[_woLf]

are those intake or exhaust? I cant figure out if I should make my top fans intake or exhaust... on one hand exhaust will take out the hot air. on the other...

I would say it depends how open your side fan/front intake are to good airflow. My case is right next to my desk on the right side, which partially blocks the left door's fans from being efficient, so my top fans are intake.

edit: it also matters if you have an h100, as you'd rather not be drawing in hot air from the case into the h100's radiator :P

[MrBig]

Does anyone know any affordable desktop monitors with matte screen finishes?

Most monitors these days (to my dismay, at least) are matte. They control reflections but suffer in every other aspect.

[1-D_FTW]

are those intake or exhaust? I cant figure out if I should make my top fans intake or exhaust... on one hand exhaust will take out the hot air. on the other...

It doesn't really matter. If you're pushing in a lot of air with intakes, the air is coming out of the case whether you have exhaust fans or not. It's simple physics at work.

[Pop On Arrival]

Sup, GAF

I'm planning on buying my friends MSI 560ti for like $100. Anyway, I completely trust the dude, so that's not the issue I'm worried about. Unfortunately, I've only got a 2.4ghz Quadcore CPU. It's like 4 years old. I guess I would like to know how much my crap CPU is gonna bottleneck my 560ti? I know it isn't exactly top of the line these days, but I've been rocking a GTS 250 for the past 3.

[Ledsen]

Pretty sure you'll get a huge boost from that card upgrade even with the CPU possibly bottlenecking it, considering how horrible your current card is. Also that's a great price.

[Sethos]

Last pieces of hardware arrived, among them the single most expensive item of the entire build.



'Tis going to be hot.

[Fallout-NL]

Mother of god.gif

[brotkasten]

Last pieces of hardware arrived, among them the single most expensive item of the entire build. 'Tis going to be hot.

I'd love to replace my dead 500 GB storage HDD with this little boy.

[Ledsen]

Last pieces of hardware arrived, among them the single most expensive item of the entire build. [IM]http://i.minus.com/ibjRx1mzsj87YK.png[/G] 'Tis going to be hot.

Holy shit please share you riches with me sir, I'm but a poor peasant...

[Fallout-NL]

Sup, GAF I'm planning on buying my friends MSI 560ti for like $100. Anyway, I completely trust the dude, so that's not the issue I'm worried about. Unfortunately, I've only got a 2.4ghz Quadcore CPU. It's like 4 years old. I guess I would like to know how much my crap CPU is gonna bottleneck my 560ti? I know it isn't exactly top of the line these days, but I've been rocking a GTS 250 for the past 3.

Pretty sure you'll get a huge boost from that card upgrade even with the CPU possibly bottlenecking it, considering how horrible your current card is. Also that's a great price.

Yep, you'll be fine.

[Karmum]

Last pieces of hardware arrived, among them the single most expensive item of the entire build. 'Tis going to be hot.

Only a few more hours, only a few more hours, only a few more hours and my 128GB M4 will be where it belongs. It's not 500 plus GB but that's okay. :(

To think at this very moment I could have these insane computer rigs like some of you do...but I also like having money in my bank account. Yours is coming along very nicely.

[JB1981]

When a particular "socket" is listed in the list of components as part of the PC config, what does that mean?

I'm referring to this list:

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...uide/Guide.png

[1-D_FTW]

When a particular "socket" is listed in the list of components as part of the PC config, what does that mean? I'm referring to this list: http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...uide/Guide.png

What kind of motherboard you need for the CPU.

[MrPing1000]

When a particular "socket" is listed in the list of components as part of the PC config, what does that mean? I'm referring to this list: http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...uide/Guide.png

Socket is the design of the processor. Just need a cpu and a mobo with the same socket. The cpu plugs into the socket on the mobo. Most i5s are LGA1155, some i7s are LGA1155, some are LGA1366, some are LGA2011

[JB1981]

Socket is the design of the processor. Just need a cpu and a mobo with the same socket. The cpu plugs into the socket on the mobo. Most i5s are LGA1155, some i7s are LGA1155, some are LGA1366, some are LGA2011

OK so matching the socket on the CPU and Mobo is an absolute must then? edit: ok i see now that the motherboard lists compatible cpu types.

