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[LilJoka]

Oh I will take it as such, but I would love to understand as well. The pictures from both cases in the PSU-area look identical, I wonder whether the pictures are just deceiving or there's something else going on, that differs. I mean, I'm not going to say that a 16cm modular PSU in a Core 500 with a long graphics card is a spacious fit, but it does fit without anything being bent out of shape. And as initially said, it looks to me like the Node 304 has the same layout and PSU/mainboard position, so I would love to know, just to satisfy my curiosity, where my deduction skills failed me.

Also as you may have guessed, I don't fully grasp why you said the Core 500 is a traditional design whereas the Node wasn't as to me they both seem identical.

Edit 1: That being said I will now look at your pictures and compare to mine.

Edit 2: And now that I have... did Fractal move the bracket further to the center in the Node than in the Core? But... why would they do that? I... this defies logic for me.

Yeah looks like they moved the bracket a little bit more back. There was about 20mm between the plug and the case side panel, hence why so many people resorted to removing the bracket to recoup that space. They must have listened to us.

About the Monitoring tools, if you are just monitoring, then HWinfo, HWmonitor are all good.

If you are overclocking you want bare minimum, polling these sensors over and over can be buggy in itself with Windows.
So i always use Realtemp and CPUz when monitoing during overclocking. Everything else is unnecessary.

 

[BlazinAm]

I have an extra set of 16GB (2x8) 10-10-27 RAM and I was wondering if I could install it into my computer? I have a Asus z-87A motherboard. I wondering if this could work because it would give my 32GB total, Oh and the RAM in my computer is the same timings and voltage, from the same vendor.

Also is there a way to buy a molex to fan control cable and be able to control the fan speed or would it be binary on/off.?

 

[DPB]

Edit 2: And now that I have... did Fractal move the bracket further to the center in the Node than in the Core? But... why would they do that? I... this defies logic for me.

It's the other way round, they moved the bracket in the Core, to improve the design. The Node 304 was released in 2012, the Core 500 only came out last year.

 

[LilJoka]

It's the other way round, they moved the bracket in the Core, to improve the design. The Node 304 was released in 2012, the Core 500 only came out last year.

Yep, didnt catch that assumption.
Node 304 is really quite old. Its a shame they didnt update it. The core 500 doesnt have the premium feel, too much plastic.

 

[RayStorm]

It's the other way round, they moved the bracket in the Core, to improve the design. The Node 304 was released in 2012, the Core 500 only came out last year.

I see. Thank you all very much. Lesson learned: Don't forget to check release date when trying to solve small mysteries.

 

[Bloodember]

What it comes to copying my Steam games to a new computer, just copying everything in the Steamapps/common/ folder should suffice right? Along with save files from my Documents folder right?

Use the backup feature, it's under file. To backup saves I use GameSave Manager.

 

[Cato the Censor]

Hey all!

Another pesky question. My HTPC containts a CLUB3D CGNX-XT56024G NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB - a solid upgrade from my old card, but it runs pretty hot. I am in the process of building the PC into a better case to solve this.

Now, yesterday a colleague asked my girlfriend if we want to buy his ASUS GTX750 -DCSL-2GD5, 2GB GDDR5. It is passively cooled which would be good for a HTPC, but I am again at a loss when comparing GPU power. I heard that a GTX 560 ti is better than a GTX 750, but the new card has 2GB ram. Is it worth it to buy the new card?

Thanks again for the help! Really appreciated.

 

[Beerman462]

Unfortunately your motherboard is several generations out of date, the CPU socket is of a different design. You won't be able to upgrade to the new i5 6600K without also buying a new motherboard and RAM. If you still want to upgrade but spend less, then look at getting the i5 4690K, which will still require a new motherboard but you can use your existing DDR3 RAM with it.

Oh I know. I already ordered a 6600K, Z170 MB, and 16GB DDR4 3000. I only had 8GB of DDR3 1333. I see no reason to skimp on an upgrade at this point. If I wanted to go cheap I would have got a Sandy i7 non-OC.

I also ordered a 750Ti. That and my i5/ram is going into the HTPC. Kids should get console performance out of that for this gen anyway.

