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[Chance Hale]

DDR3 1600
Timing 10-10-10-27

And while I could technically buy one of those, it'd be irresponsible in conjunction with a second monitor

 

[thespot84]

so after running my 4770k at stock for a year because it's shit silicon i decided to start paying attention to temps and OC again. At any OC i was maxing out and throttling playing bf4, so I went back to stock, and I'm still throttling at 98C during BF4. This is on an h100i. I reseated the cooler, got my idle a little lower (down to 25c at max fan) but I still max out the chip almost instantly under heavy load, bf4 or prime95. I ordered new thermal paste, but I can't imagine that's it. Thoughts?

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

so after running my 4770k at stock for a year because it's shit silicon i decided to start paying attention to temps and OC again. At any OC i was maxing out and throttling playing bf4, so I went back to stock, and I'm still throttling at 98C during BF4. This is on an h100i. I reseated the cooler, got my idle a little lower (down to 25c at max fan) but I still max out the chip almost instantly under heavy load, bf4 or prime95. I ordered new thermal paste, but I can't imagine that's it. Thoughts?

What is your temp under load at stock? That is way too high.

 

[RGM79]

DDR3 1600
Timing 10-10-10-27

And while I could technically buy one of those, it'd be irresponsible in conjunction with a second monitor

It's $66 for a stick of 8GB G.Skill DDR3-1600 CAS 10. What brand and model of RAM is it? Maybe there's a matching model I can find for you.

so after running my 4770k at stock for a year because it's shit silicon i decided to start paying attention to temps and OC again. At any OC i was maxing out and throttling playing bf4, so I went back to stock, and I'm still throttling at 98C during BF4. This is on an h100i. I reseated the cooler, got my idle a little lower (down to 25c at max fan) but I still max out the chip almost instantly under heavy load, bf4 or prime95. I ordered new thermal paste, but I can't imagine that's it. Thoughts?

Motherboard model? Overclock settings? Maybe just tell us your system specs.

Apparently there is a bit of an issue with some Corsair water coolers. The issue with the way the backplate and mounting is designed as well as thinner motherboard PCB can result in a loose mounting even when the CPU pump unit is tightened down all the way. It may not be even apparent that the pump unit is tightly secured enough.

Loose mounting means a lack of proper CPU-to-cooling surface contact and temperatures could be high as a result. Apparently fiddling with the backplate mounting can help, or using washers with the backplate to ensure a tighter fit. See the threads below for more information.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2342677
http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/162n9y/a_warning_about_the_corsair_h100i_cpu_cooler/

 

[thespot84]

It's $66 for a stick of 8GB G.Skill DDR3-1600 CAS 10. What brand and model of RAM is it? Maybe there's a matching model I can find for you.



Motherboard model? Overclock settings? Maybe just tell us your system specs.

Apparently there is a bit of an issue with some Corsair water coolers. The issue with the way the backplate and mounting is designed as well as thinner motherboard PCB can result in a loose mounting even when the CPU pump unit is tightened down all the way. It may not be even apparent that the pump unit is tightly secured enough.

Loose mounting means a lack of proper CPU-to-cooling surface contact and temperatures could be high as a result. Apparently fiddling with the backplate mounting can help, or using washers with the backplate to ensure a tighter fit. See the threads below for more information.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2342677
http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/162n9y/a_warning_about_the_corsair_h100i_cpu_cooler/

I'll check it out. there was thermal past on the mounting brackets that lock the chip in place, they seem to be at or above the top of the IHS.

4770k
Gigabyte z87x UDH4
h100i
gigabyte gtx 770 windforce
16gb g.skill sniper 2133 (currently clocked at 1600 without an xmpp profile)

 

[Chance Hale]

It's $66 for a stick of 8GB G.Skill DDR3-1600 CAS 10. What brand and model of RAM is it? Maybe there's a matching model I can find for you.

Found the pcpartpicker in my email so this is the stick I have. Bought it close to three years ago so I'd forgotten. I admit to not really understanding the differences in ram speeds so I wasn't sure whether it was worth upgrading all together or just to add another stick.

 

[RGM79]

Found the pcpartpicker in my email so this is the stick I have. Bought it close to three years ago so I'd forgotten. I admit to not really understanding the differences in ram speeds so I wasn't sure whether it was worth upgrading all together or just to add another stick.

