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[Aztechnology]

Just noticed that Windows keys are no longer sold on r/softwareswap. Any other places to get a good deal on keys?

Check out the Buy/Sell/Trade Thread, threetri333 gives some nice deals on Windows keys there.

Sorry for posting a link from the B/S/T thread, The person I was referencing was worried it might be seen as him advertising (he had nothing to do with it) so I took it down.

 

[exmachina64]

Should I wait for Broadwell or Skylake?

Broadwell has been delayed so many times, and Skylake is within months of the release of Broadwell.

I sold my laptop, so I'm saving up for a new PC. I'm doing pretty well with just my phone.

16GB Ram or 8GB Ram? I leave a lot of tabs open on my internet browser.

Skylake, at least the overclockable desktop CPUs, being released within months of Broadwell is optimistic. They're both supposed to be major architectures, Intel's not going to throw their investment in Broadwell just to follow an earlier release schedule.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Should I wait for Broadwell or Skylake?

Broadwell has been delayed so many times, and Skylake is within months of the release of Broadwell.

I sold my laptop, so I'm saving up for a new PC. I'm doing pretty well with just my phone.

16GB Ram or 8GB Ram? I leave a lot of tabs open on my internet browser.

If you want a frank opinion, well you can get now with 5820 or5930k is really going to sustain you for years. And by years I mean at least five years. We have the 2500 K that is still rockin really good for gaming. Imagine what a dedicated 6 core Intel monster will do for you for longevity. I would not hesitate for a second. No need to wait.

 

[Lockon]

I have a serious problem...I just build a new pc and I started installing windows 8.1, Went fine. Install drivers for motherboard and GTX 980, they installed fine.

Then I went to update windows. During update my pc shut down while installing update, now I can't turn it on again. I look inside the case, I see the motherboard's power switch is lit...Does this mean my PSU is busted?

 

[RGM79]

Should I wait for Broadwell or Skylake?

Broadwell has been delayed so many times, and Skylake is within months of the release of Broadwell.

I sold my laptop, so I'm saving up for a new PC. I'm doing pretty well with just my phone.

16GB Ram or 8GB Ram? I leave a lot of tabs open on my internet browser.

Broadwell will be unlocked and can be overclocked. Skylake will be locked and unable to overclock. I'd wait until closer to release to see reviews and benchmarking.

Whether you go with 8GB or 16GB will depend on what you do. For web browsing, 8GB is more than enough.

Going to build a new PC. Currently don't have a working one, but have some usable parts.

Budget: ~$600 United States region (but can spend more)
Main Use: Gaming, media player sometimes
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 (active 3d available)
Specific Games: Skyrim, Deus Ex, Galactic Civilizations 3
Reuse Parts: i5-3570K 3.4 GHz 4 core, Samsung 64 GB SSD 830 series SATA 6Gb/s, Acer HN274H 1920x1080 with Nvidia 3D vision, CM Storm Xornet mouse
Build Time: Any time right away
Overclocking: No

Will be running Win7 64. Looking for a video card that will work well with current monitor for 3D. Would like to avoid a hot noisy machine. Need an optical drive for blu-ray read and dvd write. Want to get a good power supply and case. Must have bluetooth for headset/keyboard/mouse. (Like to use the wireless inputs when using as media player) Also looking for a tower SD/micro SD card reader, have had bad luck with USB ones.

This will be the first PC I'm building, so want to avoid scary things like thermal paste.

While the i5 3570K is a solid processor, it is for an older motherboard platform. If you want to buy a compatible motherboard you can buy a Z77 model, although upgrades will be limited. If you don't want to shell out for a new CPU and motherboard together right now, you can just go with your existing CPU and a compatible motherboard and just replace it all later. Here's a starting build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($111.58 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-2209 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Other: IOGEAR GBU521W6 Bluetooth 4.0 USB Micro Adapter Multi-Language Version ($16.99)
Total: $625.01
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-07 20:12 EST-0500

If you saw the earlier version of this post, I initially recommended an ASRock motherboard. I was told by appaws that they had a fundamental flaw that makes them dangerous to the processor to use. Suffice it to say, go with Gigabyte for this build.

