop working, I mean solid red light on CPU and DRAM. No video. I did replace the PSU after the first surge.

All I do is take it apart, clean it, and it will work.

It's happening again, and I'm just tired of it. I don't know if it's the Sabertooth X58 mobo, RAM, CPU (i7-950 pre-sandybridge), or what. I'm thinking I might just buy new stuff, as I have no way to test. I'd get a mobo and CPU from "best overall", but I think my setup is fine.

1. Any suggestions on testing? I've really done everything, but the fact that it will work again throws me off. I have no one around me to test with outside parts.

2. With the new mobo, will 240pin corsair xm3 ram still work? I like What I have and don't really want to have to spend anymore.

You might not need to rebuild it to make it work each time. Switch off the PSU, unplug the power cable, press the power switch to discharge any residual power still stored, and give it a bit of time to settle - 5 minutes? Or 30, I dunno how damaged your components seem to be. Then plug it back in and flip the switch and turn it on.

1. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of testing you can do without spare parts. Hardware testing would consist of swapping out suspected parts with known working parts and seeing whether that affects the PC. You could run memtest86+ to test your RAM. As far as I know there's no diagnostic for motherboards. Running stress test software like Prime95 would test your CPU and RAM, but I'm not sure that'd help you.

2. If you were to build a new PC, you may want new RAM. You probably have older triple channel RAM running at a lower frequency. You can reuse it if you want for a Z97 dual channel motherboard, but given that the DRAM LED is on when the computer stops working, that may indicate issues with RAM.

 

[ACE 1991]

As I said, without LLC, 1.35v in bios maybe around 1.30v in windows due to Vdrop and Vdroop.

Right. So do I want loadline calibration working or not?

 

[LilJoka]

Right. So do I want loadline calibration working or not?

It depends, you should start at 4.2Ghz and see how LLC performs. If the idle Vcore is higher than load Vcore when LLC is enabled, then continue to use it. If the idle Vcore is lower than the load Vcore when LLC is enabled then don't use it it'll just cause headaches later.

Ideally you want load Vcore just a little below idle Vcore in a fixed Vcore setup.

If LLC disabled has a larger than 0.05v difference in load and idle Vcore then it's best just to use it either way.

Remember the BIOS setting is a guide, use the CPUz Vcore reading to judge your overclock.

 

[m_shortpants]

I'm looking to build soon. Would appreciate help!

[Basic Desktop Questions]
Your Current Specs: A laptop from 2011 with a 2.0GHz Sandy Bridge i7, 8GB RAM, a 6570M I believe.
Budget: $1000 USD, no need for monitor, keyboard, mouse, or OS.
Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest: Light Gaming - 5, Gaming - 5, Emulation (PS2/Wii) - 2, Video Editing - 2, Streaming games in HD - 2, 3D/Model work (and what program) - 1, General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback) - 4.
Monitor Resolution: 1080p. May get a 1440p monitor at some point but that wouldn't be for a while.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Ideally I'd like to run the Witcher 3, Batman AK, and GTAV at 60fps on high if possible. I'd like the build to last 4-5 years, but am open to upgrading GPU in 2-3 perhaps.
When will you build?: Do you have a deadline? Preferabbly before the Witcher. I'm wondering if it's worth waiting for AMD's next gen GPUs or not.
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe? Again it depends on the longevity of the parts.

How about the build from OP? Are they still recommended, I noticed they were updated last November.

 

[ACE 1991]

It depends, you should start at 4.2Ghz and see how LLC performs. If the idle Vcore is higher than load Vcore when LLC is enabled, then continue to use it. If the idle Vcore is lower than the load Vcore when LLC is enabled then don't use it it'll just cause headaches later.

Ideally you want load Vcore just a little below idle Vcore in a fixed Vcore setup.

If LLC disabled has a larger than 0.05v difference in load and idle Vcore then it's best just to use it either way.

Remember the BIOS setting is a guide, use the CPUz Vcore reading to judge your overclock.

So you want a higher voltage in idle, or am I reading your post incorrectly? Thanks!

 

[LilJoka]

So you want a higher voltage in idle, or am I reading your post incorrectly? Thanks!

