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[QuantumSquid]

I just posted this pic in the "Show us your desk" thread from OT, but I just wanted to come back here and thank everyone who helped me with building my first PC. This is the resulting "battlestation":

Fear not, there is a plastic mat separating the PC from my carpeted floor.

 

[Sir Abacus]

Are all software GPU overclocking programs basically the same in terms of the job their designed to do (overclock the GPU)?

I've had my 980ti sitting here at stock since I bought it, and now that I'm gaming in 4K I would like to squeak a little more FPS out of the card via overclocking.

I downloaded the MSI Afterburner utility, which looks quite easy to use. Is there something better/different that I should be using?

Nope. Afterburner is fine. They're all kind of a muchness.

 

[Mr. Hyde]

Is it worth upgrading from 8GB RAM yet? I do photo editing and random gaming. I have 4gbx2 of Crucial Ballistix Sport and I noticed that I could get another 4gb pair on amazon for 33 dollars. Sometimes, my computer does end up coming to a crawl while editing a huge set of photos.

 

[Dr. Benton Quest]

It should be between 970 and 980 at least.

Rumors are that there will be a 8gb model for around $250 as well.

 

[opticalmace]

Is it worth upgrading from 8GB RAM yet? I do photo editing and random gaming. I have 4gbx2 of Crucial Ballistix Sport and I noticed that I could get another 4gb pair on amazon for 33 dollars. Sometimes, my computer does end up coming to a crawl while editing a huge set of photos.

If you need it, go for it. Check your ram usage while editing photos and see if you're getting close to topping out.

 

[Mr. Hyde]

If you need it, go for it. Check your ram usage while editing photos and see if you're getting close to topping out.

I think I've figured out the main problem. My main HD is a 120GB SSD and right now, it sits at 19 gigs free and it goes down to barely anything as I do a long editing job. I guess it's time to grab a 500gb SSD. Should I migrate my OS to the 500gb when I install it or figure out a way to move all my app caches to the new drive?

 

[Thraktor]

Hello,

I tried to run some new games lately, but it seems my PC is having trouble doing so. I have performance issues with The Division (huge issues) and The Witcher 3, notably (and I'm having some weird issues with The Witcher 2, where a lot of places in the game are way too dark, but that is another issue altogether, though I do have some performance issues if I try to set the graphical options to High/Ultra). So, I'm looking for help here, since I have no idea what to do in order to improve my performances.
My PC hasn't been modified since September 2012.

Actual specs:

• OS: Microsoft Windows 7
• Motherboard: 1155 Asus P8Z77-V LX
• CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2100 CPU @ 3.10GHz, 3100 MHz, 2 cores
• RAM: 1x8,00*Go (Extreme3 Ripjaws X DDR3 8 Go 1600 MHz CAS 9)
• GPU/Graphics: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 - 2 Go (huh... It shows up as "AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series" in my specs info though).
• Storage: 1 SSD (INTEL SSDSC2CT120A3 - 120 Go) & 1 Hard Drive (WDC WD10EZRX-00A8LB0 - 1 To).
• Case: Gigabyte 3D Aurora 570 (at least, mine looks like it). It was a gift.

I think that I may have a motherboard problem: it seems that they don't do 1155 sockets anymore, so if I want a new CPU, I would need to change my motherboard. And if I change my motherboard, I don't know what is going to be compatible with what I already own.
Regarding the GPU: I don't know if I should take a new AMD or take a NVIDIA instead.

Budget:
As for my budget, I'd like to not go over 500€, though I can spend more if necessary, so I'm listening. I live in Europe (France).

Main use:

• Gaming: 5
• General Usage: 4
• Emulation: 2

Monitor Resolution:
1920x1080. I don't really plan to upgrade. I own a Iiyama ProLite E2273HDS-B1.

