• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

"I Need a New PC!" 2015 Part 2. Read the OP. Rocking 2500K's until HBM2 and beyond.

Status
Not open for further replies.

JMTHEFOX

Member
Here's my version of your build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($111.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($172.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone ML07B HTPC Case ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Silverstone 450W 80+ Bronze Certified SFX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($19.97 @ Amazon)
Total: $577.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-06 09:47 EST-0500
  • The ASRock H81M-ITX has better reviews and a more conventional layout than the MSI motherboard.
  • The set of 1x8GB RAM is slightly cheaper and leaves you room to add additional RAM if needed, making it more flexible than 2x4GB.
  • $160 for the GTX 950 2GB model is quite overpriced, considering that it's possible to get a 4GB model of the GTX 960 or R9 380 for $20~30 more which are stronger and won't be as bottlenecked in the future.
Overall, this build costs only $7 more for the stronger graphics card.

Thanks for the suggestions, your version looks more interesting than mine, IMHO.
 

Jharp

Member
If it were me, I'd get an upper midrange card (970/R9 390)for now and save the rest of the budget to do a full rebuild with that card in it later.

I had a very similar setup. From your mainboard I am guessing you are on the i5 3570 (k?). Most easy way to upgrade for you is to get a nice CPU cooler (something like the scythe mugen) and to overclock your CPU to around 4.2 ghz. Your CPU should easily handle the OC with the better cooling provided. (My i5 3570k runs at around 55°C with 4.2 ghz during very heavy 15-20 minute testing, and the i5 3570k in general is great for overclocking!). This should cost you around 30-45 minutes of work and maybe 35-45 bucks.

The next thing is you GPU. I'd recommend a r9 390 or a gtx 970 (I'd personaly go with the 970 but...). This will make your system significantly better, even without OCing your CPU.

Next thing: Ram. DDR3 Ram is very cheap atm. 16gb of Ram go from 80-110 bucks. Not the world.

If you OC your CPU, install better cooling, upgrade your RAM (maybe not necessary) and get a new GPU you should be fine for another 12 months (at least, probably more).

Just buy an MSI 970 or a Sapphire 390 Nitro and you're good. The cpu won't be a bottleneck.

Hmmm, cool deal guys. I think I'll refocus on nabbing a new video card, then. I see newegg's Black Friday stuff is getting into full swing. What should I keep an eye out for? I've been an EVGA customer for nearly a decade now and they've never done me wrong (in fact, their customer service the two times i've needed to contact them has been top-notch), but I'm open to anything. Probably going to go fro a 4GB card too.

Oh, and anyone got tips for selling an old card? I always figure there's never any real market for it, but then I hear people getting rid of their three-four year old cards for a few bucks. Can I realistically sell off a 670 for any amount of money that would make shipping it worthwhile?
 

RGM79

Member
Hmmm, cool deal guys. I think I'll refocus on nabbing a new video card, then. I see newegg's Black Friday stuff is getting into full swing. What should I keep an eye out for? I've been an EVGA customer for nearly a decade now and they've never done me wrong (in fact, their customer service the two times i've needed to contact them has been top-notch), but I'm open to anything. Probably going to go fro a 4GB card too.

Oh, and anyone got tips for selling an old card? I always figure there's never any real market for it, but then I hear people getting rid of their three-four year old cards for a few bucks. Can I realistically sell off a 670 for any amount of money that would make shipping it worthwhile?
Check craigslist and ebay to see how much a GTX 670 goes for. Put up an ad at those places, and up on gaf's B/S/T thread as well. Maybe you have some friends or coworkers with an older PC that a GTX 670 would be an upgrade over what they currently have.

Selling it locally via craigslist or to a friend would mean no shipping hassles, of course.
 
I'm thinking if I should replace my NZXT Phantom with one of those silent Fractal one. How does silent case deal with heat and will it increase ambient room tempture?
 

Quotient

Member
This would be the one
http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=17-151-137

It should be modular but I think the image is misleading.

Also just so you are aware, the PSU bracket can actually be removed allowing the PSU to sit about 20mm further back. Just need to unscrew 2 screws from below the case. If you do end up needing room (you shouldn't though) you can do that and just Velcro the PSU to the case from the bottom.

This is how I have an old Seasonic M12II 620 installed in my node 304 which is 160mm and an MSI GAMER GTX 970.

