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[ACE 1991]

Hmm guys/girls

I'll upgrade my pc next week and I'm checking some i5s and here's my problem:

The i5 4690k costs around 400$ here while the i5 4590 costs 270$

For gaming, as I won't overclock it, is there any big difference?

If you really don't want to get into overclocking (which is stupid easy to do) then yeah, get the 4590.

 

[Athreous]

If you really don't want to get into overclocking (which is stupid easy to do) then yeah, get the 4590.

I mean, I can overclock, I have atually a v8 cooler, but the price dif is killing me =p

 

[spons]

Hmm guys/girls

I'll upgrade my pc next week and I'm checking some i5s and here's my problem:

The i5 4690k costs around 400$ here while the i5 4590 costs 270$

For gaming, as I won't overclock it, is there any big difference?

I have a 4590 because I didn't want to overclock either. You can shave off so much money on the motherboard if you go that way it's insane. If you aren't going to use multiple GPUs you can just get something in the lines of a B85 motherboard like I did.

 

[Hamster Plugin]

Are there any big CPU upgrades coming? People are getting excited for Pascal on Nvidia GPUs, but I haven't seen any development on the CPU side. Or maybe I haven't just been following it that much.

Right now I have an i5 2320 (3.0GHz) that I got 3 years ago but all CPUs today are just as expensive as they were 3 years ago. It's like tech has not progressed at all!

 

[RurouniZel]

I have a question. I rebuilt my PC back in June with the intention to install Windows 7. My Windows 7 was an Upgrade from XP, but I learned after building it that the MB I used (ASUS Z97-A) wouldn't allow XP to be installed. Thus, no Win 7. In a panic as I needed my PC up and running I ran down to Bestbuy and got Windows 8.1 (seeing as Windows 10 was coming soon as a free upgrade anyway) and have been using Win10 since August.

Now, after a few months of using Win10 I'm contemplating going back to Win7. The major reason has been that I used a Griffin Powermate when doing art, but since upgrading to Win 8/10, it won't work. I tried changing to a Contour ShuttleExpress which worked at first but then went back to being pretty spotty. I did not have these problems on Windows 7, thus contemplating going back

Buuuuuuut then there's that problem of not having a "full" Win7. I saw this on Amazon and the price is right, but I don't know how OEMs work, plus this says for "refurbished PCs". If I backed up everything, formatted my HDD and installed this, would this work? Any drawbacks I might not be thinking of?

 

[RGM79]

So I have an Intel Core i5 760 and a GTX 460. I don't even know how much I can update it. What's the best I can get with the motherboard I have right now? Do I update it now and get stuck with old tech or do I wait a year and get one of those new Intel chips + a slightly lower priced Nvidia card?

Time is not an issue, I'm fine with playing 3 to 8 year old $2 games for now but I do want to play games like TW3 later. My main concern really is how Source 2 will handle but no one knows how that works.

Unfortunately, your motherboard and processor are several generations out of date, there aren't any new processors you can get, they have been discontinued a couple years ago. Current processors aren't compatible with your motherboard. What you can do depends on how much you want to spend, your post sounds like you don't want to spend too much.

Getting a new processor and motherboard right now is fine, you won't be stuck with old tech. Intel's latest processors just came out about 4 months ago, and processors don't become obsolete for at least a few years assuming you spend the money to buy a decent model (like you did with your i5 760).

That said, it looks like your current processor will run TW3 just fine. This youtube video and reddit thread show that it is possible to achieve at least 40FPS on fairly good settings with your processor. Lowering the settings could allow you to get 60FPS, but by how much I'm not sure. What's holding your PC back is the old graphics card in there, the GTX 460 is not very capable and might only barely handle TW3 at the lowest settings and resolution. That said, it's up to you whether you want to wait for next year's graphics cards.

awesome, thanks for that power supply. My buddy said he'll sell this card to me for $50. thoughts?

http://www.amd.com/en-us/products/graphics/desktop/6000/6950

If it's in working condition, it's a good buy because you won't be able to get a stronger graphics card for the same amount of money if you buy brand new, that's for sure. If you want an idea of how strong it is, it's a bit better than the GTX 750 Ti in terms of performance. Any idea what specific brand and model it is?