What do you guys think of the intel great build on here? -- http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...uide/Guide.png

7850 is much better than Gti 560? And is there any reason to bump up to intel it 2500k as opposed to 2400?

[Ledsen]

OK so matching the socket on the CPU and Mobo is an absolute must then? edit: ok i see now that the motherboard lists compatible cpu types. What do you guys think of the intel great build on here? -- http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...uide/Guide.png 7850 is much better than Gti 560? And is there any reason to bump up to intel it 2500k as opposed to 2400?

Yeah if you have the wrong socket, the processor won't fit and won't work in that mobo.

[brotkasten]

This is a bit off topic, I guess, but can you guys recommend data recovery tools for failed hard drives? I actually just need one single file, because that one was created before the scheduled backup. The HDD and its two partitions are getting recognized, but only as RAW partitions. I hooked the HDD up on a SATA/USB adapter and I'm running a scan with Recover My Files, but it's awfully slow (about 10% in over 24 hours). I'd appreciate the help and/or tips.

[Sulla1980]

Hey everyone,

I am having trouble picking my mobo to pair with a 3570k, so I am looking for opinions. As a note, I will be overclocking and have all necessary parts. I am just hoping to upgrade my CPU.

All three seem to have similar features, just wondering if people have personal preferences.

I honestly can't decide between these three:

The ASRock z77 Extreme4 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157293)

The Asus P8Z77-V LX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...20p8z77-v%20lx)

or the Gigabyte GA-Z77MX - D3H (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128543).

They are all at the same price. I know that the OP has some recommendations, but I am a Canadian going for a drive to take advantage of some MicroCenter prices, so some of those boards aren't available to me.

Thanks in advance!

[Wolf Akela]

7850 is much better than Gti 560? And is there any reason to bump up to intel it 2500k as opposed to 2400?

If you're gonna overclock (easy to do), 2500k will be a massive upgrade over 2400. It also helps that that guide lists motherboards that actually support overclocking.

7850 is quite better, but it's up to you if it's worth the extra cost.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=547

I honestly can't decide between these three:

A quick look tells me you should get the AsRock because it has more ports for SATA and USB 3.0. Not to mention it looks more badass. :P

[Sethos]

I seem to have this faint fan hum that keeps going up and down, you can hear it ever so slightly ... It's annoying me.

[Sulla1980]

A quick look tells me you should get the AsRock because it has more ports for SATA and USB 3.0. Not to mention it looks more badass. :P

Thanks! Agreed on the looks aspect, as well.

[longdi]

I would avoid gigabyte..they had problem with their bios for like forever..

asrock is fine but asus is finer imo

[kharma45]

7850 is much better than Gti 560?

Yeah if you can afford the extra outlay go for the 7850, overclocks really really well.

[da_stabbah]

hello PC-Gaf
looking into moving my stuff into a MicroATX enclosure for the good looks.
i'm running a i5 2500K on a ASUS microATX board
i have had my eye on this LianLi case for awhile http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112221
more info here: http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product...s_index=63&g=f
anyone have this? or something similar from a diff. manufacturer? I currently have a LianLi mid tower full aluminium and would like to continue down that path.
would this be a better option?
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product...s_index=63&g=f

let me know.
thanks!

[Shambles]

Last pieces of hardware arrived, among them the single most expensive item of the entire build. 'Tis going to be hot.

Yeesh I thought my 256GB M4 was crazy, now that's as big SSD.