If you don't like the case, you can go with another. There are cheaper OEM blu-ray drives as low as $35, but that $80 product is the cheapest one I could find that is said to be packaged with blu-ray player software. If you don't already have blu-ray player software, you will need it because blu-ray technologies are licensed, which means free players don't support that kind of thing (not officially, anyway). There are free solutions but they can be hard to set up, and I don't know how well they work.

What issues have you had exactly with USB card readers? Internal card readers can be poor quality too. I find that Anker is a good brand for quality external card readers and USB accessories. Not very many of the internal card readers on Newegg have good reviews.. lots of people have issues. If you have to get one, then there's this Rosewill USB 3.0 internal card reader - should be faster than most USB 2.0 card readers.

I have a serious problem...I just build a new pc and I started installing windows 8.1, Went fine. Install drivers for motherboard and GTX 980, they installed fine.

Then I went to update windows. During update my pc shut down while installing update, now I can't turn it on again. I look inside the case, I see the motherboard's power switch is lit...Does this mean my PSU is busted?

Does anything happen when you press the power button? Fans and lights turn on? Anything appear on screen? Any beeping?

 

[Teknoman]

So I want to upgrade from Windows 7 to 8.1 and thinking about just buying a key from the GAF B/S/T thread.

If I just choose upgrade instead of doing a fresh install, I should be able to upgrade just fine without losing the majority of stuff on my main HDD right? Speaking of music,pictures, and videos. I'm sure I might have to reinstall some games here and there.

 

[RGM79]

So I want to upgrade from Windows 7 to 8.1 and thinking about just buying a key from the GAF B/S/T thread.

If I just choose upgrade instead of doing a fresh install, I should be able to upgrade just fine without losing the majority of stuff on my main HDD right? Speaking of music,pictures, and videos. I'm sure I might have to reinstall some games here and there.

As long as it's 32 bit to 32 bit or 64 bit to 64 bit, you'll be able to do a upgrade on top of Windows 7.

 

[Teknoman]

As long as it's 32 bit to 32 bit or 64 bit to 64 bit, you'll be able to do a upgrade on top of Windows 7.

Yeah i'd be going from 64 bit to 64 bit. Most of my gaming related stuff is on a second hard drive. Know i've got saves in Documents.

 

[Fuz]

Here's a starting build for you. It is roughly equivalent in price (1450 USD = 1180 EUR). Sorry, I'm not aware of any Italian retailers that will assemble a PC for you. All of the items in the parts list are from Amazon Italy, I think it's a limitation of PCPartPicker right now that they don't have any other Italian retailers. You may need to do some comparison shopping - Amazon isn't the cheapest retailer. Here's a list of Italian retailers I found, it was written up two years ago.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (€218.49 @ Amazon Italia)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (€47.08 @ Amazon Italia)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (€101.87 @ Amazon Italia)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (€142.09 @ Amazon Italia)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€54.50 @ Amazon Italia)
Video Card: GALAX GeForce GTX 970 4GB EX OC Black Edition Video Card (€396.71 @ Amazon Italia)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case (€101.63 @ Amazon Italia)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (€94.28 @ Amazon Italia)
Total: €1156.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-06 23:28 CET+0100

Thank you very much.
Why the I5 instead of the I7? Also, I was thinking more of a mobo with 2 ps2 ports and the SLI capacity, actually.

 

[Pakoe]

Is the BenQ XL2411Z still the best, cheapest 144hz monitor to get?
I read something about the colors being weird on 144hz monitor, is this a thing?
I really want to get a 144h monitor after i upgrade my pc, but if i need to wait i will.

 

[RGM79]

Thank you very much.
Why the I5 instead of the I7? Also, I was thinking more of a mobo with 2 ps2 ports and the SLI capacity, actually.

Because you picked the enthusiast build, I assume you wanted something close to the enthusiast's budget of $1450 USD.

The i5 is a better fit for your budget. The i7 4790K costs €100 more but is matched by the i5 4690K in performance for games. The only place where i7 would be preferable is for multi-threaded applications, like video production and computational work. You did not mention what the computer was for, so I assumed for games in general. Very few games like Arma 3 can make use of the 4790K's hyperthreading ability.

