Gavin Robertson
Neo Member
PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 600 W
Never built to the minimum before, I was always told to go at least 100W over, give yourself that headroom.
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"I Need a New PC!" 2015 Part 2. Read the OP. Rocking 2500K's until HBM2 and beyond.
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PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 600 W
Never built to the minimum before, I was always told to go at least 100W over, give yourself that headroom.
Aztechnology
Member
Nevermind
Tesseract
Banned
btw ty for helping me with my build, it's running great
TheChewyWaffles
Member
Got a question about my Asus P8Z68-V Pro Gen 3 motherboard - this thing supposedly supports PCIe 3.0 but when I SLI'd my 980ti then GPU-Z says my Bus Interface is "PCI-E 2.0 x 16 @ x8 1.1" which, to me, means I'm not getting the full benefit I should be from this motherboard. I have no idea what it said before I SLI'd, so I can't do an A/B comparison. Can anyone explain what this means and if it's dragging performance down?
Processor is i7 2600K and 3dMark only went up from 13486 to around 16,920 in SLI. I am not overclocking. Does that seem like a normal increase for my (relatively) slow CPU?
Processor is i7 2600K and 3dMark only went up from 13486 to around 16,920 in SLI. I am not overclocking. Does that seem like a normal increase for my (relatively) slow CPU?
opticalmace
Member
That motherboard uses PCIE 2, not 3. But it doesn't really matter, it's a very minor factor on performance.
If you're not overclocking your CPU that is probably why the 3dmark score didn't increase too much. However, can you post up the physics/graphics/combined/total 3dmark scores? Then we can see if they are in line with what you'd expect.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
Box clearly indicates that it has PCIe 3.0 capability (hence the Gen 3) but I'll take your word for it.
Here is my 3dmark score:
http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/10288720?
edit:
Box says to get "Full PCIe 3.0 performance requires a 22nm CPU" which mine is not. Maybe that's why (?). Either way, I appreciate the evaluation of my 3dmark test.
It's a PCPC, so that's good.
At load, you'd probably be hitting around 580 or so. I mean, I ran a 980ti on 600w Corsair for awhile with no issues.
If you're not comfortable, the 970 will work. If you're buying the 980 retail, it's not really in a good spot for price/performance as an OC'd 970 will generally match it.
I also play at 1080p, but need the horsepower for 120hz+.
I've learned a valuable lesson today. If you have a custom loop... clean your waterblocks.
I decided to drain my loop, reapply my GPU TIM and clean my blocks... well what do ya know a 15c drop (60c-45c) and 20Mhz core increase (1535Mhz-1555Mhz). When I opened up the block there was a line of gunk on the fins of the block.
I decided to drain my loop, reapply my GPU TIM and clean my blocks... well what do ya know a 15c drop (60c-45c) and 20Mhz core increase (1535Mhz-1555Mhz). When I opened up the block there was a line of gunk on the fins of the block.
opticalmace
Member
Oh, sorry, I was thinking of the P8Z68-V Pro (not gen 3). I don't think that much matters, and IIRC gpu-z doesn't always report the PCI usage correctly. I wouldn't worry about it. Actually, looking at some 3dmark scores, your graphics score is just right. The overall score is a bit low only because the CPU is at stock. Just crank it up to maybe 4.3 Ghz and you're set.
So I'm pretty sure one of my SATA ports is dead on my motherboard, but thought I'd post here for some other ideas/opinions before I start any kind of RMA process.
4 of my 5 ports are working completely fine, but one isn't showing a drive when I boot into Windows. I've eliminated the possibility of the cable by swapping cables so the drive that was previously not showing moved to a different SATA port and showed up, and the one that had been there that I plugged into the questionable SATA port isn't showing afterwards.
Can anyone think of a BIOS setting that would disable a SATA port? I haven't seen or heard of anything like that but that doesn't mean it's not possible. I'm copying files right now so I won't be able to reboot for another 3 or 4 hours to check.
4 of my 5 ports are working completely fine, but one isn't showing a drive when I boot into Windows. I've eliminated the possibility of the cable by swapping cables so the drive that was previously not showing moved to a different SATA port and showed up, and the one that had been there that I plugged into the questionable SATA port isn't showing afterwards.
