[Soi-Fong]

Ok well, already running into a big problem where I'm not seeing anything on screen when I boot up the computer.

My mobo is the Asus PZ68-V Gen 3.

The LED is continuously lit up on the CPU led.

I'm getting worried it's a bad CPU..

[Soi-Fong]

Anybody here have any ideas?

[Soi-Fong]

Triple post. Testing again. Fuck me, I forgot to put the CPU power connector.

[Varna]

Ok well, already running into a big problem where I'm not seeing anything on screen when I boot up the computer. My mobo is the Asus PZ68-V Gen 3. The LED is continuously lit up on the CPU led. I'm getting worried it's a bad CPU..

Your CPU power connected properly?

EDIT: Never mind. Looks like you got it.

[noire]

Have a friend that is maybe thinking of upgrading to play some BF3.

He currently has:
Athlon 64 X2 6000+
Gigabyte ga-ma78gm-s2h
GeForce 8600 GT
4GB 1066 RAM

Any recommendations for an economical upgrade?

[RedSwirl]

Okay so I played some more Skyrim. My GPU temp seems to average around 85C under load but peaked at 91. This was with the default Afterburner profile. Too hot?

To be safe I adjusted the profile to be a little bit more strict. How's this?



At 50% my fan already sounds like an Xbox 360. That's the level of noise I have to deal with when my computer is idle if you want to gauge.

[Mr Nightman]

Have a friend that is maybe thinking of upgrading to play some BF3. He currently has: Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Gigabyte ga-ma78gm-s2h GeForce 8600 GT 4GB 1066 RAM Any recommendations for an economical upgrade?

I would say drop in a phenom 2 x4 and a gtx 460 and he should be good to go. This phenom can be had for 80 with a 10 dollar off promo. As for a 460, this one is only 149.99. What kind of power supply does he have?

[Pocks]

Looking to move on from on-board graphics to discrete for my nephew's build. What is best performing graphics card that I can pair with the CX-430?

If it matters, we're using an BIOSTAR H61MU3 motherboard with an i3-2100.

[noire]

I would say drop in a phenom 2 x4 and a gtx 460 and he should be good to go. This phenom can be had for 80 with a 10 dollar off promo. As for a 460, this one is only 149.99. What kind of power supply does he have?

He has to check the wattage still. He only knew that it was an Antec Earthwatts.

[Mr Nightman]

He has to check the wattage still. He only knew that it was an Antec Earthwatts.

ok well if he finds the wattage, post it up. Think a 460 is recommended for at least 500 watts of power, but I'm sure a quality 450 watt would suffice. If his power supply doesn't seem quite powerful enough, we can find another card with lower power requirements

[Piercedveil]

Does RAM have to be the same exact brand/model to work with each other? I have 4 GB right now and if I buy 8, can I use both at the same time? Or no, because they are different?

[Hazaro]

Okay so I played some more Skyrim. My GPU temp seems to average around 85C under load but peaked at 91. This was with the default Afterburner profile. Too hot? To be safe I adjusted the profile to be a little bit more strict. How's this? At 50% my fan already sounds like an Xbox 360. That's the level of noise I have to deal with when my computer is idle if you want to gauge.

Sounds like not enough flow. You might also have bad heatsink contact or is is really really dusty.
1) Open side panel (run case in open air) see if that lower temps under load
2) Add some fans for flow
3) Replace thermal paste on gpu

Looking to move on from on-board graphics to discrete for my nephew's build. What is best performing graphics card that I can pair with the CX-430? If it matters, we're using an BIOSTAR H61MU3 motherboard with an i3-2100.

drop in an x4 athlon and a 460/6850

He has to check the wattage still. He only knew that it was an Antec Earthwatts.

Any Earthwatts will do the 460 fine.

Does RAM have to be the same exact brand/model to work with each other? I have 4 GB right now and if I buy 8, can I use both at the same time? Or no, because they are different?

You can use different types, but you can run into problems

[Piercedveil]

You can use different types, but you can run into problems

Would you not recommend that then? 8 GB would surely be enough, but that would be cool if I could find use for the rest of my RAM. I'd rather have no problems with it, though.

[RedSwirl]

Sounds like not enough flow. You might also have bad heatsink contact or is is really really dusty. 1) Open side panel (run case in open air) see if that lower temps under load 2) Add some fans for flow 3) Replace thermal paste on gpu

How would I add fans? And how would I safely run a computer with the side panel off?