 

[Hey Im Patrick]

Hey all!

Another pesky question. My HTPC containts a CLUB3D CGNX-XT56024G NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB - a solid upgrade from my old card, but it runs pretty hot. I am in the process of building the PC into a better case to solve this.

Now, yesterday a colleague asked my girlfriend if we want to buy his ASUS GTX750 -DCSL-2GD5, 2GB GDDR5. It is passively cooled which would be good for a HTPC, but I am again at a loss when comparing GPU power. I heard that a GTX 560 ti is better than a GTX 750, but the new card has 2GB ram. Is it worth it to buy the new card?

Thanks again for the help! Really appreciated.

*edit
750 *(Ti not sure of the standard one) is a capable for the price point. It doesn't need a power connector too. Everything's from the PCI-E.

 

[RGM79]

Hey all!

Another pesky question. My HTPC containts a CLUB3D CGNX-XT56024G NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB - a solid upgrade from my old card, but it runs pretty hot. I am in the process of building the PC into a better case to solve this.

Now, yesterday a colleague asked my girlfriend if we want to buy his ASUS GTX750 -DCSL-2GD5, 2GB GDDR5. It is passively cooled which would be good for a HTPC, but I am again at a loss when comparing GPU power. I heard that a GTX 560 ti is better than a GTX 750, but the new card has 2GB ram. Is it worth it to buy the new card?

Thanks again for the help! Really appreciated.

Here's what to expect of the GTX 750 compared to the 560 Ti. Not that big of an improvement, but it is better in performance, VRAM, and much more efficient as it uses less power and won't make any noise.

I have an extra set of 16GB (2x8) 10-10-27 RAM and I was wondering if I could install it into my computer? I have a Asus z-87A motherboard. I wondering if this could work because it would give my 32GB total, Oh and the RAM in my computer is the same timings and voltage, from the same vendor.

Also is there a way to buy a molex to fan control cable and be able to control the fan speed or would it be binary on/off.?

You can install the RAM and it'll work. If you run into compatibility issues, you may need to test each stick of RAM and perhaps update your motherboard BIOS.

Yes, there are ways to control the fan speed, usually it'll be by varying the voltage. Most fan controllers do what you want, that is it'll be powered by molex but have a 3 or 4 pin fan header and a knob, button, or switch to control fan speed with. There are really simple ones that only handle a single fan, but they can't come as just an adaptor cable, usually there's a small circuit board with resistors on it and a knob or something at least. There are simple adaptor cables (example) to change fan speed like the ones that come with Noctua fans, they are basically just adaptors with a resistor soldered onto the 12V wire that brings it down to around 7V. It slows the fan down but obviously you have no control over the speed.

 

[Ellite25]

So it seems like in every game I've played recently (Dark Souls, Rise of the TR, Firewatch) I just seem to get random noticeable dips in the framerate and then it goes back to normal a few seconds later. I don't quite understand why it's inconsistent, especially when it doesn't seem to be due to something happening on screen that is visually taxing. I have a 970, i5 2500k OC'd to 3.7 GHz, and 8 gb of ram.

Is it something wrong with my rig or are these games poorly optimized?

 

[LilJoka]

So it seems like in every game I've played recently (Dark Souls, Rise of the TR, Firewatch) I just seem to get random noticeable dips in the framerate and then it goes back to normal a few seconds later. I don't quite understand why it's inconsistent, especially when it doesn't seem to be due to something happening on screen that is visually taxing. I have a 970, i5 2500k OC'd to 3.7 GHz, and 8 gb of ram.

Is it something wrong with my rig or are these games poorly optimized?

Monitor CPU and GPU usage, and temps, vs fps, then see if you notice a pattern. MSI AB can log all of that for you to a file.