That is correct.
This is more directed to older chips/boards since newer stuff has got around the problem.

What people found was that LLC caused the Vcore to be higher at load, and passed prime95, later idling they would BSOD as the Vcore was lower than load. Since cheaper boards only have a On/Off setting, you must check that this behaviour isnt present. You need that idle vcore to be just a little higher than load vcore.

Thing is, if that does occur, and having LLC disabled gives a large amount of Vdrop+Droop, then you really dont have any option than to enable LLC, or try your luck with adaptive votlage, but that can be a bit more tricky to get right, especially if the chip is below average.

 

[ekim]

Just assembled my new PC today. Everything went well so far outside that the pc decided to restart 2 times when I first started it. Is this normal? The Asus Bios then told me that it detected a new CPU and I had to went to the bios for some reason. Another thing was Unigine heaven benchmark crashed once for me right after 2 minutes of graphics rendering. It just locked up my PC but it recovered to desktop 1 minute later but within that minute I wasn't able to to anything (alt+F4, Crtl+alt+del...). GPU temperature was at 60 degree Celsius (EVGA GTX 970 SC ACX2)

After that no other game locked up, so I guess this was just a bug?

 

[ACE 1991]

That is correct.
This is more directed to older chips/boards since newer stuff has got around the problem.

What people found was that LLC caused the Vcore to be higher at load, and passed prime95, later idling they would BSOD as the Vcore was lower than load. Since cheaper boards only have a On/Off setting, you must check that this behaviour isnt present. You need that idle vcore to be just a little higher than load vcore.

Thing is, if that does occur, and having LLC disabled gives a large amount of Vdrop+Droop, then you really dont have any option than to enable LLC, or try your luck with adaptive votlage, but that can be a bit more tricky to get right, especially if the chip is below average.

OK, this makes sense! Ill try running the vcore at 1.4 and then go down from there to get a stable 4.4 oc, although maybe I'm better of settling for a lower clock speed if 4.4 means getting close to 1.4v...

 

[kennah]

Mmmm, using the original box wouldn't really work for me - I need to travel by train and bus and a box with no wheels and no top handle isn't really very easy to manage. A padded cooler bag might be OK but I was hoping there might be something more secure that I could get.

Google pelican cases.

 

[drhankmccoyphd]

Need some advice please:

Since a power surge a year ago, my PC has stopped working every few months or so. By stop working, I mean solid red light on CPU and DRAM. No video. I did replace the PSU after the first surge.

All I do is take it apart, clean it, and it will work.

It's happening again, and I'm just tired of it. I don't know if it's the Sabertooth X58 mobo, RAM, CPU (i7-950 pre-sandybridge), or what. I'm thinking I might just buy new stuff, as I have no way to test. I'd get a mobo and CPU from "best overall", but I think my setup is fine.

1. Any suggestions on testing? I've really done everything, but the fact that it will work again throws me off. I have no one around me to test with outside parts.

2. With the new mobo, will 240pin corsair xm3 ram still work? I like What I have and don't really want to have to spend anymore.

Do you live near a micro center? I had a similar issue a few years back and it was like $70 and a couple days for them to test and diagnose my issue. Turned out to be the PSU.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

Deleted

 

[Warnen]

So PC Gaf was thinking about getting a Refurbished Alienware Area 51 R2 with the 25% off coupon it brings it down to $1717.

The config is:
Processor: Intel Core 5th Generation i7-5820K Processor (6-cores, 15MB Cache, Overclocked up to 3.8 GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
Windows 8.1 Pro
128GB 2.5 inch (SATA3) Mobility Solid State Drive
2TB SATA Hard Drive 7200 RPM
16GB Quad Channel DDR4 at 2133MHz
8X DVD +/- RW Drive
4GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980

also has 850watt PSU if I want to go SLI down the line. Only playing in 1080p anyways.


Very close if not less then using similar parts and making it myself and come with a warranty.

Besides the hate on the case (I kinda like it) any reason not to go alienware?

Guess I'll sleep on it and see how I feel in the morning.

 

[Adam Blue]

Does the mobo manual say what the lights mean?

