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"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. 22nm+28nm, Tri-Gate, and reading the OP. [Part 1]

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LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
Got my 2500k to 4.7ghz at a max vcore of 1.36 but then it settles down to 1.32. 2fps increase in Skyrim baby!

2012 thread already? Oh well, at least it will be a good one with the new cards coming out :)

In the Kremlin, it's already 2012!
 

Erebus

Member
Still rocking a Q9550 OC @ 3.9GHz but I'll be probably upgrading later this year once Ivy Bridge is out.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Subbed.

Was going to get a 3TB drive a few months back but I decided to be patient and wait for boxing day sales or something. Then I got screwed.
Samsung F4s good quality though? I kinda wanted to go for a WD Green 3TB as just a storage drive, but WD Greens are unreliable?

Due to aggressive head parking that could reduce the life of the drive, yes. Not sure which models are affected or if that's been fixed or changed.

I'd recommend getting a F4 if possible. Good drives, and they are faster too.
 

RS4-

Member
You can actually disable the head park stuff or least delay the amount of times it does it per hour or whatever if you choose to.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
550W is more than enough. Contact your card's manufacturer to begin an RMA. Sounds like possible heatsink issues. Otherwise, try rolling back and/or installing beta drivers/hotfixes.
I tried looking around for this information, but what IS an RMA?! What does it stand for? And why would someone tell me that this could be from a lack of wattage.
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
I tried looking around for this information, but what IS an RMA?! What does it stand for? And why would someone tell me that this could be from a lack of wattage.
I rarely do this but... http://lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+an+rma
Because it is the internet.

More specifically there were a ton of trash PSUs and power estimates were way out of whack over shooting by double in a lot of cases. It wasn't until recently where 80+ cert PSUs and decent brands starting making (and selling) better parts that actually delivered a solid continuous wattage that people have started to be more conservative.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
I rarely do this but... http://lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+an+rma
Because it is the internet.

More specifically there were a ton of trash PSUs and power estimates were way out of whack over shooting by double in a lot of cases. It wasn't until recently where 80+ cert PSUs and decent brands starting making (and selling) better parts that actually delivered a solid continuous wattage that people have started to be more conservative.

Yeah regular Google didn't do that.
 
wjdloh2epy1.gif



2012 thread already? Oh well, at least it will be a good one with the new cards coming out :)
Each successive year's thread has grown faster than the last, so, with the post cap, it's either [OT3] [Part 3], or get a head start on 2012.

mkenyon:
All jokes on the whole PC-100 thing.
 

Orlandu84

Member
I just wanted to say thank you for having this thread, especially the build guide. I recently purchased a Crucial M4 SSD 128GB, and it is awesome! Having a SSD gives a level of performance from my gaming rig that I had always hoped for. Thank you, Neogaf.
 
I'm thinking about switching from watercooling to air. My triple radiator wouldn't fit in my G5 case and I think I'd have to buy a new cooler (no mount for S1155), pump (old and noisy 1046 12V) and rad (too big) anyway, so it would be a bit more expensive. Would a Coolermaster 212 EVO be a good replacement, to cool an overclocked 2500k?
 

Soi-Fong

Member
Hey I just wanted to confirm here, but my "friend" has been freaking me out that Windows 7 takes up 60 gb. I was like that's not true right?
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
I'm thinking about switching from watercooling to air. My triple radiator wouldn't fit in my G5 case and I think I'd have to buy a new cooler (no mount for S1155), pump (old and noisy 1046 12V) and rad (too big) anyway, so it would be a bit more expensive. Would a Coolermaster 212 EVO be a good replacement, to cool an overclocked 2500k?
Just know what to expect going in. Should be fine for a solid 4.3 - 4.5Ghz depending on your chip.
Hey I just wanted to confirm here, but my "friend" has been freaking me out that Windows 7 takes up 60 gb. I was like that's not true right?
Off the top of my head I want to say 15GB. Plus reserve space for SSD + you don't want it filled up.
*21GB Windows Folder for me
 

derder

Member
1. I am willing to spend money on a soundcard but haven't found any good comparisons. I would be using it for a mix of everything but don't want to spend more than I have to. If the $200 card really makes my speakers (Swan D1080MkII08) twice as good as a $100 card, I could see myself paying for a $200 card.

