A 980 provides so little over a 970 or 290 or 290x. Get any one of those instead, and use the extra cash for a bigger SSD. That's $200-$300 extra for a 980 for what, 8%-15% better?
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"I Need a New PC!" 2015 Part 1. Read the OP and RISE ABOVE FORGED PRECISION SCIENCE
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A 980 provides so little over a 970 or 290 or 290x. Get any one of those instead, and use the extra cash for a bigger SSD. That's $200-$300 extra for a 980 for what, 8%-15% better?
Thanks, I will pass on the information. It will be up to him in the end.
Yeah, normally I agree with that, but the GTX 980 happened to fill up the budget limit perfectly. He could definitely opt for an GTX 970 and R9 290 and maybe go with a larger SSD or i7 4790K instead.
Hey guys.
Quick question for you wizards. Building a PC, and buying a z87 board with a haswell refresh cpu.
How do I update the BIOS? To be noted i'm building it from scratch, my only other windows machine is a surface pro. Never updated a bios before.
On the mobos website it sorts of hints i would need to use their software to update the bios but that means the PC needs to be running in the first place.
this is the mobo
http://eu.msi.com/product/mb/Z87I_AC.html#hero-overview
Quick question for you wizards. Building a PC, and buying a z87 board with a haswell refresh cpu.
How do I update the BIOS? To be noted i'm building it from scratch, my only other windows machine is a surface pro. Never updated a bios before.
On the mobos website it sorts of hints i would need to use their software to update the bios but that means the PC needs to be running in the first place.
this is the mobo
http://eu.msi.com/product/mb/Z87I_AC.html#hero-overview
If you just want the OS you might as well install just that. Use Ninite where possible to easily get your most used software re-installed.
BolognaOni
Member
Do you need to update the bios right away (or at all)?
Unless there is some terrible incompatibility with something you should be able to get the machine running without a bios update, at which point you can use their software if you need to update it.
I really don't know. All i know is something abour z87 boards requiring bios updates for haswell refresh
Edit
And these pqtch notes for the bios
Improved RAID card compatibility.
- Improve memory compatibility.
- Updated VBIOS and GOP Driver.
- Supported Haswell-Refresh CPU.
Note You must use one of the following methods to update this BIOS.
- Use MFlash to update "BIOS + ME"
- Use MSI LiveUpdate
An already compatible CPU is needed to be able to update the BIOS in order to support newer CPUs. Z87 doesn't have support for Haswell Refresh by default, which is why we usually recommend you buy Z97 instead if possible. You will need to borrow an older Haswell CPU from someone to do the BIOS update or hope that the motherboard already came from the factory with a new enough BIOS version to support the Haswell Refresh CPU you are buying.
BolognaOni
Member
Yep that would qualify as a terrible incompatibility... Unless you're absolutely stuck with that MB/CPU combo I'd try to find something that works out of the box, otherwise as mentioned, you're going to have to find a compatible CPU to get the board to boot.
Quote
Member
Whats up with the EVGA Stinger motherboard? I noticed that it went out of stock everywhere about week ago and hasn't been restocked since? Are they discontinuing it or high demand?
insane0hflex
Member
Hey all, getting ready to pull the trigger on my first build - I'd love to hear some thoughts on it:
Also, I'm mostly following the "Excellent - Best Overall" build from Haz/OP
Case: Phantek Enthoo Pro - worried about how parts will all fit in nicely. Anyone else with a build similar to mine with this same case?
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD5H LGA 1150 Intel Z97
CPU: i4690k
GPU: MSI GTX970
RAM: GSkill 2x4 GB
PSU: Seasonic 550W G series GOLD
CPU fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Storage: 500 GB Crucial SSD
I'm not sure if I will overclock right away...so I'm thinking on using the stock fan for a bit(I live in cold place). Can I just remove the stock fan whenever I want and place the Cooler Master fan on it? Probably a stupid question - but would the thermal pase/conductivity from CPU to heatsink get messed up?
Also, I'm mostly following the "Excellent - Best Overall" build from Haz/OP
Case: Phantek Enthoo Pro - worried about how parts will all fit in nicely. Anyone else with a build similar to mine with this same case?