[Soi-Fong]

So got the computer up and running, windows 7 installed.

Anyone here know if the latest AMD drivers (11.12 and 11.12 CAP 1) good for the HD 5970?

Gonna try stress-testing with BF3.

[MC RaZaR]

So got the computer up and running, windows 7 installed. Anyone here know if the latest AMD drivers (11.12 and 11.12 CAP 1) good for the HD 5970? Gonna try stress-testing with BF3.

Drivers always vary from computers to computers. It's best to try it out for yourself and see what results you get.

[Hazaro]

Would you not recommend that then? 8 GB would surely be enough, but that would be cool if I could find use for the rest of my RAM. I'd rather have no problems with it, though.

You can't find the same 2x2GB kit? I mean 2x4GB is the same price anyway so it isn't like it matters much. I'd buy a new set and sell your old.

How would I add fans? And how would I safely run a computer with the side panel off?

Buy a 120mm or 80mm fan. Find some place to tie or screw it in on your case. Plug it in to a spare 3 pin power connector on your motherboard or molex power plug.

So got the computer up and running, windows 7 installed. Anyone here know if the latest AMD drivers (11.12 and 11.12 CAP 1) good for the HD 5970? Gonna try stress-testing with BF3.

Should be fine

[RedSwirl]

Okay for reference, this is a side shot of my PC: http://i.imgur.com/FdmDD.jpg. Sorry if it's too blurry.

If you can't see it, there's what I think is the exhaust on the front (to the far left).

[Previous]

So I'm going to build my own computer for the first time. Ive got a budget for around $1200 to $1400, So I plan on using Hazaro's guide to plan something between the excellent and enthusiast recommendations.

Just for information, I plan to be using this computer for gaming (Skyrim, SWTOR, BF3), I plan on keeping my current monitor for awhile longer (2 year old, 21" HP, 1080p, has hdmi/dvi), would like to build sometime in the next month, and since it seems like everyone is doing it, I will most likely want to OC it sometime in the future (but not immediately).


So I've looking over some parts and got some quick questions,
1. For the budget I have, would a single GTX 580 be the best choice? That seems to be what I see said a lot but I honestly don't know that much about the current radeon lineup (other then the fact the 7000 series is coming soon)
2. In addition to the ones listed in the OP, any mobo recommendations if I'm going for a Intel i7 2600k?

Thanks In advance

[Sethos]

Okay for reference, this is a side shot of my PC: http://i.imgur.com/FdmDD.jpg. Sorry if it's too blurry. If you can't see it, there's what I think is the exhaust on the front (to the far left).

Sir, it appears the cable monster has vomited in your machine.

[mattiewheels]

Are SSD prices messed up by the problems in Thailand too?

[knitoe]

Would you not recommend that then? 8 GB would surely be enough, but that would be cool if I could find use for the rest of my RAM. I'd rather have no problems with it, though.

As long as they can all use the same voltage, speed and timings, you shouldn't have any problem running different rams for total of 12GB.

[Misanthropy]

So what is the 2500k equivalent in the ivy bridge area?

[Soi-Fong]

I downloaded MSI Afterburner. This will work with the HD 5970 even if it's not MSI branded righ? Umm this might sound stupid, but how do I set up fan profiles or should setting up fan profiles be done on the AMD Catalys Control Center?

Sorry for asking so many questions guys!

[Hazaro]

Okay for reference, this is a side shot of my PC: http://i.imgur.com/FdmDD.jpg. Sorry if it's too blurry. If you can't see it, there's what I think is the exhaust on the front (to the far left).

Air goes in from the left side and exits the right side.
You could probably slot in an 80mm on the bottom... but that just looks like your card will run hot.

You can just turn on the computer with the side door off (you might have to tape down a small switch to let the computer do this). Perfectly fine.

So I'm going to build my own computer for the first time. Ive got a budget for around $1200 to $1400, So I plan on using Hazaro's guide to plan something between the excellent and enthusiast recommendations. Just for information, I plan to be using this computer for gaming (Skyrim, SWTOR, BF3), I plan on keeping my current monitor for awhile longer (2 year old, 21" HP, 1080p, has hdmi/dvi), would like to build sometime in the next month, and since it seems like everyone is doing it, I will most likely want to OC it sometime in the future (but not immediately). So I've looking over some parts and got some quick questions, 1. For the budget I have, would a single GTX 580 be the best choice? That seems to be what I see said a lot but I honestly don't know that much about the current radeon lineup (other then the fact the 7000 series is coming soon) 2. In addition to the ones listed in the OP, any mobo recommendations if I'm going for a Intel i7 2600k? Thanks In advance

2600k has no gaming benefit
1) GTX580 now. 7xxx series might be 30-50% faster and release in weeks.
2) Same recs

Are SSD prices messed up by the problems in Thailand too?