And yes, in case you're wondering, http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1061?vs=1131"]a 500 watt PSU should be able to handle the HD6950 no problem[/URL].

 

[Athreous]

I have a 4590 because I didn't want to overclock either. You can shave off so much money on the motherboard if you go that way it's insane. If you aren't going to use multiple GPUs you can just get something in the lines of a B85 motherboard like I did.

I just plan to play games and use photoshop for some light editing

 

[Dahaka]

If anyone of you lives in Germany or the EU and wants the new Sound Blaster G5 for the PC, I have a code I can use for you reducing the price of 149,99€ to 109,99€. Code is unfortunately bound to my account.

However I can proof that I bought a Creative X7 for a head-fi fellow from Czech last year and everything went smooth.

 

[litelite_]

Unfortunately, your motherboard and processor are several generations out of date, there aren't any new processors you can get, they have been discontinued a couple years ago. Current processors aren't compatible with your motherboard. What you can do depends on how much you want to spend, your post sounds like you don't want to spend too much.

Getting a new processor and motherboard right now is fine, you won't be stuck with old tech. Intel's latest processors just came out about 4 months ago, and processors don't become obsolete for at least a few years assuming you spend the money to buy a decent model (like you did with your i5 760).

That said, it looks like your current processor will run TW3 just fine. This youtube video and reddit thread show that it is possible to achieve at least 40FPS on fairly good settings with your processor. Lowering the settings could allow you to get 60FPS, but by how much I'm not sure. What's holding your PC back is the old graphics card in there, the GTX 460 is not very capable and might only barely handle TW3 at the lowest settings and resolution. That said, it's up to you whether you want to wait for next year's graphics cards.
.

Thanks man. Really informative. Looks like I'll have to save up for a while and replace pretty much everything. 3 year old games is not so bad though .

 

[RGM79]

Are there any big CPU upgrades coming? People are getting excited for Pascal on Nvidia GPUs, but I haven't seen any development on the CPU side. Or maybe I haven't just been following it that much.

Right now I have an i5 2320 (3.0GHz) that I got 3 years ago but all CPUs today are just as expensive as they were 3 years ago. It's like tech has not progressed at all!

Intel's Skylake processors launched about 4 months ago. If you're only looking at the price then of course it's not going to change. Processors are marketed according to price points, there will always be a processor at the $175/$200/$225/etc price point.

There is a definite performance improvement from your Sandy Bridge era processor (+5~25% improvement in games according to PCPer's testing), but most advances so far have been for power and efficiency, not so much performance. If you want even higher performance, you can always pay more and/or get an overclockable processor.

I have a question. I rebuilt my PC back in June with the intention to install Windows 7. My Windows 7 was an Upgrade from XP, but I learned after building it that the MB I used (ASUS Z97-A) wouldn't allow XP to be installed. Thus, no Win 7. In a panic as I needed my PC up and running I ran down to Bestbuy and got Windows 8.1 (seeing as Windows 10 was coming soon as a free upgrade anyway) and have been using Win10 since August.

Now, after a few months of using Win10 I'm contemplating going back to Win7. The major reason has been that I used a Griffin Powermate when doing art, but since upgrading to Win 8/10, it won't work. I tried changing to a Contour ShuttleExpress which worked at first but then went back to being pretty spotty. I did not have these problems on Windows 7, thus contemplating going back

Buuuuuuut then there's that problem of not having a "full" Win7. I saw this on Amazon and the price is right, but I don't know how OEMs work, plus this says for "refurbished PCs". If I backed up everything, formatted my HDD and installed this, would this work? Any drawbacks I might not be thinking of?

