**Official PC rig Pics/Specs/mods thread** What you packin brahs?

[reyes12]

its addicting too...bought to blow every dollar i have on CPUs, GPUs, fans, and pumps...

this. I want to build **** so bad sometimes which is the reason why I am building with 6-7 year old parts right now lol

[TensionX1]

yup, this is a large forum man. Lots of us PC enthusiasts here. I'm tellin ya, building PC's is such a fun hobby.

I do agree it's fun, I've been doing it since I was 13. I'm now 19 turning 20 this year.

I just didn't expect there would be this much PC enthusiasts, I'd expect more casual gamers & console players.

[Justin Buchana]

Desktop
Cm haf 912
I7 2600k oc to 4.4ghz at 68c under load
8g Kingston hyper x DDR 3 still at 1333
Asus blueray
Seagate 1tb barracuda 6g/s
Evga gtx 570 sc, oced at 850/2000 at 1.063v @70c
Acer 23inch led

Not the most monsterous rig but built is cheap, and can max out anything, and stay above 30fps (well witcher 2 über sampling might be out of the question)

Laptop
Asus g73jw-a1

[Backslash28]

I want to play D3 and am going to buy a new pc or laptop idk, This is the pc i have right now, Everyday it gives me the blue screen of death! My question is, if this runs D3 on max and has no online lag issues, how do i fix my blue screen of death problem, also my budget would be 1k for an ultimate gaming pc xD thanks

Operating System
MS Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit SP1
CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 @ 2.80GHz 52 °C
Wolfdale 45nm Technology
RAM
4.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 333MHz (5-5-5-15)
Motherboard
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. G31M-S2L (Socket 775)
Graphics
BenQ E2200HD (1920x1080@60Hz)
ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (ATI AIB) 73 °C
Hard Drives
488GB Seagate ST3500320AS ATA Device (SATA) 39 °C
Optical Drives
Optiarc DVD RW AD-7200S ATA Device
DTSOFT Virtual CdRom Device
Audio
Tt eSPORTS SHOCK ONE

[Solidz]

Just installed a 512 GB SSD and did a clean install. Mind=Blown at how much faster this makes my PC.

[Nara62629]

Just installed a 512 GB SSD and did a clean install. Mind=Blown at how much faster this makes my PC.
i've been holding off on getting a dedicated SSD. i can get a 128gb but i dont like to compromise with the space. so i keep thinking i wanna get a 256 or 512gb...

[Solidz]

mirin scotch tape

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h410/dgrady31/IMG_1568.jpg?t=1333171947

[Zitnik]

^^^ Nice. You actually have a lot of the same sh*t in your case that I do. I'm considering selling my SLI 570s for a 680, though. And what coolor is that, is that the H80? I've got the H100, the thing is a tank. I got my AMD P2 x6 sitting at 4.2Ghz, not many people can get them that high.

[obmas]

mirin scotch tape

[img]http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h410/dgrady31/IMG_1568.jpg?t=1333171947

lulz! Mine just sits on the bottom.

[SynapticCleft]

mirin scotch tape

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h410/dgrady31/IMG_1568.jpg?t=1333171947What happened to the mount that came with your case? Also mirin your taping skills.

[jmonty]

i'm getting a 2nd ati 5850 and a 128 gb ssd :D

now i just hope i can install them properly..

[Solidz]

What happened to the mount that came with your case? Also mirin your taping skills.

idunnolol

[Solidz]

^^^ Nice. You actually have a lot of the same sh*t in your case that I do. I'm considering selling my SLI 570s for a 680, though. And what coolor is that, is that the H80? I've got the H100, the thing is a tank. I got my AMD P2 x6 sitting at 4.2Ghz, not many people can get them that high.


h50 in my case brah

[Justin Buchana]

mirin scotch tape

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h410/dgrady31/IMG_1568.jpg?t=1333171947

Man I totally would have put a cross brace of tape on the part that's sticking on the metal.... You sir are living on Dat der edge.

[illriginalized]

i'm getting a 2nd ati 5850 and a 128 gb ssd :D

now i just hope i can install them properly..

Ya I was even thinking of getting another 6950... but apparently these games today barely even use up the power of a 2nd card, or specifically these latest cards.. so I guess I'll wait til game programming becomes more advanced.

[jmonty]

Ya I was even thinking of getting another 6950... but apparently these games today barely even use up the power of a 2nd card, or specifically these latest cards.. so I guess I'll wait til game programming becomes more advanced.

i guess i'll see. the one card is only 170 on ebay so i figured what the hell.

one review i'm looking at shows a 5850 in crossfire will increase fps in battlefield bad company 2 over a single 5850 from 61 fps to 106 at lower res; then 52fps to 90 fps; and 35 fps to 61 fps at higher resolutions.

i have avoided crossfire for a while because i've heard of people having issues, but the drivers for that series should be pretty mature.

edit: random site i found from a google

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/24061-nvidia-geforce-gtx-480-vs-amd-radeon-hd-5850-crossfire-battle-450/?page=4

[Solidz]

Man I totally would have put a cross brace of tape on the part that's sticking on the metal.... You sir are living on Dat der edge.

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h410/dgrady31/P1000019.jpg

Happy phaggot <3

also added in some ram i found lulz

[roms15]

nice ^

i got a question, i am planning to build a new computer

what are your thoughts on a single gtx 570?

i will be playing bf3 and skyrim

[Zitnik]

nice ^

i got a question, i am planning to build a new computer

what are your thoughts on a single gtx 570?

i will be playing bf3 and skyrim

GTX 570s are good cards. But for that price, you'd be better off getting a Radeon 7870.

[roms15]

GTX 570s are good cards. But for that price, you'd be better off getting a Radeon 7870.

is the 70$ price increase really worth it?

[reyes12]

thinkin of buying a second 6870, or even a 6850 for hybrid xfire.

I mean 139.99 for a 6850 + MIB its like 110 bucks. not a bad deal. I can even look for used cards for like 90 bucks.

[Zitnik]

is the 70$ price increase really worth it?

Newegg was having a special on 570s, so the deal where you can get them for like $280 ends tonight. Their normal price is around $320-350 and the 7870 goes for around $350-360 depending on the model, and it beats the 570 pretty handily in games. The real difference once the deal ends will be like $20-40 between the cards, like I said it depends on the model. It's up to you, the 570 is a good card and there's nothing wrong with it. It depends on your budget.

[roms15]

Newegg was having a special on 570s, so the deal where you can get them for like $280 ends tonight. Their normal price is around $320-350 and the 7870 goes for around $350-360 depending on the model, and it beats the 570 pretty handily in games. The real difference once the deal ends will be like $20-40 between the cards, like I said it depends on the model. It's up to you, the 570 is a good card and there's nothing wrong with it. It depends on your budget.


is it really that much better?

[Zitnik]

is it really that much better?

Yeah. It's toe-to-toe with a GTX 580, which is a $400+ card. But like I said, it's up to you and your budget. It gets anywhere from 5-10 FPS more than a 570. A 570 will run any game out now on high, but myself, I'd go for a newer gen card, ala the 7870 or wait a month or so 'till Nvidia releases the GTX 670Ti. But I'd say if you're really sold on a 570, go with a GTX 480 instead. It's basically the same card except with more Vram which is good and it's a little cheaper, you don't lose any performance with it but you gain Vram. The 570 has 1.28GB of vram and the 480 has 1.5

[roms15]

Yeah. It's toe-to-toe with a GTX 580, which is a $400+ card. But like I said, it's up to you and your budget. It gets anywhere from 5-10 FPS more than a 570. A 570 will run any game out now on high, but myself, I'd go for a newer gen card, ala the 7870 or wait a month or so 'till Nvidia releases the GTX 670Ti. But I'd say if you're really sold on a 570, go with a GTX 480 instead. It's basically the same card except with more Vram which is good and it's a little cheaper, you don't lose any performance with it but you gain Vram.

AHHH, i cant makeup my mind lol


i can get the 570 for 280$
while the 7870 is 360$



lol convince me more bro =/

jk...maybe






idk.... =/

[Zitnik]

AHHH, i cant makeup my mind lol


i can get the 570 for 280$
while the 7870 is 360$



lol convince me more bro =/

jk...maybe






idk.... =/

Haha. Like I said, it's up to you, the 7870 is around 580-esque power but you pay less for it than you would a 580. But if you're sold on the GTX 570, get the GTX 480 instead. It's around $250 and it performs about the same but has more vram than the 570... win/win :)

[TensionX1]

AHHH, i cant makeup my mind lol


i can get the 570 for 280$
while the 7870 is 360$



lol convince me more bro =/

jk...maybe






idk.... =/

I'll let you be the judge of what to choose.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/518?vs=548

[roms15]

I'll let you be the judge of what to choose.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/518?vs=548

already saw this, thanks

i think i might wait it out until the new nvidia 6 series are released

[JHDIII1987]

Awesome computer specs from everybody in the thread! All I have is a 2006 Dell computer at a moment with Windows Vista Home Premium but I'll up-date when I can afford it....which I hope is sooner than later.

[roms15]

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g153/ChrisRey3156/Computer/06a10587.jpg[/IG]
[IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g153/ChrisRey3156/Computer/5489c8d7.jpg[/IMG
[IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g153/ChrisRey3156/Computer/b4d0a444.jpg[/IG]
[IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g153/ChrisRey3156/Computer/7f5ddbcf.jpg

is this a nzxt phantom 410?

did you mod this?

[ClinicallyBored]

Whats up PC pimps. Im coming up in here with my OC'd core 2 duo E8400 4.2ghz on air. Ya thats right and my OC'd GTX 460 V2 bottle necks it like a mofo.
Damn I need to upgrade. LOL. really envious of a lot of the rigs in here. Nice stuff guys. Im always behind. I'll buy the sandy bridge when Ivy comes out.

[krazedxboi]

sup brahs, new to this here thread.

i'm a pretty avid pc gamer but i don't really know too much much about computers. my other friends who do picked out parts for me and i'm running a relatively sick machine. only thing i'm really lacking is a SSD and i was using a cracked version of win 7 but i accidentally updated it and now i get the 'windows not genuine' message all the time.

anyways, my question is;

i'm buying a new SSD and intend to get a real OS and what do you guys suggest, should i wait for windows 8 or just get windows 7?
also, any recommendations on a nice SSD?

[Zitnik]

sup brahs, new to this here thread.

i'm a pretty avid pc gamer but i don't really know too much much about computers. my other friends who do picked out parts for me and i'm running a relatively sick machine. only thing i'm really lacking is a SSD and i was using a cracked version of win 7 but i accidentally updated it and now i get the 'windows not genuine' message all the time.

anyways, my question is;

i'm buying a new SSD and intend to get a real OS and what do you guys suggest, should i wait for windows 8 or just get windows 7?
also, any recommendations on a nice SSD?

I'd say just get Win 7, Idk when Win 8 is even supposed to be out.

As for SSDs, what size are you thinking about? 64, 128, 256? A 64GB will be enough for your OS and a few games, the 128GB is the best option, but it's dependant on you and your budget. As for good brands I'd look at the Crucial M4, Intel 510/520 and Corsair Force series. Right now Intel and Crucial are probably the best SSD brands on the market, so either one is a great option. After them I'd look at Corsair, OCZ and Samsung.

Some links:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233191
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167042

[HawtStuff]

Hey guys, I'm starting to build my first comp from scratch for Diablo 3. So far I have bought an i5 as it was on sale. What motherboard should I get if i'm looking for best bang for buck? Would a $100 price point graphics card be enough and what card could you suggest for that price? If not what is the best bang for buck graphics card?

[roms15]

Hey guys, I'm starting to build my first comp from scratch for Diablo 3. So far I have bought an i5 as it was on sale. What motherboard should I get if i'm looking for best bang for buck? Would a $100 price point graphics card be enough and what card could you suggest for that price? If not what is the best bang for buck graphics card?
did you get the 2500k? how much was it?

also check this out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161379

[HawtStuff]

did you get the 2500k? how much was it?

also check this out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161379

Ya I got the i5 2500k from a store here for 189.99+tax.

Just saw this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVMWF5rztig

How hard and expensive is it to install the water cooling system?

[jmonty]

Would a $100 price point graphics card be enough and what card could you suggest for that price?

for $100 you could get:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161379

my guess is that would probably play many games on low or medium settings.


but for $40 more you could get:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

which looks like a much better card.

personally i'd allocate at least $250 for a new card.

[HawtStuff]

for $100 you could get:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161379

my guess is that would probably play many games on low or medium settings.


but for $40 more you could get:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

which looks like a much better card.

personally i'd allocate at least $250 for a new card.

For $250, what card would you suggest? gtx 560 ti? Also how would I know how much power I need? I'm planning to overclock my i5 2500k, single graphics card (possibly and all done with water cooling system. Would 750w be jooocey enough?

[GoodAndYou]

For $250, what card would you suggest? gtx 560 ti? Also how would I know how much power I need? I'm planning to overclock my i5 2500k, single graphics card (possibly and all done with water cooling system. Would 750w be jooocey enough?
750w would be more than enough for an overclocked 2500k and a single gpu. Just don't cheap out, a good 650w is better than a ****ty 750w. Water cooling I'm not sure about though. Depends on what kind of system your going with. If you are talking a premade closed loop (ie. corsair h100) then yes 750w is enough. For a custom loop that cools CPU and GPU probably not (most watercooled systems I've seen are running 850w +). IMO it doesn't really make sense to spend a bunch of money on watercooling ($$$) if your getting a budget GPU though.

[HawtStuff]

750w would be more than enough for an overclocked 2500k and a single gpu. Just don't cheap out, a good 650w is better than a ****ty 750w. Water cooling I'm not sure about though. Depends on what kind of system your going with. If you are talking a premade closed loop (ie. corsair h100) then yes 750w is enough. For a custom loop that cools CPU and GPU probably not (most watercooled systems I've seen are running 850w +). IMO it doesn't really make sense to spend a bunch of money on watercooling ($$$) if your getting a budget GPU though.

How would you know what a "good" and ****ty PSU is? These 2 PSU seems kinda similar to me but why is there sucha huge difference in price?

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=56791&vpn=HCP-750&manufacture=Antec&promoid=1101
vs
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=35456&vpn=OCZ700MXSP&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1101

[GoodAndYou]

How would you know what a "good" and ****ty PSU is? These 2 PSU seems kinda similar to me but why is there sucha huge difference in price?

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=56791&vpn=HCP-750&manufacture=Antec&promoid=1101
vs
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=35456&vpn=OCZ700MXSP&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1101

The Antec is 80 plus gold and the OCZ is 80 plus bronze, so the antec is more power efficient (according to NCIX 92% vs 86%). At the same load, the antec is going to pull less power from the wall than the OCZ and most likely be much quieter since it doesn't have to work as hard. Also, the antec comes with a 5 year warranty over the OCZ 3 year warranty. From what I have read OCZ does not have a great reputation for reliable PSU's and that antec for $119 is a pretty good price for a 80 plus gold rated unit.