Edit
Think you did have the right link, reason why it still fits is due to the cable connector locations, they are very low:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules/NDReviews/images/SeasonicG650/DSC_5443.jpg

http://www.overclock.net/t/1434580/node-304-with-maximus-vi-impact-build-minilith

You are right it does fit based on where the locations of the cable connectors are.

So I would guess you can't go wrong with either the Coolmaster V650 or Seasonic G650? They both are the same price.
 

Woorloog

Banned
A sound card fixed my sound problems. Not sure if issue was a busted mobo integrated sound card or shitty drivers but now i don't need to think about this.

Now to test this wireless network card in a game, an USB wireless adapter i tried had nice 1000ms latency and was therefore unusable.

EDIT On the other hand, connecting the case fans to mobo from case's system may not have been the best decision, they seem to be running faster and make more noise... guess i will have to make some adjustments to them from BIOS or...?
 
So I'm trying to put one of the included case fans from the fractal define R5 onto the bottom, but all of the included screws are too small and go right through the holes on the bottom of the case. Any suggestions?

Edit: my Noctua fan came with some I can use.
 

squadr0n

Member
Here is an update for my New PC. I ordered through Cyberpowerpc.com who is having a pretty good sale this week and has some really great prices along with the ability to completely custom pick each and every part/option. They will even Overclock it for you and guarantee it with a warranty.


whtblk_win10.png

Seriously love this case! Only downside is theres no room for a Disk Drive but I havent had one in years anyway so it wasnt really a big deal. I have a external one that came with my laptop so I can just use it for the time being. This tower is sooo clean though, I love it!
wht05_400.png


Here are the Specs!

Gaming Chasis: NZXT Source 340 Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0, Side-Panel Window (White/Black Color)
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-6600K 3.50GHz 6MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1151 (Skylake)
CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: Asetek 550LC 120mm Liquid Cooling CPU Cooler - Extreme Cooling Performance (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE G1.Sniper Z170 SLI ATX w/ USB 3.1, 3 PCIe x16, 2 PCIe x1, 3 SATA Express, 6 SATA3, 1 Ultra M.2
RAM / System Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 3000 (Purchased separately)
Video Card: EVGA Superclocked + ACX 2.0 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 2GB GDDR5 PCIe 3.0 x16 Video Card (Maxwell) (Single Card)
Power Supply: 750 Watts - Corsair Power Supply (Off my old PC)
Hard Drive: 1TB Western Digital Caviar Blue SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 7200 RPM HDD (Single Drive)

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Mega_Special_II

Complete assembly for $875 shipped!

Absolutely love this case too. So glad I went this route instead of the alternative at Newegg which had the same specs pretty much but cheeped out in every possible way. I got the cheapest Videocard though only because I couldnt afford a $500 980 just yet but plan on upgrading by July. If anyone is interested in getting a new PC for Christmas check this site out. They had similar options that go as low as $600.
 

RGM79

Member
The Netherlands. :)

Are there any local retailers for computer parts that you and your friend prefer to deal with? Geizhals is a price comparison website that offers prices for Germany (geizhals.de) and Austria (geizhals.de) as well as Europe (geizhals.eu) in general, but I don't know if they have Dutch retailers listed, you could check?

I'm thinking if I should replace my NZXT Phantom with one of those silent Fractal one. How does silent case deal with heat and will it increase ambient room tempture?

Most of the Define cases are pretty good for airflow, I've never heard of them causing parts to overheat unless there was a serious problem in the first place. The amount of heat coming from your PC and entering the room doesn't really change from the case. Maybe how quickly, but the heat always has to go somewhere.

So I'm trying to put one of the included case fans from the fractal define R5 onto the bottom, but all of the included screws are too small and go right through the holes on the bottom of the case. Any suggestions?

Edit: my Noctua fan came with some I can use.

Case fans use larger screws, as you already found out.

Here is an update for my New PC. I ordered through Cyberpowerpc.com who is having a pretty good sale this week and has some really great prices along with the ability to completely custom pick each and every part/option. They will even Overclock it for you and guarantee it with a warranty.


whtblk_win10.png

Seriously love this case! Only downside is theres no room for a Disk Drive but I havent had one in years anyway so it wasnt really a big deal. I have a external one that came with my laptop so I can just use it for the time being. This tower is sooo clean though, I love it!
wht05_400.png


Here are the Specs!

