I had a $75 dollar gift card to Amazon so it wasnt as bad lol.
"I Need a New PC!" 2015 Part 1. Read the OP and RISE ABOVE FORGED PRECISION SCIENCE
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I had a $75 dollar gift card to Amazon so it wasnt as bad lol.
Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p, so the motherboard is specifically a Lenovo brand — hence why virtually no standard PSU's are supported. The PSU that is on there currently is an FSP Group 280 watt.
External power-supply is a last resort in any case. If that won't work I'll return back to the PC's original video card and give the tower to someone else. (Was given the workstation from my dad)
systematic
Unconfirmed Member
If you use a IBM Lenovo PSU Main Power 24-Pin to 14-Pin Adapter Cable you'll be able to use any standard PSU with your Lenovo motherboard.
Or you can make your own.
Whoa! How convenient! I may see to trying this in that case.
Thanks very much for bringing up this adapter!
It's still $200 you could have spent on an SSD or two or more RAM or games, or anything really. I'd call having a GTX980 or above for anything below an i7 4770 a waste. That could be completely wrong, it's just my opinion.
Or you could actually have a boss-ass CPU to go with the boss-ass GPU, in which case, congratulations, you have won at both PCs and life.
I have a 2500k at 4.5ghz. I've read that's fine with a 980. Not the case?
Honestly, i'd say, "kind of overdoing it", but that really is just me.
2500K with anything is coolio. The 2500K is a legend the same way the GTX970 will soon be. Either way, please don't take my words as any kind of objective truth, I'm not that smart.
Starbuck2907
Member
I've got a problem. I've been looking at upgrading from my 6850 1gb for a while now.
I'm hoping for DirectX 12 support, and three to four gigs of vram.
I game at 1080p, and I'd like to be able to put everything on ultra/high settings.
Here is the hangup... I have $100 in best buy gift cards, so I would rather buy from there.
So, are the brands offered there any good (I see a lot of XFX) and would I be better of waiting another few months or just biting the bullet and buying elsewhere?
I've got a 600 watt power supply, 8 gigs of ram, and an overclocked 2500K to go with the processor.
I have even considered buying a used or refurbished card...
I'm hoping for DirectX 12 support, and three to four gigs of vram.
I game at 1080p, and I'd like to be able to put everything on ultra/high settings.
Here is the hangup... I have $100 in best buy gift cards, so I would rather buy from there.
So, are the brands offered there any good (I see a lot of XFX) and would I be better of waiting another few months or just biting the bullet and buying elsewhere?
I've got a 600 watt power supply, 8 gigs of ram, and an overclocked 2500K to go with the processor.
I have even considered buying a used or refurbished card...
How much are you looking to spend in total? Best Buy has GTX 970 models available.. and they're not too overpriced. I don't know if you can apply Best Buy gift card credit to Best Buy Marketplace items, though.
Not much else I can recommend. I mean.. they're selling XFX R9 280X graphics cards for $300.. so even after the $100 gift card discount, you're still paying full price for the same card sold elsewhere. Best Buy has the XFX R9 290 for $310 so $100 off that isn't bad, but unfortunately it's out of stock online and in store.
Just remember that there are no Directx 12 cards out at the moment, since even Microsoft don't know what constitutes DX12 yet. Just get the best card you can get with the money you have, and be happy. A 970 would be perfect, for example...just IMO
Nyteshade517
Member
I am looking to get some more RAM.
This is the RAM I have right now
No one other than Corsair sells this so I am looking for an 8 GB memory kit that would work with this. Can anyone give me some suggestions?
This is the RAM I have right now
No one other than Corsair sells this so I am looking for an 8 GB memory kit that would work with this. Can anyone give me some suggestions?
Technically any RAM will work, mixing faster RAM with slower RAM just means that all default to the lower speed to work together, but you might stumble upon unexpected compatibility issues. Said compatibility issues are usually just a random case of "this RAM and motherboard combination just don't play well together". Buying the exact same speed and latency is a safe move, it's also usually safer to buy back the exact same brand so you know you're getting the same specs, but it's not necessary.
The RAM you mentioned you have is 1866MHz with CAS 10 latency timings, and runs at 1.5V. If you don't mind buying a different brand, then I recommend this 2 x 4GB Patriot Viper 3 kit for $71, it is rated for the exact same speed, latency timing, and voltage as your existing RAM.