Have most of my gear together now and build what I had last night. I'm just missing the case (690 II advanced USB3, being shipped) and GPU (waiting for the DC2 670). Sadly the system is frequently freezing so either the motherboard is bad (Gigabyte Z77 DH3 which I just bought locally) or the PSU (TPN-650 Which i bought a year ago and has been sitting on the shelf the whole time :(). I really hope it's the motherboard because it's a hell of a lot easier to return. I know the memory is good, I know my SSD is good, and 99.99% of the time it's not the CPU that's faulty. Once I get home today I'll have to start transplanting parts out of my old machine to see what the issue is. It's just so much nicer when a build 'just works' and that's also why I'm so hesitant to buy from e-tailers since RMA'ing is such a biatch.

[Sulla1980]

I would avoid gigabyte..they had problem with their bios for like forever.. asrock is fine but asus is finer imo

Thanks! I should have mentioned that I have a general fondness for ASUS, having had two really good boards from them already. I am a little uncertain about the reliability of ASRock, though.

[Shambles]

Hey everyone, I am having trouble picking my mobo to pair with a 3570k, so I am looking for opinions. As a note, I will be overclocking and have all necessary parts. I am just hoping to upgrade my CPU. All three seem to have similar features, just wondering if people have personal preferences. I honestly can't decide between these three: The ASRock z77 Extreme4 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157293) The Asus P8Z77-V LX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...20p8z77-v%20lx) or the Gigabyte GA-Z77MX - D3H (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128543). They are all at the same price. I know that the OP has some recommendations, but I am a Canadian going for a drive to take advantage of some MicroCenter prices, so some of those boards aren't available to me. Thanks in advance!

The Extreme4 is a solid board however it retails for quite a bit more up here than in the states. NCIX has it for $180-40MIR but MIR's can be sketchy and if you're spending $180 on a motherboard than you should be comparing it to other $180 motherboards not budget boards. I just bought the D3H and it seems decent. I was thinking about the UD3H but really i -never- go multi-GPU so there's no point in me spending an extra $30 just to have the option. Asus can make some good boards but generally they are over-priced and their RMA process is an absolute nightmare to go through so I didn't even look at Asus. Otherwise I was looking at the MSI G45 or Biostar XE3. They all seemed pretty good but I ended up making my decision mostly on price and local availability. Also I am only going to do a medium amount of overclocking. All these boards will overclock largely the same on air but if you're wanting to do extreme overclocking the D3H has the weakest power regulation out of all of them. If you are water-cooling this may matter to you but chances are you'd be looking at more expensive motherboards in the first place if that was your goal.

[K' Dash]

Guys I have the items below on my cart ready to buy, I need someone to check them for me if they are the right componentsm please:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A2EUTVCJXLAJ4K
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Thanks in advance

[Pop On Arrival]

Thanks for responses, guys. Can't wait to finally play modern games on PC above 720p and 30fps, haha.

[gate777]

I'll be buying a video card next week and have narrowed down to 2 choices. AMD HD7850 or Nvidia GTX650. I want a PCI-E 3.0 card and all the older nvidias are 2.0. I'm not paying over $300 (including tax) so the top of the line cards are out of the question. Anyone know when the Nvidia 650 will hit the market? According to http://www.gpureview.com/GeForce-GTX-650-card-673.html, it released at the beginning of May.

Anyone?

[mkenyon]

Looks good so far man...love the white memory modules...looks really nice. What fans are you using for your H100? I also see that you did not connect the fans to the water block, you going to control them with a fan controller instead? That 690 looks mighty fine as well. Evga will be releasing a little utility program so that you can change the intensity of the lighting on the 690, I think they also mentioned that you can make it pulse or stuff like that.

I use Spectre Pro's for everything. After test fitting the H100, I decided to just go ahead and start the custom loop without the 690 in it. Ordered an Alphacool ST30 360mm radiator, XSPC Raystorm, Mayhem's Pastel Green concentrate, and fittings.

The H100 just doesn't give me the performance I'm looking for with 2011 cooling. The ST30 will dissipate about 200W of heat with fans in just push at 1300-1400RPM.