Can anyone think of a BIOS setting that would disable a SATA port? I haven't seen or heard of anything like that but that doesn't mean it's not possible. I'm copying files right now so I won't be able to reboot for another 3 or 4 hours to check.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
Ok thanks.
Another question for you all - so I'm still stock CPU and I went to run Witcher 3 in SLI just to test it out. At 1080p currently (yah I know SLI is probably overkill @ 1080p but I won't be forever) and my FPS is 45 in SLI mode in a certain scene. I saved the game, disabled SLI, and loaded back up and I'm pegged at 60 (vsync is on). I don't understand why my FPS would be lower in SLI than with a single GPU enabled. Pretty discouraging.
edit: more investigation: when I enable only 1 GPU it has a higher framerate and about 80-90% utilization; when I enable SLI both cards stay around 50%. Is that what's causing my lower SLI fps?
edit 2: borderless window setting in W3 seemed to be killing performance in SLI. When I went full-screen GPU went up to 65% on both cards and my FPS was pegged at 60 with vsync on! Hurray!
Ok Gaf, I need some help with building a PC for 2016. Here are my current specs:
CPU: Intel 2500 (non-K) 3.3ghz
RAM: 16gb of DDR3
Video Card: GTX 970
Soundcard: Ghetto
Power: Corsair 600w
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Gen 3
Monitor: BenQ XL2420G (1080p 144 mhz)
Drive: Samsung 256 GB SSD
Computer usage is a 5/5.
I want to be able to run most games as fast as I can at 1080p. No video editing or anything like that. Most movie streaming is done on my normal TV.
I'm willing to spend $1500-2000.
I'm in the US.
Basically, I want this computer to last me as long as this one did, which was 3+ years or so before I upgraded the vid card and monitor last year.
I'm willing to replace everything except the monitor. I also don't know if I should just hold off for a few months, I'm willing to wait until the Summer of 2016.
Thanks for all your help.
Okay, after reviewing the PC Part picker, this is what I've come up with:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RQdJ6h
CPU: Intel 2500 (non-K) 3.3ghz
RAM: 16gb of DDR3
Video Card: GTX 970
Soundcard: Ghetto
Power: Corsair 600w
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Gen 3
Monitor: BenQ XL2420G (1080p 144 mhz)
Drive: Samsung 256 GB SSD
Computer usage is a 5/5.
I want to be able to run most games as fast as I can at 1080p. No video editing or anything like that. Most movie streaming is done on my normal TV.
I'm willing to spend $1500-2000.
I'm in the US.
Basically, I want this computer to last me as long as this one did, which was 3+ years or so before I upgraded the vid card and monitor last year.
I'm willing to replace everything except the monitor. I also don't know if I should just hold off for a few months, I'm willing to wait until the Summer of 2016.
Thanks for all your help.
Okay, after reviewing the PC Part picker, this is what I've come up with:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RQdJ6h
^ I mean if you just bought that 970, you are probably better off waiting for the new series of GPUs. I am assuming you want to take full advantage of the 144hz monitor you have and the 980ti might get you there now (but not even according to Eurogamer) but if you are planning to keep everything for 3+ years, you will probably want to wait and see what nVidia comes out with next.
Sir Abacus
Member
PSA: Clean your radiators folks.
What motherboard do you have?
Your PC is actually not bad at all, especially if you overclock the processor. It won't be a bottleneck for most games. I'd almost advise you to wait for news about Nvidia's Pascal and AMD's Polaris graphics cards. Recent news says AMD plans to launch Polaris around the middle of this year.
Do you really need a sound card?
Saren is Bad
Member
Hey guys,
Does Windows 10 have an easy way to transfer licenses? I'm about to build a new computer and would like to transfer my current Windows 10 Pro to the new computer. Doing a fully new build, so wasn't sure what the best way to get around having to buy Windows is.
Does Windows 10 have an easy way to transfer licenses? I'm about to build a new computer and would like to transfer my current Windows 10 Pro to the new computer. Doing a fully new build, so wasn't sure what the best way to get around having to buy Windows is.