If you want to buy Corsair, I should say that they don't offer that model any more. I can't actually find any decently priced kits for the exact same speed and latency, just same speed with lower latency (9 instead of 10). Probably still fine, though. You can get the blue version of their 2 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance kit for $77. It's 1866MHz CAS 9.
When you install the new RAM sticks, make sure to go into BIOS to check RAM profile settings. XMP should be enabled to get the higher speed of course, installing new RAM might make it revert back to 1333/1600MHz defaults.
Starbuck2907
Member
I'd be careful with LG monitors. I bought one a year ago, and it worked fine for about 11 or 12 months and then it started to turn black and just go off at random times even though the power light was still on. I did some research, and the capacitors in the monitor were getting too hot when I gamed at 1080p. So, I had to go to a slightly lower resolution to keep it from overheating.
Meanwhile, my Acer monitor from 5 years ago is rocking along with no problems.
My first Samsung TV had that problem with some of their tv's. I had to open it up and replace the capacitors myself with a soldering gun. http://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-po...-tvs-to-fail-and-a-class-action-suit-follows/
edit: BTW, thanks to everyone for the video card feedback.
It's time to start upgrading my gaming PC.
I was about to execute on the following but wanted GAF's expert opinion. I'm aiming for mid end, nothing too fancy but hopefully solid performance at 1920x1200.
Case: Cooler Master N200 - $50
CPU: i5-4690k - $235
Heatsink: Stock Intel -- until CM Hyper 212 comes back in stock - $35
MOBO: ASUS Z97M-PLUS - $125
RAM: Kingston HyperX FURY 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 - $74
SSD: Crucial MX100 256GB - $108
Recycling:
GPU: EVGA GTX 750 Ti SC 2GB -- To be upgraded to a GTX 970 in 3-4 months
Monitor: 24" Dell UltraSharp U2412M
PSU: EVGA 500B
No optical, no HDD (100% steam/digital)
Questions:
- Would I be able to upgrade to a single GTX 970 without bottlenecks?
- Does CPU OC still offer a noticeable performance increase with the newer GPUs? I realize I'm getting the unlocked CPU but I was unsure whether the gains are worth any potential wear/tear & additional power consumption.
- What about an SSD RAID 0? Any performance gains or simply better loading times?
Thanks in advance for any opinions/tips.
I was about to execute on the following but wanted GAF's expert opinion. I'm aiming for mid end, nothing too fancy but hopefully solid performance at 1920x1200.
Case: Cooler Master N200 - $50
CPU: i5-4690k - $235
Heatsink: Stock Intel -- until CM Hyper 212 comes back in stock - $35
MOBO: ASUS Z97M-PLUS - $125
RAM: Kingston HyperX FURY 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 - $74
SSD: Crucial MX100 256GB - $108
Recycling:
GPU: EVGA GTX 750 Ti SC 2GB -- To be upgraded to a GTX 970 in 3-4 months
Monitor: 24" Dell UltraSharp U2412M
PSU: EVGA 500B
No optical, no HDD (100% steam/digital)
Questions:
- Would I be able to upgrade to a single GTX 970 without bottlenecks?
- Does CPU OC still offer a noticeable performance increase with the newer GPUs? I realize I'm getting the unlocked CPU but I was unsure whether the gains are worth any potential wear/tear & additional power consumption.
- What about an SSD RAID 0? Any performance gains or simply better loading times?
Thanks in advance for any opinions/tips.
lordfuzzybutt
Member
Answer:
- You will be fine.
- Yes. Wear-tear won't be a problem but there might be a problem with 500W PSU when you upgrade to 970 and OC the CPU. I think better be on the safe side and get a 600W or at least 550W PSU.
- There are gains in synthetic benches, but in real life you will not notice much of a difference.
Case, processor, heatsink, and SSD are solid choices. There are some alternate parts I can recommend to save a little money.
You can get 8GB of G.Skill DDR3-1866 for $65, it's cheaper yet faster than that Kingston RAM. The Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 is $123 which is about the same price as the Asus Z97-Plus but has more features. Comparing the two motherboards, the Gigabyte model adds SATA Express, SLI support, and newer/better audio chipset (ALC1150 vs ALC887) that the Asus model lacks.
Your questions were already answered well by lordfuzzybutt, but I'll chime in anyway.