 

[Kenaras]

So, I'm about ready to bite the bullet and upgrade my PC. I'm currently using an i5-750 with 4GB RAM and a Radeon HD 7870. The main hard drive is failing, and the CPU temperature has started approaching 100°C. I'll be using it primarily for gaming, and though running Ultra settings in every game is nice, it isn't a requirement. I do like having a relatively quiet system, which mine used to be back when the CPU temperatures were normal. I really like the fast load times offered by my 80GB SSD, but it doesn't have enough room for more than one game at a time. I don't store media on my system anymore, so I think I can get by with relatively little storage space—and I'm strongly considering going SSD-only. I'm looking to spend around $1200, and here's my current list:

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($215.99)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($104.99)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($69.99)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($212.49)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($309.99)
Case: Fractal Design Define S ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($0.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95)
Total: $1061.39

The power supply would be pulled from my current system. Anyone have thoughts?

 

[drhankmccoyphd]

Does anyone have an opinion on this SSD? I have to pick up some stuff at Frys and I'm wondering if this is worth the low price.

http://www.frys.com/product/8535059?site=sa:adpages page:P160_SU date:021416

edit: nevermind looks like a disaster waiting to happen according to reviews.

 

[Dee Dah Dave]

I posted a question thread in community but nobody replied lol

Anyway I will ask again to all you PC savvy peeps. So I am modernizing my old X58 with new CPU, GPU and RAM. I want to extend it's life for a couple of years until I do a complete rebuild.

I have the CPU and RAM sorted, so my question relates to the GPU.....

980 Ti or Fury X?

By nearly all accounts the 980 Ti is the one to choose. However the Fury X is cheaper and potentially more DX12 futureproof. I only need a card that will hold it's own for a couple of years, and this is for 1080p gaming.

I'm definitely leaning towards the Nvidia, but could be swayed otherwise. I know that Pascal etc is releasing this year, but I want a card in the next month or two.

 

[bomblord1]

I posted a question thread in community but nobody replied lol

Anyway I will ask again to all you PC savvy peeps. So I am modernizing my old X58 with new CPU, GPU and RAM. I want to extend it's life for a couple of years until I do a complete rebuild.

I have the CPU and RAM sorted, so my question relates to the GPU.....

980 Ti or Fury X?

By nearly all accounts the 980 Ti is the one to choose. However the Fury X is cheaper and potentially more DX12 futureproof. I only need a card that will hold it's own for a couple of years, and this is for 1080p gaming.

I'm definitely leaning towards the Nvidia, but could be swayed otherwise. I know that Pascal etc is releasing this year, but I want a card in the next month or two.

An r9 Nano is $100 cheaper and with a 50% power multiplier performs on par with the Fury.

 

[RGM79]

So, I'm about ready to bite the bullet and upgrade my PC. I'm currently using an i5-750 with 4GB RAM and a Radeon HD 7870. The main hard drive is failing, and the CPU temperature has started approaching 100°C. I'll be using it primarily for gaming, and though running Ultra settings in every game is nice, it isn't a requirement. I do like having a relatively quiet system, which mine used to be back when the CPU temperatures were normal. I really like the fast load times offered by my 80GB SSD, but it doesn't have enough room for more than one game at a time. I don't store media on my system anymore, so I think I can get by with relatively little storage space—and I'm strongly considering going SSD-only. I'm looking to spend around $1200, and here's my current list:

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($215.99)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($104.99)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($69.99)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($212.49)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($309.99)
Case: Fractal Design Define S ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($0.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95)
Total: $1061.39

The power supply would be pulled from my current system. Anyone have thoughts?

Are you interested in overclocking at all? If yes, go with an i5 6600K and include an aftermarket CPU cooler like a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo or similar. If not, you can switch out the Z170 motherboard for a cheaper H170 or B150 model. The 850 Pro is pretty expensive, we'd recommend the 850 Evo or Crucial BX100/MX100/MX200 where possible for better price-to-performance considerations.

Does anyone have an opinion on this SSD? I have to pick up some stuff at Frys and I'm wondering if this is worth the low price.

http://www.frys.com/product/8535059?site=sa:adpages page:P160_SU date:021416

edit: nevermind looks like a disaster waiting to happen according to reviews.

Yeah, quite a lot of dead units going by Newegg user reviews.

 

[knitoe]

What's the difference?

HWinfo shows more info.