Ah, you could have saved yourself some trouble and money. You don't need a "full" Windows 7 license key to install Windows 7. You can do a clean installation of Windows 7 with a Windows 7 upgrade key, no need to install XP first. See if that works for you, there are a few different methods at the link.

I work at a place that refurbishes computers and although the sticker and label says it's for "refurbished PCs", it'll work on any computer. The only difference is where the key originally came from, Microsoft has a program to support PC refurbishing companies and that's why that Windows license is labeled "for refurbished PCs". I've activated hundreds and hundreds of these refurbished PC product keys on all kinds of different computers, business and consumer models.

 

[RurouniZel]

Ah, you could have saved yourself some trouble and money. You don't need a full copy of Windows 7 to install Windows 7. You can do a clean installation of Windows 7 with a Windows 7 upgrade key, no need to install XP first. See if that works for you, there are a few different methods at the link.

I work at a place that refurbishes computers and although the sticker and label says it's for "refurbished PCs", it'll work on any computer. The only difference is where the key originally came from. I've activated hundreds and hundreds of these refurbished PC product keys.

I did try this and it started to install, but would not proceed because it "could not detect a valid Windows installation " or something to that effect.

 

[RGM79]

I did try this and it started to install, but would not proceed because it "could not detect a valid Windows installation " or something to that effect.

Are you sure you selected the "custom install" option? It shouldn't bother checking for a Windows installation. You may need to download and create a new Windows installation disc/USB if the Windows 7 installer you're using is old or something.

Alternatively, take a look at these instructions? That tutorial is a bit clearer.

 

[RurouniZel]

Are you sure you selected the "custom install" option? It shouldn't bother checking for a Windows installation. You may need to download and create a new Windows installation disc/USB if the Windows 7 installer you're using is old or something.

I thought I did. I can take a look when I get home, maybe I missed something. It was a retail upgrade version of 7 Home Premium. Am I allowed to download a new Windows 7 install if I use the old key?

 

[RGM79]

I thought I did. I can take a look when I get home, maybe I missed something. It was a retail upgrade version of 7 Home Premium. Am I allowed to download a new Windows 7 install if I use the old key?

Yes. Microsoft only cares about the product key, they don't care where you get the Windows installer from. Microsoft themselves offer Windows 7 downloads here, just input your key and if it's valid, it'll give you a download link for an installer. Might not work for some special licenses (OEM or academic licenses?). Alternatively, grab a unofficial but verified clean and unmodified torrent for your version of Windows from here.

 

[spons]

I just plan to play games and use photoshop for some light editing

It seems you are on a somewhat low budget? If so, consider this:

The 4590 is fine with its stock clocks and will last you a while. If you don't have a new motherboard yet, consider a lower-end one if you have a single-GPU solution. An example of this is the ASRock B85M Pro 4 (Micro ATX). It has a PCI-E 3.0 slot with 16 lanes with is great for a single GPU, but other than that there are no distinguishable features - the audio solution is a low-end ALC892 by Realtek, the NIC is by Intel but doesn't ship with software to prioritize traffic. This is just an example - there are tons of motherboards in this price-range.

Are you also looking for a new GPU? If so, consider the GTX 960 if you're targeting 1080p. You don't need a high-end power supply for it and it also has HDMI 2.0 and HEVC decoding if you ever want to use it for a home theater setup.

 

[RurouniZel]

Yes. Microsoft only cares about the product key, they don't care where you get the Windows installer from. Microsoft themselves offer Windows 7 downloads here, just input your key and if it's valid, it'll give you a download link for an installer. Might not work for some special licenses (OEM or academic licenses?). Alternatively, grab a unofficial but verified clean and unmodified torrent for your version of Windows from here.

Thank you so much! I'll look into that once I'm home.

And yes, I feel dumb for waiting this long to ask. orz

 

[Krujo]

Are all the drivers installed? Latest versions? Did you reinstall Windows?

Yes everything is updated and reinstalled windows 10.

 

[g11]

The improvements aren't that great, but you do get smoother performance. Kepler GPUs are Nvidia's last generation models (mostly GTX 700 series), you meant Pascal (potentially GTX 1000 series or whatever name they come up with), right?