Well, that depends on how much you want to spend. If you don't mind mismatching looks then the G.Skill RAM is the cheapest at $66 and has the least hassle. You could buy back the same Corsair RAM in the Newegg link, it's $70 after a $20 rebate. Or you could spring for new faster RAM and replace the old RAM altogether. Newegg has 16GB of G.Skill DDR3-2133 for $126.

RAM speed doesn't matter too much. As Anandtech puts it, RAM speed is less important than other details like the amount of RAM or how it's set up and it does depend on what you're doing with the computer. Still, 1333MHz and 1600MHz are pretty old now and it's easy to find 1866MHz or higher speed memory for a decent price. So for new computer builds I'd recommend going with 1866MHz or better, but for adding extra RAM to PCs that already have older RAM, it's fine to get 1600MHz.

 

[Chance Hale]

I don't care about visual discrepancies between sticks, rarely look through my case's window. How much of a difference will 16 GBs of the faster ram make in general use and gaming compared to 16 of what I have now? I mean, is there any real benefit or should I do that in a few years when we are all using DDR4?

Edit: Upon posting the article you edited in showed up. Thanks!

 

[Dalius]

Hello pcGAF. I'm trying to decide whether it's worth upgrading my GPU now or just wait for the new Intel CPUs drop and build a brand new box. My current rig is from April 2011 (when SB finally shipped after months of delays). Main purpose is gaming at 1920x1080 (would like to get into downsampling) and occasional video editing/rendering. Here are the current specs:

OS: Windows 8.1 Pro
CPU: Intel i7 2600K @ 4Ghz
GPU: eVGA GTX 580 1.5GB
RAM: Corsair DDR3 8GB
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 Deluxe
SSD: OCZ Vertex3 128GB
HDD: Western Digital Blue 2TB
PSU: Silverstone Strider Gold 1000W
Sound: On-board
Heatsink: Some 3rd party one, can't remember the name :S
Case: Cooler Master HAF X

I was thinking of upgrading from the 580 to the 970. However, my mobo only has PCIe 2.0 while the 970 supports 3.0. Would using the 970 with my current mobo be 'less effective' in some way compared to a mobo with PCIe 3.0? If so, I'll probably just hold off a bit longer until I build a brand new box.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

Hello pcGAF. I'm trying to decide whether it's worth upgrading my GPU now or just wait for the new Intel CPUs drop and build a brand new box. My current rig is from April 2011 (when SB finally shipped after months of delays). Main purpose is gaming at 1920x1080 (would like to get into downsampling) and occasional video editing/rendering. Here are the current specs:



I was thinking of upgrading from the 580 to the 970. However, my mobo only has PCIe 2.0 while the 970 supports 3.0. Would using the 970 with my current mobo be 'less effective' in some way compared to a mobo with PCIe 3.0? If so, I'll probably just hold off a bit longer until I build a brand new box.

Not an issue, buy a 970 now and you are golden, rest of specs look good. Maybe clock that cpu a bit higher if the heatsink still works well to cool it.

 

[RGM79]

I don't care about visual discrepancies between sticks, rarely look through my case's window. How much of a difference will 16 GBs of the faster ram make in general use and gaming compared to 16 of what I have now? I mean, is there any real benefit or should I do that in a few years when we are all using DDR4?

Edit: Upon posting the article you edited in showed up. Thanks!

DDR4 also varies in speed, but whether you should get faster DDR3 memory now or wait for DDR4 depends on how long you plan to keep using your existing PC.

If you think you'll keep it for maybe 2 or more years then I'd consider the faster DDR3. If you are planning to build a new PC in a year or less, then just get the $66 8GB G.Skill RAM or hold off on spending now and just wait for this year's Intel processors and motherboards, hopefully DDR4 will take off when Intel launches the new Skylake platform.

Hello pcGAF. I'm trying to decide whether it's worth upgrading my GPU now or just wait for the new Intel CPUs drop and build a brand new box. My current rig is from April 2011 (when SB finally shipped after months of delays). Main purpose is gaming at 1920x1080 (would like to get into downsampling) and occasional video editing/rendering.

I was thinking of upgrading from the 580 to the 970. However, my mobo only has PCIe 2.0 while the 970 supports 3.0. Would using the 970 with my current mobo be 'less effective' in some way compared to a mobo with PCIe 3.0? If so, I'll probably just hold off a bit longer until I build a brand new box.

It makes very minor, unnoticeable difference on the order of less than 5%.