Gaming Chasis: NZXT Source 340 Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0, Side-Panel Window (White/Black Color)
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-6600K 3.50GHz 6MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1151 (Skylake)
CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: Asetek 550LC 120mm Liquid Cooling CPU Cooler - Extreme Cooling Performance (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE G1.Sniper Z170 SLI ATX w/ USB 3.1, 3 PCIe x16, 2 PCIe x1, 3 SATA Express, 6 SATA3, 1 Ultra M.2
RAM / System Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 3000 (Purchased separately)
Video Card: EVGA Superclocked + ACX 2.0 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 2GB GDDR5 PCIe 3.0 x16 Video Card (Maxwell) (Single Card)
Power Supply: 750 Watts - Corsair Power Supply (Off my old PC)
Hard Drive: 1TB Western Digital Caviar Blue SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 7200 RPM HDD (Single Drive)

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Mega_Special_II

Complete assembly for $875 shipped!

Absolutely love this case too. So glad I went this route instead of the alternative at Newegg which had the same specs pretty much but cheeped out in every possible way. I got the cheapest Videocard though only because I couldnt afford a $500 980 just yet but plan on upgrading by July. If anyone is interested in getting a new PC for Christmas check this site out. They had similar options that go as low as $600.

Not bad. How much did it cost in total with the parts that weren't included? Was it just the RAM?
 

AndreH121

Neo Member
I have a 980 GTX 2xSLI system with an ROG Swift monitor and my framerate never goes higher than about 103 FPS no matter what game I run. Even the 3DMark smartphone game tests never run higher than 103 FPS. I'm assuming the system is throttling down, how do I change this?
 

Rebel Leader

THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
Hmmm, cool deal guys. I think I'll refocus on nabbing a new video card, then. I see newegg's Black Friday stuff is getting into full swing. What should I keep an eye out for? I've been an EVGA customer for nearly a decade now and they've never done me wrong (in fact, their customer service the two times i've needed to contact them has been top-notch), but I'm open to anything. Probably going to go fro a 4GB card too.

Oh, and anyone got tips for selling an old card? I always figure there's never any real market for it, but then I hear people getting rid of their three-four year old cards for a few bucks. Can I realistically sell off a 670 for any amount of money that would make shipping it worthwhile?

This may intrest you if you are going with a 970

 

Rootbeer

Banned
I chose the free copy of AC:S when I ordered my GTX 980 Ti. It's probably not a game I would buy otherwise, but I'm sure I'll get some fun out of it. The last one I played was Black Flag on PS4.
 

Woorloog

Banned
Looking at my used space, and considering what games i'll be playing and how big they're nowadays... I should have gotten either a 1TB SSD or two 500GB ones.
I was like, "I've use X from my laptop's 500GB HDD, i doubt i'll use anymore on this new computer".
Obviously i was wrong.

I mean, i still have majority free, and if i get rid of Win7 files, i'll get some 20GB open but... Well. One can never have too much space, you can always find use for it. Or need it.
 

wheeplash

Member
Hi there guys, long time no see on this thread.
I think it's about time some of my PC parts get an upgrade, but it's been almost 5 years since I got deep into the PC building scene, I have only touched it once to install a new graphics card since, I can't for the life of me remember anything about CPUs and Mobos.

Here are my current specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5 750 2.67ghz (stock speed, since I never learnt how to overclock).
Mobo: Gigabyte P55-UD3P
RAM: 2x4GB DDR3 Corsair 666mhz sticks
GPU: Nvidia Geforce EVGA GTX760 2GB
Hard Drive: 500GB SATAII Western Digital 7200RPM
Power Supply: 550 watts if I remember correctly
Monitor: LG W2353V native 1080p

I've tried some luck with recent games like The Witcher 3, for example, and the machine really struggles to reach 60fps with barely decent graphics at 1080p. I feel like this will be the case further on and I honestly don't know where I should start with my upgrade. going beyond 1080p is not a priority right now because I honestly won't have the money to spend on a beastly monitor (they are crazy expensive where I live), so I guess 60fps/1080 would be the sweet spot for the moment.

I just want to get everything to 60fps at 1080p stable, is it purely a graphics card problem? I'd rather not buy a new one before even touching the older parts, but I lack the knowledge right now.
 