Beautiful, 16 gbs of corsair vengenace low profile ram? I just ordered 8 gigs lol

If it were anything but quad channel, I would have stuck with 8 gigs too. 16 is totally overkill.

It doesn't really matter. If you're pushing in a lot of air with intakes, the air is coming out of the case whether you have exhaust fans or not. It's simple physics at work.

It does, you *always* want positive pressure. Always always.

Anyone?

Why do you want a PCI-E 3.0 card? Do you know what benefits it gives you?

Guys I have the items below on my cart ready to buy, I need someone to check them for me if they are the right componentsm please: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A2EUTVCJXLAJ4K http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER Thanks in advance

You want 1.5V RAM, not 1.65V. Get the stuff in the OP. I don't know much about the Z77 LX, but IIRC, the Z68 LX was not a good choice due to limited voltage and multiplier control.

[Alrix]

Just wondering, has anybody used both the Razer Naga and the Naga Hex and can compare them for me? My naga broke and I'm wondering if I should try this new model (hex) or just get the same one I already had.

[Horsemama1956]

Anyone?

The 650(and Ti) is not in the same performance/price bracket(better not be anyways) then the 7850. The 650 ti is around a 7770 in terms of expected performance, while the standard 650 will be less. If the 650 is what you really want, just get a 7770 now. Next option is the 7850 for PCIE 3.0.

[kharma45]

Anyone?

Go for the 7850.

As for the 650 it could be a long way off if the supply manager for Overclockers is to be believed going by the date for the 660.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/sho...5#post21792525

[K' Dash]

You want 1.5V RAM, not 1.65V. Get the stuff in the OP. I don't know much about the Z77 LX, but IIRC, the Z68 LX was not a good choice due to limited voltage and multiplier control.

the Z77 LX is the one reomended in the OP IIRC, can you recomend me a good MoBo in the same price range please?

[Mangotron]

Just wondering, has anybody used both the Razer Naga and the Naga Hex and can compare them for me? My naga broke and I'm wondering if I should try this new model (hex) or just get the same one I already had.

I haven't used both of them, but the Hex is designed for DOTA style games, and the regular Naga is just for mmos in general. The main difference between them is that the Hex has fewer buttons iirc.

[JB1981]

If I buy the 'Excellent' build in the OP (and don't plan on overclocking) do I need to buy a heatsink or can I get away with the stock CPU cooler? And why can't I just go with the onboard sound on the mobo?

[gate777]

The 650(and Ti) is not in the same performance/price bracket(better not be anyways) then the 7850. The 650 ti is around a 7770 in terms of expected performance, while the standard 650 will be less. If the 650 is what you really want, just get a 7770 now. Next option is the 7850 for PCIE 3.0.

Go for the 7850. As for the 650 it could be a long way off if the supply manager for Overclockers is to be believed going by the date for the 660. http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/sho...5#post21792525

Thanks guys, 7850 it is then. :)

[mkenyon]

Just so you know, PCI-E 3.0 doesn't do anything for you on the GPU front unless you're maxing out PCI-E 2.0 bandwidth. It takes 680s in SLI using x8 PCI-E 2.0 to do that. At x16 2.0, it's not even close.

[Fallout-NL]

If I buy the 'Excellent' build in the OP (and don't plan on overclocking) do I need to buy a heatsink or can I get away with the stock CPU cooler? And why can't I just go with the onboard sound on the mobo?

Onboard sound is fine. Stock coolers suck though, incredibly noisy and less efficient. So even though OC potential might not be worth it for you, the blissful silence is definitely a thing to consider.

[mkenyon]

If I buy the 'Excellent' build in the OP (and don't plan on overclocking) do I need to buy a heatsink or can I get away with the stock CPU cooler? And why can't I just go with the onboard sound on the mobo?

You should plan on overclocking. Two values, thats it. 20-30% free linear performance.

the Z77 LX is the one reomended in the OP IIRC, can you recomend me a good MoBo in the same price range please?

Taking a look, it just makes the OC a bit more difficult. The Biostar boards listed in there seem to do pretty well too, at a lower price even.