2. For music listening, I use my HTPC connected to my receiver through HDMI and I had always assumed that the receiver was doing all the work and that my 6770 couldn't be improved. Is this wrong?
 
I'm thinking about switching from watercooling to air. My triple radiator wouldn't fit in my G5 case and I think I'd have to buy a new cooler (no mount for S1155), pump (old and noisy 1046 12V) and rad (too big) anyway, so it would be a bit more expensive. Would a Coolermaster 212 EVO be a good replacement, to cool an overclocked 2500k?

I have a stable (max 67c running prime95) 4,8 GHz clock on my 2500k, using a Noctua NH-D14 cooler. It's big as hell though.
 

mkenyon

Banned
What's a decent cooler for the ATI 5870? I saw the Accelero S2 and its freaking $80. I don't mind paying something good but I can't seem to find any alternatives.
Zalman VF300A. Had one on a 5870 i traded to a friend. It was literally the most quiet part on my rig.
I'm thinking about switching from watercooling to air. My triple radiator wouldn't fit in my G5 case and I think I'd have to buy a new cooler (no mount for S1155), pump (old and noisy 1046 12V) and rad (too big) anyway, so it would be a bit more expensive. Would a Coolermaster 212 EVO be a good replacement, to cool an overclocked 2500k?
Time to bust out a jigsaw and dremel. DO IT. Otherwise, take a gander at the NZXT Havik. Right there with the Noctuas but doesn't take up the entire case.
Okay now what's the best driver sweep I can get around here? Didn't see any auggestions in the OP.
Driver sweeper is the best driver sweeper.
 

mkenyon

Banned
Mission accomplished :p
1. I am willing to spend money on a soundcard but haven't found any good comparisons. I would be using it for a mix of everything but don't want to spend more than I have to. If the $200 card really makes my speakers (Swan D1080MkII08) twice as good as a $100 card, I could see myself paying for a $200 card.

2. For music listening, I use my HTPC connected to my receiver through HDMI and I had always assumed that the receiver was doing all the work and that my 6770 couldn't be improved. Is this wrong?
I am not 100% up on all the audiophile jargon, but if I'm not mistaken, the 6xxx series puts out undecoded dolby (or DTS?) out, and the receiver indeed does all of the work. Soundcards only make a difference if you are putting out directly to headphones or analog to speakers. Otherwise, a receiver does all of that fancy stuff that a soundcard would do.
 

Shambles

Member
What is this, a time machine?

Thanks for maintaining this thread Hazaro. It seems like it was just a week ago when we were trying to figure out who was going to take over the PC thread for 2011. How time does fly.

Ahhhhh, jumping the gun?

I'll be upgrading this year, bring on

The_Ivy_Bridge.jpg


and

tahiti.jpg


Good times a head.

Made me chuckle a bit

Looking at the OP I see some SSD advice about disabling disk cache in FF. There seems to be some confusion on th subject, and I'm not even completely sure of the answer myself. Disabling the disk cache will work but disk.cache.memory.capacity doesn't do anything. You can create a value called Browser.cache.memory.capacity which does what you want the other value to do, but it's not really necessary. FF already bases the memory it will used based on total system memory which usually is enough. Most people who modify it do it to _lower_ the amount of memory FF is using

Caveats

browser.cache.memory.enable must be true for this preference to take effect.
Lowering this value causes less memory to be used but also increases the load time of previously visited pages and dialogs. Raising it has the opposite effect.
To view current memory cache usage, put about:cache?device=memory in the Location Bar
This preference does not exist by default in applications other than Thunderbird 3.1 and earlier.
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
1. I am willing to spend money on a soundcard but haven't found any good comparisons. I would be using it for a mix of everything but don't want to spend more than I have to. If the $200 card really makes my speakers (Swan D1080MkII08) twice as good as a $100 card, I could see myself paying for a $200 card.