1. Yep, no problems. Power supply is just enough for the GTX 970. Guru3D measured the power consumption of the GTX 970 and they recommend 500 watts, more if you intend to do overclocking.
2. Overclocking the CPU can give you a framerate increase, but it depends on the games you play. CPU wear and tear is almost never an issue, as quality control on processors is extremely tight - the way they're made and tested, there is almost over 99% certainty that if not subject to damage or intense conditions, they can be expected to last over a decade even when overclocking. The K models are made to be overclockable, so it's pretty safe. I wouldn't overclock with the stock cooler though, wait until you get that 212 Evo so you can keep temperatures at a decent level. I wonder if you will hit 100% capacity with your power supply, though.
Reviews of the 4690K seem to say that when overclocked to 4.5~4.8GHz and running at load, it will consume somewhere around 180~200 watts, according to these sources: [XBit Labs] [Bit-Tech] [Digital Storm]
Coupling that with the info above from Guru3D about the GTX 970 consuming somewhere under 200 watts, and counting other miscellaneous parts like hard drives, you can see how 500 watts might be called the minimum. You can go ahead and try CPU/GPU overclocking, but if you run into issues then upgrade to a better power supply. I'd say 600-650 watts would be more than enough for your planned setup and running any single graphics card system with overclocking, but 700-800 watts will open the doors in the future for SLI.
3. I don't really know much about SSDs in RAID 0, but earlier comments by others more knowledgeable than me say that it's not worth the trouble, you should just buy a larger SSD off the bat or add a second SSD in the future as a secondary drive rather than messing with RAID. Performance gains aren't as noticeable comparing a single SSD to SSDs in RAID 0, depending on the models of SSD and what you're using the PC for. For a midrange gaming computer, it's probably not something you should really consider.
Dragon1893
Member
I want to buy a new gpu but the fact that I'll also need a psu is making it a lot harder.
The R9 280 seems to be the best bet within my budget but I only have a 500w FSP psu. Getting a 600w psu from a good brand costs about half of the price of the gpu...
So I'm basically looking at a 50% increase of my gpu upgrade budget.
PSUs are damn expensive.
The R9 280 seems to be the best bet within my budget but I only have a 500w FSP psu. Getting a 600w psu from a good brand costs about half of the price of the gpu...
So I'm basically looking at a 50% increase of my gpu upgrade budget.
PSUs are damn expensive.
What country are you buying parts in?
Dragon1893
Member
I'm in Portugal but I'm looking at prices on amazon.uk. We have some sites with decent prices here but unless it's a special sale they're not as good as amazon for example.
I'm looking at this card in particular (just noticed that it's the best selling gpu on amazon.uk right now):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IRTXPBM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3UAAW7D92JWK4&coliid=IL4L9XIH42HSQ#productDetails
It's within my price range but I don't think my PSU will cut it. A good psu will set me back at least another 70 euros.
dancrane212
Member
That looks great but a bit cautious about the 400watt requirement. This is what I have for my PSU, wish I was able to nab something a bit better but the case size limited my options there.
I have the BenQ XL2411T which is the model before yours, I run everything maxed at 1080p on a 770 4gb so I imagine a 970 would be more than good enough!
Sorry, forgot that you posted about this already a few days ago, you're the guy with the Loop case. I now remember recommending you the R9 280.
What power supply do you have? You said it was a 500 watt model a long while back. it's possible for the R9 280 to be powered by a 500 watt power supply. According to Guru3D's testing of the HIS R9 280, they recommended a 500 watt power supply minimum. The Sapphire R9 280 I recommended you also has a listed requirement for a 500 watt power supply.
The 400 watt requirement isn't so much of an actual "requirement" as it is just a guideline. Nvidia's website lists wattage requirement for the GTX 750 Ti as being 300 watts, while other websites and users have reported running GTX 750 Ti cards on similar 300~350 watt power supplies just fine. It depends on the rest of your system specs. PCPer did an article about equipping low end consumer prebuilt desktop PCs with the GTX 750 Ti, those three test PCs had paltry 250, 300, and 350 watt power supplies. End result? Absolutely no issues powering the GTX 750 Ti. Technically, that graphics card requires only 75 watts or less, so you do not need to worry about "only" having a 300 watt power supply.
What are your system specs, by the way?
Dragon1893
Member
Yeah. Thanks for the help by the way.