*snip*

Do you live near a micro center? I had a similar issue a few years back and it was like $70 and a couple days for them to test and diagnose my issue. Turned out to be the PSU.

Thanks guys - I realized I had a computer hooked up to my XM29 that has compatible RAM. I put it in, and still nothing. So, I'm assuming its my mobo. I didn't see anything in the manual to explain the solid red light. But searching around has led to it pretty much meaning it's dead.

I figure I could by a second-hand x58, but they are still pretty pricey. Any reasonably priced LGA 1366 mobos out there currently? If I'm gonna pay as much as an X58 costs right now, I might as well do a whole new build.

 

[opticalmace]

If anyone is looking for a reasonably-priced GTX 980 ($475) or an R9 290 ($230), take a look at my post on the Buy/Sell/Trade thread. Shoot me a pm if interested. Thanks!

http://m.neogaf.com/showpost.php?p=161578201

Not to be a dickbutt but you posted the same thing in this thread yesterday.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

Not to be a dickbutt but you posted the same thing in this thread yesterday.

True - I've deleted my post.

 

[iqubal]

What's a good affordable CPU case, that sits on its side like a console and can fit a gtx 670? I've been looking at some, but i want one the size of say a ps4 with good cooling?

Thanks!

 

[kennah]

What's a good affordable CPU case, that sits on its side like a console and can fit a gtx 670? I've been looking at some, but i want one the size of say a ps4 with good cooling?

Thanks!

What size mother board? Any other info?

 

[iqubal]

What size mother board? Any other info?

Sorry should have posted details

Motherboard: GIGABYTE 78LMT-USB3 AMD760G
http://www.ncix.com/detail/gigabyte-78lmt-usb3-amd760g-matx-am3-f6-75286-1611.htm

CPU AMD FX-6300 Six Core 3.5
CPu cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Direct (if I'm able to and i'm running the stock with no overclocking)
Ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

Hope thats enough. thx!

Edit: I was also looking at the alienware alpha i5 model instead lol.

 

[Quote]

So i've been looking for a gaming mouse, that will also work on my Mac without much issue and picked up a Logitech G502. Ugh, I did not like that mouse all. The braiding on the cable was fraying out of the box, the scrolling felt cheap, and I felt the tracking was weird. So I returned it.

I know people swear by the DeathAdder, but I always hated the green, and they're kind of tacky, but Best Buy had the Chroma for $60 so I picked it up. Holy shit, its a night and day difference. It feels a lot more solid, the cable/braiding is higher quality, the tracking is smooth and it changes colors (though, I wish there was more control on the cycling setting). The only down side is I wish I could have just 1 more button for Mission Control, but whatever.

I was thinking about picking up the Logitech 302, but I'm really happy with this pick.

 

[Stuggernaut]

So my build is just over 2 years old now... I am having ZERO problems with it (thanks mkenyon!) but I know soon I will want to consider upgrades. Thing is, outside of vid card, no idea if I should be upgrading other stuff yet?

Current Build;

CPU: Intel I5 3570K Quad 3.4ghz
MB: MSI Z77 LGA 1155
VID: Gigabyte GTX 670 2gb 256-bit GDDR5
CASE: Fractal Define R4 Titanium
RAM: Corsair 2x4GB DDR3 1600
HD: Seagate 1TB 7200 Drive
SSD: Crucial M4 256gb
PWR: Corsair H60

 

[knitoe]

So my build is just over 2 years old now... I am having ZERO problems with it (thanks mkenyon!) but I know soon I will want to consider upgrades. Thing is, outside of vid card, no idea if I should be upgrading other stuff yet?

Current Build;

CPU: Intel I5 3570K Quad 3.4ghz
MB: MSI Z77 LGA 1155
VID: Gigabyte GTX 670 2gb 256-bit GDDR5
CASE: Fractal Define R4 Titanium
RAM: Corsair 2x4GB DDR3 1600
HD: Seagate 1TB 7200 Drive
SSD: Crucial M4 256gb
PWR: Corsair H60

For now, just overclock the CPU and get a new video card. Maybe, when DX12 comes out, 6 / 8 core CPUs will perform much better.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

So my build is just over 2 years old now... I am having ZERO problems with it (thanks mkenyon!) but I know soon I will want to consider upgrades. Thing is, outside of vid card, no idea if I should be upgrading other stuff yet?