While we recommend using the latest PCI-E revision whenever possible, if your motherboard or video card only supports PCI-E 2.0 our results show that this really is not a problem. At the same time, if you want to install a sound card into your Z87 system but doing so would limit your video card to x8 speeds, that is also not a very big problem. At most you may see ~1.5 FPS drop in performance, but that change is so small that it is very unlikely to ever be noticeable.

With real-world gameplay performance advantages under 10% it doesn't change the actual gameplay experience. It in no way allows us to improve in-game quality settings nor does it give us any advantages over the PCIe 2.0 system. As we've stated previously in this evaluation, the technical performance advantages are "benchmarkable" but not relating to the gameplay experience..

..So do not fret if you are on a Sandy Bridge PCI Express 2.0 system, you aren't missing out on a bunch of performance compared to an Ivy Bridge PCI Express 3.0 system. Most of our readers will likely benefit from higher CPU overclocks on Sandy Bridge anyway if you are truly pushing the CPU clock and this alone will likely negate any "advantages" from PCIe 3.0 or Ivy Bridge IPC when it comes to real-world gaming scenarios. PCIe 3.0 is a great evolution, one day it may actually support a better gameplay experience compared to PCIe 2.0, but that day is not today.

 

[RGM79]

Accidental double post.

 

[Seanspeed]

So my computer has been running strangely slow lately. Especially going online, loading pages and whatnot.

I've done a full Malwarebytes scan, computer is perfectly clean.

Done an internet speed test, and I'm fine there.

One thing I found that I don't know if its normal or not - I started up CPU-Z, just checking to see if everything was running as intended, and I looked at the memory page and it said my DRAM was only at 800Mhz. Is that normal for somebody with 1600Mhz RAM? I checked my BIOS and the memory was set correctly as far as I can tell. But the memory running slowly would definitely explain the slowdown...

 

[CSJ]

So my computer has been running strangely slow lately. Especially going online, loading pages and whatnot.

I've done a full Malwarebytes scan, computer is perfectly clean.

Done an internet speed test, and I'm fine there.

One thing I found that I don't know if its normal or not - I started up CPU-Z, just checking to see if everything was running as intended, and I looked at the memory page and it said my DRAM was only at 800Mhz. Is that normal for somebody with 1600Mhz RAM? I checked my BIOS and the memory was set correctly as far as I can tell. But the memory running slowly would definitely explain the slowdown...

DDR memory = double data rate so 800*2.
As for running slow, in task manager and performance tab is the memory or cpu running at higher percentages constantly?

 

[Seanspeed]

DDR memory = double data rate so 800*2.

Ok, was thinking it was probably something like that.

Ugh. I have no idea what the problem is then. Its not just IE, as everything is quite slow through Chrome, too.

As for running slow, in task manager and performance tab is the memory or cpu running at higher percentages constantly?

Nope, that's fine, too.

 

[RGM79]

Ok, was thinking it was probably something like that.

Ugh. I have no idea what the problem is then. Its not just IE, as everything is quite slow through Chrome, too.


Nope, that's fine, too.

What are your PC's specs? Maybe some spring cleaning (reformat and reinstall) is in order.

 

[Seanspeed]

What are your PC's specs? Maybe some spring cleaning (reformat and reinstall) is in order.

3570k
GTX970
MSI Z77A-G45
Windows 7
Corsair Vengeance LP 1600Mhz DDR3
128GB Samsung EVO SSD
1TB WD Blue HDD

The slowdown seems to have been a fairly recent and sudden thing. And I keep my computer pretty cleaned up. Windows 7 was a builder install, so its not like I'm cluttered with bloatware or anything.

The only 'event' I can think that it coincided with was installing Photoshop and Premiere Elements 13 recently, but I don't know how that would cause any issues.

 

[CSJ]

That PC Should be wrecking stuff, is the issue exclusive to internet speeds?
Because my first guess is it is in fact your internet. Tricky one.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

3570k
GTX970
MSI Z77A-G45
Windows 7
Corsair Vengeance LP 1600Mhz DDR3
128GB Samsung EVO SSD
1TB WD Blue HDD

The slowdown seems to have been a fairly recent and sudden thing. And I keep my computer pretty cleaned up. Windows 7 was a builder install, so its not like I'm cluttered with bloatware or anything.

The only 'event' I can think that it coincided with was installing Photoshop and Premiere Elements 13 recently, but I don't know how that would cause any issues.