Nope.

So what is the 2500k equivalent in the ivy bridge area?

Don't know

I downloaded MSI Afterburner. This will work with the HD 5970 even if it's not MSI branded right? Umm this might sound stupid, but how do I set up fan profiles?

Yes
Settings -> Fan
Enable fan control in your driver settings if it isn't already.

[Soi-Fong]

Where would I check the driver settings if fan controle is enabled?

Another question regarding temps for the H100. I applied Artic Silver 5 and my current temps for CPU with no overclocking is around 25 degrees celsius. Is this fine?

[mkenyon]

Where would I check the driver settings if fan controle is enabled? Another question regarding temps for the H100. I applied Artic Silver 5 and my current temps for CPU with no overclocking is around 25 degrees celsius. Is this fine?

My AMD gaming rig is torn apart right now, so I'm not sure. I know that AMD limits some stuff in MSI afterburner. Google might be helpful if Haz isn't around.

As far as CPU temp goes, idle doesn't mean a whole lot. Sounds fine, but is also dependent on your ambient temps.

[RedSwirl]

Sir, it appears the cable monster has vomited in your machine.

Yeah, been wondering how to take care of that. A lot of those cords are just too short to go anywhere else, and in case of that big black one, too thick. The orange one going over the blue clamp in particular is a problem because It's already stretched to the limit where it is, and it was literally the only one I could find.

Do you think those cords could be obstructing air flow?

Air goes in from the left side and exits the right side. You could probably slot in an 80mm on the bottom... but that just looks like your card will run hot. You can just turn on the computer with the side door off (you might have to tape down a small switch to let the computer do this). Perfectly fine.

So I pretty much have to deal with a hot card?

Oh, and you're talking about the heatsink inside the GPU and not the one for the whole computer right? I dusted off the computer's heatsink with compressed air when I installed the card back in March. Had clumps all over it.

[Pazuzu9]

I'm wondering if someone can explain this performance problem to me. It has troubled me throughout many PC games over many years, using many different hardware configurations:

The stutter on the initial camera pan around a newly-loaded area.

So I can be happily getting a solid 60fps. I hit a loading screen, appear in the new area, still getting 60fps. I turn around, and the performance drop is instantaneous and sometimes enormous. It stutters like mad, as I turn the camera a full 360 degrees. Then, it's all fine again. If I turn the camera a second time in the same spot, it's 60fps all the way round.

I've always thought this was something to do with the data of certain objects away from view not being on the graphics RAM yet. But if that was the case, WHY do they not just make the loading screen last a couple of seconds longer to get all the data on there? That's what a loading screen is for! A longer loading screen isn't wasting my time any more than the full 360 turn that I usually do after each load, like I'm having to finish the loading myself.

What's worse is when it happens after a disguised load in the middle of a scene, especially when you have no control over the camera. A recent example: Deus Ex HR. The opening on-rails scene. You enter a lift with Megan, she leaves, and Pritchard enters. The reception area before Sarif's office must be loading behind you. Pritchard walks out of the lift first, and you turn to follow him out. During this camera turn to face the receptionist, my game stutters to the point where it almost freezes for a split second, just because the game has failed to load something properly. It's 60fps otherwise!

Anyone else annoyed by this? And is there anything I can do to stop it from happening?

[LiquidMetal14]

Triple post. Testing again. Fuck me, I forgot to put the CPU power connector.

I was gonna recommend resetting the CMOS battery if nothing else worked,

Pazuzu, you try triple buffering, double vsync, or frame limiting?

[mkenyon]

Stuttering problems

What kind of GPU do you have? Sounds like not enough VRAM, or possibly even a really slow HDD/RAM. Is this in every game?

[Zabojnik]

What's the consensus about treating the interior of a computer case with acoustic foam? Does it lower the noise significantly?

[mkenyon]

What's the consensus about treating the interior of a computer case with acoustic foam? Does it lower the noise significantly?

It can, yes. The Fractal Define and Antec P180, for instance, both have sound deadening material lining the cases.

