[Smokey]

This is my second build and it went pretty smooth. This was the first time installing a aftermarket cooler so I was a little hesitant on the thermal paste. With stock numbers on the CPU being 28 at idle and full load at around 47. Are those proper temp numbers? This will be the first time overclocking, any tips? Thanks

your temps are good, no worries there

[dmann]

Does it make a lot of sense to match the make of motherboard w/ the gpu or no?

Only if you are OCD, and must have everything match.

[MrBig]

My current build is expensive as fuck. I guess I can shave a lot of money off by getting a cheaper GPU and case. What about power supply, any cheaper alternatives?

Your build is more expensive than mine (sans monitor); we've got a very similar build but I've got some better parts thrown in there. Check your prices and compare them to the ones I listed. I wouldn't have been able to justify getting the 670 if I wasn't getting a 1440p monitor, are you sure you don't want to save $100 be going with a 570? Hazaro is going to be selling his couple week old 2.5gb 570, talk to him if you're interested.

e: also be aware that if you're ordering from NCIX US you'll need a paypal account

[Sethos]

Had an interesting problem with an odd solution today. I was messing around with my new setup, trying out a few games and doing some light benchmarking to make sure performance was up to par. in 3D Mark 11 it looked like a severe case of tearing on the top half. Tried a few games, first Dead Island where selecting full screen would give me a red screen ( Not the dreaded RSOD, this was 'just the game' could just CTRL ALT DEL out of it. Same thing with Arkham City, going Fullscreen gave me a red screen with a flickery bottom bit. Windowed was fine.

Googled a bit, only found the RSOD issue but did stumble over this one guy who had a similar issue, he said his SLI bridge was the cause. So I figured I'd flip my bridge around 180 and then everything worked perfectly, no red screens, no odd tearing and performance is insane.

Man, if I hadn't stumbled on his thread this would have been a real headscratcher.

[specialguy]

My current build is expensive as fuck. I guess I can shave a lot of money off by getting a cheaper GPU and case. What about power supply, any cheaper alternatives?

Welcome to PC gaming. And you didn't even pick up a SSD!

Only place you can really shave money is on the GPU. Lowest I would reasonably go would be a 7850 for ~$250. But when you're already spending over 1k, you might as well get the 670 which will have much moire staying power.

Like I keep saying, I really miss AMD providing cheap, powerful CPU's...that's imo a big reason builds are so expensive now, there's no way around that 2500k.

[JB1981]

Your build is more expensive than mine (sans monitor); we've got a very similar build but I've got some better parts thrown in there. Check your prices and compare them to the ones I listed. I wouldn't have been able to justify getting the 670 if I wasn't getting a 1440p monitor, are you sure you don't want to save $100 be going with a 570? Hazaro is going to be selling his couple week old 2.5gb 570, talk to him if you're interested. e: also be aware that if you're ordering from NCIX US you'll need a paypal account

Highest I will be gaming at is 1920x1080.. Get the 7850??

[MrBig]

Highest I will be gaming at is 1920x1080.. Get the 7850??

Based on benchmarks, you should be able to get 60 FPS with everything on max or near max in BF3, and subsequently just about any other current game.

e: Some comments in Tom's 7850 review would make it a bust for me (unless they got 3 bad cards), but if you don't do any modeling or photoshop work it won't matter to you.

[Shambles]

My Gigabyte Z77 D3H was constantly crashing to a full power outage, no BSOD, no restart, nothing. Looking at forums there are quite a few people having issues with the entire series of Z77 gigabyte boards. I have no patience for playing the hardware lottery so after ruling out all the other components took it back and went with the MSI Z77 GD65 and am feeling much better about this board, so far it's working flawlessly. My only complaint is that by default it runs your CPU fan speed at 100% until you going into the EFI and give it a target CPU temperature to aim for. Even setting it at 60C has the fan running fairly high but a lot quieter than full blast (Hyper 212+). No crashes at all so far, I even got windows 7 booting without any errors even with a change of motherboard. However I'm still doing a fresh install as I'm having windows update issues which may be caused by the motherboard switch or by the fact that I had my system crash on me 20 times while trying to install updates earlier. The GD65 was the next price segment up, and I have to deal with a MIR but the board overall definitely feels much better. It's also handy to have the power button on the motherboard instead of having to trip the power with a key like I did with the D3H while I'm waiting for my case to arrive.