Maybe check your windows event log and see if there is anything unusual?

 

[Seanspeed]

That PC Should be wrecking stuff, is the issue exclusive to internet speeds?
Because my first guess is it is in fact your internet. Tricky one.

It seems to be mostly an internet thing. Not having any trouble gaming or anything, though I haven't tried anything super demanding in a while.

I dunno. I'll keep fucking around.

 

[Seraph_Nicholas]

Is there an FM2+ chip with an R9 on the horizon? Can't crossfire with the R7 that's on my current processor...

 

[RGM79]

3570k
GTX970
MSI Z77A-G45
Windows 7
Corsair Vengeance LP 1600Mhz DDR3
128GB Samsung EVO SSD
1TB WD Blue HDD

The slowdown seems to have been a fairly recent and sudden thing. And I keep my computer pretty cleaned up. Windows 7 was a builder install, so its not like I'm cluttered with bloatware or anything.

The only 'event' I can think that it coincided with was installing Photoshop and Premiere Elements 13 recently, but I don't know how that would cause any issues.

It seems to be mostly an internet thing. Not having any trouble gaming or anything, though I haven't tried anything super demanding in a while.

I dunno. I'll keep fucking around.

If it's just the internet being slow but speed tests came back normal..

Try resetting modem or router? Doing that can clear up things.

Perhaps it's the DNS server you're using or your DNS settings. A speed test determines how much bandwidth you have in terms of upstream/downstream and megabits per second, many speed testing websites will initiate some kind of file upload and download to measure. However, there is another aspect to web browsing, and that is the domain name server which translates website URLs into IP addresses for servers that your computer can communicate with. Slow or offline DNS means your computer may take a long time or fail to find a webpage to display. Here are some things you can do:

Change your DNS to something like Google's DNS servers, they are usually fast and reliable. If you stop having issues browsing the web after doing this, then it's definitely the DNS. I'll provide instructions if loading websites is difficult or slow, taken from here and revised a bit.

1. Log in to Windows with an Administrator account. If your account doesn’t have Administrator privileges, you may not be able to adjust your DNS server settings.
2. Open the Start menu and select Control Panel.
Note: Windows 7/8 users should simply begin typing “Control panel” while viewing the Start screen/menu. Click Control Panel in the search results to open it.
3.Select Network and Internet, and then Network and Sharing Centre.
4. Select Change adapter settings in the left-hand column.
5. Right-click on your Local Area Connection and select Properties.
6. In the Networking tab, click once on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to highlight it, and then click Properties.
7. Select Use the following DNS server addresses and then enter the following:
Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4
8. Click OK to finish.

Give that a try and see what it does. If it doesn't do anything or makes it worse, you can just unselect the "Use the following DNS server addresses" option and it'll go back to default.

Is there an FM2+ chip with an R9 on the horizon? Can't crossfire with the R7 that's on my current processor...

APU graphics aren't really supposed to be that high end, they only work with certain models because you can't crossfire graphics chipsets of differing power.

What R9 graphics card do you already have? Isn't it already miles better than the APU's integrated R7 graphics?

 

[Seanspeed]

If it's just the internet being slow but speed tests came back normal..

Try resetting modem or router? Doing that can clear up things.

Perhaps it's the DNS server you're using or your DNS settings. A speed test determines how much bandwidth you have in terms of upstream/downstream and megabits per second, many speed testing websites will initiate some kind of file upload and download to measure. However, there is another aspect to web browsing, and that is the domain name server which translates website URLs into IP addresses for servers that your computer can communicate with. Slow or offline DNS means your computer may take a long time or fail to find a webpage to display. Here are some things you can do:

Change your DNS to something like Google's DNS servers, they are usually fast and reliable. If you stop having issues browsing the web after doing this, then it's definitely the DNS. I'll provide instructions if loading websites is difficult or slow, taken from here and revised a bit.

1. Log in to Windows with an Administrator account. If your account doesn’t have Administrator privileges, you may not be able to adjust your DNS server settings.
2. Open the Start menu and select Control Panel.
Note: Windows 7/8 users should simply begin typing “Control panel” while viewing the Start screen/menu. Click Control Panel in the search results to open it.
3.Select Network and Internet, and then Network and Sharing Centre.
4. Select Change adapter settings in the left-hand column.
5. Right-click on your Local Area Connection and select Properties.
6. In the Networking tab, click once on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to highlight it, and then click Properties.
7. Select Use the following DNS server addresses and then enter the following:
Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4
8. Click OK to finish.