I'm wondering if it's risky though. My cpu is a 2600k. It's not overclocked and I don't mind keeping it at stock speed for now if it means I can buy that gpu and keep using my current psu.
Do you think that GPU's price will drop further in the near future? I can wait until May (Witcher 3).
Generally, power supply "requirements" as stated by graphics cards manufacturers are simply guidelines for the entire PC. They put out higher requirements than the graphics card actually needs and uses because the graphics card manufacturer has no idea what everyone's computer specs are and how much power the rest of the PC will be using. This is why although independent testing of cards like the R9 280 and GTX 970 show that they use 200 watts or less, the manufacturer decides to say 500 watts to leave 300 watts or more for the rest of the computer just to be safe. Better safe than to be sued for "false advertising".
You can still overclock AND run the R9 280. Bit-tech's 2600K review showed that when overclocked to 4.85GHz, the processor consumed about 235 watts. The R9 280 uses about 175 watts according to the Guru3D testing. That's about 410 watts, still enough room for a hard drive or two and a bunch of fans.
If you overclock only to about 4.5GHz, it'll use less power by a bit, and it'll be even safer. CPU at 4.5GHz and GPU together will be a bit less than 400 watts, by my guess.
Sorry, I have no idea when GPU prices will drop. Maybe when AMD releases the 390/390X series later this year, but it's not guaranteed.
Dragon1893
Member
Thanks. I'm aware of those things but when it comes to the PSU I'm always a bit too cautious.
This is good news for me though, I'll pull the trigger on that R9 then.
Well, if you want to be cautious, keeping the 2600K at stock speed is definitely an option.
What model and brand of power supply do you have? If it's a quality model then it's safer to run it closer to maximum capacity. Otherwise if it's cheap, then don't overclock (and replace the power supply soon if you can, of course).
Dragon1893
Member
It's a FSP (85).
So I went with a <$500/600-ish budget for my planned build for streaming on my nVidia Shield Portable, major gaming with Steam Big Picture Mode, college work and 1080p. Any suggestions are welcome.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Biostar B85MG Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.75 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill FBM-02 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($21.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 400W ATX Power Supply ($9.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $462.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-20 07:32 EST-0500
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Biostar B85MG Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.75 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill FBM-02 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($21.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 400W ATX Power Supply ($9.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $462.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-20 07:32 EST-0500
Hey GAF I've had my pc since 2011 but it's slowly starting to show it's age, should I just upgrade certain components to futureproof it, or just get rid of it altogether and start on a new build ? I use the pc mostly for gaming/multimedia and I'm kind of a grfx whore.
Here are the specs as is.
AMD phenom II X6 1090T @3,4ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3
corsair vengeance 8GB 1600mhz
AMD Radeon 280X 3GB
dont't have any ssd either currently
Here are the specs as is.
AMD phenom II X6 1090T @3,4ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3
corsair vengeance 8GB 1600mhz
AMD Radeon 280X 3GB
dont't have any ssd either currently
Hey guys.
since there is a refund coming in Feb i thought i would put that money into a new rig, since mine is very dated and showing its age. I went with a $1,200 range, but it ended being almost $1,600. On the image its the list of things. If people have any thoughts or recommendations i would love to know.
I'll start looking for some sales on some of these things.
Originally for the GPU i was thinking of a GTX 980... but its almost double the price for very little gain. For that money i could SLI two 970s. Which i prbly do down the line.
I could reuse some parts from my old rig, but i rather get everything new and build it from scratch, and repurpose my other rig to another room.
Let me know what you guys think!
since there is a refund coming in Feb i thought i would put that money into a new rig, since mine is very dated and showing its age. I went with a $1,200 range, but it ended being almost $1,600. On the image its the list of things. If people have any thoughts or recommendations i would love to know.
I'll start looking for some sales on some of these things.
Originally for the GPU i was thinking of a GTX 980... but its almost double the price for very little gain. For that money i could SLI two 970s. Which i prbly do down the line.
I could reuse some parts from my old rig, but i rather get everything new and build it from scratch, and repurpose my other rig to another room.
Let me know what you guys think!
dancrane212
Member
Thanks for writing all that up, I really appreciate it!
The box was mostly put together with leftover parts from upgrading my desktop last year, only thing that didn't come from the desktop was the video card.
GIGABYTE GA-MA74GM-S2 AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
4GB (2 x 2GB)
AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus Quad-Core 2.6GHz
MSI GT610 1GB
batman2million
Member
I'm sire this has been asked before but I can't seem to find it in this thread.