Current Build;

CPU: Intel I5 3570K Quad 3.4ghz
MB: MSI Z77 LGA 1155
VID: Gigabyte GTX 670 2gb 256-bit GDDR5
CASE: Fractal Define R4 Titanium
RAM: Corsair 2x4GB DDR3 1600
HD: Seagate 1TB 7200 Drive
SSD: Crucial M4 256gb
PWR: Corsair H60

See if you can overclock your CPU (have good cooling?) and get a new video card, and you should be good for a while longer. I have a very similar setup, btw. I have 980s currently and my 3570k is at 4.5ghz, otherwise we're almost identical.

 

[kennah]

Sorry should have posted details

Motherboard: GIGABYTE 78LMT-USB3 AMD760G
http://www.ncix.com/detail/gigabyte-78lmt-usb3-amd760g-matx-am3-f6-75286-1611.htm

CPU AMD FX-6300 Six Core 3.5
CPu cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Direct (if I'm able to and i'm running the stock with no overclocking)
Ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

Hope thats enough. thx!

Edit: I was also looking at the alienware alpha i5 model instead lol.

You won't find anything ps4 sized. Need itx motherboard for something like that. Node 605 is a beautiful case for any entertainment unit. Silverstone makes a lot of good cases in a similar form factor.

 

[Stuggernaut]

Good cooling yes, and when mkenyon first built it for me he had it clocked stable at 4.4ghz, I messed with it since then and was not comfortable setting it back up (yes I am dumb for messing with it in the first place).

Thanks for the tips

 

[iqubal]

You won't find anything ps4 sized. Need itx motherboard for something like that. Node 605 is a beautiful case for any entertainment unit. Silverstone makes a lot of good cases in a similar form factor.

That node looks pretty sweet. Ok i'll get that lol! thanks!

 

[Mystic654]

My setup

CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor
Motherboard: Asus RAMPAGE V EXTREME EATX LGA2011-3
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital Black 4TB ( x3)
Videocard: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan X 12GB Video Card
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos II (Black) ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX
Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
Monitor: Asus ROG SWIFT PG278Q (Hoping Asus fixed all problems)
Mouse: Logitech G910 Orion Spark Wired Gaming Keyboard
Keyboard: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse
OS: Windows 10 (Windows 7 Pro or windows 8 temporary)

I want to add a water cooling to my system. I never done one, I was wonder what parts( like how many radiators and kind) I would need for my setup and what company to get it from (Koolance, EK, XSPC, etc...).

Anyone have a step by step guide for water cooling?

Small note I might switch to corsair 900d case.

 

[EmptySpace]

again, i know i have been here more than a couple of times.

my only problem with starting to build a pc is that it seems like in recent years, there hasn't been a leap in terms of innovation and it's almost always as if we're always at the tail end of the architecture.

not to add the fact that even cards from just two years ago are seeing the end of their run, as games requirements are getting more ridiculous than ever.

also, that nvidia roadmap isn't helping. i was going to build a pc until they moved their release schedules and released more maxwell and moved volta to introduce pascal.

my question is, should i build a pc now or should i wait until amd releases their next gpu? i heard amd is going to release their new gpu very, very soon, but the lack of information really drives me crazy. i don't want to be building a pc only for a better gpu to come out after a couple of months. i know, i know, what a dilemma. i just don't want to throw $1000+ (canadian) and be playing on medium settings 30 fps two years down the line, without even a fast, hassle-free way of trading in parts to get credit towards newer parts.

 

[SRG01]

again, i know i have been here more than a couple of times.

my only problem with starting to build a pc is that it seems like in recent years, there hasn't been a leap in terms of innovation and it's almost always as if we're always at the tail end of the architecture.

not to add the fact that even cards from just two years ago are seeing the end of their run, as games requirements are getting more ridiculous than ever.

also, that nvidia roadmap isn't helping. i was going to build a pc until they moved their release schedules and released more maxwell and moved volta to introduce pascal.

my question is, should i build a pc now or should i wait until amd releases their next gpu? i heard amd is going to release their new gpu very, very soon, but the lack of information really drives me crazy. i don't want to be building a pc only for a better gpu to come out after a couple of months. i know, i know, what a dilemma. i just don't want to throw $1000+ (canadian) and be playing on medium settings 30 fps two years down the line, without even a fast, hassle-free way of trading in parts to get credit towards newer parts.