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD5H LGA 1150 Intel Z97
CPU: i4690k
GPU: MSI GTX970
RAM: GSkill 2x4 GB
PSU: Seasonic 550W G series GOLD
CPU fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Storage: 500 GB Crucial SSD
I'm not sure if I will overclock right away...so I'm thinking on using the stock fan for a bit(I live in cold place). Can I just remove the stock fan whenever I want and place the Cooler Master fan on it? Probably a stupid question - but would the thermal pase/conductivity from CPU to heatsink get messed up?
Don't buy a 500GB hdd unless you're a masochist.
And why would you do that? Just install the 212 evo right away, there's no logical reason not to.
insane0hflex
Member
Its a 500GB SSD, is that too much space for an SSD?
Also, the GTX 970 needs PCI 6 and 6+2 pin. My PSU has two 6+2pins - will that work?
It's still 500gb. I wouldn't recommend it if you're gonna put games on it. I would go for a 250gb SSD plus a 1 or 2 tb hdd.
No problems.
Don't listen to that guy. 500 gig SSD is fine. Add another SSD later when you run out of room. I'm transitioning my systems to SSD only.
opticalmace
Member
I concur. I got a 512GB MX100 at the end of last year and it is fab-u-lous. No looking back for spinning rust.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
Yeah, I wouldn't waste the money on the HDD personally. At the rate prices are falling, unless you have a ton of media like movies/music I'd just get the SSD. By the time it's fully in a year or so prices will have gone down even further, or you can wait to get another SSD on a good sale.
insane0hflex
Member
Thanks guys for the feedback. I do have an external 1 TB for storage if really necessary.
One last question before I buy - any recommendations on RAM? I was thinking of getting G.Skill Sniper 2x4GB DDR3 1866Mhz ram, but the Newegg specification page says its compatible with LGA 1155?
But, according to light googling, looks like I can still use it on the LGA 1150 socket Motherboard fine?
Again, some noob questions, but thanks for the help!
One last question before I buy - any recommendations on RAM? I was thinking of getting G.Skill Sniper 2x4GB DDR3 1866Mhz ram, but the Newegg specification page says its compatible with LGA 1155?
But, according to light googling, looks like I can still use it on the LGA 1150 socket Motherboard fine?
Again, some noob questions, but thanks for the help!
I have 2 SSDs in my machine. My second one, a 750GB Samsung, only has about 200GB left after Witcher 3 preload ;_;
The moar space the better
balladofwindfishes
Member
I haven't changed my PC since 2011 and it's not really able to run the same stuff it used to very well at all and I want to play newer games.
I have
- 500W Power Supply
- This graphics card
- Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge
- 1TB HDD
- This Mother Board
- 4gb of RAM
- A case
- Monitor/Keyboard/Mouse/CD Drive
- I don't have a Windows license I could transfer easily. I got this copy of Win 7 through my college and no longer have access to renew the license if I make any major changes that would require re-authing.
My budget is 500-600 dollars if that's enough?
I imagine I can re-use the case and the HDD, but not much else.
I have
- 500W Power Supply
- This graphics card
- Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge
- 1TB HDD
- This Mother Board
- 4gb of RAM
- A case
- Monitor/Keyboard/Mouse/CD Drive
- I don't have a Windows license I could transfer easily. I got this copy of Win 7 through my college and no longer have access to renew the license if I make any major changes that would require re-authing.
My budget is 500-600 dollars if that's enough?
I imagine I can re-use the case and the HDD, but not much else.
I accidentally bought 2 and rather than return 1, I'm using both in a RAID 0 configuration. It's nice.
adamantypants
Member
Add more ram then put the rest toward a new GPU. If you haven't overclocked that CPU you really should.
Is it worth pairing an i5 2500k Sandy Bridge CPU with a GTX 970 at this point?
I built my PC in 2012 when the Witcher 2 came out, and now I'm either going to upgrade my GPU from a 560ti or buy a PS4 for the Witcher 3 and Metal Gear Solid 5.
I would probably prefer the PC to remain my primary gaming platform to take advantage of Steam sales, but I'm worried that my CPU might remain enough of a bottleneck it would make more sense to jump to the PS4.