I chose the GD65 over the 45 because there is reports of the audio on the GD65 being significantly better. On my last machine an Asus motherboard I had tons of line noise from the poor insulation of the board, hoping to avoid that this time.

My current build is expensive as fuck. I guess I can shave a lot of money off by getting a cheaper GPU and case. What about power supply, any cheaper alternatives?

Your thoughts are my thoughts, find a solid $60-70 case, and spend $200-250 on the GPU instead of $400. You can spend less on the PSU as well, generally I find their MSRP to be quite high and wait for a decent sale. A quality 550W would do you find as well.
Something like the Antec EA-650 perhaps. $80 which is a fair bit less than what you have now but even still I'm sure you could find better deals in the states. Usually I'll wait until Black Friday/Boxing day and find an $80-100 model on sale for $35 and keep an extra on hand. This however does not help you at all.

[MisterNoisy]

Your thoughts are my thoughts, find a solid $60-70 case, and spend $200-250 on the GPU instead of $400. You can spend less on the PSU as well, generally I find their MSRP to be quite high and wait for a decent sale. A quality 550W would do you find as well. Something like the Antec EA-650 perhaps. $80 which is a fair bit less than what you have now but even still I'm sure you could find better deals in the states. Usually I'll wait until Black Friday/Boxing day and find an $80-100 model on sale for $35 and keep an extra on hand. This however does not help you at all.

If you're looking for a decent lower-priced PSU, I've always liked the Antec Neo Eco series. The 620W model I linked is currently $59.49 with a promo code at Newegg.

[kharma45]

Based on benchmarks, you should be able to get 60 FPS with everything on max or near max in BF3, and subsequently just about any other current game. e: Some comments in Tom's 7850 review would make it a bust for me (unless they got 3 bad cards), but if you don't do any modeling or photoshop work it won't matter to you.

I'd imagine they got bad cards as I've heard very few bad things about them in the real world, and I love mine.

Perfect mid-range card.

[ParityBit]

Where is the best place to host images so I don't get banned or booed out of the thread? :P

I was going to just post a couple of my new build. Until I get the whole thing setup!

[MisterNoisy]

Where is the best place to host images so I don't get banned or booed out of the thread? :P I was going to just post a couple of my new build. Until I get the whole thing setup!

Imgur works pretty well for me.

[kharma45]

Yeah Imgur or Minus is what I'd use, with the latter not compressing your images.

[dskillzhtown]

Finally got it done and now I need to learn to OC it :) Case - CM Storm Trooper CPU - I5 2500k PSU - Corsair HX850 MB - ASUS P8Z77-V Pro Video Card - EVGA GTX 680 SC Mem - Mushkin DDR3 8gb 1333 HD - Samsung F3 1tb SSD - Crucial 128gb Optical - LG Blu ray Cooler - Noctua NH-D14

Nice, we almost have the same build. MY PSU is a AX750, and I have 16GB of DDR3. Looks good. I need to go in and do a bit of cable management, but it looks good enough.

[ParityBit]

OK lets try this....Thanks for all the help!

So this is all the crap I bought. (RAM changed though)

• CPU : i7 3770k Ivy Bridge
• CPU Cooler : Corsair H100
• Motherboard : ASus P8Z77-V Deluxe
• RAM : G.Skill Ripjaws X Series (F3-14900CL9Q-16GBXL 4 x 4GB)
• SSD : Samsung 830 256 GB
• Power : Corsair Professional AX850
• GPU : EVGA GTX 680 SC (x 2)
• Case : NZXT Phantom White
• HHD : WD 1TB
• Monitor : Asus VG278
• Keyboard : Corsair Vengence K60
• Optical Drive : LG WH12Ls39 blu-ray burner
• Speakers : Klipsch Promedia 2.1
• Mouse : Logitech G9X
• Soundcard : Asus Xonar DX

And this is my first ever attempt at real wiring.