Is it a good idea to get a water cooler for your videocard? I have a 780 and playing games like far cry 4 on ultra, I'm getting temps 70-75.
I know below 80 is the safe range but I do intend on over clocking it.
If i do this, I want to add a water cooler for my processor as well so I can OC it a bit more. So is there an option that I can use for both my processor and 780?
This is my first time attempting to use water cooling and I'm hoping this to be a practice run for my next build which i intend on making in somewhere in 2016.
Is it a good idea to get a water cooler for your videocard? I have a 780 and playing games like far cry 4 on ultra, I'm getting temps 70-75.
I know below 80 is the safe range but I do intend on over clocking it.
If i do this, I want to add a water cooler for my processor as well so I can OC it a bit more. So is there an option that I can use for both my processor and 780?
This is my first time attempting to use water cooling and I'm hoping this to be a practice run for my next build which i intend on making in somewhere in 2016.
Hey guys, was hoping to pick a brain or two on my gfx quest.
So the time has come for me to upgrade my 560ti for evolve and dying light. Surprisingly, it still ran the evolve beta and Far Cry 4 respectfully, albeit on low. I've got an i5 2500k on a z68 extreme 3 gen 3 mobo with a 620 cosair psu. I game at 1080p regular hertz, no downsampling, overclocking etc.
My question is, can I just flat-out replace the 560ti with a 970 without issue (perhaps 960 if that eventuates tomorrow), or am I going to run into compatibility problems with the mobo/pc? (maxwell architecture etc?). The z68 supports PCI-3.0 and the power requirement checks out so my brain just assumes it'll be fine with some cpu bottlenecking.
Note: bad history with AMD keeps them out of the equation. In terms of cost, the 970 is around $500aud locally, cheaper internationally. I'd rather spend no more than $350aud but can spring the extra if needed, somewhat hoping these 960 cards are priced for guys in my scenario. I'm probably another year and a half away from a total PC upgrade, not expecting to run evolve on ultra here but hoping med/high 60fps would be affordable and achievable..
So the time has come for me to upgrade my 560ti for evolve and dying light. Surprisingly, it still ran the evolve beta and Far Cry 4 respectfully, albeit on low. I've got an i5 2500k on a z68 extreme 3 gen 3 mobo with a 620 cosair psu. I game at 1080p regular hertz, no downsampling, overclocking etc.
My question is, can I just flat-out replace the 560ti with a 970 without issue (perhaps 960 if that eventuates tomorrow), or am I going to run into compatibility problems with the mobo/pc? (maxwell architecture etc?). The z68 supports PCI-3.0 and the power requirement checks out so my brain just assumes it'll be fine with some cpu bottlenecking.
Note: bad history with AMD keeps them out of the equation. In terms of cost, the 970 is around $500aud locally, cheaper internationally. I'd rather spend no more than $350aud but can spring the extra if needed, somewhat hoping these 960 cards are priced for guys in my scenario. I'm probably another year and a half away from a total PC upgrade, not expecting to run evolve on ultra here but hoping med/high 60fps would be affordable and achievable..
http://forums.tweaktown.com/asrock/59292-asrock-z68-extreme3-gen3-compatibility-gtx-970-a.html
Seems you should be alright. Been googling, no universal issues as far as I can tell. And a (quality) 620w should be more than enough for a single GTX. (I'm using a 430w Corsair with a 670, if that means anything)
You should be fine going to a 970. I have a 2500k myself and went from a 660ti to a 970. It was a huge improvement.
If your 2500k isn't overclocked though, you should do so. Get it to 4.2ghz or higher and you'll be set for awhile.
The 620 PSU should be ok as well.
I would avoid the 960 personally. The specs just don't look that great. The 970 is a much better value and will have much longer legs.
Define "most games" and "handle." I haven't had any issues with my 295X2 at 1440x3440 when things work like they should, but I have had some dips below 60fps on games with poor crossfire support.
Your temps are fine. Your fans will just ramp up more the harder you push your card. Watercooling is not cheap. You're probably looking at $125-150 for a GPU heat sink, $70 for the CPU heat sink, $100-200 for radiator and fans, at least another $100 on the pump and resevoir. You can then expect an additional $100-200 on the various other components like tubing, fittings, etc.