Games I'd like to run:
I would like to run The Witcher 3 with good FPS ("good" being over 50 FPS for me, 60 FPS being ideal). Also Dark Souls 3 (which runs pretty well actually, all things considered).
Not interested in playing The Division, this game just made me realize my PC needs an upgrade.
I'm not familiar enough with PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to answer if those are important to me :'(

When will you build?
I'm not in a hurry. I can wait a couple months, though I will need to move to a new city in winter, and I'd like to have my PC ready (assuming I'm able to move it safely... Nevermind, that is my problem, I'll handle that later).

Overclocking
Probably no. Make it a "maybe", maybe?

I'd seriously consider picking up a second hand i7 2600K/2700K/3770K and overclocking (with a CM 212 EVO cooler if you're currently using a stock cooler). You should be able to pick up one of the first two sub-€200 and once overclocked it should allow you to play pretty much any current game at 60fps. Compared to Skylake, where you'd have to replace your motherboard and RAM, it's a much cheaper way of eliminating the CPU bottleneck, and even a 2600K isn't that far behind the 6700K in performance per clock, and can overclock quite a bit higher, so you're not really giving much up in overall performance compared to the newer processors.

You'd then have quite a bit more of your budget left over, and could stick with an 8GB RX 480 while remaining under budget, or even push to an RX 480X or perhaps even a GTX 1070.

 

[mrklaw]

I think I've figured out the main problem. My main HD is a 120GB SSD and right now, it sits at 19 gigs free and it goes down to barely anything as I do a long editing job. I guess it's time to grab a 500gb SSD. Should I migrate my OS to the 500gb when I install it or figure out a way to move all my app caches to the new drive?

I'd keep your os on the 120 and move some apps and cache to the new one.

 

[AndyMoogle]

I'd seriously consider picking up a second hand i7 2600K/2700K/3770K and overclocking (with a CM 212 EVO cooler if you're currently using a stock cooler). You should be able to pick up one of the first two sub-€200 and once overclocked it should allow you to play pretty much any current game at 60fps. Compared to Skylake, where you'd have to replace your motherboard and RAM, it's a much cheaper way of eliminating the CPU bottleneck, and even a 2600K isn't that far behind the 6700K in performance per clock, and can overclock quite a bit higher, so you're not really giving much up in overall performance compared to the newer processors.

You'd then have quite a bit more of your budget left over, and could stick with an 8GB RX 480 while remaining under budget, or even push to an RX 480X or perhaps even a GTX 1070.

A Skylake CPU gets huge gains with faster DDR4 RAM. Also, Skylake has quite a bit better frame times.

This is a proper review: https://techreport.com/review/28751/intel-core-i7-6700k-skylake-processor-reviewed/6

 

[Thraktor]

A Skylake CPU gets huge gains with faster DDR4 RAM. Also, Skylake has quite a bit better frametimes.

True, but with €500 for Skylake CPU + motherboard + fast DDR4 + GPU you're either going to have to stick to a non-overclockable i3/i5 or drastically cut back on the GPU budget, either of which would end up with worse overall performance than a OC'd Sandy/Ivy Bridge i7 and a ~€250-€300 GPU. Of course if the poster is willing to push their budget up by quite a bit then a Skylake rebuild would be worth doing, but within their budget I'd try to squeeze as much as possible out of that Z77.

This is a proper review: https://techreport.com/review/28751/intel-core-i7-6700k-skylake-processor-reviewed/6

That's fair enough, but in that test only a single game (Civ: BE) failed to keep 99th percentile frame times under 16.7ms on a non-overclocked 2600K. For someone who's got a 60Hz monitor with no plan of upgrading, it reinforces my point that they can achieve their aims while keeping their existing motherboard and RAM.

 

[Darkstorne]

I think I've figured out the main problem. My main HD is a 120GB SSD and right now, it sits at 19 gigs free and it goes down to barely anything as I do a long editing job. I guess it's time to grab a 500gb SSD. Should I migrate my OS to the 500gb when I install it or figure out a way to move all my app caches to the new drive?