If you are looking for a motherboard that supports SLI and has twin PS/2 ports, I recommend the Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H for €135, picture here. There is no cheaper motherboard with two PS/2 ports.

 

[Fuz]

Because you picked the enthusiast build, I assume you wanted something close to the enthusiast's budget of $1450 USD.

The i5 is a better fit for your budget. The i7 4790K costs €100 more but is matched by the i5 4690K in performance for games. The only place where i7 would be preferable is for multi-threaded applications, like video production and computational work. You did not mention what the computer was for, so I assumed for games in general. Very few games like Arma 3 can make use of the 4790K's hyperthreading ability.

If you are looking for a motherboard that supports SLI and has twin PS/2 ports, I recommend the Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H for €135, picture here. There is no cheaper motherboard with two PS/2 ports.

Again, thank you very much. You're helping me a lot.

 

[stef t97]

So i've been having a pretty ridiculous issue since I installed my new CPU and mobo. Sometimes when I boot my PC it will no longer recognize my SSD and the only way to get it working again is to unplug the sata cable at my mobo and plug it back in again. The colossal issue with this is that after this happens windows cannot boot. It does its usual thing of restoring back to when it did work which happens to be just after I installed windows meaning I have to reinstall all of my stuff.

It's just happened for the second time since Friday and I can't keep re installing all my shit. I doubt it's my SSD because I've never had this issue before switching and I hope it's not my mobo which is fucked. I don't think it's to do with any specific sata port because I usually change it after I plug it back in, yet the issue still persists.

Edit: While I'm not 100% sure what causes it, I think it only happens if I shut my PC down from within Windows

 

[ISee]

So i've been having a pretty ridiculous issue since I installed my new CPU and mobo. Sometimes when I boot my PC it will no longer recognize my SSD and the only way to get it working again is to unplug the sata cable at my mobo and plug it back in again. The colossal issue with this is that after this happens windows cannot boot. It does its usual thing of restoring back to when it did work which happens to be just after I installed windows meaning I have to reinstall all of my stuff.

It's just happened for the second time since Friday and I can't keep re installing all my shit. I doubt it's my SSD because I've never had this issue before switching and I hope it's not my mobo which is fucked. I don't think it's to do with any specific sata port because I usually change it after I plug it back in, yet the issue still persists.

Edit: While I'm not 100% sure what causes it, I think it only happens if I shut my PC down from within Windows

Two quick questions:

Does it appear in the BIOS/UEFI? If it does, then you can narrow it down to a Windows problem.

Is it missing from the BIOS/UEFI on boot? Then it's probably a hardware issue.

1.) Try another SATA port and another HDD/SSD on the current SATA port.
2.) Search for a firmware update for your SSD (Wich one is it btw?)

My current guess is: Sounds like a dying ssd.

 

[RGM79]

So i've been having a pretty ridiculous issue since I installed my new CPU and mobo. Sometimes when I boot my PC it will no longer recognize my SSD and the only way to get it working again is to unplug the sata cable at my mobo and plug it back in again. The colossal issue with this is that after this happens windows cannot boot. It does its usual thing of restoring back to when it did work which happens to be just after I installed windows meaning I have to reinstall all of my stuff.

It's just happened for the second time since Friday and I can't keep re installing all my shit. I doubt it's my SSD because I've never had this issue before switching and I hope it's not my mobo which is fucked. I don't think it's to do with any specific sata port because I usually change it after I plug it back in, yet the issue still persists.

Edit: While I'm not 100% sure what causes it, I think it only happens if I shut my PC down from within Windows

Specs? Have a second computer to test the SSD in? Sounds more like it's the SSD rather than the motherboard, if all your data keeps disappearing and you need to reinstall. Do you have any other storage devices like hard drives, and do they have this problem?

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

I have no idea. Best leave that hard drive unplugged. Back it up if you can, and run CrystalDiskInfo to read the SMART data off it, it might be dying.