 

[Ellite25]

So I did some monitoring on MSI afterburner to see what was causing the brief framerate drops. What should I be looking for to see if there is an issue with the GPU or CPU?

 

[Kenaras]

Are you interested in overclocking at all? If yes, go with an i5 6600K and include an aftermarket CPU cooler like a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo or similar. If not, you can switch out the Z170 motherboard for a cheaper H170 or B150 model. The 850 Pro is pretty expensive, we'd recommend the 850 Evo or Crucial BX100/MX100/MX200 where possible for better price-to-performance considerations.

Not particularly interested in overclocking, but I've been looking at the i5-6600K and might end up going that direction. I'd need to upgrade the RAM as well, but the overall package isn't that much more expensive. I actually was looking at H170 motherboards, but the Z170 ended up being around the same price for most brands. (ASRock has a cheap H170 board I could switch to.) And yeah, the 850 Pro is expensive; I haven't decided if I really want to pay that premium. I have a friend who works in the SSD industry, and he highly recommends going with the higher-priced SSDs like the 850 Pro for performance and reliability, but there's a good chance I'll get the Evo instead.

 

[LilJoka]

So I did some monitoring on MSI afterburner to see what was causing the brief framerate drops. What should I be looking for to see if there is an issue with the GPU or CPU?

Fps drops at the same time the CPU hits 100% or GPU is dropping below 99%. Or temps causing clock speeds to drop.

If CPU is less than 100% and GPU at 99% when drops occur it just means your GPU isn't powerful enough for the settings you have.

 

[zedge]

How do you get the on screen display to work with MSI afterburner? There is no longer an option for this that I can see.

 

[Ellite25]

Fps drops at the same time the CPU hits 100% or GPU is dropping below 99%. Or temps causing clock speeds to drop.

If CPU is less than 100% and GPU at 99% when drops occur it just means your GPU isn't powerful enough for the settings you have.

Well according to AB my GPU never hit 100% (stayed around the 40-50 range) usage and my CPU usage hovered round 55-60 with a few jumps up to 100%. When the CPU jumped to 100% memory clock dropped from 1177 to 135 MHz. Does this mean anything significant?

 

[Ellite25]

How do you get the on screen display to work with MSI afterburner? There is no longer an option for this that I can see.

Settings, Monitoring, and then highlight the one you wanna see and check "Show in On-Screen Display" at the bottom.

 

[LilJoka]

Well according to AB my GPU never hit 100% (stayed around the 40-50 range) usage and my CPU usage hovered round 55-60 with a few jumps up to 100%. When the CPU jumped to 100% memory clock dropped from 1177 to 135 MHz. Does this mean anything significant?

Was vsync active?
And you mean when CPU jumped to 100% the GPU mem clock dropped to 135mhz?
What's the PC specs?

 

[zedge]

Settings, Monitoring, and then highlight the one you wanna see and check "Show in On-Screen Display" at the bottom.

That option is not there, only lcd on logitech keyboarad or tray icon.

 

[Ellite25]

Was vsync active?

Nope. I checked the settings, not even an option for that in Dark Souls as far as I can tell.

 

[Ellite25]

That option is not there, only lcd on logitech keyboarad or tray icon.

Even after you click the check mark next to the item you want to display?

 

[LilJoka]

Nope. I checked the settings, not even an option for that in Dark Souls as far as I can tell.

Notice anything specific when the fps drop?
It's dark souls so I guess it's pretty light on the GPU which would explain the low usage. Have any heavier games to test?

When GPU mem clock dropped did the core clock drop too?

 

[Ellite25]

Was vsync active?
And you mean when CPU jumped to 100% the GPU mem clock dropped to 135mhz?
What's the PC specs?

Yup that is what I mean.
i5 2500k OC'd 3.7, 970, 8 gb ram

 

[knitoe]

Yup that is what I mean.
i5 2500k OC'd 3.7, 970, 8 gb ram

What's the VRAM usage when that happens? For a 970, you want to stay under 3.5GB.