Google scratch drive as well. I use Photoshop and Painter, and when I set them up on my SSD a few years ago I looked into this. I forget how to do it, but that 19gb should remain free if you direct the scratch drive to a HDD instead.

 

[opticalmace]

I think I've figured out the main problem. My main HD is a 120GB SSD and right now, it sits at 19 gigs free and it goes down to barely anything as I do a long editing job. I guess it's time to grab a 500gb SSD. Should I migrate my OS to the 500gb when I install it or figure out a way to move all my app caches to the new drive?

I would just do everything on the 500gb drive. Larger SSDs are generally faster I think, so that is what I would do. Maybe use the 120 for certain things (steam games or.. ?).

 

[Varg]

Still trying to troubleshoot my problem with the computer not turning on . Took the gpu out . Noticed that when I flip the power switch on the psu the system won't turn on, but the mobo would gelradually get very hot around the lower left portion ( around cmos battery).

 

[Mr. Hyde]

I would just do everything on the 500gb drive. Larger SSDs are generally faster I think, so that is what I would do. Maybe use the 120 for certain things (steam games or.. ?).

Okay. My current is a 120gb Samsung 840 PRO and the one I just picked up at Best Buy on Sale is the Samsung 850 500gb. Can I just clone everything to the new drive to save headaches?

 

[Mr. Hyde]

Google scratch drive as well. I use Photoshop and Painter, and when I set them up on my SSD a few years ago I looked into this. I forget how to do it, but that 19gb should remain free if you direct the scratch drive to a HDD instead.

Yeah I thought about that but I've decided an extra ssd will serve me well for when I feel like installing a game or two to mess around in, especially when No Man's Sky comes out.

 

[The Technomancer]

Uhhhh this is weird

I got a new graphics card today finally, slotted it into my old motherboard from 2012 (verified compatibility before I bought the thing)

And now my computer is running excruciatingly slow. Like "takes five minutes from boot to launch and load my sticky notes" excruciatingly slow. I don't even think its the graphics card, I unplugged it and the sluggishness persists. Could I have messed up the RAM or something? But would that even make basic desktop tasks run this badly?

EDIT: Oh fuck, under settings it took like five seconds for the processor data to load in. Did I maybe dislodge my processor?

 

[PhilTheAussieGuy]

Okay, so I'm in the process of building a computer that will be used for general browser and indie games primarily but also not completely embarrassed if I decided to fire up Doom on the machine.

I've decided that the new RX 480 graphics card will be perfect for this build but I'm struggling on deciding what components I should place around it. I'm aiming for a machine that has reasonable quality without going overboard and the budget for the non video game part of the machine is roughly $1000 AUD. So far I am looking at something like the following.

Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case : $109.00
MSI B150M BAZOOKA Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard :$119.00
Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor : $275.00
G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory : $92.40
Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive : $207.00
Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case : $109.00
SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply : $149.00

Total : $951.40

As for the Operating System, I do own a retail copy of Windows 7 that has since been upgraded to Windows 10 and is currently on a BootCamp partition on my Mac. My understand is that I can wipe that OS from that computer and install it on the new machine. Is this correct?

Cheers

 

[The Technomancer]

Holy shit. Amazing what a reapplication of thermal paste will do

 

[mambadragon]

I currently own a Fractal Design Define Mini (mATX case), and I'm not a big fan of it. The doors are really hard to remove, and it's the size of an ATX case. The only thing I overclock is my 2500K and I do it with an air cooler. My EVGA GTX970 FTW is at default speed and I'm happy with that. I have one 2.5" SSD and one 3.5" hard drive.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a different mATX case? I really like the NCASE M1 (and I'd be OK with upgrading my CPU/mobo/mem to mITX) but I don't want to have to replace my 820W XFX ATX modular power supply. So if there's a nice mATX case I'd prefer that.