2. For music listening, I use my HTPC connected to my receiver through HDMI and I had always assumed that the receiver was doing all the work and that my 6770 couldn't be improved. Is this wrong?
Ask headphone GAF or head-fi,
If you aren't super keen on this stuff I'd just drop in a $30 Xonar DG and see if it is better. I'm no audiophile though.
Looking at the OP I see some SSD advice about disabling disk cache in FF. There seems to be some confusion on th subject, and I'm not even completely sure of the answer myself. Disabling the disk cache will work but disk.cache.memory.capacity doesn't do anything. You can create a value called Browser.cache.memory.capacity which does what you want the other value to do, but it's not really necessary. FF already bases the memory it will used based on total system memory which usually is enough. Most people who modify it do it to _lower_ the amount of memory FF is using
I'm not 100% on the SSD stuff as I'm sure some of it has changed with the technology and updates.
If you can just tell me what to change and why PM it to me.
 

Citizen K

Member
In preperation for the old republic I need a headset but I have a question. If I get a simple headset (bluetooth or wired) will the games audio still play through my pc's speakers and only voice chat go through the headset (thats how I'd want it)?
 
In preperation for the old republic I need a headset but I have a question. If I get a simple headset (bluetooth or wired) will the games audio still play through my pc's speakers and only voice chat go through the headset (thats how I'd want it)?

You can set it up to do this, yes.
 
Considering upgrading my RAM to 8 GB soon since it seems to be so cheap lately. Also, I'm looking into SSDs finally. Could anyone list a few benefits of having an SSD? Will it help at all with games?

Thanks GAF!
 

Citizen K

Member
You can set it up to do this, yes.

Thanks. I'm just gonna get a cheap headset. Something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-PC-31-Headset-Binaural/dp/B001L6G326/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1324146052&sr=1-1

I have this set of speakers: speakers link. The volume control on my speakers has mic and headphone sockets. So if I plug in that headset above into these sockets I'm wondering how I will control the volume for the headset and the pc's speakers seperately?
 

PGamer

fucking juniors
Considering upgrading my RAM to 8 GB soon since it seems to be so cheap lately. Also, I'm looking into SSDs finally. Could anyone list a few benefits of having an SSD? Will it help at all with games?

Thanks GAF!
For games the main benefit is decreased loading times. Other than that you won't see a whole lot of increased performance.

SSDs mainly benefit OS level stuff and anything dependent on file transfer speeds. With an SSD your computer will boot much faster and open files and programs much faster. Essentially everything is just much snappier than it is with a traditional HDD. SSDs are also silent too which is a nice bonus.
 

Smokey

Member
Feels nice and roomy in here


Gonna start building tomorrow guys!! If it's alrite with you guys, I'll get on here for some troubleshooting and such if I run into problems.

The case is an Arc Midi and the video card I decided to go for after Newegg reinstated my order is the HD 5970. Looking to upgrade then next year Ivy Bridge whenever that comes out and when the non-reference Nvidia 680's come out next year. AS for HDD's I'm sticking with external HDD's for now which I have a crapload of.

Total cost for all these is about 1000 dollars.

IMG_8341.jpg

Just a heads up...make your life easier and got another pair of hands to help you install the H100.


Considering upgrading my RAM to 8 GB soon since it seems to be so cheap lately. Also, I'm looking into SSDs finally. Could anyone list a few benefits of having an SSD? Will it help at all with games?

Thanks GAF!

That's a good play to upgrade to 8GB. Perfect size for a machine nowadays IMO. SSD just makes your computer in general move faster. Boot times are much shorter, and some games (mostly MMOs) benefit from it as well.
 
For games the main benefit is decreased loading times. Other than that you won't see a whole lot of increased performance.

SSDs mainly benefit OS level stuff and anything dependent on file transfer speeds. With an SSD your computer will boot much faster and open files and programs much faster. Essentially everything is just much snappier than it is with a traditional HDD. SSDs are also silent too which is a nice bonus.