Jesb
Member
Do stores generally let you get your money back if you return an open item? My pc broke down a while ago and I'd like to see what the issue is. It could be my psu since the system fails to power up, but it could also be a bad mobo. I'd like to get a new psu to test it and see if that is the problem. But if the new psu doesn't do the trick I'd like to just return it.
That is a fire hazard.
hooijdonk17
Member
That is indeed the limit of my budget, maybe even straining it a bit. But my main worry is whether it would be future proof to last me a good many years or not..
I've gotten 3+ years out of the Radeon 7770. However that was a first generation GCN card that still gets rebranded :/ I guess I'm just kind of scared of buying a final generation GCN card and then getting obsoleted as soon as Polaris cards start shipping. I would probably hold off on this purchase if I weren't upgrading from a 900p monitor to a 1080p one, I really don't think the 7770 will cut it for 1080p even at low-mid settings..
Also, thanks a ton for actually going through a dozen stores in a gibberish language. Some people in this thread are really dedicated, GAF is a great place..
Gigabyte Z170N-Gaming 5
It's my first small-ish build (Bitfenix Prodigy) and I actually can't believe I managed to cram everything in there. So I really hope I don't have to return it and tear it all down again.
MidgarBlowedUp
Member
I need a NIC. Anyone recommend a good one?
darkwing-buck
Member
anyone here recommend a good and cheap external driver?
Is your license of Windows 10 one that was upgraded from a Windows 7/8/8.1 license, or was it newly purchased?
The former cannot be transferred to another PC, the license is tied to the one it was upgraded and activated on, but changing the hardware doesn't void the license. If it was the latter, then you can probably transfer it, you'll have to contact Microsoft support for help activating it on your new PC.
If you cannot transfer your Windows 10 license, then consider getting a cheap Windows license from Reddit. Here's my usual disclaimer:
Cheap Windows licenses can be bought from reddit's microsoftsoftwareswap for cheap, around $15 USD or less. Windows 10 licenses are also available for a bit more. These are most likely legitimate keys that are resold from educational programs like Technet or MSDNAA/Dreamspark. However, you are dealing with a person instead of a retailer, and informal Windows keys sales are not approved by Microsoft and probably breaking some licensing agreement, but it's not illegal. The risks involved are that the person could be selling you a fake or used key, or that Microsoft may refuse to give you support and/or deactivate your license and refuse to reactivate it. That's not very likely, usually it only happens if the seller and their list of sold keys was caught. We've had people here using those keys without issues for a long time and others who say Microsoft deactivated their key after several months. The 7/8/8.1 keys should be upgradeable to Windows 10, but confirm with the seller to be sure, of course.
Unfortunately it's hard to say, we can't always predict how well future games will run on current or past hardware. If your budget is just not enough, consider looking for a used graphics card. Perhaps you may be able to find an R9 290 or something similar which will give you greater performance than an R9 380.
No problem, I don't mind it. I'm sorta getting used to looking through stores in Polish, German, etc.
Which port is it? Is there any physical damage? Your motherboard should have 6 ports, was that "5" was just a typo?
Is there something wrong with the ethernet chipset or port on your motherboard?
What size are you looking for?
darkwing-buck
Member
Not much, im actually just looking for an external cd drive since my build doesn't have one internally.
Good news! I fixed my memory leak issue.
So I have to use a wireless adapter, and I bought a nice asus one to go with my asus router (USB-AC56). I've had it since last year.
When windows 10 released, they didn't put out a new driver and instead said that it was just plug and play now, the driver was built into windows. But then a few months later they actually did put out a driver.
I was having issues with it at the time, so I installed the driver. Low and behold, that's what was causing the issue. I added some columns in task manager and saw this software called runsw.exe that had a high commit charge and had 219 THOUSAND handles open. So I uninstalled that driver and boom, instantly regained my memory.
Wireless adapter seems to be working fine now, so hopefully there won't be any issues with it.
So I have to use a wireless adapter, and I bought a nice asus one to go with my asus router (USB-AC56). I've had it since last year.
When windows 10 released, they didn't put out a new driver and instead said that it was just plug and play now, the driver was built into windows. But then a few months later they actually did put out a driver.