Once I get things all setup I will post it with my new desk/setup!

[JB1981]

Damn bro u went nuts !

[Sethos]

Hmm, small thing but is anyone else having problems with Precision X not displaying the actual running clocks? Just seem to max out at 705 despite other software saying something else, in this case Nvidia Inspector at Current Clock 1215



Software problem or am I missing something?

[MooMoo]

Not really updated build, but updated links. I noticed the GPU I chose earlier wasn't the GTX560Ti 448 core (it was 334 or something like that), and that kinda bumped up the price a bit. Listed prices include tax and shipping but exclude rebates (and in one or two cases I ignore current price drops).

• Intel i5 2500K $181
• ASUS P8277-V LK $158
• CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB $55
• EVGA GTX 560 Ti$300
• Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB $90
• Antec BP550 Plus 550W $56
• ASUS DRW-24B1ST $25
• Bitfenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case Black $77
• Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo $30
• Grand Total: $972

Those were the cheapest prices I could find while being picky about brand name, although if anyone can find cheaper that would be nice. To keep this post nice and short, my new questions are:
1. Are the parts all compatible? (I know I've asked this a lot but I just want to be triply sure before I start pulling the trigger on ordering things).

2. Is there any place to buy a full copy (not upgrade version) of Windows 7 Home Premium? Already checked my school and a few other places but they only sell the upgrade versions of things.

3. Once I include the price of buying W7 and a new keyboard, the price jumps above my comfortable range of <$1000. I'm willing to spend the aforementioned amount, but if there were one spot that I could cut back on without sacrificing too much performance, where would that be?

This'll probably be the last of my questions unless I run into problems putting things together.

[maks]

Got my Gigabyte GTX 670 last night. I can finally put up pics of my build :)

SYSTEM
Intel 2600k
Asus Maximus V Gene z77
Gigabyte GTX 670
Hyper 212+ Evo
16gb Corsair Vengeance LP
120gb Sandisk Extreme SSD
2TB Western Digital Black
Broadcom BCM94313 mPCIE wifi card
Thermaltake Toughpower 750
Silverstone TJ08B Case
Silverstone FP55 Bay Converter (fit my SSD and HDD in 5.25 slot)


Parts


With HDD cage. Can't fit 3.5 HDD and dual fans on Hyper 212 EVO. Bought Silverstone FP55 to solve it


w/o HDD cage


Front

[Smokey]

OK lets try this....Thanks for all the help! So this is all the crap I bought. (RAM changed though) CPU : i7 3770k Ivy Bridge CPU Cooler : Corsair H100 Motherboard : ASus P8Z77-V Deluxe RAM : G.Skill Ripjaws X Series (F3-14900CL9Q-16GBXL 4 x 4GB) SSD : Samsung 830 256 GB Power : Corsair Professional AX850 GPU : EVGA GTX 680 SC (x 2) Case : NZXT Phantom White HHD : WD 1TB Monitor : Asus VG278 Keyboard : Corsair Vengence K60 Optical Drive : LG WH12Ls39 blu-ray burner Speakers : Klipsch Promedia 2.1 Mouse : Logitech G9X Soundcard : Asus Xonar DX And this is my first ever attempt at real wiring. Once I get things all setup I will post it with my new desk/setup!

nice rig my man...will do you good for a very long time

[maks]

All i gotta do now is figure out what fans I want to put on the Hyper 212+. What is a good PWM that I can put on there? I spotted Noctua NF-P12 PWM at $23 each on amazon...kinda expensive. What else is good...and hopefully cheaper?