I did indeed mean Pascal. Shows low long I've been out of the loop. Thanks for your input. I'll probably hold off on the CPU/MB for now.

 

[RGM79]

Yes everything is updated and reinstalled windows 10.

Any programs other than Chrome that run awfully slow? Or is it sluggish in general? How are system temperatures? Are all the fans running properly?

 

[Athreous]

It seems you are on a somewhat low budget? If so, consider this:

The 4590 is fine with its stock clocks and will last you a while. If you don't have a new motherboard yet, consider a lower-end one if you have a single-GPU solution. An example of this is the ASRock B85M Pro 4 (Micro ATX). It has a PCI-E 3.0 slot with 16 lanes with is great for a single GPU, but other than that there are no distinguishable features - the audio solution is a low-end ALC892 by Realtek, the NIC is by Intel but doesn't ship with software to prioritize traffic. This is just an example - there are tons of motherboards in this price-range.

Are you also looking for a new GPU? If so, consider the GTX 960 if you're targeting 1080p. You don't need a high-end power supply for it and it also has HDMI 2.0 and HEVC decoding if you ever want to use it for a home theater setup.

I'm trying to upgrade my pc, here's the specs:

AMD Phenom 965 be 3.4
gtx 680 2gb
PSU corsair 700 gs
mobo is a steelseries black edition
8gb ddr3 1333

I have enough money for a core+mobo atm

I can get a 4690k and a z97, but I dunno if I should, specially because I don't play that much high power demand games, and my LCD is doing just fine, it's a 23" samsung 1680*1050

 

[Krujo]

Any programs other than Chrome that run awfully slow? Or is it sluggish in general? How are system temperatures? Are all the fans running properly?

most the programs run fine with the occasional hiccup here and there but in general chrome is real killer on the CPU. The CPU temps are in the 33 idle and high 40's when google chrome is around. I had a issue with my Window's Explorer crashing every time I tried to get to my computer or any folder to open but it turns out it was a problem with the size of my text,apps and other items being higher than 125% on my 4K monitor, not sure if that has anything to do with it.

I had the same 4K monitor on my old PC but the motherboard didn't have a working a SATA 3 port for my SSD and so I had it plugged into a regular port until I got the new motherboard.

 

[e90Mark]

Wish I tried overclocking sooner rather than later.. Got my 3570k to a stable 4.6ghz. Wonder if I could get higher, if I had more cooling. 212 Evo with stock fan.

 

[Arrrammis]

Hey everyone!
Finally got my first rig fired up and running on all cylinders! Now, I just need to decide on an operating system. I am planning on using this PC mainly for gaming with some coding and modeling on the side. I am currently debating between Windows 7 and Windows 10, anyone have any recommendations?

 

[manfestival]

RGM you are my hero. I am 4 days away from order my computer parts. Payday cannot come any sooner.

 

[RaySpencer]

I want to pick up a 970, because they are really good, and relatively inexpensive.... but surely there is the next new nvidia GPU on the way soon right? Do we know when they will release?

 

[opticalmace]

I want to pick up a 970, because they are really good, and relatively inexpensive.... but surely there is the next new nvidia GPU on the way soon right? Do we know when they will release?

Maybe 6 months.

No one knows for sure.

 

[RaySpencer]

Maybe 6 months.

No one knows for sure.

:'(


Well, a 970 should last me a while anyway! I dont plan on playing above 1080p.

970 should be good for an Oculus too right?

 

[RurouniZel]

Yes. Microsoft only cares about the product key, they don't care where you get the Windows installer from. Microsoft themselves offer Windows 7 downloads here, just input your key and if it's valid, it'll give you a download link for an installer. Might not work for some special licenses (OEM or academic licenses?). Alternatively, grab a unofficial but verified clean and unmodified torrent for your version of Windows from here.