Give that a try and see what it does. If it doesn't do anything or makes it worse, you can just unselect the "Use the following DNS server addresses" option and it'll go back to default.

I got it resolved. Resetting the router didn't do anything, but I unpaired, unplugged, replugged and re-paired my Powerline adapters. Everything is back, super fast again.

Thanks for the help, though. And that's useful info to know in the future.

 

[RGM79]

I got it resolved. Resetting the router didn't do anything, but I unpaired, unplugged, replugged and re-paired my Powerline adapters. Everything is back, super fast again.

Thanks for the help, though. And that's useful info to know in the future.

Whoops, guess I was thinking way too deep into that problem. I've only ever experienced issues like you have with DNS server problems. Never really had to use powerline networking for very much.

 

[Seanspeed]

Whoops, guess I was thinking way too deep into that problem. I've only ever experienced issues like you have with DNS server problems. Never really had to use powerline networking for very much.

You'd probably expect somebody to at least have tried unplugging and replugging something back in, so no worries. I feel like an IT Crowd joke. lol

 

[Seraph_Nicholas]

APU graphics aren't really supposed to be that high end, they only work with certain models because you can't crossfire graphics chipsets of differing power.

What R9 graphics card do you already have? Isn't it already miles better than the APU's integrated R7 graphics?

I have an R9 270X, and it's what I use currently, but it means that R7 is basically vestigial. If I could get a new processor that would actually boost my graphics performance, that'd be wonderful, but are you saying that even if an R9 APU came out it wouldn't work in this fashion?

 

[RGM79]

I have an R9 270X, and it's what I use currently, but it means that R7 is basically vestigial. If I could get a new processor that would actually boost my graphics performance, that'd be wonderful, but are you saying that even if an R9 APU came out it wouldn't work in this fashion?

If they do make an R9 APU I guess it will work. I meant that you just can't crossfire R7 with R9, period. When it comes to SLI and crossfire, it's best practice and recommended to only crossfire with two of the exact same model. You can crossfire that R9 270X with another R9 270X (there are other working cards, but that's a whole other can of worms) but not with any current APU models.

Depending on the games you play, a faster processor will probably help.

 

[Seraph_Nicholas]

Yeah, I have the best Kaveri currently available. S'pose I'll keep watching and hoping, thanks for the help~

 

[nicoga3000]

I don't know where to post this, so if this is the wrong thread, please direct me elsewhere!

How do I go about routing game audio through my speakers but chat program audio (Vent/Teamspeak/Mumble) through my headphones?

 

[RGM79]

Sweet mother of God. Maybe I should stop recommending Seagate, I thought the newer higher capacity drives were OK.

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/best-hard-drive/

I don't know where to post this, so if this is the wrong thread, please direct me elsewhere!

How do I go about routing game audio through my speakers but chat program audio (Vent/Teamspeak/Mumble) through my headphones?

You can tell Windows to use the speakers as the default output device in the Sound control panel so games and other programs will always use the speakers. Then in Ventrilo, Teamspeak, and Mumble in each of their settings menu you will have the option to choose specifically what output device you want (headphones) which will override the default while not affecting any other programs.

This assumes you have them running as separate devices. Depending on the audio chipset, it's possible for some sound management software (Realtek?) to detect different 3.5mm jack devices as separate devices and handle them accordingly.

I do what you do, but with Skype. I'll have skype voice chat play over my headset and game audio from the speakers. Skype and those three programs you mentioned all have the option to output to whatever is Windows system default sound device, or a specific device you choose.

 

[kennah]

I don't know where to post this, so if this is the wrong thread, please direct me elsewhere!

How do I go about routing game audio through my speakers but chat program audio (Vent/Teamspeak/Mumble) through my headphones?

Are the headphones just plugged into your mainboard audio or do they have their own little USB dongle/do you have a secondary sound card? The only way to do it would be if you had different devices. I guess if you were sending your sound through HDMI to a receiver that would work.

 

[Draft]

I have discovered something stupid and amazing...

I am legitimately interested.

 

[nicoga3000]

You can tell Windows to use the speakers as the default output device in the Sound control panel so games and other programs will always use the speakers. Then in Ventrilo, Teamspeak, and Mumble in each of their settings menu you will have the option to choose specifically what output device you want (headphones) which will override the default while not affecting any other programs.