Getting out for under $500 is pretty impressive in my book.
Edit: Meant to add this to my previous post in an edit. Shit.
UpDownLeftRight
Banned
Need your advice here PC Gaf. I'm looking at a pretty dated machine here but one that performs pretty well regardless, but I'm looking to get it set up for the future wave of games and particularly Oculus, so it's going to need to push framerates like a beast. I'm pretty certain no card on the market right now is appropriate for the job and should probably wait for the revised x80 equivelant of the Pascal cards, but outside of that will I need to do much else?
Will a 2600k on a P8P67 Pro suffice for now or am I going to have to consider looking at x99 motherboards, 6 core processors and DDR4? I'm hoping I can get by because in all honesty getting a new card and some more RAM alongside a CV1 is going to really stretch my budget anyway, so looking at a new top of the line build is way over budget considering the costs of the tech right now. I'm just kinda hoping I won't have to wait it out a few years and will be able to jump in on day one.
I bought a pretty monster CPU cooler after seeing the cost of watercooling and have to say I was really pleased with the results. I grabbed the Akasa Voodoo Venom, which if it fits in your rig does a beastly job of keeping the temps down. The temperatures are hardly over room temperature even in the summer until I start throwing some actual challenges at the system, but even then it sits about 20c below the GPU too. Lots of room to overclock before temperatures become a concern.
Will a 2600k on a P8P67 Pro suffice for now or am I going to have to consider looking at x99 motherboards, 6 core processors and DDR4? I'm hoping I can get by because in all honesty getting a new card and some more RAM alongside a CV1 is going to really stretch my budget anyway, so looking at a new top of the line build is way over budget considering the costs of the tech right now. I'm just kinda hoping I won't have to wait it out a few years and will be able to jump in on day one.
I bought a pretty monster CPU cooler after seeing the cost of watercooling and have to say I was really pleased with the results. I grabbed the Akasa Voodoo Venom, which if it fits in your rig does a beastly job of keeping the temps down. The temperatures are hardly over room temperature even in the summer until I start throwing some actual challenges at the system, but even then it sits about 20c below the GPU too. Lots of room to overclock before temperatures become a concern.
batman2million
Member
Eek! $500? Sigh. I guess I'll just save up for my next rig. Maybe I'll just opt for a cpu cooler since those seem more manageable.
thanks!
Hey guys!
I already have 16gb RAM, a case, a Geforce 660 GPU, a 256gb SSD, and 1TB HD. Here are the last pieces I'm adding an I'm curious if I should pull the trigger:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $564.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-20 11:00 EST-0500
I will be doing some video encoding which is why I want the i7. Any thoughts before I pull the trigger? I'm not a fan of mail-in-rebates, so I've gone out of the way to avoid them.
Note: I also save $25 using Newegg with the Visa Checkout $25 off $200 or more promo.
Thanks!
EDIT: Just came across this EVGA 750W PSU @ $65. Should I go with this over the Corsair 600W @ $60?
I already have 16gb RAM, a case, a Geforce 660 GPU, a 256gb SSD, and 1TB HD. Here are the last pieces I'm adding an I'm curious if I should pull the trigger:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $564.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-20 11:00 EST-0500
I will be doing some video encoding which is why I want the i7. Any thoughts before I pull the trigger? I'm not a fan of mail-in-rebates, so I've gone out of the way to avoid them.
Note: I also save $25 using Newegg with the Visa Checkout $25 off $200 or more promo.
Thanks!
EDIT: Just came across this EVGA 750W PSU @ $65. Should I go with this over the Corsair 600W @ $60?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A1ZTZOG/?tag=neogaf0e-20
To hop on or hold out for even lower 240GB - 256 GB prices...
To hop on or hold out for even lower 240GB - 256 GB prices...
Okay, fellow GAFfers, the second quote just came in from CMS Computers, makers of the Zoostorm PC brand, about their version of my custom i5 build.
Their quote is as follows:
Intel Core i5-4690K
MSI Z97-G43 Gaming series, 4 RAM slots, 32GB capacity
6 USB2.0s, 2 USB3.0s in back panel; 1 USB2.0, 2 USB3.0s on front panel
Western Digital 7200RPM 1TB HDD
Crucial 16GB DDR3 1600MHz
In-Win Mana 136 Case (pictured above)
FSP 85+ 500W PSU
DVDRW
nVidia GTX970 4GB
Win 8.1 Home
Zoostorm KB&M
1Yr RTB Warranty, all parts manufacturers' warranty
All pre-built and tested
and delivery for £889.92.
