[RepairmanJack]

If SC2 is anything to go by, it'll pretty much max D3.

It will max D3. Not sure about guild wars 2 but almost guaranteed somewhere in high-ultra settings at 1920X1080.

Thanks guys you have helped with the decision. Plus from the looks of it the asrock board should make it easy to upgrade the cpu and gpu down the road right?

[scitek]

I have a 2GB Radeon 6950 with unlocked shaders (at 6970 clock speeds), but I've been wanting to try nVidia for a while. Would it be a step down in any way if I swapped it with one of these?

[squicken]

I have a 2GB Radeon 6950 with unlocked shaders (at 6970 clock speeds), but I've been wanting to try nVidia for a while. Would it be a step down in any way if I swapped it with one of these?

Oddly enough I'm selling that exact card haha

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost...postcount=1678

Stock 570 is pretty close to 6970, but the super clocked 570 beats it. Not sure you'll notice too much of a difference, though. Still pretty close

edit: sold this btw

[pax217]

Oddly enough I'm selling that exact card haha http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost...postcount=1678 Stock 570 is pretty close to 6970, but the super clocked 570 beats it. Not sure you'll notice too much of a difference, though. Still pretty close

Wow good deal. I'd buy if I wasn't so happy with my 5950.

[scitek]

Oddly enough I'm selling that exact card haha http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost...postcount=1678 Stock 570 is pretty close to 6970, but the super clocked 570 beats it. Not sure you'll notice too much of a difference, though. Still pretty close

Oh cool. I'm not looking to "upgrade" per se, but if I'm not losing any performance I'd be willing to make the switch. I can probably make back enough selling my 6950.

EDIT: I suppose the only concern would be the difference in VRAM. Would that be noticeable?

[squicken]

Oh cool. I'm not looking to "upgrade" per se, but if I'm not losing any performance I'd be willing to make the switch. I can probably make back enough selling my 6950. EDIT: I suppose the only concern would be the difference in VRAM. Would that be noticeable?

It hasn't been an issue so far, but I only game at 1920x1080.

[theRizzle]

Anyone else see this?

Intel Confirms then Redacts Details of Ivy Bridge Lineup

[scitek]

It hasn't been an issue so far, but I only game at 1920x1080.

Yeah, same here. I don't think it'll be an issue so long as the current gen of consoles is still around, anyway.

[Sir Abacus]

So mSATA. The 311 is way too expensive for what it is so what to use to hybridize a bigger drive?

I was looking at the OCZ Nocti which appears to have pretty good sequential writes and a reasonably priced 60G version.

Any others I should be considering?

[dralla]

my PC died yesterday, its about 8 years old and a huge piece of crap. right now im looking for a laptop in the 400 range. this is more if a temp thing, really looking to do basic stuff. Whats the consensus on refurbs? I see a couple on newegg that I like but Im not sure about buying a refurb, any input?

looking at this one specifically
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834158243

[Arken2121]

Anyone else see this? Intel Confirms then Redacts Details of Ivy Bridge Lineup

Nm, just missed it lol

[Arken2121]

I am still a little confused before because this is still showing January-April but I thought this Ivy bridge was pushed back to June?

[Unknown Soldier]

Ivy Bridge would certainly be a nice upgrade from Bloomfield.

[aznpxdd]

Yay, finally finished with my new build.

LOVE Love love working on the Raven 03, such an awesome case. So quiet and keeps all the components very cool.





I blacked out the gold trims with carbon fiber vinyl, not too shabby I must say!





Specs is the below:

Intel i5 2500k / Asus P8Z68-V LX / 16GB G Skill RipJaw 1600Mhz / Galaxy GTX570
Patriot TorqX 2 64GB / WD Black 1TB / WD Green 2TB / Asus Xonar DX / Corsair 700GS

[Corky]

oh
my
god.

I'm going insane.


There is this very very low rapid clicking noise ( as if something is ever so slightly touching a spinning fan ), I mean low as in lower than the sound of anything coming out of my pc at idle but I can hear it and it is driving me mental.

- Checked the case fans, they are unobstructed and spin freely
- Checked the psu fan, silent as a whisper
- Cpu, gpu 1 and gpu 2 fans are all unobstructed
- HDD firmly in place no vibrations
- No vibrations on loose powercables, i.e no connectors vibrating towards anything
- everything sits firmly and tight on the motherboard


Jesus H christ almighty what is making the noise?!