On the CPU side, if the Skylake benches are true, and that's a very big if, you should wait until it releases. Insofar as the graphics cards go, there'll probably more information around the time Skylake releases to make your choice

 

[Jimrpg]

So i've been looking for a gaming mouse, that will also work on my Mac without much issue and picked up a Logitech G502. Ugh, I did not like that mouse all. The braiding on the cable was fraying out of the box, the scrolling felt cheap, and I felt the tracking was weird. So I returned it.

I know people swear by the DeathAdder, but I always hated the green, and they're kind of tacky, but Best Buy had the Chroma for $60 so I picked it up. Holy shit, its a night and day difference. It feels a lot more solid, the cable/braiding is higher quality, the tracking is smooth and it changes colors (though, I wish there was more control on the cycling setting). The only down side is I wish I could have just 1 more button for Mission Control, but whatever.

I was thinking about picking up the Logitech 302, but I'm really happy with this pick.

I just got the DeathAdder as well, but I got it in the classic (blue). Its a great mouse, its a little big for my small hand but other than that, everything else about it feels great. The tracking is way better than all those cheap mice found in Logitech/MS keyboard/mouse combo sets I used to use.

 

[NG28]

How much better is dual channel ram as opposed to single? I got 1 8gb stick thinking there's no difference and incase I wanted to get another in future, but that's probably unlikely to happen. Should I return and get 2x4 or is difference negligible?

 

[RGM79]

How much better is dual channel ram as opposed to single? I got 1 8gb stick thinking there's no difference and incase I wanted to get another in future, but that's probably unlikely to happen. Should I return and get 2x4 or is difference negligible?

Gamersnexus and a user on Reddit found no differences for games. You'll see a difference in synthetic benchmarks that test RAM, but those wouldn't really be indicative of real-world performance or daily use.

I'm not sure if there are any games that will actually see a performance boost with dual channel as opposed to single channel. The VRAM on graphics card matters more, and if the game had to access system RAM to store visual game assets instead, it'd be a slowdown regardless of dual or single channel RAM installed. I am pretty comfortable recommending 1x8GB when it comes to compact PC builds with motherboards that only have two RAM slots.

RAM performance matters more if you're using integrated graphics though, including AMD APUs.. In that case you may prefer dual channel (and higher speed and lower latency) to squeeze as much performance out of IGP as possible because of the lack of dedicated VRAM. This youtube video is by no means conclusive (it's done on a laptop, etc), but it would indicate that single channel makes a sizable difference.

 

[NG28]

Gamersnexus and a user on Reddit found no differences for games. You'll see a difference in synthetic benchmarks that test RAM, but those wouldn't really be indicative of real-world performance or daily use.

I'm not sure if there are any games that will actually see a performance boost with dual channel as opposed to single channel. The VRAM on graphics card matters more, and if the game had to access system RAM to store visual game assets instead, it'd be a slowdown regardless of dual or single channel RAM installed. I am pretty comfortable recommending 1x8GB when it comes to compact PC builds with motherboards that only have two RAM slots

Wow thanks for the info! Good to hear, store I purchased from is pretty far away.

 

[potam]

Just did a quick and dirty part selection, using a 980 as a placeholder. ~$1800. Not sure if I can stomach that cost, especially since I'll be using my plasma as the monitor (new apartment has virtually no room for a desk). I guess I'll start setting aside a lil bit of money every month, and hopefully I'll have enough stashed away by the time Skylake comes out that it will essentially already be paid for.

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

Anyone pick up the new MX Master, yet? Impressions?

 

[m_shortpants]

I put this together based on the build in the OP.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nk8VTW

Is there anything there that should go? Or could be cheaper? Or anything which looks completely wrong? That build was updated as of November, is there anything that should be updated?