So I'm back to working on this and I've come across an... interesting road block. The site recognizes my key and then asks me to select a language... but only offers Korean. o_o

Any idea why it would do that?

 

[Renekton]

Skylake non-Ks are now overclockable, somewhat similar to how i7-920 was done.

http://www.techspot.com/review/1108-intel-locked-skylake-cpu-bclk-overclocking/

I wonder if you can take a modest i5-6400 and stretch it out.

 

[RGM79]

most the programs run fine with the occasional hiccup here and there but in general chrome is real killer on the CPU. The CPU temps are in the 33 idle and high 40's when google chrome is around. I had a issue with my Window's Explorer crashing every time I tried to get to my computer or any folder to open but it turns out it was a problem with the size of my text,apps and other items being higher than 125% on my 4K monitor, not sure if that has anything to do with it.

I had the same 4K monitor on my old PC but the motherboard didn't have a working a SATA 3 port for my SSD and so I had it plugged into a regular port until I got the new motherboard.

Hmm, weird issues. Sorry, I can't really think of any solutions. It must be a software issue rather than hardware, that's all I can say.

Wish I tried overclocking sooner rather than later.. Got my 3570k to a stable 4.6ghz. Wonder if I could get higher, if I had more cooling. 212 Evo with stock fan.

How are temperatures? How are you stress testing it?

RGM you are my hero. I am 4 days away from order my computer parts. Payday cannot come any sooner.

Aw, enjoy your new PC.

So I'm back to working on this and I've come across an... interesting road block. The site recognizes my key and then asks me to select a language... but only offers Korean. o_o

Any idea why it would do that?

I honestly have no idea. Try another browser? If all else fails, try using IE to browse Microsoft's website.

Skylake non-Ks are now overclockable, somewhat similar to how i7-920 was done.

http://www.techspot.com/review/1108-intel-locked-skylake-cpu-bclk-overclocking/

I wonder if you can take a modest i5-6400 and stretch it out.

I'm glad this is a thing again. Forcing people to buy into a "premium" overclockable model is kinda scummy. An overclockable i3 or lower end i5 processor would be really nice as a budget performance part, and a lot more viable than the G3258 which as a non-hyperthreaded dual core can feel quite limited even when overclocked.

It's odd to see their gaming benchmarks though.. you'd have thought that they would pick games to test that aren't as bottlenecked and could show how well an overclocked i3 performs.

 

[RurouniZel]

I honestly have no idea. Try another browser? If all else fails, try using IE to browse Microsoft's website.

Sadly the same result. Which is really weird as I own the disc and everything (and had no trouble back when I could upgrade from XP). I'm guessing that this is why it's not registering my product key when I try to install from the upgrade. orz

So I guess I'm back to getting a cheap OEM or something as I imagine the torrent will give me the same result as the disc if it is indeed thinking my Win7 is Korean. Would this OEM work, or would it require a refurbished PC (whatever that means)?

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Skylake non-Ks are now overclockable, somewhat similar to how i7-920 was done.

http://www.techspot.com/review/1108-intel-locked-skylake-cpu-bclk-overclocking/

I wonder if you can take a modest i5-6400 and stretch it out.

You can only take the BLCK so far as it overclocks everything on the motherboard and it won't take long for the motherboard to decide it doesn't really feel like doing this anymore. For modest overclocks, I can see the more value-oriented buyers going this way. Most people who want to overclock will probably still get K's.

 

[GnawtyDog]

My case had a busted extension psu cord. So mad right about now. The wait continues.

 

[RGM79]

Sadly the same result. Which is really weird as I own the disc and everything (and had no trouble back when I could upgrade from XP). I'm guessing that this is why it's not registering my product key when I try to install from the upgrade. orz

So I guess I'm back to getting a cheap OEM or something as I imagine the torrent will give me the same result as the disc if it is indeed thinking my Win7 is Korean. Would this OEM work, or would it require a refurbished PC (whatever that means)?