I built my PC in 2012 when the Witcher 2 came out, and now I'm either going to upgrade my GPU from a 560ti or buy a PS4 for the Witcher 3 and Metal Gear Solid 5.
I would probably prefer the PC to remain my primary gaming platform to take advantage of Steam sales, but I'm worried that my CPU might remain enough of a bottleneck it would make more sense to jump to the PS4.
Yo,
My CPU temps have begun to rocket up to idling at a stupid 55-60C. Gaming and even watching videos goes up to 60-73 (shiet). I can't even game anymore because of overheating.
I've noticed that my fan will start to freak out, and the resource monitor shows that games are using a good chunk of my CPU.
I've reseated the heat sink and reapplied thermal paste all day, but it seems to boot up with 50C+ temps off the bat.
I'm assuming the heat sink has gone bad right? A new replacement should go back to normal (30-40) idle readings?
My CPU is an AMD Phenom II X6 1090T.
My CPU temps have begun to rocket up to idling at a stupid 55-60C. Gaming and even watching videos goes up to 60-73 (shiet). I can't even game anymore because of overheating.
I've noticed that my fan will start to freak out, and the resource monitor shows that games are using a good chunk of my CPU.
I've reseated the heat sink and reapplied thermal paste all day, but it seems to boot up with 50C+ temps off the bat.
I'm assuming the heat sink has gone bad right? A new replacement should go back to normal (30-40) idle readings?
My CPU is an AMD Phenom II X6 1090T.
balladofwindfishes
Member
That's it? Any suggestions for a graphics card? Would I need better cooling?
Possible malware? I've seen stuff like bitcoin miners eat up your CPU constantly, like if you check task manager, CPU usage will in the 90 percents while idle.
EDIT: Do you use by any chance use Malwarebytes? If so, try disabling Malicious Website Protection.
opticalmace
Member
OC your 2500k to 4Ghz+ if you haven't already. It's still insanely relevant in 2015. All you need to do is buy a new GPU and you'll have a very capable rig.
SirMossyBloke
Member
Hey guys, I've just started to dabble into over clocking my GPU, a gtx 970. I followed a YouTube guide on doing this and so far everything is going great. My question though is how long should I keep the benchmark running to test? I've been running the Unigine benchmark 1.0 now with my OC settings for about 30 minutes with no sign of issues. Should this be long enough?
Not sure if it's malware, I have Avast antivirus. Should I try a scan with Malwarebytes?
Hey guys,
So I'm thinking of upgrading my video card. My system currently is as follows:
CPU: i7-2600 (non-k because I was a fool and didn't realize what that extra 25 bucks allotted me...)
RAM: 16gb ddr3 1333mhz
mobo: Intel® Desktop Board DH67CL
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 FTW 4GB
SSD: Samsung EVO840 500gb
HDD: two 1TB Western Digital Black Drives
It's starting to struggle on high and ultra settings on a lot of newer games. I was thinking about upgrading the the gtx980, but I was hearing rumors of the 980ti coming out soon and likely driving down the price of the regular 980's down some.
This is the card I was looking at buying
As for the cpu, I don't see too much of a reason to upgrade it at the moment aside from getting a k version, so I guess really I'm only looking to swap out the gpu for the moment.
I guess I'm curious if it's a worthwhile upgrade or if I should hold out for the 980ti's and the possible 980 price drop
So I'm thinking of upgrading my video card. My system currently is as follows:
CPU: i7-2600 (non-k because I was a fool and didn't realize what that extra 25 bucks allotted me...)
RAM: 16gb ddr3 1333mhz
mobo: Intel® Desktop Board DH67CL
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 FTW 4GB
SSD: Samsung EVO840 500gb
HDD: two 1TB Western Digital Black Drives
It's starting to struggle on high and ultra settings on a lot of newer games. I was thinking about upgrading the the gtx980, but I was hearing rumors of the 980ti coming out soon and likely driving down the price of the regular 980's down some.
This is the card I was looking at buying
As for the cpu, I don't see too much of a reason to upgrade it at the moment aside from getting a k version, so I guess really I'm only looking to swap out the gpu for the moment.