I was having issues with it at the time, so I installed the driver. Low and behold, that's what was causing the issue. I added some columns in task manager and saw this software called runsw.exe that had a high commit charge and had 219 THOUSAND handles open. So I uninstalled that driver and boom, instantly regained my memory.
Wireless adapter seems to be working fine now, so hopefully there won't be any issues with it.
As soon as I got home I took out the overclock, powered the thing on and it rebooted after around 20mins of gameplay+youtube video. I switched back to my old AX750 PSU (Plugged in only the essentials) and haven't had any problems all day. I'm adding some HDDs to the mix tomorrow but I'm certain HDDs won't do much to the set up.
The PSU is probably screwed, I think. I'm going to test it for a few days to see how it goes. It's gonna be awful if it's the PSU, though. Bought it new for the 10 year warranty and stuff and I'm probably ending up with a refurb now.
Yes, it is 6. I guess I typed 5 because I have 5 HDDs? I'm using the 6th for a bluray drive.
It's one of the group of 4. If they were stacked like this:
A B
C D
it would be port D.
I don't think there's any physical damage. And it's possible that it was working at one point. I tried a couple different ones with the same drive before I put the other drives in.
Tetraeon
Member
Running the 4690K at the moment.
QualityPixel
Banned
Parts list looks good, but I'd suggest keeping the 970 for now and consider getting a more "futureproof" cpu like an i7-5820k and a better cooler than can handle the 140watt TDP. Then get a Polaris (AMD) or Pascal (nvidia) graphics card when they come out in the summer (this I do not guarantee).
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zvGdK8
DrBaalzamon
Member
Hey everyone, question. Coworker is upgrading his liquid cooling and asking me if I'd like to buy his slightly used (read, a few months) Corsair h100i. I have a i7 4770k OC'd to like 4.3ghz on a CM 212 EVO+. I dont imagine it will make a huge difference, but would it worth it? Hes offering it to me for $60. Thoughts?
OriginofHysteria
Banned
I've had both and it won't. The h100i only lowered my temps by a few degrees. Still though I paid extra for the aesthetics and the space in the system without having a huge heatsink in the way.
Sir Abacus
Member
The biggest problem you're going to have is fitting it into the case. Even if you have a 240mm radiator mount point there are certain motherboards that still don't have clearance and have the 8 pin knocking into where the radiator fans would be.
Pretty good deal, if you wanna try out an AIO. Using a H100i GTX and I have a 4.5 OC on my 6600k and at load its only at 55ish C in my matx case. Pretty happy with it.
I've used the CM 212 on my 3570k and the temps weren't ever that low on a 4.6 in a mid tower. (I know they're not the same cpu, but still my experience with both)
opticalmace
Member
Oh nice. If I were you I would get a 212 Evo and overclock that sucker.
Nope.
TheLegendOfMart
Banned
I know, I know you are fed up of which should I get questions but one last one.
I was originally going to get an R9 380 to replace a 7870XT but I've seen some second hand 780s for £190, is the 780 still a decent card?
I was originally going to get an R9 380 to replace a 7870XT but I've seen some second hand 780s for £190, is the 780 still a decent card?
TheLegendOfMart
Banned
M.2 is connected directly to the PCI-Express 3.0 bus with up to 4x lanes which means SSDs can be MUCH faster than regular SATA3 drives.
For example the Samsung 950 Pro NVME SSD can do 2200MB/s Read and 900MB/s Write compared to the Samsung 850 Evo SSD 540MB/s Read and 520 MB/s Write.
Be careful though as you can get regular SATA M.2 drives which are just regular SSDs in M.2 form factor
M.2 PCI-E SSDs are generally more expensive but as long as your motherboard can boot from M.2 they are a no brainer.
For "real world" scenarios like gaming and using the OS I doubt you'd notice the performance increase, if you have the money I'd go M.2 if not just get a regular SSD.
For example the Samsung 950 Pro NVME SSD can do 2200MB/s Read and 900MB/s Write compared to the Samsung 850 Evo SSD 540MB/s Read and 520 MB/s Write.