 

[xkramz]

im going from ivybridge 3470 build. to a skylake i5-6600K, sure the performance may not be much. but at least i got an unlocked multiplier

also i bought this z170 MOBO for only 79 bucks :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=msi_z170_sli_plus-_-13-130-900-_-Product

reviews say it OC pretty good so thats great

 

[Bboy AJ]

Holy shit. Amazing what a reapplication of thermal paste will do

Discuss. I'm wondering whether I should reapply. My 4670k does not overclock so well and I'm wondering whether it's my initial paste application.

 

[NOKYARD]

It's finally upgrade time.

I assembled this G3258 4.4 GHz OC build last year with a great deal of help from this thread.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nokyard/

I went 'budget' on the CPU and video card, expecting to replace both sometime down the road, mainly because this was my first build/OC and i would rather fry a $70 Pentium than an i7, and i was not happy with $/perf of the video cards available at the time.

I am waiting until Sept/Oct to replace the video card but find i have saved just enough cash for a proper CPU. I was about to pull the trigger on a i7-4790k when i noticed the i7-5775C for $30 more. It seems both feature similar specs when OC'd to the same multiplier (5775C is unlocked) but the 14nm 5775C features Iris Pro 6200 Graphics. This appeals to me because i plan to live stream simultaneously from both console and PC, and offload the video decoding/encoding of the Elgato capture card (and/or OBS) to the Iris Pro 6200, rather than taxing my video card.

I understand the Broadwell 5775C was a case of "too little, too late" at launch, but looking back it seems to be the obvious choice for a LGA1150 mobo.


So the question is:
Is there any reason (other than the additional $30) to NOT pick the 5775C over the 4790k?

 

[finalflame]

Just finished my "upgrade" build to a 1080.

Parts:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $364.99)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (Purchased For $234.99)
Memory: Kingston Savage 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (Purchased For $103.19)
Storage: Mushkin Reactor 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $242.99)
Case: Fractal Design Define Nano S Mini ITX Desktop Case (Purchased For $64.99)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit (Purchased For $0.00)
Case Fan: Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 12 55.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.97 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 12 55.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.97 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 109.9 CFM 120mm Fan ($22.49 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 109.9 CFM 120mm Fan ($22.49 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 109.9 CFM 120mm Fan ($22.49 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer XB271HU bmiprz 27.0" 165Hz Monitor (Purchased For $769.99)
Mouse: Logitech G602 Wireless Optical Mouse (Purchased For $54.99)
Headphones: Plantronics Gamecom 780 7.1 Channel Headset (Purchased For $0.00)
Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 120W 2.1ch Speakers (Purchased For $134.99)
Other: EK-FC1080 GTX - Acetal+Nickel (Purchased For $125.95)
Other: EK-Supremacy EVO CPU Water Block (Original CSQ) - Nickel/Acetal (Purchased For $72.95)
Other: EK-Supremacy EVO CPU Water Block (Original CSQ) - Nickel/Acetal (Purchased For $72.95)
Other: CableMod E-Series G2, P2 & T2 ModMesh™ Cable Kit - BLACK (Purchased For $126.50)
Other: Black Ice Nemesis L-Series 240 Stealth Radiator (Purchased For $39.99)
Other: EK-FC1080 GTX Backplate - Black (Purchased For $34.99)
Other: EK-RES X3 110 Reservoir (Purchased For $45.95)
Other: EK-XTOP Revo D5 PWM Acetal - (incl. pump) (Purchased For $125.98)
Other: Alphacool 13/10 (10x1.5mm) Compression Fitting G1/4 - Chrome x 5 (Purchased For $34.75)
Other: Alphacool HF 13/10 (10x1,5mm) Compression Fitting 45° Revolvable G1/4 - Chrome x 6 (Purchased For $41.94)
Other: Alphacool 13/10 (10x1.5mm) Compression Fitting 90° Revolvable G1/4 - Chrome x 1 (Purchased For $6.95)
Other: Mayhems Dye - 15ml Deep Red (Purchased For $8.95)
Other: PrimoFlex Advanced LRT 10ft Tubing - 3/8in. ID X 1/2in. OD - Crystal Clear (Purchased For $26.95)
Other: nVidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founder's Edition (Purchased For $699.99)
Other: KÛL ES-87 (Cherry MX Green) (Purchased For $119.00)
Total: $3772.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-04 22:34 EDT-0400

 

[appaws]

Just finished my "upgrade" build to a 1080.