[rhfb]

Got my Gigabyte GTX 670 last night. I can finally put up pics of my build :) SYSTEM Intel 2600k Asus Maximus V Gene z77 Gigabyte GTX 670 Hyper 212+ Evo 16gb Corsair Vengeance LP 120gb Sandisk Extreme SSD 2TB Western Digital Black Broadcom BCM94313 mPCIE wifi card Thermaltake Toughpower 750 Silverstone TJ08B Case Silverstone FP55 Bay Converter (fit my SSD and HDD in 5.25 slot) Parts With HDD cage. Can't fit 3.5 HDD and dual fans on Hyper 212 EVO. Bought Silverstone FP55 to solve it w/o HDD cage Front

Our builds are like cousins! Thanks for the tip on the FP55 though, I'll have to look into that and probably buy one for my rig. As for fans for the Hyper 212 Evo, is there anything wrong with the stock fan?

[Pop On Arrival]

Hay guys, should my 510-20 watt PSU be okay to fun my MSI 560ti, ancient Q6600 CPU, 4gigs of shitty ram and one HDD?

I've got people calling me idiots from both sides. Some are saying that I should definitely get at least a 600watt PSU, but others are saying that the rest of my machine is shit enough that I don't really need to upgrade.

Honestly, I'd rather spend the money I'm gonna spend on a PSU on a HDD, or a cooling system.

[dmann]

All i gotta do now is figure out what fans I want to put on the Hyper 212+. What is a good PWM that I can put on there? I spotted Noctua NF-P12 PWM at $23 each on amazon...kinda expensive. What else is good...and hopefully cheaper?

I use Cougar Vortex (~$17) on my Hyper 212 Evo. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835553006

They are pretty silent and push a lot of air.

[MrBig]

Hay guys, should my 510-20 watt PSU be okay to fun my MSI 560ti, ancient Q6600 CPU, 4gigs of shitty ram and one HDD? I've got people calling me idiots from both sides. Some are saying that I should definitely get at least a 600watt PSU, but others are saying that the rest of my machine is shit enough that I don't really need to upgrade. Honestly, I'd rather spend the money I'm gonna spend on a PSU on a HDD, or a cooling system.

Don't get anything besides the 560ti if that's what you're asking, assuming you're running DDR2 ram. That CPU is pretty old but it doesn't sound like you want to buy a full new build, which you would have to do if you wanted better performance. The PSU should be fine.

You can get a Samsung F3 1tb on newegg for $90 as well.

What specifically are your current specs and what do you want?

[TheExodu5]

Transferred my goods over to the Lian-Li V700 today. It was a joy to work with, though it was a challenging build. The craftsmanship and ingenuity are definitely evident while building with this thing.

The fans are way too loud at stock...going to have to get a fan controller or resistors to quiet them down.

[teh_pwn]

Since getting my Crucial m4, my system will reset power during boot about 10% of the time. As in the system will reset when the win7 for colors spiral into the windows logo. Fucking annoying because then the subsequent boot attempt Windows will default to some sort of error fix utility which of course spends a lot of time finding no problems because it's apparently an SSD/SATA controler/mobo incompatibility issue/bug (I'm betting it's Crucial's fault).

Anyway, if anyone else is having this problem (I found a few other cases in google), here's the workaround:
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/For...d-5b55eabec5a1

Tells windows to STFU and boot.

[MisterNoisy]

All i gotta do now is figure out what fans I want to put on the Hyper 212+. What is a good PWM that I can put on there? I spotted Noctua NF-P12 PWM at $23 each on amazon...kinda expensive. What else is good...and hopefully cheaper?

The Cooler Master Blade Master 120mm is the fan that the 212 ships with, and is usually pretty inexpensive (currently $13 at Newegg)

[Pop On Arrival]

Don't get anything besides the 560ti if that's what you're asking, assuming you're running DDR2 ram. That CPU is pretty old but it doesn't sound like you want to buy a full new build, which you would have to do if you wanted better performance. The PSU should be fine. You can get a Samsung F3 1tb on newegg for $90 as well. What specifically are your current specs and what do you want?

I'm honestly fine with my current setup. I just don't want my PSU to break and take out my entire setup with it, haha.

GTS 250
DDR2 4GB RAM
Q6600 2.4ghz
500GB HDD
520watt PSU


Sorry, I can't really get much more specific than that, I'm terrible with product names. Specially confusing computer parts, haha. I really just to slap on this 560ti I bought, but yeah, I'm kinda scared of breaking stuff. :P

[Slayer-33]

Hmmm should I get an extra fan for the evo 212? It'll be used on a 1055T and I'll OC to 3.6GHz or so.