MisterNoisy

Member
Looking at my used space, and considering what games i'll be playing and how big they're nowadays... I should have gotten either a 1TB SSD or two 500GB ones.
I was like, "I've use X from my laptop's 500GB HDD, i doubt i'll use anymore on this new computer".
Obviously i was wrong.

I mean, i still have majority free, and if i get rid of Win7 files, i'll get some 20GB open but... Well. One can never have too much space, you can always find use for it. Or need it.

On my new machine, I picked up a cheaper 480GB SSD (Sandisk Ultra II) for something like $140 or so while it was on sale just for Steam and my game installs - it's not the fastest thing out there, but it's way faster than a spinner.
 

Woorloog

Banned
On my new machine, I picked up a cheaper 480GB SSD (Sandisk Ultra II) for something like $140 or so while it was on sale just for Steam and my game installs - it's not the fastest thing out there, but it's way faster than a spinner.

140 dollars? Thats, what, 125 euro?
Quite a bit. My SSD cost... 90€ i think. Crucial BX100, as suggested in the OP.

EDIT NO, wait, that's the 250GB version.
Now i'm wondering how much i paid for the 500GB version. Whatever it was, it was among the cheaper SSDs at that size range.
 

MisterNoisy

Member
140 dollars? Thats, what, 125 euro?
Quite a bit. My SSD cost... 90€ i think. Crucial BX100, as suggested in the OP.

EDIT NO, wait, that's the 250GB version.
Now i'm wondering how much i paid for the 500GB version. Whatever it was, it was among the cheaper SSDs at that size range.

When I bought it, it was the cheapest option I could find that had decent user and pro reviews - one of the perils of buying parts piecemeal, heh.
 

RGM79

Member
Hi there guys, long time no see on this thread.
I think it's about time some of my PC parts get an upgrade, but it's been almost 5 years since I got deep into the PC building scene, I have only touched it once to install a new graphics card since, I can't for the life of me remember anything about CPUs and Mobos.

Here are my current specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5 750 2.67ghz (stock speed, since I never learnt how to overclock).
Mobo: Gigabyte P55-UD3P
RAM: 2x4GB DDR3 Corsair 666mhz sticks
GPU: Nvidia Geforce EVGA GTX760 2GB
Hard Drive: 500GB SATAII Western Digital 7200RPM
Power Supply: 550 watts if I remember correctly
Monitor: LG W2353V native 1080p

I've tried some luck with recent games like The Witcher 3, for example, and the machine really struggles to reach 60fps with barely decent graphics at 1080p. I feel like this will be the case further on and I honestly don't know where I should start with my upgrade. going beyond 1080p is not a priority right now because I honestly won't have the money to spend on a beastly monitor (they are crazy expensive where I live), so I guess 60fps/1080 would be the sweet spot for the moment.

I just want to get everything to 60fps at 1080p stable, is it purely a graphics card problem? I'd rather not buy a new one before even touching the older parts, but I lack the knowledge right now.

You'll want to overclock the i5 750 if you can. I recall getting mine up to 4GHz with the Hyper 212 Evo heatsink. Otherwise you could consider a new processor and motherboard to go along with a new graphics card. What country are you in and what's your budget for upgrades?
 

ISee

Member
Hmmm, cool deal guys. I think I'll refocus on nabbing a new video card, then. I see newegg's Black Friday stuff is getting into full swing. What should I keep an eye out for? I've been an EVGA customer for nearly a decade now and they've never done me wrong (in fact, their customer service the two times i've needed to contact them has been top-notch), but I'm open to anything. Probably going to go fro a 4GB card too.

Oh, and anyone got tips for selling an old card? I always figure there's never any real market for it, but then I hear people getting rid of their three-four year old cards for a few bucks. Can I realistically sell off a 670 for any amount of money that would make shipping it worthwhile?

No idea about AMD atm but if you are going for a 970 there are three valid options.

1.) The GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 Gaming. One of the best 970s out there. It has a pretty high factory OC, very good cooling and a good further OC potential. The downside is: it is a huge card because it uses a three fan setup and it's more expensive than the rest.

2. and 3.) MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming and the ASUS STRIX GeForce GTX 970. They are very similar to each other. Both have a decent OC, are relatively quiet (even silent in desktop mode) and have good cooling abilities.

The EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SuperClocked ACX 2.0 is also ok. Decent OC, decent cooling. If you like EVGA you can go for it, but I think the three options up there are better, especially the gigabyte.