I guess I'm curious if it's a worthwhile upgrade or if I should hold out for the 980ti's and the possible 980 price drop
exmachina64
Banned
Same, I just added a 512GB MX200 several weeks ago. Wish I had known the 1TB 850 Evo was going to be on sale and within my budget though.
eBay Huckster
Member
yeah, those sticks should definitely work on LGA 1150 motherboards
I'm pretty sure G.Skill Ares RAM is slightly lower-end (if not basically the same) and my 2x8GB 1866 sticks of that work (and OC) perfectly
Buy a used or refurbished Steelcase for the price of that DXRacer and never look back. any model really, they seem to share the important ergonomic principles.
I owned a Markus in the past in an office setting, it's comfortable but I didn't find it very good for alleviating back pain, Steelcase lumbar support on the other hand is immediate relief for my back.
Quote
Member
Lets say I dropped my mini-PC dream with the Fractal Node 304. If I decided to go with a Fractal R4, is there a particular must-have motherboard around $100-130 for a 4790k?
Am I going to see crazy benefits going from ITX to a mid ATX board? For context, I was looking at the ITX EVGA Stinger w/ Wifi.
Am I going to see crazy benefits going from ITX to a mid ATX board? For context, I was looking at the ITX EVGA Stinger w/ Wifi.
The advantages of ATX over ITX is that your case will be roomier and you will have more options for your parts. You have more choice over the type of CPU cooler, if you get a full ATX board you can do things like Crossfire or SLI your graphics cards. Also some longer graphics cards may not fit into the ITX case which may mean you have to settle for a lower performing card.
Well, there goes my budget. z97 mobos be overpriced and shit...
Chinbo37
Member
I dont think you can say that z87 dosnt support haswell refresh by default.
I think it depends on which z87 board you are getting and when it was sold. It depends what is the Bios that is included on your board.
I helped a friend with a build and he used a Asus z87 with 4790k. I read on some reveiwes that some people had issues where their CPU wasnt working and they needed to update the bios. But my friend had no such issues.
My bet would be to try and figure out which BIOS is coming with your board before you try to redo your build.
I see a contradiction here. Lol
I have 2 SSDs in my machine. My second one, a 750GB Samsung, only has about 200GB left after Witcher 3 preload ;_;
The moar space the better
If you don't mind me asking, can you clarify some details like whether or not you already bought the parts and what country are you in? How were you able to afford the Z87 motherboard but not be able to return it and get another Z97 model motherboard? Is the Z87 motherboard used? Were you able to check the Z87 motherboard's BIOS version? It may be printed on the outside of the box or on a sticker on the box or even on the motherboard itself.
You didn't say what processor you get getting. You said it was Haswell Refresh.. did you mean a K model processor? What processor exactly were you thinking of getting?
Is there a reason why you don't want the OEM version? The OEM version is usually cheaper, that's all.
Chinbo37
Member
I think He was referring to the Devils Canyon CPUs. Some z87 Bios dont support them out of the box without a bios update.
No, Z87 models can lack support out of the box for Haswell Refresh as well. Haswell Refresh was launched nearly a year after Z87 motherboards first appeared, and not all of the Haswell refresh lineup launched at the same time. You can see here that basic Haswell Refresh support began with BIOS version 16 but the full HR product line wasn't covered until BIOS version 18.
Chinbo37
Member
I think we are talking abotu the same thing. The Haswell refresh was called Devils Canyon
http://wccftech.com/intel-haswell-r...nching-mid-2014-unlocked-design-improved-tim/
We are probably talking about the same thing. Technically, Devil's Canyon is the name for the overclockable K models in the Haswell Refresh line, whereas Haswell Refresh is the entire product line that includes non-overclockable processors, of course.
By "Haswell Refresh", he could have been referring to one of several different processors. I wanted to ask him exactly which processor he was getting so we could figure out exactly what he is trying to work with.
Mate you're a guru.
I'm in the UK. I haven't bought the components yet, but I'm planning to get them in the coming month.
The Z87 was a good but insanely cheap mini itx mobo from MSI but I was going to pair it with either a i3 4160 or a i5 4460 (for the time being). I wasn't able to check the bios as I would've bought it from Amazon, and I was hoping I could update it by booting it up into bios.
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