Will only programs on the SDD load faster or will it even help things on my HDD load faster as well?
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
Zalman VF300A. Had one on a 5870 i traded to a friend. It was literally the most quiet part on my rig.

You meant VF3000A right? Either way I found it on Newegg for $52 with free shipping. Good thing I have that Google Offers 20 for 40 coupon so I net this weet cooler for only $32!

Had no idea Zalman made a new GPU cooler since they seemed to have fallen off the radar on CPU/GPU cooling in terms of publicity but I've always been a fan of their products.
 

Smokey

Member
Will only programs on the SDD load faster or will it even help things on my HDD load faster as well?

Has no impact on your HDD. You put the programs that you use the most (and Windows) on the SSD. Maybe a couple of games that you play the most. Media and other stuff you should put on your HDD.
 
Has no impact on your HDD. You put the programs that you use the most (and Windows) on the SSD. Maybe a couple of games that you play the most. Media and other stuff you should put on your HDD.

So it is basically a hard drive with much faster load times. Thanks, I understand now.
 
Best $50 i spent for a heatsink. My other choice was the Silver Arrow.

It's a great cooler! Too bad I decided to mount it onto my motherboard before I put it all in the case; scratched my fingers raw on that thing trying to fasten the MB screws.

Didn't help that I started out using the wrong screws on all 9 holes.
 

RS4-

Member
It's a great cooler! Too bad I decided to mount it onto my motherboard before I put it all in the case; scratched my fingers raw on that thing trying to fasten the MB screws.

Didn't help that I started out using the wrong screws on all 9 holes.

Lol same thing happened to me trying to handle the thing. I'm just glad it looked like papercuts but didn't feel like them.

Was really annoying trying to put in the 4 pin since it was sandwiched between the heatsink and the PSU.

edit - whoops, not 4 pin, but the split 8 pin!
 
Lol same thing happened to me trying to handle the thing. I'm just glad it looked like papercuts but didn't feel like them.

Was really annoying trying to put in the 4 pin since it was sandwiched between the heatsink and the PSU.

Oh, you have your PSU in the top? Mine is at the bottom, but I had enough problem trying to squeeze in my split 8 pin cable even so.

All worth it though.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
So, assuming that the root cause of my GPU temp problems is insufficient airflow, what should I do about that? Should I show you guys some pics of the inside of my system? The one thing I was worried about when installing the card is that one of the cords for it is pretty thick and took up a lot of space inside the case.

Some other tech support people suggested I buy a more powerful fan, or an additional one. Could I theoretically add ventilation to one side of the tower? What do you guys usually do to stock systems to improve airflow?
 

Mordeccai

Member
Hey guys, have something I need to run by you.

I just came home for the holidays and my parents want to buy my sisters some netbooks for school. Do you guys know of any sales or deals on these, tips on where to look? All they would use it for would be facebook, emails, and school work.

Would be much appreciated!
 

Shambles

Member
So, assuming that the root cause of my GPU temp problems is insufficient airflow, what should I do about that? Should I show you guys some pics of the inside of my system? The one thing I was worried about when installing the card is that one of the cords for it is pretty thick and took up a lot of space inside the case.

Some other tech support people suggested I buy a more powerful fan, or an additional one. Could I theoretically add ventilation to one side of the tower? What do you guys usually do to stock systems to improve airflow?

If it's an old card it might be worth trying to clear any dust out of the thing. Blow through it, or use a can of compressed air or whatever. Depending on the GPU i might take off the shroud to make sure everything is good underneath it. I don't bother if it means dismantling the heatsink off the GPU though. Just make sure you jam the fan before you blow it out. Forcing a fan to quickly spin turns it into a small power generator which can send enough voltage into the card to damage it if you're not careful.

Edit: Reading your older post 50C isn't bad. I have a custom fan profile with afterburner to keep my fan noise low so I actually idle around 70C on my 4870. Under load it sits around 85C which is perfectly fine for a GPU. Pushing 100C is starting to get too high though. 550W is far more than enough for a 6850, those people don't know what they're talking about.