Parts:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $364.99)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (Purchased For $234.99)
Memory: Kingston Savage 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (Purchased For $103.19)
Storage: Mushkin Reactor 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $242.99)
Case: Fractal Design Define Nano S Mini ITX Desktop Case (Purchased For $64.99)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit (Purchased For $0.00)
Case Fan: Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 12 55.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.97 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 12 55.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.97 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 109.9 CFM 120mm Fan ($22.49 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 109.9 CFM 120mm Fan ($22.49 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM 109.9 CFM 120mm Fan ($22.49 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer XB271HU bmiprz 27.0" 165Hz Monitor (Purchased For $769.99)
Mouse: Logitech G602 Wireless Optical Mouse (Purchased For $54.99)
Headphones: Plantronics Gamecom 780 7.1 Channel Headset (Purchased For $0.00)
Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 120W 2.1ch Speakers (Purchased For $134.99)
Other: EK-FC1080 GTX - Acetal+Nickel (Purchased For $125.95)
Other: EK-Supremacy EVO CPU Water Block (Original CSQ) - Nickel/Acetal (Purchased For $72.95)
Other: EK-Supremacy EVO CPU Water Block (Original CSQ) - Nickel/Acetal (Purchased For $72.95)
Other: CableMod E-Series G2, P2 & T2 ModMesh™ Cable Kit - BLACK (Purchased For $126.50)
Other: Black Ice Nemesis L-Series 240 Stealth Radiator (Purchased For $39.99)
Other: EK-FC1080 GTX Backplate - Black (Purchased For $34.99)
Other: EK-RES X3 110 Reservoir (Purchased For $45.95)
Other: EK-XTOP Revo D5 PWM Acetal - (incl. pump) (Purchased For $125.98)
Other: Alphacool 13/10 (10x1.5mm) Compression Fitting G1/4 - Chrome x 5 (Purchased For $34.75)
Other: Alphacool HF 13/10 (10x1,5mm) Compression Fitting 45° Revolvable G1/4 - Chrome x 6 (Purchased For $41.94)
Other: Alphacool 13/10 (10x1.5mm) Compression Fitting 90° Revolvable G1/4 - Chrome x 1 (Purchased For $6.95)
Other: Mayhems Dye - 15ml Deep Red (Purchased For $8.95)
Other: PrimoFlex Advanced LRT 10ft Tubing - 3/8in. ID X 1/2in. OD - Crystal Clear (Purchased For $26.95)
Other: nVidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founder's Edition (Purchased For $699.99)
Other: KÛL ES-87 (Cherry MX Green) (Purchased For $119.00)
Total: $3772.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-04 22:34 EDT-0400

Looks Fantastic. Great Job!

 

[ekgrey]

Would staying on Z97 but upgrading to faster RAM and a 4790K (from DDR3-1600 and an i5-4670K) be a better upgrade than jumping to Z107 with DDR4-3200 and an i5-6600K? It'd leave about $100 I could put towards a 1070....

 

[drotahorror]

Does anyone know how to change the color of the red text on the hardware monitor? (not my pic)

If I go to Settings > Monitoring > scroll down and there's a red color square with a 'text' dropdown box.. I thought that was it but it doesn't change anything and goes back to red after I click okay (can't click accept).

The red text is hard for me to read.

 

[Joco]

After working on replacing some of my PC parts today I have to say I much prefer the mounting system for the Cryorig M9i over the Hyper 212 Evo. Having the two brackets and then one screw on each side of the heatsink you have to screw in is much easier than screwing in the four spring-loaded screws for the Evo.