And yes you can sell your 670. It's still outperforms a 750Ti and it is only ~10% slower then a 960. 80-100 €/$ should be achievable.
 

wheeplash

Member
You'll want to overclock the i5 750 if you can. I recall getting mine up to 4GHz with the Hyper 212 Evo heatsink. Otherwise you could consider a new processor and motherboard to go along with a new graphics card. What country are you in and what's your budget for upgrades?

Hi there!
I'm from Peru, my budget problem is mostly related to displays in general since they go beyond expensive here and importing them is also a pain (almost the same final price as in retail stores). I have no problems with smaller parts since I frequently shop at Amazon and ask friends to bring them to me from their US trips.

I'd say I wouldn't spend more than $400 atm, which would be the same money I could put on a console at Black Friday. I like to future-proof myself, as I said my PC is mostly from 2010.
 

SRG01

Member
I forgot, did you get a GTX 960 with 2GB VRAM or 4GB VRAM? If you leave it set to the IGP, that means the game isn't going to use your graphics card to render the game and it'll run slow if you set the graphics quality settings higher, or look like crap if you leave the graphics quality low.

I got the 4GB card, hm. I'd love to leave it on my IGP port to save myself some hassle but I suppose moving it back to the card while I play won't be that bad.

There is a setting on the motherboard that allows multi-monitor across the IGP and graphics card. Would that allow the video card to render for the game since it's presumably sharing a frame buffer at that point?
 

Woorloog

Banned
Does anyone who has the Fractal R5 know if it has feet or if it's flat to the ground?

Also if it does...how "tall" are they?

Cheers

Feet, perhaps 1 centimeter tall. BRB, measuring.

EDIT looks like they're one inch tall. Or 2.5 centimeters. About that anyway.

EDIT make it 2 cm.
 

RGM79

Member
Hi there!
I'm from Peru, my budget problem is mostly related to displays in general since they go beyond expensive here and importing them is also a pain (almost the same final price as in retail stores). I have no problems with smaller parts since I frequently shop at Amazon and ask friends to bring them to me from their US trips.

I'd say I wouldn't spend more than $400 atm, which would be the same money I could put on a console at Black Friday. I like to future-proof myself, as I said my PC is mostly from 2010.

Well, for $400 you can get a new motherboard and processor or a new graphics card. Can't really have it all. From where you are now, you'd have to spend $200 or more for a decent enough boost from your existing GTX 760, and a new motherboard and processor would cost $300~400 depending on what parts you go with.

Future-proofing is mostly relative.. there's only so much you can plan for. Intel changes motherboard socket platforms every two years it seems. Getting the current generation i5 and a decent midrange motherboard should keep you secure for perhaps another 5 years.
 

wheeplash

Member
Well, for $400 you can get a new motherboard and processor or a new graphics card. Can't really have it all. From where you are now, you'd have to spend $200 or more for a decent enough boost from your existing GTX 760, and a new motherboard and processor would cost $300~400 depending on what parts you go with.

Future-proofing is mostly relative.. there's only so much you can plan for. Intel changes motherboard socket platforms every two years it seems. Getting the current generation i5 and a decent midrange motherboard should keep you secure for perhaps another 5 years.

I can see myself getting the cpu/mobo combo before upgrading my graphics card, since it's a relatively new purchase after all. I could always sell it as used since I've kept everything that came with it, but I can't say the same for my original 2010 parts.

Can you recommend me something then?
 

Crisium

Member
My friend has a corsair tx 750m power supply and I was going to use it on a 2nd PC of mine but apparently the power supply does not have the 6 pin atx board connector. Do they sell cables that attach to older power supplys for the 6 pin connector or do I just need to get a new power supply?

power supply: http://www.corsair.com/en-us/tx-ser...50-watt-high-performance-modular-power-supply

Maybe you mean something else, but it has four of the 6-pin connectors commonly used in video cards.
 
I seated my first Intel CPU and feel like I broke it. I've heard that's what it feels like but I'm going to be uneasy about it until I can finish the build later and see if it boots...
 

Mobius 1

Member
Does anyone who has the Fractal R5 know if it has feet or if it's flat to the ground?

Also if it does...how "tall" are they?

Cheers

It has metal feet with rubber pads, they're not very tall. You want to have it on a flat hard surface because of the bottom vents, or raise the case somehow to give it clearance if on carpet.
 