 

[Thagomizer]

Hi all,

I'll be building my first PC at the end of March-ish. I only have a very slight idea of what I'm doing, so I'm sure there's lots of room for improvement here. I know the case is a bit pricey for my budget, but I really want that particular one, and liquid cooling probably isn't strictly needed for this, but I live in an old, dusty house that gets hot as fuck in the summer so I want to have some breathing room. I already have a keyboard and mouse, and I'll be buying a monitor separately a little later.

I especially need mobo advice, because I have no fuckin' idea with that shit. I don't need SLI or anything like that, but I want as many USB ports as possible because I plug a lot of shit into my current laptop to the point I'm running out of ports even with an expander.

Your Current Specs: a shit-ass laptop. Will save nothing but peripherals.
Budget: Max $1000 US, preferably $900 or as close to
Main Use: Gaming and general use, no photo/video editing.
Monitor Resolution: I'll be buying a new monitor later, will be using an old shitty one in the meantime. Want to get a 60Hz 1080p, max 24" because my desk isn't that big.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Dark Souls III, Talos Principle, Dota, maybe Witcher 3, etc. and games a year outwant to get 60 FPS at 1080p if possible.
When will you build?: Going to be assembling parts and starting build by end of March.
Will you be overclocking?robably not.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B150 PRO4/D3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($74.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($47.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card ($219.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Total: $930.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-14 18:03 EST-0500

I'll also probably be getting a case fan or 2 from a local shop so I can actually see and hear them running before I buy.

 

[inm8num2]

I'm kind of at an impasse. Originally I settled on the i5-4690K, but I'm starting to rethink whether I need an ATX board. It might be better to get a micro ATX to have a little more versatility in choosing a case - size isn't a huge concern, but a mini-tower (or a cube w/ an optical drive bay) might be preferred to a mid-tower. Problem is, Z97M boards are quite scarce. H97M boards are readily available, but that would rule out overclocking. I'm wondering if I should just get an i5-4690 and H97M board...not sure how much I'd OC'ing if I want this build to give a good 3/4/5 years w/ gaming (GPU is R9 390).

I doubt I'll use dual GPUs, and the only expansion options I know of that might be relevant to me are a wireless card (could just use USB adapter instead) and maybe USB 3.1 Type C card (e.g. if I had an external hard drive in the future that used 3.1 speeds). Both of these would use PCIE, so I don't know what the 'regular' PCI slots might be used for.

For example, this ASRock H97M has a PCIE 3.0 x16, PCIE 2.0 x16, and 2 PCI slots. My understanding is that (a) I could use a PCIE x1 wireless card in the second 2.0 x16 slot, and (b) this would not affect the performance or bandwidth of the PCIE x16 slot using a GPU (the only case this would matter is if you're doing Xfire/SLI since that shares bandwidth). But other boards vary - this one has a PCIE x16 and two PCIE x1 slots.

I'm just wondering if an ATX board is beyond my needs but don't know if I'm overlooking anything else (e.g. # of system fan headers, which that ASRock seems to have just 2 excluding the CPU fan header). I'm having a hard time balancing all these factors and deciding which direction to go. An ATX board, larger case, more (possibly unnecessary) expansion options, and overclocking; or a micro ATX board, slightly smaller case, limited expansion, and no overclocking. Feels like I have no idea what I'm doing, and it's stressful due to limited availability of the 1150 boards. :/

If anyone has suggestions for what the better route might be, I'd very much appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[Hey Im Patrick]

Yes, non-K models come with a basic cooler. Only the overclockable ones don't. Yes, it is possible to overclock them (see here for more information, guides, and links to BIOS downloads), but Intel is putting a stop to it and the motherboard manufacturers are complying under pressure.

Where are you buying the parts and what's your budget? What parts are you looking at exactly? I can't compare hard drives models and prices for RAM and power supplies until you tell me. I have heard that WD has some overlap on their blue/green/"mainstream" drives, but speaking in general the WD Green drives operate at 4900~5900RPM, while the blue drives are 7200RPM.

Here's the link for the shop where I'll buy http://dynaquestpc.com/product-category/components/power-supply-psu/power-supply-psu-700w-900w/, this shop is my only choice since it's the nearest. My price range will be around the Seasonic M12 Evo's pricing. Same thing goes with the ram maybe I can add 1,000 (local currency) more on both components.