I'd recommend trying the torrent. Windows license keys aren't tied to languages as far as I know (it's possible to freely change the Windows UI language on Windows Vista/7 with free language packs from Microsoft), and you can specifically download the torrent for the English version of the Windows installer. Here, I'll link you to the file so there's no mistake that you'll be getting the English version:

X17-58997.iso OR en_windows_7_home_premium_with_sp1_x64_dvd_u_676549.iso

Pick either one, both are identical (Home Premium 64 bit with service pack 1 in English), the names are just different because they come from different servers.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

It seems you are on a somewhat low budget? If so, consider this:

The 4590 is fine with its stock clocks and will last you a while. If you don't have a new motherboard yet, consider a lower-end one if you have a single-GPU solution. An example of this is the ASRock B85M Pro 4 (Micro ATX). It has a PCI-E 3.0 slot with 16 lanes with is great for a single GPU, but other than that there are no distinguishable features - the audio solution is a low-end ALC892 by Realtek, the NIC is by Intel but doesn't ship with software to prioritize traffic. This is just an example - there are tons of motherboards in this price-range.

Are you also looking for a new GPU? If so, consider the GTX 960 if you're targeting 1080p. You don't need a high-end power supply for it and it also has HDMI 2.0 and HEVC decoding if you ever want to use it for a home theater setup.

Network traffic prioritization is supposed to be handled by your router. Putting network traffic prioritization on the NIC sucks CPU cycles and is essentially a useless gimmick if you own a router, which everyone does by now which is why the 2.4ghz WiFi band everywhere you go has like 38 networks on all the channels and you have to buy a router with 5ghz band to have usable WiFi. This is why most people don't like the "Killer NICs" as they are a waste of money, the drivers are very buggy, and the improvement in latency is literally measured in the 1-2 ms range (when it works) and that ain't shit compared to the latency you have to the server, plus the input lag from your mouse and keyboard, plus the input lag from your monitor or TV. The standard Intel and Realtek NICs on motherboards are really all you need. That "Killer NIC" stuff is like the Bose of networking products.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015..._lga_2011v3_motherboard_review/4#.VmuOdbgrKWg

 

[RurouniZel]

I'd recommend trying the torrent. Windows license keys aren't tied to languages as far as I know (it's possible to freely change the Windows UI language on Windows Vista/7 with free language packs from Microsoft), and you can specifically download the torrent for the English version of the Windows installer. Here, I'll link you to the file so there's no mistake that you'll be getting the English version:

X17-58997.iso OR en_windows_7_home_premium_with_sp1_x64_dvd_u_676549.iso

Pick either one, both are identical (Home Premium 64 bit with service pack 1 in English), the names are just different because they come from different servers.

Thanks again for all the help. When I went to the site I saw all those links and just blinked over and over. Was afraid of downloading the wrong one.

 

[Skyfireblaze]

Unplug the PC from the wall and let it sit for a while. I dunno, 15 to 30 minutes should be more than enough. Then plug it back in and try turning it on. It's a bit difficult to explain, but sometimes unplugging electronics and letting it "settle" can allow it to start working again later.

When you try to power on the PC, does the PSU fan start spinning and continue spinning? Try the paper clip test and see if your PSU works independently of the motherboard as well. If the PSU works, then I'd suspect the motherboard. A brand new Z77 motherboard is kinda high priced, though, compared to current and last generation motherboards.

Thanks for all the tips and help, it was the PSU afterall! I had it in my last four PCs and it always did a great job for nearly 8 years so I guess it was time to put it to rest I now have a 630w BeQuiet 80+ Bronze Certified modular one for 70€ I know EVGA/Superflower Silver is usually the way to go but they were all well over 100€ and the BeQuiet one was on sale and I always wanted to have a modular PSU so I went with it.

So far it seems fine with the exceptions of lacking one SATA connector I need for my DVD drive (it came with four Molex collectors instead) and the PCI-E cable is criminally short, I managed to fit it however (Yes I should have checked the box beforehand but my old BeQuiet one was literally a tentacle-monster that had excess connectors which were two PCs worth so I expected the same from this one and I was in a hurry since the store closed literally 10 minutes after I got there...)