[Nara62629]

How would you know what a "good" and ****ty PSU is? These 2 PSU seems kinda similar to me but why is there sucha huge difference in price?

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=56791&vpn=HCP-750&manufacture=Antec&promoid=1101
vs
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=35456&vpn=OCZ700MXSP&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1101

this is a great list of PSUs. Split into tiers. Generally the 80 plus ratings are good to follow too.
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

[jmonty]

For $250, what card would you suggest? gtx 560 ti? Also how would I know how much power I need? I'm planning to overclock my i5 2500k, single graphics card (possibly and all done with water cooling system. Would 750w be jooocey enough?

I'm not sure about power. That should be enough because those sizes are sli/crossfire certified.

For the gpu I would just go to newegg, sort by price and then compare specs and ratings

[aupperk23]

Hey brahs, how will my old rig fare with Diablo 3?

Raidmax ninja case
Abit Fatal1ty fp-in9 sli
Intel Core 2 6600 2.4GHz
2x2gb ddr2 SDRAM 800 (PC2 6400) 240 pin
Crucial SDD 128GB
XFX Radeon 6850


what should i upgrade? Recently did the HDD and Graphic card.

[FrankLotion]

Hey brahs, how will my old rig fare with Diablo 3?

Raidmax ninja case
Abit Fatal1ty fp-in9 sli
Intel Core 2 6600 2.4GHz
2x2gb ddr2 SDRAM 800 (PC2 6400) 240 pin
Crucial SDD 128GB
XFX Radeon 6850


what should i upgrade? Recently did the HDD and Graphic card.

Can run it no problem.

[Nara62629]

Hey brahs, how will my old rig fare with Diablo 3?

Raidmax ninja case
Abit Fatal1ty fp-in9 sli
Intel Core 2 6600 2.4GHz
2x2gb ddr2 SDRAM 800 (PC2 6400) 240 pin
Crucial SDD 128GB
XFX Radeon 6850


what should i upgrade? Recently did the HDD and Graphic card.
ur gpu is good. only weakspot is the q6600. can u OC it at all? there arent a lot of options for upgrading that. u might be able to find a used 9550 but they are getting hard to find. should still be able to run it tho.

[FrankLotion]

http://i41.tinypic.com/71hhts.jpg

any body know how to fix this? tried the windows 7 troubleshoot and it gave me this. Using Power over ethernet plug

[TouchdownRobots]

usually POE lines are for IP phones, it probably wont let you connect a PC to the internet

[FrankLotion]

usually POE lines are for IP phones, it probably wont let you connect a PC to the internet

It was actually connected at a 50meg cap just before this happened. It Happened suddenly too.

[Zitnik]

Finally got some pics of my beast to share with you brahs. On the bottom screen you can see my SSD drive's sweet setup, it's the flat silver thing sitting at the top of the lower HDD bay. I got my SATA cables set to where they just hold it up in the bay. The Phantom has 7 HDD bays, but no 2.5" :(

My OS is on my 2TB HDD, I have my SSD reserved solely for games.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4323531&d=1333860319
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4323541&d=1333860336
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4323551&d=1333860352

[jmonty]

what do i have to do to run programs from my secondary drive?

i just installed a ssd for my primary and put windows on it.

[Zitnik]

what do i have to do to run programs from my secondary drive?

i just installed a ssd for my primary and put windows on it.

If you're on Windows 7:

Go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Component Management > Storage > Disk Management.. you should then see your second hard drive in there at the bottom it will be either "disk 0" or "disk 1" on mine it is disk 1, the SSD is disk 0. Right click on the large white part and when the menu pops up, click on New Volume, assign it a drive letter and then format it, I'd recommend a full format, not a quick one.

This will activate your second hard drive, they won't show up as a usable drive until you do this because the partition is gone.

Here's a pic of how mine is set up, the New Volume option isn't available for me on the menu because my HDD has a full partition, but in your case it should be unallocated so you should see the option.

[jmonty]

If you're on Windows 7:

Go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Component Management > Storage > Disk Management.. you should then see your second hard drive in there at the bottom, right click on it and set up a New Volume, assign it a drive letter and then format it, I'd recommend a full format, not a quick one.

This will activate your second hard drive, they won't show up as a usable drive until you do this because the partition is gone.

doesn't formatting erase everything?

[Zitnik]

doesn' formatting erase everything?

Wait, so do you have programs already on it from your last install? Did this hard drive have Windows on it before you installed Windows on your SSD?

[jmonty]

Wait, so do you have programs already on it from your last install? Did this hard drive have Windows on it before you installed Windows on your SSD?

ya i was using the second hardrive before i added my ssd.

[Zitnik]

ya i was using the second hardrive before i added my ssd.

Well, if you have Windows still installed on your second hard drive you should be able to boot onto that drive and copy/paste your stuff, unless you removed the partition. Here's the thing, though. If you're just copying pictures, videos, music and stuff like that, you're fine. But you can't copy your programs from one hard drive to another, they'll need to be reinstalled. When you install a program it puts keys in the OS' registry and what will happen is you'll move the program files over to the new HD, but the registry keys won't move because they're tied into the operating system, so the program wont work.

[jmonty]

Well, if you have Windows still installed on your second hard drive you should be able to boot onto that drive and copy/paste your stuff, unless you removed the partition.

ya but my ssd is only 128 g and i want to run some stuff from my 500 hdd

[Zitnik]

ya but my ssd is only 128 g and i want to run some stuff from my 500 hdd

Well to do that, you'll need to format it through the disk management thing I described above. Like I said, you'll need to reinstall all of your programs anyways. Just follow the instructions in my above post with the picture attached to the bottom of it. Since this was a used HD, when you right click on it and the menu comes up you'll probably want to delete the volume first, then create a new one and then format it through the volume creation. You could also try to just format it, but I'd delete it and create a new one to be safe.

Edit: Does the second hard drive show up when you go to your My Computer screen?

[jmonty]

Well to do that, you'll need to format it through the disk management thing I described above. Like I said, you'll need to reinstall all of your programs anyways. Just follow the instructions in my above post with the picture attached to the bottom of it. Since this was a used HD, you'll probably have to delete the volume first, then create a new one and format it. You could also try to just format it, but I'd delete it and create a new one to be safe.

ok, damn..

i reinstalled itunes on my hdd and it seemed to find all my music and stuff just fine. i just figured there was an easier way to go about it.

and i could play my steam games just fine too, so that's weird. i did move battlefield 3 straight over to my ssd and that worked but i had to re-install swtor.

thanks for the help man! :)

[Zitnik]

ok, damn..

i reinstalled itunes on my hdd and it seemed to find all my music and stuff just fine. i just figured there was an easier way to go about it.

and i could play my steam games just fine too, so that's weird. i did move battlefield 3 straight over to my ssd and that worked but i had to re-install swtor.

thanks for the help man! :)

Some programs can work transferred over, but very few of them. I always just reinstall everything, it takes time but I know everything is clean. Did you see my above post? Can you see the second hard drive in My Computer?

[asdfqw]

http://i.imgur.com/AH2PB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GUibQ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SFgoT.jpg

mai pc
i7 2600k @ 4.6
GTX 480 @ 900/1900
8GB DDR3 @ 1600Mhz
1200w psu
1x 360 rad w. 6 fans
1x 240 rad w. 2 fans
xspc cpu block
xspc gpu block
xspc pump + res

u mirin?

ye u mirin

[Zitnik]

^^^ 1200w PSU and no SLI?

[asdfqw]

^^^ 1200w PSU and no SLI?

used to run sli but the other card overheated (before I put the watercooling loop in)

[jmonty]

Can you see the second hard drive in My Computer?

not really, i think i see the cords :p

that is how mine is too, just sitting in a tray, but i have tower on the way

[Zitnik]

used to run sli but the other card overheated (before I put the watercooling loop in)

Throw some 680s in that thing, bro.

[roms15]

Throw some 680s in that thing, bro.

how are you liking the nzxt phantom?
I',m thinking of getting one....

also is it too big?
and finally
you said there is nowhere to put the ssd drive, right?

[mh22]

Sup brahs. Made a topic about a new PC built here before and got some good help. Anyways, I ordered a ZOTAC GTX680 and 128GB Crucial SSD from TigerDirect on Wednesday and got them both. Ordered all the other parts for my built on newegg and my order was accidentally cancelled :( Now I have to wait till Wed or Thursday to get them. This is what I'll have to play with:

Case: SilverStone RAVEN RV02
CPU: i5-2500K 3.3GHz
MOBO: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
GPU: ZOTAC GTX680
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB
SSD: CrucialM4 128GB
HDD: Samsung by Seagate 500GB
CPU fan: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
PSU: Corsair TX650W

Mouse: Logitech G9x
KB: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4
Headset: Sennheiser PC360

It's my first time building a PC so it'll probably take some time. Everything looks easy to put together except when it comes to cable management and connecting them. Hopefully I get everything right and will post pictures once done.

[Zitnik]

how are you liking the nzxt phantom?
I',m thinking of getting one....

also is it too big?
and finally
you said there is nowhere to put the ssd drive, right?

I love the Phantom. Definitely worth the money. It is a big case, but not too big. It has excellent airflow, too. I got the black one, as you can see in the pics. And no, there isn't anywhere to put an SSD in it. Mine just rests in one of the hard drive bays, and it really sits in there perfectly. My cables are tight on the other side of the case so they actually hold the SSD in place so it doesn't move. I wouldn't let a small issue like no 2.5" bays keep you from getting this thing, since you get a beast case for a great price.

[HawtStuff]

Do you guys think the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 may bottleneck the performance of the gtx 570?

[vietcong666]

Do you guys think the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 may bottleneck the performance of the gtx 570?

nope, it wouldnt

[illriginalized]

Do you guys think the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 may bottleneck the performance of the gtx 570?

You're better off with an Asus Rampage or Maximus Extreme

[roms15]

You're better off with an Asus Rampage or Maximus Extreme

better off spending an extra 100-200$????

and no, the asrock ex3 gen 3 will not even bottleneck a 680

[roms15]

I love the Phantom. Definitely worth the money. It is a big case, but not too big. It has excellent airflow, too. I got the black one, as you can see in the pics. And no, there isn't anywhere to put an SSD in it. Mine just rests in one of the hard drive bays, and it really sits in there perfectly. My cables are tight on the other side of the case so they actually hold the SSD in place so it doesn't move. I wouldn't let a small issue like no 2.5" bays keep you from getting this thing, since you get a beast case for a great price.

okay thanks man


also i read this lol, not sure if this is true?
INSTALLING SSD IN A NZXT PHANTOM:
Its really easy. Each of the HDD bays have a rubber mounting bracket. These brackets are removable, and support 3.5" or 2.5" drives. When the drives are removed, there will be 4 small holes on the rubber tray. You would need to place the 2.5" SSD drive accordingly so the holes line up with the drive, and then screw it in

[Zitnik]

okay thanks man


also i read this lol, not sure if this is true?
INSTALLING SSD IN A NZXT PHANTOM:
Its really easy. Each of the HDD bays have a rubber mounting bracket. These brackets are removable, and support 3.5" or 2.5" drives. When the drives are removed, there will be 4 small holes on the rubber tray. You would need to place the 2.5" SSD drive accordingly so the holes line up with the drive, and then screw it in

Oh, damn, it is true... Seriously!? And I never knew this! Hahaha!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gWQaU40PH24/TMp9fG0FM3I/AAAAAAAAJn4/0J_rgUM2dGY/s1600/181148-triple_facepalm_super.jpg

[roms15]

Oh, damn, it is true... Seriously!? And I never knew this! Hahaha!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gWQaU40PH24/TMp9fG0FM3I/AAAAAAAAJn4/0J_rgUM2dGY/s1600/181148-triple_facepalm_super.jpg
oh lawd!

[Zitnik]

oh lawd!

haha don't matter though, it's nice and snug where it is. I'm kind of OCD though so now that I know this I'll probably put it there. Will post a pic after.

[Zitnik]

Yup, there it is. No wonder I never saw them. The screw holes for the SSD are underneath the hard drive bay bracket.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4326811&d=1333936031

[roms15]

Yup, there it is. No wonder I never saw them. The screw holes for the SSD are underneath the hard drive bay bracket.

[img]http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4326811&d=1333936031[/ig]

nice lol!

thanks for posting this btw.
are you planning to do some cleaner cable management? if so, you should post a pic

[Zitnik]

nice lol!

thanks for posting this btw.
are you planning to do some cleaner cable management? if so, you should post a pic

No prob dude, and as requested here are some refined cable management screens, and you're like the 4th person to comment on my sh*tty cable management, you ass. :)

My PSU is non-modular, so I have all the wires feeding through the bottom clearing and onto the outside of the fractal panel, they come in through the water loop holes (I removed the rubber loop covers because I don't have a full-out water cooling loop system). All the wires you see at the bottom are being fed through the clearing, it's not as messy as it looks, like I said it's just cuz I have a non-modular PSU and it has a lot of wires that need to be fed through the opening.

Also below them are a pic of my desktop, plus OC info/GFX stuff.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4327411&d=1333943159
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4327421&d=1333943183
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4327431&d=1333943203
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4327441&d=1333943478
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4327461&d=1333943529

[GoodAndYou]

Anyone ever buy a used GPU. Saw a listing for a EVGA gtx580 ds superclocked on kijiji (like craigslist if you don't know) for $280 obo. Ad says the card was bought new in november. Seems like a good deal and I'm thinking about throwing him an offer. Thoughts on buying a used card? What should I know before/if I buy it?

[roms15]

my friend, you just inspired me to get a modular psu! LOL

[Nara62629]

Anyone ever buy a used GPU. Saw a listing for a EVGA gtx580 ds superclocked on kijiji (like craigslist if you don't know) for $280 obo. Ad says the card was bought new in november. Seems like a good deal and I'm thinking about throwing him an offer. Thoughts on buying a used card? What should I know before/if I buy it?
i've been running a used gtx460 since november. i bought it off a guy on overclock.net tho. i would ask about the warranty just in case. idk how EVGA does it exactly but if its registered in his name it might be harder to get help if anything goes wrong.

[roms15]

Anyone ever buy a used GPU. Saw a listing for a EVGA gtx580 ds superclocked on kijiji (like craigslist if you don't know) for $280 obo. Ad says the card was bought new in november. Seems like a good deal and I'm thinking about throwing him an offer. Thoughts on buying a used card? What should I know before/if I buy it?

IMO don't buy anything used

[GoodAndYou]

i've been running a used gtx460 since november. i bought it off a guy on overclock.net tho. i would ask about the warranty just in case. idk how EVGA does it exactly but if its registered in his name it might be harder to get help if anything goes wrong. Yeah, the warranty is my biggest concern. I'll have to do some reading to see how evga handles warranty transfer. EDIT: on spread will get you some measly reps later


IMO don't buy anything used I don't mind buying things used, I've purchased lots of second hand things online (watches and headphones) and haven't had any problems (found them on watchuseek and headfi though). In this case I'd at least be able to test the card and see it before I bought it.