Be careful though as you can get regular SATA M.2 drives which are just regular SSDs in M.2 form factor
M.2 PCI-E SSDs are generally more expensive but as long as your motherboard can boot from M.2 they are a no brainer.
For "real world" scenarios like gaming and using the OS I doubt you'd notice the performance increase, if you have the money I'd go M.2 if not just get a regular SSD.
Current SSD are limited by SATA 3 bandwidth. Thus, with M.2 ports, it offers 3-4x faster speeds. The only disadvantage is higher cost.
TheLegendOfMart
Banned
Yes, they use the same chips they just aren't restricted by the 6Gbps SATA3 controller.
If you hammered them 24/7 obviously they would wear out faster as they write faster .
If you hammered them 24/7 obviously they would wear out faster as they write faster .
Ugh, how many years has that been running? I've never had anything even remotely close to that happen to my rads. Seems like lots of pet hair in it too.
SmartWaffles
Member
The storage chip is just regular SSD chips so there is no reason it won't last as long as a regular SSD.
Hi Gaf
A friend built a PC for me at the beginning of 2013 and I'm looking for some help with upgrading it. I'm aiming for 1080p 60FPS and full detail on new games. I have not been able to get that with Fallout 4 or Assassins Creed Syndicate. I know my GPU is the biggest drawback and I'm waiting on the new range of cards to either upgrade wholesale or pick up a 980Ti when (or if) they come down in price.
So my question is, is the rest of my build still good or is there other areas I need to spend money on? I don't even know if my motherboard or power supply is suitable for a 980 never mind the next generation.
CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K 3.4ghz
Operating System: Windows 8 Pro (64-bit) upgraded to windows 10
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z77-D3H
Memory: 16GB Corsair 1600mhz Vengeance (2x8GB)
Hard Drives: 120GB SSD S-ATAII 3.0Gb/s
Additional Storage: 1TB S-ATAIII 6.0Gb/s
Optical Drive: 4x Blu-Ray ROM S-ATA
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB
Sound card: Onboard 7.1 Audio
Internet: Wireless 802.11N 300Mbps MIMO PCI card
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus
PSU: 700W Xigmatek
A friend built a PC for me at the beginning of 2013 and I'm looking for some help with upgrading it. I'm aiming for 1080p 60FPS and full detail on new games. I have not been able to get that with Fallout 4 or Assassins Creed Syndicate. I know my GPU is the biggest drawback and I'm waiting on the new range of cards to either upgrade wholesale or pick up a 980Ti when (or if) they come down in price.
So my question is, is the rest of my build still good or is there other areas I need to spend money on? I don't even know if my motherboard or power supply is suitable for a 980 never mind the next generation.
CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K 3.4ghz
Operating System: Windows 8 Pro (64-bit) upgraded to windows 10
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z77-D3H
Memory: 16GB Corsair 1600mhz Vengeance (2x8GB)
Hard Drives: 120GB SSD S-ATAII 3.0Gb/s
Additional Storage: 1TB S-ATAIII 6.0Gb/s
Optical Drive: 4x Blu-Ray ROM S-ATA
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB
Sound card: Onboard 7.1 Audio
Internet: Wireless 802.11N 300Mbps MIMO PCI card
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus
PSU: 700W Xigmatek
Jesb
Member
Do stores generally let you get your money back if you return an open item? My pc broke down a while ago and I'd like to see what the issue is. It could be my psu since the system fails to power up, but it could also be a bad mobo. I'd like to get a new psu to test it and see if that is the problem. But if the new psu doesn't do the trick I'd like to just return it.
Your build its more than fine, you just have to get a new Graphics card.
Gavin Robertson
Neo Member
That's a point actuallly, my main display is 144hz. Never used it much above 60, but a 980ti would have the grunt required if I did ......
Thanks for taking a look, that's good to know. I let my friend handle everything the last time round but I'm trying to educate myself and get under the hood of my PC a bit more.
batman2million
Member
Yes. I have a Samsung evo and a mechanical drive attached via sata and they both work fine.
Did you find a solution for this? I assumed updating the bios would help but again it's just not updating. I'm going to call gigbyte and see if they offer any help. I don't want to have to rma the board so soon.
Sir Abacus
Member
18 months or so and yes, pet hair abound.
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