Rebel Leader

THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
I seated my first Intel CPU and feel like I broke it. I've heard that's what it feels like but I'm going to be uneasy about it until I can finish the build later and see if it boots...

I know but hold strong.

We all had that feeling before when seeding the CPU
 
I seated my first Intel CPU and feel like I broke it. I've heard that's what it feels like but I'm going to be uneasy about it until I can finish the build later and see if it boots...
It's probably fine. And worst case would be you bent some pins on the motherboard. I can't see how you could break the cpu, unless you crank down on the mounting bracket without having the cpu in right or something.

Tl;dr it's probably fine.
 

Quotient

Member

RGM79

Member
I got the 4GB card, hm. I'd love to leave it on my IGP port to save myself some hassle but I suppose moving it back to the card while I play won't be that bad.

There is a setting on the motherboard that allows multi-monitor across the IGP and graphics card. Would that allow the video card to render for the game since it's presumably sharing a frame buffer at that point?

I had that setting enabled once as a workaround from when I realized my new graphics card wasn't going to support VGA output. Rather than what you described, some games detected my video chipset as being the Intel graphics rather than my Nvidia card. I don't think it'll work for you, but it wouldn't hurt to try other than waste a few minutes of your time and rebooting the PC.

Gimme dat seal of approval guys

Looks fine to me. For basic office work, RAM speed isn't going to matter much if at all.

I am leaning towards the Seasonic, primarily due to the high praise it got from JonnyGuru.

With regards to ram, i decided to get the G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200, the motherboard i choose is the ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac which states in the specs that it supports 3200(O.C). I am unsure what the OC means, is it refering to overclock?

Also is that ram the best bang-for-buck?

All DDR4 RAM rated for speeds above 2133MHz is technically overclocked to run at that speed. By default when you install that RAM, it will run at the default speed of 2133MHz. It's very easy to set it to run at the higher rated speed, though. Just go into your BIOS and look for an option called XMP profile or something like that, and then set it enabled or on "profile 1" or similar. Then the RAM will run at the faster speed.

RAM speed doesn't seem to figure much into games and won't make a huge difference for day-to-day use, but $130 seems ok. There is some 2800 and 3000MHz RAM for closer to $110, though.
 

Roubjon

Member
Hey guys, I wasn't quite sure where to ask this question but I thought you might be able to help me?

I'm in a little pickle here.

So I bought a SAGER NP8670 laptop last summer, but I think I'm just noticing an issue. I haven't played many graphically intensive games on it yet, but I tried running Resident Evil 4 HD oand it's running at like, 20 fps. I don't quite understand why and I don't see how it is running so poorly. I posted the specs of the Laptop below:


- Processor: 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4720HQ (2.6GHz - 3.6GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache)
- Graphics Video Card: NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 965M (2.0GB) GDDR5 PCI-Express DX12 (Maxwell) w/ Optimus™ Technology
- Ram: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz [1x8GB] Dual Channel Memory (SKU - RAM02S)
- Primary Hard Drive: 1TB 7200RPM [SATA II - 3GB/s] (SKU - HDDYY1)
- Operating System: ~Windows 7 Professional Premium 64-Bit (64&32-Bit CD Included) + MS Office 2013 Trial
- Display: 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Anti-Glare Ultra Bright Screen (1920x1080)

I feel like these are more than enough to run it. Also when I tried running L4D2 a while ago it was chugging and I had to play it in a window.

Is there a setting or something I'm missing to unlock this thing? I downloaded the latest drivers and that didn't do anything. I honestly have no idea what to do.
 
Hey guys, I wasn't quite sure where to ask this question but I thought you might be able to help me?

I'm in a little pickle here.

So I bought a SAGER NP8670 laptop last summer, but I think I'm just noticing an issue. I haven't played many graphically intensive games on it yet, but I tried running Resident Evil 4 HD oand it's running at like, 20 fps. I don't quite understand why and I don't see how it is running so poorly. I posted the specs of the Laptop below:


- Processor: 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4720HQ (2.6GHz - 3.6GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache)
- Graphics Video Card: NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 965M (2.0GB) GDDR5 PCI-Express DX12 (Maxwell) w/ Optimus™ Technology
- Ram: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz [1x8GB] Dual Channel Memory (SKU - RAM02S)
- Primary Hard Drive: 1TB 7200RPM [SATA II - 3GB/s] (SKU - HDDYY1)
- Operating System: ~Windows 7 Professional Premium 64-Bit (64&32-Bit CD Included) + MS Office 2013 Trial
- Display: 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Anti-Glare Ultra Bright Screen (1920x1080)

I feel like these are more than enough to run it. Also when I tried running L4D2 a while ago it was chugging and I had to play it in a window.