Also Battlefield 4 crashed my driver once which I found odd since it never happens in DX11 mode but I put that on Crimson being weird after my PSU died since it also lost my custom resolutions. A full driver cleanup and reinstall later and all seems fine again thankfully.

I bet it's the psu.

Read above, it was

Wish I tried overclocking sooner rather than later.. Got my 3570k to a stable 4.6ghz. Wonder if I could get higher, if I had more cooling. 212 Evo with stock fan.

Nice! I really should try to safely overclock my 3570k again, I did so in summer already to 4.3ghz but I was too lazy to do a voltage offset check since I didn't have a SSD back then and my Windows took ages to boot so I went back to stock. Now with a SSD I could try again, how did it work again, putting the turbo-multiplier up and then calculating the voltage difference which I manually lower in the UEFI right?

I also have my 3570k with a Hyper TX3 Evo paired so our setups aren't that different

 

[luoapp]

So I burnt my CPU (RIP) today, do I need to re-activate Windows 10 when I put a new one in?

 

[Shadowhaxor]

So I burnt my CPU (RIP) today, do I need to re-activate Windows 10 when I put a new one in?

IF you only replaced the CPU, then no. If you replace the mobo+cpu and it's the same chipset, then no. If you replaced the mobo and it's a different chipset, you may have to.

 

[luoapp]

IF you only replaced the CPU, then no. If you replace the mobo+cpu and it's the same chipset, then no. If you replaced the mobo and it's a different chipset, you may have to.

Good to know, thanks. Heard plenty of asinine stories of migrating Windows licenses.

 

[RGM79]

Thanks for all the tips and help, it was the PSU afterall! I had it in my last four PCs and it always did a great job for nearly 8 years so I guess it was time to put it to rest I now have a 630w BeQuiet 80+ Bronze Certified modular one for 70€ I know EVGA/Superflower Silver is usually the way to go but they were all well over 100€ and the BeQuiet one was on sale and I always wanted to have a modular PSU so I went with it.

So far it seems fine with the exceptions of lacking one SATA connector I need for my DVD drive (it came with four Molex collectors instead) and the PCI-E cable is criminally short, I managed to fit it however (Yes I should have checked the box beforehand but my old BeQuiet one was literally a tentacle-monster that had excess connectors which were two PCs worth so I expected the same from this one and I was in a hurry since the store closed literally 10 minutes after I got there...)

Also Battlefield 4 crashed my driver once which I found odd since it never happens in DX11 mode but I put that on Crimson being weird after my PSU died since it also lost my custom resolutions. A full driver cleanup and reinstall later and all seems fine again thankfully.

Read above, it was

Good to hear that you sorted out the problem. As far as I can see, that PSU is alright. There were also some issues with the initial release of AMD Crimson, but the latest driver versions were fixed quite a while ago.

So I burnt my CPU (RIP) today, do I need to re-activate Windows 10 when I put a new one in?

How did you kill your processor?

 

[e90Mark]

How are temperatures? How are you stress testing it?.

I ran multiple Prime95 hour tests with small fft with no errors. Temps are around 84c via HWmonitor during these P95.

Tested after with a few hours of various games I frequently play and I never went above 75ish celsius, I think?

Nice! I really should try to safely overclock my 3570k again, I did so in summer already to 4.3ghz but I was too lazy to do a voltage offset check since I didn't have a SSD back then and my Windows took ages to boot so I went back to stock. Now with a SSD I could try again, how did it work again, putting the turbo-multiplier up and then calculating the voltage difference which I manually lower in the UEFI right?

I also have my 3570k with a Hyper TX3 Evo paired so our setups aren't that different

Woops, missed this. I do agree having an SSD for booting into Windows is easily a must for OC'ing lol.

4.3 is still very good. I personally just wanted to see how far I could comfortably go.