[BoobPhysics101]

oh my god. I'm going insane. There is this very very low rapid clicking noise ( as if something is ever so slightly touching a spinning fan ), I mean low as in lower than the sound of anything coming out of my pc at idle but I can hear it and it is driving me mental. - Checked the case fans, they are unobstructed and spin freely - Checked the psu fan, silent as a whisper - Cpu, gpu 1 and gpu 2 fans are all unobstructed - HDD firmly in place no vibrations - No vibrations on loose powercables, i.e no connectors vibrating towards anything - everything sits firmly and tight on the motherboard Jesus H christ almighty what is making the noise?!

Check your anus, your prostate may be loose.

[BoobPhysics101]

Yay, finally finished with my new build. LOVE Love love working on the Raven 03, such an awesome case. So quiet and keeps all the components very cool. I blacked out the gold trims with carbon fiber vinyl, not too shabby I must say! Specs is the below: Intel i5 2500k / Asus P8Z68-V LX / 16GB G Skill RipJaw 1600Mhz / Galaxy GTX570 Patriot TorqX 2 64GB / WD Black 1TB / WD Green 2TB / Asus Xonar DX / Corsair 700GS

I love that case design. So different/functional.

[Sethos]

With Nvidia dragging their asses, it's so tempting to pull the trigger on a 7970 CF setup and a pair of Accelero Xtremes.

[BoobPhysics101]

With Nvidia dragging their asses, it's so tempting to pull the trigger on a 7970 CF setup and a pair of Accelero Xtremes.

If I remember correctly, 7970 is only 4% faster than a 7950 when they are at the same clocks. and 7950's OC just as well so... do you really to pay $200+ for 4-6% more performance? heh

[Sethos]

Off I remember correctly, 7970 is only 4% faster than a 7950 when they are at the same clocks. and 7950's OC just as well so... do you really to pay $200+ for 4-6% more performance? heh

Yeah, at the lowest, some games the difference is bigger. Plus the price difference between the two around is here TINY, some of them even cost the same or more than a 7970.

Also, the difference is minimal when you take the 7950 to 7970 clocks but the 7970 will also go above that easily. Need to start overvolting the 7950 to achieve that, something I wouldn't touch with a 12ft pole.

[pauljeremiah]

Planning update my graphic card, have about $1200 to spend. what should I go for?

Was thinking of Dual AMD 7970's

[Smokey]

Yay, finally finished with my new build. LOVE Love love working on the Raven 03, such an awesome case. So quiet and keeps all the components very cool. Specs is the below: Intel i5 2500k / Asus P8Z68-V LX / 16GB G Skill RipJaw 1600Mhz / Galaxy GTX570 Patriot TorqX 2 64GB / WD Black 1TB / WD Green 2TB / Asus Xonar DX / Corsair 700GS

i see ya big dawg

nice avy too..can't wait until they play heat on sunday. dat tension

[aznpxdd]

i see ya big dawg nice avy too..can't wait until they play heat on sunday. dat tension

Thanks homie ;)

I predict Wade to go out in a wheelchair.

[knitoe]

oh my god. I'm going insane. There is this very very low rapid clicking noise ( as if something is ever so slightly touching a spinning fan ), I mean low as in lower than the sound of anything coming out of my pc at idle but I can hear it and it is driving me mental. - Checked the case fans, they are unobstructed and spin freely - Checked the psu fan, silent as a whisper - Cpu, gpu 1 and gpu 2 fans are all unobstructed - HDD firmly in place no vibrations - No vibrations on loose powercables, i.e no connectors vibrating towards anything - everything sits firmly and tight on the motherboard Jesus H christ almighty what is making the noise?!

Start unplugging stuff one by one. Test the fans, graphic cards, HDDs and etc.

[mkenyon]

oh my god. I'm going insane. There is this very very low rapid clicking noise ( as if something is ever so slightly touching a spinning fan ), I mean low as in lower than the sound of anything coming out of my pc at idle but I can hear it and it is driving me mental. - Checked the case fans, they are unobstructed and spin freely - Checked the psu fan, silent as a whisper - Cpu, gpu 1 and gpu 2 fans are all unobstructed - HDD firmly in place no vibrations - No vibrations on loose powercables, i.e no connectors vibrating towards anything - everything sits firmly and tight on the motherboard Jesus H christ almighty what is making the noise?!

Is it only when your GPU's are being taxed? Turn off Aero in Win 7 with no programs and see if it is happening then.

Yay, finally finished with my new build. LOVE Love love working on the Raven 03, such an awesome case. So quiet and keeps all the components very cool. Specs is the below: Intel i5 2500k / Asus P8Z68-V LX / 16GB G Skill RipJaw 1600Mhz / Galaxy GTX570 Patriot TorqX 2 64GB / WD Black 1TB / WD Green 2TB / Asus Xonar DX / Corsair 700GS

Whatever you do, don't get a non-reference card that you're planning to OC. The heatpipe designs do not like the 90 degree rotation at all. Nice build tho!