Following up on this - I installed the software, tested it with my SSD / external HDD. Seems to function although I don't really know what to look for. When I plugged the internal HDD back in though... the software won't launch. No matter how many times I try. I even reinstalled it with the HDD plugged in. No dice, won't launch.

I suspect that when it boots up, it does some kind of preliminary check with the drives that are connected and it's somehow failing when it reads the HDD. When I take the HDD out again, the software will boot. So fuckin' odd. There must be something corrupted hardcore on that drive.

 

[stef t97]

Two quick questions:

Does it appear in the BIOS/UEFI? If it does, then you can narrow it down to a Windows problem.

Is it missing from the BIOS/UEFI on boot? Then it's probably a hardware issue.

1.) Try another SATA port and another HDD/SSD on the current SATA port.
2.) Search for a firmware update for your SSD (Wich one is it btw?)

My current guess is: Sounds like a dying ssd.

My SSD does not appear in the BIOS when this happens, only after I unplug it and plug it back in to a different SATA port.

1. I've switched the port for the SSD every time after it's happened, I've not tried switching the SSD and HDD around though to see if the same issue occurs to the HDD.

2. I have an OCZ vertex 3 which is pretty old at this point but I'll have a look around for updates.

Specs? Have a second computer to test the SSD in? Sounds more like it's the SSD rather than the motherboard, if all your data keeps disappearing and you need to reinstall. Do you have any other storage devices like hard drives, and do they have this problem?

I do not have another PC I can test in. The data is still physically here on the SSD if I go into program files or w/e, it's just that windows refuses to boot and it ends up getting restored back before it can boot meaning none of my stuff is installed but is still present on my SSD. I have a 2TB HDD which does not have this issue.

I don't know how accurate CrystalDiskInfo is but it claims that my SSD is fine still and I didn't have any issues until I got my new Motherboard and CPU. I'm running an i5 4670k with an MSI Z97 PC Mate Motherboard now as well as a GTX 660, 8GB of RAM and a 450w XFX PSU.

 

[deadcelledo]

I will be building my first pc today, hopefully everything goes well!
wish me luck Gaf!

 

[RGM79]

My SSD does not appear in the BIOS when this happens, only after I unplug it and plug it back in to a different SATA port.

1. I've switched the port for the SSD every time after it's happened, I've not tried switching the SSD and HDD around though to see if the same issue occurs to the HDD.

2. I have an OCZ vertex 3 which is pretty old at this point but I'll have a look around for updates.



I do not have another PC I can test in. The data is still physically here on the SSD if I go into program files or w/e, it's just that windows refuses to boot and it ends up getting restored back before it can boot meaning none of my stuff is installed but is still present on my SSD. I have a 2TB HDD which does not have this issue.

I don't know how accurate CrystalDiskInfo is but it claims that my SSD is fine still and I didn't have any issues until I got my new Motherboard and CPU. I'm running an i5 4670k with an MSI Z97 PC Mate Motherboard now as well as a GTX 660, 8GB of RAM and a 450w XFX PSU.

What do you mean "it ends up getting restored back before it can boot"? Something is automatically resetting it to the point that it was when Windows is first installed, but the data is still there?

 

[stef t97]

What do you mean "it ends up getting restored back before it can boot"? Something is automatically resetting it to the point that it was when Windows is first installed, but the data is still there?

Yeah, that's exactly what happens.

 

[kennah]

Your SSD is dying. Back up and RMA

 

[redlegs87]

Really noob question to ask.

I have this ram in my pc right now. Can't find it anywhere any more so would it matter if I got another set of 8GB from Avexir the only difference would be the color of the lights. As long as its from the same brand it should still work together correctly?

 

[stef t97]

Your SSD is dying. Back up and RMA

Fuck, think I'm out of warranty so I'm waiting for my next payday now.. I guess I'll just not power off my PC until then.

 

[RGM79]

Yeah, that's exactly what happens.

Doesn't make any sense to me. If not a broken SSD, it may be bootloader or boot partition issues. Is this Windows 7 or 8/8.1? Windows 7 and 8/8.1 have different methods of "initializing" the disk during installation. Windows 7 uses the old MBR style while Windows 8 and newer use the GPT style. Whichever one fails to reboot after a fresh install.. try the other OS.