Also, <3 Slovenia. Hungry for Kremsnita now.

[Soi-Fong]

I was wondering. How do I get MSI AFterburner to show FPS and GPU usage in-game.

Also, how do I make the GPU follow Afterburner fan profiles instead of AMD Catalyst Control Center?

[mkenyon]

I was wondering. How do I get MSI AFterburner to show FPS and GPU usage in-game. Also, how do I make the GPU follow Afterburner fan profiles instead of AMD Catalyst Control Center?

I think there is an ini hack that lets Afterburner override all AMD stuff. I didn't think custom fan profiles were part of that. You might be able to open up your fan control in CCC and set it to custom, which might let Afterburner take over.

I don't know for sure that it makes it pop up in an overlay over games, but in settings, checkout the bottom of the "Monitoring" tab.

Also, make sure you have the checkbox selected for "Enable user defined software automatic fan control" in the "Fan" tab of Afterburner.

[ThoseDeafMutes]

People getting warnings / temp bans for it since two weeks or so ago? I had already removed it from the banner months ago.

That's the worst thing I've ever heard. It was part of my identity as a PC gamer ;_;

[Zabojnik]

It can, yes. The Fractal Define and Antec P180, for instance, both have sound deadening material lining the cases. Also, <3 Slovenia. Hungry for Kremsnita now.

Damn you, and now so am I. Hey there, mkenyon. :)

I guess there's no harm in trying, a kit like this isn't too expensive. If anyone had good results with a different product though, I wouldn't mind knowing about it. Thanks.

[Kadey]

Anybody here leaves their PC open? I'm thinking of doing just that.

[MC RaZaR]

Anybody here leaves their PC open? I'm thinking of doing just that.

Your parts are out int he open which exposes it to dust, liquids, and other stuff that might cause damage to it. Could also be dangerious with those fans and electricity.

[BoobPhysics101]

Anybody here leaves their PC open? I'm thinking of doing just that.

Not a good idea. There's a reason it's enclosed in a case.

Move that Hello Kitty grenade if you're worried about cooling.

[noire]

ok well if he finds the wattage, post it up. Think a 460 is recommended for at least 500 watts of power, but I'm sure a quality 450 watt would suffice. If his power supply doesn't seem quite powerful enough, we can find another card with lower power requirements

Will do. Thanks for your help, man.

Any Earthwatts will do the 460 fine.

Oh, awesome. Thanks!

Now to see if I can convince him to take the plunge.

[Mr Nightman]

Will do. Thanks for your help, man. Oh, awesome. Thanks! Now to see if I can convince him to take the plunge.

no problem man, I myself run a phenom 2 quad and gtx 460, runs bf3 on high great at 1080p. Glad to hear the earthwatts will work :-)

[Frostburn]

Great new thread, any recommendations for fan controllers. I have a Corsair 600t case but all the fans run off one knob and I want to be able to adjust my CPU fans.

[Pazuzu9]

Pazuzu, you try triple buffering, double vsync, or frame limiting?

I believe Triple Buffering is enabled in DE:HR, what's double vsync?

What kind of GPU do you have? Sounds like not enough VRAM, or possibly even a really slow HDD/RAM. Is this in every game?

It's a 560 Ti. I'm running games off an SSD, and I have 8GB 1333MHz RAM. It doesn't happen in every game. Of games I've played recently, Battlefield 3, Portal 2 and Forgotten Sands are fine. Deus Ex HR and Skyrim are not. I don't understand how it is a lack of VRAM, if the performance is completely smooth after I have spun the camera around once... it's like the game has just forgotten to kick into action and I need to spin around to wake it up.

[RedSwirl]

Okay, with the new profile I seem to be getting an average of around 80C under full load for my GPU. That sound safe to you guys?

[Soi-Fong]

You guys know any good software for monitoring cpu temp and overall temps.
Also for memory usage?

Also, any way to actually put a GPU under load to see what temps it can get at.

I played BF3 with all Ultra settings with exception of MSAA and was hitting about 60 degrees but only played for about 40 minutes.

[Absoludacrous]

Ok, so after about a decade I'm finally moving on up into the world of relevant computers (was my wife's turn a couple years ago, and I think she's finally tired of having to shoo me off the only decent computer in the house).

I've been debating about getting a gaming laptop instead, cause I really need a laptop as well. My computer engineering courses are starting to require actual programming now instead of just calculus.