I used this guide. http://www.overclock.net/t/1198504/...-guide-sandy-bridge-ivy-bridge-asrock-edition

Our boards for OC'ing are trash, lol.

 

[RaySpencer]

Your Current Specs: i7 920 / 6gigs of 1366 / Some ASUS Mobo from when I got the i7 ie its old too, haha / GTX 750Ti / Corsair TX750W / super basic and cheap case /

Budget: 1300ish maybe? Canadian bucks.

Main Use: Gaming and NeoGAF, haha.

Monitor Resolution: 1080p, but I will be getting a Oculus Rift (or maybe a Vive I guess) as well.

List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Nothing specific, I generally just play everything that new.

Looking to reuse any parts?: If I can use my PSU still that would be nice, and I will be using my SSD and HDD in the new system for sure. Also I have a cheap disc drive I will be bringing over, just in case I accidentally buy something that has a disc, haha.

When will you build?: Soon, maybe Boxing Day.

Will you be overclocking?: Naw.

I think I'm leaning towards a GTX 970 and probably a i5 6600k, my i7 920 has been so god damn amazing all these years, I honestly dont even want to upgrade it yet, but it would be holding me back if I got a GTX 970, so I will kind of have too

I love mucking about on the Memory Express website, but I kind of have no idea what I'm doing. haha.

 

[luoapp]

How did you kill your processor?

Funny story (not really). It's a un-OCed 3770k. I switched out the corsair water cooler for a stock intel fan, and it just went dark during a Fallout 4 session and never came back. I don't have another LGA 1155 cpu, so there is a small chance it's the MB. Not really sure what went wrong though, maybe the fan isn't genuine, or it's rated for a low power CPU?

 

[opticalmace]

Funny story (not really). It's a un-OCed 3770k. I switched out the corsair water cooler for a stock intel fan, and it just went dark during a Fallout 4 session and never came back. I don't have another LGA 1155 cpu, so there is a small chance it's the MB. Not really sure what went wrong though, maybe the fan isn't genuine, or it's rated for a low power CPU?

Do you know for sure it's not the PSU?

It doesn't sound like a CPU failure to me.

 

[luoapp]

Do you know for sure it's not the PSU?

It doesn't sound like a CPU failure to me.

The MB powered up and stopped at four beeps and error code 55, which indicates either memory or a damaged CPU. Everything on the MB seemed powered on, fans, video card (680), etc. Switched memory sticks around and no dice. The only thing I had changed was the fan. so, the logic conclusion is I killed the CPU.

 

[opticalmace]

The MB powered up and stopped at four beeps and error code 55, which indicates either memory or a damaged CPU. Everything on the MB seemed powered on, fans, video card (680), etc. Switched memory sticks around and no dice. The only thing I had changed was the fan. so, the logic conclusion is I killed the CPU.

Weird... if it was overheating it should just shut itself down before anything bad happens.

I would pull the CPU out and see if there is any physical damage, maybe from when you put the new cooler on. Just a thought though.

 

[luoapp]

Weird... if it was overheating it should just shut itself down before anything bad happens.

I would pull the CPU out and see if there is any physical damage, maybe from when you put the new cooler on. Just a thought though.

Did that, seems normal, and the new cooler had been used for a couple of days, only lightly. Anyway, looking for a 1155 CPU on ebay now, maybe an i5.

 

[Renekton]

You can only take the BLCK so far as it overclocks everything on the motherboard and it won't take long for the motherboard to decide it doesn't really feel like doing this anymore. For modest overclocks, I can see the more value-oriented buyers going this way. Most people who want to overclock will probably still get K's.

According to the article, Skylake design decoupled BCLK from most other components save memory. So as long as you turn off the iGPU, you're golden. Downside is Z mobo and premium memory are still needed.

It will be fun once techsites start stretching the modest i5-6400.

 

[BIGWORM]

Just built a Skylake for my fiance's cousin:

i5-6500
GB Z170XP
16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport
GTX 950
1TB Barracuda

Just wanted something mid-range to get him into PC gaming. So therapeutic!