 

[Ellite25]

Notice anything specific when the fps drop?
It's dark souls so I guess it's pretty light on the GPU which would explain the low usage. Have any heavier games to test?

When GPU mem clock dropped did the core clock drop too?

I will try another game right now, but for some reason now AB isn't allowing to monitor CPU info. I'm trying to figure out how to get it back in there.

And the core clock stayed relatively stable during the memory drops.

 

[JoeyJungle]

So I've had my PC since Skylake launched, and today it decided it won't start. I've tried taking out all my USB stuff and takjng out my GPU, but it still won't post.

I have a GA-Z170X-Gaming 7, 6700k, 850 evo and 1tb WD blue, 16gb gskill ddr4 3000mhz. Error code I'm getting is 6F (or possibly bF), which is unlisted in the mobo manual.

Any ideas?

EDIT:

False alarm. Apparently neither the GPU or MOBO displayports were handshaking with my monitor (giving the appearance of BIOS not posting), unplugging/replugging the power cable to the monitor fixed it.

 

[LilJoka]

I will try another game right now, but for some reason now AB isn't allowing to monitor CPU info. I'm trying to figure out how to get it back in there.

And the core clock stayed relatively stable during the memory drops.

Pretty odd, usually core and mem drop togethor. Have you tried a driver uninstall and reinstall using display driver uninstalled to clean the drivers out?

 

[zedge]

Even after you click the check mark next to the item you want to display?

Nope, not there. I figured it out, riva tuner did not install. I installed it all over again and now it works.

Thanks!

 

[mulac]

I need a new case...want lots of space & awesome airflow longterm.

Anyone got any experience with this? Or better suggestion?

https://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=23241&cPath=547

 

[Ellite25]

Pretty odd, usually core and mem drop togethor. Have you tried a driver uninstall and reinstall using display driver uninstalled to clean the drivers out?

Ok so I played Dying Light for a bit. GPU ran around 98% the entire time and the CPU ranged from like 60-90%. So that's good right? Maybe something is just wrong with Dark Souls? I also heard Firewatch had some stuttering issues so it could have just been that game.
Oh and I was between 70 and 90 fps

 

[paskowitz]

I am planning on getting some acrylic pieces made for my current build. This is a quick sketch I did in Ps. I would appreciate your feedback.

-------------- Without:

Notes:
- Red, grey and black areas are not representative of final color
- The white area will be acrylic not covered and will be lit by RGB LEDs from the back of the acrylic pieces.
- Window will be tinted
- Fans will have an outer shroud (that also covers the brown pads), but nothing infront of the fan surface)
- RAM will have a semi ghetto cover that will make it look like there are 3 sticks... still thinking this one through...
- SSD will behind a flat piece of acrylic with a small window (rest will be covered)
- Still working on an integrated way to add EVGA and Asus logos to the PSU shroud. Taking suggestions...

 

[Anastasis]

I've got a 2500k (not overclocked) and a 650 Ti Boost and am looking for a GPU upgrade under or around $150. I have a 25% off Jet.com that expires today. My monitor is 1440p. Any advice on which of the following to buy (price shown will be after 25% off):

1) GTX 960 for $142.50
2) R9 280 for $131.93
3) R9 380 for $134.19
4) R9 380 4G for $155

Are any of these prices phenomenal that I should jump on them immediately or do they often hit these prices?

Thanks!

 

[Maniac]

So I just stumbled upon a £125~ Corsair AX860 (80+ Platinum), and I never did manage to find a new PSU way back. Corsair offers a 7 year warranty on the unit (as opposed to 10 EVGA offers on their 850 G2, Gold)

Both are fully modular which is very much a must for me; great warranty on both units and a decent enough overhead that I can have some fun. The price difference between the two (due to said good deal on the Corsair one) is only about £10~ / $15-ish. Does anyone have experience with either, or should I just go for the Platinum one for the obvious advantage of... It being Platinum?

 

[Bloodember]

I am planning on getting some acrylic pieces made for my current build. This is a quick sketch I did in Ps. I would appreciate your feedback.