Anyway, after doing a bunch of research, seems like I'm better served getting a gaming desktop and something like a netbook for school/work. So two questions:

1) I've put together a pc build on newegg, thoughts?

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Seagate Barracuda Green ST1500DL003 1.5TB 5900 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support FPB Video Card

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.2 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

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

GIGABYTE GA-Z68M-D2H LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I72600K

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 32-bit

Comes out to around $1200, which is a little above what I was hoping to spend, but it'll probably be another decade before I make another purchase like this (outside of probably replacing the video card in 5 years).

and B) I know it's outside the scope of this thread, but does anyone have any experience programming on a netbook? Mostly object-oriented stuff like Java, C++ and Python. Comfortable keyboard is probably my biggest priority.

[JJBro One]

ok guys I did ALOT of research thanks to neogaf and a bunch of other places. Here's my final build, tell me how i did!
Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.65 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($182.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($196.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB Video Card ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced ATX Full Tower Case ($134.88 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS70 OEM DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH12LS38 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($168.95 @ Mac Connection)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1743.26
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-12-18 00:26 EST-0500)

[Hazaro]

Anybody here leaves their PC open? I'm thinking of doing just that.

I leave one of my side doors slightly open. It's in a bad spot under my desk.

Oh, awesome. Thanks! Now to see if I can convince him to take the plunge.

To reassure you, an EA380w will work and that is the lowest model iirc.

Okay, with the new profile I seem to be getting an average of around 80C under full load for my GPU. That sound safe to you guys?

Yup. Clean the GPU heatsink if you can too.

You guys know any good software for monitoring cpu temp and overall temps. Also for memory usage? Also, any way to actually put a GPU under load to see what temps it can get at. I played BF3 with all Ultra settings with exception of MSAA and was hitting about 60 degrees but only played for about 40 minutes.

ctrl + shift + esc for mem usage. msi afterburner for gpu mem usage gpu-z works too.
furmark or occt to laod gpu. All in OP

Ok, so after about a decade I'm finally moving on up into the world of relevant computers (was my wife's turn a couple years ago, and I think she's finally tired of having to shoo me off the only decent computer in the house). I've been debating about getting a gaming laptop instead, cause I really need a laptop as well. My computer engineering courses are starting to require actual programming now instead of just calculus. Anyway, after doing a bunch of research, seems like I'm better served getting a gaming desktop and something like a netbook for school/work. So two questions: 1) I've put together a pc build on newegg, thoughts? ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case Seagate Barracuda Green ST1500DL003 1.5TB 5900 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support FPB Video Card CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.2 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL GIGABYTE GA-Z68M-D2H LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I72600K Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 32-bit Comes out to around $1200, which is a little above what I was hoping to spend, but it'll probably be another decade before I make another purchase like this (outside of probably replacing the video card in 5 years). and B) I know it's outside the scope of this thread, but does anyone have any experience programming on a netbook? Mostly object-oriented stuff like Java, C++ and Python. Comfortable keyboard is probably my biggest priority.

2500k for gaming (same speed)
Dislike 1.5tb drives (I think some are still older platters, but I might be outdated on this)
Get 64-bit Windows

If you are going a 1 GPU solution I'd grab a 550 or 650w and use saved money to upgrade to a 560ti 448 core.

Lastly some case snobs here will probably suggest a 'better' case than an Antec 300. I'm not brushed up on what exactly makes them better though! I have a rebranded Lian-Li case

ok guys I did ALOT of research thanks to neogaf and a bunch of other places. Here's my final build, tell me how i did! Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter) CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.65 @ Amazon) Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($182.86 @ Newegg) Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg) Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg) Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($196.99 @ Newegg) Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB Video Card ($499.99 @ Amazon) Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced ATX Full Tower Case ($134.88 @ Amazon) Optical Drive: LG GH24NS70 OEM DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg) Optical Drive: LG WH12LS38 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($79.99 @ Newegg) Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($168.95 @ Mac Connection) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg) Total: $1743.26 (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.) (Generated 2011-12-18 00:26 EST-0500)

Looks solid

[Soi-Fong]

Well, pretty much everything is running well.

I'm just worried about running furmark and prime95. Kinda afraid to stress test them and break something. lol

With regards to the CPU at least, what's a good temp to go after for an H100 with a non-overclocked (yet) i7-2600k?

At idle my HD 5970 is hovering around 56 degrees celsius. Is this fine? This is on a midtower btw. I have one intake in the front and the back and the H100 on top is exhaust.