If I don't get it, I'll probably just wait for prices to drop and buy another MSI 560ti 448 TFIII and run sli. I can't make up my mind though.

[roms15]

Yeah, the warranty is my biggest concern. I'll have to do some reading to see how evga handles warranty transfer. EDIT: on spread will get you some measly reps later

I don't mind buying things used, I've purchased lots of second hand things online (watches and headphones) and haven't had any problems (found them on watchuseek and headfi though). In this case I'd at least be able to test the card and see it before I bought it.

If I don't get it, I'll probably just wait for prices to drop and buy another MSI 560ti 448 TFIII and run sli. I can't make up my mind though.im talking about gpus specifically... i wouldn't risk it

[Nonexistent]

Here's my contribution...

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost)
CPU Fan and Heatsink: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
Ram: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB DDR3 1600
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 570
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s
Power Supply: Corsair HX850 850 watt
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 (Older Version)

http://i.imgur.com/OoGmZ.jpg

[jmonty]

wtf is up with the 'windows experience rating'? 1.0 to 7.9 is a weird scale, which i didn't notice until i just looked closer. i was like why is my **** only 7.2 after an upgrade? lol

[SiNiStEr94]

Yeah, the warranty is my biggest concern. I'll have to do some reading to see how evga handles warranty transfer. EDIT: on spread will get you some measly reps later

I don't mind buying things used, I've purchased lots of second hand things online (watches and headphones) and haven't had any problems (found them on watchuseek and headfi though). In this case I'd at least be able to test the card and see it before I bought it.

If I don't get it, I'll probably just wait for prices to drop and buy another MSI 560ti 448 TFIII and run sli. I can't make up my mind though.

so the card is local? ask to see the card perform in person just to make sure it doesn't have any issues.

if you wanna try and get a deal on used hardware, www.hardforum.com is a good place to look. people there are pretty serious about their reputation selling/buying hardware so a lot of them have heatware accounts (its basically a page listing their feedback)

[Zitnik]

wtf is up with the 'windows experience rating'? 1.0 to 7.9 is a weird scale, which i didn't notice until i just looked closer. i was like why is my **** only 7.2 after an upgrade? lol

lol it's a pretty dumb scale. Mine is a 5.8 because my OS is on my Cavair Black and not my SSD, it'd be a 7.6 if I had it on my SSD. The thing that's dumb is a slow ass Cavair Green is a 5.8, but so is a Cavair Black which is 10x faster than a Green. But I don't pay much attention to it, as it means very little.

@Nonexistent: Nice PC, bro. You got an 850 watt PSU, should throw another 570 in there for some SLI action.

[GoodAndYou]

so the card is local? ask to see the card perform in person just to make sure it doesn't have any issues.

if you wanna try and get a deal on used hardware, www.hardforum.com is a good place to look. people there are pretty serious about their reputation selling/buying hardware so a lot of them have heatware accounts (its basically a page listing their feedback)

Yeah the card is local, and it seems like the EVGA warranty transfers (and is 3 years). I'll probably fire the guy an email. Thanks for the heads up on hardforum.

[illriginalized]

better off spending an extra 100-200$????

and no, the asrock ex3 gen 3 will not even bottleneck a 680

lol.. Good luck on the build.

[toneekay]

Wasn't aware there was a thread like this...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/6876531630_4fa01cebd7_c.jpg


- Intel Core i5-2500K @ 4.4ghz
- Corsair H60
- Ripjawz X DDR3 1600 9-9-9-24
- Asrock Extreme3 Gen3
- Samsung F3 500gb
- XFX 850w (fully wired - weak I know)
- MSI GTX 560Ti Twin Frozr II/OC SLI @ 925/1850/2300
- Fractal Design Arc midi case


In the process of finding a modular PSU, and ditching my GPUs for a 680 instead :) I can't deal with the heat those cards make being so close together with the psu right underneath.

[jmonty]

hmm

boot speed is <45 secs now :)

my mobo seems to add some unnecessary time... but that is fine for me

[p7nk]

whats that website that grabs the prices on all computer parts? i forgot the name

[Nara62629]

whats that website that grabs the prices on all computer parts? i forgot the name
pcpartpicker

[HawtStuff]

Anyone know a site that compares all canadian site prices? :D

[Inb42012]

Anyone know a site that compares all canadian site prices? :D
All I've heard is that ncix is a great site/ store (they only have a few) for Canada. I think newegg might ships up there now and they usually have great deals. If neither of those work out for you just try any other online store.

[Defiled]

Anyone know a site that compares all canadian site prices? :D

You can set PCPartPicker to Canada on the top right.

I find Canada Computers to often times be the cheapest and you don't have to pay shipping or wait for it to ship, just go to the store and grab it. If it is more expensive there they will often price match it.

[obmas]

Anyone know a site that compares all canadian site prices? :D
I use http://www.pricebat.ca/

[mk.ultra]

STRONGLY considering building my first PC. Here is my build:

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/mkultra/saved/

Any tips for the construction aspect? I've done some reading on it and will do much more if I proceed with this.

[obmas]

Wasn't aware there was a thread like this...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/6876531630_4fa01cebd7_c.jpg


- Intel Core i5-2500K @ 4.4ghz
- Corsair H60
- Ripjawz X DDR3 1600 9-9-9-24
- Asrock Extreme3 Gen3
- Samsung F3 500gb
- XFX 850w (fully wired - weak I know)
- MSI GTX 560Ti Twin Frozr II/OC SLI @ 925/1850/2300
- Fractal Design Arc midi case


In the process of finding a modular PSU, and ditching my GPUs for a 680 instead :) I can't deal with the heat those cards make being so close together with the psu right underneath.

mirin dat brushed aluminum finish on the msi cards. very aesthetic

[Bcider]

I'm a little worried about Ivy Bridge. Early reports are saying the thing runs hot as hell. I was waiting for Ivy to build a new rig but now I might just get a 2500k or even a 3820 instead. Anyone have any opinion on Sandy Bridge vs Sandy Bridge-E?

http://cdn5.tweaktown.com/content/4/6/4663_43_asrock_z77_extreme6_intel_z77_with_ivy_bri dge_motherboard_review.png

Damn the ivy bridges are hot. That OC is with H100 liquid cooling too.

[TouchdownRobots]

I'm a little worried about Ivy Bridge. Early reports are saying the thing runs hot as hell. I was waiting for Ivy to build a new rig but now I might just get a 2500k or even a 3820 instead. Anyone have any opinion on Sandy Bridge vs Sandy Bridge-E?

[img]http://cdn5.tweaktown.com/content/4/6/4663_43_asrock_z77_extreme6_intel_z77_with_ivy_bri dge_motherboard_review.png

Damn the ivy bridges are hot. That OC is with H100 liquid cooling too.

you realize that is a massively overkill OC. You dont need over 4GHz for gaming and if you use highly threaded apps you are better off going SB-E than Sandy/Ivy

[Zitnik]

I'm a little worried about Ivy Bridge. Early reports are saying the thing runs hot as hell. I was waiting for Ivy to build a new rig but now I might just get a 2500k or even a 3820 instead. Anyone have any opinion on Sandy Bridge vs Sandy Bridge-E?

http://cdn5.tweaktown.com/content/4/6/4663_43_asrock_z77_extreme6_intel_z77_with_ivy_bri dge_motherboard_review.png

Damn the ivy bridges are hot. That OC is with H100 liquid cooling too.

I think you'd just be better off getting a Sandy Bridge-E, Ivy Bridge will be an improvement, but I don't expect it to have some massive performance difference over Sandy Bridge. I'd personally get the i7 3930K.

[Bcider]

you realize that is a massively overkill OC. You dont need over 4GHz for gaming and if you use highly threaded apps you are better off going SB-E than Sandy/Ivy

Its still hotter than Sandy Bridge even without the OC. The one thing I hate is when my pc turns into a heater.

[HawtStuff]

Is it stupid to get a $400+custom water cooling for just i5 2500k?

[rjordan562]

Been trying to figure out an issue I've had for at least a year now

When I play games (which all used to run fine) I'll run the game fine for at least 15-20 minutes then it'll drop to like 1 FPS for ~1-2 minute intervals, then back to normal for ~5 minutes, then drop to 1 FPS, rinse, and repeat.

I've updated my video card driver, opened the computer and cleaned it out in an attempt to reduce the temperature. My video card right now is running at 65 C, but IIRC it got as high as 80-100 when running a game.

Specs:
Windows Vista 64-bit (lol i know)
NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT
4 GB RAM
AMD Athlon 64 Dual Core 5000+ processor 2.6 gHz
600 watt PSU (i think..I'd have to open up my computer to check)



Any suggestions? I think I need a new video card, but I'm not nearly as computer-savvy as you guys are.

[xThexScarecrowx]

Mac ?

[reyes12]

Been trying to figure out an issue I've had for at least a year now

When I play games (which all used to run fine) I'll run the game fine for at least 15-20 minutes then it'll drop to like 1 FPS for ~1-2 minute intervals, then back to normal for ~5 minutes, then drop to 1 FPS, rinse, and repeat.

I've updated my video card driver, opened the computer and cleaned it out in an attempt to reduce the temperature. My video card right now is running at 65 C, but IIRC it got as high as 80-100 when running a game.

Specs:
Windows Vista 64-bit (lol i know)
NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT
4 GB RAM
AMD Athlon 64 Dual Core 5000+ processor 2.6 gHz
600 watt PSU (i think..I'd have to open up my computer to check)



Any suggestions? I think I need a new video card, but I'm not nearly as computer-savvy as you guys are.

New videocard and new processor would do wonders for your PC, but a new videocard would be probably what you need more than anything. 9500gt could be dyin on you

[jmonty]

Is it stupid to get a $400+custom water cooling for just i5 2500k?

probably. could you get a much better new processor for that instead? or would the OC with water make it superior?

but if you did get it then you have some bragging rights. $400 though.. i probably wouldn't get it and put the $ towards a newer gpu or something.

[HawtStuff]

probably. could you get a much better new processor for that instead? or would the OC with water make it superior?

but if you did get it then you have some bragging rights. $400 though.. i probably wouldn't get it and put the $ towards a newer gpu or something.

Ya a friend of mine told me I could have just gotten like i7. Called in and cancelled my order without any restocking fees. Whew! The thing is, is that I bought the i5 2500k already...Might return it. Man I gotta spend more time on researching on what I want. Fuuuuuuu. As of now the only forsure thing I know I want that wont change is the PSU Seasonic X 760w.

[jmonty]

Mac ?

http://www.cheshirecatstudios.com/forum/resources/mac-vs-pc-south-park/3869

[Zitnik]

Ya a friend of mine told me I could have just gotten like i7. Called in and cancelled my order without any restocking fees. Whew! The thing is, is that I bought the i5 2500k already...Might return it. Man I gotta spend more time on researching on what I want. Fuuuuuuu. As of now the only forsure thing I know I want that wont change is the PSU Seasonic X 760w.

If you're just playing games, you don't need the i7 bro. The only difference between the i5 2500K and the i7 2600K/2700K is the i7s have Hyperthreading, which games barely utilize at all. So you're paying more for a feature that won't even be used, now if you're doing video rendering and stuff like that, then the i7 is better than the i5, but for gaming they're about the same.

[Justin Buchana]

Ya a friend of mine told me I could have just gotten like i7. Called in and cancelled my order without any restocking fees. Whew! The thing is, is that I bought the i5 2500k already...Might return it. Man I gotta spend more time on researching on what I want. Fuuuuuuu. As of now the only forsure thing I know I want that wont change is the PSU Seasonic X 760w.

I think even at a mild oc a $30 cm hyper 212 is good enough, I wish I would have bought the 2500k instead of the 2600k to save some money. With the hyper 212 I stress at about 55c stock, but I live in tx so my house is sitting around 78f. Even if you plan on a modest oc I think good heat pipe
Heatsink should work. There are also small self contained water cool kits for around 80 on new egg... Think they were antec?

[HawtStuff]

I think even at a mild oc a $30 cm hyper 212 is good enough, I wish I would have bought the 2500k instead of the 2600k to save some money. With the hyper 212 I stress at about 55c stock, but I live in tx so my house is sitting around 78f. Even if you plan on a modest oc I think good heat pipe
Heatsink should work. There are also small self contained water cool kits for around 80 on new egg... Think they were antec?

Reading lots of great reviews for one of those noctua fans. Might look into that. Looks like I'm definitely staying with the i5, since i7 seems pointless at this point for me. Opinion on gtx 580 vs 570? Is 580 an overkill for most games?

[Inb42012]

Reading lots of great reviews for one of those noctua fans. Might look into that. Looks like I'm definitely staying with the i5, since i7 seems pointless at this point for me. Opinion on gtx 580 vs 570? Is 580 an overkill for most games?
The 580 is starting great for most games but games are becoming monsters. Metro 2033 and The Witcher 2 both stress the 580 to its limits from what I've heard. If you want to save a little money on the 580 for similar performance pick up a 7870.

[mh22]

Hey everyone. Just got done with my 1st ever pc build. Here it is:
http://i.imgur.com/uJuVC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/22w0T.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/I7mex.jpg

I tried my hardest with cable management but that was the cleanest I could get it. What'd yall think? Any tips?

Specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
MOBO: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
Crucial M4 SSD 128GB
Samsung by Seagate Spinpoint 500GB
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2
GPU: ZOTAC GTX680
Case: Silverstone Raven RV02-BW

Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster BX2250 - 21.5" 1920x1080
Keyboard: Logitech G110
Mouse: Logitech G9x
Speakers: Creative Gigaworks T40

[Prim3]

Hey everyone. Just got done with my 1st ever pc build. Here it is:
http://i.imgur.com/uJuVC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/22w0T.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/I7mex.jpg

I tried my hardest with cable management but that was the cleanest I could get it. What'd yall think? Any tips?

Specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
MOBO: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
Crucial M4 SSD 128GB
Samsung by Seagate Spinpoint 500GB
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2
GPU: ZOTAC GTX680
Case: Silverstone Raven RV02-BW

Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster BX2250 - 21.5" 1920x1080
Keyboard: Logitech G110
Mouse: Logitech G9x
Speakers: Creative Gigaworks T40

Looks good. Don't stress too much about cable management. As long as it looks decent and serves its purpose of making sure that enough air flows around, then you're good brah.

[HeAdAcHeS]

Sup Brahs,

I've been scoping out some custom pcs on craigslist and I was wondering if anyone has any tips of what to look for when buying a used custom pc. I have one in mind, can post specs if anyone is interested, but don't know much about custom pcs. I dunno...I much rather buy an already built pc than build one from scratch since I think I can get a pretty good deal on this bundle I'm currently looking at (monitor included).