Planning update my graphic card, have about $1200 to spend. what should I go for? Was thinking of Dual AMD 7970's

What is your current setup? Card/Case/CPU/heatsink/mobo? What games are you looking to play? Looking to play them with 3D, eyefinity, or 120hz/fps?

[Tallshortman]

I have a 2GB Radeon 6950 with unlocked shaders (at 6970 clock speeds), but I've been wanting to try nVidia for a while. Would it be a step down in any way if I swapped it with one of these?

Lateral move.

[Zoolader]

Yay, finally finished with my new build.

That's a really different setup, I like it. How is the air flow moving? Are the two bottom fans pulling air in or out? It looks like the cpu heatsink fan and the two bottom ones are blowing air at each other.... or is the cpu heatsink fan only pulling air away and upwards? I thought with aftermarket coolers you had the option to add a second fan, but one should always be blowing at it? That just makes sense to me, I have no idea though.

[mkenyon]

That's a really different setup, I like it. How is the air flow moving? Are the two bottom fans pulling air in or out? It looks like the cpu heatsink fan and the two bottom ones are blowing air at each other.... or is the cpu heatsink fan only pulling air away and upwards? I thought with aftermarket coolers you had the option to add a second fan, but one should always be blowing at it? That just makes sense to me, I have no idea though.

The cases are designed to work with thermodynamics, pulling cool air through bottom and pushing hot air out of the top. If the fan on the heatsink is indeed pushing air over it, then it is working against the airflow in the case. Can't tell from the picture though, so it may be pulling.

[knitoe]

The cases are designed to work with thermodynamics, pulling cool air through bottom and pushing hot air out of the top. If the fan on the heatsink is indeed pushing air over it, then it is working against the airflow in the case. Can't tell from the picture though, so it may be pulling.

Most likely, CPU fan is pulling. Better if it was push, but he probably did it that way because the fan might have blocked the ram slot(s).

Also, that case isn't very good for 2 or more non reference video cards that blow hot air around inside the case. With only 1 card, probably not an issue.

[mkenyon]

It's not an issue of where the air goes, it's an issue of heatpipe designs. Basically the heat tries to climb the short end of them, with the long ends working against gravity. No matter if it's one or two, temps can be anywhere from 10-30 degrees higher than normal.

[Shambles]

You also have to be weary of the perpendicular cases with GPUs (or any other device) that has heat pipes that utilize a fluid inside which draws away heat by continually turning that fluid into a gas where it cycles to a cooler part of the pipe and turns back into a fluid. IE MSI superpipe GPUs only perform properly when oriented in the typical horizontal direction.

[Smokey]

Yeah there was some pretty good info that came about during my ordeal with my FT02 and Lightnings.

Wish I would've known that before hand, but it's all good

[statham]

someone needs to start a budget PC gaming thread. when I read someone has $1200 to spend on a graphics card, makes me feel this is a brag thread or a 1% thread. We should have 2 separate threads high-end and low-med end.

[mkenyon]

someone needs to start a budget PC gaming thread. when I read someone has $1200 to spend on a graphics card, makes me feel this is a brag thread or a 1% thread. We should have 2 separate threads high-end and low-med end.

Uh. Read OP?

[Sethos]

someone needs to start a budget PC gaming thread. when I read someone has $1200 to spend on a graphics card, makes me feel this is a brag thread or a 1% thread. We should have 2 separate threads high-end and low-med end.

You just sound bitter and jealous.

[statham]

reads op. I one of those.

[statham]

You just sound bitter and jealous.

of what?

[Caesar III]

Yay, finally finished with my new build. LOVE Love love working on the Raven 03, such an awesome case. So quiet and keeps all the components very cool.

Had to switch my the tower with my girlfriend and bought me this beauty as well. I really like it even though I do not have top notch hardware in it for now. Only my old C2D 6850. But the case is waiting for Ivy Bridge to be filled with goodness :)
My only problem was the power connector. My newly bought beQuiet has the cable the other way around so it did not fit quite well into the case

[1-D_FTW]

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/22542

Sounds like Ivy Bridge has been pushed to June and even that's no longer guaranteed.

[scitek]

someone needs to start a budget PC gaming thread. when I read someone has $1200 to spend on a graphics card, makes me feel this is a brag thread or a 1% thread. We should have 2 separate threads high-end and low-med end.

This is mostly a budget-minded thread. Anytime anyone asks if they should get something, something more worth their money is suggested if possible. I wouldn't spend $1200 on two 7970s this close to the next generation of Nvidia cards coming out, and not when the 7950 is apparently a lot less for not much worse performance.

[vaelic]

Worth upgrading a 5850 to 7950?