[MrBig]

I'm honestly fine with my current setup. I just don't want my PSU to break and take out my entire setup with it, haha. GTS 250 DDR2 4GB RAM Q6600 2.4ghz 500GB HDD 520watt PSU Sorry, I can't really get much more specific than that, I'm terrible with product names. Specially confusing computer parts, haha. I really just to slap on this 560ti I bought, but yeah, I'm kinda scared of breaking stuff. :P

You're fine. What brand/model is the PSU though? The CPU might bottleneck the GPU a bit but it will still be a pretty big upgrade. Take out the old card, put the 560 in. Boot up to windows and do a clean install of the latest drivers.

[JaseC]

Have you tried right-clicking on Favorites and choosing "Restore Default Links"?

Didn't think to try that! Might have saved me a few minutes, haha.

[Pop On Arrival]

You're fine. What brand/model is the PSU though? The CPU might bottleneck the GPU a bit but it will still be a pretty big upgrade. Take out the old card, put the 560 in. Boot up to windows and do a clean install of the latest drivers.

Acbel, I think. Yeah, I pretty sure I'm gonna bottleneck it the GPU, but whatevs. I'll upgrade the CPU soon, too. Thanks for the input! Appreciate it.

[maks]

Our builds are like cousins! Thanks for the tip on the FP55 though, I'll have to look into that and probably buy one for my rig. As for fans for the Hyper 212 Evo, is there anything wrong with the stock fan?

Nothing wrong with it. I just want to run 2 fans and make sure they matched.

I use Cougar Vortex (~$17) on my Hyper 212 Evo. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835553006 They are pretty silent and push a lot of air.

Thanks!

The Cooler Master Blade Master 120mm is the fan that the 212 ships with, and is usually pretty inexpensive (currently $13 at Newegg)

Ahh its the blademaster. Thanks for the info. Perhaps I will go with a 2nd one of these.

[ParityBit]

Anyone here use a UPS or just surge protectors for your machines?

[Slayer-33]

Anyone here use a UPS or just surge protectors for your machines?

Always

[Wolf Akela]

Anyone here use a UPS or just surge protectors for your machines?

I use a UPS since 2008.

[MisterNoisy]

Anyone here use a UPS or just surge protectors for your machines?

UPS always, particularly since I live in one of the most lightning-prone regions of the country. I've had good experiences with APC and CyberPower units.

[Shambles]

Anyone here use a UPS or just surge protectors for your machines?

Have on on my work machine since the data i'm using in real time is valuable. I've never bothered with one at home, waste of money for me.

[Chiggs]

OK lets try this....Thanks for all the help! So this is all the crap I bought. (RAM changed though) CPU : i7 3770k Ivy Bridge CPU Cooler : Corsair H100 Motherboard : ASus P8Z77-V Deluxe RAM : G.Skill Ripjaws X Series (F3-14900CL9Q-16GBXL 4 x 4GB) SSD : Samsung 830 256 GB Power : Corsair Professional AX850 GPU : EVGA GTX 680 SC (x 2) Case : NZXT Phantom White HHD : WD 1TB Monitor : Asus VG278 Keyboard : Corsair Vengence K60 Optical Drive : LG WH12Ls39 blu-ray burner Speakers : Klipsch Promedia 2.1 Mouse : Logitech G9X Soundcard : Asus Xonar DX

Very nice rig!

[MrBig]

UPS always, particularly since I live in one of the most lightning-prone regions of the country. I've had good experiences with APC and CyberPower units.

What wattage do you need for a UPS? > PSU rating + Monitors?

[Wolf Akela]

What wattage do you need for a UPS? > PSU rating + Monitors?

I follow this rule of thumb is VA * 0.65 = wattage supplied.