Contacted the guy and waiting for his response...I would be able to pick this up locally so I'll be able to check the whole rig out. Any specific questions I should be asking? Like warranty or whatever? Or anything I should be looking for when I go see it in person?

If worst comes to worst, I wouldn't be against building my own comp if this deal falls through...it just seems easier to buy one already used if everything checks out.

Thanks

[Millz]

i had a question about overclocking CPU if anyone could help.

my CPU and Mobo are: Phenom II x4 980 and Gigabyte 990fxa-ud3

i overclock the x4 980 to 4.0ghz up from stock 3.7 without a voltage boost or any other change, just increased multiplier to 20, and i was then able to boot to windows and run prime95 for about 3 hours all stable. it would idle at about 32C (hot ambient here in arizona) and full load about 55-57C with a CM hyper 212. but when i would play sc2 i could only get 8 minutes into a game and windows would crash.

so i tried a voltage bump from the stock 1.4 to 1.45 (i read that others were having success at that voltage). when i view the voltage with HWmonitor and CPU-z it says voltage is topping out at 1.49. now the x4 980 runs completely stable at 4.0ghz in sc2. it idles at 32c and full loads at 62c now. during sc2 game play for an hour or two it only tops out at about 57C.

anways, my question:

apparently increasing voltage is bad for hardware? how so? is it just because of increased heat? if the increased heat is still within an acceptable range, can i not worry about the voltage increase?

thanks.

[koksy]

Now this may not be precise because that's an AMD cpu, but with Intel max voltage is 1.5 before you fry it. To answer your question, more voltage means less living time, only reason its "bad" for the hardware. Again I don't know much about AMD, but most Intel CPU's easily overclock at much lower voltages, personally I OC'ed 1GHz on air with under 1.15v

[GoodAndYou]

Now this may not be precise because that's an AMD cpu, but with Intel max voltage is 1.5 before you fry it. To answer your question, more voltage means less living time, only reason its "bad" for the hardware. Again I don't know much about AMD, but most Intel CPU's easily overclock at much lower voltages, personally I OC'ed 1GHz on air with under 1.15v I'm not familiar with AMD either, but I'm pretty sure they use higher voltages than intel.

@millz If you're topping out at 62c under load you are probably fine. 62c is not hot at all, my 2500k is oc'd to 4.5ghz and gets up to ~60c during prime95 (12hr blend). If you were pushing 80c then you would probably want to back off.

[Justin Buchana]

Reading lots of great reviews for one of those noctua fans. Might look into that. Looks like I'm definitely staying with the i5, since i7 seems pointless at this point for me. Opinion on gtx 580 vs 570? Is 580 an overkill for most games?

I have a evga 570 sc I got off new egg and the things seem to be fairly good ocers, I have mine at 880/2100 at 1.075v and it stays cool and stable. At those speeds they should be matching or surpassing the 580s, but I am the kind of guy that gets upgrade fever easy so I'll be swapping out to a 680 in a few months, if you have the money and want to run most stuff maxed out I say the evga 680 superclock is the way to go, I can play bf3 maxed at 1080p right now and dip down into to 35fps under extreme situations, but usually stay at 50-60 95% of the time. Where as it looks like that 680 will keep me at 60 pretty constant so I want it. Depends on your price range and if your looking to oc your card.

[jmonty]

i had a question about overclocking CPU if anyone could help.

my CPU and Mobo are: Phenom II x4 980 and Gigabyte 990fxa-ud3

.

I have a phenom ii x4 968 (i think) and I thought it would be as simple as googling what to put the settings, but it wasnt. And I have not tried to mess with the settings yet

[Zitnik]

i had a question about overclocking CPU if anyone could help.

my CPU and Mobo are: Phenom II x4 980 and Gigabyte 990fxa-ud3

i overclock the x4 980 to 4.0ghz up from stock 3.7 without a voltage boost or any other change, just increased multiplier to 20, and i was then able to boot to windows and run prime95 for about 3 hours all stable. it would idle at about 32C (hot ambient here in arizona) and full load about 55-57C with a CM hyper 212. but when i would play sc2 i could only get 8 minutes into a game and windows would crash.

so i tried a voltage bump from the stock 1.4 to 1.45 (i read that others were having success at that voltage). when i view the voltage with HWmonitor and CPU-z it says voltage is topping out at 1.49. now the x4 980 runs completely stable at 4.0ghz in sc2. it idles at 32c and full loads at 62c now. during sc2 game play for an hour or two it only tops out at about 57C.

anways, my question:

apparently increasing voltage is bad for hardware? how so? is it just because of increased heat? if the increased heat is still within an acceptable range, can i not worry about the voltage increase?

thanks.

I have an AMD CPU, so I can help you out. First, everyone here saying AMD's use high voltages than Intels are correct. AMD Phenom II's at 1.5v get around 4Ghz-4.2Ghz stable, depending on the chip. Intel's at 1.5v can usually pull a stable 4.8-5Ghz. As for the voltage spikes, that is from the load line calibration. What this does is allow your motherboard to add more voltage to the CPU if needed, this is why you were getting those spikes, because at 4Ghz your CPU won't stay stable at 1.35v with a 4Ghz OC, it will need 1.45-1.5v to be stable, so this is why your voltage will spike up, because your default voltage can't sustain the speed of the CPU. If you set your LLC to 0, then you have no voltage jumps, it will stay at the normal voltage you have it set at.

Also, decrease the OC. AMD CPUs should stay below 54c at full load, anything higher is getting a bit iffy. You'd probably be safe going up to 3.8Ghz, and that's probably your limit with the Hyper 212+, if you want to reach 4Ghz you'll need a Noctua D14, Venomous X or other extremely high end air cooler, if you want to surpass 4Ghz you'll need a Corsair H80 or H100.

As for voltage increases effecting hardware, yes they do, but not to the extent people make it seem. Figure your CPU lasts you 6-8 years, well say once you OC it your lifespan will be 4 years. Are you really going to keep your PC for 4 years? Probably not.

Also, if you're going to OC your CPU and tweak voltages, it'd be a good idea to manually set your NorthBridge and HTLink frequencies, just look up what they are for your CPU and manually set them in the bios instead of leaving it on auto.

@Justin, honestly dude, I'd toss another 570 in there and SLI. Two 570s will wipe the floor with a 680, the only thing you really lose is the Vram which honestly won't effect you that much. I average 80 FPS with my SLI 570s on large maps, 64 player conquest and I average 90-100 on smaller maps like Metro or Grand Bazaar.

[Justin Buchana]

I have an AMD CPU, so I can help you out. First, everyone here saying AMD's use high voltages than Intels are correct. AMD Phenom II's at 1.5v get around 4Ghz-4.2Ghz stable, depending on the chip. Intel's at 1.5v can usually pull a stable 4.8-5Ghz. As for the voltage spikes, that is from the load line calibration. What this does is allow your motherboard to add more voltage to the CPU if needed, this is why you were getting those spikes, because at 4Ghz your CPU won't stay stable at 1.35v with a 4Ghz OC, it will need 1.45-1.5v to be stable, so this is why your voltage will spike up, because your default voltage can't sustain the speed of the CPU. If you set your LLC to 0, then you have no voltage jumps, it will stay at the normal voltage you have it set at.

Also, decrease the OC. AMD CPUs should stay below 54c at full load, anything higher is getting a bit iffy. You'd probably be safe going up to 3.8Ghz, and that's probably your limit with the Hyper 212+, if you want to reach 4Ghz you'll need a Noctua D14, Venomous X or other extremely high end air cooler, if you want to surpass 4Ghz you'll need a Corsair H80 or H100.

As for voltage increases effecting hardware, yes they do, but not to the extent people make it seem. Figure your CPU lasts you 6-8 years, well say once you OC it your lifespan will be 4 years. Are you really going to keep your PC for 4 years? Probably not.

Also, if you're going to OC your CPU and tweak voltages, it'd be a good idea to manually set your NorthBridge and HTLink frequencies, just look up what they are for your CPU and manually set them in the bios instead of leaving it on auto.

@Justin, honestly dude, I'd toss another 570 in there and SLI. Two 570s will wipe the floor with a 680, the only thing you really lose is the Vram which honestly won't effect you that much. I average 80 FPS with my SLI 570s on large maps, 64 player conquest and I average 90-100 on smaller maps like Metro or Grand Bazaar.

Well the thing is I kind of screwed up on my mb because it supports xfire but not sli, cheaper asus board with good reviews so I jumped on it. :/ My wife's mb does support it though, and has a old 3dcard so I might get her a second one and run with the 680. You think her 750w psu would handle the sli?

I also have a antec 750w so I could potentially have to swap mb and psu to sli it myself.

That 680 sc+ is benching damn fast on my ideal bf3 play setting though

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/53144-evga-geforce-gtx-680-sc-review-6.html

[Zitnik]

Well the thing is I kind of screwed up on my mb because it supports xfire but not sli, cheaper asus board with good reviews so I jumped on it. :/ My wife's mb does support it though, and has a old 3dcard so I might get her a second one and run with the 680. You think her 750w psu would handle the sli?

I also have a antec 750w so I could potentially have to swap mb and psu to sli it myself.

That 680 sc+ is benching damn fast on my ideal bf3 play setting though

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/53144-evga-geforce-gtx-680-sc-review-6.html

It's up to you. In most of the things I saw the 570 SLI beats the 680 between 15-20 FPS, depending on the game. The 680 SC+ is a beast though, probably not too far off from 570 SLI performance. As for the 750w, you should be fine with SLI 570s on it as long as you don't OC the video cards. 750w is kind of the choke point for SLI, anything lower and you probably couldn't. 750w could handle 560Tis and non-OC'd 570s, 580s would need an 850W.

[Justin Buchana]

It's up to you. In most of the things I saw the 570 SLI beats the 680 between 15-20 FPS, depending on the game. The 680 SC+ is a beast though, probably not too far off from 570 SLI performance. As for the 750w, you should be fine with SLI 570s on it as long as you don't OC the video cards. 750w is kind of the choke point for SLI, anything lower and you probably couldn't. 750w could handle 560Tis and non-OC'd 570s, 580s would need an 850W.

Is the 680 sc+ still a reference card? I have no idea on the technicality of what reference means, but I saw in a thread that someone was saying that it was still pretty much a reference card and to wait a few months for the real powerful factory oc cards to come out that are non reference. I'm not 100% keen on the info between card models so if you have a insight that would be awesome.

[HawtStuff]

Is the 680 sc+ still a reference card? I have no idea on the technicality of what reference means, but I saw in a thread that someone was saying that it was still pretty much a reference card and to wait a few months for the real powerful factory oc cards to come out that are non reference. I'm not 100% keen on the info between card models so if you have a insight that would be awesome.

From what I've read, "reference card" refers to usually the first wave of cards for the series as a template. All the brands are equal at this point. Because 680 is new I think all brands are in theory suppose to be the same.

[featherweight11]

Desktop
i7 920 @ 4ghz
9gb ddr3 1333mhz
500gb hdd
asus p6t se
cooler master hyper212 +
nzxt evo tempest
5750 (god i need to upgrade this)
laptop:
m14x with a fried motherboard gotta love dell, its a beautiful $1200 paper weight -...-...
i5 2310m
6gb ddr3 1333mhz
gt555m 1.5gb gddr5
750gb hd (bigger than desktop lmao)
idk wtf the mobo is
ofc that keyboard that everyone likes...

[featherweight11]

I'm a little worried about Ivy Bridge. Early reports are saying the thing runs hot as hell. I was waiting for Ivy to build a new rig but now I might just get a 2500k or even a 3820 instead. Anyone have any opinion on Sandy Bridge vs Sandy Bridge-E?

http://cdn5.tweaktown.com/content/4/6/4663_43_asrock_z77_extreme6_intel_z77_with_ivy_bri dge_motherboard_review.png

Damn the ivy bridges are hot. That OC is with H100 liquid cooling too.
Buy a $100 aftermarket heat sink by noctua one of those big ass ones with 2 fans... h100 is great but for a liquid cooler it performs on par with one a good noctua heat sink.

[toneekay]

+1

High quality air coolers are on par with most of the closed loop water coolers. Even in a few tests, the Hyper 212 series (for $35) nets roughly the same and sometimes even better temps than the Corsair and Antec water coolers.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/cm_hyper212_evo/4.htm


To the previous comments about the 570 gaining 15-20fps higher than the 680... Where are you getting these tests from? All of the tests and graphs I've seen shows the 680 outperforms almost everything on the market.
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+680
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2012-vga-gpgpu/02-Unigine-Heaven-DirectX-11-C-Extreme,2936.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2012-vga-gpgpu/01-3DMark11-C-Extreme,2933.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2012-vga-gpgpu/benchmarks,135.html

[Zitnik]

Is the 680 sc+ still a reference card? I have no idea on the technicality of what reference means, but I saw in a thread that someone was saying that it was still pretty much a reference card and to wait a few months for the real powerful factory oc cards to come out that are non reference. I'm not 100% keen on the info between card models so if you have a insight that would be awesome.

SC+ is a factory OC'd card. A reference card is your standard, non-OC'd video card. SC=SuperClocked, SC+= SuperClocked signature+ (a little higher OC'd than SC, then EVGA has the FTW edition which is their highest OC)

[GoodAndYou]

To the previous comments about the 570 gaining 15-20fps higher than the 680... Where are you getting these tests from? All of the tests and graphs I've seen shows the 680 outperforms almost everything on the market.
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+680
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2012-vga-gpgpu/02-Unigine-Heaven-DirectX-11-C-Extreme,2936.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2012-vga-gpgpu/01-3DMark11-C-Extreme,2933.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2012-vga-gpgpu/benchmarks,135.html

They are talking about two 570's in sli being better.

[toneekay]

They are talking about two 570's in sli being better.


Ahhh... must've missed that part lol.

[Zitnik]

Ahhh... must've missed that part lol.

Yeah lol. Of course a single 680 will plow through a 570, but SLI 570s contain more raw horsepower than a single 680. The only disadvantage is the Vram, unless you have the 2GB 570s.

[SiNiStEr94]

I've updated my video card driver, opened the computer and cleaned it out in an attempt to reduce the temperature. My video card right now is running at 65 C, but IIRC it got as high as 80-100 when running a game.

Specs:
Windows Vista 64-bit (lol i know)
NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT
4 GB RAM
AMD Athlon 64 Dual Core 5000+ processor 2.6 gHz
600 watt PSU (i think..I'd have to open up my computer to check)



Any suggestions? I think I need a new video card, but I'm not nearly as computer-savvy as you guys are.


Your video card is overheating.... take the heatsink off and check the thermal paste. If there is none/very little, put more on the chip and that should help. Also run a custom fan profile for your video card, without modification most fans only run about 30-40%. Crank it up to 70% or so and adjust according to temps/noise when you play games

[HeAdAcHeS]

How's this build looking so far? I know close to 0 about how to build a custom computer and just copied some stuff I found here and there.