It's competing with a previously-quoted build from ADMI, which is thus:
Intel Core I5 4690K 3.5Ghz Quad Core Processor
Asus Z97M-PLUS, 4 RAM slots, 32GB maximum
4 USB2.0s on back panel, 4 USB3.0s (2 top panel, 2 back panel)
Corsair or Aerocool or XFX 550w PSU, not modular (boo!), "high quality, excellent cable management"
NVIDIA GTX 970 4GB DDR5 Graphics Card (Gigabyte today, could be different tomorrow)
A-Data* 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 RAM (can be bumped up to 16GB for £60 extra)
1TB Hard Drive (forgot to ask for the brand, d'oh!)
150Mbps PCI WiFi
24x DVDRW
AeroCool Dead Silence Case (pictured above)
Pre-Installed with Windows 8
Pre-tested and fully assembled
12 months return-to-base warranty, all parts have individual warranties (GPU 5 yrs, PSU 4 yrs, etc.)
and nesxt-day delivery for £854.99.
I'm leaning towards the first one, since they are a local (to me) firm and 16GB RAM will help it stay the course in the long term, and oh that motherboard, but the second one is cheaper, has a smaller (and more colourful!) case, and was the first one I asked about. Everything depends on the brands now; if the PSU is good, then it's the first one without hesitation. I've never heard of FSP, are they a reliable brand? Does anyone want to weigh in with an opinion to help me make up my mind? Remember - the next five years of my gaming life rest on your shoulders!
Their quote is as follows:
Intel Core i5-4690K
MSI Z97-G43 Gaming series, 4 RAM slots, 32GB capacity
6 USB2.0s, 2 USB3.0s in back panel; 1 USB2.0, 2 USB3.0s on front panel
Western Digital 7200RPM 1TB HDD
Crucial 16GB DDR3 1600MHz
In-Win Mana 136 Case (pictured above)
FSP 85+ 500W PSU
DVDRW
nVidia GTX970 4GB
Win 8.1 Home
Zoostorm KB&M
1Yr RTB Warranty, all parts manufacturers' warranty
All pre-built and tested
and delivery for £889.92.
It's competing with a previously-quoted build from ADMI, which is thus:
Intel Core I5 4690K 3.5Ghz Quad Core Processor
Asus Z97M-PLUS, 4 RAM slots, 32GB maximum
4 USB2.0s on back panel, 4 USB3.0s (2 top panel, 2 back panel)
Corsair or Aerocool or XFX 550w PSU, not modular (boo!), "high quality, excellent cable management"
NVIDIA GTX 970 4GB DDR5 Graphics Card (Gigabyte today, could be different tomorrow)
A-Data* 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 RAM (can be bumped up to 16GB for £60 extra)
1TB Hard Drive (forgot to ask for the brand, d'oh!)
150Mbps PCI WiFi
24x DVDRW
AeroCool Dead Silence Case (pictured above)
Pre-Installed with Windows 8
Pre-tested and fully assembled
12 months return-to-base warranty, all parts have individual warranties (GPU 5 yrs, PSU 4 yrs, etc.)
and nesxt-day delivery for £854.99.
I'm leaning towards the first one, since they are a local (to me) firm and 16GB RAM will help it stay the course in the long term, and oh that motherboard, but the second one is cheaper, has a smaller (and more colourful!) case, and was the first one I asked about. Everything depends on the brands now; if the PSU is good, then it's the first one without hesitation. I've never heard of FSP, are they a reliable brand? Does anyone want to weigh in with an opinion to help me make up my mind? Remember - the next five years of my gaming life rest on your shoulders!
Honestly, no. If you feel up to it, you can do a complete driver uninstall, install the card, then reinstall the drivers but I personally feel like that's a waste.
I'd just turn off the computer, pop in the new card and go. I did the complete uninstall when I got my first 970 but after I RMA'd it, I just put my old 660ti back in then put the new 970 in all without uninstalling drivers again. It's been fine.
Thank you both
a - I should avoid ssd Raid 0 and get a larger one off the bat.
b - Ok to OC but will have to get a 750W PSU when upgrading to GTX 970
c - Looking at the GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 and ram recommendations now, thanks again.
- Status