[Weenerz]

Finished my upgrades;

Intel i5 2500k (Old)
16gb DDR3 (New was formerlly 8gb)
180gb Intel 520 SSD (New)
XFX 7970 Black Edition (New)
Corsair 750AX PSU (New)

I am ready for Max Payne I suppose :P

[claviertekky]

Since getting my Crucial m4, my system will reset power during boot about 10% of the time. As in the system will reset when the win7 for colors spiral into the windows logo. Fucking annoying because then the subsequent boot attempt Windows will default to some sort of error fix utility which of course spends a lot of time finding no problems because it's apparently an SSD/SATA controler/mobo incompatibility issue/bug (I'm betting it's Crucial's fault). Anyway, if anyone else is having this problem (I found a few other cases in google), here's the workaround: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/For...d-5b55eabec5a1 Tells windows to STFU and boot.

Did you update the firmware?

There was a recent one released at the end of last month.

Zero problems here with a LGA 775 setup.

[Dark Sun Cetra]

When installing my new motherboard this week I became increasingly frustrated while mounting it in the case. It seems the screws don't all fit into the stand offs. They aren't stripped but some screws would fit in one standoff while not fitting in another. Really annoyed me.

So, while at work tonight I've been looking for easier solutions to motherboard mounting. It seems Lian Li makes motherboard thumbscrews. Is there any reason to think those wouldn't work with standard standoffs? Anyone have any experience with them?

Another alternative is plastic pushpins, but I don't really trust those to keep the motherboard tight with an aftermarket heatsink bolted onto it.

[1-D_FTW]

What wattage do you need for a UPS? > PSU rating + Monitors?

I follow this rule of thumb is VA * 0.65 = wattage supplied.

With a modern PSU, that's kind of outdated. These new 80+ power supplies with active PFC are much more efficient that that. Although being so lenient does give you headway if you're just guessing.

The best way to truly know what a person needs is to buy a Kill-A-Watt and measure your requirements directly. Especially with the prices of UPS as you scale up, a Kill-a-watt will pay for itself after your first UPS purchase. And it's a great little tool to have around.

When installing my new motherboard this week I became increasingly frustrated while mounting it in the case. It seems the screws don't all fit into the stand offs. They aren't stripped but some screws would fit in one standoff while not fitting in another. Really annoyed me. So, while at work tonight I've been looking for easier solutions to motherboard mounting. It seems Lian Li makes motherboard thumbscrews. Is there any reason to think those wouldn't work with standard standoffs? Anyone have any experience with them? Another alternative is plastic pushpins, but I don't really trust those to keep the motherboard tight with an aftermarket heatsink bolted onto it.

How off are they? A lot or a little? I assume you're not tightening each screw as you go? You just want to loosely start each screw, and when you ve got all the screws threaded, then go ahead and tighten them.

[Dark Sun Cetra]

They are a lot loose. Can take them out without a screwdriver. =/

[teh_pwn]

Did you update the firmware? There was a recent one released at the end of last month. Zero problems here with a LGA 775 setup.

I've got 0009, so I'm out of date.

I'm extremely hesitant to update firmware because the reason why I have the m4 is that my C300 was bricked with their firmware updater, much like anand's was.

I don't have to nanny the boot anymore, and that was my biggest gripe. This PC is going to become my living room's HTPC next year when I build a Haswell + dual next gen GPU PC as my desktop gaming rig. I couldn't live with an HTPC that doesn't boot 10% of the time.

Hmmm...maybe I'll try this with my old 'bricked" drive. Anyway their firmware updating process makes most localized mobo manuals look like Shakespeare. Backwater free DOS shit with partial steps, poorly written software, argh.

[jackpottest]

to the people helping me get into my bios, DEL did the trick. now I feel stupid.

thanks for the tip :)

unfortunately the bios runs off my screen and has pink/colored graphical artifact boxes around certain sections. To google I go with that one. ugh

[TheThunder]

My parts haven't arrived yet but I'm already thinking of buying extra 120mm fans locally for my case and the hyper 212 Evo.

Any certain brands/models I should look out for ?

and does the hyper 212evo need any sort of "compatible" fan besides being a 120mm one ?