Would everything be compatible? and is there any suggestions?

I'm looking to build this comp around mid May so is there anything new that is coming out soon that I should wait for?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/70RF

[toneekay]

Yeah lol. Of course a single 680 will plow through a 570, but SLI 570s contain more raw horsepower than a single 680. The only disadvantage is the Vram, unless you have the 2GB 570s.

Yeah, the 1280mb vram would hold back an SLI setup a lot... almost not even worth buying dual 570s. My dual 560TIs are both 1GB cards and I can feel some hiccups on a few games at 1080 res =/



How's this build looking so far? I know close to 0 about how to build a custom computer and just copied some stuff I found here and there.
Would everything be compatible? and is there any suggestions?
I'm looking to build this comp around mid May so is there anything new that is coming out soon that I should wait for?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/70RF

Looks like a solid build, however you can probably get a better video card for around that price (or maybe a little more) here in the near future. One thing I always tell people is to buy their video cards last since there's constantly new things coming out, prices dropping, or etc... Actually, it seems that Nvidia is releasing another Kepler card in May (we're not sure what it is though):

http://videocardz.com/31995/nvidia-releasing-new-kepler-gpu-soon-geforce-gtx-690

[HeAdAcHeS]

Looks like a solid build, however you can probably get a better video card for around that price (or maybe a little more) here in the near future. One thing I always tell people is to buy their video cards last since there's constantly new things coming out, prices dropping, or etc... Actually, it seems that Nvidia is releasing another Kepler card in May (we're not sure what it is though):

http://videocardz.com/31995/nvidia-releasing-new-kepler-gpu-soon-geforce-gtx-690

Thanks

So everything else is fine and I should just wait on the graphics card? Also, how long do "gaming" comps usually last until they start breaking down? I want a comp that can easily be upgraded (just buy new parts that are compatible right?) that will last be 4+ years.

Thanks for the help

[Justin Buchana]

Thanks for the reference, and factory oc clear up. With that said is it possible that over the next few months they make further improvements on the factory ocs worth waiting on, or would it be a solid choice to jump on the sc+ ASAP?

[Zitnik]

Thanks for the reference, and factory oc clear up. With that said is it possible that over the next few months they make further improvements on the factory ocs worth waiting on, or would it be a solid choice to jump on the sc+ ASAP?

NP, bro. And yes, they probably will make better ones sometime over the next few months. What you'll want to wait for if you're looking for a beast factory OC'd card is the EVGA GTX 680 HydroCopper FTW Edition, EVGA GTX 680 Classified Edition or the ASUS RoG GTX 680.

Edit: Actually, EVGA already has their HydroCopper FTW 680 out: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130772

[Zitnik]

Looks like a solid build, however you can probably get a better video card for around that price (or maybe a little more) here in the near future. One thing I always tell people is to buy their video cards last since there's constantly new things coming out, prices dropping, or etc... Actually, it seems that Nvidia is releasing another Kepler card in May (we're not sure what it is though):

http://videocardz.com/31995/nvidia-releasing-new-kepler-gpu-soon-geforce-gtx-690

Actually, the next card should be the GTX 670Ti and GTX 670 (ref) and maybe the 660. The dual-GPUs usually don't get released until around 6 months after the cards initially launch. Not to mention Nvidia is working on the GTX 685, which is a 512-bit, 4GB GTX 680. That'll probably come out before the 690

[mh22]

2nd try at cable managment:
http://i.imgur.com/Uar5w.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/I2qTs.jpg
I <3 my new pc

[GoodAndYou]

2nd try at cable managment:
I <3 my new pc Looks way better. Hows the 680 treating you?

[Bcider]

Ordered a sapphire 7970 dual fan design yesterday from newegg for $460 with free shipping. I was gonna go 680 but its never in stock and many reviews show the 7970 to be slightly worse at stock and fairly even clock for clock. I also usually only buy video cards every 3-4 years and 3 gb of ram is probably more future proof than the 2gb the 680 has.

[mh22]

Looks way better. Hows the 680 treating you?
Every game (Skyrim w/high res textures,AlanWake,ME3,Battlefield3,Mafia2,Dirt3) on max settings: constant 60fps
Crysis1 is the only game on max settings that dips. But I'm guessing its because its an older game and because of its engine.
Crysis2 on max with dx11/high res textures also 50fps and runs smooth.
Both of them don't go over 50fps - but that's how they're are made?
It was $510 -- it better treat me good :D

[Negbro]

Sup brahs, I built my previous PC in '07, still treating my fairly well but definitely needs some upgrading. Thing is my little bro has gotten older and is also starting to get into gaming, so I am planning on building an entirely new PC (for myself, lulz) I'll upgrade his as well but he plays mostly flash games and minecraft, nothing demanding.

Here is what I am thinking about going with if you may please critique:

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000

Aftermarket CPU Fan: ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-B 135mm Long life bearing CPU Cooler Blue LED

PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 (CMPSU-750HX) 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified

Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

HD: Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Case: LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case or Antec 900

Video Card: I want a 680, they are not currently in stock, so I'm thinking about grabbing a bang for your buck GTX 550 ti for now and throwing in my current comp when the 680 becomes available.

Accessories: Das Keyboard ultimate mechanical keyboard
http://www.kungfoocode.org/wp-content/uploads/dasKeyboardUltimateEU.jpg
My angus is peppered

[mh22]

Video Card: I want a 680, they are not currently in stock, so I'm thinking about grabbing a bang for your buck GTX 550 ti for now and throwing in my current comp when the 680 becomes available.

This is how I got mine:
http://www.nowinstock.net/computers/videocards/nvidia/gtx680/
That's your best bet on getting 1. Just check often and be ready to order quick because they sell like crazy. I had to buy mine the moment it came out. After ordering it - I checked the site a few hours later - and it was all sold out.

[toneekay]

Thanks
So everything else is fine and I should just wait on the graphics card? Also, how long do "gaming" comps usually last until they start breaking down? I want a comp that can easily be upgraded (just buy new parts that are compatible right?) that will last be 4+ years.
Thanks for the help

Yeah, just wait on purchasing your GPU last if you can... If anything, most people buy their comp parts in pieces whenever the cash flow is available, so if you're like that then that's the best route to go. If you got ALL the cash to dump right now, you might as well just go ahead and buy it all, but there are better solutions than the 560TI you originally picked... it's just a matter of chosing.

The listed parts should last you a good 4+ years; the only you might consider upgrading every few years is the video card (unless you get a highhhh end one now).



Actually, the next card should be the GTX 670Ti and GTX 670 (ref) and maybe the 660. The dual-GPUs usually don't get released until around 6 months after the cards initially launch. Not to mention Nvidia is working on the GTX 685, which is a 512-bit, 4GB GTX 680. That'll probably come out before the 690

That's what I was thinking as well; most of the sites say it's currently "unknown" which card is supposed to be released next. I don't think it'll be the dual chip either since that hoe will be like $800+ and there just isn't that many consumers willing to spend that kind of money compared to a lesser priced card (670s for like $400 range).



Sup brahs, I built my previous PC in '07, still treating my fairly well but definitely needs some upgrading. Thing is my little bro has gotten older and is also starting to get into gaming, so I am planning on building an entirely new PC (for myself, lulz) I'll upgrade his as well but he plays mostly flash games and minecraft, nothing demanding.
Here is what I am thinking about going with if you may please critique:
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000
Aftermarket CPU Fan: ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-B 135mm Long life bearing CPU Cooler Blue LED
PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 (CMPSU-750HX) 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified
Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
HD: Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Case: LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case or Antec 900
Video Card: I want a 680, they are not currently in stock, so I'm thinking about grabbing a bang for your buck GTX 550 ti for now and throwing in my current comp when the 680 becomes available.
Accessories: Das Keyboard ultimate mechanical keyboard
http://www.kungfoocode.org/wp-content/uploads/dasKeyboardUltimateEU.jpg
My angus is peppered

I think that'll be legit, the 550ti is a great performer and since they're on the cheap cheap (like $120), it'll be a good card to get you buy until you can grab a 680. If your little brother ever decides on getting into a little more graphic intense games then maybe a 560 would be more ideal, but pshhh... flash games and minecraft, you can play that hoe on the integrated luls.

[Bcider]

^^
I read over at overclock today that the 690 is the next card coming out before may 5th. Alot of people are pissed that it only has 2gb of effective vram though which is ridiculous for a card thats gonna be expensive.

[HeAdAcHeS]

Yeah, just wait on purchasing your GPU last if you can... If anything, most people buy their comp parts in pieces whenever the cash flow is available, so if you're like that then that's the best route to go. If you got ALL the cash to dump right now, you might as well just go ahead and buy it all, but there are better solutions than the 560TI you originally picked... it's just a matter of chosing.

The listed parts should last you a good 4+ years; the only you might consider upgrading every few years is the video card (unless you get a highhhh end one now).


Thanks...I was doing some research and I read some good things about the Radeon HD 7870 which I think I'm looking to switch out for the current GPU in my previous post. What you think? Would increase my build $100 bucks so everything would come out to about $1200ish.

Thanks for the help

[Bcider]

Thanks...I was doing some research and I read some good things about the Radeon HD 7870 which I think I'm looking to switch out for the current GPU in my previous post. What you think? Would increase my build $100 bucks so everything would come out to about $1200ish.

Thanks for the help

I wouldnt buy the 7870 until it drops in price. Right now amd is gouging the price cause there is no nvidia equivalent. Once the 660 and 670 come out the 7870 will probably drop to $300. Right now you can get a 7950 for only $30 more than the 7870.

[HeAdAcHeS]

I wouldnt buy the 7870 until it drops in price. Right now amd is gouging the price cause there is no nvidia equivalent. Once the 660 and 670 come out the 7870 will probably drop to $300. Right now you can get a 7950 for only $30 more than the 7870.

Alright awesome...I'll just wait till mid May and see what my options then.

[Zitnik]

Sup brahs, I built my previous PC in '07, still treating my fairly well but definitely needs some upgrading. Thing is my little bro has gotten older and is also starting to get into gaming, so I am planning on building an entirely new PC (for myself, lulz) I'll upgrade his as well but he plays mostly flash games and minecraft, nothing demanding.

Here is what I am thinking about going with if you may please critique:

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000

Aftermarket CPU Fan: ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-B 135mm Long life bearing CPU Cooler Blue LED

PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 (CMPSU-750HX) 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified

Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

HD: Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Case: LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case or Antec 900

Video Card: I want a 680, they are not currently in stock, so I'm thinking about grabbing a bang for your buck GTX 550 ti for now and throwing in my current comp when the 680 becomes available.

Accessories: Das Keyboard ultimate mechanical keyboard
http://www.kungfoocode.org/wp-content/uploads/dasKeyboardUltimateEU.jpg
My angus is peppered

Looks good dude, why 16GB of RAM though? I'd save that money and get 8GB, you won't even use 8 tbh, but 16 if way overkill unless you're doing video rendering/3D modeling and stuff. Also, hold on JUST for a month because... wait for the picture below.


That's what I was thinking as well; most of the sites say it's currently "unknown" which card is supposed to be released next. I don't think it'll be the dual chip either since that hoe will be like $800+ and there just isn't that many consumers willing to spend that kind of money compared to a lesser priced card (670s for like $400 range).

I also think you'll be interested in this pic, too.


http://www.gameranx.com/img/12-Apr/nvidia.jpg


3072 CUDA cores, 4GB DDR5. Pepper your angus' for the GTX 690!

[HawtStuff]

Is there any current gfx card around $250 ($300 with taxes) that can run most games if not all games on max settings?

[Zitnik]

Is there any current gfx card around $250 ($300 with taxes) that can run most games if not all games on max settings?

Your best bet would be a GTX 480. It's equal performance to a GTX 570, but it has more Vram. It should run almost any game at 1080p without a hitch. For that price range it's the best GPU you can get, it should max out just about any game. They tend to run a bit hot, but if your case has decent airflow you should be fine.

[Bcider]

Looks good dude, why 16GB of RAM though? I'd save that money and get 8GB, you won't even use 8 tbh, but 16 if way overkill unless you're doing video rendering/3D modeling and stuff. Also, hold on JUST for a month because... wait for the picture below.



I also think you'll be interested in this pic, too.


http://www.gameranx.com/img/12-Apr/nvidia.jpg


3072 CUDA cores, 4GB DDR5. Pepper your angus' for the GTX 690!

Its only 2 GB usable though.

[Zitnik]

Its only 2 GB usable though.

True. I'm still waiting for the GTX 685, it's what the original 680 was supposed to be: 512-bit bus, 4GB DDR5, 1000mhz core clock (I think?).

[TouchdownRobots]

Is there any current gfx card around $250 ($300 with taxes) that can run most games if not all games on max settings?

Radeon 7850

[HawtStuff]

Your best bet would be a GTX 480. It's equal performance to a GTX 570, but it has more Vram. It should run almost any game at 1080p without a hitch. For that price range it's the best GPU you can get, it should max out just about any game. They tend to run a bit hot, but if your case has decent airflow you should be fine.

Thanks, looked like a great card. P

[illriginalized]

Radeon 7850



fuuuuuuu it's cheaper than my 6950 I just got like 2 months ago!

[TouchdownRobots]

Thanks, looked like a great card. P
Bro, 7850 is a way better card than a GTX480. More VRAM, less power and heat. way too many nvidia fan boys ITT

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-4.html
Best PCIe Card For ~$260:

Radeon HD 7850 (Check Prices)

Excellent 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance in most games with lowered detail

Radeon HD 7850
Codename: Pitcairn
Process: 28 nm
Universal Shaders: 1024
Texture Units: 64
ROPs: 32
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 860
Memory Speed MHz: 1200 (4800 effective)
DirectX/Shader Model: DX 11.1/SM 5
Max TDP: 130 W

The new Radeon HD 7850 offers performance similar to the Radeon HD 6970 and GeForce GTX 570, but at a much lower $260 price point.

Moreover, the Radeon HD 7850 does its job using about half of the power as both of those older boards based on 40 nm manufacturing. As such, the more expensive GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448-core loses its recommendation entirely.

Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 7800 series for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.


fuuuuuuu it's cheaper than my 6950 I just got like 2 months ago!

I know that feel bro. bought my 6950 for $269 last fall

[HawtStuff]

Bro, 7850 is a way better card than a GTX480. More VRAM, less power and heat. way too many nvidia fan boys ITT

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-4.html
Best PCIe Card For ~$260:

Radeon HD 7850 (Check Prices)

Excellent 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance in most games with lowered detail

Radeon HD 7850
Codename: Pitcairn
Process: 28 nm
Universal Shaders: 1024
Texture Units: 64
ROPs: 32
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 860
Memory Speed MHz: 1200 (4800 effective)
DirectX/Shader Model: DX 11.1/SM 5
Max TDP: 130 W

The new Radeon HD 7850 offers performance similar to the Radeon HD 6970 and GeForce GTX 570, but at a much lower $260 price point.