 

[opticalmace]

Would staying on Z97 but upgrading to faster RAM and a 4790K (from DDR3-1600 and an i5-4670K) be a better upgrade than jumping to Z107 with DDR4-3200 and an i5-6600K? It'd leave about $100 I could put towards a 1070....

To be honest I'd just stick with your current CPU/ram and use all the money for a 1070. Just OC your CPU.

 

[ISee]

Would staying on Z97 but upgrading to faster RAM and a 4790K (from DDR3-1600 and an i5-4670K) be a better upgrade than jumping to Z107 with DDR4-3200 and an i5-6600K? It'd leave about $100 I could put towards a 1070....

The 6600k @ 4.4ghz (overclocked) will give you slightly better performance than the 4790k @ 4.4 ghz (stock) in most current cpu heavy games and according to newest broadwell-e benchmarks a lower core count but higher clockspeed + better ipc is still more important than more cores (for gaming). So in a way and for this day 'n age the 6600k is the best CPU you can get for your money right now (price per performance wise).
Will HTT and the ability to handle more than 4 threads become more important in the furture for gaming? Probably and the 4790k could be the slightly more future proof option for you. But that's just speculation, nobody is able to look into the future.

That said:
It's not necessary to upgrade your 4690k at all. Get your 1070 (but pls not a founders edition), upgrade to faster ddr3 2400 mhz ram if you really want to (~100€, will boost cpu performance) and overclock your 4690k (if not already done). Granted the 6600k/4790k will give you even better performance with a 1070 but the 4690k is good enough, for now.
Pocket the money you want to spend on the new cpu,ram and mobo and buy something new when CPUs are even more powerful/better performing.

 

[ethomaz]

Hello again.

My system is running beautiful but I wish to get some others parts and need help.

Mouse: recommendations for good and cheaper mouses... wired or wireless? what the advantages or disvantages for a desktop? Really wish something good.

Keynoard: again recommendations for cheaper and good... something that feels good on fingers and has that numbers keys on the right like a calculator.

I guess a budget of $50 for both? Or I will need more?

 

[Chiggs]

Would staying on Z97 but upgrading to faster RAM and a 4790K (from DDR3-1600 and an i5-4670K) be a better upgrade than jumping to Z107 with DDR4-3200 and an i5-6600K? It'd leave about $100 I could put towards a 1070....

For the love of God, don't freaking upgrade your CPU. There is no point.

Just buy the 1070.

 

[QuantumSquid]

Hello again.

My system is running beautiful but I wish to get some others parts and need help.

Mouse: recommendations for good and cheaper mouses... wired or wireless? what the advantages or disvantages for a desktop? Really wish something good.

Keynoard: again recommendations for cheaper and good... something that feels good on fingers and has that numbers keys on the right like a calculator.

I guess a budget of $50 for both? Or I will need more?

Logitech G100S for the mouse. Logitech K120 for the keyboard.

 

[haloxk9]

For a 4k-ready GTX 1080 (or maybe even 1080-SLI) build, which case should I get for optimal cooling and silence? I'm debating between Fractal Design R5, Enthoo Luxe, or MasterCase Pro 5? Price isn't an issue but I do need an optical drive.

 

[Vuze]

Does anyone know how to change the color of the red text on the hardware monitor? (not my pic)



If I go to Settings > Monitoring > scroll down and there's a red color square with a 'text' dropdown box.. I thought that was it but it doesn't change anything and goes back to red after I click okay (can't click accept).

The red text is hard for me to read.

Not exactly sure but you can change the afterburner skin and with it the text color should change depending on the skin. There are a bunch of these which come with the app, perhaps you find one with better contrast or edit the standard some way?

 

[DOT DASH DOT]

I've got a question for liquid cooling Gaf! At the moment I have a 2012 H80i, and I'm on the verge of going for a H100i GT, from what I've found out, both are CoolIT designs. Does anyone know if I'll have to change out the X plate I'm using now? Or will the new block screw right on without having to remove it all?

 

[ISee]

Hello again.