This assumes you have them running as separate devices. Depending on the audio chipset, it's possible for some sound management software (Realtek?) to detect different 3.5mm jack devices as separate devices and handle them accordingly.

I do what you do, but with Skype. I'll have skype voice chat play over my headset and game audio from the speakers. Skype and those three programs you mentioned all have the option to output to whatever is Windows system default sound device, or a specific device you choose.

Thanks - I have the speakers plugged into the back and the headphone/mic plugged into a front panel. I know it's possible because it worked yesterday for a bit, but I did SOMETHING that caused the audio to re-route and everything started coming through my headphones.

 

[Draft]

Is it insane to replace a 4870 512MB with a 750ti 2GB? Processor is a Q6600 quad. Games have literally stopped working. I bought Strider the other day and it CTDs. The Evil Within insults me while loading. Sorry chump, try overclocking your toaster, is what it says.

I don't want to spend any money at all, and certainly not the cash to build a whole new computer.

I feel like this kind of makes sense? Gets me through another 6 months?

 

[kennah]

Is it insane to replace a 4870 512MB with a 750ti 2GB? Processor is a Q6600 quad. Games have literally stopped working. I bought Strider the other day and it CTDs. The Evil Within insults me while loading. Sorry chump, try overclocking your toaster, is what it says.

I don't want to spend any money at all, and certainly not the cash to build a whole new computer.

I feel like this kind of makes sense? Gets me through another 6 months?

Great upgrade. Go for it.

 

[Negator]

All my parts have arrived and are ready to go, except...the 4690k.

Goddamn it Amazon! I don't know why it took them nearly a week to prepare my shipment for the processor. Just makes the wait extra painful.

 

[Bacon]

All my parts have arrived and are ready to go, except...the 4690k.

Goddamn it Amazon! I don't know why it took them nearly a week to prepare my shipment for the processor. Just makes the wait extra painful.

I had to wait an extra week for my case after I had received all the components. It was brutal!

 

[Dragon1893]

Are NOX PSUs trustworthy (assuming you're not cutting it close)?

 

[Draft]

Great upgrade. Go for it.

Trigger pulled. First Nvidia hardware in 10 years :0

 

[LilJoka]

Sweet mother of God. Maybe I should stop recommending Seagate, I thought the newer higher capacity drives were OK.

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/best-hard-drive/

You can tell Windows to use the speakers as the default output device in the Sound control panel so games and other programs will always use the speakers. Then in Ventrilo, Teamspeak, and Mumble in each of their settings menu you will have the option to choose specifically what output device you want (headphones) which will override the default while not affecting any other programs.

This assumes you have them running as separate devices. Depending on the audio chipset, it's possible for some sound management software (Realtek?) to detect different 3.5mm jack devices as separate devices and handle them accordingly.

I do what you do, but with Skype. I'll have skype voice chat play over my headset and game audio from the speakers. Skype and those three programs you mentioned all have the option to output to whatever is Windows system default sound device, or a specific device you choose.

This is why i recommend Toshiba, the ACA model is a Hitachi with 1TB Platters.

 

[themadcowtipper]

Main uses for pc will be gaming/streaming. Hoping this will be the last big upgrade for a while, just add components later if needed.
Here is what I'm leaning towards:

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | [Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80648i75930k) | $556.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $28.75 @ OutletPC
thermal Compound | [Thermaltake CL-O0028 4g Thermal Paste](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/thermaltake-thermal-paste-clo0028) | $8.34 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | [MSI X99S GAMING 9 ACK EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-x99sgaming9ack) | $418.99 @ SuperBiiz
Memory | [G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f42400c15q16grk) | $240.98 @ Newegg
Storage | [Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e500bam) | $229.99 @ Amazon
Storage | [Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd2001fass) | $145.00 @ Amazon
Video Card | [Zotac GeForce GTX 970 4GB AMP! Omega Edition Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/zotac-video-card-zt9010210p) (2-Way SLI) | $435.99 @ Amazon
Video Card | [Zotac GeForce GTX 970 4GB AMP! Omega Edition Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/zotac-video-card-zt9010210p) (2-Way SLI) | $435.99 @ Amazon
Case | [NZXT Phantom (Black/Orange) ATX Full Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-phan002or) | $132.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply | [BitFenix Fury 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/bitfenix-power-supply-bfpfur750gksxkrp) | $97.37 @ TigerDirect
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $2731.37
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-22 13:32 EST-0500 |

Any thought, suggestions would be appreciated. I don't mind spending more for greater performance, especially gaming wise.