Uhm, you are completely deleting all partitions/filesystems from SSD on fresh installs and not just installing where old partitions already exist, are you? Formatting a partition is not the same as deleting a partition.

If all else fails and you absolutely need a functional computer without buying new parts, try installing Windows to the hard drive if that's an option. If you already have data on there that you can't back up, then one risky method would be to shrink the existing partition on the hard drive, make a new separate partition from the empty space, and install Windows to that partition. You only need 20-30GB or so of free space.

Really noob question to ask.

I have this ram in my pc right now. Can't find it anywhere any more so would it matter if I got another set of 8GB from Avexir the only difference would be the color of the lights. As long as its from the same brand it should still work together correctly?

Technically, any RAM will do. If you have different sticks of varying speeds and latency, they will all slow down to run at the lowest speed supported. I've seen my share of weird RAM incompatibilities, though. To be safe, you could buy same brand, speed, and latency so it will be almost certainly compatible. Either way works.

If you want Avexir, then either one of these two will do. Same model as your existing RAM, just different LED colors, as you said. White LED or Blue LED - they're both $73.

If you want to save some money, then you could get 8GB of G.Skill Ares DDR3-1600 RAM for $55. That is the same speed and latency as your existing RAM, just a different brand without LEDs and different exterior design.

 

[Lockon]

Does anything happen when you press the power button? Fans and lights turn on? Anything appear on screen? Any beeping?

Nothing at all. Just the light on the power switch on the motherboard.

 

[redlegs87]

Technically, any RAM will do. If you have different sticks of varying speeds and latency, they will all slow down to run at the lowest speed supported. I've seen my share of weird RAM incompatibilities, though. To be safe, you could buy same brand, speed, and latency so it will be almost certainly compatible. Either way works.

If you want Avexir, then either one of these two will do. Same model as your existing RAM, just different LED colors, as you said. White LED or Blue LED - they're both $73.

If you want to save some money, then you could get 8GB of G.Skill Ares DDR3-1600 RAM for $55. That is the same speed and latency as your existing RAM, just a different brand without LEDs and different exterior design.

I will probably go with the white or blue avexir. With having a windowed case I feel the need to get the closest match possible. Colors might clash but it might also look cool. Never thought I'd end up caring so much about how my ram looks.

 

[Lagamorph]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.50 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£119.96 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£133.03 @ More Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£123.95 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£53.94 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£269.94 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case (£62.87 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£87.60 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer (£11.89 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £1030.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available


Ok, swapped out the RAM back to the Corsair 1866 Low Profile and the Hard Drive for a 2TB Seagate with a 64MB cache.
I'm leaning more towards the MSI than the Gigabyte G1. It seems the MSI is almost as overclockable but with the added bonus of being quieter due to the fans turning off below certain temps, whilst the Gigabyte fans are constantly on.

This should be good for some 1080 60fps gaming for a good while I think. I'll probably put another 970 in late next year, then probably a CPU cooler the year after.

 

[RGM79]

Nothing at all. Just the light on the power switch on the motherboard.

Check all cables to make sure they're secured tightly. Unplug and replug all cables. If you have a modular power supply, ensure that it is also secure on the power supply's end.

CPU 2x2/4x2 power cable plugged in?

I also forgot to ask you what your PC's specs are.

I will probably go with the white or blue avexir. With having a windowed case I feel the need to get the closest match possible. Colors might clash but it might also look cool. Never thought I'd end up caring so much about how my ram looks.

Sounds like a plan. I think white will mix with your yellow more easily, blue and yellow will stand out more, maybe.

 

[Lockon]

Check all cables to make sure they're secured tightly. Unplug and replug all cables. If you have a modular power supply, ensure that it is also secure on the power supply's end.

CPU 2x2/4x2 power cable plugged in?

I also forgot to ask you what your PC's specs are.

I'm going to replug all the cables...but can't right now.