Moreover, the Radeon HD 7850 does its job using about half of the power as both of those older boards based on 40 nm manufacturing. As such, the more expensive GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448-core loses its recommendation entirely.

Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 7800 series for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

I know that feel bro. bought my 6950 for $269 last fall

No fanboy, but it seems that 480 did perform better. Only con was it would be hotter. I also managed to get the 480 for about $30 cheaper than 7850.

[toneekay]

Thanks...I was doing some research and I read some good things about the Radeon HD 7870 which I think I'm looking to switch out for the current GPU in my previous post. What you think? Would increase my build $100 bucks so everything would come out to about $1200ish.

Thanks for the help

The 7870 looks to be a great performer, however like previously stated, you can have the 7950 for just a little bit more lol.




I also think you'll be interested in this pic, too.
[img]http://www.gameranx.com/img/12-Apr/nvidia.jpg[/ig]
3072 CUDA cores, 4GB DDR5. Pepper your angus' for the GTX 690!

I've seen that, thus my reasoning for saying that the 690 seems to be the next Kepler to be released. I try to keep up with new GPUs as much as I can at the moment since I'm in the market for a new card :D I need to ditch my dual card setup for a single card setup!!! >=[



Is there any current gfx card around $250 ($300 with taxes) that can run most games if not all games on max settings?

Like others have said, the 7850 is obviously the choice to go with... However, I just hate AMD's CCC, the layout just isn't.... quite.... Anyways, if you were looking for an AMD card, this is the route to go. However, if you want green, go with the 560 or 560ti and save yourself some cash.



Bro, 7850 is a way better card than a GTX480. More VRAM, less power and heat. way too many nvidia fan boys ITT
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-4.html
The new Radeon HD 7850 offers performance similar to the Radeon HD 6970 and GeForce GTX 570, but at a much lower $260 price point.
Moreover, the Radeon HD 7850 does its job using about half of the power as both of those older boards based on 40 nm manufacturing. As such, the more expensive GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448-core loses its recommendation entirely.
I know that feel bro. bought my 6950 for $269 last fall

This... The 480 is just horrible in terms of power and heat; if I could take back my money a couple years ago, I would've just waited for for the 5 series instead of going for the damn 480 which I ended up regretting due to how my computer turned into a mini heater while gaming.

[Human.Shield]

quick noob question..

what is the advantage of having a video card with 3gb of memory compared to a video card that has 1.5gb?

[Bcider]

quick noob question..

what is the advantage of having a video card with 3gb of memory compared to a video card that has 1.5gb?

Good example would be skyrim with high res texture packs. That memory is needed for higher res things or youll get bottlenecked. Right now 2gb is probably sufficient but who knows in the future.

[toneekay]

Pretty much the amount of vram is used depending on your resolution, video detail (textures), and AA. So like Bcider said, on Skyrim, there's a hardcore texture pack that pretty much puts all settings on max with all textures and details raised; combine that with let's say a 2560x1600 resolution. With a low amount of vram, you're going to be laggy as fuuuuhhh because the amount of vram on the card will not be able to store those textures on it. Higher vram will allow you to do that and lets the card access them faster for a better, smoother visual gameplay.

That's pretty much the only way I can explain it, I'm not good with explaining stuff lol...

Happy 420 :D

[Negbro]

Thanks, looked like a great card. P

I just purchased the gtx 480 for my little bro's computer, $199 with free shipping from tiger direct. Idc if it runs hot, seemed like a hell of a value. I also upped his POS 15" costco monitor to an ASUS 23" @ 1080p with 2ms response time, and upgraded his current 4 gigs ddr2 of gskill ram with another matching 4 gb set, filling up dem dere slots. Seriously though, ddr2 is more expensive than ddr3? da fuk. Also got him new backlit logitech keyboard and copy of 64 bit Windows 7 (he was on vista lol).

Did I mention I am going to use *his* computer to play GW2?

http://i2.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/005/365/awwyea.jpg

[GoodAndYou]

Got a great deal on a 2nd MSI TFIII 560ti 448 ($220 @ NCIX). Couldn't resist.
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff221/gillfish_album/P1010091.jpg

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff221/gillfish_album/P1010090.jpg

[toneekay]

I just purchased the gtx 480 for my little bro's computer, $199 with free shipping from tiger direct. Idc if it runs hot, seemed like a hell of a value. I also upped his POS 15" costco monitor to an ASUS 23" @ 1080p with 2ms response time, and upgraded his current 4 gigs ddr2 of gskill ram with another matching 4 gb set, filling up dem dere slots. Seriously though, ddr2 is more expensive than ddr3? da fuk. Also got him new backlit logitech keyboard and copy of 64 bit Windows 7 (he was on vista lol).
Did I mention I am going to use *his* computer to play GW2?
[img]http://i2.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/005/365/awwyea.jpg[/ig]

Luls! 2legit2quit!



Got a great deal on a 2nd MSI TFIII 560ti 448 ($220 @ NCIX). Couldn't resist.
[img]http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff221/gillfish_album/P1010091.jpg[/ig]
[img]http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff221/gillfish_album/P1010090.jpg[/ig]

Niceeeeeeeeeeee!

[toneekay]

A little something something on the 670... possibly a release date of May 10th!
http://videocardz.com/32150/geforce-gtx-670-to-be-released-on-may-10th


Also, there's this... Gigabytes 680........ with 5 fans...................
http://www.guru3d.com/news/5-coolers-onm-gtx-680--gigabyte-thinks-so/

http://www.guru3d.com/fullimage.php?image=38779

http://www.guru3d.com/fullimage.php?image=38781

[mk.ultra]

is this a good price and a good card for my build? $150 after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130660&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-14-130-660-_-Homepage2011

[reyes12]

A little something something on the 670... possibly a release date of May 10th!
http://videocardz.com/32150/geforce-gtx-670-to-be-released-on-may-10th


Also, there's this... Gigabytes 680........ with 5 fans...................
http://www.guru3d.com/news/5-coolers-onm-gtx-680--gigabyte-thinks-so/

http://www.guru3d.com/fullimage.php?image=38779

http://www.guru3d.com/fullimage.php?image=38781

this cant be real life

[Zitnik]

http://www.guru3d.com/fullimage.php?image=38779
http://www.guru3d.com/fullimage.php?image=38781

Holy crap, you could launch a monkey into space with that thing.

[SenorGomez]

Your best bet would be a GTX 480. It's equal performance to a GTX 570, but it has more Vram. It should run almost any game at 1080p without a hitch. For that price range it's the best GPU you can get, it should max out just about any game. They tend to run a bit hot, but if your case has decent airflow you should be fine.

THIS, I got my 480 on sale at Newegg for $200 with a code, now the sales over but I got mine ;)

It was either that or the 6950 2gb but I was buying all my parts slowly and by the time I wanted to buy the 6950 it wasn't on sale anymore lol

Also I bought the Accelero Xtreme Plus II vga cooler for my 480 since I heard it was a great overclocker(~800-950mhz) but also crazy with heat, I have yet to install it since I'm waiting until my noctua nh-d14 gets here so I can install them both at the same time.

Don't plan on upgrading for a LONG time, still on my old build right now: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+(2.6ghz) & Geforce 9800GT, going to give this one to my little brothers.

[obmas]

http://www.guru3d.com/fullimage.php?image=38779


wouldwife /10

[liammac]

current rig as of 11/30/2011

Motherboard: ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE 100311-2SR Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9
Processor: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I72600K
Case: COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Power Supply: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
Windows 7 Pro 64 bit

[toneekay]

is this a good price and a good card for my build? $150 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130660&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-14-130-660-_-Homepage2011

Pretty solid video card; more than capable at a good price too!




Also I bought the Accelero Xtreme Plus II vga cooler for my 480 since I heard it was a great overclocker(~800-950mhz) but also crazy with heat, I have yet to install it since I'm waiting until my noctua nh-d14 gets here so I can install them both at the same time.




current rig as of 11/30/2011

Motherboard: ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE 100311-2SR Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9
Processor: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I72600K
Case: COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Power Supply: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
Windows 7 Pro 64 bit

Solid! Post some pics!

[liammac]

Solid! Post some pics!

24 inch wide screen LG monitor
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_131246.jpg

Shots of the cool master case

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_131224.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_130301.jpg

Inside the case....I suck with making the wires neat
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_131136.jpg

Closet with parts boxes and old PC games
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_131044.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_131059.jpg



images fixed hopefully

[SenorGomez]

Solid! Post some pics!

When I get my Noctua in and install the Accelero I'll post pics ;)

[vietcong666]

Inside the case....I suck with making the wires neat
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_131136.jpg


strong cable management

[liammac]

strong cable management

lmao like i said i suck with cables i just tuck it all in a corner

[vietcong666]

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af137/vietcong666/bitcoin/IMG_0970.jpg

here is a size comparison of the 5870, 6970, and 7970

[Defiled]

Just put my server together.

Case:Lian Li A04B mATX Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112316&Tpk=A04B)
Mobo: ASUS P8H61-M (Rev 3.0) mATX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131716)
HDDs:8x2TB Samsung 204UI (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245)
PSU: Corsair HX750 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010)
CPU: Intel Pentium G850 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116397)
RAM: 4GB Corsair Vengeance (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233141)
RAID:Areca Arc-1220 Raid Controller (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816131004)

Some of the parts are from older builds (HDDS, Raid Controller and PSU). HDDs are setup in Raid 6 leaving me with 11TB of useable space which I have roughly 3TB left.

[toneekay]

24 inch wide screen LG monitor
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_131246.jpg[/IG]
Shots of the cool master case
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_131224.jpg[/IG]
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_130301.jpg[/IG]
Inside the case....I suck with making the wires neat
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_131136.jpg
Closet with parts boxes and old PC games
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_131044.jpg[/IG]
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/hazx/PC%20shots/IMG_20120421_131059.jpg[/IG]
images fixed hopefully

SWEET BABY JESUS! You neeeeeeeeeeeeeeed to manage them cables otherwise your comp with explode. Otherwise... looking good!



When I get my Noctua in and install the Accelero I'll post pics ;)

yEEEEEE

[toneekay]

Inno3D's GTX 680 iChill
http://videocardz.com/32243/inno3d-gtx-680-ichill-keeps-41c-under-full-load

http://i.imgur.com/u3cv6.jpg

[mk.ultra]

THIS, I got my 480 on sale at Newegg for $200 with a code, now the sales over but I got mine ;)



Ordered the same card yesterday for $210 shipped

[mk.ultra]

So is it confirmed that Ivy Bridge is coming out on April 28th? And if it does, how long will it take for sales to start appearing on Sandy Bridge models? I need an i5 2500K and I want to get a good price on it.

[toneekay]

So is it confirmed that Ivy Bridge is coming out on April 28th? And if it does, how long will it take for sales to start appearing on Sandy Bridge models? I need an i5 2500K and I want to get a good price on it.

If you have a Microcenter around you, they go for like $180 in store.

[mk.ultra]

If you have a Microcenter around you, they go for like $180 in store.

Nowhere near me, I'm in Wisconsin :/

[mk.ultra]

Alright I just finished ordering components for my first ever build (Fuarking stoked!). I know it's completely average, but my current PC is running Intel Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA 7600GT, and 2 GB of RAM, so to me this will be godlike.

I know I could have got some of the parts for cheaper but I don't want to wait around forever for deals.

Case – Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Power Supply – OCZ Fatal1ty 750W Modular Gaming 80Plus Bronze Power Supply

Hard Drive 1 – SanDisk Extreme SDSSDX-120G-G25 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive

Hard Drive 2 - SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

CPU – Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

Motherboard – ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Video Card – EVGA 015-P3-1480-KR GeForce GTX 480 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

RAM – G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

Writer – ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS – OEM

Cooling Fan – COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler

Grand Total: $906.90

Any tips for a first time builder? I've done a fair amount of research and I'm definitely going to take my time putting it together. I feel like the hardest part will be routing and connecting all the cables.

[roms15]

Alright I just finished ordering components for my first ever build (Fuarking stoked!). I know it's completely average, but my current PC is running Intel Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA 7600GT, and 2 GB of RAM, so to me this will be godlike.

I know I could have got some of the parts for cheaper but I don't want to wait around forever for deals.

Case – Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Power Supply – OCZ Fatal1ty 750W Modular Gaming 80Plus Bronze Power Supply

Hard Drive 1 – SanDisk Extreme SDSSDX-120G-G25 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive

Hard Drive 2 - SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

CPU – Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

Motherboard – ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Video Card – EVGA 015-P3-1480-KR GeForce GTX 480 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

RAM – G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

Writer – ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS – OEM

Cooling Fan – COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler

Grand Total: $906.90

Any tips for a first time builder? I've done a fair amount of research and I'm definitely going to take my time putting it together. I feel like the hardest part will be routing and connecting all the cables.

why did you get a 480 gtx guy?
also you should of gotten a z77mobo since its the same price as the z68
also also, you should of waited 1 more day until ivy bridge cpu (same price as SB cpu)

[mk.ultra]

why did you get a 480 gtx guy?
also you should of gotten a z77mobo since its the same price as the z68
also also, you should of waited 1 more day until ivy bridge cpu (same price as SB cpu)

480 gtx was on sale and should easily fulfill my needs, i don't have an unlimited budget

I thought Ivy Bridge wasn't coming out until the 28th, and I also thought it was more expensive

[roms15]

480 gtx was on sale

I thought Ivy Bridge wasn't coming out until the 28th, and I also thought it was more expensive
nda is lifted the 23rd so reviews and benchmarks will be posted, retail is the 29th
and they are pretty much the same price

[mk.ultra]

nda is lifted the 23rd so reviews and benchmarks will be posted, retail is the 29th
and they are pretty much the same price

Maybe I'll return my CPU for an Ivy Bridge but judging by the reviews of these parts it should run SC2 on ultra settings pretty easily.

[Bcider]

Maybe I'll return my CPU for an Ivy Bridge but judging by the reviews of these parts it should run SC2 on ultra settings pretty easily.

You should have waited. If you had sandy already the upgrade prolly isnt worth it, but if not then you should have waited. The ivybridge equivalents are only like $10 more.

[mk.ultra]

You should have waited. If you had sandy already the upgrade prolly isnt worth it, but if not then you should have waited. The ivybridge equivalents are only like $10 more.

It's all good Newegg said they'll waive the return shipping fee.

[TouchdownRobots]

from what I've seen and read Ivy is slightly faster at stock than Sandy. However Sandy is a better overclocker because Ivy was built to be more power efficient and is using a new 22nm process and using new 3D transistors for the first time.

[Zitnik]

^^^ What he said.

If you have a Sandy Bridge, there is absolutely no point to upgrade to Ivy Bridge unless you're someone who likes to have the newest hardware just to have it.