 

[Lockjaw333]

Any thoughts on whether the i5-2500k is starting to show aging?

Seeing it as the minimum CPU in the Witcher 3 requirements scared me. I really thought my rig was more than capable for the next few years and would be significantly better than consoles.

i5-2500k
GTX 670 2GB
8GB RAM
WD 1TB caviar black

I've been mulling a GPU upgrade to a GTX 970, but I don't want to do it if my CPU will start to be a bottleneck in the near future. In that case I would just wait for a new build in a couple of years.

I also have a 250GB SSD laying around that a friend gave to me. Would it be worth throwing that in? I just haven't had the time to do it recently.

Those W3 specs be scaring me!

 

[kennah]

Any thoughts on whether the i5-2500k is starting to show aging?

Seeing it as the minimum CPU in the Witcher 3 requirements scared me. I really thought my rig was more than capable for the next few years and would be significantly better than consoles.

i5-2500k
GTX 670 2GB
8GB RAM
WD 1TB caviar black

I've been mulling a GPU upgrade to a GTX 970, but I don't want to do it if my CPU will start to be a bottleneck in the near future. In that case I would just wait for a new build in a couple of years.

I also have a 250GB SSD laying around that a friend gave to me. Would it be worth throwing that in? I just haven't had the time to do it recently.

Those W3 specs be scaring me!

You're fine. Overclocking should get another couple years and a 970 is a good card to pair with that cpu.

 

[Reckoner]

I'm thinking on shrinking down my regular Atx build to something smaller. A micro or mini atx seems fine, preferably Fractal or Bitfenix. What case and board do you guys recommend that would accomodate a 212 evo cooler, a Gtx970, Ssd and a regular 3.5" hard drive?

 

[knitoe]

Any thoughts on whether the i5-2500k is starting to show aging?

Seeing it as the minimum CPU in the Witcher 3 requirements scared me. I really thought my rig was more than capable for the next few years and would be significantly better than consoles.

i5-2500k
GTX 670 2GB
8GB RAM
WD 1TB caviar black

I've been mulling a GPU upgrade to a GTX 970, but I don't want to do it if my CPU will start to be a bottleneck in the near future. In that case I would just wait for a new build in a couple of years.

I also have a 250GB SSD laying around that a friend gave to me. Would it be worth throwing that in? I just haven't had the time to do it recently.

Those W3 specs be scaring me!

1) Put the OS on the SSD asap.

2) Overclock the CPU to 4.5GHz then you will be good for awhile.

3) Upgrade to the 970. Will give you a big performance improvement over the 670

 

[RGM79]

Are NOX PSUs trustworthy (assuming you're not cutting it close)?

Er, depends on the model. Doesn't seem to be a well known brand (in North America, at least) so it's hard to say.

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page2438.htm

If that link is accurate, they used to sell Super Flower OEM models which is a good sign, Super Flower is a good power supply manufacturer. Seems that all their new stuff is Channel Well Tech, not quite as good but still decent as long as it's not a very low budget model you're looking at.

Main uses for pc will be gaming/streaming. Hoping this will be the last big upgrade for a while, just add components later if needed.
Here is what I'm leaning towards:

Any thought, suggestions would be appreciated. I don't mind spending more for greater performance, especially gaming wise.

That's quite a lot to spend, I think you could do the same with a $1500 i5 or i7 Z97 build, but this X99 computer will last quite a few years longer. I can see ways to save at least $200 and come out better equipped.

For X99 I think you could spend a bit more on a more potent CPU cooler. The 212 Evo is a great budget cooler but is more suited to the not-as-hot running lower end i5 and i7 on the Z97 platform. Something like the Noctua NH-D15 ($90) will do much better. The Noctua cooler comes with NH-T1 model thermal paste which is pretty good.

You could go with a cheaper 2TB drive to save a bit of money. Nothing wrong with the WD black, it's a higher end hard drive but it's quite expensive. You can go with a Toshiba 2TB 7200RPM drive for $72. If it's just a secondary drive, you won't really notice much of a difference, both being 7200RPM and 64MB cache, and it'll cost less than half as much.

$435 for a GTX 970 is grossly overpriced. The excellent MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G is just $344.