Here's my specs:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($186.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($155.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card ($559.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($113.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1755.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-07 09:32 EST-0500

 

[RGM79]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.50 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£119.96 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£133.03 @ More Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£123.95 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£53.94 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£269.94 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case (£62.87 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£87.60 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer (£11.89 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £1030.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available


Ok, swapped out the RAM back to the Corsair 1866 Low Profile and the Hard Drive for a 2TB Seagate with a 64MB cache.
I'm leaning more towards the MSI than the Gigabyte G1. It seems the MSI is almost as overclockable but with the added bonus of being quieter due to the fans turning off below certain temps, whilst the Gigabyte fans are constantly on.

This should be good for some 1080 60fps gaming for a good while I think. I'll probably put another 970 in late next year, then probably a CPU cooler the year after.

You can save a bit on the RAM. You won't need low profile RAM if you will just be using the stock Intel CPU cooler.

For just under £130 you can get some faster memory, here's 16 GB of G.Skill DDR3-2133 CL9, or 16GB of DDR3-2400 CL10. If you want to save money, here's 16GB of G.Skill DDR3-1866 CL10 for £111, same speed and CAS latency as the £133 Corsair RAM you chose.

You can't go wrong with either GTX 970 model. Enjoy the MSI model.

I'm going to replug all the cables...but can't right now.

Here's my specs:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($186.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($155.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card ($559.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($113.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1755.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-07 09:32 EST-0500

Parts look fine and compatible, hopefully it's just a minor issue. Good luck with troubleshooting.

 

[Lagamorph]

I've gone for low profile as I will most likely be changing the cooler later, so easier to get the low profile now.
Plus Corsair tend to have really good warranty if anything goes wrong with it.

 

[stef t97]

Doesn't make any sense to me. If not a broken SSD, it may be bootloader or boot partition issues. Is this Windows 7 or 8/8.1? Windows 7 and 8/8.1 have different methods of "initializing" the disk during installation. Windows 7 uses the old MBR style while Windows 8 and newer use the GPT style. Whichever one fails to reboot after a fresh install.. try the other OS.

Uhm, you are completely deleting all partitions/filesystems from SSD on fresh installs and not just installing where old partitions already exist, are you? Formatting a partition is not the same as deleting a partition.

If all else fails and you absolutely need a functional computer without buying new parts, try installing Windows to the hard drive if that's an option. If you already have data on there that you can't back up, then one risky method would be to shrink the existing partition on the hard drive, make a new separate partition from the empty space, and install Windows to that partition. You only need 20-30GB or so of free space.

I'm using windows 8.1 currently and when i installed it I deleted the existing partitions and created a new one.

I'm at a complete loss as what the fuck is going on tbh, as I don't usually power off my PC completely I'll just make a bootable usb so that I can try 7 next time this happens. I should have enough money lying around for an MX100 so I might just order one later.

 

[Shadow Moses]

Can someone help a noob out


I just need some ram upgrade on my old pc. The following should work fine right?

Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit
16gb total
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-363-CS

my old arse mobo -P7P55D-E
http://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/P7P55DE/specifications/

thanks.

 

[kharma45]

Can someone help a noob out


I just need some ram upgrade on my old pc. The following should work fine right?

Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit
16gb total
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-363-CS

my old arse mobo -P7P55D-E
http://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/P7P55DE/specifications/

thanks.

Yes but that stuff is wildly overpriced

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00J8E91T0/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00J8E92I0/

http://www.ebuyer.com/274061-g-skill-8gb-ddr3-2133mhz-ripjawsx-memory-f3-17000cl11d-8gbxl

 

[Shadow Moses]

Yes but that stuff is wildly overpriced

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00J8E91T0/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00J8E92I0/

http://www.ebuyer.com/274061-g-skill-8gb-ddr3-2133mhz-ripjawsx-memory-f3-17000cl11d-8gbxl

wow thank Kharma.

just saved me some cash

 

[Momentary]

Getting ready for my new rig with some new peripherals. Got these in Friday.

 

[Collete]

Edit: never mind.

 

[Naked Snake]

Oh boy, I got me some PC woes.

So my CPU was overheating, poor airflow was one possible cause (or a poorly-contacting heatsink). I opened the case, took out the motherboard to install the I/O backplate, covered the PCI door openings, and did a better job of cable management. And while I was at it I put in my new SSD and a 2TB HDD, in preparation for my long-overdue OS format and transition to Windows 8.