[Justin Buchana]

New question dewds

Currently have a evga 570 sc that my wife will be getting and is going to be a sli. Do I need the exact same 570 sc or will any 570 do? I'm assuming if I can use a standard 570 I will have to down clock or oc one to match each other right?

[Aamon]

Just totally upgraded my PC added a new mobo (Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3), processor (i5 2500k @4.8), a Corsair processor cooler, 8GB Corsair Vengeance and a GTX680...feelsgoodman, runs everything I throw at it...case is an Antec 902 I believe (bought it in 09). Think I did well with the cable management, considering its not a modular PSU.

http://i41.tinypic.com/28v4lli.jpg

[jamie93]

Got a new psu

http://i.imgur.com/u7ORY.jpg



then i did some cable management and it looks much better. but didn't get an inside of it

I got a new house plant...ok it's more of a tree, so i thought id photo the cute couple together

http://i.imgur.com/4mO3Y.jpg

[HawtStuff]

How high is everyone pushing their i5 2500k? I got a noctua nh d-14 and will probably look to push it to 4.5ghz. Is this still too low? Should I try to get 5.0ghz/

[roms15]

How high is everyone pushing their i5 2500k? I got a noctua nh d-14 and will probably look to push it to 4.5ghz. Is this still too low? Should I try to get 5.0ghz/
it honestly depends on your chip

you may get lucky

[HawtStuff]

Finally got my comp all put together. Trying to figure out my i5 2500k clock speed now and possibly overclocking my gtx 570.

http://i.imgur.com/TU7dF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/msmRt.jpg

[jamie93]

How high is everyone pushing their i5 2500k? I got a noctua nh d-14 and will probably look to push it to 4.5ghz. Is this still too low? Should I try to get 5.0ghz/


I have a d14 and I benched my 2600k at 5.2

I personally wouldn't exceed 4.8 for daily use. I have it set at 4.6 24/7

[JM3K]

how hard is adding a cooler fan yourself to comp?

[jamie93]

how hard is adding a cooler fan yourself to comp?

an actual fan, or a cpu cooler?

both relatively simple

[HawtStuff]

how hard is adding a cooler fan yourself to comp?

Honestly this was my first computer project and I thought it was pretty easy/straight forward. I pretty much watched a youtube installation video and I feel like I'm a pro already. Assuming you have a popular/common cooler, there shouldn't be a problem finding a youtube install video.

[JM3K]

Honestly this was my first computer project and I thought it was pretty easy/straight forward. I pretty much watched a youtube installation video and I feel like I'm a pro already. Assuming you have a popular/common cooler, there shouldn't be a problem finding a youtube install video.

ah k cool, just in the process of building a new comp, but i forgot about a cooler and not very computer techy

[Negbro]

Finally got my comp all put together. Trying to figure out my i5 2500k clock speed now and possibly overclocking my gtx 570.

Dat cable management. Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng

[Justin Buchana]

Finally got my comp all put together. Trying to figure out my i5 2500k clock speed now and possibly overclocking my gtx 570.

http://i.imgur.com/TU7dF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/msmRt.jpg

The 570 is a good ocer, I can push mine to 880/2100 at 1.075v that stressed stable and plays stable in everything except bf3 in bf3 I can get it to 850/2000 at 1.063v without the driver crash. Found out the driver was crashing by going in and finding my voltage reset to stock after the game would crash.

Bf3 is a very picky game though, Realtek audio driver were causing a crash, a oc that was stable everywhere else cause a crash, while accessing hd for loading and I could feel my portable hd spin up....crash. I also had to 100% clean install drivers, but finally the crashing is gone.

[HawtStuff]

The 570 is a good ocer, I can push mine to 880/2100 at 1.075v that stressed stable and plays stable in everything except bf3 in bf3 I can get it to 850/2000 at 1.063v without the driver crash. Found out the driver was crashing by going in and finding my voltage reset to stock after the game would crash.

Bf3 is a very picky game though, Realtek audio driver were causing a crash, a oc that was stable everywhere else cause a crash, while accessing hd for loading and I could feel my portable hd spin up....crash. I also had to 100% clean install drivers, but finally the crashing is gone.

Are you able to run bf3 on max settings? I was under the impression this card would be able to run every game in the market right now on max.

[Justin Buchana]

Are you able to run bf3 on max settings? I was under the impression this card would be able to run every game in the market right now on max.

Yeah consistently 1080p on ultra at 40-60. Under very very extreme situations, lots of smoke, multiple explosions it will hit the 30s but that's not tooo often

[Iceberg56]

Hey guys, computer noob here...I havent had a desktop for years, played D2 for a while back in the day but since college all ive used was a laptop and played games on consoles.

I want to get back into computer gaming but im on a bit of a budget. I am looking to play games like GW2 and/or DIII.

I saw some diy combo kits on newegg for around $500-600 like this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.864860

would this be capable of getting the job done for these games? P.S. I already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse

[roms15]

Hey guys, computer noob here...I havent had a desktop for years, played D2 for a while back in the day but since college all ive used was a laptop and played games on consoles.

I want to get back into computer gaming but im on a bit of a budget. I am looking to play games like GW2 and/or DIII.

I saw some diy combo kits on newegg for around $500-600 like this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.864860

would this be capable of getting the job done for these games? P.S. I already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse


okay ill help you build a nice efficient computer for Diablo 3 purposes, just tell me a couple of things

which parts do you need? do you need everything (as in, are you starting from scratch?)
and what will you mostly use the computer for?

[Iceberg56]

okay ill help you build a nice efficient computer for Diablo 3 purposes, just tell me a couple of things

which parts do you need? do you need everything (as in, are you starting from scratch?)
and what will you mostly use the computer for?

yes im going to be starting from scratch so ill need basically everything lol

for usage, id say mostly gaming and maybe some movies or such since i'll be using my laptop for school/work purposes

[roms15]

yes im going to be starting from scratch so ill need basically everything lol

for usage, id say mostly gaming and maybe some movies or such since i'll be using my laptop for school/work purposes

I'll just give you the same advice as i gave some guy in another thread.
For around 500-600$ you can buy a sick computer! all new parts, including a z77 motherboard(released April 2012) and the all new Ivy Bridge cpu (hitting retail the 29th of April).
This rig will last you undoubtedly a long time! And most importantly, it will be easily upgradable.
But there is a slight catch. This rig will have no Graphics Card. Now don't freak out. (You can still get a Graphics Card if you want). If you are the kind of person who is going to be playing games like Diablo 3 and GW2, you don't have much to worry about since the IGP in the IB cpu will be able to run both D3 and GW2. What's the point of this, you may ask? Well some people with a budget similar to yourself simply can't afford to blow 1k-2k on a brand new current gen rig. And since you particularly want to play D3/GW2, you can save money on a GPU for the time being and enjoy these games without one. And in the future, you can even buy a GPU if you want. You get the best of both worlds, a current gen rig, at half the price. And somewhere down the line when you decide you want to play more graphically demanding games such as Skyrim and BF3, you can always buy a GPU. By that time, the GPU that you were going to buy is much cheaper, better yet, you will most likely have enough money to buy a great GPU, while the rest of your rig is already top-of-the-line.

But if you choose to build a rig thats low-mid range, then it will lose its value quicker, and when the following year rolls around, you're going to want to update some of your parts, you're going to have to replace your whole system.
Think of a computer as an investment.


IGP in IB will do a good job in handling the graphical needs of D3 (medium-low settings, decent resolution, smooth gameplay)

[Iceberg56]

I'll just give you the same advice as i gave some guy in another thread.
For around 500-600$ you can buy a sick computer! all new parts, including a z77 motherboard(released April 2012) and the all new Ivy Bridge cpu (hitting retail the 29th of April).
This rig will last you undoubtedly a long time! And most importantly, it will be easily upgradable.
But there is a slight catch. This rig will have no Graphics Card. Now don't freak out. (You can still get a Graphics Card if you want). If you are the kind of person who is going to be playing games like Diablo 3 and GW2, you don't have much to worry about since the IGP in the IB cpu will be able to run both D3 and GW2. What's the point of this, you may ask? Well some people with a budget similar to yourself simply can't afford to blow 1k-2k on a brand new current gen rig. And since you particularly want to play D3/GW2, you can save money on a GPU for the time being and enjoy these games without one. And in the future, you can even buy a GPU if you want. You get the best of both worlds, a current gen rig, at half the price. And somewhere down the line when you decide you want to play more graphically demanding games such as Skyrim and BF3, you can always buy a GPU. By that time, the GPU that you were going to buy is much cheaper, better yet, you will most likely have enough money to buy a great GPU, while the rest of your rig is already top-of-the-line.

But if you choose to build a rig thats low-mid range, then it will lose its value quicker, and when the following year rolls around, you're going to want to update some of your parts, you're going to have to replace your whole system.
Think of a computer as an investment.


IGP in IB will do a good job in handling the graphical needs of D3 (medium-low settings, decent resolution, smooth gameplay)

Wow thanks for the awesome advice! I really appreciate it. I never thought about looking at it as an investment but you are totally right. You gave me alot to think about lol

Again thanks for the info! Repped

[toneekay]

I'll just give you the same advice as i gave some guy in another thread.
For around 500-600$ you can buy a sick computer! all new parts, including a z77 motherboard(released April 2012) and the all new Ivy Bridge cpu (hitting retail the 29th of April).
This rig will last you undoubtedly a long time! And most importantly, it will be easily upgradable.
But there is a slight catch. This rig will have no Graphics Card. Now don't freak out. (You can still get a Graphics Card if you want). If you are the kind of person who is going to be playing games like Diablo 3 and GW2, you don't have much to worry about since the IGP in the IB cpu will be able to run both D3 and GW2. What's the point of this, you may ask? Well some people with a budget similar to yourself simply can't afford to blow 1k-2k on a brand new current gen rig. And since you particularly want to play D3/GW2, you can save money on a GPU for the time being and enjoy these games without one. And in the future, you can even buy a GPU if you want. You get the best of both worlds, a current gen rig, at half the price. And somewhere down the line when you decide you want to play more graphically demanding games such as Skyrim and BF3, you can always buy a GPU. By that time, the GPU that you were going to buy is much cheaper, better yet, you will most likely have enough money to buy a great GPU, while the rest of your rig is already top-of-the-line.

But if you choose to build a rig thats low-mid range, then it will lose its value quicker, and when the following year rolls around, you're going to want to update some of your parts, you're going to have to replace your whole system.
Think of a computer as an investment.

IGP in IB will do a good job in handling the graphical needs of D3 (medium-low settings, decent resolution, smooth gameplay)

Some valid points here, especially about a computer being an investment.... HOWEVER, low/medium settings + lower resolutions (I would say around 1600x900), is probably the highest you can go with your IGP without lagging at every little action going on.

For the amount of the system you listed above (around $575), you can totally build a current tech computer and possibly skimp a little on the GPU, but still recieve awesome performance while gaming. Anything from the Intel Sandy Bridge line and newer will last you for several years to come; you just have to know what to buy, and where to buy it.

EDIT: Here's a list similar to the link you've posted with the parts except this build will be a little more efficient as far as cooling.

BIOSTAR TZ77B LGA 1155 Intel Z77
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138352

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018

ASUS Black 12X BD-ROM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247

NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061

TOTAL: $437.70 shipped


*** I purposely left of the processor and video card as there IB and the new Nvidia Kelper mid-range cards are right around the corner. However, it's very possible to pick up something along the lines of a SB processor and still will last you just as long as they new IB processors. As far as the GPU goes, if you're in a hurry to buy a system within the next few days, then something a long the lines of an HD 6850 or a GTX 460 (rather old) can be had for around $140 or so, which would play your games at high settings without a hiccup.

Notes: About the listed parts chosen above... you now have a Z77 motherboard, capable of IB and PCIe3.0 for your newer line cards, a slightly faster ram, a slightly better cooling efficient case, anddd a Blu-Ray drive which I don't think you really need if you have a PS3 or a BR player already and could save you like $35 bucks. But all in all, you could have a decent, long lasting setup without breaking $800 which is what most mainstream gamers end up spending.

[roms15]

^wait, i think you just confused yourself....lol

the system Im proposing can be exactly the same as yours.
Aside from the z77 chipset and IB cpu, all other parts can be interchangeable)
I'm saying that you can save money on GPU for now, (If you want, you can also get a GPU) and play games like D3 completely fine with the IGP on the IB cpu....and when the right time comes (you save money, or GPU drops in price) when you feel like you want to play graphically demanding games like crysis on max settings, you can buy a GPU.

[mk.ultra]

I just started installing some of my parts and I have a newb question. I'm using an OCZ Fatal1ty modular power supply and I'm not sure where to plug my input cable which I have connected to both of my hard drives. There are 6 different ports that it will fit into. Does it matter which one I use?

[toneekay]

^wait, i think you just confused yourself....lol

the system Im proposing can be exactly the same as yours.
Aside from the z77 chipset and IB cpu, all other parts can be interchangeable)
I'm saying that you can save money on GPU for now, (If you want, you can also get a GPU) and play games like D3 completely fine with the IGP on the IB cpu....and when the right time comes (you save money, or GPU drops in price) when you feel like you want to play graphically demanding games like crysis on max settings, you can buy a GPU.

Hmm... I might just did? I don't know, I read your post as if to not get a GPU and use the IGP instead. Sure you can use the IGP, but the graphic performance is pretty bad considering what type of settings you use. In my opinion, not having the settings cranked all the up and no AA enabled makes games look bad. With the IGP you will not be able to do that which makes the decision of purchasing a discrete video card a better option. Especially coming from an XBOX or PS3 where graphics aren't at their minimum (usually somewhere in between low and high), it's going to be hard to accept gaming on a computer at lower graphic detail. Heck, most people switch over to PCs because they WANT to see all the beautiful vibrant colors and high details and textures that games now days have to offer.



I just started installing some of my parts and I have a newb question. I'm using an OCZ Fatal1ty modular power supply and I'm not sure where to plug my input cable which I have connected to both of my hard drives. There are 6 different ports that it will fit into. Does it matter which one I use?

There should be a manual, however you can just match the ends to the matching ports.

[crsarellano]

Here's the beast im building this week. Still not done(newborn interupts me every 5 seconds lol), dont mind the ****ty cable management either ill fix that. Mainly, im just frustrated at the cpu power cord that isnt long enough to run through the back, so its running strait accross over the hyper 212+.

Intel i5 2500k
asrock z68 extreme3 gen3
gtx 480 sli
1000w kwi lazer PSU
16gb (8x2) ddr3-1333 ram
1tb 7200rpm hdd
120gb ocz agility 3 ssd
cooler master hyper 212+ push/pull setup
haf 912 case 6 total fans, 3 exhaust 3 intake
win7 home premium 64


http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/416684_430666190280241_100000105900415_1808099_141 9622966_o.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/412258_430889980257862_100000105900415_1808483_902 975421_o.jpg

[Nara62629]

I just started installing some of my parts and I have a newb question. I'm using an OCZ Fatal1ty modular power supply and I'm not sure where to plug my input cable which I have connected to both of my hard drives. There are 6 different ports that it will fit into. Does it matter which one I use?
they are all sata ports. i'm guessing u have 4 intel ports and prob 2 marvell ports. i would use the intel ports first. just read your manual and it'll tell you which are which. they are usually diff colored. like intel would be grey and marvell would be blue or something like that.