My system is running beautiful but I wish to get some others parts and need help.

Mouse: recommendations for good and cheaper mouses... wired or wireless? what the advantages or disvantages for a desktop? Really wish something good.

Keynoard: again recommendations for cheaper and good... something that feels good on fingers and has that numbers keys on the right like a calculator.

I guess a budget of $50 for both? Or I will need more?

Even a $50 mouse and keyboard combo will get the job done so if you really don't want to spend too much get the already recommended Logitech K120 and maybe a bit newer mouse like the G402 (successor to the g400s). Or something else, whatever feels good to you.
In general, if you’re extremely sensitive to mouse response, you may notice a difference between a wired and a wireless mouse but that's very unlikely. Still I prefer to use a wired keyboard and mouse, just because I don't want to have to change batteries or use docking stations on my desktop setup.
But if you really want to have something that feels very good to your fingers there is no way around a more expensive mechanical keyboard. Is it necessary for gaming? No. It just feels better, but you have to try it out for yourself. I picked up the steelseries g6v2 recently (black cherry switch edition, there is also one with red switches) after playing/writing on my logitech g15 for years and I already really love it. It has no extra stuff, no led lightning and a simple design but for 70€ it's a great bargain (imo). And honestly I don't need my keyboard to look like something from a sci fi movie I want it to get the job done and to feel comfortable while using it. But of course there are way better mechanical keyboards out there and we have even a gaf thread with more information and some recommendations.

 

[DBT85]

For a 4k-ready GTX 1080 (or maybe even 1080-SLI) build, which case should I get for optimal cooling and silence? I'm debating between Fractal Design R5, Enthoo Luxe, or MasterCase Pro 5? Price isn't an issue but I do need an optical drive.

I have a fractal S and the build is brilliant, I hadn't used a optical drive in years though so I could go for that option. If the R5 is a good to work with as the S you'll love it.

 

[LilJoka]

Just finished my "upgrade" build to a 1080.

Lovely build, shows just how much power you can pack in ITX form factor these days.

 

[Matty8787]

So currently I am gaming at 1440p @ 27" 96hz

I am currently considering swapping back to 1080p for the Acer z35 which can go to 200hz...

Thoughts?

 

[drotahorror]

Not exactly sure but you can change the afterburner skin and with it the text color should change depending on the skin. There are a bunch of these which come with the app, perhaps you find one with better contrast or edit the standard some way?

Thanks, I had tried some of the built in skins but looked for a different one on guru3d and found a suitable one, much easier to read.


--------------------------------

Okay, so now I'm on a new PC and this 'problem' is still following me around.

When I have music playing on foobar (or winamp too, doesn't matter) and I have another program open that is producing sound as well (firefox, a game etc) it lowers my volume on my music player.

I guess this is fine for most people but to me it's just a minor annoyance, I don't want windows normalizing my volume. This happens on W7 and W10.

In my sound properties in the Communications tab I have it set to "Do Nothing" when Windows detects communications activity. This is the most common 'fix' for this. I also have no enhancements turned on.

Like I said, this has followed me to an entirely new computer build. I'm guessing it's just part of how windows deals with multiple sounds happening at once. It's like games and browsers have priority over my freakin media player. They shouldn't.

 

[roadrunn3r]

Thanks, I had tried some of the built in skins but looked for a different one on guru3d and found a suitable one, much easier to read.


--------------------------------

Okay, so now I'm on a new PC and this 'problem' is still following me around.

When I have music playing on foobar (or winamp too, doesn't matter) and I have another program open that is producing sound as well (firefox, a game etc) it lowers my volume on my music player.

I guess this is fine for most people but to me it's just a minor annoyance, I don't want windows normalizing my volume. This happens on W7 and W10.

In my sound properties in the Communications tab I have it set to "Do Nothing" when Windows detects communications activity. This is the most common 'fix' for this. I also have no enhancements turned on.