I originally had 2 HDDs configured as RAID-0. My motherboard has 4 SATA ports, so with the introduction of the SSD and the new HDD I should be occupying all 4. My vision was that I'd have it configured like this:

250GB SSD: Tier-1 stuff (OS, frequently used programs, Lightroom Catalog, currently playing games)
1TB RAID-0: Tier-2 stuff (Lightroom Library, images/photos, rest of the programs and games)
2 TB HDD: Tier-3 stuff (videos and music)

After I plugged in all the drives the BIOS splash screen was taking on too long, so I hit F2 to enter setup and this is what I see under SATA:

The BIOS is only detecting the SSD (port 0) and the HDD (port 1), but not the RAID pair (ports 2 and 3). And the Chipset SATA Mode setting (which can only be one value of IDE, AHCI, or RAID) is leading me to think that I can only have one configuration, either it's all RAID or no RAID at all? Please tell me that's not the case

 

[appaws]

While the i5 3570K is a solid processor, it is for an older motherboard platform. If you want to buy a compatible motherboard you can buy a Z77 model, although upgrades will be limited. If you don't want to shell out for a new CPU and motherboard together right now, you can just go with your existing CPU and a compatible motherboard and just replace it all later. Here's a starting build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($97.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-2209 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($79.95 @ B&H)
Other: IOGEAR GBU521W6 Bluetooth 4.0 USB Micro Adapter Multi-Language Version ($16.99)
Total: $620.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-07 00:57 EST-0500

Don't buy Asrock Z77. They never fixed the voltage reporting problem or even really admitted to it. Newer Asrock boards are fine though.

I was one of the giant herd of people who went with the Extreme4 for Ivy Bridge and ended up having to replace it not too much later. I still saw stacks of them at Micro Center not that long ago marked down. Hopefully not too many people are being sucked into buying them.

 

[opticalmace]

Oh boy, I got me some PC woes.

So my CPU was overheating, poor airflow was one possible cause (or a poorly-contacting heatsink). I opened the case, took out the motherboard to install the I/O backplate, covered the PCI door openings, and did a better job of cable management. And while I was at it I put in my new SSD and a 2TB HDD, in preparation for my long-overdue OS format and transition to Windows 8.

I originally had 2 HDDs configured as RAID-0. My motherboard has 4 SATA ports, so with the introduction of the SSD and the new HDD I should be occupying all 4. My vision was that I'd have it configured like this:

250GB SSD: Tier-1 stuff (OS, frequently used programs, Lightroom Catalog, currently playing games)
1TB RAID-0: Tier-2 stuff (Lightroom Library, images/photos, rest of the programs and games)
2 TB HDD: Tier-3 stuff (videos and music)

After I plugged in all the drives the BIOS splash screen was taking on too long, so I hit F2 to enter setup and this is what I see under SATA:

The BIOS is only detecting the SSD (port 0) and the HDD (port 1), but not the RAID pair (ports 2 and 3). And the Chipset SATA Mode setting (which can only be one value of IDE, AHCI, or RAID) is leading me to think that I can only have one configuration, either it's all RAID or no RAID at all? Please tell me that's not the case

What motherboard? Have you read the manual?

 

[exmachina64]

Quick question:
I was looking at the Asus Strix GTX 970, but the MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G has more overclocking headroom?

 

[zero shift]

Is it normal for Windows 8.1 to have a slower boot time than 7? Its a few seconds slower than 7 was for me.

 

[kharma45]

Is it normal for Windows 8.1 to have a slower boot time than 7? Its a few seconds slower than 7 was for me.

Generally it's a lot faster.

 

[Naked Snake]

Quick question:
I was looking at the Asus Strix GTX 970, but the MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G has more overclocking headroom?

I think so yeah, at least commonly (lottery winners not withstanding). I also remember reading that the Strix has more throttling occurrence. The G1 generally has more OC headroom and doesn't suffer from power or temp throttling like them. I could be wrong.

Not sure if OC headroom is mostly determined by the silicon lottery/binning vs other factors as PCB quality and bios configuration.