[Iceberg56]

Some valid points here, especially about a computer being an investment.... HOWEVER, low/medium settings + lower resolutions (I would say around 1600x900), is probably the highest you can go with your IGP without lagging at every little action going on.

For the amount of the system you listed above (around $575), you can totally build a current tech computer and possibly skimp a little on the GPU, but still recieve awesome performance while gaming. Anything from the Intel Sandy Bridge line and newer will last you for several years to come; you just have to know what to buy, and where to buy it.

EDIT: Here's a list similar to the link you've posted with the parts except this build will be a little more efficient as far as cooling.

BIOSTAR TZ77B LGA 1155 Intel Z77
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138352

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018

ASUS Black 12X BD-ROM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247

NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061

TOTAL: $437.70 shipped


*** I purposely left of the processor and video card as there IB and the new Nvidia Kelper mid-range cards are right around the corner. However, it's very possible to pick up something along the lines of a SB processor and still will last you just as long as they new IB processors. As far as the GPU goes, if you're in a hurry to buy a system within the next few days, then something a long the lines of an HD 6850 or a GTX 460 (rather old) can be had for around $140 or so, which would play your games at high settings without a hiccup.

Notes: About the listed parts chosen above... you now have a Z77 motherboard, capable of IB and PCIe3.0 for your newer line cards, a slightly faster ram, a slightly better cooling efficient case, anddd a Blu-Ray drive which I don't think you really need if you have a PS3 or a BR player already and could save you like $35 bucks. But all in all, you could have a decent, long lasting setup without breaking $800 which is what most mainstream gamers end up spending.

Thanks for the info and added parts. The more efficent it can run the better as far as i see it.

Probably by the time i get all the parts a set it up, ill run it for a couple weeks and by then maybe ill have some extra cash to throw in a decent GPU

With you're guys info at least now i have an idea of what i need to do what i wanna do especially on a tight budget like mine. Plus knowing it will last for the next couple years is great to know

Repped!

Edit: Oh and as far as the Blu-ray drive you're right i dont think ill really need it. So maybe ill just get an average dvd/cd drive and save that money for a video card and/or a small upgrade somewhere else

[mk.ultra]

they are all sata ports. i'm guessing u have 4 intel ports and prob 2 marvell ports. i would use the intel ports first. just read your manual and it'll tell you which are which. they are usually diff colored. like intel would be grey and marvell would be blue or something like that.

Alright perfect I found a picture of it. Currently I am using the top 2 black ones. And I guess they couldn't plug into the red ports, I didn't realize they had all 6 pins.

http://www.hardwarelook.com/images/reviews/OCZ%20Fatal1ty/large/4.jpg

Besides that everything is going along pretty swimmingly, all I have left to do install my GPU, plug my GPU and motherboard into power, and order another SATA cable for my writer.

And then cross my fingers and hope it turns on.

[Justin Buchana]

Alright perfect I found a picture of it. Currently I am using the top 2 black ones. And I guess they couldn't plug into the red ports, I didn't realize they had all 6 pins.

http://www.hardwarelook.com/images/reviews/OCZ%20Fatal1ty/large/4.jpg

Besides that everything is going along pretty swimmingly, all I have left to do install my GPU, plug my GPU and motherboard into power, and order another SATA cable for my writer.

And then cross my fingers and hope it turns on.

The initial boot ups are always the worse.... My eyes are always like o_o it's taking to long.... What is doa, what did I do wrong!!! Then it works

[reyes12]

mirin oldschool build I did in about 15 minutes lulz.

here it is sitting next to my main rig
http://i.imgur.com/pSWRW.jpg?1

also moar:

http://i.imgur.com/IRzJv.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qhdYQ.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/X5bLW.jpg?1


Specs:

300w psu
10gb hdd (lmao)
amd athlon x2 4200+ 2.2ghz
DDR 2gb ram
some chit 939 motherboard from a prebuilt pc I used to have
windows ME case
wireless linksys wrt54g pci card

Plans for my oldschool build:
will get a bigger psu (450w) so I can put in my nvidia 9600gt.
will buy some 80gb HDD from craigslist for 20 bucks
will install windows 7 later.

[roms15]

mirin oldschool build I did in about 15 minutes lulz.

here it is sitting next to my main rig
http://i.imgur.com/pSWRW.jpg?1

also moar:

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/IRzJv.jpg

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/qhdYQ.jpg?1[IMG]

IMG]http://i.imgur.com/X5bLW.jpg?1


Specs:

300w psu
10gb hdd (lmao)
amd athlon x2 4200+ 2.2ghz
DDR 2gb ram
some chit 939 motherboard from a prebuilt pc I used to have
windows ME case
wireless linksys wrt54g pci card

Plans for my oldschool build:
will get a bigger psu (450w) so I can put in my nvidia 9600gt.
will buy some 80gb HDD from craigslist for 20 bucks
will install windows 7 later.

challenge accepted, I'm going to rebuild my old school rig now!

[reyes12]

challenge accepted, I'm going to rebuild my old school rig now!

In for dis.


This comp had much much older parts in it, but it wouldn't go past the bootscreen, installed the new old stuff, tried to see if windows ME would boot, took forever, installed XP.

[mk.ultra]

The initial boot ups are always the worse.... My eyes are always like o_o it's taking to long.... What is doa, what did I do wrong!!! Then it works

It didn't work >.<

All fans turned on, the power button/power LED worked so I'm assuming the motherboard is golden. The only thing I can think of is that my writer still needs a SATA data cable but I don't think that makes a difference for just loading the BIOS screen.

Help!

[vietcong666]

It didn't work >.<

All fans turned on, the power button/power LED worked so I'm assuming the motherboard is golden. However, the GPU fan didn't turn on, I'm 90% sure that I hooked up the power to it incorrectly. But if my motherboard has integrated grraphics wouldn't it just use that if the GPU didn't power up? Or does it only rely on the discrete GPU once it is plugged in? Also, my writer still needs a SATA data cable but I don't think that makes a difference for just loading the BIOS screen.

Help!

it doesn't matter if your motherboard has a built in GPU, all PCIe devices will power on if plugged in correctly. you dont need a DVD drive to get to the BIOS. you should just plug in the power supply, motherboard, ram, and CPU to test if the machine will POST using the onboard GPU.

[mk.ultra]

it doesn't matter if your motherboard has a built in GPU, all PCIe devices will power on if plugged in correctly. you dont need a DVD drive to get to the BIOS. you should just plug in the power supply, motherboard, ram, and CPU to test if the machine will POST using the onboard GPU.

I edited my above post, my GPU is actually turning on with all the other fans. What to do?

[vietcong666]

I edited my above post, my GPU is actually turning on with all the other fans. What to do?

It is possible that on that motherboard, it will output to the onboard GPU by default. Try plugging in your monitor to the onboard to see if it will post. If this doesn't work, try what i said above.

[mk.ultra]

It is possible that on that motherboard, it will output to the onboard GPU by default. Try plugging in your monitor to the onboard to see if it will post. If this doesn't work, try what i said above.

I initially had my monitor hooked up to the motherboard's output. I just tried hooking it up to the GPU and it still didn't work.

[vietcong666]

I initially had my monitor hooked up to the motherboard's output. I just tried hooking it up to the GPU and it still didn't work.

try removing everything, including the video card. Just connect the the PSU, motherboard, ram and CPU to see if you can get it to POST. Also make sure that you have the 8 Pin PSU cable connected to the top of the motherboard. I will now go to sleep, im sure one of the other muppets can help you if this doesnt work.

[Justin Buchana]

My old school rig sitting at my dads house.... Will see if it boots. Don't remember everything

Amd Athlon 3000+
Can't remember the mobo but I think it was the popular asus one of the time.
1gig ram x2 512 sticks dual channel
100g hd
Sb audigy platinum 2
X800 pro

Had 3 systems before that but can't remember too much about them off the top of my head, except my old one was a 486, and had all old dos boot games.

[toneekay]

mirin oldschool build I did in about 15 minutes lulz.
here it is sitting next to my main rig
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/pSWRW.jpg?1[/IG]
also moar:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/IRzJv.jpg[/IG]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/qhdYQ.jpg?1[/IG]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/X5bLW.jpg?1[/IG]
Specs:
300w psu
10gb hdd (lmao)
amd athlon x2 4200+ 2.2ghz
DDR 2gb ram
some chit 939 motherboard from a prebuilt pc I used to have
windows ME case
wireless linksys wrt54g pci card
Plans for my oldschool build:
will get a bigger psu (450w) so I can put in my nvidia 9600gt.
will buy some 80gb HDD from craigslist for 20 bucks
will install windows 7 later.


challenge accepted, I'm going to rebuild my old school rig now!

Challenge also accepted... I just found an old school *** case out in the garage, finna turn that hoe into an HTPC :D



It didn't work >.<
All fans turned on, the power button/power LED worked so I'm assuming the motherboard is golden. The only thing I can think of is that my writer still needs a SATA data cable but I don't think that makes a difference for just loading the BIOS screen.
Help!

Make sure you have your 4 (or 8) pin connected; it's also located on the motherboard. Usually while putting together a computer, I like to plug in all the neccessities first then add on the extra components (GPU, sound, wirelesss, etc)... Try just plugging in your motherboard's 24-pin, 4/8-pin, hard drive, cd drive, 1 ram stick and boot up. Another thing to check out is the ram and slots, usually if you have two sticks, you'll have to plug it into dimms 1 & 3 or 2 & 4, but try just 1 stick first and then you can add in the rest later after post.

[toneekay]

Here was my first semi-old school build!

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6149/5965670510_a302f76d03.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6138/5965677622_cb16de273a.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6001/5965122813_aca1e6fb2d.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6125/5965675356_9bf46dd3c0.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6148/5965111991_970c7f535e.jpg
^ This was an intake fan from the back force feeding air to my GPU :D

- Intel C2D E5300
- MSI G41 mobo
- 4gb DDR3 1066
- Seagate 500GB HDD
- Corsair CX600
- CM TX3 Hyper (pulling from the back, pushing to the front through exp slots)
- EVGA GTX 550Ti
- Old ass case

[toneekay]

Here was my first semi-old school build!
[img]http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6149/5965670510_a302f76d03.jpg[/ig]
[img]http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6138/5965677622_cb16de273a.jpg[/ig]
[img]http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6001/5965122813_aca1e6fb2d.jpg[/ig]
[img]http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6125/5965675356_9bf46dd3c0.jpg[/ig]
[img]http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6148/5965111991_970c7f535e.jpg[/ig]
^ This was an intake fan from the back force feeding air to my GPU :D

- Intel C2D E5300
- MSI G41 mobo
- 4gb DDR3 1066
- Seagate 500GB HDD
- Corsair CX600
- CM TX3 Hyper (pulling from the back, pushing to the front through exp slots)
- EVGA GTX 550Ti
- Old ass case

Then I upgraded CPU/MOBO/RAM...


- Intel Core i3-2100
- Biostar H61MH
- G.Skill Ripjaws 8gb DDR3 1333 @ 7-7-7-21
- Cooler Master Hyper TX3 (push/pull; fans blowing forward through exp. bays)
- EVGA GTX 550 Ti @ 1000/2000/2300
- Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.0gb/s
- Corsair CX600
- CD/DVD rom
- Sitting in a really old case

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6039275796_f738f856b0_z.jpg
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*Played games like B U T T E R

[mk.ultra]

It didn't work >.<

All fans turned on, the power button/power LED worked so I'm assuming the motherboard is golden. The only thing I can think of is that my writer still needs a SATA data cable but I don't think that makes a difference for just loading the BIOS screen.

Help!

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm on top of the world right now. And wow you guys are gonna lol at my mistake: I forgot to plug an 8 pin power cable into the motherboard, it was hiding :)

Seriously couldn't sleep last night because I thought I messed something up badly. Reps all around!

[toneekay]

success!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i'm on top of the world right now. And wow you guys are gonna lol at my mistake: I forgot to plug an 8 pin power cable into the motherboard, it was hiding :)

seriously couldn't sleep last night because i thought i messed something up badly. Reps all around!

g g

[illriginalized]

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm on top of the world right now. And wow you guys are gonna lol at my mistake: I forgot to plug an 8 pin power cable into the motherboard, it was hiding :)

Seriously couldn't sleep last night because I thought I messed something up badly. Reps all around!


lol common mistake

[wereireland]

Plan on getting it:

Case
COOLERMASTER CM690 MKII ADVANCED CASE

Processor (CPU)
AMD BULLDOZER SIX CORE FX-6200 (3.80GHz/6MB CACHE/AM3+)

Motherboard
ASUS® M5A99X EVO:USB 3.0, SATA 6.0Gb/s, Quad CrossFireX™/SLI™

Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)

Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON™ HD7870 - DVI,HDMI,2 mDP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE

[Bcider]

Plan on getting it:

Case
COOLERMASTER CM690 MKII ADVANCED CASE

Processor (CPU)
AMD BULLDOZER SIX CORE FX-6200 (3.80GHz/6MB CACHE/AM3+)

Motherboard
ASUS® M5A99X EVO:USB 3.0, SATA 6.0Gb/s, Quad CrossFireX™/SLI™

Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)

Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON™ HD7870 - DVI,HDMI,2 mDP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE

Why in the hell would you consider getting that piece of chit faildozer? Srs, I'm no fanboy, but that bulldozer was the biggest piece of crap processor released in a long time. It gets owned by Intel's offerings in gaming without comparison.

[Jereremy]

Plan on getting it:

Case
COOLERMASTER CM690 MKII ADVANCED CASE

Processor (CPU)
AMD BULLDOZER SIX CORE FX-6200 (3.80GHz/6MB CACHE/AM3+)

Motherboard
ASUS® M5A99X EVO:USB 3.0, SATA 6.0Gb/s, Quad CrossFireX™/SLI™

Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)

Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON™ HD7870 - DVI,HDMI,2 mDP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE
Get the 8120 it's less than the 6200 and performs better, also I'd get faster ram, and you gonna get a cpu cooler?

[wereireland]

Why in the hell would you consider getting that piece of chit faildozer? Srs, I'm no fanboy, but that bulldozer was the biggest piece of crap processor released in a long time. It gets owned by Intel's offerings in gaming without comparison.
Srs? I will switch it for a 1-2500 then? I always wanted intel but didn't because they were more expensive..

[wereireland]

Get the 8120 it's less than the 6200 and performs better, also I'd get faster ram, and you gonna get a cpu cooler?
a faster ram isn't really that benefical to me.. and if i ever wanted to upgrade in the future its pretty simple to do. and yes i do have a cooler just didn't list it