Notes:
- Red, grey and black areas are not representative of final color
- The white area will be acrylic not covered and will be lit by RGB LEDs from the back of the acrylic pieces.
- Window will be tinted
- Fans will have an outer shroud (that also covers the brown pads), but nothing infront of the fan surface)
- RAM will have a semi ghetto cover that will make it look like there are 3 sticks... still thinking this one through...
- SSD will behind a flat piece of acrylic with a small window (rest will be covered)
- Still working on an integrated way to add EVGA and Asus logos to the PSU shroud. Taking suggestions...

Looks pretty awesome. Just make sure it doesn't mess with your airflow through the case. Restricting to much airflow will hurt your temperatures.

 

[kuYuri]

I've got a 2500k (not overclocked) and a 650 Ti Boost and am looking for a GPU upgrade under or around $150. I have a 25% off Jet.com that expires today. My monitor is 1440p. Any advice on which of the following to buy (price shown will be after 25% off):

1) GTX 960 for $142.50
2) R9 280 for $131.93
3) R9 380 for $134.19
4) R9 380 4G for $155

Are any of these prices phenomenal that I should jump on them immediately or do they often hit these prices?

Thanks!

Out of those, R9 380 4GB is definitely the best one. If you're planning on playing at 1440p especially with newer games, you're gonna need as much VRAM as possible and the 4th option gives that to you, assuming the other choices are 2GB cards.

Ideally if you could go for 970/R9 390, that would be better, but for your budget, R9 380 4GB is the obvious choice.

 

[paskowitz]

Looks pretty awesome. Just make sure it doesn't mess with your airflow through the case. Restricting to much airflow will hurt your temperatures.

I'm keeping that in mind. In terms of pushing air through my rads... I think my Noctua/Swiftech fans have that covered. The rear rad is push/pull (2 fans) and the front rad is push/pull (3 fans).

Otherwise, ATM I have the top vents blocked off because Fractal Design doesn't understand the concept of a top dust filter or separate compartment. It also lets out a lot of noise. I would like to keep the bottom fan so my VRMs get a little fresh air. This will mean I will have to cut some slats/vents in my PSU shroud. My pump may also get a little warm... but it has the fan on the other side of the rad... so I doubt it. This is really the main point I am debating.

Edit: I should also mention there will be an opening between the two parts of the bottom shroud (between the bottom and top white lines).

 

[Anastasis]

Out of those, R9 380 4GB is definitely the best one. If you're planning on playing at 1440p especially with newer games, you're gonna need as much VRAM as possible and the 4th option gives that to you, assuming the other choices are 2GB cards.

Ideally if you could go for 970/R9 390, that would be better, but for your budget, R9 380 4GB is the obvious choice.

Thank you so much!

 

[dity]

Use the backup feature, it's under file. To backup saves I use GameSave Manager.

Okidoki.

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

So I finally OC'd my 6600k. Currently stable @ 4.4 with a vcore of 1.28. Pushed my 390 to core of 1100 and memory of 1600 stable. Not sure how much more I want to go up and I'm still getting some stuttering every 15 minutes or so in the witcher 3 (I can't figure out the issue). Temp on the GPU hasn't gone above 74 and max CPU is at 53. Pretty solid.

 

[Beerman462]

Waiting is the hardest part...

It feels weird ordering all this stuff knowing that I'm going to be plugging my 7870XT into it as a significant bottleneck. I just can't buy a new video card with Pascal and Polaris on the horizon.

I was telling my wife I could build a third compute and she was like why don't you sell one. I'm thinking I should now. How much do you think I can get for a dual core Celeron (old Sandy Bridge), 4 GBs of ram and an Nvidia 460 GTX. It's in the HTPC now and it actually works pretty good. You can play most last gen and some cross gen games at 1080p. Tomb Raider 2013 ran pretty good. At the very least it's a Minecraft machine. I guess there are two scenarios selling it as is with no HDD or power supply(alienates casuals). Selling it with a power supply and 100GB HDD. It would be a decent starter PC for a kid or take the 460GTX out and sell it as a internet/e-mail machine.