 

[LilJoka]

Oh boy, I got me some PC woes.

So my CPU was overheating, poor airflow was one possible cause (or a poorly-contacting heatsink). I opened the case, took out the motherboard to install the I/O backplate, covered the PCI door openings, and did a better job of cable management. And while I was at it I put in my new SSD and a 2TB HDD, in preparation for my long-overdue OS format and transition to Windows 8.

I originally had 2 HDDs configured as RAID-0. My motherboard has 4 SATA ports, so with the introduction of the SSD and the new HDD I should be occupying all 4. My vision was that I'd have it configured like this:

250GB SSD: Tier-1 stuff (OS, frequently used programs, Lightroom Catalog, currently playing games)
1TB RAID-0: Tier-2 stuff (Lightroom Library, images/photos, rest of the programs and games)
2 TB HDD: Tier-3 stuff (videos and music)

After I plugged in all the drives the BIOS splash screen was taking on too long, so I hit F2 to enter setup and this is what I see under SATA:

The BIOS is only detecting the SSD (port 0) and the HDD (port 1), but not the RAID pair (ports 2 and 3). And the Chipset SATA Mode setting (which can only be one value of IDE, AHCI, or RAID) is leading me to think that I can only have one configuration, either it's all RAID or no RAID at all? Please tell me that's not the case

Enable RAID, single drives work in RAID too from my limited knowledge here.

 

[Najaf]

If I'm about to rework my wireless network (new router, new wife cards, etc) what should I be looking at?

Will want to stream 1080 over wifi through multiple walls if that can be done. Also play games over the network with minimal lag. Have never really tracked the pros and cons with new wifi tech.

I've always been wired for my main systems and pc but am moving to a much larger house and want to have a fast wifi network. Thanks GAF.

 

[exmachina64]

If I'm about to rework my wireless network (new router, new wife cards, etc) what should I be looking at?

Will want to stream 1080 over wifi through multiple walls if that can be done. Also play games over the network with minimal lag. Have never really tracked the pros and cons with new wifi tech.

I've always been wired for my main systems and pc but am moving to a much larger house and want to have a fast wifi network. Thanks GAF.

You'd need to move to 802.11 AC and use something like this.

Fake edit: That's just for PC though. Whether your other devices support AC (recent Macs and iPhones do) is another question.

 

[Gizuko]

Can't get a stable OC on my HD7950, when trying to go over 1130Mhz Core (1370 memory, though this one can go higher), with afterburner, no matter the CoreV. Furthermore, just yesterday it decided to throttle down to 15fps while playing pvp in gw2 (courtyard, not even wvw) after 2 matches, while I can play AC: Unity just fine with the same clocks.

Could this be software related (beta drivers)? Or is my card just bad for OC?


Extra info: HX650 corsair PSU, +50% power limit through registry modification. Model is sapphire vapor X, and my temps never go past 60ºC according to afterburner.

 

[Naked Snake]

What motherboard? Have you read the manual?

It's Intel DH67BL, it didn't come with a manual (might have been an OEM piece, I bought it in an anti-static bag). I tried finding something about the supported RAID configuration but can't seem to find anything about it on Intel's website other than "RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10".

Something here about pressing Ctrl+I at bootup to force enter Raid setup menu. I should try that.

Enable RAID, single drives work in RAID too from my limited knowledge here.

RAID is enabled as you see in the screen, but the BIOS is not seeing the two HDDs that were configured as RAID. I unplugged the new drives and went back to my original setup for now, cause I need to be using the PC.

 

[opticalmace]

It's Intel DH67BL, it didn't come with a manual (might have been an OEM piece, I bought it in an anti-static bag). I tried finding something about the supported RAID configuration but can't seem to find anything about it on Intel's website other than "RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10".

Something here about pressing Ctrl+I at bootup to force enter Raid setup menu. I should try that.



But the BIOS is not seeing the two HDDs that were configured as RAID. I unplugged the new drives and went back to my original setup for now, cause I need to be using the PC.

Try checking this out... http://downloadmirror.intel.com/19487/eng/DH67BL_ProductGuide01_English.pdf