Hey guys, have something I need to run by you.

I just came home for the holidays and my parents want to buy my sisters some netbooks for school. Do you guys know of any sales or deals on these, tips on where to look? All they would use it for would be facebook, emails, and school work.

Would be much appreciated!

I couldn't recommend a netbook, especially for someone wanting to do real work on it. They are slow, small, and awkward to use and windows starter edition is a PoS. It's usually not hard to find a $400 15" laptop from Dell or others that includes an i3 processor, 6GB+ of memory and a decent sized hard drive. Battery life won't be as good but it's not like the low power budget laptops use a lot of juice anyways.
 
Time to bust out a jigsaw and dremel. DO IT. Otherwise, take a gander at the NZXT Havik. Right there with the Noctuas but doesn't take up the entire case.
Nah, I think I'll go back to water-cooling in the long run, but after the apartment, new bathroom and kitchen, I don't have the money for it right now. A dual rad should be sufficient, since I won't cool the GPU anymore, and it will fit into the G5 quite nicely.
 

clav

Member
Hey guys, have something I need to run by you.

I just came home for the holidays and my parents want to buy my sisters some netbooks for school. Do you guys know of any sales or deals on these, tips on where to look? All they would use it for would be facebook, emails, and school work.

Would be much appreciated!

1. Pick this up or order online tomorrow:

http://slickdeals.net/f/3712108-Sam...NEW-349-99-Free-shipping-Possible-249-99-YMMV

$349.99 at Staples and an absolute bargain for the specs and features.

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

2. Purchase a Lenovo Thinkpad X120e. Make sure it has a AMD Fusion E-350 CPU or better. If you wait a bit longer, I think the X130e laptops are on the horizon.

3. The latest Acer Aspire One (AO722) is not bad as the case design makes it easy to upgrade and can do basic tasks easily with the AMD Fusion platform.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
If it's an old card it might be worth trying to clear any dust out of the thing. Blow through it, or use a can of compressed air or whatever. Depending on the GPU i might take off the shroud to make sure everything is good underneath it. I don't bother if it means dismantling the heatsink off the GPU though. Just make sure you jam the fan before you blow it out. Forcing a fan to quickly spin turns it into a small power generator which can send enough voltage into the card to damage it if you're not careful.

Edit: Reading your older post 50C isn't bad. I have a custom fan profile with afterburner to keep my fan noise low so I actually idle around 70C on my 4870. Under load it sits around 85C which is perfectly fine for a GPU. Pushing 100C is starting to get too high though. 550W is far more than enough for a 6850, those people don't know what they're talking about.

According to Afterburner my GPU's max temp while under load was around 95 but I'll have to check more closely. What should I do if I can't keep it under 100C while under load despite the fan being at full blast?
 

CatPee

Member
Thanks to a Gaffer, friends, and Black Friday, I've managed to grab some stuff for great prices. What say you on my build, PC-GAF?

Intel i5-2500K
Corsair Vengeance 1600 8GB RAM
Corsair TX650W PSU
EVGA GTX570HD ($180, awww yeeaaa)
NZXT Phantom Black/Orange
MSI P67A-C43 (B3)
Seagate 1TB ($70, but technically free since friend owes me money)
Win7 Ultimate ($100)
ASUS DVD Burner

Overall, should cost me about $900 or so.
 

RS4-

Member
Thanks to a Gaffer, friends, and Black Friday, I've managed to grab some stuff for great prices. What say you on my build, PC-GAF?

Intel i5-2500K
Corsair Vengeance 1600 8GB RAM
Corsair TX650W PSU
EVGA GTX570HD ($180, awww yeeaaa)
NZXT Phantom Black/Orange
MSI P67A-C43 (B3)
Seagate 1TB ($70, but technically free since friend owes me money)
Win7 Ultimate ($100)
ASUS DVD Burner

Overall, should cost me about $900 or so.

That's a fine build, congrats
 
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