[K' Dash]

Shit guys Im sorry for being such a needy bitch but coud somebody take a look a these, I couldnt find everything I needed on amazon, so I went to newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102948
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233186
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131837
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115072
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103065

Thanks in advance.

[mkenyon]

Helps a lot to type out names in the url, I know that's extra effort, but it's appreciated especially for those on mobile devices.

That being said, looks good. You're missing a PSU and a case though.

[abasm]

Just so you know, PCI-E 3.0 doesn't do anything for you on the GPU front unless you're maxing out PCI-E 2.0 bandwidth. It takes 680s in SLI using x8 PCI-E 2.0 to do that. At x16 2.0, it's not even close.

Do you think there will come a time when single GPUs will exceed the bandwidth of PCI-E 2.0? Or will it be forever relegated to CFX/SLI cards?

[JB1981]

Onboard sound is fine. Stock coolers suck though, incredibly noisy and less efficient. So even though OC potential might not be worth it for you, the blissful silence is definitely a thing to consider.

the heatsink part of the build is what worries me the most. it seems a lot trickier than everything else. makes me nervous. the onboard sound will deliver 5.1 audio via HDMI yes?

i also need to buy a wifi card i guess.

[mkenyon]

Of course, eventually.

the heatsink part of the build is what worries me the most. it seems a lot trickier than everything else. makes me nervous .

Step 1: Stop worrying about breaking stuff. The PCB is strong and you can touch it, and even put enough pressure to bend the crap out of it without damaging anything.
Step 2: STOP WORRYING ABOUT BREAKING STUFF.

Once you get over that fear, it's easier than Legos. A fully watercooled build that required jigsaw work on the case, removing GPU heatsinks and replacing with water blocks as well as testing everything is easier than a complicated Lego set. Watch the videos in the OP, it's a piece of cake.

Just got a job offer and I'm celebrating by building a new PC. I'm going with the Asus GTX 670. I will be overclocking and I'm still not sure if I should by the 2500k or the 3570k. I know some people on the forum have had problems overclocking the 3570k, so what is the consensus?

2500K.

[Ace 8095]

Just got a job offer and I'm celebrating by building a new PC. I'm going with the Asus GTX 670. I will be overclocking and I'm still not sure if I should by the 2500k or the 3570k. I know some people on the forum have had problems overclocking the 3570k, so what is the consensus?

[K' Dash]

Helps a lot to type out names in the url, I know that's extra effort, but it's appreciated especially for those on mobile devices. That being said, looks good. You're missing a PSU and a case though.

Yeah, I'm going to buy that here in costa rica, I'm importing cause those items cost $1300 here, not counting the case and PSU.

Thank you for your help!

[Fallout-NL]

the heatsink part of the build is what worries me the most. it seems a lot trickier than everything else. makes me nervous. the onboard sound will deliver 5.1 audio via HDMI yes?

Double check the board's specs, but that's extremely likely, yes.

Step 1: Stop worrying about breaking stuff. The PCB is strong and you can touch it, and even put enough pressure to bend the crap out of it without damaging anything. Step 2: STOP WORRYING ABOUT BREAKING STUFF. Once you get over that fear, it's easier than Legos. A fully watercooled build that required jigsaw work on the case, removing GPU heatsinks and replacing with water blocks as well as testing everything is easier than a complicated Lego set. Watch the videos in the OP, it's a piece of cake.

Yeah, I used to hate mounting the heatsink for these exact reasons. But the board can take a little abuse, it's o.k.

[1-D_FTW]

the heatsink part of the build is what worries me the most. it seems a lot trickier than everything else. makes me nervous. the onboard sound will deliver 5.1 audio via HDMI yes? i also need to buy a wifi card i guess.

Are you talking about the CoolerMaster 212? Aside from instructions that seem overly complicated, it's the easiest heat sink I've ever used. I wish my past heatsinks could have been easily screwed to the motherboard.