Like I said, this has followed me to an entirely new computer build. I'm guessing it's just part of how windows deals with multiple sounds happening at once. It's like games and browsers have priority over my freakin media player. They shouldn't.

Are these settings enabled on your system?

Also restart your machine after you make changes.

 

[drotahorror]

They are enabled yeah. Should I disable them?

They're enabled on my headset, receiver and mic.

 

[roadrunn3r]

They are enabled yeah. Should I disable them?

They're enabled on my headset, receiver and mic.

Nope they should be enabled, did you restart after setting "Do nothing"?

 

[CyanideFuse]

Just a question out of interest regarding display drivers:

I was playing Hard Reset Redux this morning and all of a sudden the performance dipped and the game started to stutter terribly. I thought it was the new level I was on that had issues. I loaded up Doom (2016) and that was also suffering from terrible framerate and unplayable stuttering. Temperatures and usage was fine however.

I used DDU to clear out the drivers and re-installed them and all was fixed.

What could have caused this sudden drop off in performance? Can a driver corrupt itself?

It was just weird really. I thought my 970 had initiated self-destruct mode to tempt me to buy a new 10~~ series card!

 

[drotahorror]

Nope they should be enabled, did you restart after setting "Do nothing"?

Definitely. These have been my settings since day of new PC. I've restarted multiple times.

 

[roadrunn3r]

Definitely. These have been my settings since day of new PC. I've restarted multiple times.

Should be something related to the Realtek drivers then or something, Windows will not give your problems with those settings checked.

 

[drotahorror]

Should be something related to the Realtek drivers then or something, Windows will not give your problems with those settings checked.

My old computer didn't require Realtek drivers (so they were never installed) and had the problem. My new computer for some reason keeps reinstalling the realtek ones if I have a headset plugged in.

From the looks of things only my headset is using the realtek drivers. I mean, my GPU and monitor is hooked directly into the receiver, only uses AMD's HDMI audio driver.

Honestly it could be a thing with AMD's audio driver. My receiver isn't even listed in AMD's audio settings.

*The only constant, hardware wise is my current GPU. I definitely think this is an HDMI audio driver issue.
This issue is not occurring with my headphones.
I will find out soon enough

Spoiler

nvidia

 

[Kathian]

Has been waiting for consoles to get cheaper before biting but with the upgrades next year it just feels like a waste on money as I don't feel the games are really exclusive enough to warrant purchase vs PC.

Game on a PC right now but thinking about getting something under my TV. How have people found these setups? Are PCs easy to use from the couch? Are you going to absolutely need a mouse-keyboard to even get it started every time?

 

[LilJoka]

Has been waiting for consoles to get cheaper before biting but with the upgrades next year it just feels like a waste on money as I don't feel the games are really exclusive enough to warrant purchase vs PC.

Game on a PC right now but thinking about getting something under my TV. How have people found these setups? Are PCs easy to use from the couch? Are you going to absolutely need a mouse-keyboard to even get it started every time?

I have my setup in the lounge. You can setup steam to launch on startup into big picture mode which will mean you only need a controller. So you don't need it at all here.

Thing is if you want to do other things like setup/config, for example add shortcuts into steam for emulators/GOG/Origin/Uplay, you'll need a mouse atleast. And sometimes it's handy, eg doing web browsing/YouTube.

I also play counterstrike with wireless mouse and keyboard from the sofa without a problem.

 

[Thraktor]

Has been waiting for consoles to get cheaper before biting but with the upgrades next year it just feels like a waste on money as I don't feel the games are really exclusive enough to warrant purchase vs PC.

Game on a PC right now but thinking about getting something under my TV. How have people found these setups? Are PCs easy to use from the couch? Are you going to absolutely need a mouse-keyboard to even get it started every time?

The Logitech K400 is the way to go for navigating Windows on a comfy couch PC. You can, as LilJoka says, boot straight into Steam big picture mode, but if you ever want to bring up Netflix or Youtube or whatever it's well worth having a KB/M combo like the K400.