There are better power supplies for less than $100. The Rosewill Capstone 750 Watt gold rated PSU is $80.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($556.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: MSI X99S GAMING 9 ACK EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($418.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($240.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($344.00 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($344.00 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Orange) ATX Full Tower Case ($132.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2509.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-22 15:38 EST-0500

Any thoughts on whether the i5-2500k is starting to show aging?

Seeing it as the minimum CPU in the Witcher 3 requirements scared me. I really thought my rig was more than capable for the next few years and would be significantly better than consoles.

i5-2500k
GTX 670 2GB
8GB RAM
WD 1TB caviar black

I've been mulling a GPU upgrade to a GTX 970, but I don't want to do it if my CPU will start to be a bottleneck in the near future. In that case I would just wait for a new build in a couple of years.

I also have a 250GB SSD laying around that a friend gave to me. Would it be worth throwing that in? I just haven't had the time to do it recently.

Those W3 specs be scaring me!

Overclock it and you'll be set for another two years, maybe. Your 2500K still does well in recent games.

 

[Effect]

Finally got the price I was looking for for my CPU and Motherboard. Got it from NewEgg with the motherboard being 15% off and there being a $25 off offer from using Visa Checkout. Actually glad I wasn't able to purchase yesterday because shipping for both parts dropped from around $7 for everything to just 99 cents. So got everything for $210.97 which is near the $200 to $190 I'd have paid back in November had I not messed around.

So replacing the following (originally purchased in Nov 2010)

AMD Phenom II X4 925 2.8GHz Quad-Core
Asus M4A79XTD EVO ATX AM3

with this

AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core
Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+

I got a lot of use out of that Phenom over a long period of time with various games. The price for performance was good. I'm hoping this last me a long time as well.

Now I just need to replace my GeForce GTX 560 1GB with something else but that's a purchase for around April or May. Curious as to how badly that's going to hurt things combined with the new CPU. Any ideas? Would I be okay? Experience issues?

 

[themadcowtipper]

Er, depends on the model. Doesn't seem to be a well known brand (in North America, at least) so it's hard to say.

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page2438.htm

If that link is accurate, they used to sell Super Flower OEM models which is a good sign, Super Flower is a good power supply manufacturer. Seems that all their new stuff is Channel Well Tech, not quite as good but still decent as long as it's not a very low budget model you're looking at.


That's quite a lot to spend, I think you could do the same with a $1500 i5 or i7 Z97 build, but this X99 computer will last quite a few years longer. I can see ways to save at least $200 and come out better equipped.

For X99 I think you could spend a bit more on a more potent CPU cooler. The 212 Evo is a great budget cooler but is more suited to the not-as-hot running lower end i5 and i7 on the Z97 platform. Something like the Noctua NH-D15 ($90) will do much better. The Noctua cooler comes with NH-T1 model thermal paste which is pretty good.

You could go with a cheaper 2TB drive to save a bit of money. Nothing wrong with the WD black, it's a higher end hard drive but it's quite expensive. You can go with a Toshiba 2TB 7200RPM drive for $72. If it's just a secondary drive, you won't really notice much of a difference, both being 7200RPM and 64MB cache, and it'll cost less than half as much.

$435 for a GTX 970 is grossly overpriced. The excellent MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G is just $344.

There are better power supplies for less than $100. The Rosewill Capstone 750 Watt gold rated PSU is $80.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($556.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: MSI X99S GAMING 9 ACK EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($418.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($240.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($344.00 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($344.00 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Orange) ATX Full Tower Case ($132.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2509.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-22 15:38 EST-0500



Overclock it and you'll be set for another two years, maybe. Your 2500K still does well in recent games.

Thanks for the help. I want to go with the x99 board. I have been saving for a while so price really isn't the issue. I just want a system that can handle games at max settings and the streaming I do. I haven't done a proper build in many years and haven't followed the tech. I have mostly been gaming on consoles.

 

[LilJoka]

I'm thinking on shrinking down my regular Atx build to something smaller. A micro or mini atx seems fine, preferably Fractal or Bitfenix. What case and board do you guys recommend that would accomodate a 212 evo cooler, a Gtx970, Ssd and a regular 3.5" hard drive?

Fractal Node 304
Silverstone RVZ02

 

[Reckoner]

Fractal Node 304
Silverstone RVZ02

The Node has a really clean design. Is it better than the Bitfenixs? Also, any recommendation on motherboards to go along? Preferably Asus for the awesome customer service they have.