[mkenyon]

Worth upgrading a 5850 to 7950?

If you are unhappy with your current performance, it is a decent jump, especially if you are up for OC'ing the card.

[artist]

If you are unhappy with your current performance, it is a decent jump, especially if you are up for OC'ing the card.

70-80%.

[Sethos]

This is mostly a budget-minded thread. Anytime anyone asks if they should get something, something more worth their money is suggested if possible. I wouldn't spend $1200 on two 7970s this close to the next generation of Nvidia cards coming out, and not when the 7950 is apparently a lot less for not much worse performance.

The 7950 is not 'a lot less' than the 7970, definitely not around here. Then again, I'm from another part of the world. The difference is over 15% both on stock. Then you overclock the 50 and close the gap, then you overclock the 70 and the gap is gone again.

It all equals out I'd say.

[scogoth]

someone needs to start a budget PC gaming thread. when I read someone has $1200 to spend on a graphics card, makes me feel this is a brag thread or a 1% thread. We should have 2 separate threads high-end and low-med end.

This is the budget thread.
Here's the high end thread

[artist]

The 7950 is not 'a lot less' than the 7970, definitely not around here. Then again, I'm from another part of the world. The difference is over 15% both on stock. Then you overclock the 50 and close the gap, then you overclock the 70 and the gap is gone again. It all equals out I'd say.

The 7950 has slightly more OC headroom over the 7970 though.

[faceless007]

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/22542 Sounds like Ivy Bridge has been pushed to June and even that's no longer guaranteed.

Reading a little deeper, the quote is “I think maybe it’s June now,” and it's unclear if he's referring to the whole lineup or just ultrabook parts (which were already slated for June anyway).

[1-D_FTW]

System has been up and running for over a day now. I'm pretty impressed by this chip. While it only scores a 7.1 for the CPU index on Windows Index (compared to 7.4 for my old Q9400) it beats the Q9400 in graphics and gaming graphics by a score of 7.6 vs 7.5.

The 2120 (8GB RAM, 2 HD, DVD, GTX 460, 4 120mm fans, 1 80 mm fan, and 80 plus power supply) system idles at 64 - 67 watts vs 98 - 100 for the Q9400 system (4GM RAM, 2 HD, DVD, GTX 460, 3 120mm fans, 1 92mm fan, 1 80 mm fan, and 80 plus power supply).

With both cores of the 2120 running at 100 percent, I'm still a little under 100 watts drawn.

For graphical intense games, I'm GPU limited just like with the Q9400 (although I've seen enough benches to know the i3 2120 is a little better).

Running the GTA IV Lost & Damned Benchmark with settings as high as my 1GB VRAM would allow, the i3 2120 was about 5 percent faster (although both had the GTX 460 red lined at 99 percent utilization). The difference was the Q9400 system benchmark peaked at 262 watts vs the i3 2120 system peaking at 203. After the benchmark ended and the opening mission started, the games was consistently in the low 180s (compared to 240 - 250 for the Q9400).

Haven't played around with undervolting too much. Randomly choose 1.04 volts (running at around 1.0 volts) and no issues. Haven't played with the kill-a-watt too much. Not sure where the land of diminishing returns is yet.

Like a previous poster said, Windows 7 booted up. Although I reformatted and did a clean install. Windows requested an automated telephone activation, but aside from having to enter in 50 numbers, it was very painless.

[Sethos]

The 7950 has slightly more OC headroom over the 7970 though.

Sure but that headroom is negated by the fact that equal clocks still means the 7950 performs a tad slower. And sure, if you are looking to get the most out of every penny, the 7950 is definitely the way to go but if money is no issue the 7970 still has some advantages in my opinion. Obviously that's based on the aforementioned minimal difference in price that I've seen around my usual places.

But seeing as 680 might actually be in the no-so-distant horizon and not 6 months ( or more ) away as I first thought, I'd rather avoid AMD considering I'm going dual GPU.

[cartman414]

So mSATA. The 311 is way too expensive for what it is so what to use to hybridize a bigger drive? I was looking at the OCZ Nocti which appears to have pretty good sequential writes and a reasonably priced 60G version. Any others I should be considering?

The 311 is SLC, which accounts for the premium.

Reading a little deeper, the quote is “I think maybe it’s June now,” and it's unclear if he's referring to the whole lineup or just ultrabook parts (which were already slated for June anyway).

Mobile/ultrabook only, I believe. The main parts are said to debut a little later than expected though, nearing the end of next month.

Just read about the variable TDPs, which apply to a couple of the ULV CPUs. They can go up to 25W and gain an extra 500-600 MHz in the process, on top of Turbo Boost. Not too shabby.