Is there a setting or something I'm missing to unlock this thing? I downloaded the latest drivers and that didn't do anything. I honestly have no idea what to do.

Are you playing with it plugged in to the power or from the battery? I never had a gaming laptop that ran the GPU at full power from the battery alone.
 

Crisium

Member
It's also possible it's using Nvidia Optimus even when plugged in. This is a feature that lets you use the Intel integrated graphics when you want to save battery. Maybe it is stuck on. I've never used the feature myself but look around for info on how to turn it off.
 

RGM79

Member
Hey guys, I wasn't quite sure where to ask this question but I thought you might be able to help me?

I'm in a little pickle here.

So I bought a SAGER NP8670 laptop last summer, but I think I'm just noticing an issue. I haven't played many graphically intensive games on it yet, but I tried running Resident Evil 4 HD oand it's running at like, 20 fps. I don't quite understand why and I don't see how it is running so poorly. I posted the specs of the Laptop below:


- Processor: 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4720HQ (2.6GHz - 3.6GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache)
- Graphics Video Card: NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 965M (2.0GB) GDDR5 PCI-Express DX12 (Maxwell) w/ Optimus™ Technology
- Ram: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz [1x8GB] Dual Channel Memory (SKU - RAM02S)
- Primary Hard Drive: 1TB 7200RPM [SATA II - 3GB/s] (SKU - HDDYY1)
- Operating System: ~Windows 7 Professional Premium 64-Bit (64&32-Bit CD Included) + MS Office 2013 Trial
- Display: 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Anti-Glare Ultra Bright Screen (1920x1080)

I feel like these are more than enough to run it. Also when I tried running L4D2 a while ago it was chugging and I had to play it in a window.

Is there a setting or something I'm missing to unlock this thing? I downloaded the latest drivers and that didn't do anything. I honestly have no idea what to do.

Check and see if the power setting in control panel is set to power saver, balanced, or high performance.
 

Roubjon

Member
I think you guys were right. I plugged it in and RE4 ran at 60fps max settings. I also went to my device manager and updated my drivers that way. I didn't know you could update your drivers from there.

Thanks for the help!
 

Gumbie

Member
Can anyone identify what this GPU is based on this picture? The person who owns is isn't very tech savey and had someone build their PC. They claim it's a 970 but I can't find any blower style 970 that looks like that installed. Even most blower style cards I've seen have some sort of branding on the side that shows. Wish I had more pics or info to go off but this is all I got. I'm the process of getting them to run GPU-Z. Just trying to make sure they didn't get ripped off.

gpu_zps5cyvdje2.jpg
 
Can anyone identify what this GPU is based on this picture? The person who owns is isn't very tech savey and had someone build their PC. They claim it's a 970 but I can't find any blower style 970 that looks like that installed. Even most blower style cards I've seen have some sort of branding on the side that shows. Wish I had more pics or info to go off but this is all I got. I'm the process of getting them to run GPU-Z. Just trying to make sure they didn't get ripped off.
Searching around on google images lead me to the Zotac GTX 970 Blow. Looks about right to me, similar lack of branding and shape:

http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00PF6CYVW/
 
Hey guy I wanna build my first PC. I'm trying to spend at least around 1,200 USD. I am kinda new at this but any opinion will be helpful! So this is my ideal build at the moment. I already got the CPU Intel I-5 4690K

CPU :Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor

Cpu Cooler: Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler

Motherboard: MSI H97 GAMING 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

Memory:Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866

Storage:Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
120 GB SSD Kingston

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card

Case : NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply:SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX

Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor or the BenQ XL2411Z 144Hz 24.0" Monitor

Total comes up: $1204.80 USD
Power Watt Estimated: 351W

Source: Pcpartpicker

One of my friend been telling me the best time to buy parts is black friday and cyber monday for deals. Confirmed?
 

Finaika

Member
I have the option of trading my GTX 970 plus the price difference for a GTX 980 Ti for my newly built PC, should I?

Is it a big improvement / worth paying double for?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom